I’m going to kick off this issue of THREE NEW THINGS with a plea. I need your help. This newsletter, while a labor of love, is a labor. It takes quite a bit of work to put together, and if I’m going to continue to do it, I need to get my subscriber numbers up.

I’m going to do my part by spending next week looking for new ways to promote THREE NEW THINGS. But if you’re a fan, I’d ask you to spread the word. Post about it on social media. Recommend it to your friends. Help me pump those numbers up so I can continue to bring you what’s new and cool all year long! Thank you!

My expectations for Wonder Man were minimal at best, for a few reasons. One, he’s a C-list Marvel character whose powers are kind of ill-defined. Two, Marvel’s track record with streaming shows is hit (Moon Knight) or miss (Echo). And lastly, rather than a weekly release schedule, Disney+ dumped all the episodes at once, generally a sign the streaming service has little faith in the property.

So imagine my surprise when Wonder Man turned out to be a DELIGHT. It’s a small show with half-hour episodes mostly focused on what it’s like to try to make it as an actor in Hollywood and hardly focused at all on superhero antics.

A couple of things really make the show work. First and foremost, it’s the chemistry between Ben Kingsley and Yahya Abdul-Mateen. Both are pitch-perfect in their roles, and their friendship, while unlikely, feels genuine and earned over time. They’re a wonderful pair, and their banter is a lot of fun, especially when they’re doing scenes from famous films. (At one point, Abdul-Mateen does the Julia Roberts monologue from Pretty Woman.)

The other reason I loved the show is a little more personal. I did not anticipate identifying with Abdul-Mateen’s character the way I did. He’s good-natured, his heart is in the right place, but he drives people a little crazy with his laser focus on depth and quality when the people around him just want to get the job done and go home. I have been there, and I have done that. He’s trying to make art on projects where that drive may be misplaced. I’ve done the same thing throughout my career in advertising, insisting on creative excellence when we’re just peddling steaks or lottery tickets.

Wonder Man, ultimately, is the story of a man who’s a little different, who struggles to fit in, but who ultimately finds his place and makes a best friend along the way. You can binge the whole thing in about four hours, and I highly recommend that you do.

A couple of weeks back, I reviewed The Night Manager on Amazon Prime. And while I liked it, I gave it a lukewarm review. I felt it was good, but not great. And not on par with the exceptional Day of the Jackal on Peacock.

While I still generally feel that way, I’d upgrade my estimation of The Night Manager from Good to Good+. Greatness may even be possible if they nail the third season.

There will be SPOILERS from this point forward, so if you want to go into season 2 not knowing anything, don’t read any further.

What I expected from The Night Manager was a new villain/adventure each season. What it’s turned out to be, instead, is a cat-and-mouse game between Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) and Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). He comes back from the “dead” midway through season 2, which took it from lackluster to highly entertaining. The best part of the show is the back-and-forth between these two characters, and The Night Manager is a better show for leaning into that hard.

The other thing that impressed me is Season 2 being “The Empire Strikes Back” of what appears to be going to be a trilogy. Whereas Pine got the best of Roper in season 1, in season 2 the tables are turned. While Pine is on the side of right and justice, there’s a morally grey aspect to his character. He gets close to people, brings them into his circle, uses them, and, very often, gets them killed. He’s a “good guy” but not so good that he ever hesitates to ask someone to put their lives on the line for him.

I was a little on the fence about The Night Manager, but now I’m off, fully invested, and looking forward to season 3. Tom Hiddleston promises there won’t be nine years between seasons like there was between seasons 1 and 2.

2026 is going to be a banner year for video gaming, so I thought I’d talk about some of the games I’m personally looking most foward to.

Grand Theft Auto VI

Let’s start with the digital elephant in the room - GTA 6. It’s been in development, I think since I was born, and despite multiple delays, it is supposed to come out this year. And when Rockstar delivers a game, every other game needs to just get out of the way because their games blot out the sun. The amount of depth in GTA 6 is rumored to be staggering, allowing you to walk/drive around what’s essentially Miami and do pretty much whatever you like. Hold a job, play chess, join a pickup basketball game, or - naturally - rob a convenience store. It’s rumored to be the biggest, most technically complex game ever created, and with Rockstar’s track record, I don’t doubt it.

Clockwork Revolution

From the British/Steampunk aesthetic to the humor to the gameplay, Clockwork Revolution looks like my type of game. The basic premise seems to center around time travel. Not only can you literally wind back the clock and undo a mistake you made, but your actions in the past change the city of Avalon in the present. Throw in a sarcastic, angry doll, and you’ve got a game that looks like it’s going to be a great deal of fun.

Crimson Desert

I don’t know much about Crimson Desert beyond the trailers, but what I’ve seen looks intriguing. It’s an open world, single-player, RPG where you play as Kliff Macduff, a mercenary whose homeland is upended by marauders known as the Black Bears. Kliff, however, isn’t the only character you can play, so you can find one that suits your particular playstyle. I’ll probably stick with Kliff since sword and board is my style. The world is rumored to be vast, like Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption 2, but the game is more structured and action-heavy versus a branching narrative. Branching narratives are fun, but sometimes you want a more streamlined experience, which it seems Crimson Desert is going to deliver.

Solasta II

If you’ve been keeping up on THREE NEW THINGS, you know Baldur’s Gate 3 is my favorite game of all time. But before there was BG3, there was Solasta. Both are isometric, dice-rolling games set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Compared to the lavish and complex Baldur’s Gate, Solasta had a small, indie studio vibe. It was a little clunky but a lot of fun. Solasta 2 looks like it’s upped the budget and the complexity compared to its previous iteration. But having explored pretty much every corner, nook, and cranny of BG3, I’m itching for a new D&D experience. Solasta 2 looks set to deliver.

Rick & Morty has been one of my favorite shows since its inception. I’m a huge fan of Dan Harmon (Community), and I find his writing to be equal parts razor-sharp, hilarious, deconstructive, and heartfelt. Rick & Morty doesn’t give you the warm fuzzies like Bob’s Burgers does, for example. It’s more interested in making you think and poking at your preconceived notions than it is making you feel good. And that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But if you like your humor smart and bitter— and I do— Rick & Morty is the gift that keeps on giving.

Here’s a sneak preview of what’s in store for Season 9.

“Quit summoning me like this. People are going to think I’m a genie.”

Issue #014 is in the books. I’ll see you next week when I’ll cover Fallout 2, a handful of cool new tunes, and we’ll see what else. I try to always leave space for something brand new and unexpected to pop up.