Not Another One

It's been a month and there's been a fair amount of stuff I've been catching up on and while some aren't mentioned here, they will be in future blogs but for now, here's the rest ...

Arrow: What's the best thing about having Jack Harkness on this show as Tommy's dad? I don't know, how about maybe adding River Song into the mix as well as Laurel's mother, believing that the previously deceased Sarah isn't so deceased after all. Also add a dollop of Jackson from Teen Wolf into the mix as this show's equivalent of Robin, I mean Red Arrow/Roy Harper as well nicely continuing to develop the likes of Oliver, Laurel and Tommy and more appearances from favourites like Deadshot and Huntress and you've got a show that has become more than deserving of the success it's been enjoying.

Glee: Last time I talked about this, Emma had bailed on Will during their wedding and the next two episodes dealt with the fallout of that with Will and Finn embarking on one of the lamest musical feuds since the last brand of teenyboppers spat their dummies out. On the plus side, Santana's snarkiness continues to be amusing, even if her lack of boundaries backfired on her and Sue's version of Superbass will certainly stick with you, even if you don't want it to or not. However, I'm not entirely sure of this Catfish type plot with Ryder and Finn declaring Rachel as his future wife was nothing short of creepy. On the plus side again, Adam's a good addition to the show.

Nashville: Still watching this show and it's a fun enough romp but nothing too earth shattering though. Between Juliette and Rayna, the former is emerging as the more interesting of the two, even if she's getting every pop starlet cliche known to man. Still, it's being delivered with plenty of aplomb and it's much better than the less engaging political plotlines with Rayna's husband and father. The supporting characters are still a mixed bunch. Scarlett's been a wet blanket in some episodes but Deacon is far more interesting than Teddy has been so far in the series. The music's still pretty decent too.

Once Upon A Time: Another solid bunch of episodes. I like that we're getting some solid answers here such as that mystery guy's motives (and no shock they're sympathetic ones), Cora's whole backstory prior to Snow killing her and Regina's first day when she set the curse on everyone. I also like that Neal seems to be an interesting enough character, though I'm still not sure if once again Gold has to be connected to every plot strand of the series but the return of vengeful Regina and briefly seeing Graham again was nice. I'm looking forward to seeing where the show will go now that Snow's heart isn't quite so pure anymore either.

The Vampire Diaries: You killed Jeremy - you bastards! Did we really need to see yet another person in Elena's life die, really show? It's starting to feel a little too gratuitous at this point and the actual death itself lacked a certain emotional punch that it might have had in earlier seasons had Elena not lost so many people in her life beforehand. I have to admit that the episodes that have aired this year haven't been that spectacular. Both the Silas plot, the Hunter stuff and Klaus's continuous presence have somewhat derailed the show a bit. I am really now hoping the Originals spin-off is picked up so this show can start afresh and breathe some much needed life into it.

Utopia: This really was a gem of a series for Channel 4 and not surprisingly enough, it decided to end on a cliffhanger where Jessica's true purpose was revealed at the last minute. In retrospect, the whole reveal about Jessica wasn't that surprising in context but it still made for a good cliffhanger moment, one that we will see resolved because Channel 4 have renewed it for a second series. It's nice to see that with this show, Black Mirror and Misfits, the station itself is capable of producing some gripping genre television. Easily one of the most exciting shows of 2013.

- Colton Haynes has been made a regular for the second season of Arrow as Roy Harper along with Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson.
- American Horror Story's third season will have the title of Coven as Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates will be playing warring witches in New Orleans.
- Darri Ingolfsson will be appearing in the final season of Dexter as a specialist in medieval equipment who encounters Dexter.
- CSI has been renewed for a 14th season. Do people still actually watch that show?
- Christina Ricci has exited NBC pilot Girlfriend In A Coma.
- Terry O'Quinn has joined the pilot for Gang Related.
- Downton Abbey's third season finale (Christmas 2012) has broken records on PBS, pulling in over 12.3 million viewers. That's more than the episode got on ITV.
- Damian Lewis has pointed out that things are over between Carrie and Brody in the upcoming season of Homeland.