DC Comics’ chain smoking magic wielder/con-man enjoyed his first season on NBC’s Constantine. Since the season finale came to a close, rumors have spread about the show’s demise. At the moment though, there’s still a 50/50 chance this live action comic book show will come back or be gone for good.
Continue reading NBC’s Constantine Remains In Season 2 Limbo
Lately, comic book fans have enjoyed a gamut of TV shows based on their favorite graphic novel personalities. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter have delved into the espionage section of their massive universe. As for DC, they have opted to feature their fastest superhero The Flash in his own series, and a prequel to Batman’s reign, Gotham. Fans have taken quite quickly to those shows, while a much smaller crowd has developed a connection to NBC’s smug magic wielder Constantine.
The first season of the show has just reached its 13-episode conclusion on NBC, and a follow-up season is still in doubt. This has led fans to Twitter, trying to keep the show alive with its own hashtag movement – #SaveConstantine. Rumors has been circulating that NBC may consider moving Constantine to the SyFy cable network, and re-naming the show Hellblazer.
It’s known that the show hasn’t been garnering the type of blockbuster ratings NBC is used to for such a special effects heavy show. Showrunner Daniel Cerone made sure to speak up when fans cried afoul on social media over the fact that their new favorite show may get cancelled. Cerone did note that Constantine might be technically cancelled at the moment, but there may be a sliver of hope for the show’s future:
NBC made some early pickups but Constantine not canceled. We’ll pitch them our plans for 2nd season in May. Then they decide. Anyone putting money in studio coffers by purchasing Constantine in any form will motivate studio to find a home for show. The more international viewers the better. Foreign sales can drive a series. Keep it on air. Look at Hannibal for proof.
Fans may want to stream the show as much as possible and make their voices heard even more if they’d like Constantine to stay on NBC. Honestly though, we’d be perfectly fine with the show’s move on over to cable TV. We’re of the opinion that the show may get the proper, darker tone we loved to follow in the comics if it made its home at Syfy. Looks like we’ll have to wait till May to learn the fate of our favorite chain-smoking magician.
Images: NBC
Be honest, you’ve always wanted to read a comic about Saved by the Bell. No? Well, you’re getting the chance to anyway. Teaming up with Lion Forge Comics, NBCUniversal is bringing back quite of a few of their fan favorites from yesteryear in comic book form.
Not only just Saved By the Bell though. Nope, you’ll soon be able to catch up on the hijinks of Kit, the talking car, in Knight Rider, and all our old friends in Airwolf, Punky Brewster, and Miami Vice. I for one can not wait to see Don Johnson’s comic book counterpart, complete with rolled up sleeves.
While I imagine these books will likely deal with the characters in the same time period as the original shows, I would love to see them do it as more of a “where are they now” kind of thing. Is Stringfellow Hawke back in his mountain cabin? Is he still playing his cello for all the forest wildlife? What about Zach and Kelly from Saved By The Bell? Did those two crazy kids ever make it work? Surely Zach has found him some middle management soul sucking desk job that forces him to spend countless hours a day wishing he was back in high school to relive his good ol’ days.
Instead it’ll probably just be stories from when the shows aired, which frankly isn’t nearly as entertaining a prospect as my idea.
Amazingly enough, they are actually putting people with actual comic experience on this project with people like Joelle Sellner (Teen Titans) and Jonathon London (Geekscape), Geoffrey Thorne, and David Gordon. Artists Jason Johnson, Carl Reed, and Lorenzo Lizana are also on board.
The people at Lions Forge will be at Comic-Con and participating in a panel on July 20th so hopefully we’ll get a look at these books sooner rather than later.
NBC has finally announced the fate of their gourmand drama Hannibal and it is a favorable one. Despite low numbers, NBC has decided to take a chance on Bryan Fuller’s story about the legendary cannibal.
We’re so proud of Bryan’s vision for a show that is richly textured, psychologically complex, and very compelling, there are many great stories still to be told. — Jennifer Salke, NBC Entertainment President, via EW
Continue reading Pass the fava beans… Hannibal renewed for a second season
I come to you today a conflicted woman. Those pilots I so looked forward to and thought would find legs? Well it turns out there’s a reason I’m not a network executive. That reason being I don’t think like a network executive as evidenced by the fact that so few of those pilots I predicted would make it to air actually will. On one hand, I’m disappointed because there were some great ideas that are no longer and on the other hand there are some trailers for these new shoes that look very promising. See? Conflict. But enough chit chat – let’s watch some trailers for all the new TV shows…
**note: I did not include all mid-season shows. There will be plenty of time to look at those, these are mainly the fall premieres.**
[tabgroup][tab title=”NBC”]
NBC cleaned house. Especially when it comes to their sitcoms. The only ones that were renewed were Parks and Recreation and (somewhat amazing) Community. The rest of them, including every new show they premiered this year? Gone. Sadly there have been murmurings that NBC is purposefully abandoning the style of shows they used to air, like 30 Rock and the freshman now canceled sitcom Go On, and are instead looking for things more broad reaching, family oriented, even going so far as to say they want shows more like those on CBS. That’s right folks… NBC is courting the lowest common denominator. Oh joy.
[toggle_simple title=” The Blacklist” width=”600″]
http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=n36728
Former government agent, current FBI Most Wanted, Raymond “Red” Reddington has been on the run for years but now is coming to the FBI with a proposition; he wants to help them hunt down another of their Most Wanted, terrorist Ranko Zamani. Of course, as the name implies, Zamani is not the only person on Red’s list.
Meh, I suppose it has potential but it seems a little like a combination between Law and Order and Fox’s The Following.
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[toggle_simple title=”Dracula” width=”600″]
http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=n36763
Johnathan Rhys Meyers is discarding period garb to have sex with beautiful women. It seems as if we’ve seen this before. Oh, yea. At least this time he’s doing it as a vampire instead of as King. I’ll admit, this looks promising especially with the people involved behind the camera, and Meyers isn’t really a schlub, so things are in Dracula‘s favor.
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[toggle_simple title=”Sean Saves the World” width=”600″]
http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=n36743
I do believe I said I’d eat my hat if this show made it to series so if someone really wants to see me do that I shall. This is exactly the type of show one might expect to see on CBS so congrats NBC!, you did exactly what you set out to.
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[toggle_simple title=”The Michael J. Fox Show” width=”600″]
http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=n36745
Before seeing this trailer I thought it was going to be crappy. I have since changed my tune. Out of all of NBC’s new shows, this looks to be the most intriguing. I’m hoping that the trailer isn’t hiding the triteness that so many family sitcoms fall victims to because it looks pretty decent based off this small glimpse.
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[toggle_simple title=”Ironsides” width=”600″]
http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=n36744
Not even the beautiful Blair Underwood can make me watch this. Sorry.
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[toggle_simple title=”Welcome to the Family” width=”600″]
http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=n36742
I’ll admit, I liked Yes, Dear for a mindless afternoon of sitcom viewing. There is on way on earth I’m going to make sure I watch this drivel. I mean really NBC? This? I’m insulted. You are better than this. Come on.
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So yea, NBC? Not really hitting it out of the park this year. Of course in addition to these gems is the Chicago Fire spin-off Chicago PD. Are there more depressing words than “Chicago Fire spin-off”? I don’t think so. I’d love to come back to this in a year and be completely wrong about these shows but I think we all know, I won’t be.
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[tab title=”ABC”]
If you haven’t been to our site before you might not have heard, but we are really excited for ABC’s new show, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. We aren’t overly thrilled with having to type that out each time, but for the show itself there is definite excitement. You can catch up on all S.H.I.E.L.D. news here, here, here, here, and here but for right now let’s look at what else ABC has in store for this coming TV year.
[toggle_simple title=”Super Fun Night” width=”600″]
I want to like this. I want this to be good. I fear neither of those things will happen. This saddens me. Oh well, maybe I’ll be proven wrong.
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[toggle_simple title=”Mixology” width=”600″]
While this does look promising, how long can the premise last? It takes place in one night. 11 hours of one night in a bar? I don’t even want to be in a real bar in my real life for 11 hours in one night, much less in a TV bar for an entire television season. This just seems like it would get really old, really quick.
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[toggle_simple title=”Resurrection” width=”600″]
Now we’re talking. I can actually see myself watching this and enjoying it. Granted much like Mixology, I do wonder how long they can keep the show going before telling us how exactly the kid is back from the dead, but that’s part of the fun with shows like this so I’m thinking it will be good.
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[toggle_simple title=”Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” width=”600″]
So, ummmm, I like it? I am a huge fan of Once Upon a Time and even though the Wonderland version doesn’t look quite as good, mainly because it’s just the one character, I’ll probably still watch it. I mean it’s got the same people behind it (Adam Horowitz especially) as OUAT and I imagine they won’t deviate too far from what makes that show successful so I’m guessing Wonderland will be around awhile.
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[toggle_simple title=”Mind Games” width=”600″]
I’m can’t tell you how happy I am that this made it to series! Finally a show that I was looking forward to before series orders were announced that has help up to my expectations. You know how I feel about sibling relationships! And if you don’t… I like them!
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[toggle_simple title=”Trophy Wife” width=”600″]
No.
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[toggle_simple title=”The Goldbergs” width=”600″]
Extremely underwhelmed. Do we really want to relive to 80’s so soon? Nope.
However, I will have to resist the urge to burst into song each time REO Speedwagon comes on. It’s an impulse I just can’t control.
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[toggle_simple title=”Killer Women” width=”600″]
This is a good example of a promising (if formulaic) premise that seemingly gets lost when making the jump from paper to screen. One can hope that it’s just one of those shows that has a crappy trailer but ends up being a good show.
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[toggle_simple title=”Back in the Game” width=”600″]
This was a better idea when it was called Bad News Bears or Little Giants. Enough said.
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[toggle_simple title=”Betrayal” width=”600″]
I imagine if you watch and like Revenge, you will watch and like Betrayal. I won’t but I guess there are people out there that will.
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[toggle_simple title=”Lucky 7″ width=”600″]
I’m going to hold out judgement on this one until it airs because it could go either way. My gut feeling is it’s going to go bad but my gut has been wrong before so who knows.
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An interesting group of pilots. ABC seems to be a fan of large ensemble cast shows this year. Combined with the “we are a dysfunctional family” sitcoms, well we’ll just have to wait and see who ends up still breathing come next May.
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[tab title=”CBS”]
It is no secret, I hate CBS. There have been very few shows on CBS in recent memory that I’ve watched and enjoyed but each year I think to myself, “this is it, this is the year I will be a CBS fan!” and not surprisingly that lasts only about a week. This year doesn’t seem like that will change, with the exception of maybe one show.
[toggle_simple title=”The Millers” width=”600″]
Will Arnett, Margo Martindale, and Beau Bridges – what’s not to like? Well so far it looks like The Millers. I really expected more from those three fabulous actors signing on to something together but sadly this just does not look that good.
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[toggle_simple title=”Hostages” width=”600″]
In what seems like a common theme this year, I just can’t see this show having any longevity. Unless they are only giving us a glimpse of the first two episodes, I can’t imagine there is much of a story that can be told while the President is waiting for surgery. It’s a shame because Toni Collette and Dylan McDermott would be nice to watch together.
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[toggle_simple title=”Intelligence” width=”600″]
I loved this show back when it was called Chuck. Yea, yea it’s a drama and it’s nothing like Chuck because that was a comedy and this is serious business but I think we can all agree, it’s Chuck. I’ll probably give it a shot because it’s Sawyer but that’s about it.
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[toggle_simple title=”Mom” width=”600″]
Allison Janney does not need a laugh track. It is a crime that Allison Janney has a laugh track. Have I mentioned that Allison Janney is on a show with a laugh track? This saddens me. Add in Anna Faris and make this a Chuck Lorre show which means it will be very predictable and pedantic and this is probably one of the most depressing series orders of the year. So much wasted talent in yet another Chuck Lorre show on crappy CBS.
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[toggle_simple title=”We Are Men” width=”600″]
I think it would be best if people don’t get attached to this one because I can’t even fathom it lasting more than a year if even that long.
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[toggle_simple title=”The Crazy Ones” width=”600″]
This is the only CBS show that I’m actually looking forward to and it has everything to do with Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar. I mean it’s Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar! The ad agency aspect seems a bit overplayed these days but I’ll still give it a shot.
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Outside of The Crazy Ones, I imagine my streak of hating CBS will not be threatened. It’s nice to know that there are some thing in life that remain constant. Thank you CBS.
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[tab title=”FOX”]
Fox has the distinction of having both the worst new show and, in my opinion, two of the best new shows of the year in their ranks. Way to go Fox, covering all the bases. I’m impressed.
[toggle_simple title=”Enlisted” width=”600″]
This show should never have made it this far, plain and simple. Sgt. Bilko was a great movie with a similar premise but Enlisted? Well it looks like that puppy that Bilko wanted to make him feel better just took a dump on the TV screen and called it a sitcom.
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[toggle_simple title=”Sleepy Hollow” width=”600″]
I am the one person in the world that loved Kate & Leopold. The idea of a person from one time long ago somehow finding his way to modern day is one that I enjoy watching. I also really like treasure hunt/mystery types of things like National Treasure. It appears as if Sleepy Hollow has both of these elements so it’s not hard to imagine that I’ll be making sure I catch this show.
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[toggle_simple title=”Almost Human” width=”600″]
I’m almost afraid to say this too loud in fear that an executive will hear it and retaliate with cancellation but, I like it. A lot. Very interested in seeing how this one plays out.
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[toggle_simple title=”Surviving Jack” width=”600″]
I really expected more out of Christopher Meloni. Not only that but is there really a market for shows based in the 90’s? I feel like the first time I heard Prince on an “oldies” station. At least The Goldbergs is the 80’s which you can recognize by the clothes and decor right away.
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[toggle_simple title=”Rake” width=”600″]
This is pretty much my middle of the road show of the year. If it makes it, that’s great; if it doesn’t, meh no big deal. Although I did really enjoy the moment where he tells the room full of people eating lunch that people really do taste like chicken. An entire show of moments like that? Yea, I’ll watch.
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[toggle_simple title=”Dads” width=”600″]
How on earth does an actor like Giovanni Ribisi end up in crap like this? Seth Green I can see because he’s an odd duck that we all love and adore the more for it but Ribisi? Just doesn’t seem right.
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[toggle_simple title=”Gang Related” width=”600″]
Very intriguing. I’ve watched every episode of Gangland so I consider myself somewhat of an expert on gang relations and this show looks like it captures them quite well. Must remember to set the dvr for this one.
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[toggle_simple title=”Us and Them” width=”600″]
These next words are not ones you will see very often: This looks like someone has done a good job at remaking a British show. If you haven’t seen Gavin & Stacey, find a way to remedy that because it is a great show. When I first saw that they were remaking it I cringed because let’s be honest with ourselves here, as a rule Hollywood sucks at remakes. Yes, I know there are obvious exceptions to that rule but it doesn’t change the rule. We suck. With any luck, it appears as if Us and Them does not. Finger crossed!
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[toggle_simple title=”Brooklyn Nine-Nine” width=”600″]
It should come as no surprise that just from trailers, my favorite new show is Andy Samberg’s really talented ensemble comedy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Andre Braugher in a comedy? Can not wait. Terry Crews, Joe Lo Truglio, and Chelsea Perretti? Seriously, I can’t wait for this show. Seems almost cruel to throw out a trailer and then be like, oh yea but you won’t see any more of this for another five months, hahahaha sucks to be you!
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Out of all the networks, I think Fox actually has the strongest prospects out of Us and Them and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Now it’s just the awful waiting game to see if the powers that be let the shows find their audience or if they act like whiny brats and cancel at the first sign of trouble. Here’s hoping for the former.
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[tab title=”The CW”]
Outside of a few exceptions, obviously one of those being Arrow, there isn’t much on The CW that I watch mainly because I’m almost 35 years old and don’t spend a lot of time writing fanfic on my favorite OTP ship of Dean and Castiel. That being said, some of these shows don’t look all that bad if you don’t expect them to be more than the angst filled pretty people vehicles that they are.
[toggle_simple title=”Star Crossed” width=”600″]
This was actually one of the pilots I was hoping would get picked up because the whole idea of aliens being integrated into a “suburban high school” was so odd that I just had to see it. Of course as soon as I say I don’t watch CW shows because I’m ancient compared to their intended audience… well Star Crossed star Matt Lanter (also the voice of Anakin Skywalker in The Clone Wars) just turned 30 so perhaps the CW is aging? Or not – he plays a high schooler. One way to prolong your Hollywood career I suppose.
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[toggle_simple title=”The Tomorrow People” width=”600″]
Mark Pelligrino – that’s all the reason you need to watch. Oh and Oliver Queen/Stephen Amell’s cousin, Robbie Amell, is the lead but really, Mark Pelligrino.
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[toggle_simple title=”The Originals” width=”600″]
Vampires. If you like vampires, I’m sure you’d like this. If you don’t, then don’t even bother.
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[toggle_simple title=”The 100″ width=”600″]
I imagine this is not at all what the people behind The 100 were going for but with this clip all I could think of was the YouTube video that made the internet rounds awhile back of the chimps who were used for testing purposes and then released outdoors for the first time after they were “retired”. I’d rather watch that video (through the tears because that shit is sad) on repeat than watch this show.
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[toggle_simple title=”Reign” width=”600″]
You know? It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be that bad and like I said when looking at the pilot orders, it’s got Anthony Head and anything with Anthony Head is something I’m going to watch.
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Nothing really that surprising or out of the ordinary for The CW but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as they have rabid fans and whenever you can successfully create fandoms, you just keep doing what you’re doing.
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So there you have it! A look at the new shows coming up this year. Some, like Brooklyn Nine-Nine have definite promise while others, Back in the Game, really should have just sat this one out, but overall, not a bad… nope, that’s a lie. For the most part, these are some crappy shows. A few bright spots but as a whole this is a bad year for new shows. Back to the drawing board network execs! There’s always next year.
Here we go again! After ABC sent out the call for people to “save” Happy Endings, Sony Pictures is following suit by releasing a video of their own asking the same thing.
Except it’s not the same. ABC was saying “save Happy Endings from us” whereas this time it’s the production studio begging the audience to save the show from NBC. Even though it seems quite a bit more genuine coming from Sony, the problem remains the same – unless people with Nielson boxes see this plea and tune in on Thursday nights, it will sadly make no difference.
When will this ratings insanity end?!? I know there are more pressing issues in the world, but is it too much to ask that network executives rethink how they calculate ratings? The audience of shows like Happy Endings and Community aren’t watching the show when it airs, rather they are watching it off a DVR or online outlets like Hulu so even if the average joe watching live effected ratings, they just aren’t doing it.
Of course the internet has jumped on this, much to the delight of people like myself. Not only is there an online petition started, which you should go and sign right here… go, I’ll wait… but also plenty of people out there creating great art like this.
You’d think this was streets ahead, but sadly this is leftover from the last time Community sat on the chopping block, or perhaps even the time before that, or maybe the time before that, or it could be from – you get the point. Community has had a rocky road, that is for sure, but the fans of the show are determined to make their voice heard, join us will you?
As with everything in today’s world, there are naysayers. People who kick their feet and scream about how great the show used to be and honestly, I don’t disagree. The writing was better in seasons past and this season has been a little weak, but I’d rather NBC give it another year to let it find it’s footing and go out on a good note. That’s not too much to ask is it? After all, the only thing we’ve always wanted is six seasons and a movie.
Gather round it’s time once again to delve into the latest TV news that we deem fit to print!
The man behind the Transformers movies is producing a series for Starz and they’ve gone and released a trailer. If you have a thing for men in dirty, salt water stained clothing half naked and women in period garb, also half naked… then this is the show for you!
Created by Jonathan Steinberg and Robert Levine, who worked together on both Human Target and Jericho, Black Sails tells the story of Captain Flint (Toby Stephens– Prince John in BBC’s Robin Hood) and his crew, including the infamous John Silver (Luke Arnold) twenty years before the time of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
Given that Spartacus is ending this year, audiences will be looking for another show with sex, action, and accents to fill the void and it looks like Black Sails is more than willing to step in.
I’ll be watching if for no other reasons than I have a love for tall ships and of course that smirk!
Way back in December of 2011, it was announced that Microsoft was seriously looking at branching out into original programming. Now that XBox Live has become a legit media hub (I’m currently watching Netflix’s Hemlock Grove on my XBox), it makes sense that they would want to make a go at their own shows. Given the popularity of XBox and Microsoft’s promising 1st quarter financials, this seems like a good time to make that move.
You know what’s not a good idea? Having that first jump into the “original programming” water being actually the revival of a show that had moments of brilliance but that was quickly and thoroughly drowned out by mediocrity.
That right folks, MSN is rumored to be considering retooling the NBC sci-fi drama, Heroes. They obviously aren’t bringing back the original cast but instead are relaunching it with a brand new cast while the old-schoolers will be making cameo appearances. I think we all know this is going to be so awesome and cool and super duper exciting.
One can only hope that MSN has more ideas up their sleeves and this is just a small part of their plan going forward.
Now this is a show MSN should have jumped on and “brought back”. Too bad for them, FEARnet got it first. Starting in June, FEARnet is set to air all two seasons of the fan favorite. In addition, they will be putting together a half hour reunion special. Deadline has already confirmed that Sam (Bret Harrison), Sock (Tyler Labine), and The Devil (Ray Wise) are set to appear. I’ll admit that I hadn’t heard of FEARnet before this, but they are on a number of cable providers, sorry satellites, no Reaper for you! As for everyone else, enjoy a show that we here at Grizzly Bomb surely believe was Gone Too Soon.
NBC might have passed on the Dwight Schrute centered spin-off of The Office but AMC is looking at the soon ending Breaking Bad and they see potential in a spin-off starring Bob Odenkirk’s loveable lawyer, Saul Goodman. Of course there is potential! While Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston are obviously the stars as the meth making duo but Goodman is a scene stealer by every definition of the phrase.
Of course how this would work is certainly a good question. Saul is usually a moment of comic relief in tense moments so how would his character carry a show on his own? As this idea is just in its infancy, I’m sure there will be plenty more questions to be asked in the coming months. It’s only a matter of time before people start bringing up Vince Gilligan’s failed X-Files spin-off The Lone Gunmen.
Seriously. If you’ve seen FX at all recently you know what I’m talking about. These four promos that don’t do much to explain what the show is about.
So that’s The Bridge. I’m sure those four bits answered all your questions about the crime drama. Oh you didn’t know it was a crime drama? Well it is. Based on a Scandanavian show, that is also being redone in Europe as The Tunnel and between England and France, The Bridge is about a serial killer who is being hunted down by detectives both in the US and Mexico.
Demián Bichir plays the Mexican detective and Diane Kruger his American counterpart. At first blush, it sounds a bit like The Killing with maybe a bit of Twin Peaks (mainly due to the odd promos) mixed in. That could be completely off base, I’ll just have to wait until July to see if I’m right.
So there you have it, the top news as we see it in TV today! If you think we’ve missed a story, by all means let us know down in the comments or if you’re feeling downright neighborly, it’s perfectly all right to just say hello. Until next time!
So last time we covered some of the new comedy pilots NBC has ordered this year but let’s take a moment and look at their dramas. Surprisingly their drama line-up isn’t nearly as dismal as their comedy. Granted that’s because there’s not much of a line-up in the first place thanks to The Biggest Loser and The Voice filling up a lot of air time, but they have had success with last year’s newbie Grimm and of course, Parenthood. Add to that this year’s rookies, Chicago Fire and Revolution, both of which are likely to be renewed and there aren’t a lot of slots needing to be filled.
There is the spot left vacant by the “two episodes and done” Do No Harm and it’s possible that Law and Order: SVU might finally be on its way out so perhaps some of these new pilots will find a new home on the peacock? Time will only tell.
[tabgroup][tab title=”Believe”]
Can lightening strike twice with J.J. Abrams on NBC? I imagine they certainly hope it can. After the success of this year’s Revolution, NBC is pairing up with Abrams again for Believe. This time instead of a prepper’s 
dream world, Believe is about a “gifted young girl” who teams up with an ex-convict who is supposed to protect her from evil forces who are after her power.
I can easily seeing this one making to series, not only because of Abrams name but they’ve got quite a few other nice names attached. The pilot was created and will be directed by Alfonso Cuarón who has written and directed some great movies in recent years such as Y Tu Mamá También and Love in the Time of Hysteria. He also directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It appears as if he has done a television show before, but not here in the US. I’m looking forward to seeing how he writes for American television.
The cast is also intriguing with the extremely under-utilized Delroy Lindo, and the mayor of Portlandia himself, Kyle Machlaclan who is set to play a “mysterious billionaire”. In my head I’m imagining his Captain character from How I Met Your Mother with a serious side.
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[tab title=”Bloodline”]
This pilot has perhaps the most in-depth logline ever that makes me envision a graphic novel version of Romeo and Juliet based on the set of Desperate Housewives.
[quote]The Kill Bill-esque stylized drama follows an orphaned girl named Bird Benson who’s caught between two families of murderers and mercenaries. In order to eventually have a normal life, Bird learns, she must defeat her mother via mortal combat.[/quote]
If it doesn’t get a series order, I’m really hoping they at least let us see the pilot because something like that needs to be seen by the masses. In addition to a great premise, it has some great actors involved. With Breaking Bad ending their run, Jonathan Banks has signed on to be a “villainous patriarch” (EW). I’m of the opinion that both he and his Bloodline co-star, Tom Everett Scott can’t be on my television enough. Add in Skyler Samuels from the ABC Family one season, The Lives of Chloe King and it looks to be promising.
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[tab title=”Wonderland”]
Although NBC already has a fairy-tale based show in Grimm, they are looking to perhaps tap more into ABC’s Once Upon A Time audience with this pilot based on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Actually
ABC first had the rights but then released it due to it being too similar to Once Upon a Time as well as it apparently being rather costly to produce. So costly as a matter of fact, that it has been pushed a bit back to a mid-season review.
Does that move show that NBC is intending to bring it to air? Well they did the same sort of thing with the Munsters relaunch and of course the Wonder Woman show so there’s really no telling. All I know is I enjoy Once Upon a Time and would be okay with watching a show based in Wonderland.
There hasn’t been any casting announced yet but the show, created by Anthony Zuiker who brought us CSI and its countless offshoots, is set in modern time with a mystery that can only be solved in Wonderland which is ruled by a queen who we once knew as a young girl named Alice.
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[tab title=”Rand Ravitch”]
The premise of the untitled Rand Ravitch project seems vanilla at best, yet another political conspiracy show, much like ABC’s Scandal and Netflix’s House of Cards. I’d be willing to guess that NBC is hoping (praying, and wishing) that they can capture some of the success those two shows have had.
While the idea of the this pilot doesn’t blow my skirt up, the casting so far certainly does. Gillian Anderson is coming back to TV. Granted this isn’t news as she was already making a return on NBC’s Hannibal, but that is just as a guest appearance. This project makes it to series and it’ll be like the 90’s again, Gillian Anderson on the small screen every week. Joining her are Rachel Taylor from the short lived 666 Park Avenue and the incredibly easy on the eyes, Lance Gross from House of Payne.
Of course, if this does make it to series and it is good, then we will have to start lighting candles in the hopes it doesn’t end up on the chopping block like Ravitch’s last series, Life. That one still stings.
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[tab title=”The Sixth Gun”]
This show, based on the graphic novel of the same name, is probably one I’m looking forward to most. Outside of maybe Bloodline, it seems to be the most “different” projects contending on a prime time slot. Has there been a western on network television in the last ten years? I don’t think so. Justified over on FX is 
Westernesque and then of course HBO’s Deadwood, but I don’t know that we’ve seen a western on a big 5 channel since the ill-fated Firefly. That alone is enough to check it out.
Another reason? W. Earl Brown. The man is just the embodiment of what an actor in a Western should be so it makes sense that he’s done time on both Deadwood and Justified. He’s been cast as General Oleander Hume who we all know found the six guns. There hasn’t been an announcement yet as to who will play Drake Sinclair or Hume’s wife but Silas Hedgepeth will be played by Graham McTavish (who has a voice anyone who has played a video game in the last five years will recognize) and Aldis Hodge (Leverage) will also be on the hunt for the guns as Agent Mercer.
The Sixth Gun had already been a “thing” at SyFy a couple of years ago before they dropped it, so here’s hoping it has more success on NBC.
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[tab title=”Hatfields and McCoys”]
In a surprise to no one, there is a TV series of the infamous feud between the Hatfields and McCoys in the works. After the raging success of History Channel’s miniseries, it really was only a matter of time. Honestly,
given the built-in drama of the families, it lends itself to good TV.
However, this show? Will not be good. I would place good money that it will just suck. First off, they are taking the two families out of Kentucky and West Virginia and putting them in modern day Philadelphia. I can only imagine that the pig that started it all will probably be something stupid like a real estate deal for a new condo development. This will likely be a typical crappy nighttime soap in the tradition of Dallas or the new Dallas.
I really wish Virginia Madsen had not been cast in this because I really like her. Oh well, if history tells us anything, this will probably be extremely popular and Madsen will have a nice run. Good for her.
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So there we go – potential NBC dramas! Some good, some really bad. Not a bad looking group of shows though for a network that is looking to crawl their way out of the ratings basement. We’ll just have to tune in come September to see if any of them give NBC the boost they so desperately need.
Next up… ABC!
If you keep up with TV news, this time of year is the ultimate mind-f#ck. Every day news comes out about yet another awesome sounding pilot that you just can’t help but get your hopes up over and then come to realize it’ll never get past the pilot stage. It’s a lot like getting a puppy, realizing it has parvo, and trying not to get attached in case it dies. Hmmm… I think I just won an award for worst analogy ever.
Awful, but that’s pretty much how it works out. Because this is an ever changing world, we here at Grizzly Bomb decided to do everyone a great service and round up the best looking puppies, I mean pilots, so you can be on the lookout for them. This has been a banner year for pilot orders (around 100 so far, up from last year) so we are going to break it down by network. Might as well start off with the basement dwellers… NBC.
Now I know I already bashed the entire show and concept of NBC’s Hannibal pretty badly last time, but it’d seem that things about it keep looking better and better the more I hear about it. The brilliant casting of Macklemore Mads Mikkelson as Dr. Lecter is great as I previously mentioned, but now the big news is about Gillian Anderson returning to TV after several years of being off the small screen. Gillian Anderson as you’ll no doubt remember, played FBI skeptic Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files. Now she’ll be coming back to TV for multiple episodes in the show, playing Dr. Lecter’s own therapist.
[quote] In a multi-episode arc on the upcoming NBC drama, Anderson is going to play Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier — murderous psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s (Mads Mikkelsen) own therapist.
“Every therapist needs their own head examined and we are ecstatic that Gillian Anderson has chosen Hannibal to mark her return to American television after 10 years to portray Dr. Lecter’s personal psychiatrist,” Fuller said in a statement. “Her intelligence and sophistication, not to mention her pedigree of ground-breaking TV, make her the perfect actress to match wits and psychological manipulations with one of the greatest villains of pop culture. I couldn’t be more excited.” [/quote]
Whoa whoa whoa, HOLD UP. That’s all find and dandy, yay X-Files whatever. The REAL news in that quote is the statement made by “Fuller” about the show. Which Fuller could that be? Well it’s Bryan Fuller, a name you may not recognize, but whose work you definitely will. He’s only the guy who made Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, the underrated Wonderfalls, and helped write the best parts of the first season of Heroes, aka the only good season actually worth watching.
His pedigree alone has me interested in the show, even though it’s so drastically different from all of this other work in tone. Needless to say, the cast and creative team behind this show are certainly looking to be a home run, so maybe it’ll actually be really good? All I can say is that it’ll probably get canceled. Just like all of Bryan Fuller’s other shows.
In other casting news, Canadian comedy fans might recognize another name – The Kids in the Hall star Scott Thompson. Thompson will play Jimmy Price, the third member of the FBI crime scene investigation team headed by Laurence Fishburne’s Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI’s behavioral science unit.
Grizzly Bomb 