Join us every week for a trip into the weird and wonderful world of trailers. Whether it’s the first teaser for the latest instalment in your favourite franchise, an obscure preview for a strange indie darling, whether it’s good, bad, ugly or just plain weird – your favourite pop culture baristas are there to tell you what they think.
What does our reading, and especially the way what we read changes over time, say about us? In this week’s Six Damn Fine Degrees, that’s exactly what Melanie writes about. And (thankfully (ed.)) she brings up Murderbot in the process, so here’s a nice little trailer for the Apple TV adaptation.
This week also saw the release of our latest podcast episode, in which Alan, Julie and Sam talked about three of their favourite adaptations of Agatha Christie’s crime stories for the screen.
And what else do we have for you this week?
Matt: I wasn’t a fan of where Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale went after its first season, and I downright hated the series by the time it finished. I’m finding it difficult to shake this memory watching the trailer for the sequel series, The Testaments – though it benefits from not looking like the Elisabeth Moss Show, starring Elisabeth Moss, produced by Elisabeth Moss, and all about Elisabeth Moss. Instead, however, it looks like a CW-ified retread of themes and plot points. Obviously, in 2026 there’s more than enough reason to tell stories about the fight against state-sponsored authoritarian misogyny, but other than being a showcase for Chase Infinity (who was fantastic in One Battle After Another), I’m not yet convinced – though I hope I’m wrong and this is closer in quality to that great first season of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Matt: And finally: I didn’t like the Disney+ soft reboot Daredevil Born Again all that much – TV’s Daredevil has always leaned too far towards being grimdark, and Born Again complemented this with a plot that only developed some sense of urgency and drive towards the end of the first season. Here’s hoping that this short teaser for season 2, and especially its insistence on good old Jessica Jones being more than just a cameo in this one, is a sign that they have what it takes to change things up for the second season. Dark doesn’t have to be dour.
A Damn Fine Cup of Culture 