NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Color TV

There are NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Centerspoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Color TV

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• KIRBY (15A: Spherical pink Nintendo character) I have played very few video games, so it's not unusual for me to not be familiar with video game characters and content. Therefore, I'm not surprised I did not know KIRBY, even though my research informs me the character was first introduced in 1992. KIRBY was created with a simple circular design to make him easy to draw. (I have to say I think that was a clever idea.) The spherical pink character has appeared in over thirty Nintendo games in the last 32 years. KIRBY lives in Dream Land, which is located on Planet Pop Star. KIRBY has a unique ability to inhale objects and other creatures; he can spit them out as projectiles, and sometimes can copy the abilities of the creatures he inhales. I think I like KIRBY.
• BLACK MIRROR (17A: Sci-fi show with a "Bandersnatch" spinoff) BLACK MIRROR (2016-present) is a British TV series that was inspired by The Twilight Zone. The show is an anthology series, with each episode standing alone. Many of the episodes are set in a dystopian near-future with new technologies. BLACK MIRROR: Bandersnatch is a Netflix movie that was released in 2018. The movie is interactive, with viewers making decisions for the main character, a computer programmer who is adapting an interactive fantasy book into a video game.
• BLUE EYE SAMURAI (59A: Anime series set in 17th-century Japan) The adult anime TV series, BLUE EYE SAMURAI, premiered in 2023. The series is set in Japan during the 17th century, and tells the story of Mizu, who is a female warrior (onna-musha). Mizu is of mixed race (half-white and half-Japanese), has BLUE EYEs, and is out for revenge.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• AMISH (1A: Pennsylvania sect) The AMISH are an ethnoreligious group known for simple living and plain dress. Many AMISH immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century, and Pennsylvania has the largest population of AMISH in the United States.
• PSP (11A: Handheld Sony gaming device) PSP here stands for PlayStation Portable, which was released in 2004 as the first handheld PlayStation console.
• BAHAI (14A: Faith represented by a nine-pointed star) The BAHÁ'Í faith was established in the 1800s by Bahá'u'lláh, its prophet-founder who lived in Iran. The religion emphasizes the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. In BAHÁ'Í, the number 9 is associated with perfection and unity.
• EUROPE (22A: Slovakia's continent) Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central EUROPE. Its neighbors are Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The capital of Slovakia is Bratislava.
• YELLOWJACKETS (34A: Thriller drama series about a girls' soccer team) YELLOWJACKETS (2021-present) tells the story of a high school girls' soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness. The show recounts the time of survival after the crash, as well as events that occur 25 years later.
• DEE (56A: Film director Rees) DEE Rees won a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Director for Bessie, a 2015 movie about Bessie Smith. Her other directorial credits include Pariah (2011), Mudbound (2017) and The Last Thing He Wanted (2020).
• BEAU (65A: Name that sounds like a gift topper) The name BEAU sounds like a "bow" you might place atop a gift.
• ETSY (70A: Site with handcrafted Wingspan bird feeders) I will always be happy to see a reference to the board game Wingspan. I have previously written about how much I enjoy Wingspan. The game – which is all about birds – features a dice tower designed to look like a bird feeder. On ETSY you can find handcrafted upgrades to the cardboard bird feeder that comes with the game.
• ABBA (1D: Palindromic "Mamma Mia" band) Mamma Mia is a jukebox musical that features the songs of ABBA. "Mamma Mia, here I go again / My, my, how can I resist you?"
• MALTS (2D: Milkshake alternatives) MALTS are milkshakes that have malted milk powder added. The result is a slightly toasty flavor and a mellow nutty flavor. Malted milk powder is made from malted barley, wheat flour, and evaporated milk powder.
• AKITA (6D: Large Japanese dog breed) The AKITA is a large, powerful breed of dog originally from the mountainous regions of northern Japan. The AKITA is the national dog of Japan. The dogs served as companions for samurai (hereditary military officers) from the 1500s into the 1800s. An AKITA rarely barks, thus earning it the nickname, "silent hunter."
• RRR (8D: "Naatu Naatu" film) RRR is a 2022 Telugu-language movie that tells a fictional story of two revolutionaries in India that fight against British rule.  "Naatu Naatu" is a song in RRR that was written to showcase the dancing talent of the heroes. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, the first song from an Asian film to do so.
• SKIP AD (12D: "Click to watch your video instead of this commercial") This clue made me smile. I always click on "SKIP AD" – I wonder how many people actually watch the rest of the AD?
• AOC (27D: Congresswoman in "The Squad" (Abbr.)) AOC here is Alexandria Oasis-Cortez, congresswoman from New York, who we just saw in the puzzle a few days ago. "The Squad" is a group of progressive Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives who were all under the age of 50 when they were elected. The original members of "The Squad" were elected in 2018: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-13). Two additional members of "The Squad" were elected in 2020: Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) and CORI Bush (MO-1). Another two members were elected and joined "The Squad" in 2022: Greg Cesar (TX-35) and Summer Lee (PA-12). AOC coined the term "Squad" in a 2018 Instagram post.
• ERIE (35D: The "E" in HOMES) HOMES is a mnemonic used to remember the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, ERIE, and Superior. This is the second appearance of our crossword-friend ERIE this month.
• TOFURKY (42D: Plant-based meat portmanteau) TOFURKY is a brand of plant-based meat replacements. The brand name is a portmanteau of the words "tofu" and "turkey."
• SEE (50D: Visualize) and SEA (52D: Large body of water) I enjoyed this consecutive pair of clues for the homophones SEE and SEA.
• LAOS (60D: Country between Thailand and Vietnam) LAOS is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. In addition to Thailand and Vietnam, LAOS borders Myanmar, China, and Cambodia. The capital of LAOS is Vientiane.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• BLACK MIRROR (17A: Sci-fi show with a "Bandersnatch" spinoff)
• YELLOWJACKETS (34A: Thriller drama series about a girls' soccer team)
• BLUE EYE SAMURAI (59A: Anime series set in 17th-century Japan)

COLOR TV: Each theme answer is the name of a TV show that begins with a color: BLACK, YELLOW, and BLUE.

This is a fun theme. Even though two of the three TV shows highlighted as theme answers are new to me, I was able to fairly easily figure out their names from the help of crossing answers and, once I caught on to the theme, knowing there was a COLOR in the name. Thank you, Matthew, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles
• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers