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  • X-Men MCU Movie Release Date Rumor Ties Directly to Avengers: Secret Wars 

    X-Men MCU Movie Release Date Rumor Ties Directly to Avengers: Secret Wars 

    It has now been two and a half years since Jennifer Waters confronted K.E.V.I.N. in the finale of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and asked, “When are we getting the X-Men?” According to one reliable scooper, the answer is, “2027.” Jeff Sneider, a journalist with a track record of reliable scoops, recently posted on Twitter that […]

    The post X-Men MCU Movie Release Date Rumor Ties Directly to Avengers: Secret Wars  appeared first on Den of Geek.

    We’re not afraid to say that TV is looking pretty hot in 2025. Any lull we may have experienced in the aftermath of the WGA and SAG strikes of 2023 seems to be nonexistent, with many long-awaited shows set to debut and make their triumphant return this year.

    The first few months of 2025 are starting off strong with shows like Severance and Invincible set to return, among others. The summer looks like it will be great for Marvel fans with the Ironheart miniseries finally set to premiere as well as the debut of the animated series Eyes of Wakanda. In addition, there are plenty of exciting “TBDs” projected to come out this year that we can’t wait to see. Now before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at the TV shows you can’t miss in 2025!

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    JANUARY

    Severance Season 2

    January 17 on Apple TV+

    Good things come to those who wait and in early 2025 a very good thing will arrive for those who have been patiently waiting for Severance season 2. This mind-bending Apple TV+ sci-fi/drama about a very literal split between work life and home life wrapped its first season all the way back in April 2022. Now, after some production and strike delays, the story of Mark S. (Adam Scott) and his band of Innies’ struggle against the enigmatic Lumon Industries is set to continue once again. There are a lot of questions to be answered about the show’s sprawling mythology early on. But hopefully the Macrodata Refinement team still finds the time for a dance party or two. – Alec Bojalad

    The Night Agent Season 2

    January 23 on Netflix

    Easily one of Netflix’s most popular series of the last few years, The Night Agent returns for a second season not long after the new year begins. FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is back, only this time he finds himself on the other end of the Night Action hotline. Instead of answering calls from agents in the field, he’s now one of them. Peter may have saved the president and stopped a terror attack from the inside, but does he have what it takes to be a secret agent full time? We may have to wait until January to find out, but we will absolutely be seated as the action unfolds. – Brynna Arens

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    January 29 on Disney+

    Originally thought to be the origin story of the MCU’s Spider-Man, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man instead takes place in a similar, but slightly different universe where Norman Osborn (voiced by the incredible Colman Domingo) becomes Peter Parker’s mentor instead of Tony Stark. Just like What If…?, this animated series is part of the MCU’s multiverse, and is set to feature appearances from a variety of other familiar characters. So far, the only actor set to reprise their role from the MCU is Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, but that doesn’t mean that the show won’t have other surprises up its sleeve. Even though this series might not be connected to the sacred timeline of the MCU, it’s bound to be a fun watch for Spider-Man fans of all ages. – BA

    FEBRUARY

    Invincible Season 3

    February 6 on Prime Video

    It’s hard being a superhero and it’s even harder being a teenager. On Prime Video’s Invincible, poor Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) has to be both. Mark a.k.a. Invincible has been put through the wringer through two seasons of this colorful adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic, enduring major daddy issues, gaining an unexpected alien brother, and receiving all manner of super-powered beatdowns. Following the multiverse hopping chaos of season 2, however, season 3 looks to be a time of transition and growth for our young supe. Hopefully Mark takes in a lesson or two because, if the length of the comic inspiration is any indication, he has a ways to go yet. – AB

    Cobra Kai Season 6 – Part Three

    February 13 on Netflix

    Don’t let Karate Kid: Legends fool you. Before Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) returns to the big screen for the legacy sequel with Jackie Chan, we’ve got one more go-around with his old rival Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and the Cobra Kai dojo. Technically, we’ve already seen the first two parts of season six, as Netflix is dropping it in five-episode chunks. The last five episodes all hit streaming on February 13, including a finale written by creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Then again, Cobra Kai‘s faced down cancelation before and continues to find a way to come back and strike first, strike hard, with no mercy. – Joe George

    Yellowjackets Season 3

    February 14 on Showtime

    Showtime’s buzziest show returns for a third season this year, and boy are we excited. Yellowjackets follows the journey of young plane crash survivors as they contend with the trauma of their experience, both in 1996 when the crash occurred and in the present as they try to live their adult lives. Whether driven by a supernatural force we’ve yet to fully witness, or these women are simply unable to process the sheer trauma of what they went through to survive, the wilderness comes to collect, one way or another. Last season saw these survivors, both past and present, give in to the will of the wilderness through cannibalism, ritualistic killing, and crowning the first Antler Queen, so there’s no telling what they may be driven to this season in the name of survival. – BA 

    The White Lotus Season 3

    February 16 on HBO and Max

    With a cast that includes Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, and the return of Natasha Rothwell as Belinda, season 3 of The White Lotus is already off to a strong start. This season is set to take us to the Thailand branch of this wealthy hotel resort chain – while the location may be gorgeous, if the last two seasons of this show have taught us anything, this vacation will be anything but idyllic. Relationships and family bonds will likely be put to the test, and there’s a pretty decent chance at least one body will be found before the season is done. – BA

    Reacher Season 3

    February 20 on Prime Video

    The hulking former military policeman Jack Reacher drifts back onto tv screens soon for a third season. This season adapts the seventh Lee Childs novel Persuader, which sees Alan Ritchson’s Reacher investigate the disappearance of a DEA agent. Although Ritchson will be joined by Maria Sten as veteran Frances Neagley, who will be getting her own spin-off series, Reacher‘s third season mostly consists of a totally new cast, including Anthony Michael Hall as a sneaky businessman and Brian Tee as figure from Reacher’s past. – JG

    1923 Season 2

    February 23 on Paramount+

    Yellowstone continues to keep Paramount+ afloat with another continuiation. 1923 tells the early history of the Dutton family ranch, veering away from the increasingly crazy soap opera of Yellowstone for more historical drama. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren return for the second season as Jacob and Cara Dutton, along with Brandon Sklenar and James Badge Dale as their nephews Spencer and John Sr. The eight episode second season will force the Duttons to deal with the difficulties of winter while Spencer tries to make his way back to the ranch. – JG

    Suits LA

    February 23 on NBC

    Having finally saved Star City on Arrow, Stephen Amell’s ready to move to another town full of worse evildoers. As its title suggests, Suits LA hopes to replicate the legal drama that made Suits a hit, one that ran for nine seasons and continues to be a favorite on streaming services. The new series stars Amell as the arrogant Ted Black, who launches his own firm, specializing in entertainment law. He’ll be joined by Josh McDermitt as Black’s partner Stuart Lane and Lex Scott Davis as up-and-comer Erica Rollins. No word yet about cast members from the original series dropping by. – JG

    MARCH

    Daredevil: Born Again

    March 4 on Disney+

    After a soft launch into the MCU proper through Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk, and Echo, Charlie Cox is officially back as Daredevil in his own show set to premiere on Disney+ this March. With Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Hensen, Jon Bernthal, and Wilson Bethel also set to reprise their roles from the Netflix Daredevil series, Daredevil: Born Again is poised to pick up not too far from where we last left Hell’s Kitchen, and it will be interesting to see how their stories weave further into the MCU. Fingers crossed we get at least one kickass hallway fight this season. – BA

    The Righteous Gemstones Season 4

    March 9 on Max

    Praise the Lord, God’s most humble servants are back for a fourth season. And a good thing too, because Danny McBride’s satire The Righteous Gemstones could not come at a better time, helping us laugh through our tears. McBride has said that season four will be the final outing for the Gemstone family, which puts all the more pressure on this new entry. Regular family members Jesse (McBride), Kelvin (Adam DeVine), and Judy (Edi Patterson) return, along with brother-in-law Baby Billy Freeman (Walton Goggins). Joining the cast four season four is Megan Mullally as a former writing partner of Baby Billy’s deceased wife Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles), sure to bring more dark secrets for which the Gemstones should ask forgiveness, but probably won’t. – JG

    The Wheel of Time Season 3

    March 13 on Prime Video

    Despite griping by fans of the Robert Jordan novels, the wheel of time rolls on, with a third season arriving soon on Prime Video. The Wheel of Time stars Rosamund Pike as Aes Sedai sorceress Moiraine who cares for a group of children, a job complicated by the fact young Rand (Josha Stradowski) is the Dragon Reborn. Season 3 will pick up from the previous season’s finale, in which Rand defeats a powerful associate of the Dark One. Despite the victory, Rand’s acheivement poses new challenges, making Moiraine’s job so much more difficult. – JG

    The Studio

    March 26 on Apple TV+

    Comedy mastermind Seth Rogen has already made a home at Apple TV+ thanks to breezy friendship comedy Platonic, in which he co-stars alongside Rose Byrne. For his next Apple project, however, Rogen is thinking a little bigger. Created by Rogen and his longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg, The Studio casts Rogen as the newly-appointed head of Continental Studios who has to balance the creative needs of his artists with the dismal realities of his business. Who better to step into this role than one of the 21st century’s most prolific actor/writer/producer/stoners? – AB

    APRIL

    The Last of Us Season 2

    April 2025 on HBO and Max

    The first season of The Last of Us was a near perfect season of TV and an impeccable video game adaptation, and luckily there’s even more of this drama coming to our screens in 2025. After adapting the first game and its DLC from start to finish, The Last of Us is moving on to the second game in the series. As fans of the games know, this next chapter is even more emotionally devastating than the last (in the best possible way), and we can’t wait to see how the show translates this story and balances the game’s two protagonists, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), as their journey intertwines and they both discover what it means to deal with love and loss during the apocalypse. Humanity may have fallen victim to a fungal parasite that turns people into zombies, but the real danger to our survival might just be each other and how far we’re willing to go for the ones we love. – BA

    Devil May Cry

    April 3 on Netflix

    Following in the footsteps of Castlevania and Arcane, Netflix hopes to have another hit with an animated adaptation of a popular video game series. Like those shows, Devil May Cry comes with well-established lore and tone. Unlike those shows, however, Devil May Cry‘s lore and tone is incredibly weird. Early looks, including an opening scene set to Limp Bizkit, suggests that Netflix knows what it’s doing with demon hunter Dante, voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. – JG

    Andor Season 2

    April 22 on Disney+

    The return of Andor could honestly not come at a better time than spring 2025. A show about finding hope and the will to fight against oppression and the systems that support it is needed now more than ever. When the odds are stacked against us, will we have the same courage as Cassian, or even Kino Loy? As the rebellion continues to build against the Empire in Andor, it’s up to the people to fight for the future they want to see, even if they may not live to see it. This season is set to bridge the gap between the Cassian we saw last season and the Cassian we meet in Rogue One, and I cannot wait to see what this season has in store. – BA

    You Season 5

    April 24 on Netflix

    Joe Goldberg is back on the loose. The serial killer who uses his bookish exterior to hide his murderous true self returns for the fifth season of You. Penn Badgley steps back into the role, bringing to life the character from the novels by Caroline Kepnes. This time, Joe comes to New York hoping to put his ways behind him and just live a quiet life as a bookseller with his girlfriend Katherine (Charlotte Ritchie), head of the Lockwood Corporation. But when twins Raegan and Maddie Lockwood (both played by Anna Camp) makes a play for Katherine’s position, Joe finds the urge rising up again. – JG

    JUNE

    Ironheart

    June 24 on Disney+

    Riri Williams (Dominque Thorne) had a somewhat traumatic introduction into the MCU in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She was forced into hiding, kidnapped by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), and had her warehouse stormed by the feds. However, she also proved herself as a highly intelligent scientist and a capable hero. In her own series, Ironheart, it seems like we’ll get to see Riri both as a student at MIT and in her hometown of Chicago as she works to recreate “the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man,” according to Marvel. This show has been moved around Marvel’s schedule so much the last few years, I’m just glad Marvel didn’t decide to give it the Batgirl treatment. Riri deserves her chance in the spotlight, and it will be exciting to watch her adventures unfold in Ironheart.BA

    Squid Game Season 3

    June 27 on Netflix

    Gi-hun has reached the final round. The conclusion of Squid Game will see our beloved tortured protagonist still reeling from the fallout of losing his best friend and the Front Man’s machinations. But he’s also as determined as ever to end the game once and for all. Can he survive the deadly competition all the way to the end once again? The odds are certainly stacked against him like never before… – John Saavedra

    JULY

    Sakamoto Days Season 1 Part 2

    July 2025 on Netflix

    Netflix’s excellent adaptation of the hit manga is back for the second part of its first season. Elderly shopkeeper Taro Sakamoto has a peaceful family life but he’s also hiding a secret: he was once the ultimate assassin. When a new criminal threat arrives to disturb his quiet town, Sakamoto decides to spring into action, and as the bad guys quickly find out, he’s lost none of his killer touch. – JS

    AUGUST

    Eyes of Wakanda

    August 6 on Disney+

    Even following the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, his character’s home nation of Wakanda remains one of Marvel’s richest assets – both literally and figuratively. Wakanda is home to as many potential stories as its people and with the upcoming Disney+ effort, Eyes of Wakanda, the massive comic book media franchise is going to let some of those stories be told. Little was known about this project initially but the latest synopses that promise history-spanning tales of vibranium artifact reclamations sound quite intriguing. – AB

    DECEMBER

    Wonder Man

    December 2025 on Disney+

    Every now and then, Marvel likes to get a little goofy with it. If the early looks are any indication, Disney+ series Wonder Man might be the goofiest MCU effort in some time. Comic book movie regular Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars, not as Wonder Man, but as Simon Williams, a superpowered actor who is trying out for the role of Wonder Man. Helping him in this task will be Ben Kingsley returning as Marvel’s court jester Trevor Slattery. Beyond that, little else is known about this Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest-created series. But that logline alone makes it one of our most anticipated Marvel titles of the year. – AB

    TBD 2025

    Black Mirror Season 7

    TBD on Netflix

    These days, it feels more and more like we’re actually living in the nightmarish techno dystopia reality of hit anthology series Black Mirror, but that’s not stopping Netflix and creator Charlie Brooker from serving up even more tales of technology gone terribly wrong. This six-episode season will even feature a sequel to the Star Trek spoof story “USS Callister.” – JS

    The Diplomat Season 3

    TBD on Netflix

    An international crisis will make for perfect drama when the hit political thriller returns this year. But can protagonist Kate Wyler wade the waters of a hectic position while also navigating her marriage? We can’t wait to find out. – JS

    The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6

    TBD on Hulu

    The sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale is set to come to Hulu in 2025, and there’s no doubt that this gripping drama will go out swinging. This dystopian series based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name has become almost synonymous with the policies of a certain American administration, so it seems only fitting that the series is set to end as the same administration regains power. The Handmaid’s Tale is as compelling as it is terrifying at times as we’ve gone on this journey with these characters. With everything they’ve gone through, it’s hard to imagine a world where June, Luke, Nichole, and Hannah can have their happy ending together, away from the oppression of Gilead and it’s sympathizers, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the series has in store for its final chapter. – BA 

    It: Welcome to Derry

    TBD on HBO

    Perhaps you’ve heard, but horror icon Stephen King tends to write fairly long books. One of his longest (and arguably one of his best) novels, It, was so epic it had to be adapted into two films: 2017’s It and 2019’s It: Chapter Two. Even then, however, filmmakers Andy and Bárbara Muschietti had to leave many vignettes from the story on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, Warner Bros. Discovery has a network (HBO) and a streaming service (Max) for that. With It: Welcome to Derry, the Muschiettis return alongside Jason Fuchs to fill in the missing gaps of Derry, Maine history and Pennywise’s (Bill Skarsgård) longtime torment of its citizens. – AB

    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

    Summer 2025 on HBO

    The first two seasons of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon have confirmed what A Song of Ice and Fire fans have long expected. The fantasy world of Westeros just works better when George R.R. Martin has already laid down a roadmap for the stories told in it. Thankfully, HBO seems to have come to that realization as well and for Thrones’ second-ever spinoff they are once again turning to Martin’s source material from a collection of novellas known as Tales of Dunk and Egg. Set after Dragon but well before Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to bring a more playful and energetic (yet still plenty bloody) vibe to the franchise. – AB

    Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

    TBD on Paramount+

    Since they first began with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, CBS’ Star Trek streaming efforts under czar Alex Kurtzman have been hit or miss. Some titles (Strange New Worlds) have been massive creative successes while others (the aforementioned Discovery) have been kind of all over the place. Regardless of their relative quality, however, each new spinoff has something special that other TV shows just don’t have: the awe-inspiring sci-fi continuity of one of television’s best-ever franchises. The latest attempt to put that continuity to good use will come with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Set in the 32nd century, the Paramount+ series will follow the first new class of Starfleet cadets in over a century as they train to be officers. After all, today’s Starfleet cadet is tomorrow’s Jean-Luc Picard. – AB

    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

    TBD on Paramount+

    The best Trek series to hit streaming since the franchise made its long-awaited return to television is of course coming back for a third season (and a fourth, too). Season 3 will undoubtedly kick off with a resolution to last season’s big cliffhanger, as Captain Pike must decide whether to rescue those taken hostage by the Gorn in the finale or to retreat and save as many lives on the Enterprise as possible. But this is Strange New Worlds, which means it won’t all be serious decisions. Expect many of the lighter shenanigans that make this show such a treat, including the crew turning themselves into Vulcans for a day! – JS

    Alien: Earth

    TBD on FX

    Fans of the Alien franchise who are unfamiliar with TV auteur Noah Hawley’s game are about to be in for a real treat with Alien: Earth, the long-running sci-fi franchise’s first proper TV effort. Set two years before the events of Alien (1979), this show will deal with a discovery from the heavens that will change humanity and Earth forever. Just what will this series be like? Due to Hawley’s eclectic filmography and style, it’s nigh impossible to say. But if it’s anything like fellow movie adaptation Fargo or comic book headscratcher Legion, then it should be a hell of a fun ride. – AB

    Stranger Things Season 5

    TBD on Netflix

    It’s been three years since we last checked in on the kids of Hawkins, Illinois as creators the Duffer Brothers craft the final season of their mega-hit Stranger Things. Season five will finally see Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) and her pals Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will (Noah Schnapp) take on Vecna once and for all. Between these massive stakes and the weight of expectation, it’s no wonder that the Duffer Brothers have taken their time putting together the last eight episodes, each of which reportedly have the length and scope of a feature film. Will the series close out on a high note? Or will it leave them huddled in a corner and listening to Kate Bush? We’ll finally find out this year… at some point. – JG

    Wednesday Season 2

    TBD on Netflix

    The viral hit—thanks in part to a dance number that became the toast of social media—starring the incredibly talented Jenna Ortega is finally back after three years for another scare. More mysteries, creepy frights, and Wednesday Addams’ incredibly dry humor are on the syllabus for a long-awaited second year at Nevermore Academy. – JS

    The Witcher Season 4

    TBD on Netflix

    Geralt of Rivia is back this year to save a Continent in crisis, but it won’t be Henry Cavill in the wig this time. Taking over the main role is Liam Hemsworth, but he’ll still be accompanied by Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer and Freya Allan’s Ciri. The penultimate season will begin Netflix’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s final three Witcher books: Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake. – JS

    The post New TV Series for 2025: Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Max, FX, NBC, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+ appeared first on Den of Geek.

  • Invincible Season 3: Robert Kirkman on How Cecil Stedman’s Backstory Explains Everything

    Invincible Season 3: Robert Kirkman on How Cecil Stedman’s Backstory Explains Everything

    This article contains spoilers for Invincible season 3 episode 2. Prime Video animated superhero epic Invincible contains some of the most powerful characters ever seen on television. Based on the comic series from Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, Invincible‘s roster of crime-fighters (and crime-doers) belong in any “who could beat who up” comic […]

    The post Invincible Season 3: Robert Kirkman on How Cecil Stedman’s Backstory Explains Everything appeared first on Den of Geek.

    We’re not afraid to say that TV is looking pretty hot in 2025. Any lull we may have experienced in the aftermath of the WGA and SAG strikes of 2023 seems to be nonexistent, with many long-awaited shows set to debut and make their triumphant return this year.

    The first few months of 2025 are starting off strong with shows like Severance and Invincible set to return, among others. The summer looks like it will be great for Marvel fans with the Ironheart miniseries finally set to premiere as well as the debut of the animated series Eyes of Wakanda. In addition, there are plenty of exciting “TBDs” projected to come out this year that we can’t wait to see. Now before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at the TV shows you can’t miss in 2025!

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    JANUARY

    Severance Season 2

    January 17 on Apple TV+

    Good things come to those who wait and in early 2025 a very good thing will arrive for those who have been patiently waiting for Severance season 2. This mind-bending Apple TV+ sci-fi/drama about a very literal split between work life and home life wrapped its first season all the way back in April 2022. Now, after some production and strike delays, the story of Mark S. (Adam Scott) and his band of Innies’ struggle against the enigmatic Lumon Industries is set to continue once again. There are a lot of questions to be answered about the show’s sprawling mythology early on. But hopefully the Macrodata Refinement team still finds the time for a dance party or two. – Alec Bojalad

    The Night Agent Season 2

    January 23 on Netflix

    Easily one of Netflix’s most popular series of the last few years, The Night Agent returns for a second season not long after the new year begins. FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is back, only this time he finds himself on the other end of the Night Action hotline. Instead of answering calls from agents in the field, he’s now one of them. Peter may have saved the president and stopped a terror attack from the inside, but does he have what it takes to be a secret agent full time? We may have to wait until January to find out, but we will absolutely be seated as the action unfolds. – Brynna Arens

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    January 29 on Disney+

    Originally thought to be the origin story of the MCU’s Spider-Man, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man instead takes place in a similar, but slightly different universe where Norman Osborn (voiced by the incredible Colman Domingo) becomes Peter Parker’s mentor instead of Tony Stark. Just like What If…?, this animated series is part of the MCU’s multiverse, and is set to feature appearances from a variety of other familiar characters. So far, the only actor set to reprise their role from the MCU is Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, but that doesn’t mean that the show won’t have other surprises up its sleeve. Even though this series might not be connected to the sacred timeline of the MCU, it’s bound to be a fun watch for Spider-Man fans of all ages. – BA

    FEBRUARY

    Invincible Season 3

    February 6 on Prime Video

    It’s hard being a superhero and it’s even harder being a teenager. On Prime Video’s Invincible, poor Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) has to be both. Mark a.k.a. Invincible has been put through the wringer through two seasons of this colorful adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic, enduring major daddy issues, gaining an unexpected alien brother, and receiving all manner of super-powered beatdowns. Following the multiverse hopping chaos of season 2, however, season 3 looks to be a time of transition and growth for our young supe. Hopefully Mark takes in a lesson or two because, if the length of the comic inspiration is any indication, he has a ways to go yet. – AB

    Cobra Kai Season 6 – Part Three

    February 13 on Netflix

    Don’t let Karate Kid: Legends fool you. Before Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) returns to the big screen for the legacy sequel with Jackie Chan, we’ve got one more go-around with his old rival Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and the Cobra Kai dojo. Technically, we’ve already seen the first two parts of season six, as Netflix is dropping it in five-episode chunks. The last five episodes all hit streaming on February 13, including a finale written by creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Then again, Cobra Kai‘s faced down cancelation before and continues to find a way to come back and strike first, strike hard, with no mercy. – Joe George

    Yellowjackets Season 3

    February 14 on Showtime

    Showtime’s buzziest show returns for a third season this year, and boy are we excited. Yellowjackets follows the journey of young plane crash survivors as they contend with the trauma of their experience, both in 1996 when the crash occurred and in the present as they try to live their adult lives. Whether driven by a supernatural force we’ve yet to fully witness, or these women are simply unable to process the sheer trauma of what they went through to survive, the wilderness comes to collect, one way or another. Last season saw these survivors, both past and present, give in to the will of the wilderness through cannibalism, ritualistic killing, and crowning the first Antler Queen, so there’s no telling what they may be driven to this season in the name of survival. – BA 

    The White Lotus Season 3

    February 16 on HBO and Max

    With a cast that includes Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, and the return of Natasha Rothwell as Belinda, season 3 of The White Lotus is already off to a strong start. This season is set to take us to the Thailand branch of this wealthy hotel resort chain – while the location may be gorgeous, if the last two seasons of this show have taught us anything, this vacation will be anything but idyllic. Relationships and family bonds will likely be put to the test, and there’s a pretty decent chance at least one body will be found before the season is done. – BA

    Reacher Season 3

    February 20 on Prime Video

    The hulking former military policeman Jack Reacher drifts back onto tv screens soon for a third season. This season adapts the seventh Lee Childs novel Persuader, which sees Alan Ritchson’s Reacher investigate the disappearance of a DEA agent. Although Ritchson will be joined by Maria Sten as veteran Frances Neagley, who will be getting her own spin-off series, Reacher‘s third season mostly consists of a totally new cast, including Anthony Michael Hall as a sneaky businessman and Brian Tee as figure from Reacher’s past. – JG

    1923 Season 2

    February 23 on Paramount+

    Yellowstone continues to keep Paramount+ afloat with another continuiation. 1923 tells the early history of the Dutton family ranch, veering away from the increasingly crazy soap opera of Yellowstone for more historical drama. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren return for the second season as Jacob and Cara Dutton, along with Brandon Sklenar and James Badge Dale as their nephews Spencer and John Sr. The eight episode second season will force the Duttons to deal with the difficulties of winter while Spencer tries to make his way back to the ranch. – JG

    Suits LA

    February 23 on NBC

    Having finally saved Star City on Arrow, Stephen Amell’s ready to move to another town full of worse evildoers. As its title suggests, Suits LA hopes to replicate the legal drama that made Suits a hit, one that ran for nine seasons and continues to be a favorite on streaming services. The new series stars Amell as the arrogant Ted Black, who launches his own firm, specializing in entertainment law. He’ll be joined by Josh McDermitt as Black’s partner Stuart Lane and Lex Scott Davis as up-and-comer Erica Rollins. No word yet about cast members from the original series dropping by. – JG

    MARCH

    Daredevil: Born Again

    March 4 on Disney+

    After a soft launch into the MCU proper through Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk, and Echo, Charlie Cox is officially back as Daredevil in his own show set to premiere on Disney+ this March. With Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Hensen, Jon Bernthal, and Wilson Bethel also set to reprise their roles from the Netflix Daredevil series, Daredevil: Born Again is poised to pick up not too far from where we last left Hell’s Kitchen, and it will be interesting to see how their stories weave further into the MCU. Fingers crossed we get at least one kickass hallway fight this season. – BA

    The Righteous Gemstones Season 4

    March 9 on Max

    Praise the Lord, God’s most humble servants are back for a fourth season. And a good thing too, because Danny McBride’s satire The Righteous Gemstones could not come at a better time, helping us laugh through our tears. McBride has said that season four will be the final outing for the Gemstone family, which puts all the more pressure on this new entry. Regular family members Jesse (McBride), Kelvin (Adam DeVine), and Judy (Edi Patterson) return, along with brother-in-law Baby Billy Freeman (Walton Goggins). Joining the cast four season four is Megan Mullally as a former writing partner of Baby Billy’s deceased wife Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles), sure to bring more dark secrets for which the Gemstones should ask forgiveness, but probably won’t. – JG

    The Wheel of Time Season 3

    March 13 on Prime Video

    Despite griping by fans of the Robert Jordan novels, the wheel of time rolls on, with a third season arriving soon on Prime Video. The Wheel of Time stars Rosamund Pike as Aes Sedai sorceress Moiraine who cares for a group of children, a job complicated by the fact young Rand (Josha Stradowski) is the Dragon Reborn. Season 3 will pick up from the previous season’s finale, in which Rand defeats a powerful associate of the Dark One. Despite the victory, Rand’s acheivement poses new challenges, making Moiraine’s job so much more difficult. – JG

    The Studio

    March 26 on Apple TV+

    Comedy mastermind Seth Rogen has already made a home at Apple TV+ thanks to breezy friendship comedy Platonic, in which he co-stars alongside Rose Byrne. For his next Apple project, however, Rogen is thinking a little bigger. Created by Rogen and his longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg, The Studio casts Rogen as the newly-appointed head of Continental Studios who has to balance the creative needs of his artists with the dismal realities of his business. Who better to step into this role than one of the 21st century’s most prolific actor/writer/producer/stoners? – AB

    APRIL

    The Last of Us Season 2

    April 2025 on HBO and Max

    The first season of The Last of Us was a near perfect season of TV and an impeccable video game adaptation, and luckily there’s even more of this drama coming to our screens in 2025. After adapting the first game and its DLC from start to finish, The Last of Us is moving on to the second game in the series. As fans of the games know, this next chapter is even more emotionally devastating than the last (in the best possible way), and we can’t wait to see how the show translates this story and balances the game’s two protagonists, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), as their journey intertwines and they both discover what it means to deal with love and loss during the apocalypse. Humanity may have fallen victim to a fungal parasite that turns people into zombies, but the real danger to our survival might just be each other and how far we’re willing to go for the ones we love. – BA

    Devil May Cry

    April 3 on Netflix

    Following in the footsteps of Castlevania and Arcane, Netflix hopes to have another hit with an animated adaptation of a popular video game series. Like those shows, Devil May Cry comes with well-established lore and tone. Unlike those shows, however, Devil May Cry‘s lore and tone is incredibly weird. Early looks, including an opening scene set to Limp Bizkit, suggests that Netflix knows what it’s doing with demon hunter Dante, voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. – JG

    Andor Season 2

    April 22 on Disney+

    The return of Andor could honestly not come at a better time than spring 2025. A show about finding hope and the will to fight against oppression and the systems that support it is needed now more than ever. When the odds are stacked against us, will we have the same courage as Cassian, or even Kino Loy? As the rebellion continues to build against the Empire in Andor, it’s up to the people to fight for the future they want to see, even if they may not live to see it. This season is set to bridge the gap between the Cassian we saw last season and the Cassian we meet in Rogue One, and I cannot wait to see what this season has in store. – BA

    You Season 5

    April 24 on Netflix

    Joe Goldberg is back on the loose. The serial killer who uses his bookish exterior to hide his murderous true self returns for the fifth season of You. Penn Badgley steps back into the role, bringing to life the character from the novels by Caroline Kepnes. This time, Joe comes to New York hoping to put his ways behind him and just live a quiet life as a bookseller with his girlfriend Katherine (Charlotte Ritchie), head of the Lockwood Corporation. But when twins Raegan and Maddie Lockwood (both played by Anna Camp) makes a play for Katherine’s position, Joe finds the urge rising up again. – JG

    JUNE

    Ironheart

    June 24 on Disney+

    Riri Williams (Dominque Thorne) had a somewhat traumatic introduction into the MCU in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She was forced into hiding, kidnapped by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), and had her warehouse stormed by the feds. However, she also proved herself as a highly intelligent scientist and a capable hero. In her own series, Ironheart, it seems like we’ll get to see Riri both as a student at MIT and in her hometown of Chicago as she works to recreate “the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man,” according to Marvel. This show has been moved around Marvel’s schedule so much the last few years, I’m just glad Marvel didn’t decide to give it the Batgirl treatment. Riri deserves her chance in the spotlight, and it will be exciting to watch her adventures unfold in Ironheart.BA

    Squid Game Season 3

    June 27 on Netflix

    Gi-hun has reached the final round. The conclusion of Squid Game will see our beloved tortured protagonist still reeling from the fallout of losing his best friend and the Front Man’s machinations. But he’s also as determined as ever to end the game once and for all. Can he survive the deadly competition all the way to the end once again? The odds are certainly stacked against him like never before… – John Saavedra

    JULY

    Sakamoto Days Season 1 Part 2

    July 2025 on Netflix

    Netflix’s excellent adaptation of the hit manga is back for the second part of its first season. Elderly shopkeeper Taro Sakamoto has a peaceful family life but he’s also hiding a secret: he was once the ultimate assassin. When a new criminal threat arrives to disturb his quiet town, Sakamoto decides to spring into action, and as the bad guys quickly find out, he’s lost none of his killer touch. – JS

    AUGUST

    Eyes of Wakanda

    August 6 on Disney+

    Even following the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, his character’s home nation of Wakanda remains one of Marvel’s richest assets – both literally and figuratively. Wakanda is home to as many potential stories as its people and with the upcoming Disney+ effort, Eyes of Wakanda, the massive comic book media franchise is going to let some of those stories be told. Little was known about this project initially but the latest synopses that promise history-spanning tales of vibranium artifact reclamations sound quite intriguing. – AB

    DECEMBER

    Wonder Man

    December 2025 on Disney+

    Every now and then, Marvel likes to get a little goofy with it. If the early looks are any indication, Disney+ series Wonder Man might be the goofiest MCU effort in some time. Comic book movie regular Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars, not as Wonder Man, but as Simon Williams, a superpowered actor who is trying out for the role of Wonder Man. Helping him in this task will be Ben Kingsley returning as Marvel’s court jester Trevor Slattery. Beyond that, little else is known about this Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest-created series. But that logline alone makes it one of our most anticipated Marvel titles of the year. – AB

    TBD 2025

    Black Mirror Season 7

    TBD on Netflix

    These days, it feels more and more like we’re actually living in the nightmarish techno dystopia reality of hit anthology series Black Mirror, but that’s not stopping Netflix and creator Charlie Brooker from serving up even more tales of technology gone terribly wrong. This six-episode season will even feature a sequel to the Star Trek spoof story “USS Callister.” – JS

    The Diplomat Season 3

    TBD on Netflix

    An international crisis will make for perfect drama when the hit political thriller returns this year. But can protagonist Kate Wyler wade the waters of a hectic position while also navigating her marriage? We can’t wait to find out. – JS

    The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6

    TBD on Hulu

    The sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale is set to come to Hulu in 2025, and there’s no doubt that this gripping drama will go out swinging. This dystopian series based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name has become almost synonymous with the policies of a certain American administration, so it seems only fitting that the series is set to end as the same administration regains power. The Handmaid’s Tale is as compelling as it is terrifying at times as we’ve gone on this journey with these characters. With everything they’ve gone through, it’s hard to imagine a world where June, Luke, Nichole, and Hannah can have their happy ending together, away from the oppression of Gilead and it’s sympathizers, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the series has in store for its final chapter. – BA 

    It: Welcome to Derry

    TBD on HBO

    Perhaps you’ve heard, but horror icon Stephen King tends to write fairly long books. One of his longest (and arguably one of his best) novels, It, was so epic it had to be adapted into two films: 2017’s It and 2019’s It: Chapter Two. Even then, however, filmmakers Andy and Bárbara Muschietti had to leave many vignettes from the story on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, Warner Bros. Discovery has a network (HBO) and a streaming service (Max) for that. With It: Welcome to Derry, the Muschiettis return alongside Jason Fuchs to fill in the missing gaps of Derry, Maine history and Pennywise’s (Bill Skarsgård) longtime torment of its citizens. – AB

    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

    Summer 2025 on HBO

    The first two seasons of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon have confirmed what A Song of Ice and Fire fans have long expected. The fantasy world of Westeros just works better when George R.R. Martin has already laid down a roadmap for the stories told in it. Thankfully, HBO seems to have come to that realization as well and for Thrones’ second-ever spinoff they are once again turning to Martin’s source material from a collection of novellas known as Tales of Dunk and Egg. Set after Dragon but well before Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to bring a more playful and energetic (yet still plenty bloody) vibe to the franchise. – AB

    Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

    TBD on Paramount+

    Since they first began with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, CBS’ Star Trek streaming efforts under czar Alex Kurtzman have been hit or miss. Some titles (Strange New Worlds) have been massive creative successes while others (the aforementioned Discovery) have been kind of all over the place. Regardless of their relative quality, however, each new spinoff has something special that other TV shows just don’t have: the awe-inspiring sci-fi continuity of one of television’s best-ever franchises. The latest attempt to put that continuity to good use will come with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Set in the 32nd century, the Paramount+ series will follow the first new class of Starfleet cadets in over a century as they train to be officers. After all, today’s Starfleet cadet is tomorrow’s Jean-Luc Picard. – AB

    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

    TBD on Paramount+

    The best Trek series to hit streaming since the franchise made its long-awaited return to television is of course coming back for a third season (and a fourth, too). Season 3 will undoubtedly kick off with a resolution to last season’s big cliffhanger, as Captain Pike must decide whether to rescue those taken hostage by the Gorn in the finale or to retreat and save as many lives on the Enterprise as possible. But this is Strange New Worlds, which means it won’t all be serious decisions. Expect many of the lighter shenanigans that make this show such a treat, including the crew turning themselves into Vulcans for a day! – JS

    Alien: Earth

    TBD on FX

    Fans of the Alien franchise who are unfamiliar with TV auteur Noah Hawley’s game are about to be in for a real treat with Alien: Earth, the long-running sci-fi franchise’s first proper TV effort. Set two years before the events of Alien (1979), this show will deal with a discovery from the heavens that will change humanity and Earth forever. Just what will this series be like? Due to Hawley’s eclectic filmography and style, it’s nigh impossible to say. But if it’s anything like fellow movie adaptation Fargo or comic book headscratcher Legion, then it should be a hell of a fun ride. – AB

    Stranger Things Season 5

    TBD on Netflix

    It’s been three years since we last checked in on the kids of Hawkins, Illinois as creators the Duffer Brothers craft the final season of their mega-hit Stranger Things. Season five will finally see Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) and her pals Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will (Noah Schnapp) take on Vecna once and for all. Between these massive stakes and the weight of expectation, it’s no wonder that the Duffer Brothers have taken their time putting together the last eight episodes, each of which reportedly have the length and scope of a feature film. Will the series close out on a high note? Or will it leave them huddled in a corner and listening to Kate Bush? We’ll finally find out this year… at some point. – JG

    Wednesday Season 2

    TBD on Netflix

    The viral hit—thanks in part to a dance number that became the toast of social media—starring the incredibly talented Jenna Ortega is finally back after three years for another scare. More mysteries, creepy frights, and Wednesday Addams’ incredibly dry humor are on the syllabus for a long-awaited second year at Nevermore Academy. – JS

    The Witcher Season 4

    TBD on Netflix

    Geralt of Rivia is back this year to save a Continent in crisis, but it won’t be Henry Cavill in the wig this time. Taking over the main role is Liam Hemsworth, but he’ll still be accompanied by Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer and Freya Allan’s Ciri. The penultimate season will begin Netflix’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s final three Witcher books: Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake. – JS

    The post New TV Series for 2025: Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Max, FX, NBC, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+ appeared first on Den of Geek.

  • Shogun’s Hiroyuki Sanada Has a Clear Plan for Season 2: “We Have Real History”

    Shogun’s Hiroyuki Sanada Has a Clear Plan for Season 2: “We Have Real History”

    Shōgun star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada has been acting since he was five years old when he emerged as the protégé to acclaimed Japanese martial artist Sonny Chiba. Now approaching its sixth decade, Sanada’s career has become every bit as impressive as his legendary mentor’s. The Tokyo-born actor blazed a trail in Japanese and Hong […]

    The post Shogun’s Hiroyuki Sanada Has a Clear Plan for Season 2: “We Have Real History” appeared first on Den of Geek.

    We’re not afraid to say that TV is looking pretty hot in 2025. Any lull we may have experienced in the aftermath of the WGA and SAG strikes of 2023 seems to be nonexistent, with many long-awaited shows set to debut and make their triumphant return this year.

    The first few months of 2025 are starting off strong with shows like Severance and Invincible set to return, among others. The summer looks like it will be great for Marvel fans with the Ironheart miniseries finally set to premiere as well as the debut of the animated series Eyes of Wakanda. In addition, there are plenty of exciting “TBDs” projected to come out this year that we can’t wait to see. Now before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at the TV shows you can’t miss in 2025!

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    JANUARY

    Severance Season 2

    January 17 on Apple TV+

    Good things come to those who wait and in early 2025 a very good thing will arrive for those who have been patiently waiting for Severance season 2. This mind-bending Apple TV+ sci-fi/drama about a very literal split between work life and home life wrapped its first season all the way back in April 2022. Now, after some production and strike delays, the story of Mark S. (Adam Scott) and his band of Innies’ struggle against the enigmatic Lumon Industries is set to continue once again. There are a lot of questions to be answered about the show’s sprawling mythology early on. But hopefully the Macrodata Refinement team still finds the time for a dance party or two. – Alec Bojalad

    The Night Agent Season 2

    January 23 on Netflix

    Easily one of Netflix’s most popular series of the last few years, The Night Agent returns for a second season not long after the new year begins. FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is back, only this time he finds himself on the other end of the Night Action hotline. Instead of answering calls from agents in the field, he’s now one of them. Peter may have saved the president and stopped a terror attack from the inside, but does he have what it takes to be a secret agent full time? We may have to wait until January to find out, but we will absolutely be seated as the action unfolds. – Brynna Arens

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    January 29 on Disney+

    Originally thought to be the origin story of the MCU’s Spider-Man, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man instead takes place in a similar, but slightly different universe where Norman Osborn (voiced by the incredible Colman Domingo) becomes Peter Parker’s mentor instead of Tony Stark. Just like What If…?, this animated series is part of the MCU’s multiverse, and is set to feature appearances from a variety of other familiar characters. So far, the only actor set to reprise their role from the MCU is Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, but that doesn’t mean that the show won’t have other surprises up its sleeve. Even though this series might not be connected to the sacred timeline of the MCU, it’s bound to be a fun watch for Spider-Man fans of all ages. – BA

    FEBRUARY

    Invincible Season 3

    February 6 on Prime Video

    It’s hard being a superhero and it’s even harder being a teenager. On Prime Video’s Invincible, poor Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) has to be both. Mark a.k.a. Invincible has been put through the wringer through two seasons of this colorful adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic, enduring major daddy issues, gaining an unexpected alien brother, and receiving all manner of super-powered beatdowns. Following the multiverse hopping chaos of season 2, however, season 3 looks to be a time of transition and growth for our young supe. Hopefully Mark takes in a lesson or two because, if the length of the comic inspiration is any indication, he has a ways to go yet. – AB

    Cobra Kai Season 6 – Part Three

    February 13 on Netflix

    Don’t let Karate Kid: Legends fool you. Before Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) returns to the big screen for the legacy sequel with Jackie Chan, we’ve got one more go-around with his old rival Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and the Cobra Kai dojo. Technically, we’ve already seen the first two parts of season six, as Netflix is dropping it in five-episode chunks. The last five episodes all hit streaming on February 13, including a finale written by creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Then again, Cobra Kai‘s faced down cancelation before and continues to find a way to come back and strike first, strike hard, with no mercy. – Joe George

    Yellowjackets Season 3

    February 14 on Showtime

    Showtime’s buzziest show returns for a third season this year, and boy are we excited. Yellowjackets follows the journey of young plane crash survivors as they contend with the trauma of their experience, both in 1996 when the crash occurred and in the present as they try to live their adult lives. Whether driven by a supernatural force we’ve yet to fully witness, or these women are simply unable to process the sheer trauma of what they went through to survive, the wilderness comes to collect, one way or another. Last season saw these survivors, both past and present, give in to the will of the wilderness through cannibalism, ritualistic killing, and crowning the first Antler Queen, so there’s no telling what they may be driven to this season in the name of survival. – BA 

    The White Lotus Season 3

    February 16 on HBO and Max

    With a cast that includes Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, and the return of Natasha Rothwell as Belinda, season 3 of The White Lotus is already off to a strong start. This season is set to take us to the Thailand branch of this wealthy hotel resort chain – while the location may be gorgeous, if the last two seasons of this show have taught us anything, this vacation will be anything but idyllic. Relationships and family bonds will likely be put to the test, and there’s a pretty decent chance at least one body will be found before the season is done. – BA

    Reacher Season 3

    February 20 on Prime Video

    The hulking former military policeman Jack Reacher drifts back onto tv screens soon for a third season. This season adapts the seventh Lee Childs novel Persuader, which sees Alan Ritchson’s Reacher investigate the disappearance of a DEA agent. Although Ritchson will be joined by Maria Sten as veteran Frances Neagley, who will be getting her own spin-off series, Reacher‘s third season mostly consists of a totally new cast, including Anthony Michael Hall as a sneaky businessman and Brian Tee as figure from Reacher’s past. – JG

    1923 Season 2

    February 23 on Paramount+

    Yellowstone continues to keep Paramount+ afloat with another continuiation. 1923 tells the early history of the Dutton family ranch, veering away from the increasingly crazy soap opera of Yellowstone for more historical drama. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren return for the second season as Jacob and Cara Dutton, along with Brandon Sklenar and James Badge Dale as their nephews Spencer and John Sr. The eight episode second season will force the Duttons to deal with the difficulties of winter while Spencer tries to make his way back to the ranch. – JG

    Suits LA

    February 23 on NBC

    Having finally saved Star City on Arrow, Stephen Amell’s ready to move to another town full of worse evildoers. As its title suggests, Suits LA hopes to replicate the legal drama that made Suits a hit, one that ran for nine seasons and continues to be a favorite on streaming services. The new series stars Amell as the arrogant Ted Black, who launches his own firm, specializing in entertainment law. He’ll be joined by Josh McDermitt as Black’s partner Stuart Lane and Lex Scott Davis as up-and-comer Erica Rollins. No word yet about cast members from the original series dropping by. – JG

    MARCH

    Daredevil: Born Again

    March 4 on Disney+

    After a soft launch into the MCU proper through Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk, and Echo, Charlie Cox is officially back as Daredevil in his own show set to premiere on Disney+ this March. With Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Hensen, Jon Bernthal, and Wilson Bethel also set to reprise their roles from the Netflix Daredevil series, Daredevil: Born Again is poised to pick up not too far from where we last left Hell’s Kitchen, and it will be interesting to see how their stories weave further into the MCU. Fingers crossed we get at least one kickass hallway fight this season. – BA

    The Righteous Gemstones Season 4

    March 9 on Max

    Praise the Lord, God’s most humble servants are back for a fourth season. And a good thing too, because Danny McBride’s satire The Righteous Gemstones could not come at a better time, helping us laugh through our tears. McBride has said that season four will be the final outing for the Gemstone family, which puts all the more pressure on this new entry. Regular family members Jesse (McBride), Kelvin (Adam DeVine), and Judy (Edi Patterson) return, along with brother-in-law Baby Billy Freeman (Walton Goggins). Joining the cast four season four is Megan Mullally as a former writing partner of Baby Billy’s deceased wife Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles), sure to bring more dark secrets for which the Gemstones should ask forgiveness, but probably won’t. – JG

    The Wheel of Time Season 3

    March 13 on Prime Video

    Despite griping by fans of the Robert Jordan novels, the wheel of time rolls on, with a third season arriving soon on Prime Video. The Wheel of Time stars Rosamund Pike as Aes Sedai sorceress Moiraine who cares for a group of children, a job complicated by the fact young Rand (Josha Stradowski) is the Dragon Reborn. Season 3 will pick up from the previous season’s finale, in which Rand defeats a powerful associate of the Dark One. Despite the victory, Rand’s acheivement poses new challenges, making Moiraine’s job so much more difficult. – JG

    The Studio

    March 26 on Apple TV+

    Comedy mastermind Seth Rogen has already made a home at Apple TV+ thanks to breezy friendship comedy Platonic, in which he co-stars alongside Rose Byrne. For his next Apple project, however, Rogen is thinking a little bigger. Created by Rogen and his longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg, The Studio casts Rogen as the newly-appointed head of Continental Studios who has to balance the creative needs of his artists with the dismal realities of his business. Who better to step into this role than one of the 21st century’s most prolific actor/writer/producer/stoners? – AB

    APRIL

    The Last of Us Season 2

    April 2025 on HBO and Max

    The first season of The Last of Us was a near perfect season of TV and an impeccable video game adaptation, and luckily there’s even more of this drama coming to our screens in 2025. After adapting the first game and its DLC from start to finish, The Last of Us is moving on to the second game in the series. As fans of the games know, this next chapter is even more emotionally devastating than the last (in the best possible way), and we can’t wait to see how the show translates this story and balances the game’s two protagonists, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), as their journey intertwines and they both discover what it means to deal with love and loss during the apocalypse. Humanity may have fallen victim to a fungal parasite that turns people into zombies, but the real danger to our survival might just be each other and how far we’re willing to go for the ones we love. – BA

    Devil May Cry

    April 3 on Netflix

    Following in the footsteps of Castlevania and Arcane, Netflix hopes to have another hit with an animated adaptation of a popular video game series. Like those shows, Devil May Cry comes with well-established lore and tone. Unlike those shows, however, Devil May Cry‘s lore and tone is incredibly weird. Early looks, including an opening scene set to Limp Bizkit, suggests that Netflix knows what it’s doing with demon hunter Dante, voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. – JG

    Andor Season 2

    April 22 on Disney+

    The return of Andor could honestly not come at a better time than spring 2025. A show about finding hope and the will to fight against oppression and the systems that support it is needed now more than ever. When the odds are stacked against us, will we have the same courage as Cassian, or even Kino Loy? As the rebellion continues to build against the Empire in Andor, it’s up to the people to fight for the future they want to see, even if they may not live to see it. This season is set to bridge the gap between the Cassian we saw last season and the Cassian we meet in Rogue One, and I cannot wait to see what this season has in store. – BA

    You Season 5

    April 24 on Netflix

    Joe Goldberg is back on the loose. The serial killer who uses his bookish exterior to hide his murderous true self returns for the fifth season of You. Penn Badgley steps back into the role, bringing to life the character from the novels by Caroline Kepnes. This time, Joe comes to New York hoping to put his ways behind him and just live a quiet life as a bookseller with his girlfriend Katherine (Charlotte Ritchie), head of the Lockwood Corporation. But when twins Raegan and Maddie Lockwood (both played by Anna Camp) makes a play for Katherine’s position, Joe finds the urge rising up again. – JG

    JUNE

    Ironheart

    June 24 on Disney+

    Riri Williams (Dominque Thorne) had a somewhat traumatic introduction into the MCU in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She was forced into hiding, kidnapped by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), and had her warehouse stormed by the feds. However, she also proved herself as a highly intelligent scientist and a capable hero. In her own series, Ironheart, it seems like we’ll get to see Riri both as a student at MIT and in her hometown of Chicago as she works to recreate “the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man,” according to Marvel. This show has been moved around Marvel’s schedule so much the last few years, I’m just glad Marvel didn’t decide to give it the Batgirl treatment. Riri deserves her chance in the spotlight, and it will be exciting to watch her adventures unfold in Ironheart.BA

    Squid Game Season 3

    June 27 on Netflix

    Gi-hun has reached the final round. The conclusion of Squid Game will see our beloved tortured protagonist still reeling from the fallout of losing his best friend and the Front Man’s machinations. But he’s also as determined as ever to end the game once and for all. Can he survive the deadly competition all the way to the end once again? The odds are certainly stacked against him like never before… – John Saavedra

    JULY

    Sakamoto Days Season 1 Part 2

    July 2025 on Netflix

    Netflix’s excellent adaptation of the hit manga is back for the second part of its first season. Elderly shopkeeper Taro Sakamoto has a peaceful family life but he’s also hiding a secret: he was once the ultimate assassin. When a new criminal threat arrives to disturb his quiet town, Sakamoto decides to spring into action, and as the bad guys quickly find out, he’s lost none of his killer touch. – JS

    AUGUST

    Eyes of Wakanda

    August 6 on Disney+

    Even following the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, his character’s home nation of Wakanda remains one of Marvel’s richest assets – both literally and figuratively. Wakanda is home to as many potential stories as its people and with the upcoming Disney+ effort, Eyes of Wakanda, the massive comic book media franchise is going to let some of those stories be told. Little was known about this project initially but the latest synopses that promise history-spanning tales of vibranium artifact reclamations sound quite intriguing. – AB

    DECEMBER

    Wonder Man

    December 2025 on Disney+

    Every now and then, Marvel likes to get a little goofy with it. If the early looks are any indication, Disney+ series Wonder Man might be the goofiest MCU effort in some time. Comic book movie regular Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars, not as Wonder Man, but as Simon Williams, a superpowered actor who is trying out for the role of Wonder Man. Helping him in this task will be Ben Kingsley returning as Marvel’s court jester Trevor Slattery. Beyond that, little else is known about this Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest-created series. But that logline alone makes it one of our most anticipated Marvel titles of the year. – AB

    TBD 2025

    Black Mirror Season 7

    TBD on Netflix

    These days, it feels more and more like we’re actually living in the nightmarish techno dystopia reality of hit anthology series Black Mirror, but that’s not stopping Netflix and creator Charlie Brooker from serving up even more tales of technology gone terribly wrong. This six-episode season will even feature a sequel to the Star Trek spoof story “USS Callister.” – JS

    The Diplomat Season 3

    TBD on Netflix

    An international crisis will make for perfect drama when the hit political thriller returns this year. But can protagonist Kate Wyler wade the waters of a hectic position while also navigating her marriage? We can’t wait to find out. – JS

    The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6

    TBD on Hulu

    The sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale is set to come to Hulu in 2025, and there’s no doubt that this gripping drama will go out swinging. This dystopian series based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name has become almost synonymous with the policies of a certain American administration, so it seems only fitting that the series is set to end as the same administration regains power. The Handmaid’s Tale is as compelling as it is terrifying at times as we’ve gone on this journey with these characters. With everything they’ve gone through, it’s hard to imagine a world where June, Luke, Nichole, and Hannah can have their happy ending together, away from the oppression of Gilead and it’s sympathizers, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the series has in store for its final chapter. – BA 

    It: Welcome to Derry

    TBD on HBO

    Perhaps you’ve heard, but horror icon Stephen King tends to write fairly long books. One of his longest (and arguably one of his best) novels, It, was so epic it had to be adapted into two films: 2017’s It and 2019’s It: Chapter Two. Even then, however, filmmakers Andy and Bárbara Muschietti had to leave many vignettes from the story on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, Warner Bros. Discovery has a network (HBO) and a streaming service (Max) for that. With It: Welcome to Derry, the Muschiettis return alongside Jason Fuchs to fill in the missing gaps of Derry, Maine history and Pennywise’s (Bill Skarsgård) longtime torment of its citizens. – AB

    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

    Summer 2025 on HBO

    The first two seasons of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon have confirmed what A Song of Ice and Fire fans have long expected. The fantasy world of Westeros just works better when George R.R. Martin has already laid down a roadmap for the stories told in it. Thankfully, HBO seems to have come to that realization as well and for Thrones’ second-ever spinoff they are once again turning to Martin’s source material from a collection of novellas known as Tales of Dunk and Egg. Set after Dragon but well before Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to bring a more playful and energetic (yet still plenty bloody) vibe to the franchise. – AB

    Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

    TBD on Paramount+

    Since they first began with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, CBS’ Star Trek streaming efforts under czar Alex Kurtzman have been hit or miss. Some titles (Strange New Worlds) have been massive creative successes while others (the aforementioned Discovery) have been kind of all over the place. Regardless of their relative quality, however, each new spinoff has something special that other TV shows just don’t have: the awe-inspiring sci-fi continuity of one of television’s best-ever franchises. The latest attempt to put that continuity to good use will come with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Set in the 32nd century, the Paramount+ series will follow the first new class of Starfleet cadets in over a century as they train to be officers. After all, today’s Starfleet cadet is tomorrow’s Jean-Luc Picard. – AB

    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

    TBD on Paramount+

    The best Trek series to hit streaming since the franchise made its long-awaited return to television is of course coming back for a third season (and a fourth, too). Season 3 will undoubtedly kick off with a resolution to last season’s big cliffhanger, as Captain Pike must decide whether to rescue those taken hostage by the Gorn in the finale or to retreat and save as many lives on the Enterprise as possible. But this is Strange New Worlds, which means it won’t all be serious decisions. Expect many of the lighter shenanigans that make this show such a treat, including the crew turning themselves into Vulcans for a day! – JS

    Alien: Earth

    TBD on FX

    Fans of the Alien franchise who are unfamiliar with TV auteur Noah Hawley’s game are about to be in for a real treat with Alien: Earth, the long-running sci-fi franchise’s first proper TV effort. Set two years before the events of Alien (1979), this show will deal with a discovery from the heavens that will change humanity and Earth forever. Just what will this series be like? Due to Hawley’s eclectic filmography and style, it’s nigh impossible to say. But if it’s anything like fellow movie adaptation Fargo or comic book headscratcher Legion, then it should be a hell of a fun ride. – AB

    Stranger Things Season 5

    TBD on Netflix

    It’s been three years since we last checked in on the kids of Hawkins, Illinois as creators the Duffer Brothers craft the final season of their mega-hit Stranger Things. Season five will finally see Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) and her pals Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will (Noah Schnapp) take on Vecna once and for all. Between these massive stakes and the weight of expectation, it’s no wonder that the Duffer Brothers have taken their time putting together the last eight episodes, each of which reportedly have the length and scope of a feature film. Will the series close out on a high note? Or will it leave them huddled in a corner and listening to Kate Bush? We’ll finally find out this year… at some point. – JG

    Wednesday Season 2

    TBD on Netflix

    The viral hit—thanks in part to a dance number that became the toast of social media—starring the incredibly talented Jenna Ortega is finally back after three years for another scare. More mysteries, creepy frights, and Wednesday Addams’ incredibly dry humor are on the syllabus for a long-awaited second year at Nevermore Academy. – JS

    The Witcher Season 4

    TBD on Netflix

    Geralt of Rivia is back this year to save a Continent in crisis, but it won’t be Henry Cavill in the wig this time. Taking over the main role is Liam Hemsworth, but he’ll still be accompanied by Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer and Freya Allan’s Ciri. The penultimate season will begin Netflix’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s final three Witcher books: Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake. – JS

    The post New TV Series for 2025: Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Max, FX, NBC, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+ appeared first on Den of Geek.

  • Jackie Chan’s Most Underrated ‘90s Action Movie Is Now Free to Watch Online

    Jackie Chan’s Most Underrated ‘90s Action Movie Is Now Free to Watch Online

    We cannot lie that it is a bit disconcerting that one of the greatest studios in film history is now licensing some of their deeper cut faves to YouTube. But Max’s loss is about to be everyone else’s gain, as some real obscure gems from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema’s back catalogs have […]

    The post Jackie Chan’s Most Underrated ‘90s Action Movie Is Now Free to Watch Online appeared first on Den of Geek.

    We’re not afraid to say that TV is looking pretty hot in 2025. Any lull we may have experienced in the aftermath of the WGA and SAG strikes of 2023 seems to be nonexistent, with many long-awaited shows set to debut and make their triumphant return this year.

    The first few months of 2025 are starting off strong with shows like Severance and Invincible set to return, among others. The summer looks like it will be great for Marvel fans with the Ironheart miniseries finally set to premiere as well as the debut of the animated series Eyes of Wakanda. In addition, there are plenty of exciting “TBDs” projected to come out this year that we can’t wait to see. Now before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at the TV shows you can’t miss in 2025!

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    JANUARY

    Severance Season 2

    January 17 on Apple TV+

    Good things come to those who wait and in early 2025 a very good thing will arrive for those who have been patiently waiting for Severance season 2. This mind-bending Apple TV+ sci-fi/drama about a very literal split between work life and home life wrapped its first season all the way back in April 2022. Now, after some production and strike delays, the story of Mark S. (Adam Scott) and his band of Innies’ struggle against the enigmatic Lumon Industries is set to continue once again. There are a lot of questions to be answered about the show’s sprawling mythology early on. But hopefully the Macrodata Refinement team still finds the time for a dance party or two. – Alec Bojalad

    The Night Agent Season 2

    January 23 on Netflix

    Easily one of Netflix’s most popular series of the last few years, The Night Agent returns for a second season not long after the new year begins. FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is back, only this time he finds himself on the other end of the Night Action hotline. Instead of answering calls from agents in the field, he’s now one of them. Peter may have saved the president and stopped a terror attack from the inside, but does he have what it takes to be a secret agent full time? We may have to wait until January to find out, but we will absolutely be seated as the action unfolds. – Brynna Arens

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    January 29 on Disney+

    Originally thought to be the origin story of the MCU’s Spider-Man, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man instead takes place in a similar, but slightly different universe where Norman Osborn (voiced by the incredible Colman Domingo) becomes Peter Parker’s mentor instead of Tony Stark. Just like What If…?, this animated series is part of the MCU’s multiverse, and is set to feature appearances from a variety of other familiar characters. So far, the only actor set to reprise their role from the MCU is Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, but that doesn’t mean that the show won’t have other surprises up its sleeve. Even though this series might not be connected to the sacred timeline of the MCU, it’s bound to be a fun watch for Spider-Man fans of all ages. – BA

    FEBRUARY

    Invincible Season 3

    February 6 on Prime Video

    It’s hard being a superhero and it’s even harder being a teenager. On Prime Video’s Invincible, poor Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) has to be both. Mark a.k.a. Invincible has been put through the wringer through two seasons of this colorful adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic, enduring major daddy issues, gaining an unexpected alien brother, and receiving all manner of super-powered beatdowns. Following the multiverse hopping chaos of season 2, however, season 3 looks to be a time of transition and growth for our young supe. Hopefully Mark takes in a lesson or two because, if the length of the comic inspiration is any indication, he has a ways to go yet. – AB

    Cobra Kai Season 6 – Part Three

    February 13 on Netflix

    Don’t let Karate Kid: Legends fool you. Before Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) returns to the big screen for the legacy sequel with Jackie Chan, we’ve got one more go-around with his old rival Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and the Cobra Kai dojo. Technically, we’ve already seen the first two parts of season six, as Netflix is dropping it in five-episode chunks. The last five episodes all hit streaming on February 13, including a finale written by creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Then again, Cobra Kai‘s faced down cancelation before and continues to find a way to come back and strike first, strike hard, with no mercy. – Joe George

    Yellowjackets Season 3

    February 14 on Showtime

    Showtime’s buzziest show returns for a third season this year, and boy are we excited. Yellowjackets follows the journey of young plane crash survivors as they contend with the trauma of their experience, both in 1996 when the crash occurred and in the present as they try to live their adult lives. Whether driven by a supernatural force we’ve yet to fully witness, or these women are simply unable to process the sheer trauma of what they went through to survive, the wilderness comes to collect, one way or another. Last season saw these survivors, both past and present, give in to the will of the wilderness through cannibalism, ritualistic killing, and crowning the first Antler Queen, so there’s no telling what they may be driven to this season in the name of survival. – BA 

    The White Lotus Season 3

    February 16 on HBO and Max

    With a cast that includes Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, and the return of Natasha Rothwell as Belinda, season 3 of The White Lotus is already off to a strong start. This season is set to take us to the Thailand branch of this wealthy hotel resort chain – while the location may be gorgeous, if the last two seasons of this show have taught us anything, this vacation will be anything but idyllic. Relationships and family bonds will likely be put to the test, and there’s a pretty decent chance at least one body will be found before the season is done. – BA

    Reacher Season 3

    February 20 on Prime Video

    The hulking former military policeman Jack Reacher drifts back onto tv screens soon for a third season. This season adapts the seventh Lee Childs novel Persuader, which sees Alan Ritchson’s Reacher investigate the disappearance of a DEA agent. Although Ritchson will be joined by Maria Sten as veteran Frances Neagley, who will be getting her own spin-off series, Reacher‘s third season mostly consists of a totally new cast, including Anthony Michael Hall as a sneaky businessman and Brian Tee as figure from Reacher’s past. – JG

    1923 Season 2

    February 23 on Paramount+

    Yellowstone continues to keep Paramount+ afloat with another continuiation. 1923 tells the early history of the Dutton family ranch, veering away from the increasingly crazy soap opera of Yellowstone for more historical drama. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren return for the second season as Jacob and Cara Dutton, along with Brandon Sklenar and James Badge Dale as their nephews Spencer and John Sr. The eight episode second season will force the Duttons to deal with the difficulties of winter while Spencer tries to make his way back to the ranch. – JG

    Suits LA

    February 23 on NBC

    Having finally saved Star City on Arrow, Stephen Amell’s ready to move to another town full of worse evildoers. As its title suggests, Suits LA hopes to replicate the legal drama that made Suits a hit, one that ran for nine seasons and continues to be a favorite on streaming services. The new series stars Amell as the arrogant Ted Black, who launches his own firm, specializing in entertainment law. He’ll be joined by Josh McDermitt as Black’s partner Stuart Lane and Lex Scott Davis as up-and-comer Erica Rollins. No word yet about cast members from the original series dropping by. – JG

    MARCH

    Daredevil: Born Again

    March 4 on Disney+

    After a soft launch into the MCU proper through Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk, and Echo, Charlie Cox is officially back as Daredevil in his own show set to premiere on Disney+ this March. With Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Hensen, Jon Bernthal, and Wilson Bethel also set to reprise their roles from the Netflix Daredevil series, Daredevil: Born Again is poised to pick up not too far from where we last left Hell’s Kitchen, and it will be interesting to see how their stories weave further into the MCU. Fingers crossed we get at least one kickass hallway fight this season. – BA

    The Righteous Gemstones Season 4

    March 9 on Max

    Praise the Lord, God’s most humble servants are back for a fourth season. And a good thing too, because Danny McBride’s satire The Righteous Gemstones could not come at a better time, helping us laugh through our tears. McBride has said that season four will be the final outing for the Gemstone family, which puts all the more pressure on this new entry. Regular family members Jesse (McBride), Kelvin (Adam DeVine), and Judy (Edi Patterson) return, along with brother-in-law Baby Billy Freeman (Walton Goggins). Joining the cast four season four is Megan Mullally as a former writing partner of Baby Billy’s deceased wife Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles), sure to bring more dark secrets for which the Gemstones should ask forgiveness, but probably won’t. – JG

    The Wheel of Time Season 3

    March 13 on Prime Video

    Despite griping by fans of the Robert Jordan novels, the wheel of time rolls on, with a third season arriving soon on Prime Video. The Wheel of Time stars Rosamund Pike as Aes Sedai sorceress Moiraine who cares for a group of children, a job complicated by the fact young Rand (Josha Stradowski) is the Dragon Reborn. Season 3 will pick up from the previous season’s finale, in which Rand defeats a powerful associate of the Dark One. Despite the victory, Rand’s acheivement poses new challenges, making Moiraine’s job so much more difficult. – JG

    The Studio

    March 26 on Apple TV+

    Comedy mastermind Seth Rogen has already made a home at Apple TV+ thanks to breezy friendship comedy Platonic, in which he co-stars alongside Rose Byrne. For his next Apple project, however, Rogen is thinking a little bigger. Created by Rogen and his longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg, The Studio casts Rogen as the newly-appointed head of Continental Studios who has to balance the creative needs of his artists with the dismal realities of his business. Who better to step into this role than one of the 21st century’s most prolific actor/writer/producer/stoners? – AB

    APRIL

    The Last of Us Season 2

    April 2025 on HBO and Max

    The first season of The Last of Us was a near perfect season of TV and an impeccable video game adaptation, and luckily there’s even more of this drama coming to our screens in 2025. After adapting the first game and its DLC from start to finish, The Last of Us is moving on to the second game in the series. As fans of the games know, this next chapter is even more emotionally devastating than the last (in the best possible way), and we can’t wait to see how the show translates this story and balances the game’s two protagonists, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), as their journey intertwines and they both discover what it means to deal with love and loss during the apocalypse. Humanity may have fallen victim to a fungal parasite that turns people into zombies, but the real danger to our survival might just be each other and how far we’re willing to go for the ones we love. – BA

    Devil May Cry

    April 3 on Netflix

    Following in the footsteps of Castlevania and Arcane, Netflix hopes to have another hit with an animated adaptation of a popular video game series. Like those shows, Devil May Cry comes with well-established lore and tone. Unlike those shows, however, Devil May Cry‘s lore and tone is incredibly weird. Early looks, including an opening scene set to Limp Bizkit, suggests that Netflix knows what it’s doing with demon hunter Dante, voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. – JG

    Andor Season 2

    April 22 on Disney+

    The return of Andor could honestly not come at a better time than spring 2025. A show about finding hope and the will to fight against oppression and the systems that support it is needed now more than ever. When the odds are stacked against us, will we have the same courage as Cassian, or even Kino Loy? As the rebellion continues to build against the Empire in Andor, it’s up to the people to fight for the future they want to see, even if they may not live to see it. This season is set to bridge the gap between the Cassian we saw last season and the Cassian we meet in Rogue One, and I cannot wait to see what this season has in store. – BA

    You Season 5

    April 24 on Netflix

    Joe Goldberg is back on the loose. The serial killer who uses his bookish exterior to hide his murderous true self returns for the fifth season of You. Penn Badgley steps back into the role, bringing to life the character from the novels by Caroline Kepnes. This time, Joe comes to New York hoping to put his ways behind him and just live a quiet life as a bookseller with his girlfriend Katherine (Charlotte Ritchie), head of the Lockwood Corporation. But when twins Raegan and Maddie Lockwood (both played by Anna Camp) makes a play for Katherine’s position, Joe finds the urge rising up again. – JG

    JUNE

    Ironheart

    June 24 on Disney+

    Riri Williams (Dominque Thorne) had a somewhat traumatic introduction into the MCU in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She was forced into hiding, kidnapped by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), and had her warehouse stormed by the feds. However, she also proved herself as a highly intelligent scientist and a capable hero. In her own series, Ironheart, it seems like we’ll get to see Riri both as a student at MIT and in her hometown of Chicago as she works to recreate “the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man,” according to Marvel. This show has been moved around Marvel’s schedule so much the last few years, I’m just glad Marvel didn’t decide to give it the Batgirl treatment. Riri deserves her chance in the spotlight, and it will be exciting to watch her adventures unfold in Ironheart.BA

    Squid Game Season 3

    June 27 on Netflix

    Gi-hun has reached the final round. The conclusion of Squid Game will see our beloved tortured protagonist still reeling from the fallout of losing his best friend and the Front Man’s machinations. But he’s also as determined as ever to end the game once and for all. Can he survive the deadly competition all the way to the end once again? The odds are certainly stacked against him like never before… – John Saavedra

    JULY

    Sakamoto Days Season 1 Part 2

    July 2025 on Netflix

    Netflix’s excellent adaptation of the hit manga is back for the second part of its first season. Elderly shopkeeper Taro Sakamoto has a peaceful family life but he’s also hiding a secret: he was once the ultimate assassin. When a new criminal threat arrives to disturb his quiet town, Sakamoto decides to spring into action, and as the bad guys quickly find out, he’s lost none of his killer touch. – JS

    AUGUST

    Eyes of Wakanda

    August 6 on Disney+

    Even following the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, his character’s home nation of Wakanda remains one of Marvel’s richest assets – both literally and figuratively. Wakanda is home to as many potential stories as its people and with the upcoming Disney+ effort, Eyes of Wakanda, the massive comic book media franchise is going to let some of those stories be told. Little was known about this project initially but the latest synopses that promise history-spanning tales of vibranium artifact reclamations sound quite intriguing. – AB

    DECEMBER

    Wonder Man

    December 2025 on Disney+

    Every now and then, Marvel likes to get a little goofy with it. If the early looks are any indication, Disney+ series Wonder Man might be the goofiest MCU effort in some time. Comic book movie regular Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars, not as Wonder Man, but as Simon Williams, a superpowered actor who is trying out for the role of Wonder Man. Helping him in this task will be Ben Kingsley returning as Marvel’s court jester Trevor Slattery. Beyond that, little else is known about this Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest-created series. But that logline alone makes it one of our most anticipated Marvel titles of the year. – AB

    TBD 2025

    Black Mirror Season 7

    TBD on Netflix

    These days, it feels more and more like we’re actually living in the nightmarish techno dystopia reality of hit anthology series Black Mirror, but that’s not stopping Netflix and creator Charlie Brooker from serving up even more tales of technology gone terribly wrong. This six-episode season will even feature a sequel to the Star Trek spoof story “USS Callister.” – JS

    The Diplomat Season 3

    TBD on Netflix

    An international crisis will make for perfect drama when the hit political thriller returns this year. But can protagonist Kate Wyler wade the waters of a hectic position while also navigating her marriage? We can’t wait to find out. – JS

    The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6

    TBD on Hulu

    The sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale is set to come to Hulu in 2025, and there’s no doubt that this gripping drama will go out swinging. This dystopian series based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name has become almost synonymous with the policies of a certain American administration, so it seems only fitting that the series is set to end as the same administration regains power. The Handmaid’s Tale is as compelling as it is terrifying at times as we’ve gone on this journey with these characters. With everything they’ve gone through, it’s hard to imagine a world where June, Luke, Nichole, and Hannah can have their happy ending together, away from the oppression of Gilead and it’s sympathizers, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the series has in store for its final chapter. – BA 

    It: Welcome to Derry

    TBD on HBO

    Perhaps you’ve heard, but horror icon Stephen King tends to write fairly long books. One of his longest (and arguably one of his best) novels, It, was so epic it had to be adapted into two films: 2017’s It and 2019’s It: Chapter Two. Even then, however, filmmakers Andy and Bárbara Muschietti had to leave many vignettes from the story on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, Warner Bros. Discovery has a network (HBO) and a streaming service (Max) for that. With It: Welcome to Derry, the Muschiettis return alongside Jason Fuchs to fill in the missing gaps of Derry, Maine history and Pennywise’s (Bill Skarsgård) longtime torment of its citizens. – AB

    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

    Summer 2025 on HBO

    The first two seasons of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon have confirmed what A Song of Ice and Fire fans have long expected. The fantasy world of Westeros just works better when George R.R. Martin has already laid down a roadmap for the stories told in it. Thankfully, HBO seems to have come to that realization as well and for Thrones’ second-ever spinoff they are once again turning to Martin’s source material from a collection of novellas known as Tales of Dunk and Egg. Set after Dragon but well before Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to bring a more playful and energetic (yet still plenty bloody) vibe to the franchise. – AB

    Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

    TBD on Paramount+

    Since they first began with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, CBS’ Star Trek streaming efforts under czar Alex Kurtzman have been hit or miss. Some titles (Strange New Worlds) have been massive creative successes while others (the aforementioned Discovery) have been kind of all over the place. Regardless of their relative quality, however, each new spinoff has something special that other TV shows just don’t have: the awe-inspiring sci-fi continuity of one of television’s best-ever franchises. The latest attempt to put that continuity to good use will come with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Set in the 32nd century, the Paramount+ series will follow the first new class of Starfleet cadets in over a century as they train to be officers. After all, today’s Starfleet cadet is tomorrow’s Jean-Luc Picard. – AB

    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

    TBD on Paramount+

    The best Trek series to hit streaming since the franchise made its long-awaited return to television is of course coming back for a third season (and a fourth, too). Season 3 will undoubtedly kick off with a resolution to last season’s big cliffhanger, as Captain Pike must decide whether to rescue those taken hostage by the Gorn in the finale or to retreat and save as many lives on the Enterprise as possible. But this is Strange New Worlds, which means it won’t all be serious decisions. Expect many of the lighter shenanigans that make this show such a treat, including the crew turning themselves into Vulcans for a day! – JS

    Alien: Earth

    TBD on FX

    Fans of the Alien franchise who are unfamiliar with TV auteur Noah Hawley’s game are about to be in for a real treat with Alien: Earth, the long-running sci-fi franchise’s first proper TV effort. Set two years before the events of Alien (1979), this show will deal with a discovery from the heavens that will change humanity and Earth forever. Just what will this series be like? Due to Hawley’s eclectic filmography and style, it’s nigh impossible to say. But if it’s anything like fellow movie adaptation Fargo or comic book headscratcher Legion, then it should be a hell of a fun ride. – AB

    Stranger Things Season 5

    TBD on Netflix

    It’s been three years since we last checked in on the kids of Hawkins, Illinois as creators the Duffer Brothers craft the final season of their mega-hit Stranger Things. Season five will finally see Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) and her pals Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will (Noah Schnapp) take on Vecna once and for all. Between these massive stakes and the weight of expectation, it’s no wonder that the Duffer Brothers have taken their time putting together the last eight episodes, each of which reportedly have the length and scope of a feature film. Will the series close out on a high note? Or will it leave them huddled in a corner and listening to Kate Bush? We’ll finally find out this year… at some point. – JG

    Wednesday Season 2

    TBD on Netflix

    The viral hit—thanks in part to a dance number that became the toast of social media—starring the incredibly talented Jenna Ortega is finally back after three years for another scare. More mysteries, creepy frights, and Wednesday Addams’ incredibly dry humor are on the syllabus for a long-awaited second year at Nevermore Academy. – JS

    The Witcher Season 4

    TBD on Netflix

    Geralt of Rivia is back this year to save a Continent in crisis, but it won’t be Henry Cavill in the wig this time. Taking over the main role is Liam Hemsworth, but he’ll still be accompanied by Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer and Freya Allan’s Ciri. The penultimate season will begin Netflix’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s final three Witcher books: Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake. – JS

    The post New TV Series for 2025: Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Max, FX, NBC, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+ appeared first on Den of Geek.

  • The Last of Us Season 2 Just Confirmed One Major Last of Us Part 2 Change

    The Last of Us Season 2 Just Confirmed One Major Last of Us Part 2 Change

    This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us. It’s safe to say that HBO’s The Last of Us series is one of the best (if not the best) video game adaptations of all time, but even the excellent first season hasn’t stopped some fans from worrying about season 2, which is set to adapt […]

    The post The Last of Us Season 2 Just Confirmed One Major Last of Us Part 2 Change appeared first on Den of Geek.

    We’re not afraid to say that TV is looking pretty hot in 2025. Any lull we may have experienced in the aftermath of the WGA and SAG strikes of 2023 seems to be nonexistent, with many long-awaited shows set to debut and make their triumphant return this year.

    The first few months of 2025 are starting off strong with shows like Severance and Invincible set to return, among others. The summer looks like it will be great for Marvel fans with the Ironheart miniseries finally set to premiere as well as the debut of the animated series Eyes of Wakanda. In addition, there are plenty of exciting “TBDs” projected to come out this year that we can’t wait to see. Now before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at the TV shows you can’t miss in 2025!

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    JANUARY

    Severance Season 2

    January 17 on Apple TV+

    Good things come to those who wait and in early 2025 a very good thing will arrive for those who have been patiently waiting for Severance season 2. This mind-bending Apple TV+ sci-fi/drama about a very literal split between work life and home life wrapped its first season all the way back in April 2022. Now, after some production and strike delays, the story of Mark S. (Adam Scott) and his band of Innies’ struggle against the enigmatic Lumon Industries is set to continue once again. There are a lot of questions to be answered about the show’s sprawling mythology early on. But hopefully the Macrodata Refinement team still finds the time for a dance party or two. – Alec Bojalad

    The Night Agent Season 2

    January 23 on Netflix

    Easily one of Netflix’s most popular series of the last few years, The Night Agent returns for a second season not long after the new year begins. FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is back, only this time he finds himself on the other end of the Night Action hotline. Instead of answering calls from agents in the field, he’s now one of them. Peter may have saved the president and stopped a terror attack from the inside, but does he have what it takes to be a secret agent full time? We may have to wait until January to find out, but we will absolutely be seated as the action unfolds. – Brynna Arens

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    January 29 on Disney+

    Originally thought to be the origin story of the MCU’s Spider-Man, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man instead takes place in a similar, but slightly different universe where Norman Osborn (voiced by the incredible Colman Domingo) becomes Peter Parker’s mentor instead of Tony Stark. Just like What If…?, this animated series is part of the MCU’s multiverse, and is set to feature appearances from a variety of other familiar characters. So far, the only actor set to reprise their role from the MCU is Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, but that doesn’t mean that the show won’t have other surprises up its sleeve. Even though this series might not be connected to the sacred timeline of the MCU, it’s bound to be a fun watch for Spider-Man fans of all ages. – BA

    FEBRUARY

    Invincible Season 3

    February 6 on Prime Video

    It’s hard being a superhero and it’s even harder being a teenager. On Prime Video’s Invincible, poor Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) has to be both. Mark a.k.a. Invincible has been put through the wringer through two seasons of this colorful adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic, enduring major daddy issues, gaining an unexpected alien brother, and receiving all manner of super-powered beatdowns. Following the multiverse hopping chaos of season 2, however, season 3 looks to be a time of transition and growth for our young supe. Hopefully Mark takes in a lesson or two because, if the length of the comic inspiration is any indication, he has a ways to go yet. – AB

    Cobra Kai Season 6 – Part Three

    February 13 on Netflix

    Don’t let Karate Kid: Legends fool you. Before Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) returns to the big screen for the legacy sequel with Jackie Chan, we’ve got one more go-around with his old rival Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and the Cobra Kai dojo. Technically, we’ve already seen the first two parts of season six, as Netflix is dropping it in five-episode chunks. The last five episodes all hit streaming on February 13, including a finale written by creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Then again, Cobra Kai‘s faced down cancelation before and continues to find a way to come back and strike first, strike hard, with no mercy. – Joe George

    Yellowjackets Season 3

    February 14 on Showtime

    Showtime’s buzziest show returns for a third season this year, and boy are we excited. Yellowjackets follows the journey of young plane crash survivors as they contend with the trauma of their experience, both in 1996 when the crash occurred and in the present as they try to live their adult lives. Whether driven by a supernatural force we’ve yet to fully witness, or these women are simply unable to process the sheer trauma of what they went through to survive, the wilderness comes to collect, one way or another. Last season saw these survivors, both past and present, give in to the will of the wilderness through cannibalism, ritualistic killing, and crowning the first Antler Queen, so there’s no telling what they may be driven to this season in the name of survival. – BA 

    The White Lotus Season 3

    February 16 on HBO and Max

    With a cast that includes Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, and the return of Natasha Rothwell as Belinda, season 3 of The White Lotus is already off to a strong start. This season is set to take us to the Thailand branch of this wealthy hotel resort chain – while the location may be gorgeous, if the last two seasons of this show have taught us anything, this vacation will be anything but idyllic. Relationships and family bonds will likely be put to the test, and there’s a pretty decent chance at least one body will be found before the season is done. – BA

    Reacher Season 3

    February 20 on Prime Video

    The hulking former military policeman Jack Reacher drifts back onto tv screens soon for a third season. This season adapts the seventh Lee Childs novel Persuader, which sees Alan Ritchson’s Reacher investigate the disappearance of a DEA agent. Although Ritchson will be joined by Maria Sten as veteran Frances Neagley, who will be getting her own spin-off series, Reacher‘s third season mostly consists of a totally new cast, including Anthony Michael Hall as a sneaky businessman and Brian Tee as figure from Reacher’s past. – JG

    1923 Season 2

    February 23 on Paramount+

    Yellowstone continues to keep Paramount+ afloat with another continuiation. 1923 tells the early history of the Dutton family ranch, veering away from the increasingly crazy soap opera of Yellowstone for more historical drama. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren return for the second season as Jacob and Cara Dutton, along with Brandon Sklenar and James Badge Dale as their nephews Spencer and John Sr. The eight episode second season will force the Duttons to deal with the difficulties of winter while Spencer tries to make his way back to the ranch. – JG

    Suits LA

    February 23 on NBC

    Having finally saved Star City on Arrow, Stephen Amell’s ready to move to another town full of worse evildoers. As its title suggests, Suits LA hopes to replicate the legal drama that made Suits a hit, one that ran for nine seasons and continues to be a favorite on streaming services. The new series stars Amell as the arrogant Ted Black, who launches his own firm, specializing in entertainment law. He’ll be joined by Josh McDermitt as Black’s partner Stuart Lane and Lex Scott Davis as up-and-comer Erica Rollins. No word yet about cast members from the original series dropping by. – JG

    MARCH

    Daredevil: Born Again

    March 4 on Disney+

    After a soft launch into the MCU proper through Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk, and Echo, Charlie Cox is officially back as Daredevil in his own show set to premiere on Disney+ this March. With Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Hensen, Jon Bernthal, and Wilson Bethel also set to reprise their roles from the Netflix Daredevil series, Daredevil: Born Again is poised to pick up not too far from where we last left Hell’s Kitchen, and it will be interesting to see how their stories weave further into the MCU. Fingers crossed we get at least one kickass hallway fight this season. – BA

    The Righteous Gemstones Season 4

    March 9 on Max

    Praise the Lord, God’s most humble servants are back for a fourth season. And a good thing too, because Danny McBride’s satire The Righteous Gemstones could not come at a better time, helping us laugh through our tears. McBride has said that season four will be the final outing for the Gemstone family, which puts all the more pressure on this new entry. Regular family members Jesse (McBride), Kelvin (Adam DeVine), and Judy (Edi Patterson) return, along with brother-in-law Baby Billy Freeman (Walton Goggins). Joining the cast four season four is Megan Mullally as a former writing partner of Baby Billy’s deceased wife Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles), sure to bring more dark secrets for which the Gemstones should ask forgiveness, but probably won’t. – JG

    The Wheel of Time Season 3

    March 13 on Prime Video

    Despite griping by fans of the Robert Jordan novels, the wheel of time rolls on, with a third season arriving soon on Prime Video. The Wheel of Time stars Rosamund Pike as Aes Sedai sorceress Moiraine who cares for a group of children, a job complicated by the fact young Rand (Josha Stradowski) is the Dragon Reborn. Season 3 will pick up from the previous season’s finale, in which Rand defeats a powerful associate of the Dark One. Despite the victory, Rand’s acheivement poses new challenges, making Moiraine’s job so much more difficult. – JG

    The Studio

    March 26 on Apple TV+

    Comedy mastermind Seth Rogen has already made a home at Apple TV+ thanks to breezy friendship comedy Platonic, in which he co-stars alongside Rose Byrne. For his next Apple project, however, Rogen is thinking a little bigger. Created by Rogen and his longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg, The Studio casts Rogen as the newly-appointed head of Continental Studios who has to balance the creative needs of his artists with the dismal realities of his business. Who better to step into this role than one of the 21st century’s most prolific actor/writer/producer/stoners? – AB

    APRIL

    The Last of Us Season 2

    April 2025 on HBO and Max

    The first season of The Last of Us was a near perfect season of TV and an impeccable video game adaptation, and luckily there’s even more of this drama coming to our screens in 2025. After adapting the first game and its DLC from start to finish, The Last of Us is moving on to the second game in the series. As fans of the games know, this next chapter is even more emotionally devastating than the last (in the best possible way), and we can’t wait to see how the show translates this story and balances the game’s two protagonists, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), as their journey intertwines and they both discover what it means to deal with love and loss during the apocalypse. Humanity may have fallen victim to a fungal parasite that turns people into zombies, but the real danger to our survival might just be each other and how far we’re willing to go for the ones we love. – BA

    Devil May Cry

    April 3 on Netflix

    Following in the footsteps of Castlevania and Arcane, Netflix hopes to have another hit with an animated adaptation of a popular video game series. Like those shows, Devil May Cry comes with well-established lore and tone. Unlike those shows, however, Devil May Cry‘s lore and tone is incredibly weird. Early looks, including an opening scene set to Limp Bizkit, suggests that Netflix knows what it’s doing with demon hunter Dante, voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. – JG

    Andor Season 2

    April 22 on Disney+

    The return of Andor could honestly not come at a better time than spring 2025. A show about finding hope and the will to fight against oppression and the systems that support it is needed now more than ever. When the odds are stacked against us, will we have the same courage as Cassian, or even Kino Loy? As the rebellion continues to build against the Empire in Andor, it’s up to the people to fight for the future they want to see, even if they may not live to see it. This season is set to bridge the gap between the Cassian we saw last season and the Cassian we meet in Rogue One, and I cannot wait to see what this season has in store. – BA

    You Season 5

    April 24 on Netflix

    Joe Goldberg is back on the loose. The serial killer who uses his bookish exterior to hide his murderous true self returns for the fifth season of You. Penn Badgley steps back into the role, bringing to life the character from the novels by Caroline Kepnes. This time, Joe comes to New York hoping to put his ways behind him and just live a quiet life as a bookseller with his girlfriend Katherine (Charlotte Ritchie), head of the Lockwood Corporation. But when twins Raegan and Maddie Lockwood (both played by Anna Camp) makes a play for Katherine’s position, Joe finds the urge rising up again. – JG

    JUNE

    Ironheart

    June 24 on Disney+

    Riri Williams (Dominque Thorne) had a somewhat traumatic introduction into the MCU in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She was forced into hiding, kidnapped by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), and had her warehouse stormed by the feds. However, she also proved herself as a highly intelligent scientist and a capable hero. In her own series, Ironheart, it seems like we’ll get to see Riri both as a student at MIT and in her hometown of Chicago as she works to recreate “the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man,” according to Marvel. This show has been moved around Marvel’s schedule so much the last few years, I’m just glad Marvel didn’t decide to give it the Batgirl treatment. Riri deserves her chance in the spotlight, and it will be exciting to watch her adventures unfold in Ironheart.BA

    Squid Game Season 3

    June 27 on Netflix

    Gi-hun has reached the final round. The conclusion of Squid Game will see our beloved tortured protagonist still reeling from the fallout of losing his best friend and the Front Man’s machinations. But he’s also as determined as ever to end the game once and for all. Can he survive the deadly competition all the way to the end once again? The odds are certainly stacked against him like never before… – John Saavedra

    JULY

    Sakamoto Days Season 1 Part 2

    July 2025 on Netflix

    Netflix’s excellent adaptation of the hit manga is back for the second part of its first season. Elderly shopkeeper Taro Sakamoto has a peaceful family life but he’s also hiding a secret: he was once the ultimate assassin. When a new criminal threat arrives to disturb his quiet town, Sakamoto decides to spring into action, and as the bad guys quickly find out, he’s lost none of his killer touch. – JS

    AUGUST

    Eyes of Wakanda

    August 6 on Disney+

    Even following the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, his character’s home nation of Wakanda remains one of Marvel’s richest assets – both literally and figuratively. Wakanda is home to as many potential stories as its people and with the upcoming Disney+ effort, Eyes of Wakanda, the massive comic book media franchise is going to let some of those stories be told. Little was known about this project initially but the latest synopses that promise history-spanning tales of vibranium artifact reclamations sound quite intriguing. – AB

    DECEMBER

    Wonder Man

    December 2025 on Disney+

    Every now and then, Marvel likes to get a little goofy with it. If the early looks are any indication, Disney+ series Wonder Man might be the goofiest MCU effort in some time. Comic book movie regular Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars, not as Wonder Man, but as Simon Williams, a superpowered actor who is trying out for the role of Wonder Man. Helping him in this task will be Ben Kingsley returning as Marvel’s court jester Trevor Slattery. Beyond that, little else is known about this Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest-created series. But that logline alone makes it one of our most anticipated Marvel titles of the year. – AB

    TBD 2025

    Black Mirror Season 7

    TBD on Netflix

    These days, it feels more and more like we’re actually living in the nightmarish techno dystopia reality of hit anthology series Black Mirror, but that’s not stopping Netflix and creator Charlie Brooker from serving up even more tales of technology gone terribly wrong. This six-episode season will even feature a sequel to the Star Trek spoof story “USS Callister.” – JS

    The Diplomat Season 3

    TBD on Netflix

    An international crisis will make for perfect drama when the hit political thriller returns this year. But can protagonist Kate Wyler wade the waters of a hectic position while also navigating her marriage? We can’t wait to find out. – JS

    The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6

    TBD on Hulu

    The sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale is set to come to Hulu in 2025, and there’s no doubt that this gripping drama will go out swinging. This dystopian series based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name has become almost synonymous with the policies of a certain American administration, so it seems only fitting that the series is set to end as the same administration regains power. The Handmaid’s Tale is as compelling as it is terrifying at times as we’ve gone on this journey with these characters. With everything they’ve gone through, it’s hard to imagine a world where June, Luke, Nichole, and Hannah can have their happy ending together, away from the oppression of Gilead and it’s sympathizers, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the series has in store for its final chapter. – BA 

    It: Welcome to Derry

    TBD on HBO

    Perhaps you’ve heard, but horror icon Stephen King tends to write fairly long books. One of his longest (and arguably one of his best) novels, It, was so epic it had to be adapted into two films: 2017’s It and 2019’s It: Chapter Two. Even then, however, filmmakers Andy and Bárbara Muschietti had to leave many vignettes from the story on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, Warner Bros. Discovery has a network (HBO) and a streaming service (Max) for that. With It: Welcome to Derry, the Muschiettis return alongside Jason Fuchs to fill in the missing gaps of Derry, Maine history and Pennywise’s (Bill Skarsgård) longtime torment of its citizens. – AB

    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

    Summer 2025 on HBO

    The first two seasons of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon have confirmed what A Song of Ice and Fire fans have long expected. The fantasy world of Westeros just works better when George R.R. Martin has already laid down a roadmap for the stories told in it. Thankfully, HBO seems to have come to that realization as well and for Thrones’ second-ever spinoff they are once again turning to Martin’s source material from a collection of novellas known as Tales of Dunk and Egg. Set after Dragon but well before Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to bring a more playful and energetic (yet still plenty bloody) vibe to the franchise. – AB

    Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

    TBD on Paramount+

    Since they first began with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, CBS’ Star Trek streaming efforts under czar Alex Kurtzman have been hit or miss. Some titles (Strange New Worlds) have been massive creative successes while others (the aforementioned Discovery) have been kind of all over the place. Regardless of their relative quality, however, each new spinoff has something special that other TV shows just don’t have: the awe-inspiring sci-fi continuity of one of television’s best-ever franchises. The latest attempt to put that continuity to good use will come with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Set in the 32nd century, the Paramount+ series will follow the first new class of Starfleet cadets in over a century as they train to be officers. After all, today’s Starfleet cadet is tomorrow’s Jean-Luc Picard. – AB

    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

    TBD on Paramount+

    The best Trek series to hit streaming since the franchise made its long-awaited return to television is of course coming back for a third season (and a fourth, too). Season 3 will undoubtedly kick off with a resolution to last season’s big cliffhanger, as Captain Pike must decide whether to rescue those taken hostage by the Gorn in the finale or to retreat and save as many lives on the Enterprise as possible. But this is Strange New Worlds, which means it won’t all be serious decisions. Expect many of the lighter shenanigans that make this show such a treat, including the crew turning themselves into Vulcans for a day! – JS

    Alien: Earth

    TBD on FX

    Fans of the Alien franchise who are unfamiliar with TV auteur Noah Hawley’s game are about to be in for a real treat with Alien: Earth, the long-running sci-fi franchise’s first proper TV effort. Set two years before the events of Alien (1979), this show will deal with a discovery from the heavens that will change humanity and Earth forever. Just what will this series be like? Due to Hawley’s eclectic filmography and style, it’s nigh impossible to say. But if it’s anything like fellow movie adaptation Fargo or comic book headscratcher Legion, then it should be a hell of a fun ride. – AB

    Stranger Things Season 5

    TBD on Netflix

    It’s been three years since we last checked in on the kids of Hawkins, Illinois as creators the Duffer Brothers craft the final season of their mega-hit Stranger Things. Season five will finally see Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) and her pals Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will (Noah Schnapp) take on Vecna once and for all. Between these massive stakes and the weight of expectation, it’s no wonder that the Duffer Brothers have taken their time putting together the last eight episodes, each of which reportedly have the length and scope of a feature film. Will the series close out on a high note? Or will it leave them huddled in a corner and listening to Kate Bush? We’ll finally find out this year… at some point. – JG

    Wednesday Season 2

    TBD on Netflix

    The viral hit—thanks in part to a dance number that became the toast of social media—starring the incredibly talented Jenna Ortega is finally back after three years for another scare. More mysteries, creepy frights, and Wednesday Addams’ incredibly dry humor are on the syllabus for a long-awaited second year at Nevermore Academy. – JS

    The Witcher Season 4

    TBD on Netflix

    Geralt of Rivia is back this year to save a Continent in crisis, but it won’t be Henry Cavill in the wig this time. Taking over the main role is Liam Hemsworth, but he’ll still be accompanied by Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer and Freya Allan’s Ciri. The penultimate season will begin Netflix’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s final three Witcher books: Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake. – JS

    The post New TV Series for 2025: Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Max, FX, NBC, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+ appeared first on Den of Geek.

  • Beware the Cut ‘n’ Paste Persona

    Beware the Cut ‘n’ Paste Persona

    This Person Does Not Exist is a website that generates human faces with a machine learning algorithm. It takes real portraits and recombines them into fake human faces. We recently scrolled past a LinkedIn post stating that this website could be useful “if you are developing a persona and looking for a photo.” 

    We agree: the computer-generated faces could be a great match for personas—but not for the reason you might think. Ironically, the website highlights the core issue of this very common design method: the person(a) does not exist. Like the pictures, personas are artificially made. Information is taken out of natural context and recombined into an isolated snapshot that’s detached from reality. 

    But strangely enough, designers use personas to inspire their design for the real world. 

    Personas: A step back

    Most designers have created, used, or come across personas at least once in their career. In their article “Personas – A Simple Introduction,” the Interaction Design Foundation defines personas as “fictional characters, which you create based upon your research in order to represent the different user types that might use your service, product, site, or brand.” In their most complete expression, personas typically consist of a name, profile picture, quotes, demographics, goals, needs, behavior in relation to a certain service/product, emotions, and motivations (for example, see Creative Companion’s Persona Core Poster). The purpose of personas, as stated by design agency Designit, is “to make the research relatable, [and] easy to communicate, digest, reference, and apply to product and service development.”

    The decontextualization of personas

    Personas are popular because they make “dry” research data more relatable, more human. However, this method constrains the researcher’s data analysis in such a way that the investigated users are removed from their unique contexts. As a result, personas don’t portray key factors that make you understand their decision-making process or allow you to relate to users’ thoughts and behavior; they lack stories. You understand what the persona did, but you don’t have the background to understand why. You end up with representations of users that are actually less human.

    This “decontextualization” we see in personas happens in four ways, which we’ll explain below. 

    Personas assume people are static 

    Although many companies still try to box in their employees and customers with outdated personality tests (referring to you, Myers-Briggs), here’s a painfully obvious truth: people are not a fixed set of features. You act, think, and feel differently according to the situations you experience. You appear different to different people; you might act friendly to some, rough to others. And you change your mind all the time about decisions you’ve taken. 

    Modern psychologists agree that while people generally behave according to certain patterns, it’s actually a combination of background and environment that determines how people act and take decisions. The context—the environment, the influence of other people, your mood, the entire history that led up to a situation—determines the kind of person you are in each specific moment. 

    In their attempt to simplify reality, personas do not take this variability into account; they present a user as a fixed set of features. Like personality tests, personas snatch people away from real life. Even worse, people are reduced to a label and categorized as “that kind of person” with no means to exercise their innate flexibility. This practice reinforces stereotypes, lowers diversity, and doesn’t reflect reality. 

    Personas focus on individuals, not the environment

    In the real world, you’re designing for a context, not for an individual. Each person lives in a family, a community, an ecosystem, where there are environmental, political, and social factors you need to consider. A design is never meant for a single user. Rather, you design for one or more particular contexts in which many people might use that product. Personas, however, show the user alone rather than describe how the user relates to the environment. 

    Would you always make the same decision over and over again? Maybe you’re a committed vegan but still decide to buy some meat when your relatives are coming over. As they depend on different situations and variables, your decisions—and behavior, opinions, and statements—are not absolute but highly contextual. The persona that “represents” you wouldn’t take into account this dependency, because it doesn’t specify the premises of your decisions. It doesn’t provide a justification of why you act the way you do. Personas enact the well-known bias called fundamental attribution error: explaining others’ behavior too much by their personality and too little by the situation.

    As mentioned by the Interaction Design Foundation, personas are usually placed in a scenario that’s a “specific context with a problem they want to or have to solve”—does that mean context actually is considered? Unfortunately, what often happens is that you take a fictional character and based on that fiction determine how this character might deal with a certain situation. This is made worse by the fact that you haven’t even fully investigated and understood the current context of the people your persona seeks to represent; so how could you possibly understand how they would act in new situations? 

    Personas are meaningless averages

    As mentioned in Shlomo Goltz’s introductory article on Smashing Magazine, “a persona is depicted as a specific person but is not a real individual; rather, it is synthesized from observations of many people.” A well-known critique to this aspect of personas is that the average person does not exist, as per the famous example of the USA Air Force designing planes based on the average of 140 of their pilots’ physical dimensions and not a single pilot actually fitting within that average seat. 

    The same limitation applies to mental aspects of people. Have you ever heard a famous person say, “They took what I said out of context! They used my words, but I didn’t mean it like that.” The celebrity’s statement was reported literally, but the reporter failed to explain the context around the statement and didn’t describe the non-verbal expressions. As a result, the intended meaning was lost. You do the same when you create personas: you collect somebody’s statement (or goal, or need, or emotion), of which the meaning can only be understood if you provide its own specific context, yet report it as an isolated finding. 

    But personas go a step further, extracting a decontextualized finding and joining it with another decontextualized finding from somebody else. The resulting set of findings often does not make sense: it’s unclear, or even contrasting, because it lacks the underlying reasons on why and how that finding has arisen. It lacks meaning. And the persona doesn’t give you the full background of the person(s) to uncover this meaning: you would need to dive into the raw data for each single persona item to find it. What, then, is the usefulness of the persona?

    The relatability of personas is deceiving

    To a certain extent, designers realize that a persona is a lifeless average. To overcome this, designers invent and add “relatable” details to personas to make them resemble real individuals. Nothing captures the absurdity of this better than a sentence by the Interaction Design Foundation: “Add a few fictional personal details to make the persona a realistic character.” In other words, you add non-realism in an attempt to create more realism. You deliberately obscure the fact that “John Doe” is an abstract representation of research findings; but wouldn’t it be much more responsible to emphasize that John is only an abstraction? If something is artificial, let’s present it as such.

    It’s the finishing touch of a persona’s decontextualization: after having assumed that people’s personalities are fixed, dismissed the importance of their environment, and hidden meaning by joining isolated, non-generalizable findings, designers invent new context to create (their own) meaning. In doing so, as with everything they create, they introduce a host of biases. As phrased by Designit, as designers we can “contextualize [the persona] based on our reality and experience. We create connections that are familiar to us.” This practice reinforces stereotypes, doesn’t reflect real-world diversity, and gets further away from people’s actual reality with every detail added. 

    To do good design research, we should report the reality “as-is” and make it relatable for our audience, so everyone can use their own empathy and develop their own interpretation and emotional response.

    Dynamic Selves: The alternative to personas

    If we shouldn’t use personas, what should we do instead? 

    Designit has proposed using Mindsets instead of personas. Each Mindset is a “spectrum of attitudes and emotional responses that different people have within the same context or life experience.” It challenges designers to not get fixated on a single user’s way of being. Unfortunately, while being a step in the right direction, this proposal doesn’t take into account that people are part of an environment that determines their personality, their behavior, and, yes, their mindset. Therefore, Mindsets are also not absolute but change in regard to the situation. The question remains, what determines a certain Mindset?

    Another alternative comes from Margaret P., author of the article “Kill Your Personas,” who has argued for replacing personas with persona spectrums that consist of a range of user abilities. For example, a visual impairment could be permanent (blindness), temporary (recovery from eye surgery), or situational (screen glare). Persona spectrums are highly useful for more inclusive and context-based design, as they’re based on the understanding that the context is the pattern, not the personality. Their limitation, however, is that they have a very functional take on users that misses the relatability of a real person taken from within a spectrum. 

    In developing an alternative to personas, we aim to transform the standard design process to be context-based. Contexts are generalizable and have patterns that we can identify, just like we tried to do previously with people. So how do we identify these patterns? How do we ensure truly context-based design? 

    Understand real individuals in multiple contexts

    Nothing is more relatable and inspiring than reality. Therefore, we have to understand real individuals in their multi-faceted contexts, and use this understanding to fuel our design. We refer to this approach as Dynamic Selves.

    Let’s take a look at what the approach looks like, based on an example of how one of us applied it in a recent project that researched habits of Italians around energy consumption. We drafted a design research plan aimed at investigating people’s attitudes toward energy consumption and sustainable behavior, with a focus on smart thermostats. 

    1. Choose the right sample

    When we argue against personas, we’re often challenged with quotes such as “Where are you going to find a single person that encapsulates all the information from one of these advanced personas[?]” The answer is simple: you don’t have to. You don’t need to have information about many people for your insights to be deep and meaningful. 

    In qualitative research, validity does not derive from quantity but from accurate sampling. You select the people that best represent the “population” you’re designing for. If this sample is chosen well, and you have understood the sampled people in sufficient depth, you’re able to infer how the rest of the population thinks and behaves. There’s no need to study seven Susans and five Yuriys; one of each will do. 

    Similarly, you don’t need to understand Susan in fifteen different contexts. Once you’ve seen her in a couple of diverse situations, you’ve understood the scheme of Susan’s response to different contexts. Not Susan as an atomic being but Susan in relation to the surrounding environment: how she might act, feel, and think in different situations. 

    Given that each person is representative of a part of the total population you’re researching, it becomes clear why each should be represented as an individual, as each already is an abstraction of a larger group of individuals in similar contexts. You don’t want abstractions of abstractions! These selected people need to be understood and shown in their full expression, remaining in their microcosmos—and if you want to identify patterns you can focus on identifying patterns in contexts.

    Yet the question remains: how do you select a representative sample? First of all, you have to consider what’s the target audience of the product or service you are designing: it might be useful to look at the company’s goals and strategy, the current customer base, and/or a possible future target audience. 

    In our example project, we were designing an application for those who own a smart thermostat. In the future, everyone could have a smart thermostat in their house. Right now, though, only early adopters own one. To build a significant sample, we needed to understand the reason why these early adopters became such. We therefore recruited by asking people why they had a smart thermostat and how they got it. There were those who had chosen to buy it, those who had been influenced by others to buy it, and those who had found it in their house. So we selected representatives of these three situations, from different age groups and geographical locations, with an equal balance of tech savvy and non-tech savvy participants. 

    2. Conduct your research

    After having chosen and recruited your sample, conduct your research using ethnographic methodologies. This will make your qualitative data rich with anecdotes and examples. In our example project, given COVID-19 restrictions, we converted an in-house ethnographic research effort into remote family interviews, conducted from home and accompanied by diary studies.

    To gain an in-depth understanding of attitudes and decision-making trade-offs, the research focus was not limited to the interviewee alone but deliberately included the whole family. Each interviewee would tell a story that would then become much more lively and precise with the corrections or additional details coming from wives, husbands, children, or sometimes even pets. We also focused on the relationships with other meaningful people (such as colleagues or distant family) and all the behaviors that resulted from those relationships. This wide research focus allowed us to shape a vivid mental image of dynamic situations with multiple actors. 

    It’s essential that the scope of the research remains broad enough to be able to include all possible actors. Therefore, it normally works best to define broad research areas with macro questions. Interviews are best set up in a semi-structured way, where follow-up questions will dive into topics mentioned spontaneously by the interviewee. This open-minded “plan to be surprised” will yield the most insightful findings. When we asked one of our participants how his family regulated the house temperature, he replied, “My wife has not installed the thermostat’s app—she uses WhatsApp instead. If she wants to turn on the heater and she is not home, she will text me. I am her thermostat.”

    3. Analysis: Create the Dynamic Selves

    During the research analysis, you start representing each individual with multiple Dynamic Selves, each “Self” representing one of the contexts you have investigated. The core of each Dynamic Self is a quote, which comes supported by a photo and a few relevant demographics that illustrate the wider context. The research findings themselves will show which demographics are relevant to show. In our case, as our research focused on families and their lifestyle to understand their needs for thermal regulation, the important demographics were family type, number and nature of houses owned, economic status, and technological maturity. (We also included the individual’s name and age, but they’re optional—we included them to ease the stakeholders’ transition from personas and be able to connect multiple actions and contexts to the same person).

    To capture exact quotes, interviews need to be video-recorded and notes need to be taken verbatim as much as possible. This is essential to the truthfulness of the several Selves of each participant. In the case of real-life ethnographic research, photos of the context and anonymized actors are essential to build realistic Selves. Ideally, these photos should come directly from field research, but an evocative and representative image will work, too, as long as it’s realistic and depicts meaningful actions that you associate with your participants. For example, one of our interviewees told us about his mountain home where he used to spend every weekend with his family. Therefore, we portrayed him hiking with his little daughter. 

    At the end of the research analysis, we displayed all of the Selves’ “cards” on a single canvas, categorized by activities. Each card displayed a situation, represented by a quote and a unique photo. All participants had multiple cards about themselves.

    4. Identify design opportunities

    Once you have collected all main quotes from the interview transcripts and diaries, and laid them all down as Self cards, you will see patterns emerge. These patterns will highlight the opportunity areas for new product creation, new functionalities, and new services—for new design. 

    In our example project, there was a particularly interesting insight around the concept of humidity. We realized that people don’t know what humidity is and why it is important to monitor it for health: an environment that’s too dry or too wet can cause respiratory problems or worsen existing ones. This highlighted a big opportunity for our client to educate users on this concept and become a health advisor.

    Benefits of Dynamic Selves

    When you use the Dynamic Selves approach in your research, you start to notice unique social relations, peculiar situations real people face and the actions that follow, and that people are surrounded by changing environments. In our thermostat project, we have come to know one of the participants, Davide, as a boyfriend, dog-lover, and tech enthusiast. 

    Davide is an individual we might have once reduced to a persona called “tech enthusiast.” But we can have tech enthusiasts who have families or are single, who are rich or poor. Their motivations and priorities when deciding to purchase a new thermostat can be opposite according to these different frames. 

    Once you have understood Davide in multiple situations, and for each situation have understood in sufficient depth the underlying reasons for his behavior, you’re able to generalize how he would act in another situation. You can use your understanding of him to infer what he would think and do in the contexts (or scenarios) that you design for.

    The Dynamic Selves approach aims to dismiss the conflicted dual purpose of personas—to summarize and empathize at the same time—by separating your research summary from the people you’re seeking to empathize with. This is important because our empathy for people is affected by scale: the bigger the group, the harder it is to feel empathy for others. We feel the strongest empathy for individuals we can personally relate to.  

    If you take a real person as inspiration for your design, you no longer need to create an artificial character. No more inventing details to make the character more “realistic,” no more unnecessary additional bias. It’s simply how this person is in real life. In fact, in our experience, personas quickly become nothing more than a name in our priority guides and prototype screens, as we all know that these characters don’t really exist. 

    Another powerful benefit of the Dynamic Selves approach is that it raises the stakes of your work: if you mess up your design, someone real, a person you and the team know and have met, is going to feel the consequences. It might stop you from taking shortcuts and will remind you to conduct daily checks on your designs.

    And finally, real people in their specific contexts are a better basis for anecdotal storytelling and therefore are more effective in persuasion. Documentation of real research is essential in achieving this result. It adds weight and urgency behind your design arguments: “When I met Alessandra, the conditions of her workplace struck me. Noise, bad ergonomics, lack of light, you name it. If we go for this functionality, I’m afraid we’re going to add complexity to her life.”

    Conclusion

    Designit mentioned in their article on Mindsets that “design thinking tools offer a shortcut to deal with reality’s complexities, but this process of simplification can sometimes flatten out people’s lives into a few general characteristics.” Unfortunately, personas have been culprits in a crime of oversimplification. They are unsuited to represent the complex nature of our users’ decision-making processes and don’t account for the fact that humans are immersed in contexts. 

    Design needs simplification but not generalization. You have to look at the research elements that stand out: the sentences that captured your attention, the images that struck you, the sounds that linger. Portray those, use them to describe the person in their multiple contexts. Both insights and people come with a context; they cannot be cut from that context because it would remove meaning. 

    It’s high time for design to move away from fiction, and embrace reality—in its messy, surprising, and unquantifiable beauty—as our guide and inspiration.

  • That’s Not My Burnout

    That’s Not My Burnout

    Are you like me, reading about people fading away as they burn out, and feeling unable to relate? Do you feel like your feelings are invisible to the world because you’re experiencing burnout differently? When burnout starts to push down on us, our core comes through more. Beautiful, peaceful souls get quieter and fade into that distant and distracted burnout we’ve all read about. But some of us, those with fires always burning on the edges of our core, get hotter. In my heart I am fire. When I face burnout I double down, triple down, burning hotter and hotter to try to best the challenge. I don’t fade—I am engulfed in a zealous burnout

    So what on earth is a zealous burnout?

    Imagine a woman determined to do it all. She has two amazing children whom she, along with her husband who is also working remotely, is homeschooling during a pandemic. She has a demanding client load at work—all of whom she loves. She gets up early to get some movement in (or often catch up on work), does dinner prep as the kids are eating breakfast, and gets to work while positioning herself near “fourth grade” to listen in as she juggles clients, tasks, and budgets. Sound like a lot? Even with a supportive team both at home and at work, it is. 

    Sounds like this woman has too much on her plate and needs self-care. But no, she doesn’t have time for that. In fact, she starts to feel like she’s dropping balls. Not accomplishing enough. There’s not enough of her to be here and there; she is trying to divide her mind in two all the time, all day, every day. She starts to doubt herself. And as those feelings creep in more and more, her internal narrative becomes more and more critical.

    Suddenly she KNOWS what she needs to do! She should DO MORE. 

    This is a hard and dangerous cycle. Know why? Because once she doesn’t finish that new goal, that narrative will get worse. Suddenly she’s failing. She isn’t doing enough. SHE is not enough. She might fail, she might fail her family…so she’ll find more she should do. She doesn’t sleep as much, move as much, all in the efforts to do more. Caught in this cycle of trying to prove herself to herself, never reaching any goal. Never feeling “enough.” 

    So, yeah, that’s what zealous burnout looks like for me. It doesn’t happen overnight in some grand gesture but instead slowly builds over weeks and months. My burning out process looks like speeding up, not a person losing focus. I speed up and up and up…and then I just stop.

    I am the one who could

    It’s funny the things that shape us. Through the lens of childhood, I viewed the fears, struggles, and sacrifices of someone who had to make it all work without having enough. I was lucky that my mother was so resourceful and my father supportive; I never went without and even got an extra here or there. 

    Growing up, I did not feel shame when my mother paid with food stamps; in fact, I’d have likely taken on any debate on the topic, verbally eviscerating anyone who dared to criticize the disabled woman trying to make sure all our needs were met with so little. As a child, I watched the way the fear of not making those ends meet impacted people I love. As the non-disabled person in my home, I would take on many of the physical tasks because I was “the one who could” make our lives a little easier. I learned early to associate fears or uncertainty with putting more of myself into it—I am the one who can. I learned early that when something frightens me, I can double down and work harder to make it better. I can own the challenge. When people have seen this in me as an adult, I’ve been told I seem fearless, but make no mistake, I’m not. If I seem fearless, it’s because this behavior was forged from other people’s fears. 

    And here I am, more than 30 years later still feeling the urge to mindlessly push myself forward when faced with overwhelming tasks ahead of me, assuming that I am the one who can and therefore should. I find myself driven to prove that I can make things happen if I work longer hours, take on more responsibility, and do more

    I do not see people who struggle financially as failures, because I have seen how strong that tide can be—it pulls you along the way. I truly get that I have been privileged to be able to avoid many of the challenges that were present in my youth. That said, I am still “the one who can” who feels she should, so if I were faced with not having enough to make ends meet for my own family, I would see myself as having failed. Though I am supported and educated, most of this is due to good fortune. I will, however, allow myself the arrogance of saying I have been careful with my choices to have encouraged that luck. My identity stems from the idea that I am “the one who can” so therefore feel obligated to do the most. I can choose to stop, and with some quite literal cold water splashed in my face, I’ve made the choice to before. But that choosing to stop is not my go-to; I move forward, driven by a fear that is so a part of me that I barely notice it’s there until I’m feeling utterly worn away.

    So why all the history? You see, burnout is a fickle thing. I have heard and read a lot about burnout over the years. Burnout is real. Especially now, with COVID, many of us are balancing more than we ever have before—all at once! It’s hard, and the procrastinating, the avoidance, the shutting down impacts so many amazing professionals. There are important articles that relate to what I imagine must be the majority of people out there, but not me. That’s not what my burnout looks like.

    The dangerous invisibility of zealous burnout

    A lot of work environments see the extra hours, extra effort, and overall focused commitment as an asset (and sometimes that’s all it is). They see someone trying to rise to challenges, not someone stuck in their fear. Many well-meaning organizations have safeguards in place to protect their teams from burnout. But in cases like this, those alarms are not always tripped, and then when the inevitable stop comes, some members of the organization feel surprised and disappointed. And sometimes maybe even betrayed. 

    Parents—more so mothers, statistically speaking—are praised as being so on top of it all when they can work, be involved in the after-school activities, practice self-care in the form of diet and exercise, and still meet friends for coffee or wine. During COVID many of us have binged countless streaming episodes showing how it’s so hard for the female protagonist, but she is strong and funny and can do it. It’s a “very special episode” when she breaks down, cries in the bathroom, woefully admits she needs help, and just stops for a bit. Truth is, countless people are hiding their tears or are doom-scrolling to escape. We know that the media is a lie to amuse us, but often the perception that it’s what we should strive for has penetrated much of society.

    Women and burnout

    I love men. And though I don’t love every man (heads up, I don’t love every woman or nonbinary person either), I think there is a beautiful spectrum of individuals who represent that particular binary gender. 

    That said, women are still more often at risk of burnout than their male counterparts, especially in these COVID stressed times. Mothers in the workplace feel the pressure to do all the “mom” things while giving 110%. Mothers not in the workplace feel they need to do more to “justify” their lack of traditional employment. Women who are not mothers often feel the need to do even more because they don’t have that extra pressure at home. It’s vicious and systemic and so a part of our culture that we’re often not even aware of the enormity of the pressures we put on ourselves and each other. 

    And there are prices beyond happiness too. Harvard Health Publishing released a study a decade ago that “uncovered strong links between women’s job stress and cardiovascular disease.” The CDC noted, “Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing 299,578 women in 2017—or about 1 in every 5 female deaths.” 

    This relationship between work stress and health, from what I have read, is more dangerous for women than it is for their non-female counterparts.

    But what if your burnout isn’t like that either?

    That might not be you either. After all, each of us is so different and how we respond to stressors is too. It’s part of what makes us human. Don’t stress what burnout looks like, just learn to recognize it in yourself. Here are a few questions I sometimes ask friends if I am concerned about them.

    Are you happy? This simple question should be the first thing you ask yourself. Chances are, even if you’re burning out doing all the things you love, as you approach burnout you’ll just stop taking as much joy from it all.

    Do you feel empowered to say no? I have observed in myself and others that when someone is burning out, they no longer feel they can say no to things. Even those who don’t “speed up” feel pressure to say yes to not disappoint the people around them.

    What are three things you’ve done for yourself? Another observance is that we all tend to stop doing things for ourselves. Anything from skipping showers and eating poorly to avoiding talking to friends. These can be red flags. 

    Are you making excuses? Many of us try to disregard feelings of burnout. Over and over I have heard, “It’s just crunch time,” “As soon as I do this one thing, it will all be better,” and “Well I should be able to handle this, so I’ll figure it out.” And it might really be crunch time, a single goal, and/or a skill set you need to learn. That happens—life happens. BUT if this doesn’t stop, be honest with yourself. If you’ve worked more 50-hour weeks since January than not, maybe it’s not crunch time—maybe it’s a bad situation that you’re burning out from.

    Do you have a plan to stop feeling this way? If something is truly temporary and you do need to just push through, then it has an exit route with a
    defined end.

    Take the time to listen to yourself as you would a friend. Be honest, allow yourself to be uncomfortable, and break the thought cycles that prevent you from healing. 

    So now what?

    What I just described is a different path to burnout, but it’s still burnout. There are well-established approaches to working through burnout:

    • Get enough sleep.
    • Eat healthy.
    • Work out.
    • Get outside.
    • Take a break.
    • Overall, practice self-care.

    Those are hard for me because they feel like more tasks. If I’m in the burnout cycle, doing any of the above for me feels like a waste. The narrative is that if I’m already failing, why would I take care of myself when I’m dropping all those other balls? People need me, right? 

    If you’re deep in the cycle, your inner voice might be pretty awful by now. If you need to, tell yourself you need to take care of the person your people depend on. If your roles are pushing you toward burnout, use them to help make healing easier by justifying the time spent working on you. 

    To help remind myself of the airline attendant message about putting the mask on yourself first, I have come up with a few things that I do when I start feeling myself going into a zealous burnout.

    Cook an elaborate meal for someone! 

    OK, I am a “food-focused” individual so cooking for someone is always my go-to. There are countless tales in my home of someone walking into the kitchen and turning right around and walking out when they noticed I was “chopping angrily.” But it’s more than that, and you should give it a try. Seriously. It’s the perfect go-to if you don’t feel worthy of taking time for yourself—do it for someone else. Most of us work in a digital world, so cooking can fill all of your senses and force you to be in the moment with all the ways you perceive the world. It can break you out of your head and help you gain a better perspective. In my house, I’ve been known to pick a place on the map and cook food that comes from wherever that is (thank you, Pinterest). I love cooking Indian food, as the smells are warm, the bread needs just enough kneading to keep my hands busy, and the process takes real attention for me because it’s not what I was brought up making. And in the end, we all win!

    Vent like a foul-mouthed fool

    Be careful with this one! 

    I have been making an effort to practice more gratitude over the past few years, and I recognize the true benefits of that. That said, sometimes you just gotta let it all out—even the ugly. Hell, I’m a big fan of not sugarcoating our lives, and that sometimes means that to get past the big pile of poop, you’re gonna wanna complain about it a bit. 

    When that is what’s needed, turn to a trusted friend and allow yourself some pure verbal diarrhea, saying all the things that are bothering you. You need to trust this friend not to judge, to see your pain, and, most importantly, to tell you to remove your cranium from your own rectal cavity. Seriously, it’s about getting a reality check here! One of the things I admire the most about my husband (though often after the fact) is his ability to break things down to their simplest. “We’re spending our lives together, of course you’re going to disappoint me from time to time, so get over it” has been his way of speaking his dedication, love, and acceptance of me—and I could not be more grateful. It also, of course, has meant that I needed to remove my head from that rectal cavity. So, again, usually those moments are appreciated in hindsight.

    Pick up a book! 

    There are many books out there that aren’t so much self-help as they are people just like you sharing their stories and how they’ve come to find greater balance. Maybe you’ll find something that speaks to you. Titles that have stood out to me include:

    • Thrive by Arianna Huffington
    • Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
    • Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
    • Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

    Or, another tactic I love to employ is to read or listen to a book that has NOTHING to do with my work-life balance. I’ve read the following books and found they helped balance me out because my mind was pondering their interesting topics instead of running in circles:

    • The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
    • Superlife by Darin Olien
    • A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford
    • Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway 

    If you’re not into reading, pick up a topic on YouTube or choose a podcast to subscribe to. I’ve watched countless permaculture and gardening topics in addition to how to raise chickens and ducks. For the record, I do not have a particularly large food garden, nor do I own livestock of any kind…yet. I just find the topic interesting, and it has nothing to do with any aspect of my life that needs anything from me.

    Forgive yourself 

    You are never going to be perfect—hell, it would be boring if you were. It’s OK to be broken and flawed. It’s human to be tired and sad and worried. It’s OK to not do it all. It’s scary to be imperfect, but you cannot be brave if nothing were scary.

    This last one is the most important: allow yourself permission to NOT do it all. You never promised to be everything to everyone at all times. We are more powerful than the fears that drive us. 

    This is hard. It is hard for me. It’s what’s driven me to write this—that it’s OK to stop. It’s OK that your unhealthy habit that might even benefit those around you needs to end. You can still be successful in life.

    I recently read that we are all writing our eulogy in how we live. Knowing that your professional accomplishments won’t be mentioned in that speech, what will yours say? What do you want it to say? 

    Look, I get that none of these ideas will “fix it,” and that’s not their purpose. None of us are in control of our surroundings, only how we respond to them. These suggestions are to help stop the spiral effect so that you are empowered to address the underlying issues and choose your response. They are things that work for me most of the time. Maybe they’ll work for you.

    Does this sound familiar? 

    If this sounds familiar, it’s not just you. Don’t let your negative self-talk tell you that you “even burn out wrong.” It’s not wrong. Even if rooted in fear like my own drivers, I believe that this need to do more comes from a place of love, determination, motivation, and other wonderful attributes that make you the amazing person you are. We’re going to be OK, ya know. The lives that unfold before us might never look like that story in our head—that idea of “perfect” or “done” we’re looking for, but that’s OK. Really, when we stop and look around, usually the only eyes that judge us are in the mirror. 

    Do you remember that Winnie the Pooh sketch that had Pooh eat so much at Rabbit’s house that his buttocks couldn’t fit through the door? Well, I already associate a lot with Rabbit, so it came as no surprise when he abruptly declared that this was unacceptable. But do you recall what happened next? He put a shelf across poor Pooh’s ankles and decorations on his back, and made the best of the big butt in his kitchen. 

    At the end of the day we are resourceful and know that we are able to push ourselves if we need to—even when we are tired to our core or have a big butt of fluff ‘n’ stuff in our room. None of us has to be afraid, as we can manage any obstacle put in front of us. And maybe that means we will need to redefine success to allow space for being uncomfortably human, but that doesn’t really sound so bad either. 

    So, wherever you are right now, please breathe. Do what you need to do to get out of your head. Forgive and take care.

  • Asynchronous Design Critique: Giving Feedback

    Asynchronous Design Critique: Giving Feedback

    Feedback, in whichever form it takes, and whatever it may be called, is one of the most effective soft skills that we have at our disposal to collaboratively get our designs to a better place while growing our own skills and perspectives.

    Feedback is also one of the most underestimated tools, and often by assuming that we’re already good at it, we settle, forgetting that it’s a skill that can be trained, grown, and improved. Poor feedback can create confusion in projects, bring down morale, and affect trust and team collaboration over the long term. Quality feedback can be a transformative force. 

    Practicing our skills is surely a good way to improve, but the learning gets even faster when it’s paired with a good foundation that channels and focuses the practice. What are some foundational aspects of giving good feedback? And how can feedback be adjusted for remote and distributed work environments? 

    On the web, we can identify a long tradition of asynchronous feedback: from the early days of open source, code was shared and discussed on mailing lists. Today, developers engage on pull requests, designers comment in their favorite design tools, project managers and scrum masters exchange ideas on tickets, and so on.

    Design critique is often the name used for a type of feedback that’s provided to make our work better, collaboratively. So it shares a lot of the principles with feedback in general, but it also has some differences.

    The content

    The foundation of every good critique is the feedback’s content, so that’s where we need to start. There are many models that you can use to shape your content. The one that I personally like best—because it’s clear and actionable—is this one from Lara Hogan.

    While this equation is generally used to give feedback to people, it also fits really well in a design critique because it ultimately answers some of the core questions that we work on: What? Where? Why? How? Imagine that you’re giving some feedback about some design work that spans multiple screens, like an onboarding flow: there are some pages shown, a flow blueprint, and an outline of the decisions made. You spot something that could be improved. If you keep the three elements of the equation in mind, you’ll have a mental model that can help you be more precise and effective.

    Here is a comment that could be given as a part of some feedback, and it might look reasonable at a first glance: it seems to superficially fulfill the elements in the equation. But does it?

    Not sure about the buttons’ styles and hierarchy—it feels off. Can you change them?

    Observation for design feedback doesn’t just mean pointing out which part of the interface your feedback refers to, but it also refers to offering a perspective that’s as specific as possible. Are you providing the user’s perspective? Your expert perspective? A business perspective? The project manager’s perspective? A first-time user’s perspective?

    When I see these two buttons, I expect one to go forward and one to go back.

    Impact is about the why. Just pointing out a UI element might sometimes be enough if the issue may be obvious, but more often than not, you should add an explanation of what you’re pointing out.

    When I see these two buttons, I expect one to go forward and one to go back. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow.

    The question approach is meant to provide open guidance by eliciting the critical thinking in the designer receiving the feedback. Notably, in Lara’s equation she provides a second approach: request, which instead provides guidance toward a specific solution. While that’s a viable option for feedback in general, for design critiques, in my experience, defaulting to the question approach usually reaches the best solutions because designers are generally more comfortable in being given an open space to explore.

    The difference between the two can be exemplified with, for the question approach:

    When I see these two buttons, I expect one to go forward and one to go back. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow. Would it make sense to unify them?

    Or, for the request approach:

    When I see these two buttons, I expect one to go forward and one to go back. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow. Let’s make sure that all screens have the same pair of forward and back buttons.

    At this point in some situations, it might be useful to integrate with an extra why: why you consider the given suggestion to be better.

    When I see these two buttons, I expect one to go forward and one to go back. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow. Let’s make sure that all screens have the same two forward and back buttons so that users don’t get confused.

    Choosing the question approach or the request approach can also at times be a matter of personal preference. A while ago, I was putting a lot of effort into improving my feedback: I did rounds of anonymous feedback, and I reviewed feedback with other people. After a few rounds of this work and a year later, I got a positive response: my feedback came across as effective and grounded. Until I changed teams. To my shock, my next round of feedback from one specific person wasn’t that great. The reason is that I had previously tried not to be prescriptive in my advice—because the people who I was previously working with preferred the open-ended question format over the request style of suggestions. But now in this other team, there was one person who instead preferred specific guidance. So I adapted my feedback for them to include requests.

    One comment that I heard come up a few times is that this kind of feedback is quite long, and it doesn’t seem very efficient. No… but also yes. Let’s explore both sides.

    No, this style of feedback is actually efficient because the length here is a byproduct of clarity, and spending time giving this kind of feedback can provide exactly enough information for a good fix. Also if we zoom out, it can reduce future back-and-forth conversations and misunderstandings, improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of collaboration beyond the single comment. Imagine that in the example above the feedback were instead just, “Let’s make sure that all screens have the same two forward and back buttons.” The designer receiving this feedback wouldn’t have much to go by, so they might just apply the change. In later iterations, the interface might change or they might introduce new features—and maybe that change might not make sense anymore. Without the why, the designer might imagine that the change is about consistency… but what if it wasn’t? So there could now be an underlying concern that changing the buttons would be perceived as a regression.

    Yes, this style of feedback is not always efficient because the points in some comments don’t always need to be exhaustive, sometimes because certain changes may be obvious (“The font used doesn’t follow our guidelines”) and sometimes because the team may have a lot of internal knowledge such that some of the whys may be implied.

    So the equation above isn’t meant to suggest a strict template for feedback but a mnemonic to reflect and improve the practice. Even after years of active work on my critiques, I still from time to time go back to this formula and reflect on whether what I just wrote is effective.

    The tone

    Well-grounded content is the foundation of feedback, but that’s not really enough. The soft skills of the person who’s providing the critique can multiply the likelihood that the feedback will be well received and understood. Tone alone can make the difference between content that’s rejected or welcomed, and it’s been demonstrated that only positive feedback creates sustained change in people.

    Since our goal is to be understood and to have a positive working environment, tone is essential to work on. Over the years, I’ve tried to summarize the required soft skills in a formula that mirrors the one for content: the receptivity equation.

    Respectful feedback comes across as grounded, solid, and constructive. It’s the kind of feedback that, whether it’s positive or negative, is perceived as useful and fair.

    Timing refers to when the feedback happens. To-the-point feedback doesn’t have much hope of being well received if it’s given at the wrong time. Questioning the entire high-level information architecture of a new feature when it’s about to ship might still be relevant if that questioning highlights a major blocker that nobody saw, but it’s way more likely that those concerns will have to wait for a later rework. So in general, attune your feedback to the stage of the project. Early iteration? Late iteration? Polishing work in progress? These all have different needs. The right timing will make it more likely that your feedback will be well received.

    Attitude is the equivalent of intent, and in the context of person-to-person feedback, it can be referred to as radical candor. That means checking before we write to see whether what we have in mind will truly help the person and make the project better overall. This might be a hard reflection at times because maybe we don’t want to admit that we don’t really appreciate that person. Hopefully that’s not the case, but that can happen, and that’s okay. Acknowledging and owning that can help you make up for that: how would I write if I really cared about them? How can I avoid being passive aggressive? How can I be more constructive?

    Form is relevant especially in a diverse and cross-cultural work environments because having great content, perfect timing, and the right attitude might not come across if the way that we write creates misunderstandings. There might be many reasons for this: sometimes certain words might trigger specific reactions; sometimes nonnative speakers might not understand all the nuances of some sentences; sometimes our brains might just be different and we might perceive the world differently—neurodiversity must be taken into consideration. Whatever the reason, it’s important to review not just what we write but how.

    A few years back, I was asking for some feedback on how I give feedback. I received some good advice but also a comment that surprised me. They pointed out that when I wrote “Oh, […],” I made them feel stupid. That wasn’t my intent! I felt really bad, and I just realized that I provided feedback to them for months, and every time I might have made them feel stupid. I was horrified… but also thankful. I made a quick fix: I added “oh” in my list of replaced words (your choice between: macOS’s text replacement, aText, TextExpander, or others) so that when I typed “oh,” it was instantly deleted. 

    Something to highlight because it’s quite frequent—especially in teams that have a strong group spirit—is that people tend to beat around the bush. It’s important to remember here that a positive attitude doesn’t mean going light on the feedback—it just means that even when you provide hard, difficult, or challenging feedback, you do so in a way that’s respectful and constructive. The nicest thing that you can do for someone is to help them grow.

    We have a great advantage in giving feedback in written form: it can be reviewed by another person who isn’t directly involved, which can help to reduce or remove any bias that might be there. I found that the best, most insightful moments for me have happened when I’ve shared a comment and I’ve asked someone who I highly trusted, “How does this sound?,” “How can I do it better,” and even “How would you have written it?”—and I’ve learned a lot by seeing the two versions side by side.

    The format

    Asynchronous feedback also has a major inherent advantage: we can take more time to refine what we’ve written to make sure that it fulfills two main goals: the clarity of communication and the actionability of the suggestions.

    Let’s imagine that someone shared a design iteration for a project. You are reviewing it and leaving a comment. There are many ways to do this, and of course context matters, but let’s try to think about some elements that may be useful to consider.

    In terms of clarity, start by grounding the critique that you’re about to give by providing context. Specifically, this means describing where you’re coming from: do you have a deep knowledge of the project, or is this the first time that you’re seeing it? Are you coming from a high-level perspective, or are you figuring out the details? Are there regressions? Which user’s perspective are you taking when providing your feedback? Is the design iteration at a point where it would be okay to ship this, or are there major things that need to be addressed first?

    Providing context is helpful even if you’re sharing feedback within a team that already has some information on the project. And context is absolutely essential when giving cross-team feedback. If I were to review a design that might be indirectly related to my work, and if I had no knowledge about how the project arrived at that point, I would say so, highlighting my take as external.

    We often focus on the negatives, trying to outline all the things that could be done better. That’s of course important, but it’s just as important—if not more—to focus on the positives, especially if you saw progress from the previous iteration. This might seem superfluous, but it’s important to keep in mind that design is a discipline where there are hundreds of possible solutions for every problem. So pointing out that the design solution that was chosen is good and explaining why it’s good has two major benefits: it confirms that the approach taken was solid, and it helps to ground your negative feedback. In the longer term, sharing positive feedback can help prevent regressions on things that are going well because those things will have been highlighted as important. As a bonus, positive feedback can also help reduce impostor syndrome.

    There’s one powerful approach that combines both context and a focus on the positives: frame how the design is better than the status quo (compared to a previous iteration, competitors, or benchmarks) and why, and then on that foundation, you can add what could be improved. This is powerful because there’s a big difference between a critique that’s for a design that’s already in good shape and a critique that’s for a design that isn’t quite there yet.

    Another way that you can improve your feedback is to depersonalize the feedback: the comments should always be about the work, never about the person who made it. It’s “This button isn’t well aligned” versus “You haven’t aligned this button well.” This is very easy to change in your writing by reviewing it just before sending.

    In terms of actionability, one of the best approaches to help the designer who’s reading through your feedback is to split it into bullet points or paragraphs, which are easier to review and analyze one by one. For longer pieces of feedback, you might also consider splitting it into sections or even across multiple comments. Of course, adding screenshots or signifying markers of the specific part of the interface you’re referring to can also be especially useful.

    One approach that I’ve personally used effectively in some contexts is to enhance the bullet points with four markers using emojis. So a red square 🟥 means that it’s something that I consider blocking; a yellow diamond 🔶 is something that I can be convinced otherwise, but it seems to me that it should be changed; and a green circle 🟢 is a detailed, positive confirmation. I also use a blue spiral 🌀 for either something that I’m not sure about, an exploration, an open alternative, or just a note. But I’d use this approach only on teams where I’ve already established a good level of trust because if it happens that I have to deliver a lot of red squares, the impact could be quite demoralizing, and I’d reframe how I’d communicate that a bit.

    Let’s see how this would work by reusing the example that we used earlier as the first bullet point in this list:

    • 🔶 Navigation—When I see these two buttons, I expect one to go forward and one to go back. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow. Let’s make sure that all screens have the same two forward and back buttons so that users don’t get confused.
    • 🟢 Overall—I think the page is solid, and this is good enough to be our release candidate for a version 1.0.
    • 🟢 Metrics—Good improvement in the buttons on the metrics area; the improved contrast and new focus style make them more accessible.
    •  🟥  Button Style—Using the green accent in this context creates the impression that it’s a positive action because green is usually perceived as a confirmation color. Do we need to explore a different color?
    • 🔶Tiles—Given the number of items on the page, and the overall page hierarchy, it seems to me that the tiles shouldn’t be using the Subtitle 1 style but the Subtitle 2 style. This will keep the visual hierarchy more consistent.
    • 🌀 Background—Using a light texture works well, but I wonder whether it adds too much noise in this kind of page. What is the thinking in using that?

    What about giving feedback directly in Figma or another design tool that allows in-place feedback? In general, I find these difficult to use because they hide discussions and they’re harder to track, but in the right context, they can be very effective. Just make sure that each of the comments is separate so that it’s easier to match each discussion to a single task, similar to the idea of splitting mentioned above.

    One final note: say the obvious. Sometimes we might feel that something is obviously good or obviously wrong, and so we don’t say it. Or sometimes we might have a doubt that we don’t express because the question might sound stupid. Say it—that’s okay. You might have to reword it a little bit to make the reader feel more comfortable, but don’t hold it back. Good feedback is transparent, even when it may be obvious.

    There’s another advantage of asynchronous feedback: written feedback automatically tracks decisions. Especially in large projects, “Why did we do this?” could be a question that pops up from time to time, and there’s nothing better than open, transparent discussions that can be reviewed at any time. For this reason, I recommend using software that saves these discussions, without hiding them once they are resolved. 

    Content, tone, and format. Each one of these subjects provides a useful model, but working to improve eight areas—observation, impact, question, timing, attitude, form, clarity, and actionability—is a lot of work to put in all at once. One effective approach is to take them one by one: first identify the area that you lack the most (either from your perspective or from feedback from others) and start there. Then the second, then the third, and so on. At first you’ll have to put in extra time for every piece of feedback that you give, but after a while, it’ll become second nature, and your impact on the work will multiply.

    Thanks to Brie Anne Demkiw and Mike Shelton for reviewing the first draft of this article.

  • Asynchronous Design Critique: Getting Feedback

    Asynchronous Design Critique: Getting Feedback

    “Any comment?” is probably one of the worst ways to ask for feedback. It’s vague and open ended, and it doesn’t provide any indication of what we’re looking for. Getting good feedback starts earlier than we might expect: it starts with the request. 

    It might seem counterintuitive to start the process of receiving feedback with a question, but that makes sense if we realize that getting feedback can be thought of as a form of design research. In the same way that we wouldn’t do any research without the right questions to get the insights that we need, the best way to ask for feedback is also to craft sharp questions.

    Design critique is not a one-shot process. Sure, any good feedback workflow continues until the project is finished, but this is particularly true for design because design work continues iteration after iteration, from a high level to the finest details. Each level needs its own set of questions.

    And finally, as with any good research, we need to review what we got back, get to the core of its insights, and take action. Question, iteration, and review. Let’s look at each of those.

    The question

    Being open to feedback is essential, but we need to be precise about what we’re looking for. Just saying “Any comment?”, “What do you think?”, or “I’d love to get your opinion” at the end of a presentation—whether it’s in person, over video, or through a written post—is likely to get a number of varied opinions or, even worse, get everyone to follow the direction of the first person who speaks up. And then… we get frustrated because vague questions like those can turn a high-level flows review into people instead commenting on the borders of buttons. Which might be a hearty topic, so it might be hard at that point to redirect the team to the subject that you had wanted to focus on.

    But how do we get into this situation? It’s a mix of factors. One is that we don’t usually consider asking as a part of the feedback process. Another is how natural it is to just leave the question implied, expecting the others to be on the same page. Another is that in nonprofessional discussions, there’s often no need to be that precise. In short, we tend to underestimate the importance of the questions, so we don’t work on improving them.

    The act of asking good questions guides and focuses the critique. It’s also a form of consent: it makes it clear that you’re open to comments and what kind of comments you’d like to get. It puts people in the right mental state, especially in situations when they weren’t expecting to give feedback.

    There isn’t a single best way to ask for feedback. It just needs to be specific, and specificity can take many shapes. A model for design critique that I’ve found particularly useful in my coaching is the one of stage versus depth.

    Stage” refers to each of the steps of the process—in our case, the design process. In progressing from user research to the final design, the kind of feedback evolves. But within a single step, one might still review whether some assumptions are correct and whether there’s been a proper translation of the amassed feedback into updated designs as the project has evolved. A starting point for potential questions could derive from the layers of user experience. What do you want to know: Project objectives? User needs? Functionality? Content? Interaction design? Information architecture? UI design? Navigation design? Visual design? Branding?

    Here’re a few example questions that are precise and to the point that refer to different layers:

    • Functionality: Is automating account creation desirable?
    • Interaction design: Take a look through the updated flow and let me know whether you see any steps or error states that I might’ve missed.
    • Information architecture: We have two competing bits of information on this page. Is the structure effective in communicating them both?
    • UI design: What are your thoughts on the error counter at the top of the page that makes sure that you see the next error, even if the error is out of the viewport? 
    • Navigation design: From research, we identified these second-level navigation items, but once you’re on the page, the list feels too long and hard to navigate. Are there any suggestions to address this?
    • Visual design: Are the sticky notifications in the bottom-right corner visible enough?

    The other axis of specificity is about how deep you’d like to go on what’s being presented. For example, we might have introduced a new end-to-end flow, but there was a specific view that you found particularly challenging and you’d like a detailed review of that. This can be especially useful from one iteration to the next where it’s important to highlight the parts that have changed.

    There are other things that we can consider when we want to achieve more specific—and more effective—questions.

    A simple trick is to remove generic qualifiers from your questions like “good,” “well,” “nice,” “bad,” “okay,” and “cool.” For example, asking, “When the block opens and the buttons appear, is this interaction good?” might look specific, but you can spot the “good” qualifier, and convert it to an even better question: “When the block opens and the buttons appear, is it clear what the next action is?”

    Sometimes we actually do want broad feedback. That’s rare, but it can happen. In that sense, you might still make it explicit that you’re looking for a wide range of opinions, whether at a high level or with details. Or maybe just say, “At first glance, what do you think?” so that it’s clear that what you’re asking is open ended but focused on someone’s impression after their first five seconds of looking at it.

    Sometimes the project is particularly expansive, and some areas may have already been explored in detail. In these situations, it might be useful to explicitly say that some parts are already locked in and aren’t open to feedback. It’s not something that I’d recommend in general, but I’ve found it useful to avoid falling again into rabbit holes of the sort that might lead to further refinement but aren’t what’s most important right now.

    Asking specific questions can completely change the quality of the feedback that you receive. People with less refined critique skills will now be able to offer more actionable feedback, and even expert designers will welcome the clarity and efficiency that comes from focusing only on what’s needed. It can save a lot of time and frustration.

    The iteration

    Design iterations are probably the most visible part of the design work, and they provide a natural checkpoint for feedback. Yet a lot of design tools with inline commenting tend to show changes as a single fluid stream in the same file, and those types of design tools make conversations disappear once they’re resolved, update shared UI components automatically, and compel designs to always show the latest version—unless these would-be helpful features were to be manually turned off. The implied goal that these design tools seem to have is to arrive at just one final copy with all discussions closed, probably because they inherited patterns from how written documents are collaboratively edited. That’s probably not the best way to approach design critiques, but even if I don’t want to be too prescriptive here: that could work for some teams.

    The asynchronous design-critique approach that I find most effective is to create explicit checkpoints for discussion. I’m going to use the term iteration post for this. It refers to a write-up or presentation of the design iteration followed by a discussion thread of some kind. Any platform that can accommodate this structure can use this. By the way, when I refer to a “write-up or presentation,” I’m including video recordings or other media too: as long as it’s asynchronous, it works.

    Using iteration posts has many advantages:

    • It creates a rhythm in the design work so that the designer can review feedback from each iteration and prepare for the next.
    • It makes decisions visible for future review, and conversations are likewise always available.
    • It creates a record of how the design changed over time.
    • Depending on the tool, it might also make it easier to collect feedback and act on it.

    These posts of course don’t mean that no other feedback approach should be used, just that iteration posts could be the primary rhythm for a remote design team to use. And other feedback approaches (such as live critique, pair designing, or inline comments) can build from there.

    I don’t think there’s a standard format for iteration posts. But there are a few high-level elements that make sense to include as a baseline:

    1. The goal
    2. The design
    3. The list of changes
    4. The questions

    Each project is likely to have a goal, and hopefully it’s something that’s already been summarized in a single sentence somewhere else, such as the client brief, the product manager’s outline, or the project owner’s request. So this is something that I’d repeat in every iteration post—literally copy and pasting it. The idea is to provide context and to repeat what’s essential to make each iteration post complete so that there’s no need to find information spread across multiple posts. If I want to know about the latest design, the latest iteration post will have all that I need.

    This copy-and-paste part introduces another relevant concept: alignment comes from repetition. So having posts that repeat information is actually very effective toward making sure that everyone is on the same page.

    The design is then the actual series of information-architecture outlines, diagrams, flows, maps, wireframes, screens, visuals, and any other kind of design work that’s been done. In short, it’s any design artifact. For the final stages of work, I prefer the term blueprint to emphasize that I’ll be showing full flows instead of individual screens to make it easier to understand the bigger picture. 

    It can also be useful to label the artifacts with clear titles because that can make it easier to refer to them. Write the post in a way that helps people understand the work. It’s not too different from organizing a good live presentation. 

    For an efficient discussion, you should also include a bullet list of the changes from the previous iteration to let people focus on what’s new, which can be especially useful for larger pieces of work where keeping track, iteration after iteration, could become a challenge.

    And finally, as noted earlier, it’s essential that you include a list of the questions to drive the design critique in the direction you want. Doing this as a numbered list can also help make it easier to refer to each question by its number.

    Not all iterations are the same. Earlier iterations don’t need to be as tightly focused—they can be more exploratory and experimental, maybe even breaking some of the design-language guidelines to see what’s possible. Then later, the iterations start settling on a solution and refining it until the design process reaches its end and the feature ships.

    I want to highlight that even if these iteration posts are written and conceived as checkpoints, by no means do they need to be exhaustive. A post might be a draft—just a concept to get a conversation going—or it could be a cumulative list of each feature that was added over the course of each iteration until the full picture is done.

    Over time, I also started using specific labels for incremental iterations: i1, i2, i3, and so on. This might look like a minor labelling tip, but it can help in multiple ways:

    • Unique—It’s a clear unique marker. Within each project, one can easily say, “This was discussed in i4,” and everyone knows where they can go to review things.
    • Unassuming—It works like versions (such as v1, v2, and v3) but in contrast, versions create the impression of something that’s big, exhaustive, and complete. Iterations must be able to be exploratory, incomplete, partial.
    • Future proof—It resolves the “final” naming problem that you can run into with versions. No more files named “final final complete no-really-its-done.” Within each project, the largest number always represents the latest iteration.

    To mark when a design is complete enough to be worked on, even if there might be some bits still in need of attention and in turn more iterations needed, the wording release candidate (RC) could be used to describe it: “with i8, we reached RC” or “i12 is an RC.”

    The review

    What usually happens during a design critique is an open discussion, with a back and forth between people that can be very productive. This approach is particularly effective during live, synchronous feedback. But when we work asynchronously, it’s more effective to use a different approach: we can shift to a user-research mindset. Written feedback from teammates, stakeholders, or others can be treated as if it were the result of user interviews and surveys, and we can analyze it accordingly.

    This shift has some major benefits that make asynchronous feedback particularly effective, especially around these friction points:

    1. It removes the pressure to reply to everyone.
    2. It reduces the frustration from swoop-by comments.
    3. It lessens our personal stake.

    The first friction point is feeling a pressure to reply to every single comment. Sometimes we write the iteration post, and we get replies from our team. It’s just a few of them, it’s easy, and it doesn’t feel like a problem. But other times, some solutions might require more in-depth discussions, and the amount of replies can quickly increase, which can create a tension between trying to be a good team player by replying to everyone and doing the next design iteration. This might be especially true if the person who’s replying is a stakeholder or someone directly involved in the project who we feel that we need to listen to. We need to accept that this pressure is absolutely normal, and it’s human nature to try to accommodate people who we care about. Sometimes replying to all comments can be effective, but if we treat a design critique more like user research, we realize that we don’t have to reply to every comment, and in asynchronous spaces, there are alternatives:

    • One is to let the next iteration speak for itself. When the design evolves and we post a follow-up iteration, that’s the reply. You might tag all the people who were involved in the previous discussion, but even that’s a choice, not a requirement. 
    • Another is to briefly reply to acknowledge each comment, such as “Understood. Thank you,” “Good points—I’ll review,” or “Thanks. I’ll include these in the next iteration.” In some cases, this could also be just a single top-level comment along the lines of “Thanks for all the feedback everyone—the next iteration is coming soon!”
    • Another is to provide a quick summary of the comments before moving on. Depending on your workflow, this can be particularly useful as it can provide a simplified checklist that you can then use for the next iteration.

    The second friction point is the swoop-by comment, which is the kind of feedback that comes from someone outside the project or team who might not be aware of the context, restrictions, decisions, or requirements—or of the previous iterations’ discussions. On their side, there’s something that one can hope that they might learn: they could start to acknowledge that they’re doing this and they could be more conscious in outlining where they’re coming from. Swoop-by comments often trigger the simple thought “We’ve already discussed this…”, and it can be frustrating to have to repeat the same reply over and over.

    Let’s begin by acknowledging again that there’s no need to reply to every comment. If, however, replying to a previously litigated point might be useful, a short reply with a link to the previous discussion for extra details is usually enough. Remember, alignment comes from repetition, so it’s okay to repeat things sometimes!

    Swoop-by commenting can still be useful for two reasons: they might point out something that still isn’t clear, and they also have the potential to stand in for the point of view of a user who’s seeing the design for the first time. Sure, you’ll still be frustrated, but that might at least help in dealing with it.

    The third friction point is the personal stake we could have with the design, which could make us feel defensive if the review were to feel more like a discussion. Treating feedback as user research helps us create a healthy distance between the people giving us feedback and our ego (because yes, even if we don’t want to admit it, it’s there). And ultimately, treating everything in aggregated form allows us to better prioritize our work.

    Always remember that while you need to listen to stakeholders, project owners, and specific advice, you don’t have to accept every piece of feedback. You have to analyze it and make a decision that you can justify, but sometimes “no” is the right answer. 

    As the designer leading the project, you’re in charge of that decision. Ultimately, everyone has their specialty, and as the designer, you’re the one who has the most knowledge and the most context to make the right decision. And by listening to the feedback that you’ve received, you’re making sure that it’s also the best and most balanced decision.

    Thanks to Brie Anne Demkiw and Mike Shelton for reviewing the first draft of this article.

  • Designing for the Unexpected

    Designing for the Unexpected

    I’m not sure when I first heard this quote, but it’s something that has stayed with me over the years. How do you create services for situations you can’t imagine? Or design products that work on devices yet to be invented?

    Flash, Photoshop, and responsive design

    When I first started designing websites, my go-to software was Photoshop. I created a 960px canvas and set about creating a layout that I would later drop content in. The development phase was about attaining pixel-perfect accuracy using fixed widths, fixed heights, and absolute positioning.

    Ethan Marcotte’s talk at An Event Apart and subsequent article “Responsive Web Design” in A List Apart in 2010 changed all this. I was sold on responsive design as soon as I heard about it, but I was also terrified. The pixel-perfect designs full of magic numbers that I had previously prided myself on producing were no longer good enough.

    The fear wasn’t helped by my first experience with responsive design. My first project was to take an existing fixed-width website and make it responsive. What I learned the hard way was that you can’t just add responsiveness at the end of a project. To create fluid layouts, you need to plan throughout the design phase.

    A new way to design

    Designing responsive or fluid sites has always been about removing limitations, producing content that can be viewed on any device. It relies on the use of percentage-based layouts, which I initially achieved with native CSS and utility classes:

    .column-span-6 {
      width: 49%;
      float: left;
      margin-right: 0.5%;
      margin-left: 0.5%;
    }
    
    
    .column-span-4 {
      width: 32%;
      float: left;
      margin-right: 0.5%;
      margin-left: 0.5%;
    }
    
    .column-span-3 {
      width: 24%;
      float: left;
      margin-right: 0.5%;
      margin-left: 0.5%;
    }

    Then with Sass so I could take advantage of @includes to re-use repeated blocks of code and move back to more semantic markup:

    .logo {
      @include colSpan(6);
    }
    
    .search {
      @include colSpan(3);
    }
    
    .social-share {
      @include colSpan(3);
    }

    Media queries

    The second ingredient for responsive design is media queries. Without them, content would shrink to fit the available space regardless of whether that content remained readable (The exact opposite problem occurred with the introduction of a mobile-first approach).

    Media queries prevented this by allowing us to add breakpoints where the design could adapt. Like most people, I started out with three breakpoints: one for desktop, one for tablets, and one for mobile. Over the years, I added more and more for phablets, wide screens, and so on. 

    For years, I happily worked this way and improved both my design and front-end skills in the process. The only problem I encountered was making changes to content, since with our Sass grid system in place, there was no way for the site owners to add content without amending the markup—something a small business owner might struggle with. This is because each row in the grid was defined using a div as a container. Adding content meant creating new row markup, which requires a level of HTML knowledge.

    Row markup was a staple of early responsive design, present in all the widely used frameworks like Bootstrap and Skeleton.

    1 of 7
    2 of 7
    3 of 7
    4 of 7
    5 of 7
    6 of 7
    7 of 7

    Another problem arose as I moved from a design agency building websites for small- to medium-sized businesses, to larger in-house teams where I worked across a suite of related sites. In those roles I started to work much more with reusable components. 

    Our reliance on media queries resulted in components that were tied to common viewport sizes. If the goal of component libraries is reuse, then this is a real problem because you can only use these components if the devices you’re designing for correspond to the viewport sizes used in the pattern library—in the process not really hitting that “devices that don’t yet exist”  goal.

    Then there’s the problem of space. Media queries allow components to adapt based on the viewport size, but what if I put a component into a sidebar, like in the figure below?

    Container queries: our savior or a false dawn?

    Container queries have long been touted as an improvement upon media queries, but at the time of writing are unsupported in most browsers. There are JavaScript workarounds, but they can create dependency and compatibility issues. The basic theory underlying container queries is that elements should change based on the size of their parent container and not the viewport width, as seen in the following illustrations.

    One of the biggest arguments in favor of container queries is that they help us create components or design patterns that are truly reusable because they can be picked up and placed anywhere in a layout. This is an important step in moving toward a form of component-based design that works at any size on any device.

    In other words, responsive components to replace responsive layouts.

    Container queries will help us move from designing pages that respond to the browser or device size to designing components that can be placed in a sidebar or in the main content, and respond accordingly.

    My concern is that we are still using layout to determine when a design needs to adapt. This approach will always be restrictive, as we will still need pre-defined breakpoints. For this reason, my main question with container queries is, How would we decide when to change the CSS used by a component? 

    A component library removed from context and real content is probably not the best place for that decision. 

    As the diagrams below illustrate, we can use container queries to create designs for specific container widths, but what if I want to change the design based on the image size or ratio?

    In this example, the dimensions of the container are not what should dictate the design; rather, the image is.

    It’s hard to say for sure whether container queries will be a success story until we have solid cross-browser support for them. Responsive component libraries would definitely evolve how we design and would improve the possibilities for reuse and design at scale. But maybe we will always need to adjust these components to suit our content.

    CSS is changing

    Whilst the container query debate rumbles on, there have been numerous advances in CSS that change the way we think about design. The days of fixed-width elements measured in pixels and floated div elements used to cobble layouts together are long gone, consigned to history along with table layouts. Flexbox and CSS Grid have revolutionized layouts for the web. We can now create elements that wrap onto new rows when they run out of space, not when the device changes.

    .wrapper {
      display: grid;
      grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, 450px);
      gap: 10px;
    }

    The repeat() function paired with auto-fit or auto-fill allows us to specify how much space each column should use while leaving it up to the browser to decide when to spill the columns onto a new line. Similar things can be achieved with Flexbox, as elements can wrap over multiple rows and “flex” to fill available space. 

    .wrapper {
      display: flex;
      flex-wrap: wrap;
      justify-content: space-between;
    }
    
    .child {
      flex-basis: 32%;
      margin-bottom: 20px;
    }

    The biggest benefit of all this is you don’t need to wrap elements in container rows. Without rows, content isn’t tied to page markup in quite the same way, allowing for removals or additions of content without additional development.

    This is a big step forward when it comes to creating designs that allow for evolving content, but the real game changer for flexible designs is CSS Subgrid. 

    Remember the days of crafting perfectly aligned interfaces, only for the customer to add an unbelievably long header almost as soon as they’re given CMS access, like the illustration below?

    Subgrid allows elements to respond to adjustments in their own content and in the content of sibling elements, helping us create designs more resilient to change.

    .wrapper {
      display: grid;
      grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(150px, 1fr));
         grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto;
      gap: 10px;
    }
    
    .sub-grid {
      display: grid;
      grid-row: span 3;
      grid-template-rows: subgrid; /* sets rows to parent grid */
    }

    CSS Grid allows us to separate layout and content, thereby enabling flexible designs. Meanwhile, Subgrid allows us to create designs that can adapt in order to suit morphing content. Subgrid at the time of writing is only supported in Firefox but the above code can be implemented behind an @supports feature query. 

    Intrinsic layouts 

    I’d be remiss not to mention intrinsic layouts, the term created by Jen Simmons to describe a mixture of new and old CSS features used to create layouts that respond to available space. 

    Responsive layouts have flexible columns using percentages. Intrinsic layouts, on the other hand, use the fr unit to create flexible columns that won’t ever shrink so much that they render the content illegible.

    fr units is a way to say I want you to distribute the extra space in this way, but…don’t ever make it smaller than the content that’s inside of it.

    —Jen Simmons, “Designing Intrinsic Layouts”

    Intrinsic layouts can also utilize a mixture of fixed and flexible units, allowing the content to dictate the space it takes up.

    What makes intrinsic design stand out is that it not only creates designs that can withstand future devices but also helps scale design without losing flexibility. Components and patterns can be lifted and reused without the prerequisite of having the same breakpoints or the same amount of content as in the previous implementation. 

    We can now create designs that adapt to the space they have, the content within them, and the content around them. With an intrinsic approach, we can construct responsive components without depending on container queries.

    Another 2010 moment?

    This intrinsic approach should in my view be every bit as groundbreaking as responsive web design was ten years ago. For me, it’s another “everything changed” moment. 

    But it doesn’t seem to be moving quite as fast; I haven’t yet had that same career-changing moment I had with responsive design, despite the widely shared and brilliant talk that brought it to my attention. 

    One reason for that could be that I now work in a large organization, which is quite different from the design agency role I had in 2010. In my agency days, every new project was a clean slate, a chance to try something new. Nowadays, projects use existing tools and frameworks and are often improvements to existing websites with an existing codebase. 

    Another could be that I feel more prepared for change now. In 2010 I was new to design in general; the shift was frightening and required a lot of learning. Also, an intrinsic approach isn’t exactly all-new; it’s about using existing skills and existing CSS knowledge in a different way. 

    You can’t framework your way out of a content problem

    Another reason for the slightly slower adoption of intrinsic design could be the lack of quick-fix framework solutions available to kick-start the change. 

    Responsive grid systems were all over the place ten years ago. With a framework like Bootstrap or Skeleton, you had a responsive design template at your fingertips.

    Intrinsic design and frameworks do not go hand in hand quite so well because the benefit of having a selection of units is a hindrance when it comes to creating layout templates. The beauty of intrinsic design is combining different units and experimenting with techniques to get the best for your content.

    And then there are design tools. We probably all, at some point in our careers, used Photoshop templates for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices to drop designs in and show how the site would look at all three stages.

    How do you do that now, with each component responding to content and layouts flexing as and when they need to? This type of design must happen in the browser, which personally I’m a big fan of. 

    The debate about “whether designers should code” is another that has rumbled on for years. When designing a digital product, we should, at the very least, design for a best- and worst-case scenario when it comes to content. To do this in a graphics-based software package is far from ideal. In code, we can add longer sentences, more radio buttons, and extra tabs, and watch in real time as the design adapts. Does it still work? Is the design too reliant on the current content?

    Personally, I look forward to the day intrinsic design is the standard for design, when a design component can be truly flexible and adapt to both its space and content with no reliance on device or container dimensions.

    Content first 

    Content is not constant. After all, to design for the unknown or unexpected we need to account for content changes like our earlier Subgrid card example that allowed the cards to respond to adjustments to their own content and the content of sibling elements.

    Thankfully, there’s more to CSS than layout, and plenty of properties and values can help us put content first. Subgrid and pseudo-elements like ::first-line and ::first-letter help to separate design from markup so we can create designs that allow for changes.

    Instead of old markup hacks like this—

    First line of text with different styling...

    —we can target content based on where it appears.

    .element::first-line {
      font-size: 1.4em;
    }
    
    .element::first-letter {
      color: red;
    }

    Much bigger additions to CSS include logical properties, which change the way we construct designs using logical dimensions (start and end) instead of physical ones (left and right), something CSS Grid also does with functions like min(), max(), and clamp().

    This flexibility allows for directional changes according to content, a common requirement when we need to present content in multiple languages. In the past, this was often achieved with Sass mixins but was often limited to switching from left-to-right to right-to-left orientation.

    In the Sass version, directional variables need to be set.

    $direction: rtl;
    $opposite-direction: ltr;
    
    $start-direction: right;
    $end-direction: left;

    These variables can be used as values—

    body {
      direction: $direction;
      text-align: $start-direction;
    }

    —or as properties.

    margin-#{$end-direction}: 10px;
    padding-#{$start-direction}: 10px;

    However, now we have native logical properties, removing the reliance on both Sass (or a similar tool) and pre-planning that necessitated using variables throughout a codebase. These properties also start to break apart the tight coupling between a design and strict physical dimensions, creating more flexibility for changes in language and in direction.

    margin-block-end: 10px;
    padding-block-start: 10px;

    There are also native start and end values for properties like text-align, which means we can replace text-align: right with text-align: start.

    Like the earlier examples, these properties help to build out designs that aren’t constrained to one language; the design will reflect the content’s needs.

    Fixed and fluid 

    We briefly covered the power of combining fixed widths with fluid widths with intrinsic layouts. The min() and max() functions are a similar concept, allowing you to specify a fixed value with a flexible alternative. 

    For min() this means setting a fluid minimum value and a maximum fixed value.

    .element {
      width: min(50%, 300px);
    }

    The element in the figure above will be 50% of its container as long as the element’s width doesn’t exceed 300px.

    For max() we can set a flexible max value and a minimum fixed value.

    .element {
      width: max(50%, 300px);
    }

    Now the element will be 50% of its container as long as the element’s width is at least 300px. This means we can set limits but allow content to react to the available space. 

    The clamp() function builds on this by allowing us to set a preferred value with a third parameter. Now we can allow the element to shrink or grow if it needs to without getting to a point where it becomes unusable.

    .element {
      width: clamp(300px, 50%, 600px);
    }

    This time, the element’s width will be 50% (the preferred value) of its container but never less than 300px and never more than 600px.

    With these techniques, we have a content-first approach to responsive design. We can separate content from markup, meaning the changes users make will not affect the design. We can start to future-proof designs by planning for unexpected changes in language or direction. And we can increase flexibility by setting desired dimensions alongside flexible alternatives, allowing for more or less content to be displayed correctly.

    Situation first

    Thanks to what we’ve discussed so far, we can cover device flexibility by changing our approach, designing around content and space instead of catering to devices. But what about that last bit of Jeffrey Zeldman’s quote, “…situations you haven’t imagined”?

    It’s a very different thing to design for someone seated at a desktop computer as opposed to someone using a mobile phone and moving through a crowded street in glaring sunshine. Situations and environments are hard to plan for or predict because they change as people react to their own unique challenges and tasks.

    This is why choice is so important. One size never fits all, so we need to design for multiple scenarios to create equal experiences for all our users.

    Thankfully, there is a lot we can do to provide choice.

    Responsible design 

    “There are parts of the world where mobile data is prohibitively expensive, and where there is little or no broadband infrastructure.”

    I Used the Web for a Day on a 50 MB Budget

    Chris Ashton

    One of the biggest assumptions we make is that people interacting with our designs have a good wifi connection and a wide screen monitor. But in the real world, our users may be commuters traveling on trains or other forms of transport using smaller mobile devices that can experience drops in connectivity. There is nothing more frustrating than a web page that won’t load, but there are ways we can help users use less data or deal with sporadic connectivity.

    The srcset attribute allows the browser to decide which image to serve. This means we can create smaller ‘cropped’ images to display on mobile devices in turn using less bandwidth and less data.

    Image alt text

    The preload attribute can also help us to think about how and when media is downloaded. It can be used to tell a browser about any critical assets that need to be downloaded with high priority, improving perceived performance and the user experience. 

     
     

    There’s also native lazy loading, which indicates assets that should only be downloaded when they are needed.

    …

    With srcset, preload, and lazy loading, we can start to tailor a user’s experience based on the situation they find themselves in. What none of this does, however, is allow the user themselves to decide what they want downloaded, as the decision is usually the browser’s to make. 

    So how can we put users in control?

    The return of media queries 

    Media queries have always been about much more than device sizes. They allow content to adapt to different situations, with screen size being just one of them.

    We’ve long been able to check for media types like print and speech and features such as hover, resolution, and color. These checks allow us to provide options that suit more than one scenario; it’s less about one-size-fits-all and more about serving adaptable content. 

    As of this writing, the Media Queries Level 5 spec is still under development. It introduces some really exciting queries that in the future will help us design for multiple other unexpected situations.

    For example, there’s a light-level feature that allows you to modify styles if a user is in sunlight or darkness. Paired with custom properties, these features allow us to quickly create designs or themes for specific environments.

    @media (light-level: normal) {
      --background-color: #fff;
      --text-color: #0b0c0c;  
    }
    
    @media (light-level: dim) {
      --background-color: #efd226;
      --text-color: #0b0c0c;
    }

    Another key feature of the Level 5 spec is personalization. Instead of creating designs that are the same for everyone, users can choose what works for them. This is achieved by using features like prefers-reduced-data, prefers-color-scheme, and prefers-reduced-motion, the latter two of which already enjoy broad browser support. These features tap into preferences set via the operating system or browser so people don’t have to spend time making each site they visit more usable. 

    Media queries like this go beyond choices made by a browser to grant more control to the user.

    Expect the unexpected

    In the end, the one thing we should always expect is for things to change. Devices in particular change faster than we can keep up, with foldable screens already on the market.

    We can’t design the same way we have for this ever-changing landscape, but we can design for content. By putting content first and allowing that content to adapt to whatever space surrounds it, we can create more robust, flexible designs that increase the longevity of our products. 

    A lot of the CSS discussed here is about moving away from layouts and putting content at the heart of design. From responsive components to fixed and fluid units, there is so much more we can do to take a more intrinsic approach. Even better, we can test these techniques during the design phase by designing in-browser and watching how our designs adapt in real-time.

    When it comes to unexpected situations, we need to make sure our products are usable when people need them, whenever and wherever that might be. We can move closer to achieving this by involving users in our design decisions, by creating choice via browsers, and by giving control to our users with user-preference-based media queries. 

    Good design for the unexpected should allow for change, provide choice, and give control to those we serve: our users themselves.