Shows I'm Looking Forward To

I only have time for a quick post this week, so I thought I'd list some shows that I'm most looking forward to in the next few months. This includes both new and returning shows.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow
As a DC Comics nerd, Arrow and The Flash are two of my favorite shows right now. But when The CW announced another spinoff featuring a large cast of characters taken from both shows, I was skeptical. I thought it would be too much. But when I learned that the show would feature Rip Hunter and have the group travel through time to stop Vandal Savage, I started getting excited. And then I saw the first teaser last year and the fanboy in me was giddy. Now the wait is almost over as the show premieres this Thursday.

The Magicians
I picked up Lev Grossman's fantasy novel The Magicians two summers ago and was hooked within a few pages. I hadn't been that caught up in a book in a long time. By the end of the summer I bought the next two books in the trilogy. I like to describe the series as a cross between Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia for adults. After I finished the trilogy I was reminded that Syfy was developing a TV adaptation of the series, which was the reason I wanted to read it in the first place. Syfy aired the pilot as a special preview back in December, so I've already seen that. Except for a few minor deviations, the show seems to be sticking pretty close to the source material. I thought the pilot was great, and I can't wait to see the rest of the season when it debuts next week on January 25.

Colony
I'm a little late on this one because it premiered last Thursday. But USA made the pilot available online early so I watched it a couple of weeks ago. One of the executive producers is Lost's Carlton Cuse, and the show stars Lost's Josh Holloway, so naturally I had to check it out. It takes place in a Los Angeles that is occupied by unseen "Hosts" whom we can presume are of extraterrestrial origin. But rather than a typical alien invasion story, Colony focuses on the people trying to live their lives under this occupation. Family and loyalty are two of the themes that become apparent in the pilot, so I'm interested to see where it goes starting with the second episode this Thursday.

Daredevil Season 2
Netflix has been knocking it out of the park with its Marvel series. Both Daredevil and Jessica Jones were fantastic last year. Daredevil had some of the best fight scenes I've seen in a comic book adaptation, including a hallway scene shot in a single take. It also introduced the most complex villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin. I'm very excited for season 2, which will feature the Punisher and Elektra and will be available on March 18.

Person of Interest Season 5
I finally caught up on Person of Interest over the winter break, and the end of season 4 was huge. CBS only ordered 13 episodes for season 5 and has not announced a premiere date, so this could be the last season. This show has changed a lot since it started, becoming much more serialized than its original premise indicated, so I'm excited to see how it ends. All four seasons are available on Netflix if you'd like to check it out before what could be the final season.

Of course I'm excited for all of my shows to return, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind. Until next week, Happy Watching!

Premiere Week Roundup

I almost did it. The only premiere that I didn't get to this week was Elementary (and the ones I put in bold, but those don't count), so once I watch it, it will probably get its own post. Also, I wanted to write this post before the end of the weekend, so I will review tonight's premiere(s) (most importantly, Homeland) within the next few days.

Now I'm going to briefly review the seven premieres that I watched this week. I will sort them by network, and I will give each of them a rating out of five.

CBS
How I Met Your Mother:
It has yet to be confirmed whether this season of HIMYM will be its last. I, for one, hope that it is because the show has lost steam the past couple of seasons. That said, the premiere was strong and brought Ted closer to the mother than ever before. I look forward to seeing how all the clues they have dropped since the beginning tie together in the end (if it is indeed the end).
Rating: 3.5

Hawaii Five-0:
This premiere was very intense. It picked up exactly where the finale left off, and it definitely delivered. I was somewhat disappointed by parts of last season, so I hope this season will remain as strong as it began. There is plenty of story to tell this season. Chin has suffered a loss, Danny is in a legal battle with his ex-wife, and Steve just found out his mother is not dead after all. Here's hoping they can maintain these story lines while delivering the intensity that they showed in the premiere.
Rating: 4

The Big Bang Theory:
Last season's finale was one of the best of the series, so I was slightly disappointed by this premiere. Howard argues with his mother, Leonard's relationship with Penny is awkward, and Raj is lonely...so nothing new (except that Howard is arguing from space). The only advancements we seem to be making are in the relationship between Sheldon and Amy. The two have a date night which is, in a word, interesting. The episode was still funny, but the plot was dry. I hope the writers can pick it up this season.
Rating: 3

Person of Interest:
Like The Big Bang Theory, last season's finale was amazing. Unlike The Big Bang Theory, this premiere did not disappoint. With Finch kidnapped, Reese must proceed on his own, which is an interesting new dynamic. My only request for this season is more flashbacks so we can delve deeper into the characters' pasts. In this episode, we see into the past of the machine, which has more or less become another character. I am very interested to see where they go with this season and how quickly Finch is rescued.
Rating: 5

FOX
New Girl:
FOX aired two episodes of New Girl on Tuesday, and they were both hilarious. I won't dwell too much on this premiere because all I need to say is that the show is hilarious and if you aren't watching it, you should be.
Rating: 5

ABC
Modern Family:
Although the story lines aren't always the most original, this show has some of the most consistently funny writing. The premiere was no exception. It was interesting how they handled this episode. It picked up right where the finale left off, where most sitcoms do a time jump to coincide with when the episodes are airing. At the end of the episode, there was a time jump to a few months later. I thought that was handled nicely. Finally, Ed O'Neill was amazing in this episode and proved that he should've won the Emmy last week.
Rating: 4

Last Resort:
I was actually quite surprised by this pilot. It was very well done, but I have some worries about it. A lot of characters were introduced, so I hope that they can develop them well. Also, it seems that this show will either be really good or will drop in quality fast since the pilot was so intense. Lastly, I hope they find a good way to use Autumn Reeser's character because I like her, but some of her scenes seemed out of place. I really look forward to the rest of this season.
Rating: 4.5

Wow. That ended up being a lot longer than I wanted it to be. I think it's safe to assume I won't be doing any more of these all-encompassing posts. I know these reviews were not very detailed, but I'll try to do detailed reviews for some future episodes. For now, excuse me while I massage my fingers.