VonGeekenstein » Television

CW Adding More Episodes of ‘Supernatural’ and Other Shows

Brian Rubin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:37:41 +0000

According to BuddyTV, the CW is fleshing out its schedule with more episodes of many of its shows, which means Supernatural will be getting a twenty-three episode season instead of the usual twenty-two. If the seventh season is any good — and I sincerely hope it will be — then this is an excellent thing. Nikita is also getting twenty-three episodes, while Gossip Girl and 90210 are getting twenty-four, but I don’t watch those, so I care a lot less. Yay more Supernatural!!

New Doctor Who Trailer for Episodes 8 – 13! Wheee!

Brian Rubin — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:52:00 +0000

This makes me squee with immeasurable glee. . It’s too wide for me to embed or I totally would. Enjoy!

Alphas – Finally a Decent Superhero Show?

Brian Rubin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:55:18 +0000

Superhero shows…well, let’s face it, they’ve been crap for some time, haven’t they? I mean, you had the first season of Heroes, which was pretty good but ended boringly, and every season after that was utter tripe. Then you had No Ordinary Family (which was just dull), The Cape (which was laughably awful) and Wonder Woman (which was thankfully canceled before it saw the light of day. I know there’s a British show called Misfits but I have yet to see that.

What I HAVE seen, however, is the pilot for SyFy’s new show, Alphas, and I have to say that…I liked it. It wasn’t awesome or anything, but I connected with some of the characters, they had believable chemistry between them, and David Strathairn was just awesome as always. I actually didn’t feel as if it was too cheesy, or taking itself too seriously or anything of the kind. It knew its place, and it reminded me more of superhero shows of the 70′s and 80′s, which I think were a bit better than many recent shows in not insulting their audience (I’m looking at you, The Cape).

Overall, while I wasn’t blown away by Alphas, I will keep watching to see if it gets better. What about you guys? Did y’all watch Alphas, and if so, what didya think?

TV Upfronts, or Damn There Are a Lot of New Shows

Brian Rubin — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:45:48 +0000

So in the last day or two, most of the networks have presented their Upfronts, which detail new and returning shows for the upcoming fall TV season, and DAMN is there a lot to keep track of. Across the six networks covered here there are nearly FIFTY new shows coming up this year and next, and they range from Man Men on an airplane (Pan Am) to spinoffs (Major Crimes) and everything in between. You can follow these links to check the lineup from Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, TNT/TBS and The CW.

In looking at that list, the shows that immediately jump out at me that I want to watch include:

Terra Nova (I’m skeptical of this one, honestly)
The Finder (looks neat)
Grimm (I love the Grimm tales)
Awake (I love alternate reality stuff)
Once Upon a Time (genre stuff, whee)
Pan Am (It has airplanes!)
Major Crimes (I loooooooove The Closer, so hopefully I’ll love this too)

So what about you? Which shows are you going to keep track of in the upcoming Fall and mid-season…er…seasons?

The CW Renews Supernatural! And Other Shows Too. ;)

Brian Rubin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:21:39 +0000

According to Entertainment Weekly, The CW has announced the renewal of four shows, including my all-time favorite, Supernatural. Other shows that were renewed included Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries (Which I’m told is awesome) and 90210.

This is exciting news for fans of these shows, but people are waiting for news of other CW shows such as Nikita. The CW has some holes in its schedule due to ending Smallville, for example, but it’ll be interesting to see how it fills them.

So, This Deep Space Nine Thing…

Brian Rubin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 23:19:15 +0000

Up until the mid 1990′s, I was a huge Trekkie. I mean, huge. I grew up on the original series and I was a die hard fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), so when a new show was announced called Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), I was pretty exited, yet cautious. “They’re on a space station that doesn’t go anywhere, what’s exciting about that?” I thought to myself, but I gave the show a chance. I watched it for a whole season and then gave up, thinking it wasn’t a very good show.

At the end of TNG, I was pretty much done with Star Trek — don’t get me started on the crapfests that were Voyager and Enterprise — and besides the awesome 2009 movie, had no plans to return to the franchise. That was until a good friend recently convinced me to give DS9 another shot. Again, I was skeptical, but he was convinced I’d like the show, especially since he gave me a list of season one episodes to skip. With an open mind, I dove into DS9 thinking might be okay…boy was I wrong…

I am now in the middle of season six of DS9, and it’s pretty much become my favorite sci-fi show ever — sorry Firefly and Battlestar Galactica — for a wide variety of reasons. First off is the characters. The people behind DS9 — most notably Ira Stephen Behr and Ronald Moore, I’m told — are responsible for fleshing out not only the major characters, but the minor ones as well, which is unusual for a Star Trek series. Hell, my favorite characters, Garak and Rom, aren’t major characters at all, but when they’re on the screen they bring a smile to my face. I’m constantly impressed by how much care and thought are put into the characters, their backgrounds and their motivations. I’m also impressed by how well the actors bring their characters to life, even though I couldn’t stand some of them at first (Kira and Bashir, I’m looking at you). It’s rare on a show for me to like EVERY character, good or bad, but in DS9, I pretty much like everyone for what they bring to the table.

Next is the story, or stories. Unlike the Star Trek shows before it, DS9 had several arcs going. From Bajoran politics and religion to the war with the Dominion, even stand-alone episodes touched upon the arc(s) in one way or another. The episodes run the gamut from dark and foreboding to light and humorous. Some of the episodes — like “Trials and Tribblations” — are just so clever, so masterfully done that I am just constantly impressed by what they do on this show. The characters and the story meld so well together that you can’t help but care about happens to each and every one of them as the story progresses.

Third up is the writing, which ties the previous two together. I chose to mention this separately from character and story because it touches them both. The writing on this show is superb…at least it got that way eventually, it wasn’t in the beginning. The writers do a fantastic job crafting story and character, as well as maintaining continuity throughout several episodes or even several seasons. Only maybe once or twice was I taken out of the show due to me going “WTF? Seriously?”, which is impressive given how many episodes that things made sense and continuity was maintained. Overall, the writing in this show is stellar, and I am continually impressed by where the writers take their characters and their universe.

Finally, what I love about this show is how dark it can get. Unlike previous Trek shows, this show isn’t afraid to “go there,” as there are many “OMG” moments that will just be damned surprising. I mean this show has war, blood, sacrifice, loss, betrayal and much more. One moment that really ran this home for me is when a relatively minor character — in protest of something I won’t mention lest I spoil it — made the ultimate self-sacrifice in a very public and gratuitous manner. I was honestly in shock that this show had the guts to do it. We kinda take that for granted now, as shows get ballsier — especially on cable — but I think back in the 90′s this was something very bold indeed.

So as I have a season and a half left of DS9 to go, I find myself falling back on other shows just to watch it. I am just totally hooked, and I am glad to say how wrong I was as to just how god damned good this show really was. As my friend says, “it’s the best sci-fi show you’ve never seen”. Truer words have never been spoken.

For Which Kind of Movies or TV Shows Will You Double Dip Onto Blu-Ray?

Brian Rubin — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:34:22 +0000

My question today is…which kind of movies or TV shows that you already own on DVD will you double dip for to get a copy on Blu-ray? I ask because I was a Best Buy today to use a birthday gift card, and decided to double dip on Sin City and L.A. Confidential. Why? Because they’re visually compelling and would really take advantage of the format, I think. I’ve also double dipped on the Iron Man movies, the Nolan Batman movies, the Burton Batman movies, the Bourne trilogy, 2001 and several more.

There are certain movies wherein I don’t care if I get them on Blu-ray or DVD. For example, movies I own for which I wouldn’t double dip Love Actually on Blu-ray, nor Grosse Point Blank, Date Night, Enchanted or Juno, because I don’t feel there’s any compelling reason to, since I don’t care whether these movies are in high-def or not.

So what do about you guys? I’m insanely curious. Thanks!

The Impatience of Television Networks

Brian Rubin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:15:28 +0000

Today’s announcement that FX’s excellent show, Terriers, had been canceled after it’s first (and now only) season got me to thinking about how it seems that many networks don’t want to have patience for their own TV shows anymore, canceling shows that haven’t even completed their entire runs (Drive, Lone Star, Wonderfalls, Firefly…). I know television is a business, and shows need to make money, but it seems that as time goes on, networks become less and less patient with their shows, giving them less and less time to find an audience.

This wasn’t always the case, and I’m wondering if it’s because our society, as a whole, has become more and more ADD in the past several years, thanks mostly to the Internet and the instant gratification it can provide. Maybe twenty years ago, TV shows were given a chance to thrive after more than one season, but that began to change, if I recall, in the mid nineties, and I can think of two shows that embody this change. The first is Star Trek: The Next Generation (STTNG). The first season of that show was just freaking God-awful no matter how you slice it, and if I recall, it didn’t get the best ratings. However, Fox gave it time to find an audience, and it thrived for six more seasons.

Fast forward a few years to another Fox show, Space: Above and Beyond (SAAB). While also not a ratings darling, this show’s first and only season was MILES above nearly anything put out in STTNG’s first season. However, Fox decided not to grace us with any further episode, killing off the show and crushing its fans. While STTNG got more viewers than SAAB (STTNG also had the benefit of a built-in fan-base of Trekkies), it was nowhere near as strong out of the gate. Fox alone has canceled more wonderful shows within one season than nearly any other network, including fan favorites like Firefly, Wonderfalls, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. and most recently, The Good Guys.

Sadly, even though shows like these have devoted followings, it’s usually never enough to get a show renewed or bring it back. Notable exceptions were the peanuts campaign by Jericho fans, or the movie “Serenity”, greenlit after sales of the Firefly DVD set did so well. These are exceptions to the rule though, as most time letter-writing campaigns, rallies and so on do nothing to affect the decision of the corporations who put on these shows.

In the case of Terriers, the blame for its failure to attract viewers, I think, can be placed squarely on its network, FX. The advertising for Terriers was awful, not even telling viewers what the show was about, rather just showing dogs, leading folks to think the show was some sort of dog show. The title — a term used to describe private investigators in the 1940′s — didn’t help either, surely, but FX could’ve done more to promote their own show. Fox did a similar blunder with Firefly, showing awful commercials that did nothing to attract the viewer into watching the show (it certainly failed with me at the time).

Sadly, it seems that TV shows need to find an audience immediately in order to survive in this day and age, something that is increasingly difficult given all the networks and shows already around. It’s a shame that networks are so concerned with the short term that they don’t give their creations a chance to shine in the long term, potentially bringing in more viewers as word-of-mouth spreads about a show. I doubt this will change any time soon, but every time a show with characters we love gets canceled, even knowing all of this…it never gets any easier

Radio Times Cover for Doctor Who 2010 Christmas Special Released

Brian Rubin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:18:45 +0000

The Radio Times Cover for the 2010 Doctor Who Christmas Special, “A Christmas Carol”, has been released. I don’t have a source, sadly, but if you know if it please send it my way. Doesn’t it look awesome?

TV Overload with Mini Reviews

Brian Rubin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:10:11 +0000

In the past couple of weeks, much of television’s staples have returned, and boy has it overwhelmed me. Besides the TV shows I already watched, there were a TON of new shows to look at, so without further ado, I’ll give a brief summary of how I think things look so far by show…

Sunday:

Boardwalk Empire: A couple of episodes in and I’m really liking this one. I’ve always been a fan of Steve Buscemi, and he’s used to great effect here, plus the design of the show is wonderful. So far it’s been graphic and violent, but I love that.

Dexter: One episode in so far, and DAMN was it depressing. I really liked the first episode a lot, especially since we saw some characters act…out of character for a spell. Really good start so far:

Monday:

House: Even though the formula is pretty tired, I still enjoy watching this show, and the past couple of new episodes have been no exception. Not really much to say because, while they’ve thrown a new wrinkle into things, it barely changes the landscape of the show.

Castle: Season three returns with a bang, and boy has it been fun. Stana’s new hair looks incredible, and Fillion is as fun as ever. I also like how they’re bringing in the minor characters, Ryan and Esposito, into the spotlight more, as I really love their characters.

The Event: After one episode, I just gave up. I found myself not caring one whit about any of the characters, nor about whatever was going on. The action was also kind of painful. I record the second episode, but had absolutely no desire to watch it, so I just erased it all.

Hawaii Five-0: One of my favorite new shows of the season, bar-none. While I liked the original show as a kid, it never grabbed me. This new one, however, is a ton of fun. Violent, funny, full of action and some fun acting (as well as the lovely Grace Park), I am having a ton of fun watching this show. The chemistry between the two main characters, played by Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan, is also just wonderful.

Tuesday:

No Ordinary Family: I had a ton of fun with the premiere of this show. It felt like a superhero show that wasn’t taking itself seriously, which is a refreshing change from the tripe of recent years (*cough* Heroes *cough*). I totally loved all of the characters, and the idea of Stephen Collins as a bad guy just cracks me up.

Running Wilde: I’ve only had time to see one episode of this, but it had potential. While not AS funny as the pilot for Arrested Development (which I mention for the connections to that show), it had several laugh out loud moments, and Kerri Russel didn’t even annoy me. I’m looking forward to seeing more of this one.

Wednesday:

Modern Family: This show is back and as funny as ever. The two new episodes of the season so far have both been freaking hilarious, and you can tell the actors are even more comfortable with their roles. The comic timing is still top-notch, and Phil is still my favorite character.

Undercovers: I’ve not seen this one yet but I hear it’s good. I’ll chime in with more once I have time to sit down and watch it. I only mention it because it’s on my radar.

Thursday:

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: So far the two episodes I’ve seen so far in this season have been damned funny. I’m kinda getting caught up with this show — having somehow skipped seasons 3-5 — but it barely matters, as these people are as much the sociopaths as they always were.

30 Rock: So far the season has begun on a funny foot. I wasn’t sure about the inclusion of Matt Damon, but he’s shown to be pretty funny so far, and Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are as funny as ever.

$#*! My Dad Says: One of the least funny shows I’ve seen in years. I didn’t laugh once. This is a total waste of Shatner’s abilities, I think, and he’s surrounded by people who can barely act their own selves. I deleted this one after one episode. The writers should go watch Titus to see how it’s done right.

Friday:

Supernatural: A confusing, fun and energetic beginning under a new showrunner with a new attitude (they’re calling this season a “sequel” to the previous five seasons). As this is my favorite show, I was mixed with both anticipation and dread as it came back, and wasn’t really disappointed. While a lot of unexplained things happened, I’m actually fine with that, and can’t wait to see more.

The Good Guys: I’ve sadly not had time to watch this since it came back, but the show is hilarious, so I need to check it out soon. I mention it again because it’s on my radar.

So overall it’s been a pretty strong season, I think, filled with some decent new shows and a lot of returning favorites. With TV back in full swing, it’s going to be interesting trying to fit it all in, but gorrammit I’m gonna try.

So what about you? What do you think of the new season so far? Any returning favorites? Any new shows you love or hate? Let me know what you think in the comments, and thanks for reading.