Feed aggregator

• Cisco Talos spotted a new threat actor, tracked as UAT-7237
• The group resembles the "typhoon" Chinese state-sponsored groups
• It targeted web hosting firms in Taiwan

Chinese hacking groups are now targeting web hosting companies in Taiwan, researchers are saying.

Security experts from Cisco Talos said they spotted a never-before-seen group that focuses on “establishing long-term persistence in web infrastructure entities in Taiwan.”

They are tracking the miscreants under the moniker UAT-7237, and believe it to be a subgroup of UAT-5918, meaning it is still a distinct entity, and most likely a state-sponsored one, at that. While Talos does not explicitly say it, it does say that the tools the threat actors are using are quite similar to different “typhoon” hackers which are known to be state-sponsored.

Living off the land

Most of the tools are open source and somewhat customized, with a custom Shellcode loader known as “SoundBill” particularly standing out.

The group uses Cobalt Strike beacons, is quite picky with its web shells, and relies on a combination of direct remote desktop protocol (RDP) access and SoftEther VPN clients.

Talos recently observed the group breaching a Taiwanese hosting provider, and being “particularly interested” in gaining access to the victim organization’s VPN and cloud infrastructure.

“UAT-7237 used open-source and customized tooling to perform several malicious operations in the enterprise, including reconnaissance, credential extraction, deploying bespoke malware, setting up backdoored access via VPN clients, network scanning and proliferation,” the researchers explained.

For initial access, UAT-7237 exploited known vulnerabilities on unpatched servers exposed to the internet. This technique is also common for other state-sponsored groups, such as Volt Typhoon and Flax Typhoon, who usually exploit unpatched VPN appliances, firewalls, and email servers. In some cases, they abuse valid credentials for VPN, RDP, and cloud accounts.

While they occasionally drop lightweight web shells or custom loaders, their preference is to blend into normal network activity and establish persistence through compromised infrastructure rather than phishing or malware.

Via Infosecurity Magazine

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• OpenAI adds Connectors for Gmail and Calendars
• You can now access Gmail in chat and in Deep Research
• The feature is new for Plus and Pro users

OpenAI has finally flicked the switch, and now ChatGPT Plus and Pro users globally can connect Gmail and Google Calendar to ChatGPT. This is a feature that Gemini has had for some time, so it’s great to finally get it in ChatGPT.

Since I use Gmail for just about everything, I’ve been waiting for OpenAI to hook into it for ages, and now that it’s here, I can search emails from within ChatGPT, not to mention ask it to perform some handy analysis.

For example, a few useful things to ask ChatGPT, once you’ve connected it to Gmail, are “Who emails me the most?” and “Who haven’t I replied to?” or “What recent emails require action?”

Or, if you really can’t be bothered to open Gmail and you live in ChatGPT all day, you could ask it, “Who has emailed me today?”

Of course, you can do the same thing with your Calendar app. Just ask ChatGPT, “What meetings have I got today?”. This works especially well when combined with ChatGPT Voice. When you activate ChatGPT Voice, you can just start a conversation and ask ChatGPT what meetings you have today, and it will tell you.

What’s more, you can also use your Gmail inbox and your Calendar as a source for a Deep Research query. So, if you want to do some serious analysis of your inbox, you can now direct ChatGPT’s most in-depth research tool straight at it.

Getting set up

(Image credit: OpenAI/Apple)

Accessing these key Google services in ChatGPT requires a bit of setting up first. You need to go to Settings (which is accessed by clicking or tapping on your user name), then choosing Settings, and then Connectors.

Here you’ll be able to link your Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, and Contacts to ChatGPT. You’ll need to grant ChatGPT access in a few screens as you do this, but you only need to do it once.

Now that you are connected, you can just type in questions about your Gmail inbox or Calendar to ChatGPT.

Going deeper

If you want to use ChatGPT with Deep Research, then the process seems to differ between the Web version of ChatGPT and the mobile version.

In the Web version of ChatGPT, when you click on Deep Research, a Sources box appears next to it, and here you can select Gmail or Google Calendar from the drop-down menu.

On the mobile version of ChatGPT, when you tap on Deep Research, you don’t get a Sources box; however, it can still connect to your Gmail. Just ask it a question involving Gmail and you'll find that it can answer it.

Now that Gmail and Calendar are connected to ChatGPT, I can finally get it to perform more like the all-around personal assistant I want it to be.

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Anker's new C1000 Gen 2 is smaller and lighter than its previous model while still being able to recharge to full in 49 minutes. Here's what else is new.

It's time to limber up and prepare to dance along to Peacemaker's new title sequence. Over three years after its first season arrived, the hit HBO Max show is finally set to return to our screens – and I suspect you'll want to know when and where it will.

Below, I'll tell you the date and time it'll premiere on Warner Bros. Discovery's super streamer. I'll also explain where you can watch it where HBO Max isn't available, and run you through a full release schedule for the DC Universe's (DCU) latest project. Here, then, is everything you need to know about Peacemaker season 2's forthcoming launch.

What is the launch date for Peacemaker season 2 episode 1?

We'll be smiling as much as Adrian Chase/Vigilante when Peacemaker 2 is released (Image credit: Jessica Miglio/Max)

Peacemaker's sophomore season is due out on Thursday, August 21 in North and South America. Viewers in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania will need to tune in on Friday, August 22 to stream one of the best HBO Max shows' next entry.

Unsurprisingly, this installment's first chapter – 'The Ties That Grind' – will launch at different times around the world. Here's when it'll be released where you live:

• US – Thursday, August 21 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Canada – Thursday, August 21 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• UK – Friday, August 22 at 2am BST
• India – Friday, August 22 at 6:30am IST
• Singapore – Friday, August 22 at 9am SGT
• Australia – Friday, August 22 at 11am AEST
• New Zealand – Friday, August 22 at 1pm NZST

Where can I watch Peacemaker season 2?

Another season, another bar-based bare-knuckles brawl for Emilia Harcout (center) (Image credit: HBO Max)

Peacemaker season 2 comes out on HBO Max in countries where one of the world's best streaming services is available. That includes the US, Australia, and Singapore.

For countries where HBO Max is yet to launch, though, it'll make its bow on other streaming platforms. Read on to learn where you can catch the DCU Chapter One TV series where you live:

• US – HBO Max
• Canada – Crave
• UK – Sky / Now TV
• India – JioHotstar
• Singapore – HBO Max
• Australia – HBO Max
• New Zealand – Neon

When do new episodes of Peacemaker season 2 come out?

You don't need to employ Rick Flag Sr or ARGUS' services to find out when new episodes will be released (Image credit: Jessica Miglio/Max)

New episodes of the John Cena-fronted TV show will arrive every Thursday in North and South America, and Friday everywhere else. If you want to know specific dates that each chapter will air weekly after this week's entry, read on:

• Peacemaker season 2 episode 1 – Thursday, August 21 / Friday, August 22
• Peacemaker season 2 episode 2 – Thursday, August 28 / Friday, August 29
• Peacemaker season 2 episode 3 – Thursday, September 4 / Friday, September 5
• Peacemaker season 2 episode 4 – Thursday, September 11 / Friday, September 12
• Peacemaker season 2 episode 5 – Thursday, September 18 / Friday, September 19
• Peacemaker season 2 episode 6 – Thursday, September 25 / Friday, September 26
• Peacemaker season 2 episode 7 – Thursday, October 2 / Friday, October 3
• Peacemaker season 2 episode 8 – Thursday, October 9 / Friday, October 10

For more on the hit show's return, read my dedicated guide to Peacemaker season 2 and my Peacemaker season 2 review. Then, check out the section below for more exclusive coverage on the DC TV series.

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• Adobe Acrobat Studio announced
• New hubs for managing, understanding, and creating documents
• Platform fuses Acrobat Pro, Adobe Express, new specialized AI assistants

Adobe has unveiled its new Acrobat Studio, which aims to become the nerve center for productivity and creativity tasks - and a life-saver for anyone drowning in documents.

The platform fuses the full Acrobat Pro experience with extra AI tools, Adobe Express, and new spaces that the company says “transforms PDFs into conversational knowledge hubs that enable people to use customizable AI Assistants to unlock and share insights, answers and recommendations.”

That’s business-speak for saying Acrobat Studio’s AI should make it easier to understand document contents. Adobe’s Abhigyan Modi, senior vice president, Document Product Group, gave me a demo of the new tools. Here’s what you need to know…

What is Adobe Acrobat Studio and what’s new?

(Image credit: Adobe)

Adobe Acrobat Studio effectively attempts to solve some of the issues faced by those managing or accessing documents. Namely, file storage, collaborative or communication breakdown, content creation, and information overload.

On the launch of Adobe Acrobat Studio, Modi said: “We’re reinventing PDF for modern work, so whatever you need to get done, you can do that with Acrobat.”

Use-cases highlighted by Adobe include centralizing client insights, creating polished, on-brand proposals, grabbing key metrics for secure sharing, and reviewing resumes. Effectively, if it's a document, Acrobat Studio can probably do something with it.

Acrobat is already home to an AI Assistant, Firefly, and - in an interesting use of the technology - a contract explainer that helpfully summarizes jargon-heavy legal documents. Those constant updates are one of the reasons why I rank it as the best PDF editor around. But Acrobat Studio ramps that integration up to eleven.

• PDF Spaces

(Image credit: Adobe)

PDF Spaces is the headline addition. It’s also the area Modi told me he’s most excited about with this launch, keen to see how users benefit from them.

These are AI-driven hubs for up to 100 files (format support goes way beyond PDF). Upload a file, and PDF Spaces generates what Adobe dubs “an AI-powered workspace,” loading in suggested goals, actionable insights, citations.

It’s a space, Adobe says, where users can use AI to question, compare, and summarize information in documents. A “conversational knowledge hub,” if you like.

• Specialized assistants

(Image credit: Adobe)

One of PDF Spaces’ biggest strengths is that it expands on the familiar AI Assistant already found in Adobe Acrobat for more tailored responses.

Three specialized AI assistants are baked into the workspace, with the option to create a custom one. The Analyst, the Instructor, and the Entertainer each approach information differently in ways that should, in theory, be more helpful to users.

This is a core element, Modi explained, of Adobe’s focus on the needs of different users. Where the Entertainer toys with language and creativity, the Analyst studies and uncovers new thoughts; the Instructor makes complex topics accessible.

• Adobe Express integration

(Image credit: Adobe)

Adobe Express has been getting a lot of attention lately, with an expanded toolset and integration with a host of Creative Cloud apps. So, perhaps it was just a matter of time before it joined fully with Acrobat.

The popular, free online design tool is a core part of Acrobat Studio. With the full-fat Adobe Express Premium tools, users can create (or generate) professional templates, presentations, reports, and social media posts.

The Creative Cloud Pro plan combines over twenty Adobe apps into a single subscription, giving you access to Acrobat, Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and more. The plan also includes 4000 monthly credits for Adobe Firefly's generative AI photo and video tools. View Deal

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Trump says there are plans underway for Putin and Zelenskyy to meet to discuss an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine. And, Trump wants to stop states from voting by mail.

(Image credit: Alex Wong)

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If you’re searching for a network monitoring tool that can keep up with hybrid and cloud-first IT environments, Datadog is likely on your shortlist. We’ve spent weeks researching every major IT platform and Datadog is near the top for its feature-rich approach and impressive integrations. For a broader look at your options, check out our best network monitoring tools list.

Our team at TechRadar has deep experience evaluating IT platforms — using, comparing, and stress-testing them in real-world scenarios. LogicMonitor is our pick for the best network monitoring tool of 2025. Its AI-powered suite automates many day-to-day IT workflows, making it a top choice for organizations wanting proactive, hands-off monitoring.

Still, Datadog’s popularity is no accident. It’s a favorite among IT teams for its real-time visibility, rich analytics, and ability to unify monitoring across multi-cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments. But is it the right fit for your team? Let’s dive in.

Datadog network monitoring: Features

Datadog is one of the most feature-rich platforms in the network monitoring space. It’s packed with tools for real-time analytics, customizable dashboards, anomaly detection, and integrations with over 850 services and devices.

These features are best suited for IT teams managing complex, hybrid, or cloud-native environments who need granular visibility and automation. Everything comes together pretty well, though some users have asked for easier self-remediation and more transparent pricing, especially as data volumes grow.

At its price point, though, you’re paying for depth and breadth. So, if you need only basic monitoring, there are cheaper options.

Infrastructure monitoring

Datadog’s core component gives you a bird’s eye view of servers, cloud instances, containers, and network devices. It auto-discovers resources and collects data from CPUs, memory, disk, and network performance, all visualized in real time.

Network performance monitoring (NPM)

NPM provides deep visibility into your network traffic, showing you which services are talking to each other, where bottlenecks are, and how traffic flows across your environment. You can drill down to individual connections, monitor bandwidth usage, and set up alerts for unusual activity.

Log management

Datadog automatically ingests, parses, and analyzes logs from across your stack. You can search logs in real time, correlate them with metrics and traces, and set up alerts for error spikes or suspicious activity.

Application performance monitoring (APM)

APM traces requests across distributed systems, helping you spot slowdowns, errors, and performance bottlenecks at the code or service level. It supports major programming languages and frameworks.

Synthetic monitoring

This tool simulates user interactions with your apps and connectors, running tests from locations around the world to measure uptime and performance. It’s useful for catching issues before users notice them.

Real user monitoring (RUM)

RUM tracks the actual experience of your users, measuring load times, errors, and engagement in real time. This is important for teams focused on optimizing user-facing applications.

Security monitoring

Datadog’s security suite includes anomaly detection, threat intelligence, and compliance monitoring, helping you spot vulnerabilities and suspicious behavior as it happens.

Integrations and APIs

With support for 850+ integrations, including AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, Chef, Puppet, and more — Datadog can slot into almost any IT environment, making it easy to unify monitoring across tools and platforms.

(Image credit: Datadog)Datadog network monitoring: Ease of use

Datadog is generally user-friendly, with a modern, intuitive interface and customizable dashboards that make it easy to visualize the metrics that matter most to you. Many users find setup and configuration straightforward, especially compared to older tools like SolarWinds. You can drag and drop widgets, create custom views, and filter data with just a few clicks.

However, the initial setup can feel overwhelming for newcomers. With so many features and integrations, it’s not always clear where to start, and some users report that onboarding documentation could be more beginner-friendly. Once you’re past the learning curve, though, day-to-day use is smooth and efficient.

Datadog also supports accessibility features and offers a REST API for advanced customization and integration with other tools. While the platform is designed to scale with your needs, we’d love to see more guided onboarding for first-time users.

Datadog network monitoring: Pricing

Plan

Starting price (paid annually)

What’s included

Infrastructure Monitoring

$15 per host/month

Core metrics, dashboards, 850+ integrations

APM

$31 per host/month

Distributed tracing, service maps, code profiling

Log Management

$0.10 per GB ingested

Log ingestion, search, analytics

Network Performance

$5 per host/month

Network traffic analysis, flow monitoring, device health

Synthetic Monitoring

$5 per 10,000 API tests

API and browser tests, uptime checks

Real User Monitoring

$2 per 10,000 sessions

End-user experience metrics, session replay

Security Monitoring

$0.20 per GB analyzed

Threat detection, compliance monitoring

Database Monitoring

$21 per host/month

Database performance, query analytics

Continuous Profiler

$8 per host/month

Code profiling, performance optimization

Incident Management

$15 per user/month

Incident tracking, collaboration tools

CI Visibility

$5 per 25,000 test runs

CI/CD pipeline monitoring, job analytics

Datadog’s pricing is modular and can add up quickly as you layer on more features or monitor more hosts. While the entry price for network monitoring is competitive, costs for log ingestion, APM, and other advanced features can become significant for large environments.

The flexibility to pick and choose modules is great, but budgeting can be tricky. Compared to competitors like LogicMonitor, Datadog is often pricier at scale, though it offers more control over what you pay for.

Datadog network monitoring: Customer support

Datadog’s customer support is generally responsive and knowledgeable, with 24/7 availability for most plans. Users can access support via email, chat, or ticketing, and there’s a robust knowledge base and active community forums. Enterprise customers get priority support, including a dedicated account manager and faster response times.

But, some users have reported mixed experiences, especially with lower-tier plans or complex billing issues. A few customers mention delays in getting detailed technical answers or feeling like their concerns weren’t fully addressed. For mission-critical environments, we recommend opting for enterprise support to ensure the fastest resolution times.

Datadog network monitoring: Alternatives

Datadog is a leader in network monitoring, but it’s not the only option. It’s best suited for mid-sized to large IT teams managing hybrid or cloud-first environments who need deep analytics and extensive integrations. If you’re a smaller business or just need basic monitoring, you might find Datadog’s cost and complexity overkill.

Top competitors include LogicMonitor for its AI-powered automation and intuitive interface, Dynatrace for AI-driven anomaly detection, and Nagios or Zabbix for IT teams who want open-source options. That said, Datadog’s main edge is its unified, cloud-native approach and real-time analytics. But if you value simplicity or lower costs, it’s worth comparing alternatives.

Datadog network monitoring: Final verdict

Datadog brings a powerful, unified approach to network monitoring, with real-time analytics, deep integrations, and customizable dashboards. It’s a top choice for IT teams that need to monitor complex, hybrid, or cloud-native environments and want to correlate network data with logs, traces, and application metrics.

However, cost and complexity can be drawbacks, especially for smaller teams or those new to monitoring platforms. If you need the most advanced features and can invest in setup and training, Datadog is a strong contender. For simpler needs or tighter budgets, other platforms may offer better value.

FAQs

What types of environments can Datadog monitor?

Datadog supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, with integrations for AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and more. It’s designed to provide unified visibility across all your infrastructure.

Is Datadog suitable for small businesses?

While Datadog can be used by businesses of any size, its pricing and feature set are best suited for mid-sized to large organizations with complex monitoring needs. Smaller teams may find the cost and learning curve steep.

Can Datadog alert me to network issues in real time?

Yes, Datadog provides real-time alerts for network performance issues, outages, and anomalies. You can customize alert thresholds and receive notifications via email, Slack, PagerDuty, and other channels.

Does Datadog offer a free trial?

Datadog typically offers a 14-day free trial for new users, allowing you to test core features and integrations before committing to a paid plan.

How does Datadog compare to LogicMonitor?

LogicMonitor is our top pick for 2025, thanks to its AI-powered automation and revamped UI. Datadog offers more granular analytics and integrations but can be more expensive and complex to set up. Both are excellent, but LogicMonitor is better for teams wanting automation while Datadog excels in analytics and customization.

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(Image credit: Sorbetto)

• You can now interact with Excel cells in natural language with =COPILOT
• It doesn't interact with external data from the web... yet
• You can combine it with other Excel functions

Microsoft is rolling out a new Excel AI function directly into cells, so you can leverage generative AI and tap into even more information even more easily than you can strike up a simple formula in its spreadsheet software.

Copilot in Excel cells is rolling out to Microsoft 365 Copilot beta users in the Insider Program and Beta Channel to start off with, the tighter AI integration will be available on Windows (Version 2509+) and Mac (Version 16.101+) before it comes to the web version.

Working like a normal Microsoft Excel function, users can add prompts in quotes and optional cell ranges for even more context, leading results to automatically change when the source data changes.

Excel COPILOT function

"Just enter a natural language prompt in your spreadsheet, reference cell values as needed, and watch Copilot instantly generate AI-powered results," Partner Director Catherine Pidgeon explained in a blog post.

Besides using the AI tool to create new types of prompts or generate formulas that they might not have been able to do without expert knowledge, users can also combine the Excel COPILOT formula with other functions like IF, SWITCH, LAMBDA, or WRAPROWS.

Some examples of =COPILOT's use cases include summarizing customer feedback, categorizing data, integrating external knowledge and formatting.

In its most simple form, a function might look like "=COPILOT(prompt_part1, [context1])" – though context is optional.

Pidgeon noted the =COPILOT function only uses data it was trained on, so it cannot access new data from the web or company documents at this stage.

Being a beta product, there are still some improvements that Microsoft hopes to make to its Excel AI assistant, including more data sources beyond the LLM training and enabling date formatting per Excel’s date serial format rather than text-only, as is currently the case.

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Digital spend now takes up 35% of sustainability budgets, as businesses leverage IT to achieve environmental goals. The global digital sustainability market is projected to reach $34 billion by 2027, growing about three times faster than the overall technology market. This surge highlights increasing corporate commitment to sustainability, driven by regulatory pressures, rising energy costs and stakeholder expectation.

However, despite these positive trends, we shouldn’t ignore the impact of current technologies in play. Enterprise IT already accounts for 1% of all GHG output, and tech emissions are set to rise to 14% of global totals by 2040. Datacenter expansion and AI investment have seen emissions increase by 150% in three years. Scope 1 and 2 emissions grew by 1.4% since 2024, and gaps remain in Scope 3 reporting. It’s clear that good intentions have not yet translated into tangible reduction of carbon footprints.

To ensure meaningful progress towards net zero targets, businesses must reconcile rising digital demand with environmental responsibilities. Meeting ambitious climate goals will require a systemic transformation of operational strategies. Entrenched behaviors - such as repeating IT procurement practices - hinder progress towards ESG and business goals.

Achieving sustainability targets will require bold changes across the entire technology ecosystem - from IT infrastructure and digital operations to innovation and regulatory alignment.

Making sustainability a business priority

Sustainability is no longer optional; it’s a business imperative driven by environmental, regulatory and market forces. Climate change remains a central issue on the global agenda. While some governments may not prioritize climate initiatives, international frameworks such as the United Nations’ COP, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement continue to push organizations for meaningful progress.

On the regulatory front, frameworks such as the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are raising the bar. New legislation will require detailed disclosures, including Scope 3 reporting – indirect emissions including those from digital infrastructure and IT supply chains. With technology a significant contributor to Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions, staying ahead of these compliance mandates is crucial for effective risk management.

But regulation is only part of the picture. Sustainability in IT is increasingly tied to business performance. Organizations with strong ESG practices are outperforming peers in profitability and EBITDA metrics. Ultimately, digital transformation efforts that overlook sustainability are missing a key component for long-term value creation. Sustainable IT is central to competitiveness, growth and resilience.

A sustainable IT journey

Building a sustainable IT strategy goes far beyond adopting energy-efficient hardware or migrating to the cloud to cut Scope 2 emissions. It demands a holistic approach to technology sourcing, management and use across its entire lifecycle. To accelerate ESG priorities, organizations should:

1.Assess datacenter sustainability: Where growing data volumes are hosted has a major environmental impact. With cloud adoption more effective than upgrading on-premise infrastructure, prioritizing datacenters powered by renewables is vital. Businesses should seek facilities with strong Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratings - lower scores (closer to 1.0) indicate greater efficiency.

2.Scrutinize cloud providers: Sustainability performance varies significantly between cloud providers. While major hyperscalers have faced criticism over environmental practices, some smaller providers offer 100% renewable-powered services and employ energy-saving technologies like virtualization, containerization and AI-driven resource optimization. Opting for suppliers with robust sustainability credentials and able to provide accurate Scope 3 data will deliver immediate impact to decarbonizing supply chains.

3.Leverage Infrastructure-as-a-Service (Iaas): Adopting an IaaS model removes the burden of managing on-premise IT, transferring power and emissions responsibility to the provider. IaaS boosts agility and cost efficiency, while reducing IT estate, hardware refreshes, power costs and equipment waste.

4.Optimize end-user devices: End-user hardware accounts for a large share of IT-related emissions and electronic waste. Minimizing device count, extending hardware lifespan and exploring alternatives like Bring Your Own Device policies can reduce environmental impact and operational costs.

5.Enable remote work: IT is a key enabler of remote work, helping reduce emissions from commuting and office infrastructure. Virtual desktop infrastructure allows users to access powerful computing resources securely while significantly lowering energy consumption compared to traditional desktop setups.

Now is the time to step up

The path to business sustainability is well defined - the technologies, frameworks and partners to drive improvements are available. What’s needed now is momentum from organizations to drive meaningful change.

Sustainable IT is more than a reporting checkbox for regulatory compliance; it’s a critical pillar of long-term business success. Forward-thinking leaders are increasingly recognizing that doing ‘just enough’ is a risky strategy, which can result in poor technology investments and leave firms exposed as contexts change and competitors seize an advantage.

Embedding sustainability into corporate agendas is essential for driving growth, strengthening stakeholder confidence and meeting environmental commitments. Leaders should act now and make smarter IT choices to transform their operations for the better. Future success – for their business and the planet - depends on it.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Netflix renews Dept. Q for second season less than three months after season 1 wrapped
• Main characters are set to return
• Plot details are being kept under wraps

Almost three months after the release of its first season, Netflix has confirmed that Dept. Q season 2 is officially going ahead. Executive producer Rob Bullock of Left Bank Pictures said in a press statement: “We are going downstairs to Dept. Q for a second season. We at Left Bank Pictures nervously await what Scott has in store for his alter-ego Carl Morck, and the other enabling members of team do-lally. We salute Netflix’s courage to let them loose once again.”

Co-creator Scott Frank added: “I’m grateful to the folks at Netflix, as well as our shining cast and crew, for once more risking their careers to enable my folly.” Season 1 drew in 222 million hours of viewing worldwide on one of the best streaming services, spending six weeks in Netflix’s top 10 chart.

Thankfully, we’ve already got a fairly clear idea of where new episodes will head next, with Moira (Kate Dickie) telling Hardy (Jamie Sives) at the end of the first season that she has a brand-new case for him to look at. All of our other season 1 plotlines were neatly solved, so there’s a chance we could see some unexpected format shakeups down the line.

However, the promise of a new cold case isn’t quite enough for me on its own. If we want the 2026 streaming calendar to be truly exciting (assuming Netflix doesn’t do its old trick of waiting a million years to put out another series), why not coincide the release of Dept Q. season 2 with the HBO Max show that rivalled season 1 only a few months ago?

Netflix should pit Dept. Q season 2 against HBO Max giant The Pitt (pun intended)

What’s struck me most about the Dept Q. season 2 renewal news is how many fans (see the Reddit comment above as example) loved watching season 1 alongside medical drama The Pitt. Neither show is one where you can easily catch your breath, even though they are each polar opposites of each other (Dept. Q follows cold cases, The Pitt follows a shift in a manic ER department). Earlier in the year, we had the tail end of The Pitt season 1 overlap with the debut of Dept Q., and it turned out to be the best binge-worthy partnership we’ve had in ages.

So, what if Netflix and HBO Max do it again, whether that’s facing off as rivals or teaming up to give viewers exactly what they want? We already know The Pitt season 2 will definitely premiere in January 2026, picking up ten months after season 1 during a hectic fourth of July weekend. If Dept. Q got its skates on and released a new season in May 2026, we’d get the same delicious streaming crossover we had this year.

From the team’s press statements, it’s difficult to tell how far into the development process they are for the second season. On the one hand, Netflix is notorious for taking its time between seasons, as Stranger Things, Wednesday and Squid Game have all shown. However, Dept. Q has a much smaller production scale than any of the bigger IPs, hopefully meaning shooting wouldn’t take as long anyway.

But who knows? It’s all speculation at this point. We have no idea what’s waiting for Hardy in the basement, and the team could literally be taken anywhere. As Frank told Collider after season 1 was released, “This is based on a series of books. The second book in the series is quite good, so I’ve got a great idea for a second season. It is another cold case and also a current case, at the same time, that they’re looking into. So, I would do that. I don’t know that I would necessarily do nine episodes. I might just do six next time. We’ll see. But I do know what I want to do next. I do have the story in mind for the next season.”

As long as I can offset it with Dr. Robbie (Noah Wyle) crying in a slump on the floor in a Pittsburgh hospital, I’ll be one happy subscriber.

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• Peacemaker season 2 will explore the 11th Street Kids in more detail
• The group's various dynamics will be examined in depth
• Its cast has teased what fans can expect to see and hear in the HBO Max show's next entry

The cast of Peacemaker season 2 has tentatively revealed what's next for the 11th Street Kids after their world-saving exploits in the show's debut installment.

Ahead of the popular show's return, I sat down with Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, and Steve Agee to learn more about their individual and collective character arcs in the HBO Max Original's sophomore entry. Full spoilers follow for Peacemaker season 1, so proceed with caution.

Leota Adebayo becomes the 11th Street Kids' figurative surrogate mom this season (Image credit: Jessica Miglio/Max)

Peacemaker's first season ended with the 11th Street Kids stopping an alien invasion. However, despite the strong albeit dysfunctional bonds they formed last season, the group – John Cena's Chris Smith/Peacemaker, Jennifer Holland's Emilia Harcourt, Brooks' Leota Adebayo, Stroma's Adrian Chase/Vigilante, and Agee's John Economos – largely went their separate ways after thwarting the aforementioned hostile takeover.

Unsurprisingly, season 2 opens with each individual doing their own thing. Sure, there's the occasional check-in between certain characters but it's only when the plot progresses that the quintet are pulled back into each other's orbit. By and large, though, each person is dealing with their own issues and/or pursuing their own dreams in the DC Universe (DCU) TV show's second season.

For Adebayo, that means having the freedom to start her life anew without her mother – Amanda Waller, who was ousted as the director of ARGUS in last season's finale by her daughter blowing the whistle on Waller's nefarious schemes – dictating her every move. But, even as Adebayo navigates other personal problems and desires with her newfound sense of freedom, helping her friends is still her number one priority.

Jon Economos finds himself torn between his job and his friends this season (Image credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/Max)

"In a way, she's been imprisoned physically and mentally by her mom," Brooks said. "When she decides to rat our her mom, she finally breaks her mom's hold on her.

"We get to witness that transition and more of the optimistic person she is in season two," Brooks added. "Adebayo immediately gets to work making things happen [for herself], but that comes with sacrifices, as we'll see with her wife this season. But, even with those marital issues, she finds time to lift up the rest of the 11th Street Kids and become that encouraging voice as they deal with their struggles. She almost becomes this motherly figure to everyone else, which may be a reaction to what she never had with her own mom."

Such problems loom large over Smith and Harcourt's season 2 arcs, but Chase and Economos aren't immune from facing similar inter- and intra-personal issues. Indeed, whether it's the feelings of fraternal alienation Chase feels amid the regression of his friendship with Smith or Economos' split loyalties to his friends and job at ARGUS, the duo are similarly plagued by difficulties in the DCU Chapter One project's latest installment.

Adrian Chase looks to the rest of the gang for emotional support throughout season 2 (Image credit: Jessica Miglio/Max)

"He definitely looks to Peacemaker for that support," Stroma said, "So, his feelings are hurt when he's not being invited to things or only being called upon when he's needed. He needs to fill that void, and you'll see in episode one how Adrian's focus shifts to other members of the 11th Street Kids, because all he really wants is to have friends. After season one, he's nudged his way [into this group] and maybe thinks 'I've finally found my tribe'. When you see them having a big party on the roof [as Peacemaker season 2's red band trailer teased], it's everything he's ever wanted."

"Economos is a creature of habit," Agee admitted. "He's great at his job and being this tech guru. That's his routine and, for someone like him, it's really hard to up-end those patterns, which is why he's still at ARGUS at the start of this season.

"He's really reluctant to do some of the stuff that's asked of him, but he also doesn't want to lose his job because he can use it to help his friends and, without spoiling much, stay one step ahead of ARGUS. I think if you have him an ultimatum to choose his friends and keep them safe, or continue working for ARGUS, I think he'd pick the former. Having friends is new to him, but he really needs the 11th Street Kids, and I think that showed in season one and will do so again in season two."

Peacemaker season 2 premieres on August 21 in North and South America, and August 22 everywhere else. Before it does, read my ultimate guide on Peacemaker season 2 for more on its cast, plot, and trailers, plus my Peacemaker season 2 review to see what I thought of its first five episodes.

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