Pictures via Netflix
2024 Geeked Week is done and dusted, and if you’re wondering what the biggest announcements from the live show and the days before were, we’ve condensed the biggest announcements for the week into five picks and also given our thoughts on this year’s switched-up format.
For full recaps of the four days of announcements, we’ve got you covered:
- Day 1 – Castlevania, Wolf King, Cobra Kai, Gundam.
- Day 2 – The Witcher, Tomorrow and I, Gyeongseong Creature.
- Day 3 – Squid Game, One Piece, Twilight of the Gods, Don’t Move.
- Day 4 – Black Mirror, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Cyberpunk, Splinter Cell, and more…
One Piece (Leaks) and Dominance During the Week
Chopper is Coming – Picture: Netflix
One Piece was the most prominent of all the shows featured this week, featuring on the majority of days one way or another. Of course, the two big casting announcements were known well ahead of time (and slightly before Netflix was even ready this week, thanks to their own website TUDUM leaking the info), with Joe Manganiello and Lera Abova joining the cast as Mr. 0 and Miss All Sunday respectively. We also got a cool set tour with a bunch of cool easter eggs and snippets telling us where we’re heading.
Also, I give continued props to Matt Owens, the showrunner of One Piece. He handled the leaks perfectly and continues to impress, setting out the ideal blueprint for what a Netflix showrunner of a popular series with a (sorry for this) rabid fanbase. His enthusiasm and authenticity shined through during the live show and clearly has a lot of admiration for the source material and making the show great.
Toph is Finally Revealed for Avatar: The Last Airbender
Picture: Netflix
Over the summer, fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender have been patiently waiting for the big news of who will be playing the pivotal role of Toph in seasons 2 and 3 of Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon series. Thankfully, the announcement came during the livestream, and it didn’t disappoint, with Miya Cech set to play the role of Toph.
Arcane Will Drop in Three Parts and Get An Official After Show
We’ve known for a year now that Arcane would be coming out at some point in November, but the release dates (as the show will be split into three parts just like season 1) were finally unveiled for a three-week stint throughout the month.
Better still, two of the show’s stars will host an official breakdown after the show, which will also be released in three batches to coincide with each of the acts.
Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell will host a new after show for ARCANE season 2! pic.twitter.com/SKOFGDQ3OS
— What's on Netflix (@whatonnetflix) September 20, 2024
Black Mirror Cast Revealed and Going Back to the Show’s Roots
Pictures: Netflix
We’ve been waiting patiently to share news of some of the cast and plot details about what to expect from the six new episodes of Black Mirror coming in 2025. On Thursday, the lift was finally lifted, with 22 cast members confirmed for the upcoming season and plenty more to come.
Charlie Brooker was live on stage for a few minutes to also discuss the fact that this season will feature a Gregg’s (beautiful) but also said the show is going to be more like the earlier seasons with more Britishness but still keep its depressing nature.
The Eternaut Looks Really Good
Bubbling away for the last year has been one of Netflix’s most ambitious projects from South America to date: an adaptation of a nearly 70-year-old novel set during a snowfall controlled by aliens with the story centering on Juan Salvod and a band of survivors. The new teaser provides an extended look at what we can expect, and let’s just say, if it can be pulled off, this has the opportunity to be up there with the Netflix greats of Lupin, Money Heist, or even Squid Game.
How does this year’s Geeked Week compare to prior years?
Finally, we wanted to end with some general thoughts about Geeked Week this year and how it compares to previous years. Each year has been wildly different; last year’s Geeked Week came after the big Hollywood strikes, so things felt very different, and years prior, they were still very much experimenting with the format.
The biggest complaint we have this year is how it felt more like Geeked Thursday with crumbs rather than a full-blown Geeked Week. With the live show on only one day, it’s clear all the “good” announcements were kept for the big event, making the rest of the week rather disappointing compared to years prior.
Another problem with doing the show live and not pre-recorded is that the nature of live shows means that you’ll almost certainly never be able to keep to a strict schedule. At numerous points during the live show, embargoes were sometimes 5 to 15 minutes early, meaning that if you had the live stream open and Twitter, you’d have every announcement spoiled. It’s ultimately out of Netflix’s control, but there is certainly less reason to actually tune in.
Timezones were a problem, too. Usually, Netflix plans its general announcements within a window of time that will attract the most eyeballs. That typically is early morning (7-10 am) in West Coast time so that the majority of Europe will still get to see it before they go to bed; it can dominate conversation throughout the day and into the evening and even catch people as they’re waking up in Asia. That wasn’t the case here, with Europeans like myself having to stay up well past our bedtimes to catch an 8 PM Eastern start time.
The stream had a relatively good flow, and the hosts were fantastic (particularly Joe Manganiello). Usually I rate Netflix’s live streams by my internal cringe meter and it wasn’t off the charts but rather on a medium level.
What did you think about Geeked Week and the announcements? Let us know in the comments.
