57 Channels and Only This Is On: 11/7/15

Homeland: Wait, wasn't the guy Berlin Bureau Chief was meeting with the same guy who killed the hacker guy and took the information taken from the CIA server? So is she a deep undercover Russian operative or or does she think what she is doing is for the greater good of America? And who is Quinn's guardian angel?

The Affair: So the hot illegal nanny is the chick Cole marries, right? It just seems very obvious and I doubt it was this week's booty call. The bigger question is does he do it for love Oh my, what is going on there? Is she a secret Russian spy oris she just teaming up with them for what she thinks is the greater good for the country or is he is he just helping her get a greencard? And I am with future lawyer, maybe it is Cole who killed Scotty, but I have a different reasoning. With all the drunk driving he does, Cole is bound to kill somebody at some point.

Supergirl: Poor Supergirl, not only is she stuck with a demeaning childish name, her cousin gets his own Fortress of Solitude in the arctic and she is stuck communicating with her ancestors in a remodeled broom closet in a government facility. And why is Aunt Astrid not at all worried about Superman? Does she really think if she would try to take over the world he would have just sat by idly as long as she did not cross the Metropolis city borders?
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Gotham: I do not like to talk ill of minors on account that they are just children, but goodness that tea party was dreadful to sit though. I was hoping Alfred would stop by and slap some acting skills into all of them.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

The Voice: To pull back the curtains on the 9th Green a little bit, I write a lot of things days and sometimes even weeks in advance. So I was updating my Knockout Round Power Ranking as the show went along and was finished last Tuesday, ready to publish it on Monday. But when I hopped on the internets Wednesday, it turned out that the promo for the Live Playoff aired in the Tuesday clip shows announced a new twist: The Coach Comeback where each coach will bring back one eliminated singer. Awesome. I have actually been advocating this going back to season five.

When Holly Henry was erroneously dumped in favor of Nic Hawk I suggested that at the at the start of the Playoffs, Carson should address the coaches, "if you have been on the internet lately you have notice there was a lot of chatter about you coaches cutting fan favorites and many of them deserve to be brought back. Well so did (insert another singer; back then I suggested Miranda Lambert and how great would it be if they added her to the stage now) and they have chosen five singers that you let go of and agreed to coach them and they are now officially back in the running to be named The Voice."

Unfortunately they are not doing that... I think. It it very unclear what is going to happen as I am writing this (they may very well release the rules after I am done writing again) other than four people who did not win their Knockout or got Stolen will be brought back next week. Obviously the first two names that come to my mind are Ellie Lawrence along with Andi & Alex. Both dominated iTunes, the later had the second best charting Blind Audition and the best selling Battle. Except we do not know how they are brought back. The most fair would base it on iTunes and / or the silly app they keep promoting (I read somewhere that 8 of the top 10 most voted for Blind Auditions on the app did not make the top twenty while half of the highest charting iTunes Blind Auditions are still in; ouch these coaches are really out of touch with the public). But if it completely up to the whim of the coaches, can we really trust Gwen or Adam to do the right thing. I actually think Adam dumped his duo because he thought they poised a threat to his favorite Jordan Smith (I am also interested in the actually Knockout sequencing, maybe Adam stole Amy Vachal and thought, well, I do not need Andi and Alex any more). Then Gwen really likes her cute boys so maybe she chooses someone like Chase over Ellie.

In my estimation, Blake has a decision on his hand, he should really bring back either Krista Hughes or Blind Joe (or option three: he says he has enough country and picks someone completely different). But who does Pharrell bring back? Looking at his castoffs is kind of meh. I would like him to bring back Sydney Rhame who I thought gave the best Blind Audition on his team (she also was his highest charter on his team), but then she lost her Battle via montage. Of course this is all on the assumption that they are bring back their own cast-off, maybe they can choose anyone. I would like to see Andi and Alex go to Team Blake, Ellie to Team Pharrell, then Gwen can pick whatever cute boy she want and Adam can pick whatever fodder (what him bring back a montaged contestant) he does not think will challenge his front runner.

As excited as I was at the possibly of Andi and Alex, Ellie, Sydney, and Krista returning, the fact is whenever The Voice introduces a new twist, it turns out to be an epic fail. The idea of The Steal was great, but for every Amanda Brown there are twenty-five Nic Hawks who are gone as soon as people start voting. Anyone saved by Twitter is back in the bottom the next week and when it goes terribly wrong we get Ryan Sill (nevrr forget). There was a wildcard round a couple seasons ago except the last person voted out was the person who ended up winning that any way. So I will not be holding by breathe that the coaches will bring back the right people (it does help that three of the four rumored Coaches Comeback are head scratching and will probably be back home this time next week..

Blindspot: So Chrissy Seaver's boyfriend is not a spy. That may be the most shocking twist on the show so far in that he was not a twist at all.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes..

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.L.D.: Bad promo monkeys, you spoil that May's ex-husband was dead last week and the very first scene we see him very alive being rolled to a doctor for medical care. It also turned out that he was Lash. Now this begs the question just how much does he know? He he fully aware that he has a Mr. Hyde living in him or does he just wake up not knowing what happened? Can he trigger Lash or is it just like the Hulk and he Lashes out when he is angry? It does seem like he knows something and that is probably why he has not gone after Daisy yet.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Wicked City: The show still sucks but there was something entertaining about Joe Walsh directing a fake Def Leppard music video.
You can download Wicked City on iTunes.

Survivor: Second Chances: In a season of multiple swaps and new twists, now we get the largest merge ever!!!!!! I am surprised how the alliances broke down going nine four. Especially with Stephan, who was literally crying a week or two ago about the thought of losing to another alpha male. I am really shocked that he and Spencer sided with the alpha male alliance. You would think Joe winning Immunity would be a wake up call to get out these stronger players now. Sure they are volatile and could very well stab you in the back, but I still think siding with Kass and Abi Maria would have been the smart move now because that is an easy win if you are in a finale two or three with them.
You can download Survivor: Second Chance on iTunes.

The Blacklist: That dud is really going to be mad when he wakes up only to find that your thumbs have been cut off, those are really something you could need. Of course by the time he thaws out, they may have found a way to regrow body parts by then. Then the big news is that they are already promoting the mid-season finale. I guess there are not going to be any episodes post-Thanksgiving.
The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 11/6/15

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 Angie Tribeca, Saints and Strangers, Cyberchase, Search Party, Big in 2015, 11.22.63, The Breakthrough Prize, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters, and MC100.

- TBS has already renewed its upcoming series Angie Tribeca for 10 all-new seasons well before the curtain even rises on the future Emmy® winner. TBS will introduce viewers to its first-ever police procedural with a massive, international multiplatform launch on Sunday, Jan. 17, giving subscribers the opportunity to binge on all 10 episodes of season 1 commercial-free through a 25-hour on-air marathon (Sunday 9 p.m. – Monday 10 p.m. ET/PT), as well as through TBS's VOD, digital and mobile platforms. Then on Monday, Jan. 25, TBS will begin rolling out season 2-11, each of which consists of one episode, giving viewers a season premiere and season finale in one really tight package. The new seasons will launch weekly across TBS platforms each Monday at 9:30 p. m. (ET/P T).


- On November 1620, after 66 days at sea, the Mayflower arrived in New England’s Provincetown Harbor with 102 men, women and children aboard. The brutal journey across the ocean on a vessel never intended to carry passengers had left many sick, hungry and dying. And though the sight of land brought great relief to the travelers, little did they know their journey had only just begun. National Geographic Channel’s two-night movie event Saints and Strangers, premiering Nov. 22-23 at 9:00, goes deep inside the familiar historical account of Thanksgiving, revealing the trials and tribulations of the first settlers at Plymouth and their complex relationship with the Native Americans.

On November 9, a new season of PBS Kids’ Cyberchase -- which features the voices of Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gottfried -- will premiere on PBS stations across the country. For a sneak peek of the series more than a week before the premiere, families can watch two full length episodes online and on the PBS KIDS Video app.

- TBS has given a greenlight to Search Party, a dark comedy about a group of four self-absorbed 20-somethings who come together when a former college acquaintance mysteriously disappears. Led by Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), the cast of Search Party features an ensemble of young comic actors, including John Early, John Reynolds and Meredith Hagner. The pilot was written and directed by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, whose credits include the 2014 SXSW Film Festival Grand Jury Award-winning feature film Fort Tilden and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, and overseen by Michael Showalter (Hello, My Name Is Doris, Wet Hot American Summer). Tony Hernandez (Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer, Louie) and Lilly Burns (Broad City, Difficult People, Younger) will serve as executive producers, alongside Showalter, Rogers and Bliss.

- VH1 and Entertainment Weekly, the brands that help define pop culture, are teaming up to toast and roast the people who entertained us the most all year long at “VH1 Big In 2015 with Entertainment Weekly” premiering Monday, December 7, 2015 at 9:00 on VH1. This year’s bash will feature quadruple threat Amy Schumer and “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson as they are honored by the people who know them best -- their “squads.”Hollywood powerhouse Elizabeth Banks and the breakout cast from the most successful music biopic of all time, “Straight Outta Compton” -- O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell -- have been added as honorees. On that night, VH1 and Entertainment Weekly, the brands that help define pop culture, are teaming up to toast and roast the people who entertained us the most all year long.

- Hulu Original series 11.22.63 is a thriller in which high school history teacher Jake Epping (James Franco) travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — but his mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, falling in love and the past itself, which doesn’t want to be changed. Also starring Chris Cooper, Josh Duhamel, T.R. Knight, Cherry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Lucy Fry, George MacKay and Daniel Webber. The nine-hour limited event series based upon the New York Times best-selling 2011 novel written by Stephen King premieres Presidents Day, Feb. 15, 2016, on Hulu. J.J. Abrams, Stephen King, Bridget Carpenter and Bryan Burk serve as executive producers. Academy Award®-winning Director Kevin Macdonald (Last King of Scotland, State of Play, Black Sea) directs and executive produces the first two hours.

- Conan O'Brien, host of TBS's late-night series Conan, will join First Lady Michelle Obama next week on a trip to visit U.S. military personnel stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar. There, O'Brien will entertain the troops with a show while the First Lady highlights the valuable work of Joining Forces, an initiative that supports service members, veterans and their families. As with his other recent excursions abroad, O'Brien's trip to Qatar with the First Lady will be taped to appear as part of an episode of Conan airing later this year. "It's an honor to accompany the First Lady on a trip to Qatar to entertain our troops," O'Brien said. "I know they will be thrilled to see Mrs. Obama and delighted to hear my vocal rendition of Kanye's entire Yeezus album." This will mark the second time O'Brien has travelled abroad to perform for the men and women of the United States military. In May 2003, O'Brien visited Kuwait and Bahrain on a USO tour. It will also mark his fourth adventure this year. He recently returned from Armenia, where he shot an episode that will premiere across TBS's television, digital and mobile platforms on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 11:00.

- The Breakthrough Prize today announced that ten-time Grammy Award winner Pharrell Williams will perform at its third annual Breakthrough Prize ceremony, held to honor the world’s top scientists and mathematicians, on Sunday, November 8 in Silicon Valley.

- The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto: A Musical Companion will be released on Friday, November 6th and accompanies Mitch Albom’s forthcoming release The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, out November 10th. PRE-ORDER the soundtrack HERE.

- On Saturday December 5th, the public television series My Music will present Close To You: Remembering The Carpenters, airing on PBS and Public Television stations nationwide. A look back at the lives and musical arc of the beloved brother-and-sister songwriting duo, the film stands as a testament to their enduring musical legacy. Featuring rare performances and extensive archival footage, this remastered documentary celebrates the timeless appeal of the Carpenters' unique sound, from Karen's warmly expressive voice to Richard's diverse talents as arranger, producer, pianist and composer. During their spectacular career, the duo was the recipient of three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist of 1970, an American Music Award and over 20 gold records. Remembrances from friends and colleagues Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach, Petula Clark and Paul Williams are also included.

- - Music Choice will countdown the top 100 music videos of 2015 with the multi-platform video and music network's 4th annual, special called MC 100. For the first time ever, the special will be broken up into four consecutive nights with each part being one hour long. The full catalog of this year’s biggest hits from today’s hottest artists like Taylor Swift, Fetty Wap, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, and Rihanna will be revealed. “MC 100” will air on Music Choice Play starting November 24th and run through the 27th at 8/7c, before being made available on Music Choice’s Audio Channels, On Demand and on the app—in its entirety—on November 27th. America’s Next Top Model: British Invasion winner and host of Music Choice’s “The Weekend Countdown,” Sophie Sumner, will serve as the host of this year’s show.

Previewing Legends: Season Two

When TNT started promoting Legends last summer I got excited thinking that it could very well could be a Taken prequil where we learn just exactly how Liam Neeson got his particular set of skill but with Ned Stark playing the main role. When it actually premiere it ended up being a mediocre show where Ned would go deep undercover yet still manage to solve the case in one to three episode despite real deep cover operations taking months to years. Basically it was just a slightly grittier version of what you would expect from a CBS procedural.

At the end of the first season, one of Stark's alias, Martin Odum was set up for killing the head of the FBI. If this was a CBS procedural we could expect Martin to clear his name by the second episode and back going undercover by episode three. But apparently TNT and the producers found the first season as lackluster as I did because season two because the are switching things up. And by switching things up, I mean they are gong the hard reboot route like I do not remember any series before doing

Going into season two, the season has jettisoned the entire cast besides Ned Stark as he who is now on the run in England. Morris Chestnut does show up in the first the very least in the first three episodes but is now listed as "Very Special Guest Star." Now season two looks much less CBS procedural and more cable international spy show like Homeland and The Americans but with many more title cards. There is an infinite increase of title cards because this will flip between current day London, 2001 Prauge when Martin had taken on a Legend of a ruthless Russian drug lord, and even goes all the way back to 1975 to visit a young Martin in school. By the third episode things move to France while we even get another character's flashback in Lithuania.

The modern day England plot follows Martin as he avoids both international and local police but I find the modern day and flashback scenes in Prague much more interesting. Fourteen years ago FBI agent Curtis Ballard was investigating a murder and Dmitry Petrovich (Odum's alias) was on the top of the list. Clearly the case effected him and has left him less of a man, in more ways than one, ever since. After seeing Odum's picture splashed across the present Ballard heads back to the city to figure out how this ruthless Russian mobster he chased a decade and a half ago turned out to be one of his colleagues.

Of course Martin's time in England has ties to this case to as he runs into a woman from his Petrovich past with a teenage daughter (once you do the math in your head it is easy to make an assumption; you will learn if the assumption is true or not by episode two) who just learned her mother is Chechen and decides to practice the faith of her ancestors.

I mentioned that I do not remember any television doing such a hard reboot as Legends is doing for its second season. This is probably because you run the risk of alienating your main audience and those that did not like the original concept will be extremely hesitant to give it a second chance. But I do appreciate TNT and the show taking a risk because the show is significantly better if you give it a chance. And TNT seems to be behind the show, releasing the premiere On Demand and other steaming outlets last week and have also announce that the second episode will be put up On Demand tomorrow morning after the first episode airs. And for fans of binge watching TNT has also already announced that they will stack the entire season of Legends, meaning episodes will remain available on demand throughout the entire season.

Legends airs Mondays at 10:00 on TNT. You can download episodes of Legends on iTunes.

Previewing The Librarians: Season Two

It seems like shows on television are getting darker and dark chasing The Walking Dead to see what can be the most depression. That is what I like about about The Librarians, it may not have cracked my top ten favorite shows of last season, but it is a fun watch kind of like the Carly Rae Jepsen of television (no seriously, her new album is kind of almost good). Nothing really happens and you can go in and out (granted it turned out all the procedural type quests in the first season ended up being important for the finale).

The show is back for its second season for more cheesy fun. At the end of the last season, the three new librarians went their separate ways to solves cases on their on. For the season premiere, three separate cases bring them all to the place where it all began, no not the series but the museum Fynn worked at at the start of the very first movie (for those who though Noah Wiley would be free to join the cast now that Falling Skies has ended, he is still listed as a guest star).

Not surprising all three librarians are brought to the same place as Fynn is not a coincidence where they run into a literary giant (it i not who you originally think and it is much more fun that way; just keep in mind the title of the episode is And the Drowned Book). Thankfully it does not take too long before everyone realizes they are better together because the show is much more fun that way. And The Libraians is going to be a fun release before getting depressed while watching The Walking Dead afterwards.

The Librarians airs Sundays at 8:00 on TNT. You can download The Librarians on iTunes.