Happy New Year, readers, and welcome to another year of television. In my list of 2024's ten best shows, I wrote about how every outlet's rankings differed wildly from each other in a way I hadn't seen before. (Though I will say, a surprising amount of you met our top ten with a resounding "Not bad!" Never underestimate the What We Do in the Shadows fandom.)
Now, if you'll remember, 2023's actors and writers strikes led to a relative shortage of powerhouse series in 2024. Guess where they all went? 2025. The next 12 months will see a truly stacked amount of blockbuster shows, including the long-awaited returns of The Last of Us, Andor, Severance, Stranger Things, and The White Lotus. Damn! It feels like we'll hardly have time to check out this year's promising group of newcomers—skip ahead to The Studio if you want to know which one I'm most excited for—but rest assured, we'll watch as much as humanly possible.
These are Esquire's 25 most anticipated shows of 2025.* I'm sure I'll see most of you again when Severance drops next week.
*Undated series are either confirmed for or expected to land in 2025.
We have to wait only nine days in 2025 for some beef in the streaming wars! If you're unfamiliar, a few ER heavyweights—Noah Wyle, John Wells, and R Scott Gemmill—created a new medical procedural for Max called The Pitt, in which Wyle stars.
The widow of ER creator Michael Crichton, Sherri, filed a lawsuit that essentially alleges that The Pitt is a rip-off of ER. (There's more to the story, which you can read about here.) The legal battle between Crichton and Warner Bros Television is still very much ongoing, but in the meantime? The Pitt sounds like ER crossed with 24—its 15-episode season will cover a single shift in the emergency room of a Pittsburgh hospital. And I would not miss a Wyle-starring medical drama under any circumstance.
Don't even get me started. Fans have waited so long for Severance season 2 that Esquire has a nearly 2,000-word explainer about the next batch of episodes. Following one of the best season finales in recent memory, Apple TV+ has been characteristically quiet about what's next for Lumon's heroic innies. But that's the way we like it. Just tell us what's up with the goats, okay?
Yellowjackets season 2 landed Showtime's breakout series in the doghouse I like to call When Are You Giving Us Some Damn Answers?! (Previously inhabited by Lost, Heroes, and Outer Range.) With Hilary Swank joining the cast, I hope that season 3 will bring the series back to the heights of its first season.
Saturday Night Live's 50th-anniversary season has been a hair disappointing so far, even if it gifted us not one but two great Marcello Hernandez characters (Domingo and Don Francisco). My guess is that Lorne Michaels is holding his punches for his three-hour (!) anniversary special, which I bet will bring together every living SNL great not named Chevy Chase.
The White Lotus is back! In Thailand! Season 3 will introduce a new batch of one-percenters, played by Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, and more. Series creator Mike White previously told HBO that the new season will be "a kind of satirical and funny look at death in Eastern religion and spirituality—it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus." Sounds perfect, but I'll still miss Tanya.
If you're reading this list and playing "Guess Esquire's Guilty Pleasure," you're at the right place. It's Reacher. Season 3 of the Prime Video series will presumably see the hulking Jack Reacher (a stellar and also-hulking Alan Ritchson) fuck up many, many more people. And I am very excited to see how that plays out.
There's zero chance that I would leave Robert De Niro's debut as a television regular from this list. He'll front Netflix's Zero Day, which, per the streamer, "asks the question on everyone’s mind— how do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly being torn apart by forces outside our control?" Okay!
Esquire covered the heck out of the Taylor Sheridan–verse in 2024, so I'll keep this list relatively light on the cowboy hats, the sound of an angry Zoe Saldaña's screaming, and ominous oil rigs. But I do have to shout out 1923, which will not only continue to track the Dutton family's explosive history but also deliver more Harrison Ford. More Harrison Ford is always a good thing.
Over the holidays, I saw the great Claressa Shields biopic, The Fire Inside, so I'm very much on a Brian Tyree Henry kick. (He plays the boxing trainer.) Add to that Esquire's deep appreciation of Wagner Moura and Apple TV+'s Dope Thief officially makes my 2025 watch list. The series will star the two actors as, per the streamer, "Philly friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob an unknown house in the countryside, only to have their small-time grift become a life-and-death enterprise, as they unwittingly reveal and unravel the biggest hidden narcotics corridor on the Eastern Seaboard." Sign me up.
I'm one of the many critics who was disappointed by HBO's The Franchise, which satirised the superhero-ification of modern cinema by following the making of a fictional Marvel-esque film. It didn't quite work, but I couldn't put my finger on why. Then I saw the trailer for the The Studio, a satire of modern Hollywood through the lens of a studio head (Seth Rogen)—and I knew it right away. Real people! The Studio tracks a fictional studio, but the stars and references are very real. Created by a host of great comedy minds (including Rogen and Evan Goldberg), just watch the way Martin Scorsese mutters, "Spineless!" in the preview and you'll know what I mean.
Every time I write this most-anticipated list, there's a moment when I simply have to drop the logline and tell you I'm watching it without a single hesitation. This year, it's the Jon Hamm-starring Your Friends and Neighbors on Apple TV+:
After being fired in disgrace, a hedge fund manager still grappling with his recent divorce resorts to stealing from his neighbors' homes in the exceedingly affluent Westmont Village, only to discover that the secrets and affairs hidden behind those wealthy facades might be more dangerous than he ever imagined.
When Andor season 1 ended in the ancient times of November 2022, it felt like a fork in the road: Will this show everyone how to foster great franchise storytelling in the streaming era, or is it just a blip? I genuinely believed the former, but in the following years, I've seen some things. (*Cough* Agatha All Along, *sneeze* The Acolyte, *hack* the trailer for the monstrous-looking Inside Out spin-off series.) Where was I? You know, I'm just happy that I have the chance to see my boy Cassian Andor stick it to some Stormtroopers one last time in season 2.
Squid Game season 2 was a very solid effort, given that its creator admitted to losing teeth from the stress induced by the making of it. Star Lee Jung-jae was great, as always, and the series managed to conjure up a few more thrilling games without making anything feel overwrought. My only complaint is that the final episode felt like more of a mid-season ending than a season finale. Let's just hope that season 3—which will end the series, supposedly for real this time—will deliver on the promise of that mid-credits cliff-hanger.
If you haven't played the Last of Us video games, I hate to say that nearly anything I write about season 2 will ruin the story for you. Here's what I can relay: Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal, and Pedro Pascal's killer jacket will return, along with new additions Kaitlyn Dever and Catherine O'Hara. Let's leave it at that.
I love Glen Powell, but I really need to see the man in something where he's simply maxing out his big doofus energy. Chad Powers is exactly that project. The Hulu series will follow the same general premise of Eli Manning's 2022 "Chad Powers" prank, during which he went undercover as a walk-on at Penn State and proceeded to look like his Super Bowl–winning self. Chad Powers will track a burnout quarterback as he dons prosthetics to join a new team under a different name. Thank you for hearing my plea, Glen.
It feels like I've read about the production of Noah Hawley's Alien series for as long as I've authored this list, which is a not-insignificant amount of time. We'll finally see it this year—and it sounds pretty damn awesome. Read the logline for yourself:
When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet's greatest threat in FX's highly anticipated TV series Alien: Earth from creator Noah Hawley.
Between this series and Alien: Romulus, life is good right now if you're an Alien fan.
Say it ain't so! The Stranger Things kids are full-blown adults, and it's time to end the series and let this IP die a slow death of a thousand spin-offs. I'm (mostly) kidding. I love Stranger Things, fully believe that Gaten Matarazzo is a national treasure, and am very excited to see how the story ends in season 5.
How many more Game of Thrones–verse series will HBO deliver before George R.R. Martin even mumbles a release date for The Winds of Winter? Too many. The next show will adapt Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, which follow a knight and his squire's adventures in Westeros. Spoiler alert: Martin hasn't finished writing this series either! And the author says that he won't continue Dunk and Egg until he wraps The Winds of Winter. Help.
To everyone who said I ranked Hacks too highly in my year-end television list, I say: Are you watching Hacks? HBO's comedy about the comedy world is the best comedy on television right now. Season 4 will see Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) feud on a much bigger stage—as the former's late-night career truly begins.
While we're quibbling about my 2024 rankings, here's another comment I received: The Bear didn't deserve the second spot. Season 3 disappointed a lot of fans, sure. But between the admirably experimental premiere, the Ayo Edeberi–directed episode, and the continuing peak-career performances from the main ensemble, The Bear remains the best show on TV in my book. Bring on season 4, which might just go down as the final referendum on Carmy's soul.
What if I told you that Kate Hudson will play a Jeanie Buss analog in a Netflix series created by Mindy Kaling and executive-produced by Jeanie Buss? What if that show also starred Jay Ellis, Scott Evans, and... I shit you not... Chet Hanks? Would you respond and say that it's the best show of 2025 sight unseen? Yes. Yes, you would.
The Esquire entertainment team has zero idea how The Rehearsal will deliver a second season, given that its first devolved into a enticingly bizarre meditation on the artifice of reality television and the trials of (meta) fatherhood. But it's happening! And we welcome it. Nathan Fielder will always find a way to out-weird himself.
Bill Skarsgård is currently terrifying you as Count Orlok in Nosferatu, but fear not! He hasn't forgotten his humble beginnings as Pennywise. He'll return as the killer clown in HBO's It: Welcome to Derry, a prequel that HBO says "expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films IT and IT Chapter Two."
We'll see another six episodes of Black Mirror later this year, starring a new assortment of actors: Issa Rae, Paul Giamatti, Awkwafina, Rashida Jones, and more. Oh, are you wondering why I included a still from season 4's Star Trek–inspired "USS Callister" episode? Season 7 will give it a sequel, with the great Cristin Milioti set to return.
No one—except for Kelly Reilly, apparently—knows what the hell will happen in the future of Yellowstone. Following the season 5 (or series?!) finale in December, my money's on Taylor Sheridan starting clean(ish) with The Madison. The series will introduce the Clyburns, who move from New York City to the Madison River Valley of Montana after the death of their patriarch. The Madison is set in the same universe as Yellowstone, and Matthew Fox and Michelle Pfeiffer will star. Send a yeehaw in Sheridan's direction and maybe we'll see it by the end of the year.
Originally published on Esquire US
When Hiroyuki Sanada and I spoke this past summer, the Shōgun star and coproducer was preparing for his first-ever nomination at the Emmy Awards. Though the 64-year-old actor was favoured to win, he was stunned when his 17th-century samurai series also became the most-awarded single season of television in Emmy history. “It was unbelievable,” Sanada told me over the phone. “I could never have imagined this would happen.”
Just a few hours after our conversation, Sanada won the Golden Globes Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama. The event is held in Los Angeles, where Shōgun is also nominated for Best Television Series – Drama. “If it was me alone, there would be more pressure,” Sanada says. But he and his fellow nominees—Anna Sawai (nominated for Best Female Actress) and Tadanobu Asano (who won for Best Supporting Actor)—are looking to add to Shōgun’s potential spoils as well. “Luckily, I’m not alone,” he said.
In his speech at the Beverly Hilton, the actor thanked “everyone who’s been in my life” and “all of you have brought me here.” Sanada also offered some advice to “young actors and creators in the world,” telling them, “please be yourself, believe in yourself, and never give up. Good luck.”
The Shōgun star walked the red carpet tonight in a black velvet Ralph Lauren tuxedo. It’s a comfortable suit that he’s tried on for three fittings already, complete with some of his favourite accessories. “Shining black shoes,” he mentioned, along with a black bow tie and his most treasured luxury item: glasses.
Last time we talked, the actor mentioned that his favourite hobby is collecting eyewear. “I think I’ve gotten maybe four [pairs] since I met you and ordered two more,” he said with a laugh. “It’s my only collection. I don’t care for anything [else].” He hasn’t chosen a pair for tonight yet, but he knows that doing so will “help him calm down and feel confident.”
Not that he needs an extra boost. Shōgun’s record-setting 18 wins at the Emmy Awards was a surefire precedent heading into the Globes. Shōgun has also received a significant reception over in Japan. Revered Japanese contemporary artists Takashi Murakami and Hideo Kojima both recently praised Sanada’s work on Shōgun. “It’s so hard to make a samurai drama in Japan now,” Sanada reveals. “It takes a lot of money and time to make it authentic, and the real Japanese samurai drama fans know [best].… So let’s just say I’m relieved.”
Recently, Murakami invited Shōgun cocreators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo to visit him in Japan as they conducted research for season 2. “I said something once like ‘After turning 60, I feel like I got a new job and I’m a newborn baby,’ ” Sanada recalls. “[Murakami] must have picked up on that one quote, because he said he also wants to move forward, too.” Murakami told Esquire last week that his latest art exhibit at the Gagosian in London is partly inspired by the FX series. “I was happy to hear that,” Sanada told me. “Because he’s a little older than me, and I respect him [as well].”
Moving forward, Sanada is focused entirely on making sure that Shōgun season 2 is just as authentic as the first season. Shōgun was originally pitched as a limited series covering James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name, but FX piggybacked on the show’s success by announcing that two more seasons were currently in development. Since the material is based on real Japanese history, there’s plenty for the cast and crew to mine. And according to Sanada, fans should still expect some surprises when the show returns.
“We have real history, so we know what happens next,” Sanada explains. “But we don’t want to just follow the history. We’re trying to create original entertainment. There’s so many ideas coming, and we’re not just focused on season 2. Of course, we want a surprise for audiences. You can never guess what’s going to happen.” Uncertainty, he says, is crucial. “That’s also our weapon.”
Originally published on Esquire US
I’ll never forget the first time I saw Robert De Niro onscreen. This will almost certainly reveal my age, but I was introduced to him in Meet the Parents, as the grumpy dad who forces Ben Stiller’s Greg Focker to take a hilarious lie-detector test. Stiller may be the star of that film, but De Niro steals the show.
Since then, I’ve wondered why the actor wasn’t on my TV more often. Of course, the man was legendary in Goodfellas, The Irishman, and The Godfather Part II, but why couldn’t the man pull a Joe Pesci and star in some streamer’s random TV series?
Well, readers, the time has come. At a young eighty-one years old, De Niro has booked his first television gig—though I’m willing to bet he’s probably passed on dozens of offers before it. The upcoming Netflix series Zero Day is a political drama with De Niro as George Mullen, a former American president who helps the current president (Angela Bassett) handle a cyberattack. (Side note: Why do female presidents only exist in fictional worlds?)
Anyway, if De Niro said yes to appearing on the small screen, then Zero Day must be worth the watch. An official synopsis of the show promises pure chaos: “As disinformation runs rampant and the personal ambition of power brokers in technology, Wall Street, and government collide, Mullen’s unwavering search for the truth forces him to confront his own dark secrets while risking all he holds dear.”
Besides starring on the series, De Niro serves as a producer. Director Eric Newman (Griselda) told Netflix Tudum that the actor was very involved in the production. “[De Niro] very much became our partner in this process,” he said. “Very hands-on, very involved, read everything at every stage, and it’s been an incredible honour and privilege.”
Zero Day also features Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, and Matthew Modine, along with guest appearances by Bill Camp, Dan Stevens, Gaby Hoffmann, Clark Gregg, and McKinley Belcher III.
Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to see the drama play out. Zero Day premieres on February 20, 2025.
Originally published on Esquire US
This story contains spoilers from the season finale of The Penguin.
Rhenzy Feliz knows how to keep a secret. The Penguin star dabbled in the superhero genre on Marvel’s Runaways, but he was never part of a shocker like the one we saw in the season finale. Playing the role of the Penguin’s sidekick, Victor Aguilar, Feliz is a major player in the most gut-wrenching twist that HBO has pulled off since The Last of Us finale.
Let me set the scene. When the Batman spin-off series begins, Victor is a wayward teenager looking for any way to escape the slums of Gotham. A chance encounter puts him in the path of the Penguin, who is played by a transformative Colin Farrell. They foster a father-and-son relationship as two outcasts gaming the system of the city’s criminal underbelly. Well, at least until the heartbreaking finale ends in cold-blooded murder. The Penguin simply decides that Victor knows too much about his crimes, so he kills him.
Now that Feliz can finally discuss his demise, he’s ecstatic. “It was gruesome,” the twenty-seven-year-old actor tells me. “By the end, you’ve grown to like Victor a bit—and you need to like Victor so that when he kills me, you hate Oz.”
As much as audiences fell in love with Farrell’s performance over the course of The Penguin, Victor’s death solidified the Batman villain’s cruelty. Hate Oz? That seemed impossible just a week ago. Gotham’s very own Tony Soprano was the primary reason to turn on your television for the past two months. Still, it was The Penguin’s job to sell him as a formidable villain before his reemergence in The Batman Part II, which will hit theatres in 2026.
Farrell’s character suffocates Feliz’s in the final scene, meaning that the actor had no idea what the moment looked like until he watched the finished edit. “I was in his gut, looking at the ground,” he says. “But what Colin was doing… I was in awe. That face he’s making at the end, you can see what he’s going through. I found it so cold and painful.”
With The Penguin’s finale finally out in the world, Feliz shares what it was like to watch the explosive episode for the first time, the pressures of playing a character with a stutter, and the tunes that got him through the show’s most stressful scenes.
ESQUIRE: Obviously, this is the end of the road for Victor. But it’s so heartbreaking! Were you satisfied with how his story ended?
RHENZY FELIZ: Yeah, by the time I got to the end I was satisfied, but I always expected that to be the end. That was always the story to me, the natural ending. So I never even thought about more, because I knew where we were headed. For what we wanted to do, to serve the story, it was necessary for the audience to see [the Penguin] as irredeemable.
I loved when Oz picks up your driver’s license and confirms that you’re just Victor Aguilar. For everyone theorising at home, you’re not some secret Batman character. It really sold the moment for me.
Yeah, and what a brutal moment that is, too. The whole show, Oz is telling him [imitating Colin Farrell’s Penguin], “They’re going to remember us, kid. They’re going to remember our names. You can be somebody.” For him to take out my license and just leave me as this John Doe of a body in the river, that no one will ever know who I was… it’s brutal.
Fantastic Oz Cobb impression, by the way. I can’t stop quoting him myself, even around the office. Has Colin heard it?
No, not in front of Colin. [Laughs.] I keep that to myself. But when I’m around my friends and we’re watching the show, it’s fun to put on the voice.
You seem to have a knack for voice work. One of the things that impresses me the most about your performance is the stutter.
Definitely. When I first got the audition, [the script] didn’t mention it. I came back to meet the director, Craig [Zobel], and he sprung it on me in the middle of the audition. I did a couple scenes without it, and then he said, “Why don’t you just try it?”. As an actor, you feel like you can’t say no. I was just like, “Yeah, sure, I’ll give it a shot!” It must’ve been decent enough, because they wanted me to meet Colin. I hired my own dialect coach in between and I stayed in the stutter for a couple of days. I got the call later that they wanted me to come shoot. They hired a fluency consultant, Marc Winski, and he was incredibly helpful.
I wanted it to feel genuine to me. So we spent a lot of time going out in public with it, calling people on the phone, and really figuring out not as much the technical aspects of the stutter but more the mental and emotional side. Mark also has a stutter, so that was invaluable. I was concerned about the entire community of people who live with this every day. If I came in as someone who doesn’t have [a stutter] and didn’t take it seriously enough—or they felt like I was making fun of it—I was very afraid of the idea that they would reject me. Thankfully, everyone’s been incredibly kind. It was a relief.
I loved the scene that you have with Colin in episode 3, when you’re at a fancy lunch and he defends you from the waiter interrupting you while you stutter.
It was one of my favourite scenes to shoot. It’s really the first time you get to hear Victor speak. Before then, it’s only a sentence here and there, but then he actually talks about himself a little bit. He opens up and Oz listens to him. That day was beautiful. Colin came up to me after we were done and patted me on the face. He didn’t even say anything, but I could feel the energy was like, “That was nice. We’re doing a good job.” He and I knew that was an important scene for Victor, for his development with Oz, and as a character in front in the eyes of the audience.
It was probably easy for Colin to get in and out of his character, since he had to literally put on or take off a mountain of prosthetics. But was there anything you would do to get into the mindset of Victor before shooting?
I used music a lot. I made a playlist called “Vic.” There’s one song by Eminem called "8 Mile", and I used that the entire last half of the season. If anyone listens to "8 Mile", they’ll see.
“8 Mile” checks out.
I also have “Flight from the City” by Jóhann Jóhannsson. And I have the Howl’s Moving Castle soundtrack on here, too.
That feels like the opposite vibe of The Penguin. Was that just to mellow out after a really intense scene? Like a palate cleanser?
Exactly. I would use Howl’s at the beginning of every day just to go to a neutral place. It’s meditative. Calming. But then, by the time I was in the makeup chair with my lines in my hands, then I’m listening to the Victor music.
Was it hard to play a character who continuously makes bad choices?
The only time I was mad at Victor was when he would mess up the mission. I did my best to try to understand where he’s coming from. In his heart, he’s good. He doesn’t want to be doing any of these things, but he does them in spite of himself because he wants to be useful to Oz. He finds a love for Oz and he doesn’t want to let Oz down. It’s more out of necessity.
We all have choices to make—and we have a lot more control of our destiny than we feel. Victor, Oz, Sophia, even Francis—none of them are in a good position by the end of the show. When Victor kills Squid, that’s him thinking, I can’t let him hurt Oz and Francis, because they’re my new family.
I doubt Victor could show up in any potential Bat-verse projects from here on out, but from what I’ve read in your interviews, you seem like a guy who would rather move on to something new anyway.
Yeah, you’re definitely right that I am looking forward to the next thing. I just want to play even more interesting characters and be a part of as many exciting projects that I can. It’s not necessarily a role that I’m looking forward to, or a specific character that I want to play, but there is one in the back of my mind that I’ll want to play once I get a little older. I’ve always loved Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Hamilton is one of my favourite pieces of art ever made. I would love to get to do that at some point—just got to get my singing lessons up to par.
You were in Encanto. Seems like you’ve got an in with Lin-Manuel already.
Yeah. [Laughs.] I don’t know what it is about me. I just need to be better if I want to be able to perform that musical. That’s something that I’ve always looked forward to down the line.
Originally published on Esquire US
Listen, we’ve waited for 983 days. The first trailer for Severance season 2 is here (yes, I counted the exact number of days since the season 1 finale)—so scroll down right now, watch it, and let’s dive right in.
Okay! So Apple TV+’s stingy teaser from a few months ago showed us Mark S’s inevitable RTO after Mr Milchick tackled him in the season finale. The trailer seemingly picks up right after that; Mark S wakes up in the Lumon elevator still in a panic. He rushes through his office space, only to find out that… he has new coworkers! (Is there anything more horrifying?)
Milchick, brandishing a brand-new blue turtleneck, walks into the room and says, “Mark S… Been a minute.” I’m interpreting this as a classic stroke of Milichickian humour because Mark probably perceives the time between his confrontation with Milchick and this moment as a literal minute. God, I missed this show.
Elsewhere in the teaser, a photocopier is making MISSING signs of Mark’s wife. Did his sister understand the message after all? And there’s another melon party! The centrepiece is Irving’s melon-y likeness, so you have to wonder if Lumon is celebrating his return or his retirement. Don’t forget that Harmony Cobel is sniffing around as usual.
The new season will premiere on 17 January, 2025 but in the meantime? Watch the trailer a hundred more times because I’m still noticing new odds and ends. (Is that a Kier Eagan trinket on New Dylan’s desk?)
Now, team Severance has been tight-lipped on potential season 2 plot reveals but honestly? It feels like a small miracle that a trailer even exists. At one point, as a result of the WGA strike and rumours of drama behind the scenes, production on the show was halted indefinitely, according to Deadline—forcing audiences to sit with the first season’s amazing cliff-hanger.
Plus, in April 2023, director Ben Stiller shut down rumours of drama between series creator Dan Erickson and co-executive producer Mark Friedman. The two partners “ended up hating each other on the first season, per multiple sources,” according to The Town’s Matthew Belloni, with Apple TV+ going through several rewrites for season 2. “No one’s going to the break room,” Stiller responded on Twitter. “Love our fans and each other, and we all are just working to make the show as good as possible.” Lumon Industries, I’m sure, is furious about the lack of efficiency. Those numbers aren’t going to sort themselves!
Now that talk around the Lumon watercooler is officially heating up, here’s a quick rundown of everything we know about season 2 so far.
Who Will Star on Severance Season 2?
Considering that just about every major character was left in the lurch in the season finale, it’s safe to assume that all your favourite stars will return, including Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, and Dichen Lachman. As for new faces, the series has added a stacked cast of players, among them Bob Balaban, Robby Benson, Stefano Carannante, Gwendoline Christie, John Noble, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Alia Shawkat, and Merritt Wever.
For season 3 and beyond? Severance’s creative team is shooting for the moon, with Erickson saying that he hoped to pitch Barack Obama about a guest role at the Emmys (where the former president was nominated for outstanding narration for the Netflix docuseries Our Great National Parks). “If he is [there] I’m going to see if he wants a role on this show,” Erickson said. “I think he’d be really good; he’d bring some gravitas.” Jen Tullock, who plays Mark’s sister, Devin, joked, “If we could get Barbra Streisand to come around, I’d pretty much give you every American dollar I’ve got in my bank account.”
Stiller, for his part, has more realistic expectations. “For me, there are a lot of people like Christopher Guest; I kind of imagine, ‘Wow, that would be amazing if someday he might be a part of the show,’ ” he said. “It’s fun when you have a show like this where it allows for people to maybe come in for an episode or two but also fit into the world of Severance.”
What Will Happen in Severance Season 2?
We don’t know much about season 2 beyond the new trailer but Erickson offered tantalising hints in our conversation with him following the season 1 finale. “There’s definitely going to be some expansion of the world,” he teased. “Within Lumon, we’re going to see more of the building and we’ll see more of the outside world, too.” He went on to comment on the storytelling architecture of the entire narrative:
There’s an overall plan for the show. I have an end point in mind, and I intentionally didn’t plan it season by season, because I wanted it to be flexible enough that we could get there in two seasons or six seasons. I want to allow us to be surprised by where the show goes. There’s a sense of what Lumon is trying to do and the role that our main characters are going to play in that, and where it all will culminate. It’s really exciting to think about taking the next step on that trip.
The first season ends with a spectacular cliff-hanger: Mark, Irving, and Helly manage, with great difficulty, to bring their innies into the outside world. The consequences of their subterfuge are enormous: Mark finds out his supposedly dead wife is in fact his coworker, Irving discovers that his Lumon lover is married, and Helly learns of her Eagan heritage, then announces to a gala of industry bigwigs that the severance procedure is torture. Dylan is apprehended by Mr Milchick but as Stiller pointed out to Deadline, Dylan has already seen the Matrix, back when his innie discovered that he has a child.
“Obviously, that’s a huge question and something that really is important to be dealt with, because their whole perception of the world has been altered by having this glimpse,” Stiller said. “That’s going to be a lot of what the second season has to deal with—a big part of the engine of the second season’s beginning.” Similar conflict abounds for Mark, whose revelations will cause strife in his love life. “With Innie Mark, we’re starting to root for him and Helly, but now we also want to root for Outie Mark to find his wife,” Stiller said. “That’s an interesting juxtaposition and conflict we’ll explore in the second season.”
Though season 1 centred on Mark and his perspective, meaning that we got scant few glimpses of his colleagues’ outies, Erickson promises that everything is about to change. “In season 2, we’re going to be showing all of these people on the outside,” he told EW. “Similar to Mark, they each had their own reason for getting this procedure, and they’re all at some stage of a healing process for one thing or another.... Being able to take what Adam did in the first season—with the differentiation between his innie and outie, and how they feel like the same person but with this vastly different lived experience—seeing the other three characters’ version of that dichotomy is, I think, the most exciting part.”
Mark’s outie is under near-constant surveillance by his boss, Harmony Cobel, who moonlights as his kindly neighbour Mrs Selvig. Mark now knows the truth about Cobel’s double life, but Erickson teases that we haven’t seen the last of her schemes. “I think that she does have some special attachment to Mark,” he told Polygon. “And I don’t think it’s entirely Lumon-based. That’s what I’ll say. I think that she’s—without giving away too much of what we’ll see—there’s a professional interest for sure. And obviously, we’ve seen that there’s some sort of experiment or something happening with him and his wife, and sort of observing them. But I think that you can see it in her eyes that it’s become about more than the job."
If you really can’t wait for season 2, mosey on over to the Severance subreddit, where fans have already posted thousands of compelling theories. Many latched onto a comment made by Helly’s father (“One day, you will sit with me at my revolving”), postulating that the Eagan family members upload their consciousnesses to a computer and become part of the board that so tormented Harmony. Could Kier Eagan still be alive in the ether, by that logic? Another fan suggests that Irving, an ex-military man, may be an undercover operative who underwent the severance procedure to investigate Lumon, judging by his obsessive research and documentation about its employees.
“What if the severance procedure was initially developed for use in war?” one Redditor wonders. “You have enlisted soldiers that are easily indoctrinated to do your will and they have no recollection or PTSD after their tour is complete. Irving would have been involved with this severance program as a soldier and it explains why he’s so interested in secretly tracking down other people.” In a recent Reddit AMA, Erickson nodded at this theory, saying, “One of the nice things about opening up the world a bit is that we’ll get to see other applications of the technology. Other ways society willingly ‘segments’ itself from unpleasant truths.”
And what about those damn goats seen wandering around Lumon? Theories abound, with explanations ranging from cloning to brain experimentation. Erickson isn’t saying much, but he assures viewers, “I don’t think we have seen our last goat on the show.” In an interview with Variety, Stiller confirmed that we’ll learn more about the goats in season 2, saying, “There’s no way the goats are there for no reason.”
Erickson’s AMA confirmed some season 1 mysteries and teased what’s to come in season 2. One thing’s for sure: “The office is real. It exists physically, and everything we see there is actually happening (except the black goo, which is Irv’s dream).” If your money was on the good old “it’s all a simulation” theory, you’ve lost your bet. Erickson also hinted at another season 2 mystery: Just why did Helena Eagan conceal her innie’s suicide attempt from the board? “Good question. I think more of that will reveal itself in season 2!” he replied.
Alas, until season 2 makes its debut, there’s not much we know for sure. As Erickson told IndieWire, “It turns out it’s easier to ask interesting questions than answer them.” We may not have many answers, but here’s one thing we can do: trust Ben Stiller. In an Esquire profile of Stiller, Severance star Patricia Arquette said, “He’s merciless. He never stops. He never stops rewriting, he never stops thinking. Weekends, holidays—you’d get phone calls late at night, you’d get phone calls early in the morning. Ideas. New things. He has incredibly intense focus on everything—every little set piece, every little wardrobe thing. I’ve never seen anybody so focused on everything.”
While we wait, there’s still a lot to chew on. Fans who want to delve even deeper can check out the Lexington Letter, a free supposed “tell-all” book from former Lumon employee Peggy Kincaid, which Erickson confirms is, in fact, canon. We may soon have another book to enjoy, if his tease from the AMA is anything to go on: Replying to a fan who asked if Ricken’s The You You Are would ever make it into print, Erickson said, “I think the chances are pretty good it will happen...” Praise Kier!
Originally published on Esquire US
Marvel has been on a less than heroic run ever since Tony Stark made audiences cry in Avengers: Endgame, with the studio struggling to find anyone of box office value aside from Spider-Man. But despite an avalanche of misfires, one show that nailed it was 2022’s Moon Knight, starring Oscar Isaac. Contrary to surface level popcorn flicks, the show veered into much more psychological territory, as it follows a man (Isaac) with dissociate identity disorder who tries to uncover a secret mystery of the Egyptian gods.
And now it’s just been announced that Marvel Studios has an exciting new idea for Moon Knight season 2. According to Alex Perez, a reliable Marvel source at The Cosmic Universe, season 2 is guaranteed, and fans will be happy with what happens, but that’s all that has been revealed as of yet.
Thanks to the surprising success of Season 1 (objectively, unless you’re well versed in comic book lore, the character is rather obscure, and not one that frequently rose to the surface in the heyday of superheroes), Isaac has been very vocal about how eager he is to find Moon Knight in additional MCU projects. He mentioned that he wanted his mummified hero going head to head with motorcyclist of the underworld, Ghost Rider (Ryan Gosling once mentioned that should he ever play a superhero, the skeletal stuntman would be his preference, but those dreams and rumours have reportedly drowned).
Earlier this year, Isaac mentioned that he hopes Moon Knight would appear in a Midnight Sons project, yet another superhero team consisting of Ghost Rider, Blade, and Morbius. But ever since the mocking Morbin’ time memes inflamed the internet after Jared Leto’s disastrous take in 2022’s Morbius (which currently boasts 15% on rotten tomatoes), perhaps this character can be replaced with someone cooler. Also, doesn’t Blade hunt vampires? That makes for an interesting dynamic, one with an abundance of fangs, garlic and sunscreen.
While Marvel has yet to confirm an official Midnight Sons project, there are reported rumours that such a project is in fact in development, so whether or not Moon Knight joins them remains to be seen. The first season was directed by Egyptian screenwriter/filmmaker, Mohamed Diab, and considering the success of season one, especially its authentic homage to ancient Egypt, one can only assume that he will return for season 2.
With two time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali confirmed for Blade in 2025, one must remain optimistic that the MCU succeeds with leather clad vampire hunter, as he is one of the remaining characters with enough lore and dedicated fan base to fill seats in a theatre. Assuming that Morbius is axed for the foreseeable future, Ghost Rider has not been touched since 2011, and the acrid stench of the those two Nicolas Cage stinkers (Ghost Rider, 2007; Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, 2011) has long since left the public, and deserves another shot. Could we see Moon Knight, Ghost Rider and Blade join forces soon? We’ll see. Maybe the MCU has some magic left after all.
Originally published on Esquire ME
Colin Farrell was so transformative as the Penguin—yes, that's Colin Farrell under all those prosthetics, if you can believe it—that the actor earned The Batman villain his own spin-off series. Premiering on HBO this fall, The Penguin will showcase the return of nightclub owner Oswald Cobblepot as he seeks to claim Gotham's criminal empire for himself.
To promote the series, HBO is going all out for The Penguin ahead of the show's San Diego Comic-Con panel. The Batman director Matt Reeves, Farrell, and showrunner Lauren LeFranc (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) are set to unveil a new trailer—alongside a fan event at a recreation of Penguin's Iceberg Lounge. Hopefully, Reeves will also share a bit about the road ahead for The Batman Part II, as well as his vision for the Caped Crusader's franchise moving forward. For everything we know so far about The Penguin, continue reading below.
Following the destruction of Gotham City at the end of The Batman film, the streets remain flooded. However, all that water is perfect for the Penguin. According to Sarah Aubrey, the head of original content at HBO, "The goal of this is to show what Oz’s life is like and that’s very much in the streets of Gotham...As a hustler and a strategist with his own ambitions."
The series stars Cristin Milioti (Palm Springs) as Sofia Falcone, the daughter of recently deceased Gotham kingpin Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Michael Kelly (Special Ops; Lioness) stars as Falcone underboss Johnny Vitti, and Clancy Brown (John Wick: Chapter 4) appears as gangster Salvatore Maroni. Craig Zobel (Mare of Easttown) directs the first three episodes of the eight-episode series.
No. The Penguin directly follows Reeves's The Batman (2022) starring Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz. Elements of the series will also tie in to the sequel film, The Batman Part II, set for release in 2026. The Penguin has no connection to James Gunn's rebooted DC Universe (DCU). Neither does The Batman or The Batman Part II.
Gunn has his own plans for Batman in the near future, with a film titled The Brave and The Bold, directed by The Flash's Andy Muschietti. Reeves' Batman stories will continue on in their own universe labelled "DC Elseworlds," along with any other DC Comics project not within the official DCU canon. And what about Todd Philips's Joker movies with Joaquin Phoenix? That's a whole different universe as well. Are you with me so far? Because there's more. Reeves is also developing an Arkham Asylum series that Deadline reports is actually included in the new DCU. As Gunn explained on Threads, "He'll be producing stories both within his The Batman universe and within the DCU." Got it!
The Penguin will premiere on HBO and stream on Max this September. HBO has yet to reveal the official release date, though The Penguin's Comic-Con panel will likely reveal the premiere date. If not, at least you might catch a ride in the Penguin's "iconic Purple Maserati." I remember when the Penguin cruised around Gotham in a big yellow duck, but it seems as if times have changed. Maybe we'll at least see some penguins with fireworks attached to their backs.
Originally Published on Esquire US
Lords and ladies of the court, it’s time to once again assemble in the throne room and bend the knee to the King of Television, Cutter of Cords, and First Commander of the Screen: House of the Dragon. The series returns for season 2, ushering in the much-anticipated next chapter of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel. But before the first episode airs, there’s just one little issue to address: Who are all these people again?
For audiences preparing for more dragon fights and political backstabbings, nearly two long years have passed between seasons 1 and 2. But for the characters onscreen, it’s only been a few hours. When you hit play on House of the Dragon once again, the producers aren’t going to line everyone up to remind you of their names and who they’re related to! Even if they did, we would still have enough Rhaenyras, Rhaenys, Rhaenas, and Aegons to drive us all into the dragon pits. Luckily for you, dear reader, I’ve already done the work. If you ever feel lost during the season, check back here for a detailed guide to who’s who in Westeros.
Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) is arguably our main character. The daughter of the late King Viserys Targaryen, Rhaenyra was the rightful heir to the throne. However, when her father passed away in the middle of the night, his council conspired against her and plotted to give the crown to her young stepbrother, Aegon II. Now residing in Dragonstone, Rhaenyra assembles her allies to retake the Iron Throne. Her forces include her uncle-husband Daemon, her cousin Rhaenys and her husband Corlys Velaryon, and her five children: Jacaerys, Lucerys (who was recently murdered), Joffrey, Viserys, and Aegon III.
Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra were childhood friends in King’s Landing. Everything changed between them when she wed Rhaenyra’s much-older father, King Viserys, and essentially became her best friend’s stepmother. Following Viserys’s death and Alicent’s son Aegon II ascending to the throne, the Queen Dowager now attempts to stop wanton violence from erupting between her side of the family and Rhaenyra’s.
Rhaenyra’s husband and her uncle, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) is a fierce warrior who resents his older brother Viserys for bypassing him to name Rhaenyra heir to the throne. For whatever reason, he remained drawn to the princess romantically. It’s gross to marry your niece, of course, but Game of Thrones fans are used to this sort of thing with the Targaryens. The couple had two children together, named Viserys II (after her father) and Aegon III (yes, yet another Aegon). He also had twin girls with his former wife, the late Laena Valeryon, named Rhaena and Baela Targaryen. He rides the dragon Caraxes and wields a powerful sword named “Dark Sister” that used to belong to the great Aegon the Conqueror’s sister-wife.
Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) is the current King on the Iron Throne. He is Alicent Hightower and Visyers Targaryen’s firstborn son, Rhaenyra’s younger stepbrother, and husband to his sister-wife Queen Helaena. Together, they have three young children of their own: Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor. Aegon II rides the dragon Sunfyre.
Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) is King Aegon II’s young brother and the second-born son of Alicent Hightower and Viserys Targaryen. Back in season 1, he lost his left eye in a childhood fight with Lucerys Velaryon. In the season finale, he drew first blood in the war and sought revenge by murdering Lucerys at Storm’s End. Aemond rides Vhagar, the oldest and most fearsome dragon in Westeros.
Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) is the Hand of the King, Queen Alicent’s father, and grandfather to King Aegon II, Halaena, and Prince Aemond. He was the primary driver in season 1 in marrying his daughter to King Viserys, and a central figure in the coup to place his grandson on the throne. Now he continues to mold politics and plan for war as the king’s right-hand man and trusted advisor.
Known as the “Queen Who Never Was,” Rhaenys (Eve Best) was famously passed over in the line of succession when a council at Harrenhal voted her first cousin Viserys to become the king instead. She is married to Corlys Velaryon, with whom she had two children—the believed-to-be-dead Laenor (Rhaenyra’s former husband) and the late Laena (Daemon’s former wife). She currently serves on Rhaenyra’s Black Council at Dragonstone.
The Lord of Driftmark and one of the wealthiest men in Westeros, Corlys Velaryon (Stege Toussaint)—aka “the Sea Snake”—is the head of House Velaryon and naval commander of the royal fleet. Before King Aegon II’s ascension, he served on King Viserys’s council as the Master of Ships. Toward the end of the first season, he was attacked by pirates in the Stepstones. Now he and his wife Rhaenys Targaryen serve by Rhaenyra’s side at Dragonstone.
Rhaenyra’s first-born son, Jacaerys (Harry Collett), was secretly fathered by Ser Harwin Strong (before the knight burned to death in Harrenhal). He believes that his father is Leonor Velaryon, though the whispering world knows largely of his mother’s tryst. After King Aegon II ascended the throne, Jacaerys flew north to Winterfell on his dragon Vermax in search of allies. He is betrothed to his cousin Rhaena. When he returns to Dragonstone, he’ll likely seek revenge against Aemond for the murder of his younger brother, Lucerys.
Originally published on Esquire US
If you haven't heard, the streaming-verse is about to gift us yet another video-game adaptation: Fallout, which will debut on Prime Video later this month. Its source material is a role-playing game (RPG), in which the story unfolds based on the player's decisions. It's a choose-you-own-adventure style of freedom that's largely only found in video games—which, obviously, presents a challenge once those elements are removed.
So the best way to experience everything that Fallout offers is to simply play the games. Beginning as a two-dimensional PC title, the series now plays as a modern 3D first-person shooter. It's equipped with everything that fans of Bethesda Softworks—the studio behind The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Starfield—know and love. Player freedom is vast, and gameplay systems are easy to understand. All the player must do in this postapocalyptic world is survive in the Wasteland by any means possible. Throughout five mainline titles and three spin-offs, the Fallout series still boasts a strong community. But there's only so much I can explain about Fallout in words alone. The only way to truly understand what makes the series so great is to jump in yourself.
Way back in 1997, the first Fallout game set up everything that would delight fans for the next 27 years. But just like early entries in many long-running gaming franchises, Fallout’s top-down RPG style doesn’t exactly inspire the shock and awe of modern 3D titles. Still, Fallout told a compelling story—which is based in the year 2161, as nuclear fallout forces humanity to take shelter in Vaults. Venturing out into the Wasteland, the player searches for water while they fight the Master and his army of Super Mutants. (Don't worry: Spend a few hours with the game and you'll have its lexicon mastered in no time.)
Set 80 years after the original Fallout, Fallout 2's story follows a descendant of the first Vault Dweller as he sets out to create a Garden of Eden for his Vault. While Fallout 2's gameplay and look doesn't stray too far from those of its predecessor, the game features more environments from around the world.
Fallout Tactics—the first spin-off in the Fallout series—threw everything you thought about Fallout out the window, creating a multiplayer turn-based RPG with linear story campaigns. Instead of playing as a Vault Dweller, users control six members of the Brotherhood of Steel, an in-game technology-focused faction, as they conquer the Wasteland and expand their territory.
In 2006, open-world games—such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion—sold so well for Bethesda that the studio took the formula and (controversially!) applied it to the world of Fallout just two years later. Turns out, everyone loves an open world once they actually play it. The game received universal acclaim.
Set in the ruins of Washington, D.C., the game has your Vault Dweller once again entering a wasteland. But this time you're equipped with first-person-shooter capabilities and 3D exploration. Fallout 3 also introduced a new (now classic) combat system, which allowed players to target specific areas of the body to disarm opponents, slow them down, or even go for a quick headshot.
Fallout: New Vegas is considered by many fans and critics to be the best entry of the series. Building on the success of Fallout 3, New Vegas places players in a three-way faction war where gameplay choices drastically affects the story moving forward. From altering where they explore to who they fight for, New Vegas allows players the greatest freedom in a Fallout title to date. Obsidian developed the spin-off title in just under a year before eventually going on to make the celebrated 2019 RPG The Outer Worlds.
Functioning as a free-to-play construction game, Fallout Shelter allows players to build and manage their own Vault. Though the mini-game features some annoying microtransactions, the spin-off expanded the world of Fallout and integrated a complex system of resource management.
Fallout 4 shocked many fans of the long-running series when it arrived in 2015. Abandoning the franchise's traditional RPG elements for a more streamlined story, the fourth numbered Fallout entry functions more as a shooter (and looter) than it does a traditional Fallout RPG.But even without the freedom of choice of Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 still incorporates an expansive base builder and more weapon enhancements than I’ve ever seen in a video game.
For all the bugs and disappointments that surrounded Fallout 76’s rushed launch, the massive online multiplayer spin-off eventually garnered a rich community. One group of players—collectively known as EATT (Establishment of Appalachian Taste Testers)—hunted other players and used the game's bizarre cannibalism mechanics to eat them. Another community even put an NPC on trial and let the game's users decide his fate. Even if you remove traditional RPG elements, gamers always find a way!
Originally published on Esquire US
If Shōgun's events feel like they're based in historical fact, that's because most of the story is based on a real-life power struggle. Author James Clavell borrowed many historical figures from the 17th century for his 1975 novel of the same name—which greatly dramatised the story of the first Englishman to sail to Japan. His work of historical fiction even garnered a popular miniseries in 1980, which was such a hit that many cultural observers attributed the show's success to the rise of interest in sushi in the West.
Although Clavell—who hailed from England himself—beefed up both the story of John Blackthorne's arrival in Japan and his influence on the eventual Tokugawa shogunate, many of the characters and events depicted in Shōgun are based on historical fact. This week, FX debuted the first two episodes of its take on Shōgun—and it's already a hit amongst critics. The series stars Hiroyuki Sanada (John Wick: Chapter 4) as Lord Toranaga and Cosmo Jarvis (Persuasion) as John Blackthorne. But what's fact and fiction in the latest Shōgun adaptation?
The events of the series begin with the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was the second "Great Unifier of Japan." In Shōgun, he's called the Taikō, which was the title given to a retired advisor of a former emperor. Hideyoshi carried on the work of Oda Nabunaga, the first Great Unifier of Japan, following nearly a century-long of civil war. After the Taikō died, a new path opened for infighting. Five great lords, called daimyo, vied for the title of shōgun: the de facto ruler of Japan.
Japan feared another century of conflict after the Taiko’s death, so Hideyoshi established the five elders who would rule in his place. A prominent member among the five included Tokugawa Ieyasu, renamed Yoshii Toranaga in Shōgun and brought to life by Sanada. Over the span of just two years, he leveraged his power and close connection to the Taiko to become the new shōgun. Assembling his forces, he took Osaka Castle and easily won the bloody battle of Sekigahara—which is one of the most important battles in Japanese history.
Around this time, Takagawa met William Adams, the first Englishman to sail to Japan. Adams eventually became a trusted advisor to Takagawa, who was impressed by his knowledge of Western ships and navigation. He commissioned Adams to Japanese ships—and he later replaced Jesuit Padre João Rodrigues as the shōgun's official interpreter. In the miniseries, Adams’s counterpart, John Blackthorne (played by Jarvis), holds much more significance to Tokugawa’s rise to power than he did in real life. What really won Tokugawa the shogunate? It was military might.
In Shōgun, Tokugawa uses Blackthorne’s presence as a Protestant to sow disagreement between the Five Elders—some of whom profited from the nation’s Christian colonisers, who hailed from from Portugal and Spain. Sure, the Five Elders demanding the persecution of one heretic among Tokugawa’s castle may be a tad far-fetched. But Clavell’s addition of Blackthorne is more so the story's powder keg. Clavell also added a relationship between Blackthorne and Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), whose real-life counterpart never even met Adams.
That isn't to say that Tokugawa and Adams didn't share a friendship in real life. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the two wrote many letters to one another, and the powerful daimyo was fascinated by Adams's knowledge of the globe. Tokugawa also greeted the Englishman during his trips to Japan, even after he had rose to the shogunate. Eventually, Adams was gifted the honorary title of samurai. Meanwhile, Tokugawa remained in power until his death in 1616. He constructed the great Edo Castle—the largest castle in all of Japan—and the Tokugawa shogunate ruled the country for the next 250 years.
Originally published on Esquire US
There are obviously a ton of highly anticipated TV shows and sequels in the pipeline this year. There's Masters of the Air coming to Apple TV+ this month, a Mr. and Mrs. Smith reboot (Amazon Prime) and Abbott Elementary Season 3 (Disney+) across early February, and 3 Body Problem (Netflix) on 21 March. That's just the first three months of the year, guys.
Our hearts are personally on Severance and Silo, even though the mind knows better than to expect seeing their new seasons this year. In the meantime, there are a handful of already confirmed installations, with HBO Max taking the most of the picking. The trailers aren't just teasers. These shows are certainly dropping this year, the only uncertain thing is the exact date, which are to be announced in due time. Get excited.
The redeeming spinoff from the messy conclusion that was Game of Thrones returns. With allegedly more dragons this time (“You’re going to meet five new dragons,” says showrunner Ryan Condal), the second season will likely pick off from the impending civil war and perhaps even trouble in uncle-husband-niece-wife paradise.
C'mon, that's how a trailer should be done. Give a little premise, but not spell out the entire plot in two and a half minutes. Name drop A24 under Executive Producers alongside the Downeys, and casually mention direction by Oldboy's Park Chan-wook. Plus, RDJ doing the most? Sold.
With the surprise cameos in Gen V season 1, it's reasonable to expect crossovers between the two narratives. Besides the familiar antiheroes reaching for their capes again, new faces joining the cast are Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Rosemarie DeWitt, Rob Benedict and Elliot Knight; characters yet to be revealed.
We didn't need the accolades to convince us what a gem the hit FX series is, but in case you needed reminding; it bagged a total of six awards at the 2023 Emmys. Best comedy series, lead actor in a comedy series (Jeremy Allen White), supporting actor in a comedy series (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and supporting actress in a comedy series (Ayo Edebiri). So yeah, can't wait to see Carmy get out of that fridge.
Whatever your verdict on Matt Reeves' The Batman was, no one can deny Colin Farrell's performance as the titular villain. Oh wait, did you just find out that was the actor under all those unrecognisable layers of prosthetics? We don't blame you. To his credit, the voice and mannerisms also played a part. Which is why we can only anticipate how the eight-parter on the Gotham gangster will play out.
This story contains spoilers for the Season Two finale of Loki.
It's been—what's the word?—a hectic couple of months for Loki's executive producer and head writer, Eric Martin. Rolling out a six-episode television series from a billion-dollar-plus-grossing superhero universe is no easy feat, even during normal times. But doing it during an actors' strike, which pretty much shifts the promotion of said television series entirely onto your own shoulders? Phew.
So when I caught up with Martin not even 24 hours after Loki's uber-chaotic Season Two finale aired, I asked him, you know, how he was doing. "I'm good," he said. "Relieved more than anything. I'm not great at celebrating victories. But I definitely felt some pride and had a bunch of people over from the show last night to watch the finale. That was a lovely event."
Even by MCU-postgame standards, we had a lot to talk about. Of course, the Loki finale begged a multiverse's worth of questions: Is Tom Hiddleston's Loki the most powerful being in this entire story, quite literally holding time and space together? Will Owen Wilson's Mobius transition to a full-time, Heineken-sipping suburban dad? Is Season Three in the cards?
Also, how Martin handled the ongoing legal issues of star Jonathan Majors, which emerged after filming wrapped. Uneven responses from reviewers and fans, too. Add to that, Variety's explosive dispatch from earlier this month, which alleged significant turmoil at Marvel.
Here, Martin opened up about Loki's journey to true godliness, where Sophia Di Martino's Sylvie goes next, his thoughts on Loki's critics, and more. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
ERIC MARTIN: That's an interesting question, because time isn't passing. I always approached it as if there is a [nutritive] requirement. Thermodynamics still apply and they need to create energy to move. But they don't get much time for it. Everything moves quickly at the TVA. You're always working and you get your nine-minute lunch break. There was a great gag we had in Season One. We ended up just having to cut it, but it was funny. We see a hunter in the cafeteria—they finish their meal, and then they just prune the tray. Instead of throwing anything away.
The big idea was taking Loki from a lowercase-g god, to a capital-G God, powering him up to that place where he gets his throne—but it's not a throne he wants anymore. This is a duty. He's doing this so everyone else can have their lives. He's giving up the thing that he wants most so that everyone else can have their free will… We wanted to power up his abilities, but also his wisdom and knowledge.
I leave that up to interpretation. That final image is meant to be ambiguous. So I'll let people make up their own minds there. If you look into mythology, someone like Atlas is an interesting person to look at with that.
Mobius was the one in turmoil through all of this, truly not knowing which way to go. As much as he was this rascal that kind of broke the rules a little bit, he was a company man. Now, finding out that company isn't a place [where] he wants to work scrambled everything going into Season Two. So it's like, Well, what is my role? He just takes on the mission, while trying to ignore the other possibilities that are now out there. So with him by the end of the season, it's like he's just now able to go explore and figure out the opportunities that are out there.
Sylvie is interesting, because of all the stuff with McDonald's and her living that quiet life. It feels very gap year-ish. I'm not quite ready to grow up and do the thing. And she was pulled out of that. Now the work begins. I'm not sure where she goes from here. But I don't think she's going to live just a quiet life. Maybe she would. I don't know. But she's going to make a very active decision about what she's going to do—whatever that is. She's making that choice. It isn't just like, Oh, I'm going to feel things out. She's going to go in a direction.
Oh, yeah. It was amazing. Everything was so period-specific. McDonald's has an in-house historian that advises on [projects like this]. It's one of those things I never considered like, Is that a thing? And then it's like, Of course it is. That's a gigantic company.
I'll let people muse about what that can mean. She's up in the air. There are things that can happen with her. If you look to the comics, there are some fun inferences that can be drawn from the pyramid. And you know, who knows? Does Alioth kill her? Or did they strike up a friendship? Maybe Alioth remembers her? I don't know.
You know, it's just: Try to keep it about the show. Let's do the best thing we can, here. There's so much, like—we just don't know about anything. So, OK, what can we do with our show? Let's just treat our show with respect, and you see what happens. It's a difficult situation all the way around.
You know, that's a larger studio conversation. For us, we were just focused on what we had and making that.
Yeah, no, we didn't do any reshoots for this season. There was no additional photography. So everything we shot, there in London, is what we see.
That is a decision that is made above my pay grade. They decide who's going to end up in what things.
I actually don't know what the overall story is going to be. Things are so siloed off. I hope that we've been good teammates and created fertile ground for other things. The goal is to make it so good that the rest of the MCU comes to you. Obviously, I'd love to see all of our characters live on—OB and Ke certainly deserve to continue on. I'd be shocked if they didn't use them.
Thanks for watching? [Laughs.] No, I mean, I don't want to be ridiculous about that. Seriously, thanks for watching, and I hope they stuck with it. I think we had a challenging season with a lot going on. And I'm sure people at points got a little frustrated, like, Well, is this gonna lead to anything? But it always was.
That's the tough thing about Rotten Tomatoes, and people reviewing and weighing in on things that are in progress. Nobody's going out and reviewing a movie at the midpoint. It doesn't make any sense. You need to see the whole [season]. But I hope they stuck around, and I hope it landed for them. Ultimately, I'm just glad they watched.
Yeah, for sure. I'm really happy. We had a weekly release. It's good for the industry; for the viewers; for the people making it. It makes what we do a little more precious, and it doesn't reduce it down to your weekend binge, and then you forget about it. It's good to live with these things, and to absorb them and fight about it. It makes it all more valuable.
