Defenders Assemble But Not Yet Though

Yup, this one is a bit of a Marvel/Netflix special in some ways as I completed two of their shows and started the other one though.

Game Of Thrones: The last three episodes of Season Seven certainly ramped up basically everything, didn't it? We had some welcome deaths (Littlefinger, you won't be missed), some shocks (Viseron being taken over by the Night King) and that melee with Jon, Daenerys and Cersei as the latter took her self preservation to a new level, which meant even isolating Jaime of all people. The reveal of Jon's heritage from last season got more expansion during the worst/most clickbait grabbing moment and with six episodes left before the end in 2019 (the current rumour for the eighth season to air), the final moments as the White Walkers make their biggest attack yet was a hell of a way to end an overall excellent penultimate season.

Iron Fist: The weakest of the Marvel/Netflix shows still, but I'll admit things did pick a little in the second half of the season. Adding both Bakuto and Davos into the mix livened up the interactions between Danny, Colleen and Claire as the Hand storyline took something of a brief pause in the finale while Ward and Joy both had to deal with the fallout of Harold's increasingly unhinged behaviour. While I do think there were times where Finn Jones struggled a bit in the role, I am hoping that between The Defenders (which I've just started) and this show's proposed second season the show gets a better handle on Danny. There's certainly potential for that.

Luke Cage: Like it's other Marvel series, this is a show that could do with better pacing but saying that, the second half was pretty solid stuff. I liked the Mariah/Shades team up after Cottonmouth was taken out of the picture along with Luke and Diamondback finally going head to head. The finale didn't feel quite like an event compared to other ones but it was a good way to end the series. I also have to give props to both Misty and Claire, both of whom got better as the series went along, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of them next season.

Midnight, Texas: I've been sticking with this show and while it's not gripping as True Blood was back in the day, it's still a lot of fun to watch. Focusing on characters like Lemuel, Olivia and Fiji certainly doesn't hurt the series as they're easily the three strongest of the bunch but there isn't anyone I actively dislike. Manfred and Creek's budding relationship isn't hugely compelling but it's nice enough and the mix of baddies like a Succubus and that biker gang does keep things moving along at a nice pace along with the arc hints here and there. Just five more episodes to go.

Orange Is The New Black: I've loved this season and given that the riot arc could've easily wore thin after a few episodes, I'm genuinely surprised that the writers managed to get a whole season's worth of a story out of it. Of course it had to come to an end but with the cliffhanger we've got, there's also the chance we might lose a character or two going into the show's sixth season. In terms of flashbacks, I quite enjoyed Piper and Alex's (even with the return of Larry) and their engagement was rather sweet. Next season should be very interesting.

The Defenders: Blitzing through both Luke Cage and Iron Fist in the last week meant getting to the first two episodes of this team up and so far, so good. I've loved seeing the various characters from each show interacting with one another and while we've only had half the gang interacting so far - Luke and Danny, Matt and Jessica, the build up has certainly been rather fun to see. As for Alexandra/Madame Gao/The Hand stuff - at least it's actually going somewhere now and with Elektra and Stick in the mix, I can imagine a lot of bad shit is about to go down in the remaining episodes of this crossover series.

- Ben Platt will be guesting in Will & Grace while Minnie Driver will also reprise her role as Lorraine in the upcoming season.
- Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose will be returning for Season 11 of The X Files.
- Lena Dunham will be playing Valerie Solanas in American Horror Story: Cult. Emma Roberts will be playing a newscaster named Serina Belinda for an episode. Angela Bassett will direct the ninth episode in the upcoming season.
- UK viewers will be able to see The Gifted on FOX from October.
- UK viewers also can see the first season of Star on 5* from this Thursday. It's also been rumoured that Empire will be moved there as well instead of E4 for it's upcoming fourth season.
- Jane The Virgin's fourth season will now be 17 episodes.
- Richard Flood will recur in Shameless's eighth season.
- Kevin Ryan will guest in Once Upon A Time's seventh season.
- Anna Diop and Teagan Croft have been cast as Starfire and Raven respectively for the upcoming live action Teen Titans TV series.
- Katee Sackhoff has a recurring in The Flash's fourth season as the villain, Blacksmith.

A Town For Outcasts

Summer's nearly over but there's still be some highlights (and catching up for me) as I look into some of the recent stuff I've watched.

Game Of Thrones: It seems that moving this mammoth of a show to the summer for it's seventh and penultimate season hasn't hurt it in the slightest as the ratings have continued to impress. In spite of leaks and one truly unwarranted cameo from Ed Sheeran in the opening episode, this season has been amazing so far. We've had two epic battle sequences as both Cersei and Daenerys have fought for supremacy while the latter's meeting with Jon Snow has intensified pretty fast too. Along with some characters (Sand Snakes, Ellaria and Olenna) and the reunion of the three Stark children, this season certainly hasn't been idle so far and with three episodes left to go, I can't wait to see what else is in store for us.

Iron Fist: I'm halfway through this series and it's still in dire need of picking up the pace. Out of all the Marvel/Netflix shows, it's definitely emerging as the weakest as even I'm struggling a little with Finn Jones as Danny Rand. So far, he's been a bit too meh for my liking in the role. On the other hand, Colleen is more interesting, Claire has popped up and the Meachums are also picking up a little as well. The plotline with the Hand isn't much better than what we've gotten on Daredevil so far but hopefully it'll pick up in later episodes.

Luke Cage: Like it's other Marvel/Netflix show, there are some pacing issues but I am overall finding this one a bit better than the other one. Once again, you've got Claire Temple added into the mix and the ongoing rivalry between Luke and Cottonmouth has heated up nicely along with Mariah's own machinations as well. Much as I like Misty though, the show could do a little better with her other than her finding out about her corrupt partner and being a thorn for Luke though. I did however enjoy the flashbacks to how Luke got his powers though.

Midnight, Texas: Nine years ago, HBO adapted Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books and turned it into one of their most successful shows with True Blood, which ran for seven seasons. Now in 2017, NBC have done the same with one of Harris's more recent works and are probably hoping for a similar success story. This show has a lot in common with the former HBO hit  - a medium type protagonist, an assortment of colourful characters and an array of all kind of craziness and monsters that go bump in the night. Manfred might be our leading man but it's the other characters that I think people will stay for. Whether that's vampire Lemuel and hitwoman Olivia or witch Fiji (and her talking cat) or angel Joe and his husband, Chuy, this is a show that's hokey but filled with a memorable group of characters but whether or not it will around for long given NBC's history with supernatural themed shows is the other thing. Here's hoping though.

Orange Is The New Black: I have only two episodes left to go and I'm still rather surprised that the riot storyline hasn't completely tested my patience. Maybe it's because we've had some interesting flashbacks (Piscatella's) or the whole situation with Red and Piscatella coming to a head while Tasytee has also been trying to get Joe and Figuaro to actually work things out for the prisoners but either way, it's worked out pretty well so far. That said, after the last two episodes are watched, I do wonder how the show will go as things have definitely been changed a lot this season.

- Jeff Ward will have a recurring role in Agents Of Shield's fifth season. His character name has yet to be revealed.
- ITV are planning another adaptation of Pride & Prejudice for 2020 from the same production company as Poldark and Victoria.
- Hartley Sawyer has been cast as Elongated Man for Season 4 of The Flash.
- Carlos Bernard will play Maggie's father in Season 3 of Supergirl.
- Annabeth Gish will return for Season 11 of The X Files.
- Will & Grace has been renewed for a tenth season while it's upcoming ninth season will now be 16 episodes.
- Brianna Brown will recur in Dynasty's first season. Netflix have picked up the show for UK viewers.
- Emma Roberts will be returning for American Horror Story: Cult but Kathy Bates will not.
- Esai Morales and Benito Martinez will be back for How To Get Away With Murder's fourth season.
- Sydelle Noelle will recur in Arrow's upcoming sixth season.

2016-2017 TV Season: Shows To Watch

Over the last several days, we've gotten the upfronts from the upcoming 2016-2017 television season and here are some of the shows that have piqued the most interest.

1: 24: Legacy (FOX, Mondays 9pm, mid-season)

With Kiefer Sutherland retiring as Jack Bauer and playing president on ABC's Designated Survivor, the mantle of top CTU guy now falls into the hands of Corey Hawkins, who takes on the role of Eric Carter in this 12 episode series, which also includes the likes of Jimmy Smits, Miranda Otto and Teddy Sears. The trailer suggests nothing too new that we haven't seen Bauer deal with in nine previous seasons but whether or not this show can work without Bauer will remain to be seen.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOWpUB_Xdqs

2: Conviction (ABC, Mondays 10pm)

This last week has been a mixed fortune for the lovely Hayley Atwell. On one hand, Agent Carter was axed after two seasons by ABC but on the other hand, the network also commissioned this legal drama where Atwell will take on the role former First Daughter and all round party girl, Hayes Morrison, who now finds herself working for a New York law firm to make up for her misdeeds. While we're not exactly short on legal dramas, this could be ABC's answer to the now ended CBS rival, The Good Wife though and certainly looks slick and polished.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJqg6J4JeLg

3: Designated Survivor (ABC, Wednesdays 10pm)

He may not be Jack Bauer anymore but Kiefer Sutherland thankfully has not abandoned television and this time around, he gets to play the President. When the current one is killed, it's up to Sutherland's character, Tom Kirkman to assume the role but with his own reluctance and a staff that seem openly sceptical of his abilities in the role, it looks like it's going to be a tough one for the guy. I'm not sure it'll be something I'll stick with but at the same time, it's still nice to have Kiefer back on the small screen.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_f1v0Nx5Sw

4: MacGyver (CBS, Fridays 8pm)

Another television season, another reboot of a cheesy show with a slightly gritty-ish but not really remix to it. Can this version of MacGyver succeed where the likes of Charlie's Angels and Knight Rider failed in previous years? Oddly, I doubt it but I found the trailer actually fun and whether or not Lucas Till can truly capture the role like Richard Dean Anderson did back in the day remains to be seen. There's some decent support from former CSI actor George Eads as well.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt8E6X6-744

5: Midnight Texas (NBC, mid-season, TBC)

From Charlaine Harris, the author of the Sookie Stackhouse books in which HBO were able to get seven seasons out of, courtesy of True Blood, NBC have roped in the writer from Alias and Charmed (Monica Owusa Breen) for this supernatural series set in the titular town, harbouring vampires, witches and the occassional hitman or so. The cast for this show includes François Arnaud, Dylan Bruce, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Arielle Kebbel, Sarah Ramos, Peter Mensah, Yul Vazquez and Sean Bridgers. In terms of supernatural shows, aside from Grimm (currently entering a sixth season), NBC haven't had too many long lasters. Hopefully this show can break the trend. It also might help if the station released a trailer for it too. The series will run for 13 episodes.

Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/NBCMidnightTX/with_replies?lang=en

6: Powerless (NBC, mid-season, TBC)

One of the strangest new shows to be debuting within the next year, this one is set within the DC comics universe but it's a comedy that seems to be more focused on the damage caused by superheroes more than anything else. Starring Vanessa Hudgens, Danny Pudi and Alan Tudyk, this will air during mid-season. Again, accessing the trailer seems to be a difficult task here as NBC have taken it down. A 13 episode order has been made for the show. It does look funny enough as a series but if this does better than Constantine, I'll be shocked.

Trailer Breakdown/Easter Eggs: http://moviepilot.com/p/easter-egg/3923782

7: Prison Break (FOX, Thursdays 9pm, mid season)

And they're back. If you enjoyed seeing Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell during their recent stints on both The Flash and Legends Of Tomorrow, you can now enjoy them all over again as they reprise their most famous roles as Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield for this revival series. I have to admit to being sceptical about this particular show being brought back but after seeing the trailer and most of the old gang (Sara, T-Bag etc), I guess maybe there is room again to see the brothers breaking each other out of prison yet again.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9T-9fZn_oA

8: Riverdale (CW, mid-season, TBC)

Based on the long running Archie comics and produced by Arrow verse master, Greg Berlanti, the CW have the perfect mid-season show here. From the leaked/quickly deleted trailer, Riverdale, starring KJ Apa as Archie seems to have a creepy blend of Twin Peaks meets Pretty Little Liars as the titular town harbours many secrets and lies, the majority of which are threatening to surface. Also in the cast are Luke Perry, Madchem Amick, Marisol Nicholls and Cole Sprouse while Casey Cott will be playing the role of openly gay teenager, Kevin in this series.

Trailer Description: http://ie.ign.com/articles/2016/05/19/cw-riverdale-trailer-description-plus-frequency-and-no-tomorrow-trailers

9: Shots Fired (FOX, Wednesdays 8pm, Spring 2017)

And for something more topical. With ABC generating mass acclaim for American Crime, this upcoming events series will tackle the aftermath of a racially motivated crime. Starring Helen Hunt, Sanaa Lathan, Stephen James, Richard Dreyfuss and Stephen Moyer, this certainly looks like it could be the jewel in FOX's crown and pairing it with Empire as well could be a very smart move too. It certainly looks harrowing and I can see the Emmys tripping over themselves next year to nominate it for all the awards.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RmkAihHeJg

10: Star (FOX, Wednesdays 9pm , mid-season)

Now this one I am most looking forward to. Created by Lee Daniels and Tom Donaughy, this series will inevitably draw many comparisons to Empire and far as I'm concerned, it might as well be set in the same universe where the Lyon family exit. Not only will it be taking the show's timeslot for a few months but the premise sounds like they took the Mirage a Trois plot from the second season and did something a bit more compelling with it. The show will focus on Star (Jude Demorest), her sister Simone (Brittany O’Grady) and  and her Instagram bestie, Alexandra (Ryan Destiny), and together, the trio journey to Atlanta to become music superstars. Rounding off the cast includes Queen Latifah as the girls manager/godmother Miss Carlotta and Benjamin Bratt as washed up agent Jahil with Lenny Kravitz also guesting in the show.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2snL9QUIZI

11: Star Trek (CBS/CBS All Access, mid-season)

One of the most anticipated new shows going and we're still months away from both the casting being announced and filming to begin. With Star Trek: Beyond due to make it's way into the cinemas pretty soon as well, former Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller will certainly have to make sure the television can truly enter the 21st century and learn from the mistakes of previous spin-off series, Enterprise. CBS released the logo during the upfronts this week and it looks rather traditional but great though. Can't wait to see it in January when it properly launches.

Logo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXpPweAooeE

12: Time After Time (ABC, mid-season, TBC)

Now this one is unusual. A series with HG Wells (Freddie Stroma, Game Of Thrones) versus Jack the Ripper (Josh Bowman, Revenge) from the creator of Dawson's Creek and The Vampire Diaries? Throw in some present day chaos as the former friends turned enemies then rock up in present day New York and this could be a show that could be truly inspired or an absolute mess? The trailer showed elements of both (beautiful steam punk, gorgeous costuming, brilliant battle of wits between Stroma and Bowman but some moments of generic-ness as well). An interesting addition, although the television schedule seems to have a fair amount of time travel themed shows this upcoming season.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN4C4Ar5BLo

Those are my picks for the upcoming US television season, what are yours?