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It can be a full-time job keeping up with all the latest releases and trending movies and shows bombarding us on the daily. But sometimes you just want to watch a sure thing—something comforting and familiar.

We're all guilty of charging our phones, laptops, and other devices in public spaces. After all, what can you do when you've got no power and that's your only option? But those USB ports, while convenient, can be a danger to your devices.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency markets are rebounding on Friday after hitting lows not seen in years.

As of publication, Bitcoin has since soared back over $70,300 following yesterday's crash.

But is the worst really over? Or is the worst yet to come? Despite the recent rebound, one of the experts we talked to warned of further decreases to come.

In a statement provided to Mashable before today's bounceback, early Bitcoin investor Michael Terpin foresaw an uptick in the market before another potential downturn.

"Most likely we will have a bounce back over $80k before the final plunge, exhausting weary ETF investors into capitulation, despite how oversold we are right now," Terpin said. "It would be awesome if we could rip the band-aid off quickly and hit the bottom this week or month, but there is really strong buying resistance at $65k and $60k. If we lose that support, price could drop all the way to $45k."

Other analysts have also predicted that Bitcoin could drop as low as $40k if the current market trends continue.

According to a CryptoQuant analysis, investors should still proceed with caution as crypto whales are currently very active and "account for a disproportionately large share of total deposits."

"This behavior typically signals that whales are aggressively moving funds onto the exchange, a precursor often associated with heavy selling (dumping) or hedging activities," the report says.

Head of Bitfire Research Allen Ding told Mashable in a statement that a rebound in the market is "likely to be constrained by the pace of institutional capital returning and the unwinding of market leverage risks."

With big holders still actively selling, analysts say crypto prices could continue to fluctuate and even start to plunge once again.

The current price range, even after the rebound, also provides a challenge for Bitcoin miners. As CoinDesk reports, the current Bitcoin price is well under the average cost of $87,000 to mine a single Bitcoin. The outlet notes that this has traditionally been one of the signs of a bear market.

The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway in the Italian regions of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. For the next 17 days, the best athletes in the world will compete in popular winter sports, including skiing, snowboarding, curling, and figure skating. My favorite sport to watch is hockey, which will showcase some of the best NHL players in the world. The last time the United States won the gold medal in men's hockey was in 1980, and now that team is the subject of an incredible Netflix documentary, Miracle: The Boys of '80.

The best streaming deals to watch the 2026 Puppy Bowl: Discovery+ free 7-day trial, then $5.99/month Get Deal Discovery+ Prime Video add-on free 7-day trial, then $5.99/month Get Deal Hulu + Live TV free 3-day trial, then $89.99/month Get Deal HBO Max (With Ads) $109.99/year (save $21.89) Get Deal HBO Max Standard $184.99/year (save $36.89) Get Deal HBO Max Student $5.49 per month for 12 months (save 50%) Get Deal HBO Max Basic With Ads Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month unlimited plan (save $10.99/month) Get Deal Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max $19.99 per month (with ads), $32.99 per month (no ads) (save up to 42%) Get Deal

There's no better way to pregame the Patriots vs. Seahawks game on Sunday than with a puppy palooza. The longest-running call-to-adoption television event is back in 2026 with Puppy Bowl XXII. This year's event includes 150 dogs from 72 shelters across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands, which marks a new record.

The reigning champions, Team Fluff's lineup includes Benito, a Siberian Husky-Chihuahua from Puerto Rico, Showgirl, a Chow Chow-Rottweiler, and Chappell Bone, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. They'll take on Team Ruff, which includes Lobster Roll, a Bulldog-Border Collie, Brûlée, a Boston Terrier-French Bulldog, and Miso, an American Cattle Dog-Beagle, to get their paws on the "Lombarky" trophy. Prepare for adorable puppies, heartwarming adoption stories, and play-by-play commentary from sportscasters Steve Levy and Taylor Rooks. A special halftime exhibition game (new this year) with senior dogs on Team Oldies and Team Goldies will also surely tug at your heartstrings.

If you need some cozy and comforting content before the chaos of the Big Game, here's what you need to know to watch the Puppy Bowl.

When is the 2026 Puppy Bowl?

Puppy Bowl XXII kicks things off on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. ET, making it the perfect pregame for the Big Game at 6:30 p.m. ET. A Puppy Combine pre-show will air just before the 22nd annual adoption awareness event at 1 p.m. ET.

How to watch Puppy Bowl XXII

Got cable? You can watch the 2026 Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet, TBS, or TruTV — take your pick. Those without cable have options as well. The event will simulcast on both HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services. You can also opt for a live TV cable replacement service, which usually will give you a free trial. We've rounded up the best (and cheapest) ways to watch below.

Best way to watch without cable: Get a free 7-day trial to Discovery+ Opens in a new window Credit: Discovery+ Discovery+ free 7-day trial, then starting at $5.99/month Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Discovery+ Discovery+ Prime Video add-on free 7-day trial, then starting at $5.99/month Get Deal

Hands down the best option to watch the Puppy Bowl without spending a cent is to sign up for a free seven-day trial to Discovery+, either through Discovery+ directly or as a Prime Video add-on. After your trial, it'll cost you either $5.99 per month with ads or $9.99 per month without ads unless you cancel first.

Best way to watch the Puppy Bowl and Super Bowl live: Get a Hulu + Live TV free trial Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu + Live TV free 3-day trial, then $89.99/month Get Deal

If you want to watch both the 2026 Puppy Bowl and the football game, you're going to need a live TV cable alternative. Fortunately, most options offer free trials — including Hulu + Live TV. While you'll only get three days for free, you really only need it for Sunday, Feb. 8, so that's plenty. Just be sure to cancel your subscription before the three-day trial ends, or else you'll be charged full price — *gasp* $89.99 per month. Other options include YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream.

Best HBO Max deal for most people: Save 16% on HBO Max annual subscriptions Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Basic with ads annual subscription $109.99 per year (save $21.89) Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Standard annual subscription $184.99 per year (save $36.89) Get Deal

If you don't qualify for the trials above, or if you just want to commit to HBO Max for more than the Puppy Bowl, we recommend signing up for the annual plan over the monthly plan. The HBO Max Basic plan with ads typically costs $10.99 per month, but if you pay for an entire year upfront, that price drops down to just $9.17. You'll pay $109.99 total for the year, which saves you about 16% compared to paying each month.

Rather go ad-free? The annual HBO Max Standard or Premium plans will also save you about 16% over their monthly counterparts. The Standard tier costs either $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year (about $15.42 per month), while the Premium tier costs either $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year (about $19.17 per month). Both tiers unlock ad-free viewing, but the Premium tier also adds 4K Ultra HD video quality, Dolby Atmos immersive audio, and the ability to download more offline content.

Best way to get HBO Max for free: Switch to Cricket's Supreme Unlimited plan Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max / Cricket HBO Max (with ads) Free for Cricket customers on the Supreme Unlimited plan Get Deal

One of the best ways to get HBO Max for free in 2026 is to switch your phone plan to Cricket's $60 per month Supreme Unlimited plan. It includes HBO Max Basic with ads for free — a $10.99 per month value. When you open up the HBO Max app or website, you'll just select Cricket as your provider and use your credentials to log in.

Best HBO Max deal for students: Save 50% on HBO Max Basic with ads Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Student $5.49 per month for 12 months Get Deal

College students can sign up for an entire year of HBO Max with ads for half price. Just verify your student status through UNiDAYS and use the unique discount code to drop the price from $10.99 to just $5.49 per month. After 12 months, the price will jump back up to the full $10.99 monthly fee unless you cancel.

Best HBO Max bundle deal: Get HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu for up to 42% off Opens in a new window Credit: Disney / Hulu / HBO Max Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max $19.99 per month (with ads), $32.99 per month (no ads) Get Deal

The Disney+ bundle deal that includes Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max is one of the best deals in streaming. That lineup of streamers would usually cost you $34.97 per month if you paid separately for each, but you can bundle them for only $19.99. If you prefer to watch without ads, the bundle will run you $32.99 per month as opposed to $56.47. That's up to 42% in savings for unlimited access to all three streaming libraries.

Portable SSDs are incredibly convenient, but are they as fast as the ones you can put inside your PC? The short answer is no, which is fine—they have their own use cases. But, if your portable SSD, often worth upwards of $100, is disappointingly slow, the drive itself may not be the cause.

If you have some smart home devices, and you have room for one more button in your Mac's menu bar, you might be interested in the new Itsyhome utility. It can help you control lights, cameras, and other smart home equipment in just a few clicks, with webhooks and Shortcuts support for advanced automations.

Affordable compact cars come and go, but one Japanese model has quietly dominated the reliability conversation for years. The Honda Civic remains a benchmark for durability and trouble-free ownership, even as competitors come and go. Its reputation for needing fewer repairs and delivering long-lasting performance makes it the go-to choice for drivers who want a dependable daily driver without frequent visits to the shop.

There are well over a hundred fonts to choose from when using Microsoft Word. While it's fun to experiment with them, it would take forever to try them all out. That's why I'm picking a handful of the best fonts to use with Word across various use cases, be it academia, design, or even coding.

The internet loves a comeback tour, but it adores one with puppet fleece and impeccable comedic timing. Case in point: The Muppet Show special, which returned to the Muppet Theatre on Feb. 4 for a one-night event on Disney+ and ABC — and promptly took over everyone’s feeds.

Seriously. I didn't know I needed a Rizzo the Rat cover of The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" until I saw it, and now I don't ever want to live in a world without it.

The Muppet Show originally ran from 1976 to 1981, pioneering the variety format with a blend of vaudeville silliness, celebrity guest spots, and backstage chaos anchored by Kermit the Frog's perpetually frazzled calm. The new special revives that spirit with all the familiar faces, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and Statler and Waldorf, along with a lineup of contemporary guests, from Maya Rudolph and Seth Rogen (who also serve as executive producers) to pop star Sabrina Carpenter.

But it's the clips that have really sent fans and group chats into a frenzy, proof that the Muppets understand how to play the internet better than most human celebrities.

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Leading the pack is a truly unexpected cover: Rizzo belting out The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" on rat-infested streets. The contrast between the sleek, synth-pop hit and Rizzo's nasally bravado is instant comedy, and social media has embraced it wholeheartedly.

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Then there's Sabrina Carpenter's performance of "Manchild," which has been circulating widely for its playful integration into the Muppet universe. Rather than feeling like a standard guest slot, the performance leans into the show’s absurdity, letting Carpenter spar with the chaos around her — which includes a flock of chickens on backup vocals.

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And then there's the press run. Kermit and Miss Piggy have been popping up together in interviews (including a hilarious episode of Vanity Fair's Lie Detector Test), bantering like a couple who’ve been married, divorced, remarried, and media-trained for decades. Their chemistry feels untouched by time.

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Long before algorithms and engagement metrics, Kermit and company mastered the art of attention. So, really, the Muppets were built for virality long before the concept of virality existed. The internet is just their latest stage.

If you’ve been eyeing one of those pricey mesh systems to improve your Wi-Fi but can’t justify the cost, here's some good news: there’s a good chance you don’t even need one. In many apartments and smaller homes, a single router can already provide all the coverage you could possibly need.

If you’ve lost your job to AI, Briarcliff Entertainment wants to give you a gift: free tickets to see the highly anticipated sci-fi thriller Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die. Because "Who better to see a film about AI’s impact than those already experiencing it firsthand?" as Tom Ortenberg, the company's CEO, noted.

Directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) and written by Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying), Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is set to hit cinemas Feb. 13. It stars Sam Rockwell as a man from the future who comes to warn of impending global doom from an AI apocalypse. It's not too far off from reality, TBH. For some, the AI revolution hits a little too close to home, and Briarcliff Entertainment, in partnership with Fever, wanted to give those folks a little something special.

"If you or someone you know has been quietly replaced, sidelined, or optimized in the name of progress, tell us your story and receive a pair of tickets, on the house," a letter on the movie's social pages states.

The first 1,000 folks to sign up will get two free tickets. Just head to the Fever promotional page, log in or sign up using your email or social accounts, and you'll be directed to a checkout page where you can "Tell your story or share your LinkedIn" to secure the tickets. The promotional period ends on Sunday, Feb. 8, so you'll want to act fast. If you're within the first 1,000 signups, you'll receive your coupon to get two free tickets within two days.

Opens in a new window Credit: Briarcliff Entertainment Get 2 free tickets to 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die'   Learn More

The movie doesn't hit theaters until next week, but check out the trailer for a glimpse into the bonkers comedy. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die also stars Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chaudhry, and Juno Temple.

Fans of HBO's Industry know that Sweetpea Golightly (Miriam Petche) has a bit of a detective streak.

In Season 3, she leveraged her wide web of connections to figure out that Pierpoint & Co. was on the verge of collapse, well before anyone else on the trading floor. Now, in Season 4, she and her colleagues at SternTao are pursuing a new lead: the potential fraudulence of fintech company Tender.

SEE ALSO: 'Industry's Sagar Radia dishes on Rishi's literal downfall

Sweetpea, in particular, is tenacious in her desire to take Tender down. There's a personal angle to this drive: Tender served as a payment processor for adult sites like OnlyFans and the fictional Siren. Sweetpea's anonymous account on those sites got leaked, making her the target of further scrutiny and harassment in the finance world.

Since then, Industry has presented sex work, especially Sweetpea's, in a new light. In Season 3, they highlighted it as empowering. ("I love a woman who doesn't leave money on the table," Harper Stern (Myha'la) says of it in the season 3 finale.) But in Season 4, Industry ponders the exploitative side of Sweetpea's work as well, coinciding with her exposure and her subsequent focus on taking Tender down.

"She feels that this is the most defining thing for her," Petche told Mashable in a video interview. "[She thinks,] 'If I get this right, how bad can it be? If I make myself indispensable at work, then the worst situation can't happen.' She's driven by this desperate need to prove herself, to prove that she's okay and good at what she's doing."

SEE ALSO: 'Industry' Season 4 tackles age verification and OnlyFans — and it's just getting started

That need to prove herself brings Sweetpea center stage in Season 4, episode 5, "Eyes Without A Face," which sees her and co-worker Kwabena Bannerman (Toheeb Jimoh) heading to Accra to investigate Tender's workings in Ghana. In Sweetpea's words, what they find is "a feedback loop of fakery." Tender, and its cash and clients, is nothing, but it's passing itself off as something quite valuable.

Sweetpea is on fire on the path towards this discovery, embracing her inner Erin Brockovich as she pins down Tender's fraud and even secures a potential whistleblower.

"The things that are compasses to her are her intelligence and her curiosity, and when her curiosity and intelligence are stimulated, it's like a thread that pulls her, and she cannot turn away from it," Petche said.

Miriam Petche in "Industry." Credit: Simon Ridgway / HBO

Yet as fulfilling as pulling on that thread is, this episode also puts Sweetpea through hell. She's violently attacked in a bathroom, with the perpetrator smashing her head into a mirror and breaking her nose in hopes of warning her off the investigation. It doesn't work, and Sweetpea sports a bruised face throughout the rest of the episode, even removing her sunglasses to show it off like a badge of honor.

For Petche, so much of Sweetpea is about how she weaponizes her hyper-competent work persona. "She's someone who has to perform that she's great all the time, and perform that she's productive and of value," Petche said.

However, in "Eyes Without A Face," audiences see Sweetpea's armor slip. Upon arriving home, Sweetpea sits silently by herself before breaking down, all the events and adrenaline of the past episode catching up to her.

"This is someone who believes they have to handle everything on their own," Petche explained. "When things are great, she'll handle it on her own, and when things are bad, I think she thinks that it's her own fault. So that moment was everything unraveling."

The scene is one of the rare moments when audiences see Sweetpea alone, and the effect is sobering. Gone is the usual self-assured clip of one-liners and financial savvy, replaced with gut-wrenching sobs.

Sweetpea's breakdown is made all the worse by the fact that just moments ago, she turned away Harper's offer to comfort her. On top of that, she pushed Harper away further, reminding her of their employer-employee boundary before letting her know that she and Kwabena hooked up in Ghana.

According to Petche, the move comes from a place of Sweetpea wanting to protect herself, but it might not be the right one in the long run.

"She only feels truly safe when she's alone," Petche said. "She has an offer from someone else to come and sit with her, and she says, 'No, please don't.' That might be what she thinks she needs, but what she needs is to be held when she's not performing. That really stuck with me."

New episodes of Industry Season 4 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

It's exhausting trying to find a truly effective productivity tool these days. The market is completely flooded, and you can't trust an advertisement to reflect reality; they're all just marketing hype. However, there are still apps that can do everything you need that don't cost you a monthly payment.

Trials by combat are out, and trials of seven are in.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' fourth episode, aptly titled "Seven," introduces the latter concept, a twist on Game of Thrones' classic trial by combat. And if Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall (Peter Claffey) wants to make it out of Ashford Meadow alive, he's going to have to get very familiar with the trial of seven very quickly.

SEE ALSO: 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Targaryen family tree: How everyone connects What is a trial of seven? Peter Claffey and Finn Bennett in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Credit: Steffan Hill / HBO

While a trial by combat sees two champions facing off to determine the guilt of an accused party, a trial of seven ups the ante sevenfold, with 14 champions battling it out. This more archaic form of trial is rooted in Andal tradition. They believed that having seven champions on each side — a number corresponding to the number of gods in the Faith of the Seven — would result in more divine justice.

In "Seven," Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) demands a trial of seven to judge Dunk's guilt. Dunk stands accused of attacking a Targaryen prince, which he did do, but only because Aerion was harming innocent puppeteers. Will the gods (rightfully) deem Dunk's actions as honorable, as he was defending the defenseless?

SEE ALSO: Every time 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' hinted at that big Egg reveal

Aerion's brother Daeron (Henry Ashton) has also accused Dunk of kidnapping their younger brother Aegon, also known as Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). While this is patently false, as Egg himself will tell anyone who bothers to listen, the trial will go on. With the Targaryen family against him, the odds are decidedly not in Dunk's favor.

Remembering who all 14 champions are in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is no small feat. As we head into the actual trial of seven, here are the champions you need to know, on both Dunk's side and Aerion's.

Who is on Aerion's side in the trial of seven? Finn Bennett in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Credit: Steffan Hill / HBO

At one end of the jousting lists, we have Team Aerion (Boo! Hiss!), also known as Team Targaryen. This squad is packing some serious royal power, including Aerion himself and his father, Maekar (Sam Spruell). Also taking the field is Daeron Targaryen, but given that he tells Dunk he plans to hang back, and even asks him to give him a knock on his helmet, I don't see him as being much of a threat.

Also fighting for Aerion are three members of the Kingsguard: Ser Donnel of Duskendale (Bill Ward), Ser Roland Crakehall (Wade Briggs), and Ser Willem Wylde, who is not credited in the show but appears in George R.R. Martin's novella The Hedge Knight.

Rounding out the team is the extra dishonorable Ser Steffon Fossoway (Edward Ashley), who claims he'll fight with Dunk only to switch up at the last second in order to get a lordship from Aerion. This un-knightly move leaves Dunk in the lurch, because if he doesn't get seven champions, he'll automatically be found guilty and receive a dire punishment: losing his hand. Luckily for him, he winds up with six other champions after all. Here's who.

Who is on Dunk's side in the trial of seven? Dexter Sol Ansell in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Credit: Steffan Hill / HBO

With the help of Egg, Dunk recruits a motley crew of knights. His new bestie, Ser Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) is raring at the opportunity to participate in the first trial of seven in a century, claiming he doesn't want "to miss a chance to bloody up the Kingsguard."

Ser Humfrey Hardyng (Ross Anderson), who broke his legs and lost his horse in a joust against Aerion, has also joined up hoping to settle his score with the tyrant prince. His brother by marriage, Ser Humfrey Beesbury (Danny Collins), has also pledged his help to Dunk. Sure, Aerion has three Targaryens, but Dunk has two Humfreys, so who's really winning here?

One-eyed knight Ser Robyn Rhysling (William Houston) is also on Dunk's side, saying that while he'll always be a faithful servant to the crown, "when the crown goes against the gods, Ser Robyn goes against the crown."

The final two members of Dunk's side are surprises, in different ways. Upon hearing of his cousin's treachery, Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas) steps up to be knighted on the spot by Lyonel. He's not the only last-minute addition to Dunk's team, though. The final honor goes to none other than Prince Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) himself, who values Dunk's honor.

With that, the battle lines are drawn and the stage is set for a divine trial, one with the potential for serious Targaryen-on-Targaryen violence. Which side will come out on top in this once-in-a-century smackdown?

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes hitting HBO and HBO Max Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.

Uber will pay millions in damages following a decision by a Phoenix jury that deems the company liable for rape and violence perpetrated by drivers against passengers.

The case sets a legal precedent for more than 3,000 pending sexual assault and sexual misconduct lawsuits against the ride share company, the New York Times reports, following a California court decision that found Uber wasn't liable for a rider's assault. Instead, the Phoenix jury found that Uber can still be held to account for the misconduct of drivers even if they pass background checks and safety benchmarks.

SEE ALSO: What is Lockdown Mode on iPhone and how do you enable it?

The suit was brought by passenger Jaylynn Dean, who first reported her Uber driver had isolated and raped her in Nov. 2023, and accused Uber of failing to implement safety provisions that could have prevented the assault. Her team presented internal documents that showed Uber flagged the potential for a "serious safety incident" before she was picked up, but she did not receive a warning from the app.

Despite agreeing to liability, the jury didn't find that the company's actions were “outrageous, oppressive, or intolerable” or "created substantial risk or significant harm," reducing the requested $144 million in damages to $8.5 million. The driver was previously banned from the app, but isn't facing criminal charges.

"This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety. We will continue to put safety at the heart of everything we do," said Uber spokesperson Matt Kallman. The company says it plans to appeal the decision.

Previously sealed court documents, submitted as part of several lawsuits leveled against Uber in recent history, show a pattern of safety failures and a rise of sexual assault reports between 2017 and 2022. A recent investigation found that drivers with violent felony convictions were allowed on the platform in at least 22 states. In response, Uber has added additional safety tools, including gender-specific ride matching. A cohort of male drivers later sued the company for alleged discrimination.

"I’m doing this for other women who thought the same thing I did, that they were making the safe and smart choice — but that, you know, there are risks of being assaulted," Dean said on the witness stand.

Dark scenes being too dark is a common frustration of avid TV watchers. The ironic point of contention famously sent Game of Thrones fans into a spiral when the 2019 episode, literally titled "The Long Night," was borderline indecipherable. The cinematographer said it back then, and it's worth reiterating now: The cinematic content isn't always too dark. Your TV just isn't tuned properly.

It's the same reason why Skinamarink didn't hit as hard for me when other people were mesmerized by it. That was partly my decrepit 2019 4K Roku TV's fault for being basic — from a technical standpoint, the best 4K TVs you can buy can simply render dark scenes better than cheap TVs. I witnessed it firsthand when I ditched that old LED TV for the mid-range TCL QM6K mini LED TV.

But if you'd prefer to just work with the TV you have right now, there are ways to toggle your current TV settings to optimize dark content.

SEE ALSO: 4 coolest TVs at CES 2026 are from Samsung, LG, and TCL and feature wildly different tech

If you're a serious film person doing a lot of movie watching in the dark, your best bet is to upgrade to OLED at some point soon. But whether you're waiting for TVs to go on sale or are convinced that your current TV has potential to improve, there's no harm in tinkering — your TV's default or AI-enhanced settings could actually be doing you dirty. And in most cases, the changes don't even require a nitty-gritty understanding of TV specs.

Select viewing modes vary by brand, and some newer models may let you get more granular than older models. (Samsung's Shadow Detail bar, for example.) But there are a handful of universal tweaks that can be made to most TVs to make dark scenes look better:

Turn off any light sensors

Before anything else, make sure the room you're watching TV in is as dark as possible. We've all seen how distracting glare from a lamp or a window can be. Plus, limited external light gives blacks and grays the best shot at being, well, contrasted.

Still, some TVs try to correct their own displays by assessing the lighting in the room and adjusting their brightness, shadows, and highlights accordingly. Many folks find that ambient light sensors in their TVs actually wind up overcompensating for dim environments, brightening the screen so much that the picture becomes inaccurate (and, physically, a headache to look at). Reddit sees several queries about how to optimally handle a TV's auto-dimming setting or light sensors, to which many Reddit users have a short, sweet solution: Just turn it off.

SEE ALSO: Review: I can't stop playing my Switch 2, a fabulous follow-up to an all-time legend Turn off HDR

HDR, or high dynamic range, is a technology that can "translate" color and contrast data from the original source (what was originally seen through the camera lens) that a more basic technology, like SDR (standard dynamic range), can't fully interpret. The biggest advantage here is that certain content can get brighter and more contrasted. That's awesome for scenes that are supposed to be vivid, or watching a football game where the field is green and the jerseys are saturated.

But because it relies on your TV to output high nits of brightness, HDR isn't one-size-fits-all magic. For dark scenes, HDR is often a disadvantage. The reliance on backlight and hyper-fixation on differentiating black and white hues often have low-light settings end up looking... gray. It's tricky when a show or movie you're watching flows back and forth between colorful and shadowy, so some calibration might be required to make the TV look better. PCMag's guide on how to calibrate your TV is super straightforward, though many people just have a professional come do it for them. (Mashable and PCMag are owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.)

SEE ALSO: Everything coming to Apple TV in 2026

But at the end of the day, there's something so freeing about simply watching stuff in SDR. Standard dynamic range doesn't require such steep peak brightness, making it a much more comfortable situation for many low-to-mid-range TVs or dark scenes. Remember, 4K SDR is absolutely a thing. You can enjoy the resolution-related benefits of 4K upscaling without the risk of HDR creating overly-pixelated shadows in non-HDR content.

Not all streaming services even support HDR

It sounds obvious, but ensure that the content you're watching or playing actually supports HDR. This could even come down to the streaming service you're watching on. For instance, only Netflix's Premium tier offers HDR content, and Hulu doesn't have much content with the HDR badge outside of some Hulu originals. If you've been sitting through some borderline unwatchable stuff lately, it's quite possible that your newer TV is trying to force HDR on content that literally doesn't support it — a prime example of HDR makes things worse instead of better.

Experiment with Filmmaker Mode

When being viewed in the right environment, Filmmaker Mode gets dark scenes as close as possible to how awesome they'd look in a theater.

Like HDR, other modern picture processing features don't always do content justice. So, at its core, Filmmaker Mode is kind of exactly what it sounds like: There aren't any noise reduction or motion smoothing effects happening on the set of the movie IRL, so Filmmaker Mode essentially strips back those after-the-fact enhancement settings (that go too hard sometimes) to show the viewer what the filmmaker originally wanted to capture. Most TVs do allow settings like color and tone mapping to be tweaked, even if Filmmaker Mode is on, which can balance out some of the lacking vibrancy from automatic enhancements.

SEE ALSO: Sony hands TV business to TCL. What it means for you.

If you're pro movie theater — and pro pitch black living room when movie nights do take place at home — try turning on Filmmaker Mode. And, if Filmmaker Mode has ever made your screen a little too dark, consider the lighting situation of that room. Even the glow of a dim vibey lamp can muddy dark scenes in Filmmaker Mode.

What TVs have the best dark scene performance?

OLED TVs are unanimously recommended for watching in any environment that's not broad daylight. Unlike QLED TVs, which are characterized by a layer of nanocrystals that reflect the light coming from behind them, OLED TVs don't use a backlight at all. OLED screens are made up of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes, or self-lit pixels that can completely turn themselves off when the scene calls for shadows. This allows for deeper blacks and more contrasted dark scenes than what a QLED TV can achieve.

There aren't as many OLED TV options to choose from as there are QLED TVs, but the purchase decision is still a big one — OLED TVs are generally the most expensive type of TV. There are a handful of OLED models that consistently show up as "the best OLED TV" on Google, and they align with the few OLED TVs that people in r/hometheater on Reddit are always hyping up.

A few of the best OLED TVs to buy in 2026 Best budget OLED LG 65-inch B4 OLED 4K TV $1,299.99 Shop Now Best OLED TV for most people LG 65-inch C5 OLED 4K TV $1,599.99 Shop Now Best OLED TV for bright rooms Samsung 65-inch S95F QD-OLED 4K TV $2,799.99 Shop Now LG 65-inch G5 OLED 4K TV $2,296.99 at Amazon Shop Now

Excel's conditional formatting data bars seem easy to use, but they can cause more problems than they solve, creating a "rule rot" mess and causing a massive lag in large worksheets. Switching to the REPT function keeps your file size small and your performance snappy.

SAVE $700: As of Feb. 6, get the Sony 85-inch Bravia 3 TV for $899.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,599.99. That's a discount of 44% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Sony 85-inch Bravia 3 TV $899.99 at Amazon
$1,599.99 Save $700   Get Deal

There are just a couple of days left before the big game, and if you need a new, larger TV, STAT, you're in luck. You can score a massive TV upgrade that should still arrive for the biggest sports event of the year if you head over to Amazon right now, and save some serious cash while doing so.

As of Feb. 6, get the Sony 85-inch Bravia 3 TV for $899.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,599.99. That's $700 off and a discount of 44%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: Save up to $6,000 on Samsung's best TVs before the big game

This massive 85-inch TV is a media powerhouse. Not only does it offer excellent picture quality with deep dark hues and plenty of different shades of color, but it also supports Triluminos Pro to make it all a bit sharper. It also features Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode, so it has presets ready to go for watching sports or whatever else you happen to be into. It also rocks powerful audio that you can enhance with a soundbar if needed.

If you're into streaming movies and TV shows, it's useful for that as well. It has built-in Google Assistant support, which lets you summon things like apps (Netflix, Prime Video, you name it) via voice and without needing a separate streaming device. And if you prefer to play your own sports or other titles as a gamer, there are tons of preset supports for it as well.

Save big on this TV and and go ham for the big game before it starts, and you'll be in one very popular household.

SAVE 17%: As of Feb. 6, the 55-inch Samsung "The Terrace" outdoor Smart TV (QN55LST7DAFXZA, 2024 model) is on sale for $2,891.96, down from $3,497.99, at Amazon. That's a 17% discount or $606.03 savings.

55-inch Samsung "The Terrace" outdoor Smart TV (QN55LST7DAFXZA, 2024 model) $2,891.96 at Amazon
$3,497.99 Save $606.03   Get Deal at Amazon

If you've been dreaming of a movie setup for your patio, the "off-season" is the smartest time to buy. While everyone else waits for the first warm day of spring (when prices are high), Amazon is quietly clearing out premium outdoor tech.

SEE ALSO: Save up to $6,000 on Samsung's best TVs before the big game

Right now, you can get the 55-inch Samsung "The Terrace" outdoor Smart TV (QN55LST7DAFXZA, 2024 model) on sale for $2,891.96, down from $3,497.99, at Amazon. That's a 17% discount or $606.03 savings.

Unlike a regular TV that you have to panic-drag inside when it starts to sprinkle, this screen is built to handle the elements. It carries an IP56 rating for water and dust resistance, and the "Partial Sun" model uses a Neo QLED 4K panel to boost brightness so you can watch clearly in daylight. It also features anti-reflection technology to reduce glare and a 120Hz refresh rate, which is ideal for watching sports.

Just remember: This model is designed for shaded areas, like a covered deck or pergola, rather than direct sunlight. If you're planning on placing it in direct sunlight, be sure to choose the "Full Sun TV" option.