Oof, this past week in pop culture news has been hard on the heart, as three beloved performers died – two of them surprisingly.
This one came out of nowhere, and devastated fans around the world. Veteran actor Sir Patrick Stewart died this week aged 86 after a brief struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. While the British star was an accomplished member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, with multiple Royal National Theatre productions under his belt, in addition to West End and Broadway appearances, he will probably best be remembered for two iconic on-screen roles: Captain Jean-Luc Picard in franchise-reviving Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as various Star Trek movies and small-screen sequel Star Trek: Picard; and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies, which arguably jump-started the movie superhero renaissance from 2000.
Stewart will be seen on-screen one final time, playing Professor X in multiversal epic crossover Avengers: Doomsday, which arrives in cinemas this December.
Stewart wasn’t the only Star Trek alumnus to pass this week. Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek, and all its big screen outings, died aged 90 of natural causes. Professionally, he also enjoyed a notable villainous turn in Babylon 5, and was a writer for screen and page.
Canadian voice actor Eric Bauza died suddenly at age 46 from hypertensive heart disease. Though he had a diverse career as a vocal performer, Bauza will probably be best remembered as the modern voice of the Looney Tunes. Most recently, he demonstrated his talents in Coyote vs. Acme, where he voiced Bugs Bunny, Charlie Dog, Daffy Duck, Dr. Peter Lorre, Foghorn Leghorn, Gossamer, Pepé Le Pew, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Senator Elmer Fudd, and Tweety.
Series
Technically Korean series Dead-End Job is out already, having landed on Netflix on 30 October. That said, as it’s something that could easily slip under the radar of many, we felt the need to spotlight this supernatural-infused mystery thriller – which is based on Operating Principles of a Convenience Store by Kyung Min-sun, and has a similar tone to Squid Game.
Lee Jae-wook stars as Byeon Hyuk-jun, a young man who, drowning in debt, seems to have found an answer to his problems when he lands an unusually high-paying part-time job via a mysterious employment agency. Except, each workday becomes more and more nightmarish, turning into a literal fight for survival.
Keeping things in Asia, a Death Stranding anime is coming to Hulu and Disney+ at some point in 2027. Set in the same universe as Hideo Kojima’s acclaimed game series, and spearheaded by Kojima Productions, spinoff Death Stranding Isolations is directed by Dragon Ball Z’s Takayuki Sano, and made by studio E&H Production.
The 2D series centres primarily on a girl who has been living in absolute isolation since the catastrophic series of explosions that occurred when the dead crept into our world. It’s an existence our heroine comes to prefer. However, after game protagonist Sam reconnects North America by means of the Chiral Network, Fate forces the girl into a world she does not recognise. For the record, Death Stranding Isolations is entirely separate to upcoming animated film Death Stranding: Mosquito.
Gaming
Let’s palate cleanse with two upcoming cosy games releasing in the next three months.
First up is Drawquarium, a celebration of human creativity and artistry. This one-man indie project presents players with a relaxing aquarium-themed sandbox. You draw your own fish and plants, feed them, raise them, and collect scales to unlock new decorations and tools. You can even turn your aquarium into a chilled animated desktop wallpaper to keep you company while you work. Plus, bonus points for the game having one of the best, most emotionally-affecting game trailers ever made. Watch it below.
Drawquarium launches on 13 November for PC, though you can try the demo right now.
Fans of life-sims like Stardew Valley, will no doubt be thrilled that Witchbrook is on the horizon. Finally. Teased all the way back in 2016 by developers Chucklefish, though it only landed its title two years later, Witchbrook lets you play as a new student at Witchbrook College, in the seaside town of Mossport. Focus on your studies, make friends, explore, start a business side hustle, and take part in all manner of extra-curricular activities. You can also play the game solo or in a group of up to 4 players.
Witchbrook will be released on 28 January 2027 for PC, PS5, Xbox, along with Nintendo Switch 1 and 2.