diff --git a/flexget/components/bittorrent/trackers.py b/flexget/components/bittorrent/trackers.py
index 875fcd1d98..8a7c347a2e 100644
--- a/flexget/components/bittorrent/trackers.py
+++ b/flexget/components/bittorrent/trackers.py
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ def on_task_modify(self, task, config):
             if 'torrent' in entry:
                 for tracker in entry['torrent'].trackers:
                     for regexp in config or []:
-                        if re.search(regexp, tracker, re.IGNORECASE | re.UNICODE):
+                        if re.search(regexp, tracker, re.IGNORECASE):
                             logger.debug(
                                 'remove_trackers removing {} because of {}', tracker, regexp
                             )
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ def on_task_modify(self, task, config):
                 for regexp in config:
                     # Replace any tracker strings that match the regexp with nothing
                     tr_search = rf'&tr=([^&]*{regexp}[^&]*)'
-                    entry['url'] = re.sub(tr_search, '', entry['url'], re.IGNORECASE | re.UNICODE)
+                    entry['url'] = re.sub(tr_search, '', entry['url'], flags=re.IGNORECASE)
 
 
 class ModifyTrackers:
diff --git a/flexget/components/emby/api_emby.py b/flexget/components/emby/api_emby.py
index 6cd2a05c6f..194a3891fd 100644
--- a/flexget/components/emby/api_emby.py
+++ b/flexget/components/emby/api_emby.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 logger = logger.bind(name='api_emby')
 
 
-class EmbyApiBase(ABC):
+class EmbyApiBase(ABC):  # noqa: B024
     """
     Base Class to all API integratios
     """
diff --git a/flexget/components/imdb/utils.py b/flexget/components/imdb/utils.py
index 11c836251e..49437fe1f8 100644
--- a/flexget/components/imdb/utils.py
+++ b/flexget/components/imdb/utils.py
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ def __init__(self):
     def ireplace(self, text, old, new, count=0):
         """Case insensitive string replace"""
         pattern = re.compile(re.escape(old), re.I)
-        return re.sub(pattern, new, text, count)
+        return re.sub(pattern, new, text, count=count)
 
     def smart_match(self, raw_name, single_match=True):
         """Accepts messy name, cleans it and uses information available to make smartest and best match"""
diff --git a/flexget/components/irc/irc.py b/flexget/components/irc/irc.py
index ca07e38b15..6bc3ce85e5 100644
--- a/flexget/components/irc/irc.py
+++ b/flexget/components/irc/irc.py
@@ -26,12 +26,8 @@
 
 logger = logger.bind(name='irc')
 
-MESSAGE_CLEAN = re.compile(
-    r"\x0f|\x1f|\x02|\x03(?:[\d]{1,2}(?:,[\d]{1,2})?)?", re.MULTILINE | re.UNICODE
-)
-URL_MATCHER = re.compile(
-    r'(https?://[\da-z\.-]+\.[a-z\.]{2,6}[/\w\.-\?&]*/?)', re.MULTILINE | re.UNICODE
-)
+MESSAGE_CLEAN = re.compile(r"\x0f|\x1f|\x02|\x03(?:[\d]{1,2}(?:,[\d]{1,2})?)?", re.MULTILINE)
+URL_MATCHER = re.compile(r'(https?://[\da-z\.-]+\.[a-z\.]{2,6}[/\w\.-\?&]*/?)', re.MULTILINE)
 
 channel_pattern = {
     'type': 'string',
@@ -202,7 +198,7 @@ def __init__(self, config, config_name):
 
             # Process ignore lines
             for regex_values in self.tracker_config.findall('parseinfo/ignore/regex'):
-                rx = re.compile(regex_values.get('value'), re.UNICODE | re.MULTILINE)
+                rx = re.compile(regex_values.get('value'), re.MULTILINE)
                 self.ignore_lines.append((rx, regex_values.get('expected') != 'false'))
 
             # Parse patterns
@@ -374,7 +370,7 @@ def parse_patterns(self, patterns):
         """
         result = []
         for pattern in patterns:
-            rx = re.compile(pattern.find('regex').get('value'), re.UNICODE | re.MULTILINE)
+            rx = re.compile(pattern.find('regex').get('value'), re.MULTILINE)
             vals = [var.get('name') for idx, var in enumerate(pattern.find('vars'))]
             optional = pattern.get('optional', 'false').lower() == 'true'
             result.append((rx, vals, optional))
diff --git a/flexget/components/managed_lists/lists/entry_list/entry_list.py b/flexget/components/managed_lists/lists/entry_list/entry_list.py
index d1dba90c3f..cd4fb2d25e 100644
--- a/flexget/components/managed_lists/lists/entry_list/entry_list.py
+++ b/flexget/components/managed_lists/lists/entry_list/entry_list.py
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ def search(self, task, entry, config=None):
                 entry_list = db.get_list_by_exact_name(config, session=session)
             except NoResultFound:
                 logger.warning("Entry list with name '{}' does not exist", config)
+                return entries
             else:
                 for search_string in entry.get('search_strings', [entry['title']]):
                     logger.debug(
@@ -39,7 +40,6 @@ def search(self, task, entry, config=None):
                         db.EntryListEntry.title.like('%' + search_string + '%')
                     )
                     entries += [e.entry for e in query.all()]
-            finally:
                 return entries
 
 
diff --git a/flexget/log.py b/flexget/log.py
index c1a9abaa73..3a02337540 100644
--- a/flexget/log.py
+++ b/flexget/log.py
@@ -206,6 +206,6 @@ def start(
     if _startup_buffer:
         for record in _startup_buffer:
             level, message = record['level'].name, record['message']
-            logger.patch(lambda r: r.update(record)).log(level, message)
+            logger.patch(lambda r, record=record: r.update(record)).log(level, message)
         _startup_buffer = []
     _logging_started = True
diff --git a/flexget/plugins/cli/try_regexp.py b/flexget/plugins/cli/try_regexp.py
index dae8ba0ebf..d1e3aa314c 100644
--- a/flexget/plugins/cli/try_regexp.py
+++ b/flexget/plugins/cli/try_regexp.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ def matches(self, entry, regexp):
         for field, value in entry.items():
             if not isinstance(value, str):
                 continue
-            if re.search(regexp, value, re.IGNORECASE | re.UNICODE):
+            if re.search(regexp, value, re.IGNORECASE):
                 return (True, field)
         return (False, None)
 
diff --git a/flexget/plugins/filter/regexp.py b/flexget/plugins/filter/regexp.py
index 8a746c721f..61270962b7 100644
--- a/flexget/plugins/filter/regexp.py
+++ b/flexget/plugins/filter/regexp.py
@@ -123,13 +123,11 @@ def prepare_config(self, config):
 
                 # compile `not` option regexps
                 if 'not' in opts:
-                    opts['not'] = [
-                        re.compile(not_re, re.IGNORECASE | re.UNICODE) for not_re in opts['not']
-                    ]
+                    opts['not'] = [re.compile(not_re, re.IGNORECASE) for not_re in opts['not']]
 
                 # compile regexp and make sure regexp is a string for series like '24'
                 try:
-                    regexp = re.compile(str(regexp), re.IGNORECASE | re.UNICODE)
+                    regexp = re.compile(str(regexp), re.IGNORECASE)
                 except re.error as e:
                     # Since validator can't validate dict keys (when an option is defined for the pattern) make sure we
                     # raise a proper error here.
diff --git a/flexget/plugins/metainfo/content_size.py b/flexget/plugins/metainfo/content_size.py
index 1133061c9e..030e505314 100644
--- a/flexget/plugins/metainfo/content_size.py
+++ b/flexget/plugins/metainfo/content_size.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 
 logger = logger.bind(name='metanfo_csize')
 
-SIZE_RE = re.compile(r'Size[^\d]{0,7}(\d*\.?\d+).{0,5}(MB|GB)', re.IGNORECASE | re.UNICODE)
+SIZE_RE = re.compile(r'Size[^\d]{0,7}(\d*\.?\d+).{0,5}(MB|GB)', re.IGNORECASE)
 
 
 class MetainfoContentSize:
diff --git a/flexget/utils/parsers/generic.py b/flexget/utils/parsers/generic.py
index 7752b13ab5..5b2e4bbf57 100644
--- a/flexget/utils/parsers/generic.py
+++ b/flexget/utils/parsers/generic.py
@@ -43,12 +43,12 @@ def name_to_re(name, ignore_prefixes=None, parser=None):
     # Blanks are any non word characters except & and _
     blank = r'(?:[^\w&]|_)'
     ignore = '(?:' + '|'.join(ignore_prefixes) + ')?'
-    res = re.sub(re.compile(blank + '+', re.UNICODE), ' ', name)
+    res = re.sub(re.compile(blank + '+'), ' ', name)
     res = res.strip()
     # accept either '&' or 'and'
-    res = re.sub(' (&|and) ', ' (?:and|&) ', res, re.UNICODE)
+    res = re.sub(' (&|and) ', ' (?:and|&) ', res)
     # The replacement has a regex escape in it (\w) which needs to be escaped again in python 3.7+
-    res = re.sub(' +', blank.replace('\\', '\\\\') + '*', res, re.UNICODE)
+    res = re.sub(' +', blank.replace('\\', '\\\\') + '*', res)
     if parenthetical:
         res += '(?:' + blank + '+' + parenthetical + ')?'
         # Turn on exact mode for series ending with a parenthetical,
diff --git a/flexget/utils/parsers/parser.py b/flexget/utils/parsers/parser.py
index a4e085a3cd..0f3d0cd9ab 100644
--- a/flexget/utils/parsers/parser.py
+++ b/flexget/utils/parsers/parser.py
@@ -56,9 +56,9 @@ def remove_words(text, words, not_in_word=False):
 
     @staticmethod
     def ireplace(data, old, new, count=0, not_in_word=False):
-        """Case insensitive string replace"""
+        """Case-insensitive string replace"""
         old = re.escape(old)
         if not_in_word:
             old = TitleParser.re_not_in_word(old)
         pattern = re.compile(old, re.I)
-        return re.sub(pattern, new, data, count)
+        return re.sub(pattern, new, data, count=count)
diff --git a/flexget/utils/parsers/series.py b/flexget/utils/parsers/series.py
index f19dd3d534..e6c76ac45b 100644
--- a/flexget/utils/parsers/series.py
+++ b/flexget/utils/parsers/series.py
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ def parse(self, data=None, field=None, quality=None):
                 match = re.search(
                     self.re_not_in_word(r'(\d?\d)(\d\d)'),
                     desperate,
-                    re.IGNORECASE | re.UNICODE,
+                    re.IGNORECASE,
                 )
                 if match:
                     logger.trace('-> had luck with SEE')
diff --git a/flexget/utils/template.py b/flexget/utils/template.py
index d379a0cad0..8089d713dd 100644
--- a/flexget/utils/template.py
+++ b/flexget/utils/template.py
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ def filter_strip_symbols(text: str) -> str:
     # Symbols that should be converted to white space
     result = re.sub(r'[ \(\)\-_\[\]\.]+', ' ', text)
     # Leftovers
-    result = re.sub(r"[^\w\d\s]", "", result, flags=re.UNICODE)
+    result = re.sub(r"[^\w\d\s]", "", result)
     # Replace multiple white spaces with one
     return ' '.join(result.split())