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!

Golden Globes TV Predictions

It's awards season, and tomorrow marks the first big awards show of the year (the People's Choice Awards don't count). Hosted by Ricky Gervais, the 73rd annual Golden Globes will take place Sunday night, honoring the best in film and television of 2015.

In preparation for the awards, I decided to make my predictions for who will win in the TV categories. I will also reveal whom I would like to see win. Keep in mind that I am not a professional critic, nor have I seen all of the nominated shows, so don't bet any money based on these. These predictions are informed by years of watching the awards and getting a feel for which shows the Hollywood Foreign Press Association tends to honor, as well as some insight from real critics. You can find the full list of nominees, including the movie categories, here.

Let's get started.

UPDATE: The great thing about the Golden Globes is that you never know what is going to happen. This year had many surprises in the television categories, as evidenced by my awful score of 2/11. But I can't complain because Mr. Robot and Christian Slater won in their respective categories (seriously, you all should watch that show). Also, I called Rachel Bloom's surprise win, so I'm happy. The winners are in red below.

Best Television Series - Drama
Empire (FOX)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Mr. Robot (USA)
Narcos (Netflix)
Outlander (Starz)
Who I think will win: My gut is saying Outlander. I haven't seen it, but critics seem to love it.
Who I want to win: It's very unlikely, but I'd love to see Mr. Robot take it. It is easily my favorite new show of 2015.

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Veep (HBO)
Casual (Hulu)
Who I think will win: Transparent for the repeat.
Who I want to win: Out of the nominees, I've only seen Silicon Valley, which is more than deserving of an award.

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
American Crime (ABC)
American Horror Story: Hotel (FX)
Fargo (FX)
Flesh and Bone (Starz)
Wolf Hall (PBS)
Who I think will win: I've only seen Fargo, but I think it will take its second Globe.
Who I want to win: Fargo. In my opinion, it's one of the best shows on TV right now, if not the best.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Lady Gaga, American Horror Story: Hotel
Queen Latifah, Bessie
Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Sarah Hay, Flesh and Bone
Who I think will win: This is a wild guess, but I'm going to say Queen Latifah.
Who I want to win: Again, I've only seen Fargo, but Kirsten Dunst was a standout this season.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Patrick Wilson, Fargo

Idris Elba, Luther

David Oyelowo, Nightingale

Oscar Isaac, Show Me a Hero

Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall

Who I think will win: This is a stacked category, and I could see any of these actors taking it. It's a tough call, but I'm going to guess Idris Elba.
Who I want to win: Although I love Idris Elba, I wasn't overly impressed with the latest season of Luther, so I have to give this one to Patrick Wilson, who was another standout in Fargo.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Caitriona Balfe, Outlander
Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
Who I think will win: Viola Davis will follow up her Emmy win.
Who I want to win: Davis, hands down.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Wagner Moura, Narcos
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Who I think will win: Jon Hamm will get one last award for Mad Men.
Who I want to win: It would be a very pleasant surprise if Rami Malek won for his fantastic performance.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Who I think will win: Based on Gina Rodriguez's surprise win last year, I'm going to take a gamble and say Rachel Bloom.
Who I want to win: I don't watch any of these shows, so I'll say Bloom for the shock factor.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Patrick Stewart, Blunt Talk
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Gael García Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle
Rob Lowe, The Grinder
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Who I think will win: Jeffrey Tambor will take it for the second year in a row.
Who I want to win: Again, I haven't seen any of these shows, but Master of None is high on my watchlist, so I'll say Aziz Ansari.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
Regina King, American Crime
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Judith Light, Transparent
Who I think will win: She lost to Joanne Froggatt last year, but Uzo Aduba has won two Emmys, so I'm giving this one to her.
Who I want to win: For the third category in a row, I haven't seen any of these performances. So I'll go with Aduba because we have Boston University in common.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
Tobias Menzies, Outlander
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot
Who I think will win: I've only seen Mr. Robot, but I've heard great things about Ben Mendelsohn in Bloodline, so I'm going with him.
Who I want to win: Christian Slater. (If you can't tell, I really liked Mr. Robot.)

There we go. My picks for the 2016 Golden Globes. If I get at least 8 out of 11, I'll call it a success. I'll update this post with the winners afterwards. Feel free to leave your picks in the comments, and don't forget to tune in to the awards at 8:00PM ET on NBC.

2016 TV New Year's Resolutions

It's been a year since my last post, but instead of making excuses and looking back at what prevented me from writing in 2015, I'm going to take this opportunity to start fresh. It's a new year, and there are some things that I want to work on in 2016. So here are my TV-related resolutions for the new year.

1. Be More Active
No, I don't mean exercise (although I should really do that as well). I'm talking about this blog. I don't know if I was too busy, too lazy, or both, but I really failed to keep up with this blog in 2015. I do enjoy writing about TV, so I'm determined to do more of that this year. My goal is to post at least once a week. In order to accomplish that, I hope to add some variety to my posts. So in addition to reactions or reviews, I might post a recommendation or a list every so often. That way, when I inevitably fall behind on my shows and can't post a timely review, I'll still have options for things to write. I already have some ideas for posts, including a monthly recommendation, so I'm excited to get writing in 2016.

2. Work On the Years-Old To-Do List
There are plenty of shows that have been on my watchlist for several years that I've never gotten around to watching. These include, but are not limited to, Doctor Who, Orange Is the New Black, and The Wire. I'm not saying that I will clear my entire watchlist in 2016, but I do hope to at least start a couple of these shows. The problem is that there are too many current shows that I need to keep up with, so I rarely get a break to start something from several years ago. Clearing my watchlist will be a long and gradual process, but I have to start sometime, right?

3. Spring Cleaning
I'm not making any promises with this one. It's safe to say that I currently watch more shows than I can count, so naturally there are some shows that I would probably be better off saying goodbye to. The problem is that I am a completist, so once I am a season or two into a show, I need to see how it ends. My resolution then, is to let go of any shows that are no longer keeping my interest and make room for new shows. In the past few years I've let go of Hawaii Five-0 (which was a tough decision) and Under the Dome (good riddance). Right now I can't think of any that deserve that fate, but as 2016 promises several interesting new series, I'll need to take a look at what I'm watching and decide if they're really worth my time.

4. Plan For the Future
I'll be graduating this year, so I need to figure out how I'm going to watch TV. Although I watch the majority of my shows online, there are some that I catch live. Right now I have the university's cable, but once I graduate I will need to decide if I want to get cable or rely on over-the-top services. With all the talk of cord-cutting these days, it's a big decision and one that I will not be taking lightly.

As much as it pains me not to have a round 5, that's all I could come up with. 2016 is going to be a big year both in the TV industry and in my own life, and I'm ready to tackle it head on. I'll be back with my first actual post of the year soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, have a happy new year, and happy watching!

'Galavant' Premiere Review: Not the Worst Thing Ever

After seemingly endless promotion, ABC's "musical comedy extravaganza" Galavant debuted on Sunday. ABC will air the eight half-hour episodes over four weeks in hour-long blocks, so I'll review both of Sunday's episodes together. Created and written by Dan Fogelman with music by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater, all of whom worked on Disney's Tangled, the show follows titular hero Galavant (Joshua Sasse) as he seeks revenge on King Richard (Psych's Timothy Omundson), who stole Galavant's love Madalena (Mallory Jansen). Although it sounds like your typical medieval fairy-tale, Galavant is very self-aware and even subverts expectations to good effect.

The earliest twist comes at the end of the opening number when Galavant interrupts Richard and Madalena's wedding only to be rejected by Madalena, who would rather share the king's riches than Galavant's love. The show handles the genre very well by delivering moments like this that go against expectations, as well as by playing into the genre while delivering self-aware lines and lyrics. For example, the second half of the hour features a training montage set to an "Eye of the Tiger"-sounding song about furthering the plot by rising up to a challenge. As an unapologetic fan of metahumor and parody, I really enjoyed these moments. Fogelman proved himself a smart writer and was able to keep my attention throughout the hour.

The show's success was greatly aided by the songs. Each half hour featured two main musical numbers (not including the aforementioned training song), and while the only one likely to stick with the viewer is the ubiquitous "Galavant" theme (ABC went overboard with the cross-promotions during the commercial breaks), they were all hilarious. Menken and Slater did a fantastic job with these songs, effectively delivering both exposition and jokes with catchy tunes and clever lyrics. The songs were especially useful in the first half hour, which was almost entirely set-up for the rest of the series. Plot details and backstory can be more craftily delivered in a catchy song than in clunky dialogue.

The entire cast did a fine job both acting and singing. The standouts in this first hour were Omundson and Vinnie Jones, who plays Gareth, King Richard's right-hand man. Jones brought plenty of humor to what could have been a thankless role, and he and Omundson played off of each other very well. Omundson was great as Richard and brought just enough sentiment to make us sympathize with his character. Although, that could also be the result of Jansen's over-the-top performance as the seemingly heartless Madalena. Over-the-top is not necessarily a bad thing, especially in this kind of show, but Jansen is close to taking it too far. That said, there was a subtle moment of tenderness near the end of the hour that was played well by Jansen. Sasse was fine as Galavant, but he failed to make us truly care about his plight. His joke delivery was great, but there's something missing from his performance. For now he's somewhat bland.

The second half also featured John Stamos as the first guest star. He played an arrogant knight with a fantastic name (I won't spoil it here), whom Galavant must face in a joust. Stamos clearly had a lot of fun with the role, delivering countless lame, yet oddly hilarious, "your mother" jokes. His character also allowed Galavant his first chance to prove himself as the hero, which was good to see.

My biggest complaint with the hour is Richard's man-child schtick in the second half. It's one thing to make him "unmanly," but to have the chef feed him is taking it a bit to far. However, the pay off, in which Gareth teaches Richard the "art of manliness", was good and allowed for more screen time for Jones.

I really liked Galavant, much more than I was expecting, but I know that it won't be for everyone. The plot is rather cheesy, and there are plenty of clichés, but the creative team of Fogelman, Menken, and Slater effectively play with those clichés to create a fun, humorous hour of television. With only four hour-long blocks, the show most likely will not overstay its welcome. If you're a fan of The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, or people singing about disembowelment, I recommend checking out Galavant. If not, you only have to ignore it for three more weeks. In the meantime, those of you who have seen it are welcome to leave your thoughts in the comments.

2014 TV Highlights

After a very stressful semester, I have some time off for winter break. I thought I'd try to play catch up and look back at the year in TV. So without further ado, here are my 2014 TV highlights.

DC Comics TV

I'll begin with perhaps my favorite thing to come out of this year: the rise of TV adaptations of DC comics. The CW's Arrow has been on the air for two years now, but this year saw the debut of not one, not two, but three DC TV shows: The Arrow spin-off The Flash, FOX's Gotham, and NBC's Constantine. The Flash quickly became my favorite new show of the fall. It is everything I wanted it to be and more. I love it so much that I could probably write a thousand words about it, which I may end up doing when the season ends in the spring. But in the meantime I will impatiently await it's return in January. I was less impressed by Gotham, which follows a young James Gordon as a detective navigating the crime and corruption of Gotham before Batman. The show sometimes spends too much time hinting at Batman and his villains, but I still do enjoy the show. Robin Lord Taylor is a stand out as Oswald Cobblepot (who will become the Penguin), and the mob war between Falcone and Maroni is enough to keep me engaged. As of the time of my writing this, I've only seen the pilot of Constantine, but I liked what I saw. It's a darker corner of the DC universe that hasn't been seen in film or TV since the Keanu Reeves movie, so I look forward to catching up over break.

Looking Ahead: DC will continue to take over TV as more projects have been announced. CBS has ordered a Supergirl series from Greg Berlanti, the man behind Arrow and The Flash; Syfy is developing Krypton, which will take place on Superman's home planet and follow his grandfather; and TNT is working on a live action Teen Titans adaptation. I am always on board for anything DC-related, so I am looking forward to all of these shows, should they end up airing. It seems that while Marvel dominates the box office with its movies, DC will continue to throw its properties at TV, and given its current track record, it's looking like they will continue to stick.

Marvel TV

Marvel only has one TV show to DC's four currently on air, but 2014 has been a good year for it. ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got off to a rocky start last year, but it picked up steam in its second half, especially following the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier back in April. S.H.I.E.L.D. takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), so anything that happens in the movies can affect what happens in the show. Without spoiling anything, I will say that Winter Soldier had huge ramifications for S.H.I.E.L.D., infusing new life into the show. Now in its second season, the show is better than ever. It ended the year with a gamechanging midseason finale that introduced a new element from the comics into the MCU, and I am very excited to see what happens next.

Looking Ahead: Marvel will add two more TV shows to the MCU in 2015. ABC will air the entire eight-episode run of Marvel's Agent Carter in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s normal timeslot starting in January. This series takes place after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger and will see Hayley Atwell reprise her role as Peggy Carter. She has been seen in a couple of episodes of S.H.I.E.L.D. this season via flashbacks, so I am excited for her to carry her own show. Meanwhile, Netflix has been working on the first of its five Marvel series, Daredevil, which will become available sometime in 2015. Starring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, the show, because it is on Netflix, will get away with a darker tone. While I didn't hate the Ben Affleck movie (probably because I saw it when I was young and I liked everything back then), it will be nice to see a new, darker take on the character.

Game of Thrones

This season of HBO's Game of Thrones was easily my favorite so far. There were so many breathtaking moments (both for the characters and the viewers) that I can't believe it all happened in one ten-episode season. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will vaguely touch on the ones that immediately come to mind. It all started with a certain wedding of a violet hue and things only escalated from there. There was Tyrion's speech, the Viper vs Mountain fight, the Battle of Castle Black (which was perhaps the most beautifully executed episode to date), and the entire finale. Oh, and Arya's laugh was a standout moment for me. It was quite the eventful season, so I wonder if they can top it with season five.

Looking Ahead: I haven't read the books, so I don't know what is coming next. But with so many cliffhangers, I can't wait to find out.

HBO

Unlike previous years, Game of Thrones wasn't the only HBO show I watched this year. Over the summer I caught up on True Detective and Silicon Valley, and I was able to watch The Leftovers as it aired. I loved all three shows. I don't know what to say about True Detective except that it lived up to the hype that it has received. Both Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson gave fantastic performances, and the structure of the men recalling a closed case allowed for an interesting use of narration. Silicon Valley, starring Thomas Middleditch and T.J. Miller as the founders of a startup company, was absolutely hilarious. The cast had great chemistry, and while some of the more technological dialogue went over my head, I was still able to follow the plot and catch the majority of the jokes. The algorithm scene in the finale had me cracking up, and it made me recall so many of the detailed discussions about trivial things that I've had with my friends. Finally, The Leftovers, created by Lost's Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta and based on Perrotta's novel of the same name, follows the residents of a small town in New York three years after the mysterious simultaneous disappearance of two percent of the world's population. The series is very bleak and depressing, so it is not for everyone, but for whatever reason, I was mesmerized throughout the season. The third episode, "Two Boats and a Helicopter," followed Christopher Eccleston's Rev. Matt Jamison and was one of the best hours of TV I've seen in a while. The novel does not explain the reason for the disappearance and Lindelof has said that he doesn't plan to explain it in the show, but while that may turn some people off, I'm much more interested in the characters, and they've done a great job defining them.

Looking Ahead: All three shows have been renewed for a second season. Silicon Valley and The Leftovers will continue where they left off, and although neither ended with a big cliffhanger, I'm looking forward to more of both shows. The second season of True Detective, however, will have a new setting and cast, so I don't know what to expect. HBO has recently confirmed that the cast will include Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch, and Rachel McAdams, so I'm excited to see what they bring to the show.

The Legend of Korra

This year we got two complete seasons (Books 3 and 4) of Nickelodeon's The Legend of Korra, the sequel series to the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender. Unfortunately, they were the last two, and they came with some behind-the-scenes drama. In the middle of the Book 3, Nick pulled the show from its schedule with no warning. The rest of the episodes were then released online weekly. Luckily, this happened right before San Diego Comic-Con, so the creators were able to clear everything up to the fans and the press at the SDCC panel. They knew it was going to happen, but they didn't know when; so they were just as surprised as we were. But that didn't stop the fans from watching the show. Another surprise came when Book 4, the final book of the series, premiered just over a month after Book 3 ended. On the one hand, fans got more episodes much sooner than they were expecting, but on the other hand, the show would be ending sooner than they were expecting. Despite the confusion, the show delivered two fantastic seasons. Book 3 saw the rebirth of the air nomads and the rise of a very powerful villain, and Book 4, which took place three years after Book 3, saw politics play a major role and a favorite character from The Last Airbender return for a few episodes. Korra was a great continuation of the Avatar story and helped expand the universe in ways I had never expected. I am sad to say goodbye to this world, but it was a great ride.

Looking Ahead: Creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have no plans to continue with the Avatar world, and I think that is for the best. If at some point down the road, they get an idea of how to continue the story, I will fully support them, but for now I look forward to their next projects.

Obviously there was plenty more notable TV this year that I didn't get to. Fargo was a brilliant show with amazing performances from Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, and Allison Tolman. Bojack Horseman was an...interesting addition to Netflix's lineup of original programming. Psych ended its eight-year run in true Psych fashion. How I Met Your Mother ended its nine-year run in...a fashion (more on that here). Sherlock and Hannibal, two of my favorite current shows, both delivered outstanding seasons. And in its midseason finale, Arrow made perhaps the most ambitious creative choice I've ever seen. There are also plenty of shows that have been highly praised that I haven't seen yet, as well as shows that I wish I hadn't seen (I'm looking at you, Under the Dome). Overall it was a good year to be a TV junkie, and I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store.

As always, feel free to share your own 2014 highlights in the comments. Until next time, I'd like to wish you all the happiest of holidays.