Category Archives: Television

Bryan Fuller to helm new ‘Star Trek’ TV series for CBS

News, Television, , ,

Today CBS hired Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies) to come aboard its new Star Trek TV series. It’s a match made in heaven, really, since Fuller fully admits he’s a die-hard Trekkie. In fact, he got his start in TV writing for Deep Space Nine and Voyager in the late 90s and early 00s and it’s been a life-long dream for him to run a Trek show.

“My very first experience of Star Trek is my oldest brother turning off all the lights in the house and flying his model of a D7 Class Klingon Battle Cruiser through the darkened halls,” said Fuller in a statement. “Before seeing a frame of the television series, the Star Trek universe lit my imagination on fire. It is without exaggeration a dream come true to be crafting a brand-new iteration of Star Trek with fellow franchise alum Alex Kurtzman and boldly going where no Star Trek series has gone before.”

Kurtzman, who’s also no stranger to the Trek universe having served as co-writer and producer on J.J. Abrams films Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, will shepherd the CBS series alongside Fuller.

“Bringing Star Trek back to television means returning it to its roots, and for years those roots flourished under Bryan’s devoted care,” said Kurtzman. “His encyclopedic knowledge of Trek canon is surpassed only by his love for Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic future, a vision that continues to guide us as we explore strange new worlds.”

Kudos to CBS for handpicking the best captain for the job. Bryan Fuller, whose wondrous imagination delighted audiences with such colorfully rich shows as Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies, and the late, great Hannibal, is going to bring senses of discovery and awe back to Star Trek. The new Trek promises to “seek imaginative new worlds and new civilizations” and I am brimming with excitement and complete trust that Fuller will deliver something extraordinary.

Have you been following Fuller’s every move since the demise of NBC’s Hannibal? If so, you’d know that the prolific producer is also hard at work on adapting Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods for Starz with Michael Green. Fear not; his showrunning duties on Star Trek will not interfere. And what of the future of Hannibal? I’ll always hold out hope that the cast and crew will reunite to continue the story of the Murder Husbands.

Star Trek will debut on CBS in 2017. Remember, though, that following the series premiere, the remainder of it will exclusively stream on CBS All Access, the network’s subscription-based streaming service. The pill that is the $5.99/month fee was just made a whole lot easier to swallow.

‘Super Bowl 50’ commercial & movie trailer round-up inside

Entertainment, Hilarity, Movies, Television, Video, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ll just come out and say it: this year’s Super Bowl, commercials and all, was a snoozer. The Big Game, which pitted the Carolina Panthers against the Denver Broncos, was not a very exciting matchup to begin with and unfortunately the players on the field couldn’t manage to muster any memorable moments. Peyton Manning, backed by an impressive defensive unit, ended up beating Cam Newton and the Panthers, 24-10.

The hype, however, remained omnipresent throughout the game. Lady Gaga started things off on the right note with a strikingly beautiful rendition of our National Anthem (watch it here). At halftime, Coldplay stormed the field to play some tunes (new and old), with much needed assistance by Beyoncè and Bruno Mars. Don’t get me wrong–I’m a massive Coldplay fan; they simply didn’t own the night as Queen Bey and her “Formation” ladies and Mars and his “Uptown Funk” gang stole the spotlight. I was looking for Left Shark to make a reprise; turns out he did. Wah wahh.

Despite the relatively boring game and equally lackadaisical commercials (more on those in a moment), a whopping 111.9 million people tuned into the Super Bowl last night. As big as that number is, it’s not a record-breaker. Last year’s SB, in which the New England Patriots triumphed over the Seattle Seahawks, attracted 114.4 million and that game remains the most watched telecast in U.S. history.

Super Bowl 50 also couldn’t live up to last year’s Super Bowl ads. Instead of being funny and relevant, they were trying too hard to “go viral.” A prime example is the bizarre “puppymonkeybaby” as featured in Mountain Dew’s commercial that aired early in the game. It went instantly viral (it remained a top trending topic on Twitter all night), but ultimately failed to capture my imagination–it was just plain stupid. Across the board, this year’s ads simply did not live up to last year’s actually funny, emotional, and sometimes poignant clips. Nevertheless, let’s take a look at my favorite spots all the while keeping in mind that these companies paid $5 million for 30 seconds of fame! Continue reading ‘Super Bowl 50’ commercial & movie trailer round-up inside →

10 premieres to look out for this month: ‘Better Call Saul,’ ‘American Crime Story,’ ‘Fuller House’ & more

Image cache, News, Television, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It may be a mild winter for east coasters, but that’s not stopping the incoming storm of highly anticipation programming from hitting the airwaves this month. There are a whopping five series premieres you cannot miss (including FX’s American Crime Story and Netflix’s Fuller House), plus the sophomore runs of AMC’s Better Call Saul and HBO’s Togetherness, among others. Jump after the break for the full rundown. Continue reading 10 premieres to look out for this month: ‘Better Call Saul,’ ‘American Crime Story,’ ‘Fuller House’ & more →

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson shuts down B.o.B’s flat-Earth notions with diss track & must-see mic drop

Hilarity, Music, Television, Video, , , ,

This month, rapper B.o.B (“Nothin’ on You“) made it apparent on Twitter that he truly believes our planet Earth is flat, not round. I’ll give you a second. Okay, moving on. In a series of tweets (you can scour his conspiracy-laden feed here), he could be seen waxing philosophical (I’m stretching the phrase there) on the “mounting evidence” proving we live on a flat planet. “A lot of people are turned off by the phrase “flat earth” … but there’s no way u can see all the evidence and not know… grow up,” he tweeted. Things began to escalate when renowned astrophysicist and Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson caught wind of B.o.B’s utter nonsense and fired back with his own series of tweets. Of course, these are backed up by actual evidence and you’d think NDT’s involvement would put an end to this. But no, this Twitter beef was only getting started.

B.o.B wasn’t going to go gentle into that good night (Interstellar space reference, boom!) and so he quickly pumped out a new rap called “Flatline” in which he spits, “Neil Tyson need to loosen up his vest, they’ll probably write that man one hell of a check.” Yeah, it’s that bad. Anyway, NDT would go on to slam dunk over the rapper again, but this time with a rap of his own! Turns out Neil’s nephew has the acumen to produce a record in-studio, and under the name TYSON he invented a “diss track” aptly called “Flat to Fact.” Against a backdrop featuring the same beat used on Drake’s Meek Mill diss track “Back to Back,” the younger Tyson fired back at B.o.B with amazing verses like, “I’m bringing facts to combat a silly theory because B.o.B’s gotta know the planet is a sphere, chief, woah!” He even had his uncle record some of his original tweets aimed at B.o.B to include in the track. NDT would go on to publicly back his nephew’s swing.

Now you’d think that would put a nail in this thing, but there’s more. With B.o.B pretty much and out at this point, Neil provided the knock out punch by appearing on Larry Wilmore’s Nightly Show on Comedy Central. He takes off his blazer, grabs a mic, and piles on the evidence like a boss. There’s really no other way to describe it. Check out a mic drop moment for the ages after the break! Best Twitter beef. Ever. Continue reading Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson shuts down B.o.B’s flat-Earth notions with diss track & must-see mic drop →

Protect the protocols! ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ gets the Honest Trailers treatment

Hilarity, Television, Video, ,

In its latest installment of Honest Trailers, Screen Junkies takes on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and nothing is off limits. It’s true: Captain America: The Winter Solider “literally blew up” the show’s premise by wiping out S.H.I.E.L.D. entirely. [Side note: That being said, the show dramatically got better after it embraced the Marvel Cinematic Universe goings-on.] The “honest trailer” goes on to poke fun at the myriad Marvel superhero name drops, the frequent uses of the words protection and protocol, the wacky holograms, Grant Ward’s redemption indecision, and even the way Coulson walks!

If you’re a fan of the ABC sci-fi drama, it’s pretty much a must-see. You’ll laugh and realize just how silly the show can be when all of these elements are squeezed into one fast-paced clip. It can also be appreciated because at the end of the day, we know that MAoS rather quickly developed into an exhilarating series for its loyal core audience. So enjoy this fun jab, and get ready for its anticipated March 8 return. Continue reading Protect the protocols! ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ gets the Honest Trailers treatment →

TV teasers: ‘Bates Motel’ spins out of control & ‘Orphan Black’ journeys down the rabbit hole

Television, Video, , , ,

Psycho prequel series Bates Motel has been airing on A&E for three years now and it gets better and better because each season viewers are witness to Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) sinking deeper and deeper into his insanity. His obsession with his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) is worsening as he continues to lose grip on reality. This brand new season 4 teaser is the best metaphor; Norman is spiraling out of control as we inch closer to the Norman we know from Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film. Plus, the all-to-brief clip brings back into focus themes like Norman’s peeping tom, Norma’s gun, Miss Watson’s pearls, and it culminates in a familiar setting that I wouldn’t dare spoil.

Enjoy, and anticipate the return of Bates Motel coming March 7 to A&E.

Jump after the break to see the latest Orphan Black teaser. Continue reading TV teasers: ‘Bates Motel’ spins out of control & ‘Orphan Black’ journeys down the rabbit hole →

Fox: Jack Bauer is out in new ’24: Legacy’ & the brothers are back in ‘Prison Break’ revival

News, Television, , , , , , ,

When people ask me what shows turned me on to television in the first place, my go-to is and always will be: 24, Prison Break, and Lost. These are the pivotal franchises that made me fall in love with the box in my living room, and, well, the rest is history. Fast-forward so many years later, and two of the three are making major comebacks and I couldn’t be more excited.

Let’s start with 24. It debuted on Fox way back in 2001 and lasted for eight seasons and a TV movie. And then just last year, it resurfaced with star Kiefer Sutherland for limited event series 24: Live Another Day. Now, the network wants it to return again, but this time with an even bigger twist. In addition to forgoing the 24-episode format and skipping around some hours of one chaotic day, the newest incarnation of 24 bids farewell to Sutherland’s iconic hero Jack Bauer and introduces a new lead to save the day. That actor hasn’t been cast yet, but Fox says they are looking to fill the role with an African American actor.

Dubbed 24: Legacy, the tenth season in the ever-expanding counter-terrorism franchise serves as a reboot in that it doesn’t plan on incorporating familiar characters or settings. Jack and his right hand Chloe are off-limits this go-around. Here’s the official logline provided by Fox:

The pilot will feature an all-new cast of characters and retain the real-time, pulse-pounding, fast-paced format with split screens and complex interweaving storylines, with each episode representing one hour of an eventful day. The project will revolve around a military hero’s return to the U.S. and the trouble that follows him back – compelling him to ask CTU for help in saving his life, and stopping what potentially could be one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil.

“We wanted [the star] to be as different from Jack Bauer as possible, whether that’s an African American or a Latino actor,” elaborated Fox head Dana Walden at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. Co-head Gary Newman added, “As envisioned, the lead character would be diverse, so that will be our first effort in casting. As always, we’re going to cast the best actor we can find for the role. As you can imagine, bringing 24 back, we want to really try to create some distinction and make this feel different than Jack Bauer’s 24, so having a diverse actor in that lead role I think would be helpful in doing that.”

Another change coming to 24 is that the new hero will be sharing the day’s burden equally with a female co-lead. This female lead is a former head of CTU, and thus will serve as connective tissue to 24‘s past. Walden went on to briefly discuss Legacy‘s timely plot and how it plans on distancing itself from the 24 we know.

“It’s a new CTU, a new cast of characters,” she said. “It’s a completely different story in terms of the special ops groups that we’re focusing on. It’s a very contemporary feeling story about the potential to activate new sleeper cells in the United States and radicalizing Americans. It’s a whole new story. There are nods in the pilot to prior CTU agents, there are a couple photos that will feel reminiscent of the original, but no ongoing [returning] characters.”

Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer, Manny Coto, and Evan Katz, executive producers who worked on all previous seasons, return to EP Legacy. The pilot is on track to film this winter.

Update (1/18): Kiefer Sutherland responded to 24: Legacy at a Q&A panel hosted by TIFF Live and he had nothing but kind words to say about the series reboot. “I have said from the beginning that the real star of 24 is the idea, and I mean that wholeheartedly,” he gushed. “I have every faith they’ll do something cool and clever.” Later, when a fan asked about getting closure on Jack Bauer (at the end of Live Another Day he surrendered himself to the Russians), Sutherland admitted he doesn’t know if that will ever happen. “I have no idea if the [24] movie will ever happen, or Jack Bauer might end up finding his way into an episode one day and clarifying all of that, or ending all of that.” He promised he’d pass the sentiment along to 24 EP Howard Gordon the next time they meet. Watch Sutherland talk 24 here; the clip is cued up and ready to go.

Jump after the break to learn more about Prison Break‘s return. Continue reading Fox: Jack Bauer is out in new ’24: Legacy’ & the brothers are back in ‘Prison Break’ revival →

Status update #5 on your favorite new and returning shows

News, Television, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New year, more status updates coming your way in the TV department. If you’re keeping count, this is our fifth look at the current status on your favorite new and returning TV shows this season. This next batch is nominated by renewals, but some of you might want to brace yourself as there are some cancellations in the mix.

CBS is ready to say goodbye to Chuck Lorre’s sitcom Mike & Molly. Its sixth season, which currently airs Wednesday nights, will be its last. The show served as a strong comedic vehicle for Melissa McCarthy who has gone on to become a mega movie star. The Bridesmaids and Spy star can next be seen in Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters.

NBC cancelled Heroes. Then it came back as a limited “event” series dubbed Heroes Reborn. And now it’s bidding farewell to the world once more. Peacock head Robert Greenblatt elaborated at the Television Critics Association winter press tour that Reborn was always envisioned to be a one-and-done “event.” Though the upcoming 13th episode of Reborn will likely serve as the series finale for the comeback franchise, Greenblatt isn’t calling time of death just yet. He’s leaving that up to creator Tim Kring’s discretion; if Kring comes up with a new idea worthy of resurrecting the series for a second time, NBC will hear him out, reports TVLine.

For more, jump after the break. Continue reading Status update #5 on your favorite new and returning shows →

‘Mr. Robot’ & ‘The Revenant’ big winners at the Golden Globes

Movies, News, Television, , , ,

It was Netflix who dominated the Golden Globe nominations going into this year’s award ceremony, but it was another streaming service who came out on top. Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle surprised by beating out Orange is the New Black and even HBO’s heavy-hitters Veep and Silicon Valley for Best TV Series–Musical or Comedy. Amazon’s musically inclined series, which stars Gael García Bernal, ended up with two awards; Bernal beat out Aziz Ansari (Master of None) and Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent) for Best TV Actor. Also on top at this year’s Globes was USA’s breakout drama Mr. Robot. Not only did it win Best TV Series–Drama; supporting actor Christian Slater took home a trophy for his performance. It’s only unfortunate that series star Rami Malek didn’t win Best TV Actor; that award went to Jon Hamm (Mad Men). Elsewhere in TV land, The Affair kept its winning streak alive when Maura Tierney was crowned Best Supporting TV Actress. Lady Gaga represented American Horror Story‘s creative comeback in this year’s Hotel saga winning Best TV Actress. And last, in addition to awarding freshman Mozart, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made sure to recognize the lowly-rated but critically accepted new CW romantic comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Series star Rachel Bloom was named Best TV Actress in the comedy category.

At the movies, The Revenant soared with three wins–the most Globes presented to any property last night. The gritty flick about the endurance of the human spirit was crowned Best Motion Picture–Drama, Leonardo DiCaprio was awarded for his stellar performance in it (hopefully this puts him on track to finally win an Oscar!), and director Alejandro González Iñárritu took the stage to accept a Globe. Right on The Revenant‘s coattails was The Martian and Steve Jobs; they both won two Globes apiece. The former won Best Motion Picture–Comedy (I don’t get it either), plus Matt Damon won for his performance. Kate Winslet and Aaron Sorkin (screenwriting) won for the latter. Other big winners include The Hateful Eight (Best Original Score), Inside Out (Best Animated Film), Joy (Jennifer Lawrence), and Room (Brie Larsen).

All in all, it was a fun, lax occasion led by Ricky Gervais who just didn’t give a crap about any of it. Whether or not that was an act, I can’t see NBC asking him to return for a fifth time. He did have some funny bits, but eventually his shtick of “none of this really matters” grew old and some of the actors (including presenter Morgan Freeman) clearly weren’t having any of it. At the very least, we’ll always have Leonardo DiCaprio’s honest reaction to Lady Gaga bumping her way up to the stage.

Click here for the full list of winners.

Netflix shares a ‘Daredevil’ tapestry as season 2 secures a launch date

Images, News, Television, Video, , , , , ,

The Netflix/Marvel marriage has already proven fruitful with engrossingly dark and dramatic tales introducing Daredevil and Jessica Jones. The next superhero origin story coming to the streaming service is Luke Cage, but before we get there, the next chapter in the story of Matt Murdock aka The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen will be told.

Season 2 of Daredevil introduces new villain The Punisher (played by The Walking Dead‘s Jon Bernthal) and Elektra Natchios (Elodie Yung). Here’s the official logline:

Just when Matt thinks he is bringing order back to the city, new forces are rising in Hell’s Kitchen. Now the Man Without Fear must take on a new adversary in Frank Castle and face an old flame – Elektra Natchios. Bigger problems emerge when Frank Castle, a man looking for vengeance, is reborn as The Punisher, a man who takes justice into his own hands in Matt’s neighborhood. Meanwhile, Matt must balance his duty to his community as a lawyer and his dangerous life as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, facing a life-altering choice that forces him to truly understand what it means to be a hero.

The first teaser is embedded above, and while it doesn’t contain new footage, it artfully summarizes the major story beats that unfolded last year. Its direction borrows from a certain philosophical HBO series, does it not? Peek into the photo gallery for season 2 first looks at Murdock (Charlie Cox) suited up, his pals Karen and Foggy (Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson), The Punisher and Elektra. The character-filled season 2 poster is in there, too.

Daredevil returns Friday, March 18.

Continue reading Netflix shares a ‘Daredevil’ tapestry as season 2 secures a launch date →

Is ‘Person of Interest’s number up? Producer J.J. Abrams comments on its absence [Update: CBS responds]

News, Television, ,

Wondering where Person of Interest went? Yeah, me too. The CBS procedural-serial hybrid from J.J. Abrams, Greg Plageman, and Jonathan Nolan had been renewed for a truncated 13-episode fifth season and said episodes have been produced. They’re simply waiting for CBS to air them. Prior to the new fall season, CBS promised they would surface sometime in midseason, but now we’re in January and there’s still no word as to when Samaritan will continue to wage war on Team Machine.

At a panel promoting 11.22.63, a new Abrams-produced thriller based on the novel by Stephen King, J.J. commented on the matter with a statement I think all POI fans saw coming and yet it still stings.

“My guess is it is the final season,” Abrams said. “The only heartbreak there is how much good story there was to come if it were to have continued. Jonah [Nolan] and Greg Plageman have done such an amazing job on that show. I know what these episodes are, that they’re done wrapping it up. We don’t yet have a schedule. But I know they will see the light of day, [and] people will get to see these episodes. I know the power of that story. Again, to have a show that goes on as many years as that has, it’s very hard to complain. It’s a miracle to get a show on the air and to have it last that long is something that we should just be grateful for. But I do love that show and I would’ve loved to see that continue.”

If you take CBS sitting on season 5 and pair that with J.J.’s comments, it certainly looks like this is the beginning of the end for Person of Interest. Of course, this isn’t the final nail in the coffin. POI could return to better ratings if, perhaps, CBS decides to air it in the summer where’s there’s less competition. “Things can be adjusted if [there’s] a miraculous [ratings] performance,” Abrams added. He even speculated about potentially shopping the series elsewhere if CBS indeed decides to cancel it. “In theory, [those conversations] will be had at the right time. But at the moment that’s not what we’re doing.”

If this is the end, at least our consolation prize is that the producers and writers went into making this fifth season knowing that it would probably serve as the series’ swan song. This means that storylines, including the fate of The Machine and Shaw and the takedown of Greer and his evil artificial intelligence Samaritan, should wrap up come the finale.

As we sit here patiently for new episodes, do yourself a favor and enjoy the Pink Floyd-infused dramatic sequence from last year’s memorable finale.

Update (1/12): CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller, who recently took over the reins from Nina Tassler, was asked about the fate of the series at the Television Critics Association winter press tour today and he didn’t dodge. See what he had to say after the break. Continue reading Is ‘Person of Interest’s number up? Producer J.J. Abrams comments on its absence [Update: CBS responds] →

‘Blue Mountain State’ gets Kickstarted into feature length film (Teaser inside!)

Movies, News, Television, Video, , , ,

Blue Mountain State. You might have missed this under-the-radar comedy series back when it aired on Spike from 2010-11. It was rather swiftly cancelled after airing three 13-episode seasons. In fact, I almost carried on with my life without acknowledging its existence because on its surface (hell, through and through), it’s a crude show about the stereotypical college experience following football players and all the immature mayhem that ensues (read: partying, drugs, alcohol, hazing, sex…I think you get the point). But man am I glad I actually gave this thing a shot. BMS‘ creators and executive producers Chris Romano and Eric Falconer are just the right amount of twisted and they managed to concoct a hysterical exaggeration of a football-dominated college. Though the wacky characters don’t have much depth, the hijinks they take part in are just grounded in reality that it makes Blue Mountain State required viewing for incoming college freshman nationwide.

Moving on to the story at hand! Ever since its abrupt cancellation in 2011, BMS fans have been clamoring for new material, including a new season and/or a movie. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign created by Falconer, BMS will return on the big screen. In total, 23,999 backers pledged $1,911,827 to support the sitcom’s anticipated comeback. Lionsgate is distributing the film with an expected launch into theatres sometime this year. Worried about BMS‘ envelope-pushing nature not translating well? Don’t be. Falconer has shared to Kickstarter backers that the MPAA originally slapped an NC-17 rating on his movie, but after some tweaks he was able to lower that to a R-rating for “strong crude and sexual content, drug use and language throughout, and some graphic nudity.” Sounds like BMS to me!

Here’s what we know. The movie is called Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland and it will follow senior year at BMS as Thad Castle (Alan Ritchson) prepares to enter the NFL. Darin Brooks and Chris Romano reprise series protagonists Alex Moran and Sammy Cacciatore, and you can expect the rest of the ensemble cast to make appearances throughout. Preview The Rise of Thadland in a first-look clip embedded after the break. A full trailer and release date are expected to drop soon, so stay tuned. Continue reading ‘Blue Mountain State’ gets Kickstarted into feature length film (Teaser inside!) →