At long last, Apple TV+‘s Severance made an unsettling return to office last week, and it was just like old times. Kind of. Series creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller tossed some curveballs right away as this show’s satire of corporate culture and work-life balance returned to pile more mysteries upon existing viewer theories.
That is, Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan regrouped to make sense out of what three of them learned in the Outie world. One of them delivered an inaccurate rendition of what transpired. The show should follow up on that discrepancy, but will it? There’s a more pressing question at the moment, however.
When Will Severance Season 2, Episode 2 Be Available?
January 24. This week’s episode is titled “Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig,” and Apple TV+ has provided a description: “Outie Mark contemplates the meaning of a message. Helena, Irving, and Dylan grapple with the fallout of the Overtime Contingency.” And clearly, Milchick has not been in a dancing mood while he sorts out the PR mess ignited by the core four.
This season will stream a weekly episode until March 21, and Erickson/Stiller have planned for a four-season run to finish the story. One can bet, as well, that they took the three-year-wait complaints under consideration, so they’ll likely do what’s possible to shorten that gap. Still, Severance is a hellaciously expensive show to produce and an intricately staged one that is already a money maker despite the long wait, so the team is doing something right.
And now, we will go sit in the break room and await more goat action.
I’ve never been the biggest fan of Chick-fil-A’s Waffle Fries. All in all, I think they’re just fine. They get the job done. They’re a worthy side to a Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Deluxe sandwich. In our comprehensive ranking of 36 different fast food french fries, we asked, “are Chick-fil-A’s Waffle Fries actually good or are they just novel?”
I’m convinced it’s the latter. Chick-fil-A’s Waffle Fries are beloved because they’re one of the few waffle-cut fries in fast food, and they’re natural, earthy, and adequately salted, which most fast food french fries aren’t. We ranked them 15th, sufficiently mid-tier.
Having said all that — I cannot for the life of me figure out who at Chick-fil-A is getting paid entirely too much money to come up with dumb ideas like suggesting the recipe be changed.
You may have heard buzzing in the last few weeks that Chick-fil-A’s new Waffle Fries are trash. If you cruise the Chick-fil-A Reddit board you’ll find countless, and I really do mean countless, threads about how much the new fries suck.
Which got us wondering: how bad are they? So we ordered up a fresh batch, at them on-site for the absolute best experience, and, well, we’ve got a lot of thoughts. Let’s dive in.
Chick-fil-A’s New Waffle Fries Review
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
So, what exactly is different about these new fries? Pea starch. Chick-fil-A states that this minor change “offers the same great taste while also making our Waffle Potato Fries stay crispier, longer.” And we can confirm that part of that is true.
For the entire duration of my meal, my fries stayed crispy. The once floppy waffle fries now have an audible crunch and a texture to them, but when it comes to the “same great taste,” we have to push back on that. Straight up, these fries don’t taste the same as they used to. That buttery, earthy flavor of the original is gone. Instead, these fries just taste like salt, or whatever else you put on them.
Dane Rivera
While the pea starch itself is flavorless, the coating significantly muddles the base flavor of the potato, resulting in something way more bland. Now granted, you can fix this by dipping your fries, or dressing them up in some black pepper (which I did halfway through my meal), but straight out of the bag? These things are a shadow of what they once were.
It’s a frustrating change because they’re not so different that it’s going to ruin your meal, we’re convinced people will get used to this change, but what’s annoying is they are so obviously inferior to the old recipe. What you gain in crispiness, you lose in overall flavor.
The Bottom Line:
If you dip your fries in sauce or dress them up in a lot of salt and pepper, you likely won’t notice much of a difference aside from a bit more crunch.
While we wouldn’t go as far as saying the new fries suck, they are a definite step down from the OG.
The New York Jets have been the laughingstock of the NFL for more than a decade, as they have not made the playoffs since the 2010 season and have just one winning season in those 14 years. They have had four head coaches (and one interim) in that time period and drafted two QBs in the top 10 (and another in the second round), but no one has been able to crack the code on how to get the Jets back to decency.
That task now falls on the shoulders of Aaron Glenn, as the former All-Pro corner for the Jets will return to the Meadowlands as their head coach after spending the last four years as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, per Ian Rapoport, Adam Schefter, Diana Russini, and others. Glenn was widely regarded as one of the top head coaching candidates in this year’s cycle (along with Detroit’s other coordinator, Ben Johnson, who is now in Chicago). He is a beloved figure in Detroit and the Jets are hoping he can build the kind of culture of competing and winning that has been absent from the Jets facility for more than a decade.
The first order of business for Glenn and whoever they hire as the new GM in New York is to figure out the quarterback situation, as it seems highly unlikely Aaron Rodgers returns for another season under center. From there, there is some talent on the Jets roster, and Glenn will look to put the puzzle pieces in the right place to finally turn the Jets into a competitive squad in the AFC.
Larry June cruises the nighttime LA streets with his collaborators in tow in his new video for “Bad Choices” featuring 2 Chainz and The Alchemist. The surprise track features a signature lilting sample from the LA producer, as 2 Chainz and June deploy some of their low-key luxury flexes, wondering on the chorus, “Where all the good girls that make bad choices?”
We may only be three weeks into the new year, but Larry June has, as always, hit the ground running with a slew of new videos for singles including “Jan 14th” and “I Ain’t Stoppin.” As none of the three new songs appeared on his 2024 album, Doing It For Me, it’s probably safe to assume that he’s got yet another new project on the way sooner or later.
2 Chainz, meanwhile, has been more or less out of sight since very early last year. His last full-length project was 2023’s Welcome 2 Collegrove with Lil Wayne, and his last solo album, Dope Don’t Sell Itself, came out in 2022, so he’s also probably due a new release sometime in the near future. The third member of this triumvirate, Alchemist, stays busy, however, producing for everybody from Big Sean to Kendrick Lamar last year, even getting peripherally entangled in the Compton rapper’s feud with Drake. You can bet good money he’ll be dropping something new this year as well.
Watch Larry June and The Alchemist’s “Bad Choices” video featuring 2 Chainz up top.
Netflix is ready to be your sweetheart for the coming month (after you’ve binged The Night Agent‘s new season and need to forget about Peter Sutherland for a few months). The streaming service will be largely rolling with Valentine’s counterprogramming (other than launching a new Love Is Blind season), and that’s just fine. So pull up a cozy chair for the end of Cobra Kai, the continuation of grifting stories, a bridge for The Witcher‘s next supply of wigs, and a limited series with Jesse Plemons, whose character will surely not threaten anybody in the process. Maybe.
Here’s everything coming to Netflix in February:
Cobra Kai: Season 6 Part 3 (Netflix series 2/13)
Say it with me: “COBRA KAI NEVER DIES!” Those are the words coming from both Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso in tandem in the above teaser. The final five episodes will put a vow on a forty-year saga. Of course, this series will be followed by the Karate Kid: Legends movie later this year, but first, the Sekai Taikai competition must come to a close, and somebody really needs to give Terry Silver a wedgie on the way out the door. Who’s gonna step up to that challenge? My money is on Chozen. (In all seriousness, the creative trio of Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg handled the The Karate Kid revival series with unadulterated respect, and good on ’em.)
Apple Cider Vinegar: Limited Series (Netflix series 2/6)
This series is bringing grifting back with Kaitlyn Dever (The Last Of Us‘s second season) and Alycia Debnam-Carey (Fear The Walking Dead) on opposite sides of a battle for Instagram glory over wellness remedies that surely don’t deliver as promised. The story is based upon The Woman Who Fooled the World, the 2017 book from investigative journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, and expect some Inventing Anna-scale drama about a deadly serious subject.
Zero Day: Season 1 (Netflix series 2/20)
Jesse Plemons has a knack for surfacing in political-adjacent thrillers about dire crises and scaring the hell out of everyone. This movie does, however, more prominently star Robert De Niro as an ex-president who helps trace a deadly cyberattack after it kills thousands of U.S. citizens. This limited series also stars Lizzy Caplan, Angela Bassett, and Matthew Modine and hails from Narcos creator Eric Newman. Also, the heightened reality of this series could maybe, just maybe, be a fine distraction from you know what.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (Netflix animated film 2/11)
This animated placeholder movie will take Geralt of Rivia into the sea, where he will apparently fight monsters that threaten land. And from here, Liam Hemsworth will take over the leather pants from Henry Cavill (with that handoff coming at an undetermined date this year).
Avail. TBA A Copenhagen Love Story
Graveyard: Season 2 Roosters
Too Hot to Handle: Germany: Season 2
Avail. 2/1 SAKAMOTO DAYS
Cult of Chucky
From Prada to Nada
Happy Feet
Happy Feet Two
Home Improvement: Seasons 1-8 It (2017) Magic Mike XXL
Miss Congeniality
The Nice Guys
Parasite
Queen & Slim
Richie Rich
Space Jam (1996) Spanglish
Two Weeks Notice
The Wedding Planner
Avail. 2/2 The Founder
Avail. 2/3 Bogotá: City of the Lost
Avail. 2/4 The Graham Norton Show: Best Bits: The Week of January 24, 2025
Avail. 2/5 Alone Australia: Season 1 Celebrity Bear Hunt
Envious: Season 2 Grimsburg: Season 1 Kinda Pregnant
Prison Cell 211
Sintonia: Season 5
Avail. 2/6 Apple Cider Vinegar
Cassandra
Golden Kamuy -The Hunt of Prisoners in Hokkaido-
Supreme Models: Limited Series
Sweet Magnolias: Season 4
Avail. 2/7 A Different World: Seasons 1-6 The Conners: Season 6 The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan
Pokémon Horizons: Season 2 Wrong Side of the Tracks: Season 4
Avail. 2/8 SAKAMOTO DAYS
Spencer
Avail. 2/10 Aftermath
American Pickers: Season 16 Rambo (2008) Rambo: Last Blood
Surviving Black Hawk Down
Avail. 2/11 Felipe Esparza: Raging Fool
The Graham Norton Show: Best Bits: The Week of January 31, 2025 Peninsula
Train to Busan
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep
Avail. 2/12 Death Before the Wedding
Honeymoon Crasher
Avail. 2/13 Cobra Kai: Season 6: Part 3 Dog Days Out
The Exchange: Season 2 La Dolce Villa
Resident Alien: Season 3 Trial by Fire
Avail. 2/14 I Am Married…But!
Love Is Blind: Season 8 Melo Movie
Valeria: Season 4 Dhoom Dhaam
Love Forever
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
Umjolo: There is No Cure
Avail. 2/15 SAKAMOTO DAYS
Avail. 2/16 Don’t Let Go
Gold
Ted 2
Avail. 2/17 Gabby’s Dollhouse: Season 11
Avail. 2/18 Court of Gold
The Graham Norton Show: Best Bits: The Week of February 7, 2025 Offline Love
Rosebud Baker: The Mother Lode
Avail. 2/19 My Family
To Catch a Killer
Avail. 2/20 Operation Finale
Zero Day
Avail. 2/22
SAKAMOTO DAYS
Avail. 2/23 The 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Avail. 2/25 Full Swing: Season 3 The Graham Norton Show: Best Bits: The Week of February 14, 2025 Really Love
Watcher
Avail. 2/26 Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Seasons 5-6 Miss Italia Mustn’t Die
Avail. 2/27 Demon City
Running Point
Toxic Town
The Wrong Track
Avail. 2/28 Aitana: Metamorphosis
Despicable Me 4
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Squad 36
And it’s your last chance to stream these titles:
Leaving 2/1 Cocaine Cowboys 2
Plus One
Run All Night
Leaving 2/11 The Fast and the Furious
2 Fast 2 Furious
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Fast Five
Fast & Furious 6
The Pope’s Exorcist
Leaving 2/14 The Catcher Was a Spy
White Boy
Leaving 2/15 47 Meters Down: Uncaged
Blackhat
Pearl
Leaving 2/20 Book Club
Southpaw
Leaving 2/21 All Good Things
Leaving 2/24 U Turn
Leaving 2/25 Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Seasons 1-2
Leaving 2/28 21 Bridges
A Haunted House
A Haunted House 2
Aloha
The Angry Birds Movie
Blended
Cinderella Man
Due Date
Green Lantern
Inception
Legends of the Fall
Little
The Mindy Project: Seasons 1-6 Oblivion
The Other Guys
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Sixteen Candles
Stand by Me
Without a Paddle
After more than a decade without a college football game, EA Sports College Football 25 was a sight for sore eyes. Football fans were so starved for a CFB game that they made it the best-selling sports title in video game history, and I think for the most part people enjoyed the game. There were, as always in simulation games, some hiccups, but the game absolutely scratched the itch that we all wanted it to.
Earlier this month, EA Sports confirmed the game will be back for this summer for another edition (which was a lock given how well it sold), and we are hopeful they will build off of their success to make ’26 even better. The ’25 edition was, by design, a fairly stripped down model as they wanted to get the important things right and had to spend a ton of development time just building out all of the things that make college football what it is — stadiums, mascots, bands, traditions, etc. Now that they have all of that done, we hope they can shift a bit more focus to the game play and game modes to give them more depth. Here, we identified six things that we hope will be the focal points of ’26 and make it a game worth investing in again as fans.
Coordinator mode in Dynasty
I absolutely love Dynasty mode, and think that for the most part, they got it right in their first year back. My one gripe is that I’d love it if you could choose to start your career as a straight-up coordinator with your responsibilities being exclusive to being a coordinator. That means only calling plays and recruiting on one side of the ball, and then when you take a head coaching job, your team has an edge in one way or another that is in line with your coaching archetype — for example, if you’re a recruiter who starts as a defensive coordinator, when you take a HC job, you automatically have a leg-up in recruiting defensive talent, but recruiting on offense and in-game/player development stuff on both sides of the ball is something you have to work on. It’d be a fun way, I think, to make the climb to becoming a successful head coach a little more difficult.
Make coordinator hires mean more
Kind of going off of that: There’s a very delicate balance that needs to be struck between making this matter and making the game more difficult. Having said that, I think leaning into coordinators having specific archetypes and there being consequences related to your coordinators would be a fun twist. Part of this comes via their specific archetypes — say, hiring a recruiter means player development is harder and in-game stuff is more difficult — but also, coordinators taking head coaching jobs and bringing players from their current school is a common thing in college football. Why would that not be a common thing here?
How To Play mode
I know a lot of people who still complain about, say, how many interceptions they throw, while I know I can really struggle with the defensive side of things. A big part of this, in my opinion, is that you get thrown right into games, and have to learn stuff based entirely on in-game reps. John Madden wanted the Madden franchise to exist as a way to teach fans the game, so why not do something in the spirit of that here? Give fans an instructional mode where they can learn how to follow their blocks in the running game, or how to read coverages before the snap and during a play, or how to understand defensive assignments/gap integrity/whatever else on that side of the ball. A lot of people went a long, long time without seriously playing a football video game, so this can help them get up to speed now that a college football game is back.
Bring back Mascot Mashup
Self-explanatory. If you played the game when Mascot Mashup was in it, you get it. If you did not, imagine playing an exhibition game, only with mascots. It rocks. Next!
Back to the drawing board for Road To Glory
In the game’s first year back, EA Sports made it very clear that Dynasty mode was the focal point. That was the correct decision, as it’s the mode people play the most and is what made the original game so popular. While there are things to improve there (as discussed), it has the strongest foundation for them to build on. Road To Glory, on the other hand, was a swing and a miss.
The stated goal for RTG was to have it be a shorter playthrough option (10-20 hours) but the truth is, it was just a very shallow career mode experience. They attempted to make it realistic by making you balance your time across different areas, but there wasn’t anything really to do other than practice or push a button to study/get treatment/etc. I don’t know what exactly the formula should be, but they either need to go all-in on making that part of the game more interactive (which, to be clear, could lead to backlash) or scrap it all together and just really lean on the football part of things. I know they want to replicate the “student athlete” experience, but what they did in ’25 just didn’t work.
Even the on-field portion of the game left something to be desired. At the non-QB positions, rotations made little sense and you could be a star at running back who would go long stretches without playing or touching the ball because you had no influence on play-calling or who was in the game. Coach Trust was vital (it literally determined if you’d play), but even as a veteran star QB, your ability to influence play-calling was extremely limited. All of that is perhaps realistic to being a college football player, but it’s also a miserable experience for a video game mode.
There has to be a better middle ground between creating a simulation of the authentic college athlete experience and making a video game mode that is fun to play for more than a season. I tried a few different times at a few different positions and never got more than a year and a half into a RTG career before I just stopped playing and went back to Dynasty. There was little depth, very little that changed from year-to-year, and even playing the games could be wildly frustrating. If that’s going to change for ’26, they need to go back to the drawing board and figure out where to really add depth to the mode, where to possibly scale back (or eliminate all together), and be more cognizant that the entertainment and fun factor should matter more than creating the most realistic mode.
Some combination of the following players on the cover
Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Garrett Nussmeier and Harold Perkins, LSU
Arch Manning, Texas
Ryan Williams, Alabama
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Drew Allar, Penn State
Dylan Stewart and LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
DJ Lagway, Florida
Lucy Dacus has long been a supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community (and is a member herself), and now she has launched a new venture that’s putting her money where her mouth is.
On X (formerly Twitter) today (January 22), Dacus wrote:
“if trans people wanna comment surgery gofundmes, I’m gonna give away 10k in $500 increments until it’s gone, & if other people wanna scroll through and make donations, please do. the government will never be the source of our validation or protection, we have to do it ourselves.”
As of this post, Dacus’ tweet has over 300 replies, many of them linking to GoFundMe pages.
This comes after President Donald Trump said during his recent inaugural address, “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”
He expanded on that in an executive order titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government,” which reads in part, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality. Under my direction, the Executive Branch will enforce all sex-protective laws to promote this reality.” It goes on to define and address terms like “sex,” “woman,” “man,” “female,” “male,” “gender ideology,” and “gender identity.”
Heart To Gold wear their hearts on their sleeves. The Minneapolis emo/punk trio, composed of vocalist-guitarist Grant Whiteoak, bassist Jim Kiser, and drummer Blake Kuether, write soaring anthems filled with cathartic choruses and blistering breakdowns. Their third full-length album, the Will Yip-produced Free Help, oozes with the band’s belief in their vision and why that self-assurance often yields an honest portrait of their artistry.
Having wrapped up a tour with Mannequin Pussy, Movements, and Softcult (plus some supporting slots for Militarie Gun, Ben Quad, and Prince Daddy And The Hyena), Heart To Gold paid attention to the moments of their live show that resonated most with audiences. Bringing those elements into Yip’s Studio 4 resulted in Free Help, their most intoxicating work yet.
Following the album’s release in November, Whiteoak sat down with Uproxx to talk about Katy Perry, King Krule, margherita pizza, and more in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Loud, abrasive, energetic, fun.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered for being a glimmer of light in a pattern of darkness. For being one of the best organically live alternative punk rock bands.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Probably Kurt Cobain, King Krule, or John Dwyer. All three have things that make them uniquely themselves. They have something that others don’t. That’s really inspiring. Skateboarding has been a huge influence also.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
Punch Pizza. It was a margherita pizza.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
Weezer with the Pixies haha. Seeing them as a headliner in a stadium was pretty magical. Crazy pyrotechnics.
What song never fails to make you emotional?
“These Days,” the Jackson Browne version. Makes me think about my parents. Also “I’m Having A Rave In My Room All By Myself” by Memo Boy. Both beautiful songs.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
How to spell “Giuseppe”.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Oh man. We’ve camped illegally in a few forestry areas and playgrounds. Maybe some crusty hardwood floor in the Midwest. Some little kids room with stuffed animals or something.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?
Minneapolis, MN. Next up I would love to perform “Tokyo” in Tokyo, Japan.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Start right now lil bro. Don’t wait to make rock/punk tracks. Avoid the wacky outfits for attention, specifically beach shirts. You’ll feel better about it all when you’re in your late 20s.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
We could make some really beautiful quieter alt-rock indie shit if we wanted. We can jam together pretty good.
If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?
Suicide prevention. Lost some real ones in the mix of life. Depression is hard. We all need help.
What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?
I’m cool with it until it isn’t cool I guess. Hard to say. A bit scary and even dystopian. I’m not going to stop making music the way we do it now. All I’d say is that if it turns out to spiral out of control and cause more harm than progress – we as a species may have asked for it.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.
Somewhere in London. Too hard!
Right now I’d say King Krule/George Clanton collab set, Mannequin Pussy, Turnstile, Underoath, H2G/Hotline TNT/Title Fight secret set.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?
Haha I have no idea. Maybe Djbonerboy. Giuseppe’s Garage. Aldo2swag.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
Well it would be my grandmother’s name, or “fuck” poorly tattooed on my back. Enough said.
What is your pre-show ritual?
Run. Punch the air. Vocal warm-ups. Jumps. Handstands. Then we put our hands together and say “1, 2, 3, – H, 2, G!”
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Katy Perry.
You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?
I’m going to Whistler Canada on a snowboard trip with my snowboard dawgs Tom, Sid, & Blake.
What is your biggest fear?
Fear itself for sure. For days.
Free Help is out now via Memory Music. Find more information here.
In the Disney+ era, there’s been seven live-action Star Wars shows: The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew. Of those, The Mandalorian is the most popular (it’s even being turned into a movie), Skeleton Crew is the most Stranger Things-y, and The Book of Boba Fett has the most Hutt twins. But Andor is the best.
The prequel to Rogue One, which itself is a prequel to Star Wars, is exactly what a Star Wars show should be. And fortunately, after a long break, it’s coming back for a second and final season soon. Here’s everything to know.
Plot
Andor season 2 will bridge the gap between the ending of Andor season 1, in which Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna) demands that Rebel leader Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) either kill him or recruit him, and Rogue One. “I think people watching Rogue One, after watching season 2, are going to see a different film,” Luna shared to Entertainment Weekly.
Disney+ has yet to release an official synopsis for season 2, but the cast and creator Tony Gilroy have given some hints about what fans can expect.
“He’s a man fully committed to the Rebellion,” Luna told Empire about Cassian. “It’s someone who has to ascend. There’s a huge mountain for him to climb in order to [become] the guy we meet in Rogue One.”
“This second part of our story will follow Cassian over the period of four years as he grows into the rebel hero we see fulfill his destiny with the ultimate sacrifice in Rogue One. Every slice of time charts Cassian’s evolution into our revolution, but in this season, the stakes are greater, the enemy is more organized, and the clock is ticking. As the imperial threat grows and the lines have become more dangerous, Cassian is fueled by a sense of high purpose: to fight for freedom and a better tomorrow.”
The La Máquina actor also hyped the (re)introduction of K-2, a fan favorite droid from Rogue One. “From an audience perspective, they’ve probably made their own story about how Cassian and K-2 got to work together,” he said. “It tells you a lot about Cassian that his best friend is a droid. And a droid he had to reprogram. But how did that actually happen and who was he before? Those questions are going to be answered.” (Another Rogue One character in Andor season 2? Imperial baddie Orson Krennic, played by Ben Mendelsohn.)
The positive response to Andor, which was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys and appeared on numerous Best Shows Of 2022 lists, gave creator Tony Gilroy the flexibility to take creative chances in season 2. “The critical appreciation of the show was really helpful, if not essential, in helping Disney choke down the price of what this is,” he told Empire (the two seasons reportedly cost a collective $645 million). “In terms of creative notes, no one has come to me and said, ‘No, they shouldn’t say that.’”
Cast
Much of the Andor season 1 cast will be back in season 2, including Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael, Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen, Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Denise Gough as Deedra Meero, and Kyle Soller as Syril Karn.
Oscar winner Forest Whitaker is confirmed to return as Saw Gerrera, as is Ben Mendelsohn as Orson Krennic. And don’t forget Alan Tudyk as K-2SO!
Release Date
Andor returns to Disney+ a few weeks before Star Wars Day, on April 22.
Trailer
A teaser trailer for Andor season 2 debuted at D23, but it hasn’t been released ro the public yet. So until then, why not revisit Kino Loy’s stirring monologue?
And it was where I discovered SaxKixAve, a two-man duo hailing from New Orleans consisting of two guys named “Al.” Albert Allenback — the white Al — is an accomplished musician turned producer, who had played with bands like Tank And The Bangas. Alfred Banks, the rapper, is a mainstay of the city’s indie-rap scene. The pair had been making music together since early 2020, but I came across them on TikTok as a result of their wickedly ingenious promotion strategy on the app.
Aside from sharing a monosyllabic diminutive first name, the thing that really bonded these two was their sharp, dry sense of humor, which translated into shorts featuring the duo standing side-by-side deadpanning their way through live performances of both their own songs and covers of rap classics with freestyles from the deceptively polished Alfred. His witty raps might reference their matching ensembles (very high cut shorts, mile-high man-buns), the cartoons and TV shows playing on the TV behind them, or Albert’s purposefully off-beat bopping.
Rather than doing a broad overview of “what TikTok means,” wouldn’t it be interesting to find out how it affects the artists who most directly benefit from the opportunities and tools it provides? With that question in mind, I reached out to SaxKixAve for an interview. There was just one problem; as it happens, they weren’t sweating the then-impending (since postponed) loss of a potential promotion platform/revenue stream.
“We had a cross-platform approach from the jump,” Albert said. “So, when we first started making videos and tried and when we actually had the social media strategy. Because the way the platforms work, we’re like an Uber driver with a decentralized form of authority changing the rules constantly, formats change, algorithms change. And so we made sure that we were posting on both platforms, but we also got lucky that we broke through on Instagram around the same time that we did on TikTok. So we are not feeling super pressed about it, because we have such a large Instagram presence.”
Alfred echoed his ambivalence, saying, “I’m in the middle. I’m not really scared, but I am like, “Aw man,” because we did a mass nice little following there, but at the same time, again, out the gate, I remember when we first kind of broke through on TikTok, I was like, “Yo Al, if we breaking on the Gram, that’s how we…” And then, we broke through. We’ve always posted on four to five different accounts every time. So when you see a video on TikTok, that video is on the ‘Gram, it’s on YouTube, it’s on Facebook, it’s on X, and it’s on Threads now. So, that’s what we’ve always done. And so, I think we’ll be okay.”
However, with that out of the way, there was still plenty to talk about: The group’s newly released album, Terrell Charbonneau (so titled from the duo’s middle names), their upcoming collaboration with New Orleans icon Big Freedia, their Abbott and Costello-inspired double act, and what happens when you play Paul Simon at a Juvenile concert in Baton Rouge — all of which discussed through a nonstop barrage of jokes and the requisite laughs they evoked.
Okay, so you guys basically wrecked my entire plan for this. You posted the Big Freedia video, literally like 90 minutes before we were supposed to do this interview. So now I have to ask about Big Freedia, which I wasn’t planning on doing. What’s the plan with Big Freedia guys?
Albert: It’s on our song “Tryna Get Down,” and we’ve got a remix with Freedia on our song Tryna Get Down, because the song itself, while it’s not a bounce beat, it comes from the energy of the bounce rhythm from down here. So, it just fit Freedia. Like I can’t listen to the original now because Freedia completed the song.
Alfred: Being from New Orleans and also being formally of the management company that we all were a part of, we encountered Freedia a lot in passing and doing shows and stuff. So it was just, I think, inevitable that at some point we were going to do a record — and shouts to Freedia for being so gracious. Pulled up, did the work, was out of there. It’s a beautiful thing.
I think it’s fascinating how tight-knit the New Orleans musical community really is. It doesn’t matter if you’re the biggest star there, or just up and coming, so many of the New Orleans artists are just plugged in. Can you talk about that? Where do you think that comes from?
Alfred: Well, I guess at the base of it, all we have is us, right? And all we have is us, all we have is the community here. That’s what our foundation is based off of collaborating with each other frequently and in so many different ways. So we have to collaborate, even if you are this big act, because nine times out of 10 we’re probably related, right? Somebody’s auntie is somebody’s cousin. My father told me before he passed away, that I was third cousins with Fats Domino.
Albert: Hard stop. Hard stop. You’re a nepo baby? I can’t even do this with you anymore. We can’t have a privileged, beautiful white man and a f*cking nepo baby.
Here is a very, very short answer from someone who’s not from the town. And I think that people from New Orleans are so good at music that people from New Orleans can barely enjoy music, so that when they find ultra talented amongst themselves, they gravitate towards those people.
Terrell Charbonneau is you guys’ longest project to date. I went back noticed, “Oh, they’re slowly getting longer and longer as they go along.” Was that something that was intentional or has that just been a natural outcropping of you guys’ chemistry growing over the years?
Albert: I don’t appreciate having my soul read that accurately. There’s things we have consciously tried to carry forward. I think it was during Nectarine Peels, we looked at each other and we were like, I as a producer, I was like, “I can make full songs now, dude.”
Alfred: Yeah, the projects getting longer… The first project I Don’t Wear Suits was really me and Albert feeling each other out. It was kind like, okay, I want to get weird lyrically I want to do some weird stuff. You’re capable of making this weird stuff and you want to start collaborating in a more hip hop space, so let’s get together and see what happens.
Nectarine Peels is like, okay, we’ve kind of created a synergy here to where we both enjoy creating with each other. That was first. We enjoy creating with each other, so let’s really get in and make a project. Let’s make an album. That’s what that is. Terrell Charbonneau, it actually started off as a song a month in 2024, pretty much up until October. We dropped one song a month and at the end we proverbially ran out of juice, and we was like, “Man, you know what? Let’s do an album. Let’s put this together.”
Albert: We actually made enough juice too fast because we made two songs in one month. So, we ended up with 12 songs and we got to pinch it off.
Alfred: True, true. “Pinch it off” is crazy. Nah, but the album came out the way it came out because of the songs we released every month, and then we added a few extra joints. We needed a full body to let people know what we can bring to the table. I’m saying the lyrics, the musicality, the comedic kind of aspect. I feel like it’s great.
Albert: We had to use 2024 to show, we had to make some music, because we made all these awesome videos in the second half of 2023 and people were like, “This is really cool,” but it was predominantly covers. So we had to show that we have the actual chops. I have the actual production chops. Alfred is one of the best rappers in the world. So we had to prove on our own terms, with an actual recording, that somebody presses play on. We wanted to try to get some of ourselves in there.
Just go with me here. I feel like you guys can handle this. I want to hear you guys’ one sentence, tagline, elevator pitch for specific songs from the project. Let’s start with “Love Muffin.”
Albert: Have you ever wondered why songs from the 1960s gave such direct and terrible metaphors for love? Like “Your love is like a plunger” or “Your love is like a hubcap?” Did you ever think that advice was wrong? Check out Love Muffin.
“Done With” featuring Kr3wcial. You are done with the bullshit, but what is the bullshit that you are done with?
Albert: If you’ve been such a nice person that people think you actually don’t have problems, but really you’re just keeping your problems simmering under the surface and you might snap, “Done With” is for you.
“Whatyougotwhatigotwhatyougottosay?”
Albert: Are you sick of falling in love with AI chatbot waifus and then the company changes the terms of service, and it falls out of love with you? Then “Whatyougotwhatigotwhatyougottosay” is for you.
Alfred: Are you afraid of meeting people in real life? “Whatyougotwhatigotwhatyougottosay” is for you.
Albert: Are you scared to go to a Kroger because of incel bullets? “Whatyougotwhatigotwhatyougottosay” may be for you.
I think my readers would find it instructive to hear the story about, you guys opening for Juvenile.
Albert: So we’re opening for Juvenile in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and we’re playing our songs. We have a very eclectic set, right? We have originals, we have hip hop classics, we have American classics. And we decided to play one of those American classics without proper consideration of the demographics of a Juvenile show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Alfred: Yeah, for your people. You can “Call Me Al” by Paul Simon and great classic song, great song. It’s cool because both our names are Al, but oh, did we not think about the audience in which we would be. It didn’t go over well. So we did the song, and as I’m singing it, I went to a young lady in the crowd. I was like, “Come on, baby. Sing along. You know you know it.” And she was like, “No baby, I don’t know this damn song.” Which is amazing.
Albert: Can you be more specific about the demographics of the crowd than I was able to be? Numbers-wise.
Alfred: It was about 500 people. There was about 425 Black people in there, and when we played, “You Can Call Me Al,” the 75 White people lost their mind. I mean they went… Yeah, it was like we played Metallica.
Albert: They held their Stanley cups up, dude.
Alfred: Oh, it was great.
Albert: They were going for it. They were in it.
SaxKixAve’s album, Terrell Charbonneau, is out now. You can find it here.
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