The Pop Tradition We’re Grateful for Getting Us By means of 2025

It’s Thanksgiving within the U.S., and which means lots of io9’s writers and its readers are sitting right down to share good instances and good meals with mates and family members (or getting a much-needed break, on the very least). However whereas the meals, respite, and firm are welcome, yearly we wish to take a second and provides thanks for the popular culture that has helped make the final yr a little bit extra of a easy journey across the solar.

Under you’ll discover the io9 workforce’s topics of popular culture thanksgiving for 2025, from exhibits, to movies, to video games, to books, and much more, together with why we cherished them sufficient to contemplate 2025 value slugging by.

Andor

It’s arduous to suppose that lightning might strike with fashionable Star Wars, given the up-and-down high quality we’ve had out of the galaxy far, far-off recently, so there was quite a bit driving on Andor‘s second season this yr to ship one thing as gut-wrenchingly sensible as its first. Not solely did it ship, in some methods it arguably managed to high its predecessor with a well timed, haunting, and but totally hopeful story of resistance and tragedy that brought an end to one of many best tales Star Wars has woven in generations. Thanks in your service, Cass. – James Whitbrook

Alien and Predator

So usually when Hollywood will get its palms on a beloved franchise, it screws it up. The record is simply too lengthy to say. However, this yr, we noticed that the alternative might be true. Artists might are available, perceive, and elevate that materials. And so we’re grateful for Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth, a surprising twist on the Alien franchise, and Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands, two fully completely different, however equally superior spins on Predator. Every is proof that franchise IP can, fortunately, nonetheless shock and thrill us identical to the originals. – Germain Lussier

Apple TV’s Sci-Fi Reveals

What can we are saying? We’re obsessive about practically each sci-fi present that hits this streamer. Severance’s second season turned our complete character in early 2025; we spent all summer season spreading the gospel of Basis and Murderbot; and now, all we will discuss is what Carol’s as much as on Pluribus. That Apple TV can also be the house of For All Mankind, Silo, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Sugar, Darkish Matter, and extra ought to actually make all different streamers ashamed by how far they’re all trailing behind. Sci-fi followers, nevertheless, feasted very properly this yr, and for that we’re stuffed, grateful, and prepared for extra. – Cheryl Eddy

The Muppets

Positive, we misplaced Muppet*Imaginative and prescient 3-D at Disney World earlier this yr, however when have the Muppets been recognized to just accept any sort of defeat? By no means, and that’s on Miss Piggy’s karate chops and Kermit’s management. There’s nothing they’ll’t overcome with a little bit tune and a giant showstopper, and that’s precisely what we’re getting. Jim Henson’s Muppets turned 70 this yr and are gearing up for an enormous comeback with a Muppets TV particular co-starring Sabrina Carpenter and Seth Rogen and the Electrical Mayhem being unleashed on Walt Disney World’s Rockin’ Curler Coaster, and there’s the little matter of a Miss Piggy automobile characteristic movie from Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, and Tony winner Cole Escola (One Piece). So placed on Muppet Christmas Carol to get us yet another sleep until their largest yr but. – Sabina Graves

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

For those who managed to get into it with out the mountain of hype and anti-hype in your head, Expedition 33 is definitely one in all 2025’s best games and nicest surprises. Nice turn-based fight and characters, mixed with an unmistakably French aesthetic all mix into a delightful expertise, and one which ought to be a launch level for getting additional into the RPG style, turn-based or in any other case. – Justin Carter

Kamen Rider Zeztz

Extra Kamen Rider is always a good thing. However with the ability to tune in to new episodes each Saturday night time in a dwell stream with a bunch of followers earlier than bedtime is a peak “let’s exit and play” exercise that’ll ship you again to the halcyon days of your childhood. And we’re so again. – Isaiah Colbert

Gundam Gquuuuuux Challia Phone — © Dawn/Prime Video

Cell Go well with Gundam GQuuuuuuX

Whether or not or not GQuuuuuuX‘s remix of traditional Gundam in the end clicked with you by the end of it, there was one thing completely joyful in regards to the likelihood to have one other Gundam present dropping bombshells each week to set the fandom on hearth with theorycrafting and hypothesis. From the second its audacious premise turned clear, GQuuuuuuX was going to take us all on a wild experience, whether or not we got here out of the opposite aspect loving it or loathing it. There’s few different fandoms I need to be discussing and debating with week in, week out than my fellow large robotic lovers. See you all subsequent time for Hathaway? – James Whitbrook

Hades II

Sequels in any medium are arduous, particularly when the unique is so distinctive, stunning, and excellent. However this yr, Hades II launched out of early entry, and it introduced us immense pleasure. We’re grateful that the workforce at Supergiant Video games made a sport we need to play repeatedly and once more. As a result of that’s literally the point. – Germain Lussier

Sinners

It’s the time of yr when Hollywood begins going full-throttle on awards speak, and horror is nearly all the time disregarded of the dialog. That’s not the case this yr thanks to Sinners. Regardless of releasing means again in April, Ryan Coogler’s beautiful, brutal vampire story—buoyed by a storyline that faucets into each ugly and triumphant elements of American historical past, considered by a magical, musical lens—is as memorable as ever. Sinners has lengthy since made its mark as a crucial and business hit; any Oscars would simply be icing on the cake. Even nonetheless, we’ve acquired our fingers crossed for Coogler and firm, and we’re grateful that Sinners supplied such a searing reminder that horror can maintain simply as a lot energy as some other style. – Cheryl Eddy

KPop Demon Hunters

The Netflix sleeper hit from Sony Animation has turn into this yr’s largest phenomenon after being an enormous underdog in a yr the place animation has seemingly taken so many steps again in regard to illustration at different main studios. Proving that timeless tales can nonetheless be present in various and daring initiatives, KPop Demon Hunters slashed past expectations within the business to indicate the individuals yearn for greater than the established order. With catchy KPop music, beautiful animation, female-fronted motion, and wealthy supernatural lore, Huntr/x exhibits everybody the way it’s “carried out, carried out, carried out”. – Sabina Graves

Dan Da Dan

In a sea of anime variations of well-known manga, Science Saru continues to raise the medium by really adapting the work and making it their very own with season two. Whether or not it’s using kaleidoscopic colours, its side-splitting dialogue in English or Japanese, or its stability of tender romance and bombastic motion, Dan Da Dan is just a delight. – Isaiah Colbert

Matt Murdock’s Return to TV

What a yr it’s been for Marvel’s hornhead. Daredevil: Born Once more’s a bit shaggy, however Charlie Cox’s tackle Matt Murdock stays as charming because it did a decade in the past, whether or not he’s being a lawyer or an unhinged madman within the fights. It’s additionally been enjoyable to have him as a part of the Marvel Rivals roster, and he closed the yr with a guide celebrating his 60-year history. With extra Born Once more and a brand new comedian run on the best way, it’s good to have Matt to sit up for. – Justin Carter

World of Warcraft: Legion Remix

As somebody who largely skipped World of Warcraft‘s most up-to-date growth, it was going to take quite a bit to actually get again into Azeroth (particularly with so many nice video games popping out to play). Whereas my initial intrigue was piqued by the reveal of Midnight returning us to a gloriously rebuilt Quel’thalas, I fell again in love with Warcraft once more because of the timey-wimey arrival of Legion Remix, a shaken-up revisitation of the beloved 2016 growth. Hovering throughout the Damaged Isles as a wildly overpowered Demon Hunter didn’t simply put together me to dip again into the category for Midnight however let me relive the recollections of taking part in by one in all WoW‘s best storylines prefer it was model new another time. – James Whitbrook

Brad Hill

Each month, artist Brad Hill releases new unique pop culture sculptures. They’re tremendous restricted and never all the time attainable to purchase, however they provide us one thing to sit up for and pursue. We’re grateful for that. We’re additionally grateful that he acquired an unbelievable solo present earlier this yr and for his work general. Hill’s sculptures are a shining instance of how artwork, even in essentially the most sudden, bizarre, and sometimes small types, might be inspiring and pleasant. – Germain Lussier

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

If studying all of the A Music of Ice and Hearth books looks like too heavy a carry, and the household historical past examined in Hearth & Blood looks like too many Targaryens stuffed into one place, George R.R. Martin’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the right Westeros aspect quest. Three interconnected tales comply with the adventures of Dunk (an formidable and really tall hedge knight) and his scrappy squire Egg, whose shaved head hides a royal lineage his sassy mouth generally threatens to betray. With Sport of Thrones and the still-ongoing Home of the Dragon bringing Martin’s extra sprawling, multi-perspective fantasy epics to life on HBO, we’re grateful the community has additionally determined his smaller-scale however no much less delightfully entertaining Seven Kingdoms is worthy of the display—arriving very early next year, as well. – Cheryl Eddy

Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc

We would not have any phrase on a second season of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s magnum opus, however this movie far and away exceeded all expectations for what a film adaptation of one of many manga’s most introspective and heart-wrenching arcs might be. The music, the framing, the animation, and the entire presence of this movie need to be appreciated for years to return. How spoiled are we! – Isaiah Colbert