Derek Malcolm has been covering the worlds of tech and entertainment for more than two decades.
Before coming to How-To Geek in 2025, Derek was a contributing editor and writer for the A/V and Home Theater section at Digital Trends, where he wrangled and wrote everything from what to watch on Netflix to reviews, explainers, and guides on the latest Bluetooth speakers, turntables, projectors, and other A/V gear.
Based in Toronto, Derek graduated from Humber College's Journalism program in 1999, after which he started covering the worlds of music, movies, TV, and celebrity for publications such as TV Guide, Hello! magazine, and Inside Entertainment. He then got the bug for covering tech and gadgets in 2006, when he served as editor-in-chief of Canadian tech magazine Connected for more than a decade.
An avid skier, when all the snow's gone Derek can be found at home spinning vinyl with his daughter or cheering on his favorite F1 team, McLaren.
What did you think of that massive House of the Dragon season 3 finale? Betrayals, big character deaths, dragon action—what more could you want?! Oh, you already want something else to watch on HBO Max? I get it. Well, while Lanterns is days away and season 5 of Abbott Elementary even longer, the pickings are a bit slim, but there's still some good TV to watch that might surprise you.
This week we have ye olde classic mixed bag—the 64th season of Food Network's long-running high-pressure cooking gauntlet show, a dark and dramatic thriller limited series from 2023, and my top pick, some bingeable homework for a don't-miss upcoming special.
If you like food competition television, few shows have done it so reliably and so bingeably as Food Network's Chopped, which has been a staple of the network, cutting hopeful cooks down to size since 2009. Somehow the show has plated 64 seasons, serving up its tried-and-true format: four chefs go head-to-head for three rounds, whipping up an appetizer, main, and dessert, all made from the mystery ingredients revealed from a big basket.
From Westeros to the ER — how well do you know HBO Max's biggest hits and most talked-about originals?
In The Pitt, what type of medical facility serves as the primary setting for the series?
In Hacks, what is the profession of Deborah Vance, the character played by Jean Smart?
House of the Dragon is a prequel to Game of Thrones — approximately how many years before the events of Game of Thrones does it take place?
In the 2025 horror film Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, what supernatural threat do twin brothers face in the Deep South?
Weapons, the 2025 horror anthology film on Max, was written and directed by which filmmaker?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is another Game of Thrones prequel series — which character does it primarily follow?
One Battle After Another, the 2025 Max limited series, is based on a novel by which author?
In Euphoria, what substance addiction is central to the storyline of the main character, Rue, played by Zendaya?
Endlessly parodied on comedy shows like Saturday Night Live, the chefs race the clock to make magic out of the often bizarre ingredients (gizzards, brains, snouts, weird fruit), to impress a rotating panel of judges, including Alex Guarnaschelli (Iron Chef America), Scott Conant, and Amanda Freitag, who deliver their verdict, eliminating one cook at a time until the winner of the $10,000 is crowned.
Of course, Chopped wouldn't be Chopped without its stalwart host Ted Allen keeping things neat and tidy. Volume 64 of the show landed on HBO Max on August 4, with all eight episodes ready to binge.
