All Kinds Of New And Exciting Adventures

It's been a while since my last TV Jumble blog and with autumn now with us, here's a look at some shows I've been catching up with in the last while.

911: I'm near the end of the third season of this show with only the two part finale left to watch and again, things have been interesting to watch. The last few episodes dealt with a hostage situation, delved into Eddie's early days of fatherhood while at the same time continuing with the theme of disconnect that Buck seems to have along with Hen potentially making a career change next season. Two episode left to go, I am looking forward to a certain character coming back as well.

I Hate Suzie: It's been a while since we've had Billie Piper on our screens and now's she back in the eight episode miniseries co-created by herself and Lucy Prebble. It's an interesting take on an actress in her thirties, struggling to deal with compromising pics of her being leaked, appealing to her fanbase, losing a Disney Princess gig and of course, trying to get her marriage back on track. Three episodes in so far and Piper gives a fantastic performance, the show is genuinely funny and uncomfortable and there's a great support with Leila Farzad's Naomi. Easily one of SkyAtlantic's best homegrown offerings.

Lovecraft Country: It seems that in the last while HBO has had it's bigger successes with delving into the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre and three episodes in with this innovative, 1950s based show, they've struck more gold. That's especially true with a career defining performance from Jurnee Smollett as Letitia Lewis while Jonathan Majors has made for a charismatic protagonist in Atticus Freeman. Both actors bring their A game and have natural chemistry while the racial themes are handled perfectly along with the monsters of the week and strange goings on per episode. 

Stargirl: It's taken me a bit longer to get to this show than I would've liked but six episodes in, I'm both impressed and hoping that it's move to the CW for it's next season won't see a change in tone for the series. I like the small town setting, Brec Bassinger is fantastic in the title role as is Luke Wilson as STRIPE. The nice build towards a new generation of JSA along with the ISA coming out of the woodwork and a fantastic performance from Neil Jackson as Icicle. This might be DC Universe's last live action but it's as impressive as the other they've had. 

The Politician: And I've completed the second season. I really don't know how I truly feel about this show to be honest. I enjoy it but I have to admit, there's no-one really to root for here. The final three episodes did delve into the voters (this time between a lesbian mother and her daughter) while also cementing Payton's victory and his future which seems to be tied into Dede's growing ambitions. It's probably a good thing that the next season, which will likely be a while off will be it's last. 

The Umbrella Academy: When I heard rumours that the finale was for this season was going to be a polarising game change, I was a bit nervous but having watched the finale, all it's done has made me want the next season all the more. The first season was enjoyable but this second season was so much better and far more layered. A better examination of the main seven characters, fantastic new characters like Lila, Sissy, Ray and the Swedish assassins, the Handler being delightfully menacing and camp to the hilt, the excellent music choices, fight sequences. This season has been an absolute joy to watch. 

• UK/Irish viewers will be able to see 911 spin-off, 911: Lone Star on SkyLiving later this month.
• American Horror Story's tenth season will start filming next month and will air in 2021.
• Shameless will begin production on it's eleventh and final season this month.
• Anna Faris has quit Mom ahead of it's eighth season.
• Star Trek: Discovery have cast Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander as the show's first non binary and trans characters.
• Sony plan to do a live action TV series, focusing on the Marvel hero, Silk. 
• Sarah Paulson has revealed there is a plan to take upcoming Netflix series Ratched to four seasons.
• The X Files is getting an animated comedy spin-off. No, I have no idea why either.
• Viewers can see Buffy spin-off Angel again on E4 after the parent show finishes up it's current late night run.
• Alan Ritchson will star in the upcoming Jack Reacher show for Amazon.

We Ended The World Again

It's been a while since I've done this and well, a few news shows have emerged and I've dropped at least one as well. 

911: This season really has been hitting it's stride and with five episodes left to go, the ending of episode 13 with the 911 building being taken hostage was a pretty impressive cliffhanger. I also liked that it tied back into Maddie's co-worker who had been attacked in the previous episode. Speaking of Maddie, it's nice to see the show progressing her relationship with Howie (who's also reconnecting with his half brother) while Bobby, Athena and Hen have all had roles in the storyline with Michael (is the show going to kill him off?) while Buck and Eddie could do with a little more, storyline wise.

Love, Victor: I have really enjoyed this lovely, feel good series and given the cliffhanger where Victor finally came out to his parents, I am so glad that it's been renewed for a second season. The build towards Victor accepting himself along with that wonderful episode that actually featured Simon and Bram has been gripping to watch. I love Benji as well as a love interest for Victor and the show's supporting cast really do compliment the series. I'll definitely be watching next season.

The Good Place: Okay, I'm not sure what's going on with E4 because for the last two weeks there has been no new episodes airing. I'm unsure if they've dropped the series, and if they have, I'll have to watch the rest of it online. Anyways, the episodes I had seen though largely involved Trevor doing his best to sabotage Michael's work getting the group to work together as well as some brilliant scenes with Janet and Gen. This season has been good so far and I definitely want to see how the rest of it plays out.

The Politician: Going into the second season of this show, there are two sadly alarming things I've noticed about this one. There's the fact that this seems to be the least hyped Ryan Murphy show probably since The New Normal and that the LGBT content is probably the worst since arguably Nip/Tuck. Other than that, the second season has been mostly entertaining, even if Dede is a far more sympathetic political candidate than Payton has been during the course of this whole series. As for the double pregnancy story with Astrid and Alice - yeah, we could've done without that. 

The Umbrella Academy: The second season launched on Netflix less than a fortnight ago and it's been quite a wild ride so far. The first four episodes separated the siblings into the 1960's, they all built new lives and then Five had to go and spoil it all because there's another apocalypse. On the other hand, the new setting has worked a treat and all the new characters like Lila, Sissy, Ray and Elliot have all added well to the series. As for the romance with Vanya and Sissy, didn't we all see that one coming?

• Although The Flight Attendant has yet to debut on HBO Max, lead actor Kaley Cuoco has hinted that the show will get a second season. 
• Will Smith will have a producer on an upcoming gritty reboot of Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.
• Sirens has been cancelled after three seasons on Freeform.
• Shows like The Good Doctor and Grey's Anatomy will tackle the coronavirus in upcoming episodes.
• High Fidelity has been cancelled after a season on Hulu.
• CSI: Vegas - a continuation of the original series has been ordered for CBS.
• Adria Adjona has joined the cast of the upcoming Rogue One TV series for Disney+
• Shawn Ashmore will be playing Lamplighter in the upcoming second season of The Boys. The show has also been renewed for a third season.
• Olivia Swann will return as a regular for the sixth season of Legends Of Tomorrow.
• Sarah Paulson will direct for the upcoming American Horror Stories spin off. American Horror Story itself is set to film it's tenth season (theme to be revealed) towards the end of the year.

World's End (But It Might Be Reversed)

Last blog for the month and with some of the shows I've been watching (and others I do need to catch up on), here's a rundown of them.

Arrow: Ah, a difference a showrunner can make to a series as Beth Schwartz has mostly proven since taking over the show this year. Yeah, we're still stuck with Olicity and Mia being their kid and massively annoying in the flashforwards might not be the greatest of all things but at least the stories have picked up dramatically this year. Going down the baddie route with Emiko oddly works for the character and it's nice to see the team actually banded together and finally ridding the show off Diaz has also helped matters. With five episodes left to go and a reduced eighth and final season of ten episodes, it'll be interesting to see how this show will end.

Pose: And the category is .... nine months later on BBC2. Seriously guys, you didn't take this long with either American Crime Story or Feud (oh wait, you did with the latter too). Oh well, better late than never and the first two episodes watched (you can watch the whole first season on iplayer), I really do like this show. The 80's nostalgia, bitchy one liners, great dynamics with the various characters (Blanca vs. Elektra, Angel's clandestine relationship with Stan, etc), this is yet another triumph of a series for Ryan Murphy and company.

Supergirl: To think, all it took was casting Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor and within two episodes, the writing for this show has significantly upped it's game. No more heavy handed politicking but actual intelligent storytelling and a reminder of how much of a magnificent bastard Lena's older brother can be when written correctly and cast with an appropriate actor in the role. Not to mention the wonderful heel turn from Eve, surprisingly welcomed return of Otis, good introduction of Jimmy's sister Kelly, some neat flashbacks even predating the show itself and the Kasnian Supergirl plot actually moving forward. Now this is what the fourth season should've been like to begin with.

The Flash: Okay, I'll say it - I am bored of the Cicada storyline and that's despite the fact that we've seen Orlin retire from the role and Grace assume the mantle and proven herself to be far nastier than her uncle as the metahuman serial killer. It started well but it's just petered out and it feels like a distraction now that Barry and company are aware of Nora working with Eobard, who I assume will be the main antagonist for the remaining five episodes of the season. Other than aside from giving Cisco a girlfriend and bringing Joe back, not really much else has happened that's been overly exciting this season.

The Umbrella Academy: This has been a great series from Netflix (and one that's gotten a second season too). Vanya's dark descent into tapping into her powers and the gang slowly coming together and failing to prevent the end of the world - well, it's a good job that we've got a second season to see how this all plays out. I do want to see the family get a little closer and trust each other more and I don't want Vanya to be the only antagonist for next season as well.

- Now Apocalypse (which I'll be covering in some capacity soon here) has been rumoured to be renewed for a second season.
- Supernatural will end after 15 seasons. Yup, I can't believe we're actually getting an ending to this show.
- Gotham's series finale will air on April 25th and FOX have released a poster showcasing what their Batman will look like in the last episode.
- Esai Morales, Chella Man and Chelsea Zhang have been cast as Deathstroke, Jericho and Ravager respectively for Titans second season, which will air on DC Universe in late 2019.
- Swamp Thing will premiere on DC Universe from May 31st while Stargirl will air in 2020.
- Miranda Richardson, John Simm, John Heffernan, Josh Whitehouse, Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp and Toby Regbo are among the cast for the untitled Game Of Thrones prequel series, due to begin filming this summer.
- Lucy Hale has been cast in the title role for Katy Keene, the upcoming Riverdale spin-off.
- Law & Order: SVU has been renewed for a record breaking 21st season on NBC.
- Sex And The City will be getting a sequel series on Paramount.
- Pose's second season has added Patti LuPone to it's cast.
- Ryan Murphy's The Politician will be released on Netflix from September 27th. The cast includes Ben Platt, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Lange to name a few.
- Shadowhunters final episode will be an epic two and a half hours long.

Children Behave

Last blog for the month of February and a look into some of the show I've been recently catching up on as well.

Arrow: 150th episodes are not as big a deal as other monumental episodes but they're still a good mark for a show to make and for this show, we were treated to a documentary style adventure with so many returning faces that it easily made this episode the best of the season. Actually the last few episodes have been pretty great with Stanley popping up and proving to be a chilling serial killer while the flashforwards revealed the most obvious outcome for Maya as well as confirming that William is in fact gay. Then there was Curtis's low key departure and Fauxcide Squad with the Ghost Initiative, both of which are decent-ish development.

Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina: The remaining five episodes (including Christmas) certainly elevated the first season. I'm so glad that this has been a successful reboot and it's great that we've got more to look forward to when the remaining nine episodes drop in April. While it was a little too convenient to break up Sabrina and Harvey, I did like both Roz and Susie's own growing prominence in the supernatural stories while Madam Satan's reveal was also delightfully creepy. As for the Christmas episode - it might not have advanced many stories but it's definitely one of the better festive episodes I've watched over the last few months.

Daredevil: While the show has now been sadly cancelled, I am really glad that I bothered to watch the third season. Having Fisk back second time around as a baddie worked surprisingly well as did the Bullseye storyline and the backstories for both Karen and Sister Maggie. The last few scenes of the finale felt like a set up for a potential fourth season which we're probably unlikely to see now but at least we got three seasons and while the Marvel Netflix era is coming to an end, this was the show that started a fun journey.

Supergirl: A mixed bag of episodes here. On one hand, Nia's Dreamer storyline and her budding romance with Brainy is actually the strongest components of the recent stories we've had while everything else has fallen rather flat. We're back to the uninspired Children of Liberty story, Alex's memory wipe of Kara being Supergirl is annoying and the less said about the chemistry free on and off pairing of James and Lena the better to be honest. Right now, the show seriously needs to get itself together. Hopefully Lex's imminent arrival and Manchester Black's return will help turn things around.

The Flash: While the season is still better than another CW show I could mention, I'm already losing interest in the Cicada plot. Plot wise, it greatly hasn't advanced anything and it's feeling like a holding pattern for Nora's unwise alliance with Eobard to inevitably go bad as well. There has been some nice moments though with the gang, even if Barry himself has felt a little short served at times and some of the beats with Nora have felt a little repetitive. With some major cast changes rumoured to be happening though, things should hopefully pick up for the remainder of the season.

The Good Place: I absolutely loved the first season of this wonderful show and the last two episodes have certainly made me want to catch up with the second and third seasons pretty soon. I guess the twist surrounding Michael maybe should've been obvious in retrospect but it was a rather nice game changing moment as Eleanor realised exactly what was going on before things were shifted once again. I am going to make the effort to play catch up sooner rather than later, unless E4 starting the next season pretty soon. Overall though, while I was a little late in the game with this show, I am glad I did get into it nonetheless.

The Umbrella Academy: Recently released and already renewed for a second season, I've never read a single issue of Gerard Way's comic book series, but after watching the first four episodes, it's clearly something I should look into. While the series itself isn't exactly subverting any superhero tropes as such, the main seven characters (including dead Ben) are certainly a dynamic and messed up bunch of people with the likes of Klaus, Allison, Diego, Luther, Vanya and the Boy all managing to maintain interest while an apocalypse is looming in the background. Overall, it's a fun series and I've got another six episodes to savour over the next few weeks.

- Tyler Posey, Dakata Shapiro, Kiele Sanchez and Medalion Rahimi will star in the CW's adaptation of The Lost Boys. The pilot begins films next month.
- Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends Of Tomorrow and Black Lightning all have been renewed for further seasons.
- Netflix have (unsurprisingly) confirmed that both The Punisher and Jessica Jones have been cancelled.
- Jussie Smollett has been suspended from the last two episodes of Empire's fifth season.
- Natalie Dormer and Nathan Lane have joined the cast of Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels for Showtime.
- Cameron Monaghan will rejoin Shameless for it's tenth season.
- Robin Lord Taylor has bagged a recurring role in the second season of You while Cory Michael Smith will be a regular in the US version of Utopia.
- Joshua Orpin has joined the cast of Titans as Superboy for it's second season. The show will also be adding Deathstroke, Rose and Jericho as well.
- Stephen Fry is rumoured to be guest starring in an episode of Doctor Who's twelfth series, due to air on BBC1 in 2020.
- Brooklyn Nine Nine has been renewed for a seventh season on NBC.