Yes Chef Again, School Daze And Mammy Returns

It's been a while since one of these and here's a glimpse of some recent viewings.

Abbott Elementary: The first two seasons have been on Disney+ for a while now but I decided to wait for E4 and having watched the first half of Season 1, I can say I like this show. It doesn't grab you as other workplace sitcoms, at least not instantly but it's an entertaining look into the running of a Philadelphia elementary school. Created by Quinta Brunson who also stars as the goody good Janine, the characters are a funny bunch. From irresponsible principal Ava to teachers such as Jacob, Barbara and Melissa and substitute teacher Gregory, it's a good mix of players.

And Just Like That: While this show still has stuff to sort through, the last four episodes did end it on a decent note. Carrie had a last supper for her apartment, got an adorable kitten named Shoo and her relationship with Aidan came to an end (for now). On the other hand, she did get a holiday with Seema and Samantha literally phoned in a cameo. Other stuff included Miranda getting a new job and potential love interest with Joy, the show won't free us of Che, Lisa and Herbert had a miscarriage, Nia hooked up with a chef and Charlotte briefly met Sam Smith. Oh and this show will be coming back for a third season.

Mrs Brown's Boys: The most hated BBC sitcom decided after ten years of Christmas and New Year's specials to finally do a fourth season and it's surprisingly decent. Unlike the last few specials which have felt horrendously phoned in, there seems to be an effort with the likes of June Rogers and Debra Stephenson being decent additions for the show. Some of the references (such as OnlyFans) are behind the curve but Brendan O'Carroll has seemed to gotten his groove back with the foul mouthed matriarch. 

The Bear: I loved the first season of this show and after leaving it a little, I binged the second season as quickly as I could. The second season saw Carmy and Natalie getting the restaurant up and running, Richie spending time with Olivia Colman's Terri and Marcus doing the same in Copenhagen with Will Poulter's Luca. Carmy also had a love interest with the rather nice Claire while his rapport with Sydney intensified as the season. The highlight of the second season also included one of the chaotic Christmas episodes featuring Jamie Lee Curtis as Carmy and Natalie's mother, Donna. Cannot wait for a third helping.

• Chucky Season 3 will air and stream on USA, SyFy and Peacock from October 4th. It'll be four episodes until the strike is resolved.
• The BBC have acquired the rights to both Love, Victor and Interview With The Vampire.
• House Of The Dragon's second season will conclude filming in October.
• HBO have recently cancelled both The Idol and Winning Time.
• What If has been moved to late December 2023, Echo to January 2024 and Agatha: Darkhold Diaries to Fall 2024, Disney+ wise. Ironheart is currently undated.
• True Detective: Night Country has been moved to early 2024 by HBO.
• The role of Abby for the second season of The Last Of Us was cast prior to the strikes.
• The second season of The Santa Clause will premiere on Disney+ from November 8th.
• Netflix has renewed One Piece for a second season. 
• The final season of Sex Education is currently streaming on Netflix.

Festive Treats & Finales

With Christmas being something of a hit and miss period for new stuff, I thought I'd look at three highlights and some continued viewing of a certain Netflix series as well.

And Then There Were None: And when the BBC weren't finding a new way to add another variation of Dickens on their Christmas schedules, they also went for another adaptation of a certain Agatha Christie classic. Roping in the talents of former EastEnders scribe, Sarah Phelps and the likes of Aidan Turner, Sam O'Neill and Burn Gorman to name a few, this three part adaptation certainly went down a treat with Phelps sticking faithfully enough to the source material while differentiating it enough from previous versions. Definitely one of the highlights from the last week.

Downton Abbey: Six series, 52 episodes and five Christmas specials and it was finally time for ITV to say goodbye to their biggest hit in the last decade. While the writing for later series have had a hit and miss quality to them, this was a satisfying final episode for the long running show. Edith finally got her happy ending as did Thomas and the show signalled at a rather positive future for the majority of the characters at the same time. I have no doubt in the next few years that a prequel series or a big screen movie for the main show will happen but for now, this was a lovely farewell to the show.

Jessica Jones: In 2015, I watched seven out of thirteen episodes for this show with the intention of viewing the remaining six within the first half of January. Since the last time I blogged about the show, the episodes I've seen have truly delivered. Seeing flashbacks to Jessica's sort of superhero days and first meeting with Kilgrave were exciting along with Malcolm cleaning up his act, meeting Trish's mother and of course, Kilgrave getting his claws into Jessica and Luke finding out what really happened to his wife. This show is well and truly delivering on every level.

Mrs Brown's Boys: With this series contracted for Christmas and New Year specials until 2020, you'd kind of hope at some point another series (between movies and stage productions) would actually surface. The latest Christmas special introduced Mark's old flame Bubbles to be a thorn in Betty's side, mildly touched on sexual harassment with Cathy and her female boss as well as some funny moments involving Agnes and Winnie while this year's Christmas tree could literally pack a punch. Overall a fun episode but maybe it's time for another series instead just specials, yeah?

Scream Queens: I reviewed this show for nine episodes before my patience got the better of me and I had to detach myself away from it. I did however catch up with the finale and it turns out that the killer was a fairly predictable choice but on the plus side, the Chanels got some appropriate comeuppances and they didn't kill off Jamie Lee Curtis. That being said, considering how much of a tonal mess the show was and that ratings weren't exciting glowing, will FOX either axe the show for good or give it a pity renewal? I know which one I'd do to be honest.

Away From The Beach

It's the middle of January and while some shows have yet to return from hiatus, there are a few that are back and covered briefly here.

Broadchurch: The most hyped about drama from ITV that isn't Downton Abbey is back for it's second run of episodes and I have to admit, it's been a mixed bag so far. I think Chibnall's decision to add more twists into the Latimer case wasn't a wise decision and it feels like it's now become an overextended story. It's a shame because there's already another mystery with Claire and Lee Ashworth that should be taking precedent and coming up with new ways to keep Danny's death a focal point of the show probably isn't the wisest of ideas. On the other hand, the new characters are all interesting and the rapport between Tennant and Colman is impeccable.

Girls: TV's most polarising actress is back on television with the fourth season of her hit show. Okay, I'll keep the Lena Dunham stuff to a minimum because while I find the whole 'voice of a generation' accolade awarded to this show completely undeserved, I will admit that this opening episode wasn't actually all that bad really. Being in Iowa has managed to make Hannah a little less annoying and I don't remember the likes of Jessa, Marnie or Shoshanna saying or doing anything too objectionable either. Maybe I'm softening towards this show.

Glee: Season Six may be the last season but it's nice that some life has been breathed into the show after the rather stagnant previous season. This episode, using music from both Alanis Morrissette and Carole King was pretty inspired and also rather a good one for Brittana fans and fans of Santana's acid tongue as well (even if Kurt was the recipient of it). The newbies are still settling in well enough but on the negative side - this episode had way too much Becky for my liking, it was hard to care about Blaine and Karofsky as a couple (which I get is intentional but even still) and the Beiste storyline while beautifully acted by Dot Marie Jones really could've done with some foreshadowing I think.

Mrs Browns Boys: I really enjoyed the Christmas special but the New Year's one was so much better. The plot with the alarm system courtesy of Buster was pretty hilarious and totally obvious from the start as was the outcome of the poker between Agnes and Hilary but Cathy's subplot proved yet again that the show can produce some rather solid bits of character drama as well. With the show guaranteed specials until 2020 by the BBC, I really do hope another full series is in it's future too.

Scandal: Good on SkyLiving for getting their act together and airing this as quickly as possible. The first two episodes of this political drama's fourth season have been superb to watch. I'll never be that fussed as to whether or not Olivia ends up with Fitz or Jake but I do like the exploration of Fitz and Mellie's grief for their son, the gang burying Harrison, Eli being his usual scheming self, the cases of the week and the arrival of Portia DeRossi's Lizzie Bear who wants to take down Cyrus if the ending for the second episode was anything to go by. Great start to the season.

- Gotham has been renewed for a second season. Rob Gorrie will also appear in episode 16 playing John Grayson while episode 14 will introduce the Scarecrow.
- CW shows Arrow, The Flash, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Supernatural to name a few have all been renewed for further seasons.
- A reinvention for American Horror Story's fifth season has been promised by creator Ryan Murphy.
- American Crime Story: The People V. OJ Simpson will premiere in 2016.
- Rumours are circulating that either The X Files or Prison Break could be revived by FOX.
- Zachary Levi has bagged a leading role in the upcoming Heroes: Reborn.
- Richard Armitage will play Francis Dolarhyde in the latter half of Hannibal's third season. Expect a time jump in the series as NBC will air it during the summer months.
- In The Flesh has been cancelled by BBC3. Wizards Vs. Aliens future is also uncertain at the moment.
- Sheryl Lee, Dana Ashbrook and Sherilyn Fenn are returning for Twin Peaks.
- NBC have ordered a pilot from Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta called The Curse of the Fuentes Women.

Christmas Spills, Thrills & Kills?

Yes, it's a little festive themed this one as two of these shows had Christmas episodes while three of them had Christmas specials. Which at some point might lead to another musing/debate on either here or my Twitter account though.

Arrow: This show has been on an impressive streak this season and the recent two episodes were easily the show's best and brightest ones yet. The crossover with The Flash was an unbridled joy to watch, especially with having Cisco and Caitlin in the Arrow cave and helping with the mission against Captain Boomerang but the mid-season finale was something else. The actual use of a cliffhanger with the fight between Oliver and Ras Al Ghul, not to mention the reveal of Sara's killer. Bravo, this show has truly surpassed itself.

Black Mirror: Charlie Brooker's innovative anthology series has been one of the best shows that Channel 4 has come up with in years (after Utopia and very likely, Cucumber from next month onwards) and this eerie Christmas special, White Christmas might be one of his best ones just yet. Having John Hamm was a nice casting move but the shows themselves - ranging from bad Christmas dates to literally being able to block people certainly highlighted Brooker's wonderful flair for making mundane things rather macabre. It kind of makes you want another festive special from him, doesn't it?

Downton Abbey: After a fairly plodding and uninspired fifth series, this Christmas special certainly had it's moments. Everything involving Anna and Bates was pure tedium (just resolve the whole 'Who Killed Green' plot and be done with it now) and while I still don't care a great deal for Rose's inlaws or Mary's latest suitor, I did enjoy every scene with Violet and Isobel, loved the little tribute for Sybil, Robert's conversation with Edith about Marigold, Thomas's scheming being used for good and the fact that Christmas came into play in the last fifteen minutes of the episode. While Christmas 2011 will always be this show's best festive edition, this one certainly was a step up from the previous two we've had.

Mrs Brown's Boys: A couple of weeks ago, I saw D'Movie and while it provided a few chuckles, it wasn't Mrs Brown at her very best. This special (which did pretty well for both RTE1 and BBC1) on the other hand was a return to form. Whether it was another tree disaster related gag, commentary on Strictly Come Dancing or a certain whisk joke, the special certainly had it's share of funny moments. It doesn't matter that the jokes are easy to spot a mile off, it's still part of the show's charm.

The Flash: Outside of Gotham and How To Get Away With Murder, this show has been the best new thing to air in the last three months. The crossover episode with Arrow was sublime with Oliver, Diggle and Felicity blending well with Barry's team but again, the mid-season finale was the highlight. I'm not sure what to make of the connection with Wells and the Yellow Suit but it's certainly got me eager for the second half and after some ambivalence towards Cisco, I do think that character wise, he's come into his own. Plus, I'm looking forward to see more Caitlin and whether or not she'll be able to cure Ronnie. I'm guessing the answer there though will be no.

- Gina Torres has bagged a recurring role for the second half of Revenge's fourth season.
- Paul Rudd will return for the final season of Parks & Recreation.
- Michael Imperioli will appear in Hawaii Five-O.
- Sebastian Roche will be joining Once Upon A Time as King Stefan, the father of Aurora. Eion Bailey will also be returning for an episode.
- Mike Colter has been cast Luke Cage for Marvel's AKA Jessica Jones series.
- Joe Anderson will play the role of Mason Verger in the third season of Hannibal, following the exit of Michael Pitt.
- David Schwimmer will play Robert Kardashian in American Crime Story: The People V. OJ Simpson.
- Kiefer Sutherland has revealed that he doesn't expect 24 to return anytime soon.
- Game Of Thrones was the most pirated show of 2014.
- Julian McMahon and Daisy Betts will appear in the SyFy miniseries, Childhood's End.

Remains Of Last Year

I was meant to actually do this TV jumble earlier in the week when it was still 2013, but I got distracted by other things, so here it is at last ...

Downton Abbey: As much as I still massively enjoy this show and have every intention of watching the fifth series, I can't help feeling that the writing is seriously beginning to lack at times now. 2012's Christmas special wasn't exactly brilliant but at least with Matthew's death and the birth of baby George, it felt like something actually happened. Here, nothing apart from Edith giving birth offscreen and coming up with an overly complicated plot to stay in her baby's life actually happened. Rose's coming out ball was pretty much meh as was the attempts of a Royal scandal and while Harold and Martha were fairly enjoyable guest characters, they didn't really do much that was truly memorable. And that's not mentioning the frustration with other plots being dangled about as well. A shame because this should've been a great one.

Death Comes To Pemberley: The BBC and their costume dramas, eh? You're never far away from them and while I wouldn't say this was the best one they've ever done, it was very well done and nicely spread out over three nights during the Christmas period. The not very praised sequel to Pride & Prejudice managed to translate slightly better onscreen than it did in book form but that was mainly down to the stellar cast in question. Hats off to Matthew Rhys and Anna Maxwell Martin who made a better job of the source material and gave a delightful performance throughout the three episodes. The supporting cast were pretty decent as well, but it really was Rhys and Martin who shone the most here.

Him And Her: The Wedding: It's amazing that in the space of four series from the BBC3 comedy I went from being coldly indifferent to the series to oddly gripping to slightly disappointed by the ending of it. Which is a shame because for the most part, I do actually think they managed to keep the pace of Laura and Paul's wedding going for five episodes and it was a wedding that would've made the Red Wedding look like a tea party in comparison. That being said though, I just found the ending rather unsatisfying and I kind of felt it derailed some of the growth that Paul was actually displaying as a character too. It also didn't help that Becky and Steve virtually became bit players in their own show as well. Overall, while it wasn't the worst ending to the series, it really could've been a lot better too.

Mrs Brown's Boys: Is it wrong that I get a perverse pleasure in the fact that the critics scorn at this show and it continues to top the UK ratings? Probably but I seriously do not care. While the Christmas special wasn't as funny as the 2012 ones, the New Year's episode was one of the funniest they've done in some time. It's a shame we'll have to wait until the summer for the movie version and even longer for a fourth series but these episodes were nice enough to have until then. I can see why this show might not be for everyone but it's a hell of a lot more funnier than other sitcoms at the moment and I love that it continues to perform well in the ratings as well.

- There's rumours of another Marvel spin-off being in the works. This time one focusing on Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter and will be titled Agent Carter.
- Vince Gilligan's character in Community will come between Annie and Abed when he appears on the show.
- Luke Grimes has exited True Blood and the role of James will be recast.
- Game Of Thrones was the most pirated show of 2013.
- The second season of The Americans will return to FX on February 26th.
- Josh Peck will be playing an archenemy of Stuart in an upcoming episode of The Big Bang Theory.
- Nick Nolte has been cast in Gracepoint, playing the role that David Bradley did in Broadchurch. Elsewhere Josh Hamilton will be playing the husband to Anna Gunn's character.
- Tina Fey's comedy set in a women's college has been given the greenlight by FOX.

Calender Boys

And here's a look at some of the show I've been watching in recent weeks. Warning: Spoilers as per usual.

American Horror Story: What is it with this show and finales? The first one ended on a strangely bittersweet note but the second one managed to give us a final season that makes the whole season question worthy on itself? It was a rather ballsy move, unlike Lana pulling the trigger on her son, which I think we all saw coming, didn't we? I'm not gonna lie - I've enjoyed this second season more than it's first and I was pretty satisfied/intrigued with the respected endings given to Lana, Kit and Jude. I can't wait to see what the third season is going to give us. Easily one of the best show on television. Sorry, Homeland, but you've been beaten here.

Glee: It's interesting that I'm discussing three Ryan Murphy shows in one blog but chalk that up to timing rather than a calculated move on my part (no, honest). Anyways the recent two episodes of this show, while still burdened with the same narrative problems (such as out of nowhere crushes with Blaine/Sam/Tina), still managed to give us two interesting episodes. The Naked one in particular was nowhere near as gimmicky as it could've been and while I certainly didn't mind seeing the male cast as calender boys, I have to admit the other highlights have been English boy Adam, the girls belting out Locked Out Of Heaven as well as the Rachel/Santana/Quinn's version of Love Song. However the one thing I do find extremely surprisingly is how likeable Finn has been as well for the last while. Have the writers finally turned a corner with him, character wise?

Mrs Brown's Boys: And while my guilty pleasure show at the moment ends tonight on RTE1 (BBC1 on Monday), the last two episodes have continued to be a belly full of fun. Yes, this show can be crass and predictably at times, such as that vibrating phone, Rory being a dab hand with handcuffs and Cathy falsely assuming one of the family is adopted but it's still funnier than any other comedy on the BBC at the moment. I can't wait to see what the last episode will give us.

My Mad Fat Diary: Three episodes in and I'm still enjoying this show. The 90's nostalgia aside, it's just a well written and fantastically fun show to watch with a good blend of serious edges too. I liked that the last two episodes focused on explaining about Archie and Chloe (though the former's secret I think could be seen coming a mile off) and Rae's interactions with both her mother and shrink have certainly gotten more interesting to watch as well. This so far has been a wonderful homemade series for E4 and I do hope that there's going to be a second run of episodes for it. It's certainly deserving of it.

The New Normal: Okay, I'm still enjoying this show but I'll admit it's probably the weakest of Ryan Murphy's main three and like Glee at times, has a tendency to a little heavy handed with it's messages but at least Bryan and David continue to be a believable couple and it's hard to dislike Goldie/Shania and despite that Nana being a bit too cartoonish, Ellen Barkin is still easily the best performer in the show. It's just that we're not seeing more to our main players other than their desire to become fathers and I kind of wish we got a little more there.

Utopia: I like a good conspiracy/genre show as much as the next person and this one is definitely one of the most interesting things Channel 4 have produced in a while (along with My Mad Fat Diary) as a manuscripts seems to have changed the lives of several different people over the space of three episodes. The main characters are interesting and sympathetic enough and the main antagonists so far do seem to be a scary bunch but while the central story is fantastic, is it the type of show that should be just one series or is there really enough to make it go for another run? At the moment, it's a little hard to tell.

- In news that won't shock anyone, Lily Rabe will also be returning for the third season of American Horror Story. Also rumoured to be returning is Taissa Farmiga from the first season.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has labelled the characters on Girls as 'ignorant'. I guess it's not just me who has issues with this show then.
- Expect a massive death in an upcoming episode of Revenge. In fact, you can thank/blame the Daily Mail for spoiling who dies actually.
- Ellen Muth will be appearing in the upcoming Hannibal series, playing a character named Georgia, though not a Grim Reaper this time.
- Rosanne Barr is developing a sitcom for NBC.
- Angel Coulby and Keeley Hawes will be appearing in the SkyAtlantic version of The Bridge. HBO will also be doing their own version of the show and a second series of the original version will air this year too.
- The Syndicate will be remade for US television as well as Pulling. Both due to air on ABC.
- Jamie Dornan will be reappearing in Once Upon A Time, though when hasn't been specified.
- Felicia Day will be making another appearance on Supernatural. I guess the producers really do love her character.
- Californication, Shameless and House Of Lies have all been renewed for further seasons by Showtime.

Tough Cookie

There's a lot of shows to cover and I will do so over the next week or two but for now, here are some of the ones I've seen recently ...

American Horror Story: Asylum: I'm still watching this show at UK pace, which means only being an episode behind on proceedings but this show certainly manages to achieve a lot in three episodes than others do in half a season. For instance, we've lost three prominent villainous characters, gained more insight into the present day activities of the disturbed Bloody Face Jr while having the entire hierarchy at Briarcliff take an interesting turn for the worst as well. And that's enough even going into the sheer inspired lunacy of The Name Game song as well. In a show as wonderfully strange as this one, that was the strangest thing yet. As for Kit, Lana and Jude - well, the last two episodes are going to be interesting for our three heroes.

Mrs Brown's Boys: My guilty pleasure series. It might not be the most sophisticated of comedies but it's an undeniably funny one, compared to some of the other offerings on telly at the moment. So far, the first half of the third series has been great fun with episode based on psychics, hypnotists and poor Granddad constantly living in fear of Agnes's wrath. I do find myself wondering how well Brendan O'Carroll continues to play this role and given that's he's been playing it for a long time in various mediums, I should be used to it by now.

My Mad Fat Diary: I have to admit, I did watch this show with a little trepidation. On the surface, it did seem like an attempt for E4 to have another Skins style success but if you didn't like that show, there's a chance you might still like this one. First of all, the action is set in 1996, based on the real life diary of Rae Earl (here ably played by Sharon Rooney), a girl whose recently come out of a mental institution and it's actually quite good. Rae is a likeable enough character and the new band people she seems to befriend almost instantly seem like an interesting bunch, though like Skins, it does have a tendency of writing the adult characters (Rae's promiscuous mother and her shrink) as caricatures but other than that, this along with Utopia (to be discussed in a later blog) are a welcome relief to the plethora of period stuff that BBC1 and ITV are throwing at us at the moment.

Once Upon A Time: I sometimes wonder if I should be reviewing this show episodically because the last two episodes have continued to support my theory that it's not suffering difficult second season syndrome. It's nice that in the space of showing up in Storybrooke that in the last two episodes, Hook and Cora have kidnapped Archie (while making everyone think Regina killed him) and managed to screw Gold over by messing with Belle big time. Plus, the actual antics in fairyland have been fun to watch as this show continues to convince us that Mulan is meant for female partners and that Regina's burning hatred for Snow really was unquenchable as well. I still wouldn't mind learning a bit more about how Emma can't have her heart removed but I suspect we're getting to that fairly soon.

The New Normal: So, Ryan Murphy is determined to take over every corner of television, right? I have to admit that while I'm still likely to prefer Glee and American Horror Story (and early seasons of Nip/Tuck), this is another hugely enjoyable show of his to watch. The premise is simple - gay couple Bryan and David want a kid, something which aspiring lawyer Goldie (who has her own daughter, the delightful Shania) is happy to help out with, and that's in spite of a feckless husband and a bigoted grandmother, superbly played by Ellen Barkin - a character so cartoonish she'd make early Sue Sylvester seem reserved by comparison. It might not be a show to everyone's taste but it's certain an interesting one and this is coming from a person who's grown tired of most baby plots on television shows.

- Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson will be returning for the third season of American Horror Story, which will be set in the present day. Clues for the theme behind the new season have featured in the most recent episodes.
- Fans of Kurt and Blaine should be delighted to know that the upcoming wedding episode of Glee will feature them on better terms with each other.
- Gina Torres has mentioned that the upcoming Hannibal series is chilling.
- Ron Moore is developing a new drama for SyFy called Helix, focusing on a team of scientists trying to save humanity from a disease outbreak at an Arctic research facility.
- Australia will air the final four episode of the recently cancelled 666 Park Avenue.
- SyFy have cancelled Alphas after two seasons.
- Downton Abbey's fourth season will see a lot of changes as Mary adjusts to life as a widow.
- RAW actress Amy Manson could be Wonder Woman, though the show will be called Amazon and will be tonally similar to Smallville.

Festive Treats

Christmas might be nearly over but here's a look at some of the other programmes I managed to watch over the last few weeks.

Downton Abbey: Okay - who didn't see Matthew's death coming? Seriously, even if you were unable about the hemming and hawing with Dan Stevens involvement with the show, then the fact that creator Julian Fellowes is incapable of subtlety surely didn't help matters? In the space of two hours during the only non Christmassy Christmas special going, Mary gave birth to a baby boy and lost a husband while the servants attended a fair, we've gained Rose for all of next season and well, not much else aside from Branson being made feel slightly embarrassed about his new position by Edna. The special wasn't quite as awful as some critics have made out but it was certainly lacking something.

Him And Her: I enjoyed pretty much all of the third series and this little one off special was also a lot of fun as well. A fun, simple solid way of enjoying Christmas with a nice emotional centre as Steve and his father had some catching up time together while Laura proved that she can even make karaoke ten times more painful than it usually is. On the down side, the lack of fall out from the previous episode bothered me a bit though.

Homeland: Um, the last two episodes weren't as good as I'd hope they would be to be honest. While I do think the second season has been enjoyable, I am beginning to wonder if logically this show can really sustain itself for a third season and beyond. Even the finale, while hugely enjoyable seemed like it could've ultimately been a series ender for the show as a whole (with some tweaking). That being said, at least we've seperated Carrie and Brody for a bit and next season with Saul could be very interesting as well.

Merlin: The final three episodes of this show really did seem to hurtle towards a rushed conclusion. Why did the writers wait until literally the last minute to reveal everything? I think my apathy towards the show has made some of the deaths we got in the last episode in particular less moving as well (I only cared about Gwaine and Mordred - Arthur and Morgana, not so much) and it really feels that after five series, the writers didn't really live up to the promise of Merlin actually making a difference at all. Maybe I need to watch these episodes again. I might not feel as disappointed as I did.

Mrs Brown's Boys: This will never go down as a politically correct show but with RTE1 due to air the third series tonight, I have to admit the two-part Christmas special was a lot of ridiculous fun. Only this show would make a holy shambles of the nativity, only for Maria to salvage it with a version of A Spaceman Came Travelling. Without a doubt, one of the funniest things to air all over the Christmas period. You might not want Agnes Brown as your mammy but she's certainly a riot to watch.

- Charlene McKenna will be guest starring in the final series of Skins. Her role hasn't been revealed yet.
- Ashley Fink will be reprising her role as Lauren Zizes for an upcoming episode of Glee.
- Mockingbird Lane has not been picked up by NBC.
- Happy Endings and Apartment 23 will be moving to Sundays now, following the cancellation of 666 Park Avenue.
- Leverage has been cancelled after five seasons.
- Game Of Thrones is the most pirated show of 2012.
- Julian Morris will be returning soon as Prince Philip in Once Upon A Time.
- Allen Leech will have a bigger role in the upcoming fourth series of Downton Abbey, following the departure of Dan Stevens.

A Proposal Or Two

And here's my first TV jumble of 2012. I was meant to do this last week but things keps coming up, so here it is.

American Horror Story: Okay, an interesting selection of episodes here. I was certainly surprised with the reveal of what really happened to Violet more than I was about Tate being rubber man (I mean, who didn't see that coming?) but stories about Dahlias, Patrick/Chad's relationship and antichrist babies aside, what can the final two episodes really do to shock us all? Though, again in the unexpected category if this was Larry's last hurrah in the show, then it's been fun time.
Desperate Housewives: I've seen the first three episodes of the eighth and final season and I'm conflicted. On one hand, the majority of the storylines have been interesting and some of the side one have been less tedious than previous series but at the same time, watching these episodes has made me realise that it really is time for the show to end. It's amazing how Alejandro's death is affecting each of the characters but watching Renee's storyline sometimes feels like a different show, though I'm sure Ben has more to him than what we've seen so far. Oh and Bree's totally shot herself in the foot with Chuck, hasn't she?

Glee: It's been a month and while some fans seem to be wanting to abandon this show for Smash (which I will give a chance to), I enjoyed last night's episode. Who would've thought that Helen Mirren would be what Becky's mind sounds like? More importantly, the proposals in this episode certainly were interesting enough, though Finn's motives for popping the question seemed to make less sense compared to Will's though and even with the smallest amount of snark, Santana still had some wonderful moments in this episode and I enjoyed the swim team plot but not that coach. Oh and song wise - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Without You and We Found Love were the highlights.

Mrs Browns Boys: To be filed under 'extreme guilty pleasure' - I absolutely love this show. I don't think about the storylines, I don't overanalyse a thing about it. I sit back and listen to the jokes and while I know most of them from past DVDs and stuff, it's still great fun to watch. The second run of episodes have been every bit as funny as the first (organisms, lion attacks, robot babies, etc) and I'm pleased that UK viewers seem to be enjoying this show as much as I am. Brendan O'Carroll really does play Agnes Brown too well.

Shameless: It's the return of this show (and it's US version) and once again, it's a mixed bag. I enjoyed some of the moments but I do think it's gotten to a point now where this show needs to be put down for it's own good. Frank is even more pointless as a character and with the imminent departure of Carl in a few weeks time, there really won't be a just reason to keep him on board. Also, am I the only who doesn't care about Mimi and Billy? I can't be, surely - they're just embarrassingly bad to watch and the plot with Operation New Start fizzled out pretty sharpish. That being said, Gloria seems like an alright character and the handling of Kelly's miscarriage has been one of the better plots for the series.

The Vampire Diaries: Now that was excellent. Isn't this usually the time fans turn on shows like this and whinge on them for being stale/repetitive/etc? They better not with this show because if anything, the antics of Mystic Falls and beyond have gotten more and more interesting - Elena's crappy 18th birthday, Jeremy's new ability, the unusual Klaus/Stefan partnership and even Caroline/Tyler have made the first two episodes of the series an unbridled joy to watch. An excellent start to the opening of this year.

- Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell have been cast as Rachel's dads, Hiram and LeRoy Berry for Glee's Valentine's Day episode. About bloody time. Samuel Larson will also debut in that episode too.
- CBS have commissioned a modern day version of Sherlock Holmes called Elementary. Er, why?
- Expect some violence at an upcoming Klaus dinner party in The Vampire Diaries.
- Grant Bowler will be playing a leading role in upcoming SyFy drama, Defiance.
- Jessica Lange is considering returning to American Horror Story, even though the second year will be radically different to the first one.
- Game Of Thrones second season will return on HBO April 1st and on SkyAtlantic April 2nd.