57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/15/15

Hannibal: More filler flashbacks this week but I did not even realized that was the patient Hannibal got Bedilia got to kill until she reached down Sylar's throat.
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Ray Donovan: Oh Ray, getting in the middle of this family's civil war is going to be a stupid idea. Of course if he and his family did not do stupid things, there probably would not be a show, or at the very least a much more boring one.

Masters of Sex: So Tessa brings in grandma to have her catch Virginia's affair with Bill (him falling out of the window was a great scene) only for grandma o try to get Ginnie to get Bill to leave his wife. Poor Tessa, nothing is going to work out for that girl. Also for the record, I have no problem with what Bill did to the school bully.

The Strain: When the show premiered it seemed like the only thing anyone wanted to talk about was Corey Stoll's really bad anime type wig covering his usually bald dome. It overtook the conversation that the creator had to come out and say that the wig was a plan and Corey's character would lose his hair at some point. That point came this week and how disappointing that instead of being so scared his follicles fell out, he voluntarily shaved his head so he could leave the city despite being wanted by Homeland Security. And then he still got recognized (seriously Eph, but a newspaper to hide behind like every other person ever who tried to go unrecognized on a train). At least Eph got his revenge by throwing the guy from the train. But then at the end we were introduced to a new character, someone who looks like the ninja vampires that the old dude outsmarted a couple weeks ago but with what looked to be a bone handle strapped to his back.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Falling Skies: So what is up with the lady's bleeding neck? It has to be some new Espheni mind control bug right? The cut to the Overlord after her decree certainly made it seem that way.
You can download Falling Skies on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Wait, what? Ever since we learned A was Charles, Aly's older brother, I have come up some out there theories, like her was a not so dead Wilden (most of the characters old enough to be Charles were dead), Jason with a split personality, last week I even predicted (okay, mostly hoped) for a triumphant return of Hermie the Hermaphrodite. Apparently my multisex A theory was not that far off because Cee-Cee (nee Charles) was the person tormenting them all along (or at least since Mona gave up the gig). Yes the same Cee-Cee who dated Jason... her half-brother. What the frack? I am sure anyone who rewatches the series will find plenty of plot holes with this revelation. And if Cee-Cee did not kill her mother, than who did? But what an anticlimactic finish with Cee-Cee running to the roof only to jump back down. But hey, now we get a five year jump with (presumably) a new A to torment the Liars and (presumably) married Allison who is now a teacher. Maybe a bigger question than who killed her mother is who would hire Allison to teach children? I just hope she is also the soccer coach.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: Speaking of mind blowing episodes, what the frack happened on this show this week? When Dalia Royce was kept asking Elliot who she was I was convince he was going to admit she was just a figment of his imagination (I have had a working theory fsociety was all in his head). But no, Dalia Royce is Elliot's sister and Mr. Robot is his father... what? I was wondering when Dalia Royce was in a ballet class (which is probably the greatest Suburgatory episode that never aired) with faux-Lily Kane (Elliot's childhood friends looks just like her right?) when did they became friends? (I thought there was an episode where they went out and got drunk together but later remembered that was Shayla, not Dalia Royce). And so I am again completely unclear what is real and what is not.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 8/14/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on The Hotwives of Los Vegas, Brian Wilson, Chris Cornell, Impractical Jokers, Explorer, Skin Wars, The Great American Dream Machine, The Last Ship, as well as TCA news from FX, FXX, and Showtime.

- The second season of Hotwives brings us to Las Vegas, a city where dreams and fortunes are made every day – along with hundreds of new cases of herpes. We’ll meet a fresh batch of real Hotwives – loving and clawing their way through Sin City with smiling faces because the Botox won’t let them frown. Brace yourself for double the drama, triple the heartbreak, and seven times the fake boobies on The Hotwives of Las Vegas.

- Capitol Records is pleased to announce plans for the global digital and CD release of Music From Love and Mercy, the official soundtrack to Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions/River Road's acclaimed Brian Wilson biopic starring John Cusack and Paul Dano. Produced by Wilson, the film's Oscar®-winning score composer Atticus Ross, and the film's producer and director, Bill Pohlad, Music From Love and Mercy's 13 tracks include "One Kind of Love," a ballad written and recorded by Brian Wilson specifically for the film, original Beach Boys classics, Paul Dano's stirring performance of "God Only Knows" from the film, and original score pieces by Ross. The soundtrack will be released digitally tomorrow, Friday, August 14, with the CD release to follow on Friday, September 18.

- Multiple Grammy® Award-winning, Golden Globe Nominated and acclaimed singer and songwriter Chris Cornell will release his fifth studio album Higher Truth on Friday, September 18, 2015 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Starting today fans can pre-order the deluxe version of the highly anticipated album HERE, which contains four bonus tracks.

- truTV's Impractical Jokers foursome – Joe, Sal, Q and Murr – today announced via social media that in celebration of their groundbreaking 100th episode, they will take on their most challenging dare yet: an epic high-wire walk five stories in the air above New York City during the show's first ever live punishment extravaganza. To prepare, the Jokers have called upon the expertise of Ringling Bros. Circus clown and "World's Greatest Dare Devil" Bello Nock, to provide training and tips on the art of successful tightrope walking. With multiple cameras positioned to capture every moment and New York City's South Street Seaport as the backdrop, the quartet known for challenging one another to do the most outrageous dares in publi c will attempt to outdo each other to see who can walk the farthest distance. Set to air Thursday, Sept. 3, at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT., the can't-miss Impractical Jokers Live Punishment Special will reveal which Joker will be the first to drop and who will hang on the longest to claim victory for their favorite charity.

- After a five-year hiatus, National Geographic Channel (NGC), in conjunction with National Geographic magazine (NGM) and National Geographic Studios, relaunches the critically acclaimed documentary series Explorer (natgeotv.com/explorer, #NatGeoExplorer) as a monthly series this August. The series opener, Explorer: Warlords of Ivory, premieres Sunday, Aug. 30, at 8:00, taking an in-depth look at the devastating effects of the global illegal ivory trade. And to continue National Geographic’s cross-platform commitment to this important cause, Nat Geo WILD premieres the one-hour special Elephant Queen the same night at 9:00, further reinforcing why these majestic creatures are so worthy of our protection.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, plans to expand upon the popularity of its hit series Skin Wars with a new one-hour special, Skin Wars: Fresh Paint, where three of the show’s most memorable former contestants will mentor artists who have never body painted before. Airing Wednesday, August 26 at 8:00, the self-contained spinoff is hosted by entertainer and master of transformation, RuPaul Charles, who also serves as a judge on Skin Wars.

- The Troubles are returning to Haven like never before in Haven: Season Five, Volume One, arriving on extras-loaded blu-ray and DVD on September 8 from Entertainment One.

- Before "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show", before the spoof-tastic films The Groove Tube and Kentucky Fried Movie came The Great American Dream Machine, an irreverent, satirical weekly variety show that aired on PBS for two seasons from 1971-1972. Unlike anything ever seen on public television, the eclectic, often controversial series - an early proving ground for many top comedic talents including Chevy Chase, Albert Brooks and Charles Grodin -- combined humorous skits, drama, musical performances and political commentary in an "experimental" format and was considered Channel Thirteen's first prime-time hit, setting new records for attracting younger adult viewers to public broadcasting. And, this September, S'more Entertainment will fire up The Great American Dream Machine for its eagerly-anticipated home entertainment debut in a 4-disc collector's set for $39.98srp available September 29.

- TNT has renewed the hit action-adventure The Last Ship, basic cable's top scripted series this summer with adults 25-54. Currently airing Sundays at 9:00, The Last Ship stars Eric Dane (Grey's Anatomy), Rhona Mitra (Strike Back) and Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck). Season 2 will climax with a gripping cliffhanger on Sept. 6. TNT has ordered 13 episodes for the third season, which is slated to launch next summer.

- The Festival of Balloons, which features the world’s largest and most elaborate displays by international balloon artists, announced that its biannual event will be held in New Orleans at the Hilton Riverside on Sunday, April 10, 2016, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, takes a bold step forward into the world of sports, with an event which will be more hotly contested than the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight – the debut of Man v Fly, where contestants face off against the ultimate pest in the ultimate test. The rules of the game are simple: you have one minute to kill your fly for a cash prize, or leave in disgrace and the fly wins its freedom. The new short-form interstitial series debuts on GSN on Wednesday, August 12 in the 10:30pm ET/PT timeslot immediately following Idiotest.

Here are some quick hits coming out of the TCA from FX(X) this week:

FX picks up to series the comedy Better Things starring Pamela Adlon and co-created and produced by Louis C.K.
FXX picks up to series the animated comedy Cassius and Clay, and becomes the new home for the hit comedy Archer.
FX orders season three of the hit thriller The Strain.
Premiere date announced for the new drama The Bastard Executioner from Kurt Sutter (September 15th)
Premiere date announced for American Horror Story: Hotel (October 7th)
Premiere date announced for the second installment of Fargo (October 12th).

- Here are some quick hit headlines coming out of the TCA from Showtime this week:

I AM GIANT: VICTOR CRUZ Feature-Length Film Chronicles In Real Time Cruz’s Improbable Attempt To Come Back From Devastating Injury
AMERICAN DREAM/AMERICAN KNIGHTMARE ABOUT INFAMOUS RAP MOGUL SUGE KNIGHT: Documentary Premieres Monday, September 26th at 9 PM ET/PT On SHOWTIME Linear, On Demand And Over The Internet
SHOWTIME SPORTS® TO CHRONICLE 2015 CAMPAIGN OF A COLLEGE FOOTBALL POWERHOUSE IN
A SEASON WITH NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL: Weekly, Season-Long Coverage of National Title Contender Features A Dozen 30-Minute Episodes; Series Premieres Tuesday, Sept. 8, Only on SHOWTIME®
SHOWTIME® PICKS UP CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED DRAMAS RAY DONOVAN AND MASTERS OF SEX FOR FOURTH SEASONS
SHOWTIME® GIVES PILOT ORDER TO COMING-OF-AGE DRAMA FROM LENA WAITHE AND OSCAR® WINNER COMMON
SHOWTIME® GIVES LIFE TO I’M DYING UP HERE: Network Orders New One-Hour Pilot From Executive Producer Jim Carrey, Set In The 1970s L.A. Comedy Scene Written And Executive Produced By Former Stand-up Comedian Dave Flebotte
SHOWTIME® ANNOUNCES WINTER PREMIERE DATE FOR BILLIONS AND SHAMELESS: New Drama Series BILLIONS To Premiere on Sunday, January 17th at 10 PM ET/PT – Season Six of SHAMELESS To Premiere at 9 PM ET/PT Across All Platforms
SHOWTIME® ACQUIRES JUST KIDS: PATTI SMITH’S BEST-SELLING MEMOIR ABOUT HER LIFE WITH PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE TO BE A LIMITED SERIES OSCAR® NOMINEE JOHN LOGAN TO CO-WRITE AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCE WITH PATTI SMITH
SHOWTIME® TO PRODUCE NEW DOCUMENTARY THE SPYMASTERS AIRING NOVEMBER 28TH AT 9 PM ET/PT: Documentary Pulls Back The Curtain On The World’s Most Powerful And Secretive Spy Agency And Features Interviews With All Twelve Living Directors Of The CIA Narrated by HOMELAND’s Mandy Patinkin