Around the Tubes: 9/22/2017

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 Super Hurricanes: Inside Monster Storms, The First, War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend, Hip Hop Squares, Will & Grace, and Hulu.

- n the heels of two of the most devastating hurricanes in recent memory, Science Channel takes an in-depth look at the reasons why these massive storms continue to get bigger and stronger. Featuring interviews with leading meteorologists, scientists, and engineers, who examine the basic science of hurricanes, Super Hurricanes: Inside Monster Storms premieres Friday, September 22 at 9:00.

- Academy Award®-winning actor Sean Penn has joined Beau Willimon’s upcoming Hulu original drama series The First. Though details about the role remain under wraps, this marks the acclaimed actor’s first foray into television. Set in the near future, “The First” will follow the first human mission to Mars exploring the challenges of taking the first steps toward interplanetary colonization. The story focuses not only on the astronauts, but also on their families and loved ones, as well as the ground team on Earth. Hulu and Channel 4 have given a straight-to-series order for the show, created by Willimon (House of Cards, Ides of March), who also serves as executive producer alongside his producing partner Jordan Tappis under their Westward Productions banner. IMG will handle sales in all territories.

- The poignant documentary War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend will premiere on HBO on Monday, November 13th at 10:00 with a special sneak preview on HBO GO, HBO NOW, and HBO ON DEMAND on Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11. Synopsis: From executive producer Channing Tatum and director Deborah Scranton (The War Tapes) comes a deeply personal documentary that highlights the intimate relationship between veterans and their K9 companions, both during combat and as they readjust to civilian life. Focusing on three courageous dogs (Layka, Mika and Pepper) and the soldiers who served by their side in the most elite forces in the military, War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend recognizes the invaluable impact these war dogs have during their deployments, finding and disarming enemies while providing emotional support to troops in the bleakest of hours. Featuring exclusive military footage, photos, and revealing interviews with the handlers – who open up about the physical and emotional struggles they’ve faced – the film is ultimately a tribute to man’s best friend, underscoring the incredibly important role that these canine soldiers play in the lives of their human counterparts, and the unwavering loyalty and bravery that make these four-legged comrades in arms heroes in their own right.

- VH1's Hip Hop Squares returns from hiatus with THREE new back-to-back episodes on Monday, September 25th at 9PM, 9:30PM & 10PM.

- TV fans rejoice! For the first-time ever, all 194 episodes of the Emmy Award-winning, pop-culture phenomenon Will & Grace will be available to stream and on-demand. The iconic series will be available on the NBC app, Hulu and on-demand through satellite, cable and telco pay TV providers, beginning Thursday, September 21, one week ahead of the return of Will & Grace on NBC.

- At the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy® Awards ceremony held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, CA, Hulu became the first streaming service in history to win a Primetime Emmy Award in the Best Series category for its critically acclaimed, breakout drama series The Handmaid’s Tale. The premium streaming service garnered its first-ever Emmy Awards for The Handmaid’s Tale and documentary The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years, bringing its total to ten Emmy Award wins for the night.

The Most (and Least) Anticipated Questions of Fall 2017

Tonight is the start of fall television for me with the return of the funniest show on television, The Good Place. (Okay You’re the Worst actually started a couple weeks ago but I not started yet.) Gotham is back tomorrow, and then the floodgates open with a steady stream of new shows premiering almost every week until Thanksgiving. Then we have about a month off until Winter television starts where we can catch up on Fall TV. It has become a never-ending cycle. But anyways. As always, here are the five most anticipated questions I would like answered this fall.


1. How long can Michael keep up the new ruse on The Good Place? Comedies are not known for their plot twists, but The Good Place had one of the most intriguing twists in the history of television. We spent most of the season thinking Michael was an incompetent architect of his neighborhood in The Good Place. But as it turns out he is a very Machiavellian architect for The Bad Place. It took Eleanor a whole season to figure this out last time, but this time Eleanor put a note to herself in Janet’s mouth so hopefully we are not just repeating ourselves for season two.

2. Can Mr. Robot rebound? The first season was one of the best seasons in the history of television. Unfortunately just like Lost and Homeland before it, Mr. Robot could not sustain itself for season two. Eliot spent most of the first half in a prison in a really bad reveal. There was the weird Alf episode. Angela was the best part of the season even though I did not even bother to learn her name in the first. Lost never really recovered, Homeland continues to have ups and downs, here is hoping Mr. Robot can get back on track.

3. Is The Last We See of Mon-El? Okay, stupid question, the bigger question is when will we see Mon-El again. He was banished Earth after it became too unbreathable for him. But on his way from Earth he got sucked into a wormhole. So where (or when) did he go? I am guessing where(when)ever he went, he found a breathing devise.

4. Will Once Upon a Time’s Hard Reboot Help? Once Upon a Time used to do gangbusters in the ratings but barely got renewed and only did because they exiled most of the cast beside Regina, Gold, and Hook; Henry was recast with an older actor introduced in the last scene. Henry is not the only one getting recast; there is a new, Hispanic Cinderella. Alrighty. It should be at the very least entertaining on how they explain this.

5. Wait, Angie Tribeca is not Angie Tribeca? Wait, what?


As the great philosopher Butt-Head once pondered, how would we know if something was cool if there weren't things that sucked; here are the five least antedated questions:

1. Wait, Just How Many Marvel Shows Are There? DC may have added a fifth CW show and that does not even count Fox’s Gotham and Lucifer and the upcoming Kypton on Syfy and Titans (featuring Lyla Garrity!) on the still untitled DC streaming service, but Marvel just caught up and passed DC in comicbook shows this season. SHIELD has been going strong and the Netflix team up Defenders just premiered joining their four previous superheroes. And Marvel is about to double its amount of shows just in the next year. Six in total. Inhumans is going to share SHIELD’s timeslot, The Punisher will join the Netflix lineup, and then Marvel is entering the teen market with Runaways streaming on Hulu this fall while Freeform is getting a pair of shows in the spring, Cloak and Dagger and New Warriors (starring the AT&T girl as Squirrel Girl!!). All of these are part of the Marvel cinematic yet do not expect any cross pollination other than the Netflix team ups because as we have seen on SHIELD, you do not get much other than a passing mention. Not part of the MCU, The Gifted will be joining Legion in the might me, might not be tied into the X-Man world. So for those keeping track at home, the current score is Marvel-13; DC-11 (if you include DC imprints iZombie and Preacher).

2. Is TGIT About to Die? Shonda Rimes has ruled ABC’s Thursday for a while but there were chinks in the armor this year, all the shows are down (granted that is every show everywhere) The Catch was lucky to get a second season but will not get a third. Still Star Crossed did not even air on Thursday and was quickly demoted to Saturday. Then word came this summer Shonda Rhymes signed a deal with Netflix meaning no more ShondaLand shows for ABC aside from the already announced For the People coming midseason. Which makes me wonder will ABC go full spite and kill its TGIT lineup? It remains intact for the fall but will ABC go full spite for the Spring? American Idol has to go somewhere. Their Tuesday comedy block seemed like the B-team but then they would go against The Voice. Maybe they just exile ShondaLand to various 10:00 slots.

3. How Is a Financial Analyst a Hero? Some of Survivor’s best later seasons have been when they have divided the cast in specific groups. They have done race, age, gender, job type, even by the characteristics they say are needed to succeed on the show (Brain, Brawn, Beauty), but the latest is a big stretch: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. Hustlers were stupid as explained last fall so I was not expecting much from them. I though the former two were obvious, military and civil servants then doctors and nurses. Then the cast was announced. Probation Officer as a Healer is a bit of a stretch, but whatever. Not what I originally thought as Heroes but I can see why they put an Olympian and a football player in that tribe. But how the fork do you explain Financial Analyst on the Hero tribe? When she debuts her first confessional better involve her mentioning she once rescued a baby from a burning building or she will supplant Tai as the most absurd tribe placement when he was put on the Beauty tribe.

4. What’s In a Name? When ABC announced its new shows last spring I was generally “meh” on The Gospel of Kevin. Then I saw an ad for Kevin (Probably) Saves the World… now there is a show I will check out.

5. Barbara Is Not Really Dead, Right? Gotham had a bunch of deaths but in comic book fashion, I have a feeling none of them will last. Okay, Butch will still be “dead” or undead specifically because Solomon Grundy. Obviously being frozen in a block of ice would kill anyone except maybe Encino Man, but clearly The Riddler will be thawed. The biggest question mark is Barbara who was electrocuted. Much like Butch, she really is not dead; this is just an origin story, right? They have been teasing Harley Quinn for a while now.


And here is the full break down of what I will be watching this fall (new show italicized).

Mondays
8:00 – The Big Bang Theory (September 25, CBS)
8:00 – Lucifer (October 2, FOX)
8:00 – Supergirl (October 9, The CW)
9:00 – The Gifted (October 2, FOX)

Tuesdays
Future Man (November 14, Hulu)
Marvel’s Runaway (November 21, Hulu)
8:00 – The Middle (October 3, ABC)
9:00 – Black-ish (October 3, ABC)
9:30 – The Mayor (October 3, ABC)
10:00 – Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (October 3, ABC)

Wednesdays
8:00 – Survivor (September 27, CBS)
8:00 – The Goldbergs (September 27, ABC)
8:00 – The Blacklist (September, 27)
9:00 – Modern Family (September 27, ABC)
10:00 – You’re the Worst (Already Premiered, FXX)
10:00 – Mr. Robot (October 11, USA)
10:00 – Vikings (November 29, History)

Thursdays
8:00 – Gotham (September 21, FOX)
8:00 – Superstore (September 28, NBC)
8:00 – The Big Bang Theory (November 2, CBS)
8:30 – The Good Place (September 28, NBC; preview 9/20 at 10:00)
9:30 – Great News (September 28, NBC)

Fridays
8:00 – Once Upon a Time (October 6, ABC)
8:00 – Blindspot (October 27)
9:00 - Inhumans (September 29, ABC; premieres at 8:00 its first week)

Sundays
9:00 – Good Behavior (October 15, TNT)
9:00 – The Walking Dead (October 22, AMC)
9:00 – Shameless (November 5, Showtime)
10:00 – White Famous (October 15, Showtime; moves to 10:30 11/5)
10:00 – SMILF (November 5, Showtime)
10:00 – Search Party (November 19, TBS)