2024 turned out to be a banner year for Processed Media; by all metrics, 2024 was the biggest year ever for my little passion project, which celebrated its third anniversary in September (or, counting the original blog, 14th anniversary). And though the television industry (and film, and games industry, so on and so forth) are all struggling, 2025 still looks to be a fascinating year to look forward to – and, as we like to do here, look back – at some TV shows.
So what’s ahead for Processed Media in 2025? Well, let’s get into it!
First Impressions: The Return
When networks used to adhere to more traditional September and January pilot seasons, I ran a regular series called First Impressions, in order to give people an idea of what new shows might be worth tuning into, based solely on the first episode of the series.
That column did not carry over to the new Processed Media, initially – however, in an increasingly fractured (and underwhelming) landscape, it can be harder than ever to know what’s worth checking out…. which, as you can guess, means its high time for the First Impressions column to return, which will go hand in hand with the next point. To start, I’ll be checking out a number of shows in January, including Going Dutch, Doc, and Shifting Gears.
More TV reviews!
Let’s be honest: writing episodic reviews of current era TV shows is more challenging than its ever been, thanks to the general low quality of new shows, their short lifespans – and, if we’re to believe the news about Netflix executive notes for screenwriters, it’s not about to get better. Which means discerning between what’s worth your valuable TV-enjoying minutes and what isn’t is harder than ever.
To more widely cover the gamut of current television, I’m bringing back more traditional overarching TV reviews to go alongside the First Impressions series (which will occasionally work in tandem, if a series drastically improves in quality during its first season, or becomes a particularly juicy subject of cultural discussion). I will, of course, still cover current shows episodically, but look for more variety of what those reviews look like in 2025.
What shows, you ask? Well, to name a few: Daredevil: Born Again, Happy’s Place, and Andor, just to kick off the first few months of the year.
Video Game Reviews – On a TV site?
Video games continue to be a fascinating art form, even in an age of live service games, remasters, and Fortnite promotional events. And though writing about video games is something I love (and was the first thing I was ever paid to write about online, fun fact), it’s not something I’ve done very frequently post-2014. That changes in 2025; though it won’t be super frequent, keep your eyes peeled for some choice reviews of new (and, occasionally, older) games to appear in the coming months (and no, I’m not just talking about Grand Theft Auto VI). The first will probably be Spider-Man 2 when it releases on PC in January, followed by Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii in February.
Second Looks Continue
As you might expect, Community, Friends, and LOST reviews will continue in 2025, thanks to a much more manageable backend and schedule for regular publishing. There are plenty of other shows I’m working on for 2025, including:
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 (begins February 21)
Grey’s Anatomy season 1 (begins March 27)
Friends season 5 (begins May 7)
Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place season 2 (begins June 2)
later in 2025: Continuum, How I Met Your Mother, Go On… and more!
A Farewell to Stranger Things… and an Era
Believe it or not, but Stranger Things is going to come to an end in 2024 with its fifth season, airing a mere 9 years after its debut in October 2016. Though its premiere date is still unknown, the event feels like the dying gasp of a TV era that ended with the conclusion of Game of Thrones; for better or worse, Stranger Things season four was a reminder that it’s really the last shared cultural zeitgeist of American TV. Though I’ve had my gripes with the show over the years, its popularity over the years is something worth celebrating, even though it will probably feel like a relic of a different time when it finally returns from its long hiatus – to do so, we are going to watch every episode of Stranger Things in 2025, leading up to episodic reviews of the final season, whenever they air. I’ll do my best to time these up with the premiere… but these might just start appearing randomly at some point in 2025, so make sure to follow Processed Media on the socials so you can watch along.
An Assload of Prestige TV Returns
2025 will see the return of The White Lotus, The Last of Us, The Righteous Gemstones, Yellowjackets, Severance, The Bear, Interview with the Vampire, Sandman, and Squid Game, just to name a few. I will be here to cover as many as possible (though as always, no promises).
Bonus: More Film Reviews!
What else can I say here? There’s movies to be seen in 2025 – and occasionally, I’ll be writing about them!
As always, I would not be able to continue what I’m doing without the continued support of those who’ve been reading my reviews since 2011. Whether you’re one of the OGs, or you’re here for the first time – thank you for allowing me to keep Processed Media thriving and independent!