Comic-Con 2016 - Highlights

In the past I've done more individual trailers and stuff for some of the panels but this year I decided to do more of a rundown of stuff we've learned from various shows and movies over the last few days at Comic Con. Without further ado ....

Castings Alert

- Rihanna has been cast as Marion Crane for the fifth and final season of Bates Motel.
- Once Upon A Time's sixth season will be adding Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz), Jasmine (Karen David), Jafar (Oded Fehr replacing Naveen Andrews), Morpheus (Giles Matthay) and the Count of Monte Cristo (Craig Horner)
- Kristin Chenowith has been cast as Easter for American Gods.
- Agents Of SHIELD have added Ghost Rider into the mix with Gabriel Luna taking on the role, Lili Birdsell will also recur in the new season.
- Neil Jackson has joined the cast of The Originals while Nathalie Kelly will be playing evil herself in The Vampire Diaries.
- Brie Larson has been cast as Captain Marvel.

Time To Say Goodbye And Hello

- Over the weekend, it was confirmed that the upcoming seasons of Bates Motel, The Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf will be their final seasons.
- Game Of Thrones seventh season will only be seven episodes and will air in Summer 2017. I assume then it's inevitable eighth season will only be six episodes then.
- Legion will be coming next year for US viewers as will BBCAmerica's version of Dirk Gently with Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood.
- Viewers will be meeting Penny's mother and brother in the tenth season of The Big Bang Theory as played by Katey Sagal and Jack McBrayer respectively.
- Colton Haynes will be playing a mysterious role in the second season of Scream Queens.
- David Tennant will also be playing the Doctor again, this time on Family Guy during a spoof.

Star Trek: Discovery

With Star Trek Beyond currently in the cinemas, here is a stark reminder that next year we will have a television series once again. While Bryan Fuller sadly didn't confirm the cast at Comic Con (something of an oversight there), he did confirm the proper title for the show and you know what? I like it! We also got an image of the ship as well, which looks okay so far. It's also been confirmed that UK viewers will be able to see the series on Netflix next year.

Sherlock: Series 4 Trailer

Between Benedict Cumberbatch appearing at San Diego as part of the promotion for Doctor Strange (still not too fussed on that to be honest), a trailer for the fourth series of Sherlock was also released and it certainly piqued interest. It looked dark and brooding and even contained the delightful moment where Mrs Hudson likened Mycroft to a reptile. We're also been teased as to whether or not Moriarty (Andrew Scott) is still alive, seeing Mary (Amanda Abbington) in gun toting action and getting a nice look at Toby Jones playing the baddie too. Overall, it looks like a promising season ahead. You can have a look at it here ,... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlcWFoNqZHc

That's a round up wrap for this year's Comic Con. This time next year, yeah?

The Vampire Diaries - Season 6 Major Exits (Spoilers)

For the very few people who might not be aware of who's leaving, the next couple paragraphs are gonna be spoiler filled. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Nina Dobrev who has played human/vampire/doppelganger Elena Gilbert (as well as Katherine Pierce, Amara and Tatia - the latter on The Originals for an episode) on The Vampire Diaries will bow out of the show during the upcoming finale, scheduled to air on the CW from May 14th.

I have to admit, I've only seen a portion of the sixth season (I've decided to wait for TG4 air it during the summer) but for me, given that it was announced earlier in the year that the show would be returning for a seventh and rumoured final season, it seems a bit weird for the show to continue without Dobrev if I'm being candid.

It's not that I'm a fan of the Stefan/Elena/Damon triangle that has dominated a good portion of the show or more accurately the Damon/Elena relationship but Elena has been such a vital part to the show's success that continuing without her seems a tad odd, or is that just me?

Also stepping down from the show is Michael Trevino but unlike co-star Dobrev, it seems that Tyler Lockwood may still factor into the upcoming seventh season. Trevino has recently filmed a spot in upcoming ABC pilot The Kingmakers but I have to admit that while I like the actor, I don't think Tyler will be that major a loss to the show.

However given the early departure of Steven R. McQueen during the sixth season and previous rumours of Ian Somerhalder himself wanting to step down, perhaps it's wise if the seventh season really is the last one for the show.

Press Release: http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/04/the-vampire-diaries-nina-dobrev-exits.html?utm_source=Trending&utm_medium=Trending

Season 6 of The Vampire Diaries currently airs Thursdays at 8pm on the CW and Wednesdays at 9pm on ITV2.

The Fallen Canary

It's been an interesting few weeks with so many show returning and others getting into their stride, so here's a rundown of some of them.

Arrow: Season 3 kicked off to an impressive start with the death of Sara. I hate that the character died but the mystery of her death should provide good material for the chunk of the new season and the fact that it's helping to steer Laurel in a certain direction can go either as well. Meanwhile the 'will they/won't they?' with Oliver and Felicity is being handled well enough but the jury is definitely still out on Brandon Routh's Ray Palmer just yet. I want to like him but I don't, not for now.

Downton Abbey: This series has certainly not been the best one (though a slight improvement on the previous one). I have to admit that Isis's death was more interesting than the dawdling with Edith and Marigold and the double tedium of the Mary's love life and 'who killed Green?' saga, both of which seem be dragged out too long at this rate. Rose's wedding to Atticus, while lovely did seem a tad rushed and the less of Denker, the better for me. On the plus side, every scene with Violet and Isobel is golden and I thought I spotted some potential with Thomas and aspiring footman, Andy as well. One can hope the latter somehow makes it to Downton as an employee because after this series plot, Thomas is in desperate need of something that resembles a good time.

Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD: This season has been enjoyable and adding Lance's ex-wife into the mix has certainly helped to even out the male/female ratio on the show, which is definitely not a bad thing. The scenes between the reunited Fitz and Simmons have definitely been a highlight as well as the introduction of Ward's brother, Christian and the ongoing saga with Coulson and May as well. It's amazing what a year can do for a show creatively but unless the ratings for this series pick up and fast, I have a horrible feeling that ABC will wield the axe on it.

Once Upon A Time: I was sceptical about the inclusion of Frozen franchise but merging it with The Snow Queen and taking some creative liberties has done wonders for the show. I'm not gonna pretend that everything has worked - Hook's brief deal with Gold was trite, Snow's been reduced to being an idiot and I'm caring less and less about Regina/Robin but the friendship between Emma and Elsa, the darker side of the former's powers and everything concerning Ingrid has been gripping to watch. I'm actually going to miss Elsa when she leaves and a part of me really wants Ingrid to get some kind of redemption arc as well.

Scandal: I really hope that SkyLiving aren't going to waste time and will air Season 4 (as it's kind of weird watching a previous season while current seasons of Grey's Anatomy and How To Get Away With Murder are airing on SkyLiving/Universal respectively). The last few episodes have been brilliant though - both Maya and Rowan are the parents from hell, Jake has gotten a lot more darker, Mellie had an affair of her own (more power to her) and Cyrus's relationship with James got the flashback treatment upon the latter's violent death. Olivia flipping back and forth between her job and unhealthy relationships with Jake, Fitz and Rowan though has been a little frustrating and it's hard to get a hold on Quinn's loyalties or what Huck will do next but other than that, I can't wait to see how the last two episodes will cap off this season.

The Flash: I've only caught the first two episodes of this season so far but damn it, I love it. I think even as much as I currently enjoy Gotham. It's arguably lighter than Arrow and there's definitely elements of Smallville to it but as a show, it's bloody fun to watch with Grant Gustin perfect as Barry Allen. The supporting characters are decent enough (though Iris is potentially in danger of being an early series Laurel) but it's really Harrison Wells who is standing out the most so far. Overall though, it's no wonder this series is doing wonders for the CW at the moment.

The Vampire Diaries: With the fifth season ending on that ending, the opening episodes of the sixth season haven't been that exciting. Maybe it's just that truth be told, I just don't give a shit about Damon and his boringly toxic relationship with Elena. In fact, I feel sorry for Bonnie being lumbered with him in that place they are while half the cast can't enter Mystic Falls while the rest of them brood and feel sorry for themselves. Even Stefan has been somewhat tedious in these episodes with his distancing of Caroline. Hopefully things kick into gear soon because this isn't a great start to the new season.

- Matthew Goode will be appearing the Christmas special of Downton Abbey as a potential suitor for Mary. The show has been renewed for a sixth season.
- Karen Gillan's comedy series Selfie has been cancelled by ABC and it's remaining episodes pulled from the schedules.
- Tommy Flanagan will be playing a villain named Malcolm Black in the second half of Revenge's fourth season.
- Alex Kingston will appear in the Christmas episode of Arrow.
- The Scarecrow will be coming to Gotham in the second half of the first season.
-  Victoria Smurfit will be playing Cruella DeVille in the second half of Once Upon A Time's fourth season.
- The TV version of Scream will not feature Ghostface but a similar looking killer. Think with a flesh type of mask.
- Marcia Gay Hayden will be appearing in the second half of How To Get Away With Murder's first season.
- Witches Of East End has been cancelled after two seasons.
- Homeland has been renewed for a fifth season.

Ice Queens

And a look at some of the show I've been watching recently ...

Downton Abbey: While this series has been a bit of an improvement on the previous one, there's still a feeling of not much really happening. How many more times do we need to see a scene where Robert loses his patience with Bunting or Edith pining for her child before something actually materialises? Similarly Mary's relationship with Gillingham has gotten more tedious and the sooner this whole 'Who Killed Green?' plot is put to bed, the better really. Halfway through this series, only the continuously spiky banter with Violet and Isobel and Thomas's storyline are the only things really keeping this series afloat.

Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD: While it may be returning to Channel 4 on Friday, RTE2 have gotten there first and having watched the first two episodes, it's not hard to see the marked improvement the series has enjoyed. The writing has definitely improved and the fallout from the first season and Ward's betrayal has certainly produced a lot of character shifts as well. It's a shame though that Lucy Lawless wasn't kept on but there's some good potential with Nick Blood's volatile Lance Hunter and the more scenes with May and Coulson, the better really.

Once Upon A Time: I'm currently catching up with the spin-off, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland but the first three episodes of the parent show's fourth season has been some of their best yet. While I wasn't keen on Frozen forming the narrative for the first half of this season, I have to admit the additions of Elsa, Anna, Kristoff etc have been brilliantly handled and having Elizabeth Mitchell as the Snow Queen has also been a great touch to this season. I will admit that while the likes of Rumple, Regina and even Snow herself have been a little underused, this has been a strong slew of episodes so far.

Scandal: The fourth season has aired at least four episodes in the US and with SkyLiving, we're still at least six episodes away from the third season finishing up. The last few episodes alone have seen the death of Sally's husband, the possible imminent death of Cyrus's spouse, Olivia's father getting one hell of a demotion, Fitz being an ass and some more flashbacks on Mellie and her relationship with Andrew as well as the tense atmosphere between Huck and Quinn. There are times when I do feel like I'm getting whiplash as everything seems to be moving so fast but at the same time, this continues to be a gripping series.

The Vampire Diaries: I did some cheating here and decided to watch the remaining episodes to the fifth season online and they've been something of a mixed bag. The finale itself was excellent and it'll be interesting to see how Damon and Bonnie get out of their little predicament but I haven't been too interested in the Travellers and Enzo's storyline took something of a cliched route at times. Plus the less angst between Damon and Elena, the better. Those two have managed to become the most tedious couple on the show at the moment. On the plus side, at least Liv and Luke managed to make it out of the season alive and I do enjoy Stefan and Caroline's scenes together.

- ABC have acquired the rights to gay soccer themed comedy Men In Shorts, inspired by Robbie Rogers.
- Gotham will now air for 22 episodes instead of 16. Nicholas D'Agosto has been cast as Harvey Dent.
- Fans of Friends will be able to watch all 10 seasons of the show on Netflix from January.
- Season 5 of Game Of Thrones will feature it's first flashback scene.
- Archie Panjabi is leaving The Good Wife.
- A remake of Bewitched is in the works.
- Alexandra Breckenridge has joined the cast of The Walking Dead in an undisclosed role for now.
- American Horror Story has been renewed for a fifth season.
- How To Get Away With Murder has gotten a season order of 15 episodes and will air Tuesdays 10pm on Universal from October 21st for UK viewers.
- Andy Mientus will play gay villain The Pied Piper in The Flash.

Fire In The Estate

We're getting to that point now where there are so many shows returning that only some I probably will talk about at least once. Three of them mentioned here of course.

Bad Education: Back for a third and rumoured final series, BBC3 and Jack Whitehall's comedy remains one of the more funnier programmes with the opening episode largely focusing on a teacher's strike while introducing some new characters (mainly Cleo). Alfie might be a lousy educator but he's an entertaining character, even if you're given the impression that Whitehall is possibly playing a heightened version of himself at times.

Downton Abbey: Returning to 8 million viewers on Sunday (down but not dangerously so), the fifth series of ITV's cosy period drama was something of a mixed bag. On the plus side - more delightful quips from Violet, Baxter's secret finally being revealed (a little better than expected) and Edith and the local fireman coming up with a plan for her to see her daughter along with Bunting vs. Robert as well. On the not so good side, the fire was an anticlimax and lasted for about two minutes of screentime, the episode plodded too much at times and there's a worrying lack of chemistry between Mary and Gillingham to boot. Still, the episode was an improvement on most of the previous series.

Scandal: Nearing the half way point of this third season (really hope SkyLiving don't waste too much time airing Season 4), the show seems to be hotting up a lot. I wasn't too shocked about Olivia's mother actually being alive because seemingly dead characters never stay that way (looking at you, David Clarke), but the moment where her and Olivia reunited was a genuinely punch to the gut moment that the show seems to be capable of delivering in spades. Also, while I wasn't too fussed about Olivia hooking up with Fitz again, I did enjoy Mellie and Cyrus's scheming against Sally and the whole Huck and Quinn plot has been absorbing to watch as well. Oh and more Lisa Kudrow please.

The Leftovers: Perhaps I need another episode or two but having watched the opening episode of this latest HBO drama, I couldn't for the life of me get into it. Possibly something about a rapture, maybe - I could barely keep up with the show and I sat through Lost for six seasons. It just came across as a dull, plodding, lifeless show and not even some of the cast - Justin Theroux, Liv Tyler, Amy Brennerman or Christopher Eccleston could keep my attention.

The Strain: Somewhat better but not yet something I'd class as addictive or gripping was this programme, which offered a genuinely different take on the vampire genre. Anyone hoping for something sexy as the antics in Bon Temps or Mystic Falls might be somewhat disappointed with this show as it's take on the genre is as removed from those series as you can possible yet. The pilot episode was a bit long and slightly slow in parts but the concept is interesting enough and there's a good rapport with leading characters, Ephram and Nora and I certainly can't wait to see more of David Bradley's mystery pawn shop owner and there were some decent scares too. It's got potential.

The Vampire Diaries: Nearly finishing up with the fifth season of the show, the following episodes have most been alright. The usual Damon and Elena angst certainly made itself know as he admitted to bumping off Aaron while Enzo seems to be a decent character and a pot stirrer to boot. The Travellers stuff has been okay to watch as well, but it does feel like it's treading way and do we really need another doppelganger plot so soon? I do like the additions of Liv and Luke though, character wise.

- Gillian Anderson has been confirmed as a regular for Hannibal's third season, which will air April or May 2015 on NBC. Series 2 of The Fall will air in November on BBC2/RTE1.
- Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn have been announced as the lead cast for Season 2 of True Detective.
- Shea Whigham has joined Agent Carter as the chief of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, Roger Dooley.
- Channel 5 have moved the third season of Dallas to late nights and the recent finale saw the death of a major character.
- Yeardley Smith will appear in an episode of The Mindy Project.
- Sally Pressman will be appearing in Once Upon A Time. Her role has yet to be confirmed.
- Jim Sheridan's movie In America is being developed for TV by HBO.
- Brian Benben will be appearing in Scandal in an undisclosed role for now.
- Scott Glen has joined Daredevil, taking on the role of Matt Murdock's mentor, Stick.

A Passenger In My Body

And a look of some of the recent things I've seen ...

Cuckoo: I remember kind of watching the first series of this BBC3 comedy series and finding Andy Samburg's titular character (the actor who has now since moved onto Brooklyn Nine Nine), both amusing and somewhat annoying in equal measure. With his departure from the series, I wasn't expecting the show to return and I was rather surprised to see that we now have Twilight actor Taylor Lautner sort of taking on a similar role. I think what's more shocking is that he's actually pretty funny in parts, even if he's playing more or less the same sort of character his predecessor did.

Scandal: Season 3 has continued to be pretty promising so far but the addition of Lisa Kudrow as a potential presidential candidate in the last two episodes has been fun to watch. I've always liked Kudrow as an actress and here she played a character so likeable that you want her to beat Fitz, especially after her own scandal ended up having the country falling in love with her. Speaking of Fitz, the whole triangle with him, Mellie and Olivia took an interesting turn in the fifth episode and I'm rather enjoying the team up with Huck and Jake as well. If both of them manage to take down Liv's father, then fair play to them but I can't see this ending well for either of them.

Siblings: Another month, another new BBC3 sitcom and not strictly a bad one as such but they have produced better (Him & Her, the returning Bad Education etc). This one revolves around two 20 something siblings - office worker Hannah (Charlotte Ritchie) and layabout Dan (Tom Stourton) who seem to spend each episode actively ruining someone's life. Whether it's an employer, work experience students, complete strangers or even a former friend and her new spouse, the episodes see the disastrous duo unleashing their own brand of havoc wherever they go. It's funny in some parts and both Ritchie and Stourton are likeable enough leads but if you haven't seen it by now, then you're not really missing out. Diverting for a half hour but not overly memorable though.

The Vampire Diaries: With the sixth season a month away from viewing on both the CW and ITV2, TG4 are two thirds into airing the fifth year and the recent episodes have been a mixed bag. On one hand, I've been enjoying the Katherine as Elena plotline and even the Matt and Nadia scenes but Tyler's presence in the recent episodes have made me realise how little I longer care about the character (though I understand he was furious about Caroline sleeping with Klaus) and Damon's latest bout of self-destruction is more tedious to watch, even with the pairing with Enzo (who I don't mind, character wise) and the continuing plot strands with the Travellers, Wesley and the Augustine vampire stuff. However, the more scenes with Stefan and Caroline banding together and figuring things out, the better though.

The X Factor: Yup, it's back for it's 11th series and given that the US one was sent packing, the Dark Lord himself, Simon Cowell has returned along with 'nations sweetheart' Cheryl Cole, not so Scary Spice Mel B and that 'we can't get rid of him even if we wanted to' Louis Walsh. Okay, snarking aside, the first two episodes had some decent acts (Italian guy with the pugs jumper etc), some atrocious ones (the female Jedward) and of course, the polarising novelty ones (that posh girl), along with the usual sob stories, pointless gimmicks etc. It's alright stuff but eleven years into this show, does anyone really believe or care as to whether or not this show can produce a superstar?

Under The Dome: I sort of enjoyed this series when it aired back in 2013, so giving the second season a peek, it does seem like it's a little more or less the same. The dome is dangerous, people are getting killed (two female characters), new characters are emerging (a mystery girl, Jim's brother and school teacher Rebecca for example) and of course, there's also Big Jim who continues to be as volatile as he was in the previous season. As a series, it's probably being a little stretched out but overall, it's harmless fluff though.

- Greg Finlay will be appearing in The Flash as former high school bully Girder in a two part episode. The series has been picked up by Sky1.
- Hemlock Grove has been renewed for a third and final season.
- Kristin Bauer Van Straten will reprise her role as Maleficent in Once Upon A Time.
- Ioan Gruffud's Forever has been picked up by Sky1.
- Shutter Island is being made into a TV series for HBO.
- The Omen is being made into a TV series for Lifetime.
- NBC have cancelled Wizard Of Oz based drama, Emerald City.
- Kathryn Prescott has joined CBS miniseries, The Dovekeepers.
- Lost Girl's upcoming fifth season will be it's final one.
- Bryan Fuller believes that American Gods will begin filming next year and will air in 2016.

The Wrong Other Woman

A rundown of some of the most recent shows I've caught ...

A Touch Of Cloth: Charlie Brooker's cop spoof trilogy finally came to it's conclusion with the airing of the third installment during the Bank Holiday Weekend. While the first one remains the best of the three, this final chapter was a marked improvement on the second with Karen Gillan's Kerry Newblood being a fun addition to the series. While the reveal of who Gillan's character was managed to be predictable, it still led to a great confrontation between her and John Hannah's always reckless Jack and the ends credits for this one were pretty cheeky - in the literal sense of the word.

Devious Maids: Finale time and the end to this second season managed to set up some interesting plotlines for next season - someone got shot, Rosie/Spencer got married as it was revealed the former's first husband was actually still alive, Zoila ended up pregnant, Marisol realised her husband killed the Powells son, Carmen slept with a married man (is Gilles Marini in every show nowadays?) and er, Valentina did something, didn't she? As a finale, it certainly packed a lot into it and it'll be interesting to see where this soapy show can go in it's third run.

Scandal: I won't lie - I've only gotten into this show more recently but having watched the first three episodes of the third season, courtesy of SkyLiving (and catching with the main points of previous seasons), I really do get why there's so much fuss behind this show. The fallout of Olivia and Fitz's affair took a surprisingly unpredictable (if slightly frustrating) turn of events while the further backstories of both Eli and Huck have been fascinating to watch. I'll definitely be watching the rest of this season and hope that the fourth season also airs pretty sharpish over here as well.

The Vampire Diaries: A hundred episodes later and this show is still here (okay, I know production for the sixth season has begun) but to celebrate it's landmark episode, the show brought back several characters (Klaus, Rebekah, Tyler etc) and had Katherine decide that she didn't want to go quietly into the night by swapping bodies with Elena during her dying moments. It's a good enough way of keeping onto Katherine for a tiny bit longer and for a prominent episode, it was also highly enjoyable too.

Utopia: A good finale but not as great as the previous series. I did like that they bumped off a few more characters and Wilson's increasing dark turn has been more riveting than anything concerning Ian or Becky and Jessica certainly had her moments in the last two episodes. With ratings being low though, it'll be a miracle if the show gets picked up for another run and I don't know how much longer they can sustain the threat of the virus but it would be a shame for Channel 4 not to give it another series too.

- Colin Woodell will be appearing in the second season of The Originals, playing a werewolf named Aiden.
- Outlander has already been renewed for a second season.
- Bex Taylor-Klaus has replaced Amy Forsyth for the upcoming Scream series.
- Mike Birbilglia has joined the cast of Orange Is The New Black.
- Derek Hough will be appearing in multiple episodes of Nashville's upcoming third season.
- Jyoti Amge and Patti LaBelle have both joined the cast of American Horror Story: Freak Show.
- The Leftovers has been renewed for a second season. SkyAtlantic will be airing the first season shortly.
- Mary McCormick and Josh Randall will be playing a power couple in the upcoming season of Scandal.
- Michael C. Hall will be returning to television in a mini-series called God Fearing Man. The project is currently being shopped around to networks at the moment.
- Homeland's fourth season will receive a two hour premiere. The series returns to Showtime from October 5th. Channel 4 will air it shortly afterwards.

Back For Janus

And a look at some of the shows I've recently been watching ...

24: Live Another Day: It's been a great half-season return for Kiefer Sutherland's career defining series and while nearly all the baddies were taken out rather quickly, the finale shocker of Audrey being killed off packed something of a punch and with the ending we got for Live Another Day, there's no way FOX can't bring it back for another twelve episode run. The show definitely cannot end on that cliffhanger after all. Plus, it has been some kind of a rating success again for the station and no doubt the DVD set for this will sell immensely.

Devious Maids: The last few episodes have been pretty interesting. It's nice to see that Rosie managed to get Reggie out of Kenny' house and reunited that family, Zoila's love life and friendship with Genevieve continuing to be a highlight and I can certainly sympathise with Carmen not being a kid person but the stuff with Marisol/Nick/Opal, even with the latter blowing her brains out has still dragged out a bit too long and I'm at a point now where I want to see Spence's annoying nephew go away now. Thankfully there's only one more episode to go now.

Orange Is The New Black: This show literally became this year's Breaking Bad, didn't it? It's a good job I was watching it this year because the hype/ads for it was inescapable. As for the remaining six episodes of the second season - some of the best television I've seen with Red and Vee's fight for supremacy intensifying with every episode, some great flashbacks for characters like Rosa and Sister Ingalls (along with the ones for Piper, Alex, Red and Vee), the downfall of Natalie, some great moments with Pennsatucky/Healey, Morello turning a corner, Nicky being awesome, Taystee wising up, the pregnancy plot with Pornstache/Daya/Bennett getting messier, Caputo improving as a character. The only bore of the second half of the season was the Larry/Polly scenes but we might be getting less of them next season if we're lucky.

The Vampire Diaries: I've watched a lot of episodes since my last TV jumble in relation to this series. Because of that, I've seen the fallout of the whole Tessa/Silas/Amara triangle, Bonnie becoming a link to two world, Katherine having to suck up to the fact that she's dying (though she has been a help to Stefan and his PTSD) as well as Damon filling Elena in on his past with the Augustine crowd and the introduction of the seemingly interesting, Enzo for good measure. It's certainly been a busy bunch of episodes. I think I'm enjoying this season a little more than the previous one though Caroline needs a little more to do given that her relationship with Jesse went nowhere and Tyler can't be arsed to even attend college.

Utopia: Possibly one of the craziest things to air on UK television at the moment is back for it's second run of episodes and while two thirds of it's second series has run, it's been interesting yet again. Okay, I still find Ian, Becky and Grant somewhat tedious at times as characters but the 1970s flashback opening episode with Rose Leslie playing a younger version of Millner has been one of the best episodes of television this year and in the current day, Millner has still been her delightfully ruthless self, corrupting Wilson all the more as she pushes for the virus to be released. Of course, Jessica similarly has been a delight too with her escape from captivity and her standoff with Millner in the latest episode. With ratings being terrible though, it'll be a miracle if this show gets a third run of episodes but here's hoping Channel 4 are feeling generous though.

- Claire Holt has joined the cast of NBC mini-series, Aquarius as a series regular. She'll play Officer Charmaine Tully.
- Elena Satine will play the slightly unhinged Louise in the upcoming fourth season of Revenge.
- Simon Kassianides will play right hand Bakshi, Reed Diamond will play Daniel Whitehall, Nick Blood will play Lance Hunter while Lucy Lawless will be playing Isabel Hartley in Agents Of SHIELD.
- Kyra Sedgwick will be appearing in the second season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Deputy Chief Madeline Wuntch.
- Kelly Frye will play Plastique in The Flash while JR Ramirez will be playing Ted 'Wildcat' Grant in parent series, Arrow.
- John Rhys-Davies and Tyler Jacob Moore will be appearing in Once Upon A Time, taking on the roles of Pabbie and Prince Hans respectively.
- Blair Brown will be appearing in the third season of Orange Is The New Black. Her role has not yet been disclosed.
- Lea Michele will be appearing in the final season of Sons Of Anarchy. Her character will be a single mother/waitress named Gertie.
- Fargo's second season will air for UK viewers again on Channel 4 in 2015.
- Gillian Anderson may become a regular for Hannibal's third season. A contract is rumoured to be negotiated for the actress.

Total & Unconditional Surrender

And a look at some of the shows I have been watching recently ....

24: Live Another Day: I can't be the only one disappointed that the whole Heller thing turned out to be faked after all? I mean, I guess it was a clever way of signalling Margot's downfall (quite literal in her case) but it also felt like something of a cop out as well not following through with killing off the character, though the seeds for a Jack/Audrey reunion were sown though. On the plus side, at least Navarro and Chloe's boss have made themselves known as the baddies while Kate finally realised her husband wasn't corrupt after all. I really hope she makes it out of the next two episodes alive.

Devious Maids: On the plus side, the whole Dahlia mystery got slightly more interesting when crazy Opal decided to mow down her employer, the fact is it's the other storylines that have had more impact though. Namely Adrian trying to catch out Evelyn and Tony, Zoila's relationship with the famous chef, the Reggie/Rosie/Spencer triangle and Spencer's nephew getting more into Carmen as the episodes have progressed. With Irish viewers due to catch up on the show's first season fairly soon, the second season has been fun enough but only slightly less than it's first year.

Orange Is The New Black: Again, the second season of this show has not been as great as the first year but it's coming close to edging it out. While Piper has had marginally less screentime, she's still gotten plotlines with her grandmother's illness, visits from Larry/a journalist and the newsletter plotline as well. On the otherhand we've also gotten flashbacks for Gloria, Poussey and Black Cindy, a crazy Valentine's Day episode, a touching subplot with an elderly inmate as well as Red trying to regain her role with the women and Vee slowly but surely orchestrating a divide between prisoners. In short, there certainly hasn't been a dull moment aside from the Caputo and Larry/Polly bits.

Orphan Black: I caught up with the last two episodes on BBC3 and right now, I really am hoping that BBCAmerica intend to renew this show and fast. Without a doubt, it's their best offering and the finale itself set so much up - the series of Mark clones, Charlotte the younger clone being looked after by the not so bad Marion, Rachel getting her just desserts, Siobhan and Paul working together, Helena being shipped off and of course, Cosima's current fate needing resolving. Oh and that sequence where Sarah, Helena, Allison and Cosima were dancing - clearly one of the most inspired moments from the series yet. A brilliant ending to an engaging second season. Let there be a third run, BBCAmerica.

The Vampire Diaries: Not a bad set of episodes. For a moment, we briefly got to see Tyler again, had a slew of new characters introduced, dealt with Bonnie's passing and also got a delightful confrontation between Tessa and Silas for good measure along with the usual Stefan/Elena/Damon angst for good measure. Personally, I'm just enjoying Caroline's snarky comments and Tessa actually being a sympathetic, rounded semi-antagonist a lot more though.

- Contrary to Twitter reports/hacking, Chris Colfer will be in the final season of Glee. Co-star Matthew Morrison has also confirmed that it will be 13 episodes.
- Peter Stormare has joined the third season of Arrow, cast in the role of villain, Vertigo while Karl Yune has been cast as Oliver's mentor, Maseo Yamashiro while Devon Aoki will play Katana.
- The pilot episodes for both The Flash and Constantine have leaked.
- Georgina Haig will be playing the role of Elsa for the fourth season of Once Upon A Time while Scott Michael Foster and Elizabeth Lail have been cast as Kristoff and Anna respectively.
- Community has been saved by Yahoo and will now get a sixth season.
- Spain has been added to the list of location that Game Of Thrones will be filming it's upcoming fifth season in.
- Jamie Bamber has joined Rizzoli & Isles.
- Jennifer Love Hewitt will be a regular in the tenth season of Criminal Minds.
- Better Call Saul will have a flexible time, which will make it exist before, during and after the events of parent series, Breaking Bad.
- UK viewers can see the third season of Scandal on SkyLiving from July 31st.