Dark Baptism, Anyone?

While not my first blog of the year, this is the first TV Jumble one and in here, I'm catching on something recently cancelled, two reboots that are polar opposites in terms of quality and more DC stuff.

Arrow: It only just came back this week and what an episode. While I still think the whole Emiko storyline is something that should've been done a few seasons ago, I already think she's a rather good addition to the series and her scenes with Rene and Oliver were pretty good in this one. I also like that the show didn't waste time in having her and Oliver meet each other and the continued flash forwards, now with Rene as Mayor of the Glades are still interesting along with Diggle and Lyla reviving the Ghost Initiative in order to give Diaz some relevance in the second half of this season. Oh and the Olicity scenes being kept to a bit of a minimum didn't hurt things either.

Charmed: I've not exactly been complimentary about this series on my Twitter account for months but I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go on E4. What can I say - so far, not so good. The main cast lack chemistry, the effects look even cheaper than the original series, none of the monsters of the week have really stood out and Mel sounds like an embarrassing Tumblr meme every time she has anything to say while Macy and Maggie feel rather bland as characters as does Whitelighter, Harry. The original series wasn't always amazing in terms of writing but it had a certain charm that so far this reboot is lacking in spades.

Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina: On the other hand, this reboot is near perfection. Unlike the CW's attempt with Charmed, this feels like a modern reboot that can tackle social issues, deliver on the monsters, give us excellent characters like Ambrose and Madam Satan, have an overall compelling arc with the Dark Lord himself while giving us compelling new takes on Sabrina, Salem, Zelda, Hilda and Harvey along with other great characters like Susie, Roz, the Weird Sisters and the High Priest as well. I'm six episodes into this series and it's been an absolute revelation to watch. Every once in a while you get a reboot that genuinely justifies its existences and offers something interesting and this is it. The writers of a certain other reboot could do with taking some notes here.

Daredevil: I know the show has been recently cancelled (and as I'm typing this, it seems The Punisher has followed suit) but I owed it to myself to catch up with the third and final season and so far, I like it. Yeah, the pace is still a bit slow and I really wish Matt would actually get back into costume, but with Fisk and Poindexter/Bullseye/FakeDevil proving to be excellent baddies and Foggy and Karen getting some decent screen time along with the welcomed addition of Sister Maggie, I'm already enjoying this season a little more than the previous one. Such a shame it had to end though.

Supergirl: Argh, the show really had to go there, didn't they? Not only do they seem determined to make Haley come across as a poor man's version of Amanda Waller but now we've got the ridiculous plot of having Alex's memories of her sister being Supergirl erased along with Lena and Jimmy getting back together. On the plus side - I'm loving the slow build up with Brainy and Nia's blossoming romance and the latter's imminent Dreamer destiny along with J'onn setting up his own detective agency. Not to mention having a breather from Agent Liberty isn't a bad thing either.

The Flash: A modest return of episodes this month that truth be told, really haven't done a lot to advance the Cicada storyline and although I do like the character, I honestly don't know where else they can go with this character for the remainder of the season, not to mention that Nora hasn't been that great either and neither has Sherloque. On the otherhand, most of Caitlin, Cisco and Ralph's scenes have been fun, Barry/Iris have had their moments and Cecile's increased screentime in light of Joe's absence has worked as well. It's just the Cicada storyline feels like it needs to come to an end now.

The Good Place: I'm still on the first season but after next week, I'll have watched it all and if E4 take their time airing Seasons 2 and 3, I might just watch it online. Every week, I've found myself enjoying this charming series more and more and the more the show expands on it's mythology ("real" Eleanor, the Bad and Neutral Places, rebooting Janet, etc) along with the further developments of our Eleanor, Michael, Chidi, Tahani and Jason, the more I find myself falling in love with this show.  Plus if the Bad Place really does serve Hawaiian pizza, it can be all that bad, right?

- Meagan Tandy, Camrus Johnson and Nicole Kang have been cast respectively as Sophie Moore, Luke Fox and Mary Hamilton for the CW's upcoming Batwoman series.
- The CW have also commissioned pilots for The Lost Boys, Jane The Novella, Nancy Drew and Kathy Keene.
- Arrow will be doing a Birds Of Prey themed episode with Black Siren playing a prominent role.
- Criminal Minds will end with a 10 episode fifteenth season.
- Game Of Thrones final season will air on HBO from April 14th and SkyAtlantic the day after. Episodes 1 & 2 will be 60 minutes each while episodes 3-6 will be 80 minutes each.
- Along with a Picard spin-off, Star Trek fans can also look forward to a spin-off focused on Michelle Yeoh's character from Star Trek: Discovery.
- Christopher Meloni has joined the cast of The Handmaid's Tale for the show's third season.
- Kate Winslet will star in upcoming HBO miniseries, Mare Of Easttown.
- Netflix will adapt American Son with Kerry Washington resuming her role from the Broadway production.
- Black Lightning's second season will introduce  Hosea Chanchez  as magical threat, Shakedown.

Charmed - CW Conjures Up A Reboot

Well, this was inevitable, wasn't it?

Last week, the CW announced that they were planning a reboot for supernatural drama series, Charmed and this week, more details of said reboot emerged. The series which ran for eight seasons on the WB between 1998 and 2006 and which starred Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano as the Halliwell sisters and witches, Prue, Piper and Phoebe with later seasons adding Rose McGowan as half sister Paige Matthews and Kaley Cuoco as Billie Jenkins. This is the latest in a growing number of shows being rebooted for modern audiences.

On Sunday, it was confirmed that the upcoming reboot would have no ties to the former show at present and that the series would be a standalone show. It's also been confirmed that the show will be set in 1970's New England. Jane The Virgin EP Jennie Snyder Urman is shepherding the project, which is currently just at the pilot-script stage. Character descriptions for the new/old power of three have also been released ....

Tina: African American. Whip-smart, Tina is one dissertation (and one dissertation advisor) away from a PhD. She can be reserved, even standoffish, in uncomfortable situations, but she picks up on
everything and she’s definitely making quick, accurate judgments about you.
Paige: Caucasian Cheerful, curvy, wholesome and as all-American as the apple pie she can’t wait to serve to the husband she has yet to marry. Paige’s main goal in life is to marry a rich doctor and be a wife and mother. Really, another Paige?
Annie: Caucasian. Intense, smart, and quick to anger. She dresses neutrally, though she could give two s–ts if you like her outfit, so stop wondering what “neutral” means. But under that tough façade, well… there is a fragility. A person desperate to be loved, and love.

I have to admit that I'm not really too against this reboot idea, but mainly because while I enjoyed the original show, I wasn't as big into it as I was the likes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Also given that the CW are going to be a supernatural series down fairly soon with The Vampire Diaries ending soon, I can sort of see why they chose to revive this particular show, but whether or not viewers can be Charmed a second time remains to be seen. The reaction from some of the original series cast members are worth having a gander at too.

Press Release: http://tvline.com/2017/01/08/charmed-revival-prequel-the-cw-spoilers-cast/

The Charmed reboot is currently at pilot stage. It'll be a few months before we'll know if the CW intend to pick it up to series.

Honourable Mentions Part 2

And here's the second and final part of my Honourable Mentions lists.

Piper Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs) - Charmed

Yeah, this was one of my guilty pleasure shows. There were times when I found Charmed extremely naff beyond belief but for eight seasons, even in all of it's naffness, it had some wonderful moments and the excellent, level-headed Piper was easily the best of the Halliwell sisters and the one who seemed to show the most growth as well as the show progressed.

Max Blum (Adam Pally) - Happy Endings

It's been one of these shows I've been watching on E4 and damn it, it's a bloody funny one. Max certainly seems to fall into my favourite type of gay character on TV - snarky, well rounded and a good mate all around and Adam Pally's performances have certainly gotten better over the two seasons of the popular ABC comedy.

Sarah Lund (Sofie Grabol) - The Killing

Is it a cliche to feature Sarah on my list? I know I don't talk about The Killing a lot but I have seen a fair amount of it and Sarah Lund is definitely one of the better and more original compared to the majority of our leading cops and way better than her American counterpart as well, though interestingly enough Grabol recently did pop up in the US version of the show that's made her a household name.

Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) - The X Files

Sometimes being the sceptic is actually better than being the believer. I loved Mulder as a character but between him and Scully, the fiery sceptic certainly edges him out though. Scully also seemed to work reasonably enough with Mulder at times and even with Doggett and Reyes too and she's a more deserving iconic female character than the Carrie Bradshaws of the world.

Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) - Will & Grace

In an ideal world, no-one would really want an employer, spouse or mate like Karen Walker, a woman who literally insults all and sundry without batting an eyelid with a helium sounding voice. That being said, she was a relentlessly entertaining character nonetheless and for that, I'll salute the madwoman. 

Well, that was fun. Any other characters anyone thinks I should've recommended?