Monthly Archives: December 2023

Accenture Chief Says Most Companies Not Ready for AI Rollout

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Most companies are not ready to deploy generative AI at scale because they lack strong data infrastructure or the controls needed to make sure the technology is used safely, according to the chief executive of the consultancy Accenture. From a report: The most hyped technology of 2023 is in an experimental phase at most companies and macroeconomic uncertainty is holding back IT spending generally, Julie Sweet told the Financial Times in an interview ahead of the company publishing quarterly results on Tuesday. Accenture reported another big jump in revenues from generative AI projects in the three months to November 30, with $450mn in bookings compared with $300mn over the previous six months. But they remain small relative to group sales of $64bn annually.

Corporate executives are keen to deploy the technology to understand data across their organisation better or to automate more customer service, Sweet said. “The thing that is going to hold it back, though, isâ…âmost companies do not have mature data capabilities and if you can’t use your data, you can’t use AI. That said, in three to five years we expect this to be a big part of our business.” Accenture and other consulting groups have boasted of multibillion-dollar investments in generative AI, including hiring and training staff, in the hope of a windfall from deploying the technology to clients across the world.

Sweet said executives were being âoeprudentâ in rolling out the technology, amid concerns over how to protect proprietary information and customer data and questions about the accuracy of outputs from generative AI models. “We are still at the stage where most CEOs, asked if there is someone in their organisation who can tell them where AI is being used, what the risks are and how they’re being mitigated, the answer is still ‘no.'”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Accenture Chief Says Most Companies Not Ready for AI Rollout

First wave of AAA iPhone games sees a big new release—and a notable delay

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How to Figure Out How Many Calories You Should Burn Each Day

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The word “calorie” may bring up thoughts of nutrition labels and treadmill readouts, but really calories are just units of energy. Your car runs on gas, your house runs on electricity, and your body runs on food energy. So how many calories do we burn each day, and how many should you burn? Let’s dig in.

You actually burn most of your calories at rest

Calories aren’t only burned during exercise. It takes energy to keep the lights on, so to speak—for your heart to beat, your brain to think, your cells to repair themselves, and more. 

In fact, most of our calories are burned doing these maintenance chores. Scientists call this baseline calorie burn our “basal metabolic rate,” or BMR. There are several equations that will estimate your BMR; for a calculator, try the one at tdeecalculator.net. (It uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula if you don’t know your body fat percentage, and the Katch-McArdle formula if you do.)

To give you an example, I plugged in my stats—I’m 150 pounds and 5’6”—and the equation guesses that someone my size burns: 

  • 1,352 calories for most of my basic bodily functions (not including digestion!)

  • 1,623 calories, total, if I’m sedentary

  • 2,096 calories, total, if I do moderate exercise three to five times a week

  • 2,569 calories, total, if I’m a hardcore athlete or a person who exercises on top of having a physical job

Keep in mind these are just estimates; your actual calorie burn may be more or less. The factors that affect your total calorie burn include: 

  • Body size: The bigger you are, the more calories you burn at baseline and the more you burn during exercise.

  • Muscle mass: Muscle burns more calories than other tissues (which is why you get a more accurate estimate if you know your body fat percentage; the lower your body fat, the more muscle you have by comparison)

  • Age: These formulas assume that your metabolism slows down a bit as you age (although there is evidence that this may not make a big difference)

  • Activity: The more you exercise, the more calories you burn

  • Genetics and other factors not accounted for in the formula: There’s actually a huge variety from person to person, even if you compare people of the same size, age, etc.

To give you a sense of the range, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans figures that a 5’10” man who weighs 154 pounds will burn, in total, between 2,000 and 3,000 calories each day, depending on his age and activity level. Their example woman is 5’4” and 126 pounds, and she will burn between 1,600 and 2,400 calories. 

So if you’re used to thinking of 2,000 calories as some kind of upper limit for how much to eat—or 1,200 calories as a calorie budget for dieting—you may be surprised to realize how many calories you probably already burn.

How (and why) to burn more calories

If you’re trying to lose weight, logic would say that you should focus more on diet than exercise. After all, if most of your calorie burn is your BMR, exercise is going to be a drop in the bucket by comparison. 

I don’t think that’s the only thing you should consider, though. If your BMR is 1,300 calories and your total burn is 1,600, then sure, you could eat 1,300 calories without exercising and probably lose weight. But it’s hard to be healthy while you’re eating so little. 

Burning more calories through exercise helps your body in two ways: 

  1. Exercise is good for us, regardless of calorie burn; we should all be getting at least 150 minutes of cardio per week, plus some strength training to help build or retain muscle.

  2. The more food you eat, the easier it is to fit in the good stuff: vitamins, minerals, fiber, good fats, and a variety of vegetables.

A person who burns 2,300 calories and eats 2,000 is in a much better position to benefit from exercise and good nutrition than a person who burns 1,600 and eats 1,300. 

So how do you burn more calories? You can’t get younger, and if you’re losing weight you won’t want to get bigger. The biggest levers you can pull are: 

  • Exercise more

  • Gain muscle mass (through strength training, and eating plenty of protein)

  • Don’t diet all the time

I’ve written before about how I’ve noticed my total calorie burn increases when I’m eating more food; when you feed your body, it’s more willing to expend energy. This is one of the reasons it’s thought to be beneficial to take “diet breaks” if you plan to be in a weight-loss phase for a long time.

Why you shouldn’t rely on “calorie burn” numbers from wearables or exercise machines

You’re probably wondering how much exercise is “enough” to burn more calories. It’s a trick question, though: You want to change what kind of person you are—stop being sedentary and become a frequent exerciser—rather than nickel-and-dime yourself about exactly what numbers you burned in which workout.

This is because our bodies get more efficient with exercise over time. A half-hour jog might burn 300 calories in theory, but at the end of the day you may have only burned, say, 200 more than if you hadn’t jogged. You might end up feeling more tired later in the day, or you might just be getting better at running and burning fewer calories when you do it. (This is an ongoing area of scientific research.) 

There is evidence that exercise machines’ estimates of calorie burn are extremely inaccurate; wearables like Fitbits and Apple Watches are probably a bit better, being personalized to your exercise intensity, but they’re still ultimately relying on estimates that aren’t always accurate.



Source: LifeHacker – How to Figure Out How Many Calories You Should Burn Each Day

Bobby Kotick’s Goodbye Letter Calls Xbox ‘The World’s Most Admired Company’

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We knew that Activision Blizzard’s longtime CEO, Bobby Kotick, would be stepping down at the end of this year following Microsoft’s historic acquisition of his company—but we didn’t know that he’d officially leave on the last workday of 2023, technically two days before the end of the year. This tidbit was one of…

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Source: Kotaku – Bobby Kotick’s Goodbye Letter Calls Xbox ‘The World’s Most Admired Company’

Samsung expands repair program to more devices, now in 43 countries

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The Galaxy Z Fold5 and Flip5, being carefully taken apart.

Enlarge / The Galaxy Z Fold5 and Flip5, being carefully taken apart. (credit: Samsung)

Samsung says it’s doing a big expansion to its self-repair program this month. The repair program launched last year in partnership with iFixit, and now Samsung will be offering parts and repair manuals for more phones in more countries.

First up, the device list is adding some of Samsung’s newest and most expensive models. Foldables are landing in the self-repair system for the first time, with the Galaxy Z Flip5, and Z Fold5 getting parts and manuals soon. The parts aren’t up for sale yet, but we’re dying to know the cost of a Z Fold5 display. (The Pixel Fold, a similarly sized flexible Samsung display, costs $900.) Samsung’s current slab-phone flagship is also hitting the repair system for the first time, with all S23 models getting included. The Galaxy A05s, the first mid-range phone, is landing in the system, too. All the Galaxy S9 and A9 tablets are now repairable, as is the Galaxy Book 2 Pro laptop.

The number of countries where you can buy parts is increasing, too. Samsung’s repair program is currently active in the US, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Samsung now says it’s expanding the repair program to 30 additional companies, with the full list being: “Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.” Forty-three countries is a huge progression in just a year, but the flagship S23 is sold in 130 countries if Samsung wants complete coverage.

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Source: Ars Technica – Samsung expands repair program to more devices, now in 43 countries

Covid-19 Paralyzed a Teen Girl's Vocal Cords, Doctors Say

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We’re still discovering new ways covid-19 can harm us, some four years after the emergence of this complicated viral disease. In a recent report, doctors in Massachusetts describe a teen girl whose vocal cords became paralyzed soon after a bout of covid-19. The girl required a tracheostomy in place for more than a…

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Source: Gizmodo – Covid-19 Paralyzed a Teen Girl’s Vocal Cords, Doctors Say

How To View (And Share) Your 2023 Steam Year In Review

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Eager to show off just just how much time you spend playing video games? If you use Steam, then you might already know that Valve compiles everyone’s many hours spent in digital realms into a “Steam Year in Review,” which breaks down how many games you’ve played, the percentage of your top games, and other cool stats…

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Source: Kotaku – How To View (And Share) Your 2023 Steam Year In Review

NASA-Funded Space Ventures Set for Back-to-Back Moon Landings in Early 2024

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Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines are all set with their Moon landers. Now they just need their rockets prepped and the launch windows to swing open. But once underway, these NASA-funded missions, slated for early 2024, will chart a new course for the future of private space exploration.

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Source: Gizmodo – NASA-Funded Space Ventures Set for Back-to-Back Moon Landings in Early 2024

Make This Easy Ham and Cheese Monkey Bread on Christmas Breakfast

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In the past, I’ve never considered canned biscuits “a must” during the holidays, but I think I might be coming around. My latest canned adventure comes in the form of monkey bread, but not the sweet kind. I find it hard to resist a savory breakfast, and this one is exactly that—irresistible. For a Christmas breakfast made for nibbling between unwrapping presents, try this ham and cheese monkey bread. 

What is monkey bread?

Monkey bread is a cute name for some pull-apart breads. (The jury’s out on how it got this name, maybe because it looks like a particular tree, or maybe because it looks like you’re grooming when you eat it.) Usually it’s made with scrap dough, but you can really use any dough chopped into small pieces. The pieces are tossed with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and pressed into a pan. After it bakes, the dough pieces easily pull apart from one another. You grab a morsel with your fingers and go. It’s casual, delicious, and the sort of messy fun only finger foods can supply. In this case, I’m switching out the sweet mixture for ham, cheese, and garlic butter.

Where biscuits are concerned, homemade are better than canned. Full stop. But when it comes to a pliable, salty, tender dough base that’s forgiving enough to mash up and it still turns out fluffy—canned biscuits win. This breakfast bake requires a fair bit of rolling and smooshing. While homemade biscuit dough wouldn’t hold up well without losing its rise, canned biscuits are up for the challenge.

How to make ham and cheese monkey bread

This recipe comes together pretty fast, and you can even pre-chop the ham and cheese the day before if you want to assemble it even faster. 

1. Preheat the oven, and butter a loaf pan generously. Chop the ham and cheese roughly into quarter-inch pieces. I used sliced deli ham and some gouda, but you could really chop any meat and cheese you like. While I like the subtle smokiness of gouda, you can use shredded cheddar or mozzarella if you have it. 

2. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt two tablespoons of butter and set it aside while you make the dough balls. 

Hand peeling raw biscuit dough in half.
Split the canned biscuit dough in half.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

3. Flour a work surface. Pop open the can of biscuits (I used a can of eight biscuits). The biscuits will tumble out in eight segments, but you can actually peel each biscuit in half. Run your thumb across the edge and you’ll see the dough will naturally split at one of its “flakey spots.” Peel the dough apart into two rounds. Repeat this for all of the biscuits. Slightly shingle all of the biscuits into a rectangle-like shape. In the picture, I did six rounds, then staggered the next row of five and another row of five. It’s not perfect, and the beauty of it is that none of it has to be. Press the dough flat with floured fingers and try to close any big gaps in the dough circles.

Biscuit dough shingled into a rectangular sheet.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

4. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the chopped ham and cheese. You can press the chunks into the dough to get them to sit firmly, especially around the edges. Starting with the long edge closest to you, begin to tightly roll the dough into a swirl. Some meat and cheese bits might fall out, just press them onto the dough anywhere. 

Ham and cheese sprinkled on raw biscuit dough.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Once you have a log, squeeze it to make sure all of the ingredients stick to the dough. Then use a knife to chop across the swirl in half-inch slices. Squeeze each segment in your fist to make a nugget. It doesn’t have to be a ball, but it can be a ball. Toss these into a large mixing bowl.

Sliced segments of raw dough with ham and cheese filling.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

5. Drizzle the dough balls with butter and sprinkle salt and garlic powder into the bowl. I also added some dried parsley but this is really just for interest. Toss everything together with a rubber spatula. One or two of my dough bundles unraveled, and this is totally fine. Just don’t be too rough with them.

Butter drizzling on dough balls in a mixing bowl.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

6. Dump the garlic butter bundles into the buttered loaf pan and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes at 350°F. The loaf is finished when it’s fully risen, the edges and top are well-browned, and the center is firm when gently pressed. Biscuit dough will try to trick you with a nicely browned top, but make sure you press the center to see if it’s firm, otherwise you may have under-baked dough in the middle. You can also use a toothpick to check if it comes out dry. Cool for a few minutes before turning it out of the pan, or serve it while it’s still in the pan if that suits you.

Raw dough balls in loaf pan before baking
It’s okay if the dough balls don’t sit flat in the pan, the bread will settle down in the oven.
Credit: Allie Chantorn Reinmann

I kept returning to this loaf of savory biscuit bread for “just one more.” If you wanted to add egg, you could reduce the amount of ham and cheese slightly and chop a couple hard boiled eggs to add to the mix. Just sprinkle them in with the ham and cheese. For a large crowd, double or triple this recipe and use a bundt pan. Keep in mind that a bigger monkey bread will need more time to bake. 

Easy Ham and Cheese Monkey Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 tube canned biscuit dough (with 8 biscuits)

  • ¾ cup chopped cheese

  • ¾ cup chopped ham

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a loaf pan (I used an eight- by four-inch loaf pan). 

2. Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside. 

3. Flour a work surface, and open the can of biscuit dough. Peel each of the eight biscuits in half and slightly shingle them into a rectangular shape. Press the dough to flatten it and close up any gaps between the biscuits.

4. Sprinkle the chopped ham and cheese over the entire surface and press the pieces into the dough. Roll the dough into a spiral, starting at the long end closest to you. Squeeze the rolled dough tube tightly to secure all the pieces inside. 

5. Chop the dough log crosswise into quarter-inch segments. Squeeze each segment into ball-like shapes and toss them all into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the butter over the dough balls and sprinkle the garlic, salt, and parsley around the bowl. Toss gently but thoroughly with a rubber spatula.

6. Dump the ham and cheese balls into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 30-40 min or until the loaf is well risen and browned all the way around. Check doneness by pressing the center. It should feel firm. Alternatively, use a toothpick to check for doneness. If you feel like the top is over-browning but it needs more time, tent a piece of foil over the top. Cool the loaf briefly before serving. 



Source: LifeHacker – Make This Easy Ham and Cheese Monkey Bread on Christmas Breakfast

New Regulations Will Turn California Wastewater To Drinking Water

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The future of water may be changing in California. The state Water Resources Control Board has signed off on regulations to turn more recycled wastewater from our homes into drinking water. From a report: The regulations were approved unanimously by the board on Tuesday and now give the go-ahead for local water agencies to plan to turn wastewater into water we can drink through a process called Direct Potable Reuse. Darrin Polhemus, the division of drinking water director with the State Water Resources Control Board, said this approval was a very big step for California. “It really will be the highest quality water delivered in the state when it’s done,” Polhemus said.

California’s new rules would let, but not require, local water agencies to take wastewater from toilets or showers, treat it, and then put it right back into the drinking water system. “Direct potable reuse is just a really critical strategy for our state to have as we move to this new hydrology that we have, and as everyone has already said, increasing our resilience and reducing our reliance on imported water,” said Laurel Firestone, board member for the State Water Resources Control Board.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – New Regulations Will Turn California Wastewater To Drinking Water

NSF director: US Antarctic research has national impact

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Image of a large aircraft parked on the snow, with people milling nearby.

Enlarge (credit: Jean Varner, National Science Foundation)

The US National Science Foundation is one of the US’s primary means of supporting fundamental scientific research—its investments account for about 25 percent of federal support to America’s colleges and universities for basic research, or research driven by curiosity and discovery. But NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan has asked Ars for the opportunity to explain how the unique facilities that NSF supports in the Antarctic have value for both commercial interests and national security. In making this argument, he’s joined by Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas, who explains how NSF’s Antarctic research has had direct impacts on people in his district.

Antarctica’s geopolitical significance is understated. US involvement in Antarctica is a strategic necessity for scientific advancement, engineering breakthroughs, educational opportunities, and national security.

Today, global competition is fiercer than ever. For our nation to maintain global competitiveness in an era of shifting geopolitical power dynamics—notably where China seeks to expand its global influence—we must support the critical science and engineering research efforts happening at the bottom of our planet. While seven nations claim territories across the Antarctic continent, the US recognizes none and claims none, in full alignment with the Antarctic Treaty. The US, with the world’s most significant and influential presence in Antarctica, leads cooperatively to ensure interagency and international partnerships can succeed in everything from science to security.

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Source: Ars Technica – NSF director: US Antarctic research has national impact

Samsung adds medication tracking to its Health app

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Samsung has added a new medication tracking feature to its Health app and it’s expected to launch in the US when the app updates later this week. Using the new feature, you can set up alerts to remind yourself when to take medications and get reminders for when to request refills from your doctor.

When you enter a new medication into the app, you can log the shape and color of the pill, information about your prescribed dosage and the time you are scheduled to take the medication. The tool, which competes with the likes of GoodRx and Apple’s Medication app, will give you an overview of a drug’s use and possible side effects, including warnings about potential contraindications. Samsung says the information found within the app is backed by evidence-based content licensed from Elsevier, a publishing company that specializes in medical content.

To start using the new medication tracking tool when it launches, you need a smartphone with at least Android 8.0 and your Samsung Health app version needs to be updated to version 6.26 or later. The feature’s availability also might vary by device.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-adds-medication-tracking-to-its-health-app-174053413.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Samsung adds medication tracking to its Health app

[$] Looking back at 2023

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Yet another year has come to an end. Much to our dismay, 2023 did not, in
fact, happen exactly as we predicted back in
January. So it seems that, once again, we will have to go through the
process of looking at the predictions that we made and mocking each in
turn, before getting into what was missed altogether. A lot happened in
2023, not all of which was predictable.

Source: LWN.net – [$] Looking back at 2023

NASA's Moon-Bound Astronauts Prepare for Emergency Ahead of 2024 Launch

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Four astronauts are getting ready to travel to the Moon and back for NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, and the space agency is making sure that the crew is well-prepared in case things go wrong during the 10-day journey through space.

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Source: Gizmodo – NASA’s Moon-Bound Astronauts Prepare for Emergency Ahead of 2024 Launch

20 New and Returning TV Shows You Should Add to Your 2024 Watchlist

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Next year’s TV schedule has undergone a great deal of shuffling, for good reason: For months, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes held up production (also with good reason) on pretty much every major American production. As a result, release dates have been pushed back or pushed off the calendar entirely while scripts and filming schedules get back underway. On a couple of rare occasions, ready-to-go shows have moved up in the schedule to fill in. The shows below seem to have pretty firm dates, or at least narrow windows, but anything else is subject to change.

In addition to everything listed below, there are a few other heavy-hitters landing in 2024 without dates attached, nor even general timeframes…which probably means they’ll arrive somewhere closer to the end of the year. Those include Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, the final season of The Bad Batch, and Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, all on Disney+; Orphan Black: Echoes and season two of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire on AMC; Tiny Beautiful Things (with Kathryn Hahn) on Hulu; and even a Matlock reboot starring Kathy Bates, on CBS. We’ll keep you posted.

The Brothers Sun (January 4)

Brad Falchuk (American Horror Story, Scream Queens, Pose, etc.) co-created this dark comedy starring impossibly busy recent Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh as the matriarch of a Taiwanese family, trying to move on from the family’s criminal past…with mixed results. Sam Song Li also stars as Bruce, who grew up in California with no knowledge of his own family history until he’s drawn back in. It looks darkly funny and action packed in equal measures.

Where to watch: Netflix

Echo (January 10)

We first met Echo in the 2021 Hawkeye series, a relatively bright spot in Marvel’s increasingly inconsistent output. Her upcoming solo series sees Alaqua Cox return to the role of Maya Lopez, a deaf assassin who once worked for Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk. Here, she’s on the run from Fisk, returning to her hometown in Oklahoma to come to terms with her past and to reconnect with her family and her roots in the Choctaw Nation. This is to be Marvel’s first TV-MA show, and all episodes are dropping on Hulu and Disney+ simultaneously. Echo is a riskier character to take on in terms of name recognition, but it sounds like the show could be a welcome shift away from multiversal stakes of the mainline MCU in favor of something more personal. Charlie Cox also reprises his role as Daredevil, hinting at his own return to Disney+ in the future.

Where to watch: Disney+, Hulu

True Detective: Night Country (January 14)

After three seasons, creator Nic Pizzolatto is stepping away from showrunner’s chair in favor of filmmaker Issa López, director of the rather brilliant Tigers Are Not Afraid; López is also writing and directing all six episodes of season four. Set in Ennis, Alaska, the new season will find (true) detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) investigating the disappearances of eight men who operated the Tsalal Arctic Research Station. Sounds appropriately creepy.

Where to watch: Max

The Woman in the Wall (January 19)

This British import stars Ruth Wilson as Lorna Brady, a woman with a history of sleepwalking dating back to her time in one of Ireland’s notorious Magdalene laundries—workhouses for “fallen” women, or those without familial support. She wakes up one morning to find a corpse in her house, and no knowledge of who the person was or how they died. The mystery ends up tying back to Lorna’s past, naturally. Wilson received stellar reviews for her performance during the miniseries’ initial BBC run.

Where to watch: Showtime

Sexy Beast (January 25)

This could be cool, or it could be an example of the nostalgia train having gone once more off the rails. It’s a prequel to Jonathan Glazer’s 2000 British gangster film of the same name, with James McArdle taking over the role of Gal from Ray Winstone and Emun Elliott subbing in for Ben Kingsley as Don in a show chronicling the early years of their budding partnership. There’s no trailer yet, so you’ll have to settle for catching up on the original movie.

Where to watch: Paramount+

Masters of the Air (January 26)

A spiritual successor to both Band of Brothers and The Pacific (all of them produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks), this latest WWII-era miniseries follows the real-life 100th Bomb Group of the United States Air Force, best known for suffering heavy losses during combat missions. The cast includes Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, and reigning Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa.

Where to watch: Apple TV+

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (January 31)

The first season of Feud, starring Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, respectively, came out way back in 2017. The followup installment of this Ryan Murphy anthology series is finally upon us, focusing on Truman Capote’s tempestuous relationship with the women of New York society in the ’50s and ’60s (which mostly involved him cozying up to them before writing bitchy, thinly veiled accounts of their private lives). Tom Hollander is playing Capote alongside Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore, and Molly Ringwald as his friends/fodder. It’s one helluva cast, and the stable of episode directors includes Gus Van Sant, Max Winkler, and Jennifer Lynch.

Where to watch: FX

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (February 2)

Riffing on the 2005 Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie action-comedy (and not the Alfred Hitchcock rom-com), this series reboot sees Donald Glover and Maya Erskine (in a role originally intended for Phoebe Waller-Bridge)in the title roles as married spies. Glover also serves as co-creator and producer.

Where to watch: Prime Video

The Equalizer, Season 4 (February 18)

It’s not the buzziest series, but Queen Latifah’s Equalizer has been a solid performer for CBS, blending the Tiffany network’s signature style of police procedural with style and a genuine social conscience. Presumably, Robyn McCall will continue to champion helpless New Yorkers while raising her daughter, and doing it all in impeccable style.

Where to watch: CBS

Avatar: The Last Airbender (February 22)

M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series isn’t exactly beloved, so I guess there’s nowhere to go but up? Netflix’s recent live-action take on the One Piece anime was well received, but they also did a pretty dismal adaptation of Cowboy Bebop that was cancelled almost immediately. So…best of three, maybe?

Where to watch: Netflix

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (February 25)

Those of us who lost track of The Walking Dead a long time ago might be surprised to learn that we’re about to witness the sixth spin-off of the recently concluded original series (Daryl Dixon and Dead City are also likely to see second season premieres in 2024 or early 2025). The focus here is on Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) in the aftermath of Rick’s apparent death way back in 2018. They’re joined by Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh), with the show promising a more definite conclusion for two of TWD’s most beloved characters.

Where to watch: AMC

Shōgun (February 27)

The James Clavell novel on which this new series is based was first adapted way back in 1980, during the golden age of the epic TV miniseries. But everything old is new again, so here we are, back to Japan at the turn of the 17th century . Starring Cosmo Jarvis, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Anna Sawai, the series involves a shipwrecked English sailor, a powerful daimyo, and the woman samurai who becomes the link between them, despite her disreputable lineage. The novel takes a very Eurocentric approach to its exploration of Japanese history, so it’ll be interesting to see if the series goes in a different direction, especially with some actual Japanese people involved behind the scenes.

Where to watch: FX

Apples Never Fall (March)

Liane Moriarty’s novels have been adapted with quite a bit of success in the past: HBO’s Big Little Lies draws from one of her books, as does Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers. This latest follows the Delaney family, whose four siblings are forced to confront their dark family history following the disappearance of their mother, Joy (Annette Benning)—a disappearance in which their father, Stand (Sam Neill), is a person of interest. Alison Brie, Jake Lacy, and Georgie Flood also star.

Where to watch: Peacock

Palm Royale (March 20)

This stylish-looking period comedy follows Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig) “as she endeavors to break into Palm Beach high society” in 1969. The cast is wild: Wiig is joined by Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Carol Burnett, and Mindy Cohn, among others. It’s based on the novel Mr. and Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel

Where to watch: Apple TV+

3 Body Problem (March 21)

Adaptations of Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy have been bandied about since the book’s original release back in 2008, with a Chinese-language miniseries adaptation having done well earlier this year. This American take comes to us via the pair behind HBO’s Game of Thones, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, joined by Alexander Woo. The series moves from past, to the present, and into the future with Rosalind Chao (The Joy Luck Club, Star Trek: The Next Generation), beginning with the story of Ye Wenjie, whose parents were killed during the Cultural Revolution, an event that sets her life on a course that eventually leads her to confront an extraterrestrial threat to all of humanity.

Where to watch: Netflix

Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5 (April)

The wellspring of all modern Trek is coming to an end with a 10-episode fifth season, premiering in April. Sonequa Martin-Green and the rest of the main crew are all returning for a mission that will “send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries.” The Disco era of Trek doesn’t end here, though: a Section 31 movie, with Michelle Yeoh reprising her Philippa Georgiou role, is in production, and a Starfleet Academy spin-off set in Discovery‘s far-future timeline is in development.

Where to watch: Paramount+

Fallout (April 12)

The creators of Westworld, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, took their new sci-fi show to Prime Video, presumably with hope that it won’t get cancelled right before the end and then dumped unceremoniously. (Though the post-renewal cancellation of The Peripheral doesn’t bode well.) Anyway! This one’s an adaptation of the post-apocalyptic video game series, telling the story of Lucy (Ella Purnell), who is forced to leave her subterranean bunker for the first time in her life to face a world full of mutants and humans, without any other goals than to stay alive. Think Last of Us, but with more of a sense of humor. Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, and Moisés Arias also star.

Where to watch: Prime Video

Bridgerton, Season 3 (May 16)

The latest season of Shonda Rhimes’ lively take on Regency romance is set to focus on Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), aka Lady Whistledown herself, who decides to move on from her infatuation with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) just as he’s ready to take the plunge. Romantic complications will certainly ensue. The third season (not including the Queen Charlotte spin-off) will be split into two parts, with the first half dropping on May 16, and the second coming on June 13.

Where to watch: Netflix

House of the Dragon (Summer)

You can’t keep a good dragon down, nor a bad Targaryen, so the Game of Thrones follow-up is back next summer. It’s one of a few major series not to have been delayed by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, thanks to its UK-based contracts.

Where to watch: HBO, Max

Yellowstone, Season 5b (November)

It’s hard to believe Taylor Sheridan’s powerhouse series is coming to an end, with the final run of six episodes beginning in November. Fear not, though, there’s still plenty of Yellowstone-adjacent TV to come: the Sam Elliott-led spin-off miniseries 1883 is done, as is the David Oyelowo Bass Reeves mini, but 1923 (with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren) is returning for a second season at some point. Also in production are 1944, 6666 (set in the present), and a direct sequel series rumored to star Matthew McConaughey. You’ll have to say goodbye to Kevin Costner, but the Yellowstone-verse goes on.

Where to watch: Paramount Network



Source: LifeHacker – 20 New and Returning TV Shows You Should Add to Your 2024 Watchlist