Few pop culture magazines have shaped how we think about movies, TV shows, and celebrity photography quite like EW. From its 1990 debut to its shift to digital-only in 2022, Entertainment Weekly covers became a weekly event for millions of readers tracking Hollywood’s biggest moments.
Some covers broke records. Sixteen for Game of Thrones. Fifteen for the Avengers. Others became collector’s editions that fans still hunt down on eBay years later.
This article breaks down the most memorable EW magazine covers across three decades. You’ll see what made each cover work from a design perspective, which celebrities and franchises defined the magazine’s visual identity, and why certain issues became instant collectibles.
Whether you’re into entertainment journalism, magazine cover art, or just want to revisit some great pop culture photography, there’s something here worth your time.
Best Entertainment Weekly Covers
Game of Thrones Final Season (March 2019)
Why This Cover Stands Out
Sixteen covers. That’s what EW printed for the final season of HBO’s biggest show. It was the most covers the magazine had ever produced for a single issue, beating the previous year’s Avengers record. Each cover featured a different character (or pair of characters), and when you lined them all up, you got 22 characters from the show’s sprawling cast.
The creative director Tim Leong ran both editorial and creative for this issue. That almost never happens.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
The full Game of Thrones cast got the spotlight here. Cersei Lannister in red and gold. Jon Snow mounted on horseback. Daenerys Targaryen solo. Even the Night King got his own cover.
Designer Chuck Kerr started with the Night King cover first because it was cropped tighter than the rest, then built a cohesive color palette and layout system that worked across all sixteen.
Cover Design and Visual Style
On-set photography by Marc Hom during the actual filming of the final season. That took over a year of planning.
The text on the covers was deliberately simplified. Editor Henry Goldblatt agreed to strip down the cover lines to keep the images as clean as possible. Dark, moody backgrounds. Strong contrast between characters and the backdrop.
It worked. These are probably the best-looking EW covers of the entire print era.
Issue Date and Context
March 15, 2019. Issue #1553/1554, a special double issue. The final season premiered on HBO just one month later, on April 14.
This was also EW’s biggest single-topic issue in its then 29-year history. The package ran 78 pages and included infographics, maps, annotated storyboards, and illustrations from 15 different artists.
Cultural Impact
These covers became instant collectibles. Fans bought multiple copies to get every character. eBay listings for complete sets of all 16 still pop up regularly, often priced well above the original newsstand cost.
The issue also proved that print magazines could still generate massive social media buzz. EW’s reveal on March 4, 2019 dominated entertainment news for days.
Where to Find It
Back issue dealers, eBay, and the Internet Archive all have copies. Complete sets of all 16 covers are harder to find and command a premium. Individual covers are still fairly affordable.
Avengers: Infinity War (March 2018)
Why This Cover Stands Out
Fifteen covers featuring 22 Marvel superheroes and one villain. At the time, this was the most covers EW had ever produced for one issue. The kicker? All 15 covers combined into one massive image forming the Avengers logo spread across a cosmic backdrop.
That interlocking design took nearly a year to plan.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
The full Marvel Cinematic Universe roster showed up. Iron Man with new Bleeding Edge armor. Captain America with Wakandan gauntlets. Thor, Rocket Raccoon, and Teen Groot grouped together.
Thanos got his own solo cover with the Infinity Gauntlet. The absentees were notable too: no Hawkeye, no Ant-Man, no Loki.
Cover Design and Visual Style
Design Director Keir Novesky executed the cover design. Each image worked as a standalone portrait, but the real trick was the interlocking puzzle structure. The alignment had to be perfect across all fifteen covers.
Bold cosmic backgrounds. Bright character lighting against dark space. Strong visual hierarchy that put the heroes front and center. The typography was minimal to let the imagery breathe.
Issue Date and Context
March 16, 2018 double issue. All 15 covers were revealed on Good Morning America. Avengers: Infinity War was the 19th film in the MCU, and the issue came with a 40-page package that included an interview with Kevin Feige, a breakdown of every Infinity Stone, and concept art of alternate costumes.
Cultural Impact
This set the template for franchise-driven multi-cover issues. EW had done multi-cover runs before (11 for Lost in 2010, 11 for True Blood in 2012), but this blew past all previous records.
Collectors went after the full set immediately. The covers became shareable content on social media, and fans posted side-by-side comparisons trying to assemble the complete Avengers symbol.
Where to Find It
Individual covers are easy to find on eBay and through back issue retailers. Complete 15-cover sets are less common but still turn up. Amazon still has some listed from third-party sellers.
Friends Reunion Special (2021)
Why This Cover Stands Out
The six cast members together again on a magazine cover for the first time in years. Given the scale of the HBO Max reunion special, this was one of the most anticipated EW cover reveals in recent memory.
The show ended in 2004. The cast hadn’t all been in the same room publicly since then (aside from a private dinner at Courteney Cox’s house in October 2019). So yeah, the cover mattered.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer. All six, together.
This ended up being one of Matthew Perry’s final major media appearances before his death in October 2023, which has given the cover an added layer of emotional weight for fans.
Cover Design and Visual Style
Clean, warm, and nostalgic. The photo shoot leaned into the emotional reunion angle rather than anything too flashy. Soft lighting, casual wardrobe choices, and a relaxed group composition.
The design kept the masthead prominent but let the photo do the talking. No cluttered cover lines fighting for attention. Smart use of white space around the group shot.
Issue Date and Context
Published ahead of the HBO Max reunion special that premiered on May 27, 2021. The special was filmed at Stage 24 on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank (the same stage where Friends was filmed since season 2). Each cast member reportedly received at least $2.5 million for participating.
Cultural Impact
The reunion drove massive subscriptions to HBO Max in its opening weekend. The EW cover became one of the most shared entertainment images of 2021 across social platforms.
It also proved that nostalgia-driven content still sells magazines. Even in a digital-only landscape, this cover image was everywhere.
Where to Find It
Available digitally through EW’s website and magazine archive platforms like Magzter. Since EW shifted to digital-only in February 2022, some of the later print issues (including this era) are becoming collectible.
The Walking Dead Season Premiere (September 2014)
Why This Cover Stands Out
EW put The Walking Dead on its cover more than a dozen times over the years. This particular run from September 2014 featured four collector’s covers for the Season 5 premiere, each showcasing different characters in gritty, blood-splattered portrait style.
The show was at peak popularity, and these covers captured that energy perfectly.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes led the main cover. Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon got his own. Steven Yeun as Glenn and Lauren Cohan as Maggie shared another. The zombie apocalypse crew looked worn, dirty, and ready for war.
Cover Design and Visual Style
Dark, textured backgrounds. Heavy use of shadows and dramatic lighting. The photography had a cinematic quality that matched the show’s tone. Think horror movie poster meets print design.
The emphasis was always on the characters’ faces. Tight crops, intense expressions, minimal distractions. Art director Michele Romero was known for pushing the boundaries on these shoots.
Issue Date and Context
September 5, 2014. Issue #1327. Season 5 was about to premiere on AMC, and the show was pulling in 14-17 million viewers per episode at this point.
Cultural Impact
These covers helped cement The Walking Dead as EW’s go-to franchise for newsstand sales. The magazine would eventually put the show on its cover 12 times total. That’s a record very few TV series have come close to matching.
Where to Find It
eBay, back issue dealers, and the Internet Archive. Individual covers are affordable. The Walking Dead collector’s editions from EW remain some of the most traded entertainment magazine issues on the secondary market.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (July 2011)
Why This Cover Stands Out
The end of an era. EW’s coverage of the final Harry Potter film featured Daniel Radcliffe in an epic, cinematic cover shot that felt like a farewell to a generation of fans.
This wasn’t just another movie preview cover. It was a goodbye.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter front and center. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley flanked him. The composition had the feel of a movie poster more than a standard magazine cover.
Cover Design and Visual Style
Dramatic lighting with a dark, smoky background. The characters looked battle-worn, matching the Deathly Hallows Part 2 tone. The color scheme was muted, almost monochrome, with pops of warm skin tones against cool grays.
The focal point was unmistakable. Your eye goes straight to Radcliffe, then out to the flanking characters. Classic triangular composition.
Issue Date and Context
Released in July 2011, just ahead of the film’s premiere on July 15. The issue included behind-the-scenes features and interviews with the cast reflecting on over a decade of filmmaking.
Cultural Impact
The Harry Potter franchise was, and still is, one of the biggest pop culture properties in history. This EW cover became a bookmark moment for fans who had grown up with the series. Collectors snapped up copies immediately.
Where to Find It
Available through back issue retailers and eBay. Harry Potter EW issues tend to hold their value well among collectors of entertainment media memorabilia.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (November 2015)
Why This Cover Stands Out
The return of Star Wars after a decade-long gap. EW released multiple collector’s covers featuring both legacy and new characters. The hype around The Force Awakens was unlike anything the film industry had seen in years, and these covers fed directly into it.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, and the returning Harrison Ford as Han Solo all appeared across the different covers. The mix of old and new cast gave each cover a different emotional angle.
Cover Design and Visual Style
Lucasfilm provided exclusive photos shot on set. The visual style borrowed heavily from the film’s own marketing aesthetic. Cool blue and warm orange tones. Dramatic poses. The covers used a complementary color approach that made each image pop on the newsstand.
Clean font choices with minimal cover text. The Star Wars name did the heavy lifting.
Issue Date and Context
November 2015, ahead of the December 18 theatrical release. The issue included exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes production details that fans couldn’t find anywhere else at the time.
Cultural Impact
The Force Awakens went on to gross over $2 billion worldwide. EW’s exclusive first-look covers were among the most shared entertainment images of 2015. These covers helped reestablish the magazine as the go-to source for franchise movie previews.
Where to Find It
Readily available through eBay and Amazon third-party sellers. Star Wars collector editions remain consistently popular in the secondary magazine market.
Game of Thrones Stark Reunion (June 2017)
Why This Cover Stands Out
Five covers for one issue. The surviving Stark children (Kit Harington, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Isaac Hempstead Wright) appeared together on the main cover and got individual portraits for the alternate versions.
It was the first time all four Stark actors had been photographed together for a cover, hinting at the long-awaited family reunion in Season 7.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
Kit Harington as Jon Snow wore armor and a direwolf sigil. Maisie Williams as Arya appeared in heavy Northern garb for the first time. Sophie Turner as Sansa looked regal. Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran completed the family portrait.
Fun detail: when the cameras stopped rolling, Harington reportedly put on Crocs to complete his ensemble.
Cover Design and Visual Style
All leather and fur. The styling leaned into the show’s Northern aesthetic. Muted earth tones. Low-key lighting. The group composition placed Jon centrally with the others arranged around him, reflecting his role as the family’s military leader heading into war.
Strong balance across the frame. No single character overwhelmed the others despite Jon’s central placement.
Issue Date and Context
June 2-9, 2017, double issue. Season 7 was just weeks away. The covers dropped alongside exclusive interviews where the cast and co-creators discussed unexpected character pairings in the new season.
Cultural Impact
These covers fueled months of fan theories about the Stark reunion. The images were dissected on Reddit, Twitter, and every Game of Thrones fan forum. The combination of storytelling and cover art photography made this a standout moment in EW’s history with the franchise.
Where to Find It
eBay and back issue dealers. Individual Stark covers are easy to find. The group cover commands slightly higher prices.
Seinfeld Finale (May 1998)
Why This Cover Stands Out
The end of “the show about nothing.” EW’s Seinfeld finale cover captured a moment when 76 million people tuned in to watch the last episode. That kind of cultural event doesn’t happen anymore.
This was peak print magazine relevance. If you were at a newsstand in May 1998, this cover was impossible to ignore.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards. The core four, together, one last time on an EW cover as active cast members.
Cover Design and Visual Style
Bright, clean, and confident. The photography matched the show’s tone: New York energy, sharp wit, no pretense. The hue palette leaned warm and inviting, with a straightforward group portrait composition.
Nothing overly complicated. The design principles at work here were clarity and simplicity. The cast’s expressions did all the work.
Issue Date and Context
May 1998, published just before the May 14 finale. The issue examined Seinfeld’s cultural legacy and what television would look like without it.
Cultural Impact
The finale remains one of the most-watched television events ever. This EW cover is now a snapshot of late-1990s pop culture at its peak. It shows up regularly in retrospectives about iconic magazine covers from that decade.
Where to Find It
Back issue dealers and eBay. Copies in good condition are increasingly scarce after 25+ years. This is one of the more sought-after EW issues among collectors of entertainment memorabilia.
Lost Finale (May 2010)
Why This Cover Stands Out
Eleven covers. EW printed 11 different versions for the Lost finale, each featuring different cast members. At the time, this was a record for the publication (before Avengers and Game of Thrones blew past it).
The show’s mythology was so dense and its fanbase so dedicated that anything less would have felt insufficient.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
The sprawling Lost cast across all 11 covers. Matthew Fox as Jack Shephard. Evangeline Lilly as Kate Austen. Josh Holloway as Sawyer. Terry O’Quinn as John Locke. Each cover gave a different character their own spotlight for the final goodbye.
Cover Design and Visual Style
Island-themed backdrops with a dramatic, almost painterly quality. Moody lighting with deep shadows. The covers had a sense of finality baked into their design elements, from the somber color grading to the contemplative character poses.
Each portrait felt like a goodbye. The framing was tight and personal, putting the viewer face-to-face with each character.
Issue Date and Context
May 2010, ahead of the series finale on May 23. The issue included extensive features breaking down the show’s biggest mysteries and unanswered questions. Plenty of those mysteries are still debated today, honestly.
Cultural Impact
Lost pioneered the idea of multi-cover collector’s editions at EW. This 11-cover run proved that superfans would buy multiple copies, and it set the business model for every multi-cover franchise issue that followed.
Where to Find It
eBay and online back issue stores. Complete sets of all 11 are collector’s items. Individual covers are still reasonably priced.
Stephen King Special Issue (September 2017)
Why This Cover Stands Out
EW released “The Ultimate Guide to Stephen King” as a special edition, featuring original illustrations by Robert Sammelin. It wasn’t a standard weekly cover. It was a dedicated standalone publication celebrating the most influential horror author alive.
Only a handful of authors have ever gotten the full EW cover treatment. King was one of them, and he got it more than once.
Featured Celebrity or Subject
Stephen King himself, plus coverage spanning his entire body of work, from Carrie and The Shining to It and The Shawshank Redemption. The issue also included an exclusive excerpt from Sleeping Beauties, a novel he co-wrote with his son Owen King.
King also wrote “The Pop of King” column for EW from 2003 to 2011, so there was a long relationship between the author and the publication.
Cover Design and Visual Style
Original artwork dominated the cover rather than a photograph. Robert Sammelin’s illustrations gave the cover a book cover feel rather than a typical magazine look. Dark reds, blacks, and shadows. Horror imagery done with real artistic skill.
The gradient work on the background added depth without being distracting. It felt like holding a piece of genre art rather than a news publication.
Issue Date and Context
Published in September 2017, timed to the theatrical release of It Chapter One. The film went on to become the highest-grossing horror movie of all time at that point, and this EW special edition rode the wave perfectly.
Cultural Impact
The issue helped reaffirm King’s status as a pop culture force, not just a literary one. EW later published an updated version in 2019 for It Chapter Two. Both editions are considered must-haves for King collectors.
It also represented one of the rare times EW built an entire special issue around a single author rather than a film, TV show, or franchise. That says something about King’s reach across movies, television, and books.
Where to Find It
Available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, eBay, and specialty bookstores. Both the 2017 and 2019 editions are still in circulation. Prices vary but generally remain affordable for magazine collectors.
FAQ on Entertainment Weekly Covers
What are the most iconic Entertainment Weekly covers of all time?
The Game of Thrones 16-cover set from March 2019 and the Avengers: Infinity War 15-cover run from 2018 are widely considered the most memorable. The Lost finale covers, Seinfeld farewell, and various Harry Potter issues also rank high among collectors and pop culture fans.
Is Entertainment Weekly still publishing magazine covers?
EW stopped printing physical magazines in February 2022 and moved to a digital-only format. They still produce digital covers for major entertainment news stories, franchise previews, and exclusive celebrity photo shoots published through their website and social platforms.
Where can I buy old Entertainment Weekly covers?
eBay is the most popular marketplace for back issues. Amazon third-party sellers, specialty magazine dealers, and the Internet Archive also carry them. Prices vary depending on the featured celebrity, franchise, and condition of the collector edition.
Which celebrity has appeared on the most EW covers?
No single celebrity holds an official record, but franchises like Game of Thrones and the Marvel Cinematic Universe dominated cover appearances during the 2010s. The Walking Dead appeared on 12 separate covers, making it one of the most featured TV shows in EW history.
What was the first Entertainment Weekly cover?
The first issue launched on February 16, 1990, in New York City. It was created by Jeff Jarvis and founded by Michael Klingensmith. The magazine’s early covers used Bureau Grotesque for the logo and often featured black-and-white celebrity portraits.
Are Entertainment Weekly covers worth collecting?
Some are. Multi-cover collector sets from franchises like Star Wars, the Avengers, and Game of Thrones hold their value well. Special edition issues and final print runs have become especially desirable since EW shifted to digital-only publication in 2022.
How did EW decide who goes on the cover?
Cover decisions were driven by a mix of newsstand sales data, upcoming movie and TV premieres, and exclusive access deals with studios like Disney, HBO, and Marvel Studios. The editorial team weighed cultural relevance alongside commercial potential for every issue.
What size are Entertainment Weekly magazine covers?
Standard EW print issues followed typical US magazine cover size dimensions, roughly 8 x 10.875 inches. Special collector editions sometimes varied slightly. Digital covers have no fixed size and are optimized for web and mobile screens.
Did Entertainment Weekly use illustrated covers?
Occasionally. The Stephen King special editions featured original illustrations by Robert Sammelin. Some Comic-Con preview issues used artwork as well. But photography was the default for the vast majority of EW covers throughout the magazine’s 32-year print history.
What makes a good Entertainment Weekly cover?
Strong celebrity photography, clean typographic hierarchy, and a timely pop culture hook. The best EW covers balanced exclusive first-look images with minimal cover text, letting the subject and visual design do most of the work on the newsstand.
Conclusion
Entertainment Weekly covers did something rare. They turned a weekly magazine into a pop culture archive that tracked Hollywood’s biggest franchises, celebrity photo shoots, and TV show premieres across three decades.
From the first issue in 1990 to the final print edition in 2022, EW’s cover gallery reflected what audiences cared about most. Marvel Studios blockbusters. HBO prestige dramas. Stephen King adaptations. Cast reunions that made fans feel something real.
The shift to digital changed the format but not the purpose. EW still produces exclusive cover stories and first-look images that drive entertainment news conversations.
Whether you collect back issues or browse them online, these covers remain a record of what mattered in film, television, and music. They’re worth looking at more than once.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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