New Recruits

It's been a while but here's a look at some of the returning shows that I've been watching over the last few weeks.

Arrow: After an extremely disappointing fourth season and a fanbase who have taken cringe to new lows, this show has returning for a fifth year and the first three episodes have been okay so far. Tobias Church and Prometheus are intriguing enough villains but have yet to reach Damien Darhk levels of potency yet while the flashbacks are a bit of an improvement on last season. However with Thea and Diggle out of the field, we've had to get used to some new recruits with Mr Terrific, Artemis, Wild Dog and Ragman somewhat stepping in to help defend Star City with a hero who is also trying to be the Mayor. It's not been bad so far to be honest.

Once Upon A Time: And we're into the sixth season of this show. Who would've thought when the series started off back in 2011, we'd still be here. The first four episodes have been an interesting bag. On one hand, I am disappointed that they wrapped up the Jekyll & Hyde storyline so quickly and the Count of Monte Cristo episode was a damp squib but at the same time, we're seeing Belle stand up to Rumple a lot more, the Evil Queen arc is being handled better than expected and the prophecy storyline with Emma isn't too bad. Plus we're getting the Aladdin/Jasmine/Jafar storylines and Cinderella had another great backstory episode, so overall I'm content with this season so far.

Scream Queens: Let's be honest, considering the dire ratings this show got last year, it's amazing it's back for a second season and considering the dire ones it's still getting, it's unlikely to be back for a third run. The first two episodes of this season has replaced the Kappa sorority for a creepy hospital and the Red Devil for the Green Meanie while Hester does her best Hannibal Lecter impression for a limited amount of characters to see. The Chanels, Denise, Zayday and Dean Munsch haven't greatly changed as characters and there are times when the show still thinks it's funnier than it actually is. There are also times though when it's pretty creative but even I don't think that will be enough to prevent FOX from striking the killer blow and taking this show out.

Supergirl: The most feel good superhero is back and while it's now on the network it should've been from the start, it feels like everything and nothing has changed all at once. Tonally, it's still the same as the first season but within the first two episodes, we've had Kara battling Metallo with her famous cousin (Tyler Hoechlin truly giving a superb performance), the departure of Cat Grant (she'll be missed) and the arrivals of the mystery man in the pod, Cadmus's brutal doctor lady, Lena Luthor and Snapper Carr as well as Winn and Kara themselves switching jobs and Alex working through some past anguish as well. An absolutely super star to the second season.

The Flash: We've waited all summer for the arrival of Flashpoint and it came and went in the space of one episode. Technically this is true, but truthfully while that arc did play out for one episode, it's obvious the consequences are going to be very ongoing with even the other shows being affected by Barry's actions. The first three episodes have had their moments and I've enjoyed the slow reveal of Caitlin's icy new powers along with Jessie being a speedster, Harrison's return and the arrivals of both Julian and Alchemy as well. That being said, is it me or does Cisco really need to get back to his usual self?

Victoria: The second half of this series has fortunately been as strong as the first. It's great that in her first proper post Doctor Who gig, that Jenna Coleman really managed to bag yet another iconic role. I wasn't sure of the idea of Victoria being an ongoing series but having seen the last few episodes, I'm really glad that ITV have found a new jewel in their Sunday night crown and that we've got another series and a Christmas special for 2017. Long live the queen.

- MTV have renewed Scream for a third season.
- The Walking Dead just revealed who Negan killed and holy shit, while I'm not a religious viewer, that death was fucking brutal. The show has also been renewed for an eighth season.
- Sean Maguire will be appearing again in Once Upon A Time for multiple episodes.
- Chris Pratt will guest star in the fourth season of Mom.
- CMT have released a promo for Nashville's fifth season, due to air in January.
- American Horror Story has officially been renewed for a seventh season.
- Alyssa Milano has joined the cast of Wet Hot American Summer for it's second season.
- BBC3 have acquired the rights to gay themed Australian swimming drama, Barracuda.

Every Inch The Queen

We're into September and we're back into the swing of many things both debuting and returning, so here's a look at some of the things I've watched lately.

Newzoids: I sort of missed this one last year, bar seeing a few of the sketches on YouTube but last week, I watched the first episode of Series 2 along with The X Factor. Well, it's an interesting and amusing enough modern version of Spitting Image and a somewhat more successful version of Headcases from a few years back. The targets are current (Will & Kate, Tom & Taylor, Trump, BBC rivals etc) and the jokes virtually write themselves but for a half hour programme, it's pretty diverting nonetheless.

Orange Is The New Black: I effectively blitzed through nine episodes the last time I talked about this show and can I just say how much I fucking loved this season? Easily the best we've had so far with some genuinely great flashbacks episodes (Lolly, Maritza, Poussey, Bailey, Suzanne), one hell of a comedown for Piper, the amusing antics of Judy King and Black Cindy and the more serious problems of overcrowding, growing racial tensions and the worst CO's we've ever seen in Litchfield along with the death of a beloved character and a prison riot with one hell of a cliffhanger. On a nicer note, it's also great to have Nicky and Sophia back into the mix as well.

Stranger Things: The most hyped show of 2016 and while it took me a little while, I did get around to finishing the series off. By now, everyone knows that a second season (along with all the titles) has been announced but the second half of the show's debut year upped the ante as the gang and Eleven worked with the adults to bring back Will. I did like that we got more details on the sheriff's family life and Joyce somewhat improved as a character along with Nancy's boyfriend, whom the show managed to humanise a bit more. It'll be interesting to see where things go in the second season though.

Victoria: In her first major role post Clara Oswald, Jenna Coleman has swapped the BBC for ITV. A TARDIS for a palace and being an immortalised school teacher to being a young queen at the beginning of her ruling. Three episodes in and ITV's latest regal smash is certainly trying it's best to fill the void left by Downton Abbey's ending and for the most part, it's a success. Coleman is excellent as the young Victoria and she's ably supported by a great cast, notably Rufus Sewell's Lord Melbourne. While there's certainly a sense of writer Daisy Goodwin playing fast and loose with historical factor and while the downstairs staff are a little hit and miss at times, this is certainly some excellent Sunday night viewing, even with Poldark proving to be some stark competition.

Young Hyacinth: For the last fortnight, the BBC have been on sitcom revival fever. Already we've had updated versions of Are You Being Served, Porridge, Goodnight Sweetheart but Young Hyacinth possibly stood out that little more for the fact that it was a prequel unlike the others. With Kerry Howard taking on the role of everyone's favourite snob, this opening episode certainly took a little getting used to but it was certainly fun and despite needing a few tweaks here and there, I wouldn't mind seeing this one actually become a series more than anything else.

- Tobias Menzies has signed up for a leading role in upcoming AMC anthology series, The Terror.
- Tyrant, Devious Maids and Mistresses have all been cancelled.
- Mariah Carey will be playing a character named Kitty in Empire's third season.
- FOX have commissioned a pilot for Greg Berlanti's Black Lightning series.
- Grey's Anatomy will tackle domestic violence in the new season.
- Kara Royster will be guesting in an episode of Supernatural.
- Richard Madden will star in Amazon's sci-fi pilot, Strange New Things.
- Meryl Streep and JJ Abrams will be working together on a series named The Nix.
- Zayn Malik and Dick Wolf will be producing a boyband drama named Boys for NBC.
- Narcos has been renewed for a third and fourth season respectively.

Doctor Who - Jenna Coleman Confirms Exit/Casting For ITV's Victoria

Okay, who really didn't see this one coming at all?

Rumoured as early as Tuesday this week and now confirmed by the actress herself, Jenna Coleman will be exiting Doctor Who during the ninth series. The actress who has played Clara Oswald (and various echoes) since the start of the seventh series will leave the role, presumably in the finale titled Hell Bent but as to how Clara parts company from the Doctor has not been revealed itself.

On her upcoming departure, Coleman had this to say when talking to DJ Nick Grimshaw on his show this morning ....

"It's been in the works for a very long time," she explained. "Steven [Moffat] and I sat down a long time ago - a year and a half ago, and tried to work out the best place to do it and the best place in which to tell a really good story.

"We're not going to give any details but it will happen at some point this season."

Of course it's not all bad news. Not only do viewers still have a full series of Doctor Who with Coleman to watch but this morning ITV also confirmed that Jenna will be playing the young version of Queen Victoria in their upcoming eight part miniseries, Victoria with Coleman also commenting on her new role ....

“I am delighted to be cast as Queen Victoria in this ambitious drama of her life. She is a vivid, strong, inspirational and utterly fascinating woman in British history and I can't wait to tell her story.”

Now I'll do a blog tomorrow on potential companions I'd like to see now that we know Coleman's off but for now, while now is the right time for Clara to leave the series, I will wish Jenna luck on her future projects.

Series 9 - Clara Departs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/2a2689a8-5c52-46af-8e69-2fad42c46da3
Victoria Casting: http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/jenna-coleman-star-queen-victoria-major-new-itv-drama-victoria

Series 9 of Doctor Who starts tomorrow on BBC1 and BBCAmerica while filming for Victoria begins in October and will air on ITV in 2016.