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TV Preview: Long-anticipated new seasons, shows that are coloring screens this spring

(By Helen Juwon Park/Illustrations Director)

By Jade Wang-O'Shea, Vishnu Potharaju, Ruwani Jayasekara, and Paco Bacalski

April 14, 2025 10:51 a.m.

This season, television’s slate is budding with fresh stories ready to bloom.

As the warm weather washes in and leaves paint with color, television offers a heated lineup sure to satisfy audiences’ content cravings. From long-anticipated new seasons of the hit series “Black Mirror” and “You” to new shows like “The Four Seasons,” viewers are guaranteed a lengthy watchlist this spring.

Read on for the Daily Bruin’s picks to color your spring season.

[Related: Music preview: Anticipated albums from acclaimed artists usher in blooming music landscape]

(Courtesy of Netflix)
Pictured are members of the season 7 cast of “Black Mirror.” The Emmy-winning series will release its latest season on Netflix April 10. (Courtesy of Netflix)

“Black Mirror” (Netflix)

Brace yourself for another mind-bending addition to the “Black Mirror” anthology.

The 9-time Emmy-winning, groundbreaking sci-fi series will slash onto screens April 10 for its seventh season. These six new episodes are sure to deliver fresh, thought-provoking tales of humanity’s use and, more often, misuse of technology. This season will also revisit some favorite storylines from seasons past, featuring an 88-minute-long sequel to Season 4’s “USS Callister,” widely lauded as the series’ best episode yet.

“USS Callister” centers around a video game set on a spacecraft, manned by a crew of digital clones held there against their will. The sequel, “USS Callister: Into Infinity,” will depict the characters’ trials and tribulations in this “Star Trek”-inspired universe. In another homage to previous “Black Mirror” plotlines, Will Poulter will be returning as Colin Ritman from “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,” the interactive “choose-your-own-adventure”-style film released in 2018. The star-studded cast will also include many new faces, including Paul Giamatti, Issa Rae and Peter Capaldi.

Creator Charlie Brooker revealed that this season has more of a nostalgic feel than the previous ones, with episodes highlighting themes of memory and recreating the past. “Black Mirror” goes beyond typical dystopia, infusing more emotion and profound meditations on the human condition.

After one look at the “Black Mirror,” you’re unlikely to view the world the same again.

– Jade Wang-O’Shea

(Courtesy of Star Wars)
Pictured are two cast members of the critically acclaimed series “Andor.” The second season of the sci-fi drama will premiere on Disney+ on April 22. (Courtesy of Star Wars)

“Andor” (Disney+)

This spring, revolution is blooming across the galaxy.

The second and final season of “Andor,” showrunner Tony Gilroy’s critically acclaimed “Star Wars” spinoff, will premiere on Disney+ on April 22. This season will continue the journey of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), chronicling his transformation from a jaded, passive civilian to the dedicated rebel viewers first met – and said goodbye to – in 2016’s “Rogue One.” In order to bridge the gap between the first season and “Rogue One,” each group of three episodes will advance the timeline by a year, providing snapshots of Andor’s activities in the Rebel Alliance.

Season one was lauded for its dark, mature take on the “Star Wars” universe, and the second season looks to be no different. Rather than fantastical clashes between Jedi and Sith, “Andor” details the minutiae of life under the fascist Galactic Empire, from its banally evil bureaucracy to the rebels working to undermine it from within. With the trailer’s ominous shots of stormtroopers encroaching on protesters and constant talk of sacrifice, this season promises to examine the brutal reality – and necessity – of resistance.

The latest trip to a galaxy far, far away is sure to hit close to home.

– Paco Bacalski

(Courtesy of Netflix)
Pictured is Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg in the final season of “You.” The mystery thriller will slash onto screens April 24. (Courtesy of Netflix)

“You” (Netflix)

This spring, viewers will bid a twisted and deadly farewell to “You.”

The series’ fifth and final installment returns to its New York roots, threatening Joe’s search for a happily-ever-after with the haunting secrets of his dark past. Premiering on Netflix on April 24, the 10-episode season follows the newlyweds Joe (Penn Badgley) and Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) as they leave London in search of a clean slate for their love story. The final season promises a host of newcomers including Goldberg’s latest obsession Bronte (Madeline Brewer) and Detective Marquez (Nava Mau), alongside familiar faces such as Jenna Ortega and Elizabeth Lail.

Leaving behind his signature anonymity and numerous aliases, the serial-obsessee becomes a beloved public figure through his involvement with the couple’s philanthropic Lockwood Corporation. While Joe’s return to the city marks a stark contrast from his humble beginnings as a bookstore manager in season one, his usual habits return with his interest in his newest, and final, ‘you.’ With the added element of social media, Joe’s character is challenged with maintaining his inconspicuous guise under the glare of the public eye. Forcing him to finally confront the past he has been running from, the final season is sure to bring viewers an unexpected and lethal conclusion to Joe’s relentless search for love.

Closing his final chapter, Joe Goldberg is signing off with a slew of inner monologues and a brand new obsession.

– Ruwani Jayasekara

(Courtesy of IMDb)
Shown is the star-studded cast of Netflix’s new series “The Four Seasons.” The comedy show will premiere on Netflix May 1. (Courtesy of IMDb)

[Related: Rising Artists: Blossoming musicians deliver fresh sounds, lush lyrics this spring]

 

“The Four Seasons” (Netflix)

This spring, “The Four Seasons” will take viewers on a trip they’re sure to remember.

The comedy will premiere on Netflix on May 1 with a star studded cast, including Tina Fey, Steve Carell and Colman Domingo, and is produced by Tina Fey, Tracey Wigfield, and Lang Fisher. With Fey and Carrell as two of the main characters, the bar is high for “The Four Seasons” and its humor levels, as both are veterans of some of the most popular sitcoms in recent decades. Carrell has described the show as “lived-in,” pulling viewers into the whirlwind lives of the characters through a unique style of writing that is sure to keep viewers constantly laughing.

The Netflix show is an adaptation of the 1981 Alan Alda film of the same title and follows three married couples who travel together once every season. One couple, however, eventually goes through a divorce, throwing a wrench in the friend group’s plans for their quarterly vacations. The divorced husband brings his new, significantly younger girlfriend on vacation with the other couples, and the group is forced to confront each other as hard truths come to light. The trailer highlights the eclectic and chaotic nature of the three couples and all their dynamics, setting the stage for a fun, upbeat story about love, marriage and friendship.

Even though the show is just eight short episodes, viewers are certain to be laughing for the next four seasons.

– Vishnu Potharaju

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Jade Wang-O'Shea
Paco Bacalski | Copy chief
Bacalski is a 2024-2025 co-Copy chief and an Arts, Design, News and Photo contributor. He was previously a 2023-2024 slot editor and a 2022-2023 Copy staffer. Bacalski is also a fourth-year English student minoring in linguistics from San Diego.
Bacalski is a 2024-2025 co-Copy chief and an Arts, Design, News and Photo contributor. He was previously a 2023-2024 slot editor and a 2022-2023 Copy staffer. Bacalski is also a fourth-year English student minoring in linguistics from San Diego.
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