Television

During today's Voltron panel at NYCC, they announced that season 2 will premiere on Netflix later than originally anticipated.

While it was initially said that the second season of the popular animated series would be released late 2016, the official announcement comes as a bit of a surprise. Season 2 will be available on January 20th, 2017.

Fans of the show that made it to the panel were treated to a sneak peak at episode 2 of the upcoming season. From the reaction on twitter, it appears everyone in attendance approved. Among other things discussed at the panel's Q&A, fans discovered that Lance is actually Cuban and Pidge is a bit of a hoarder.

Stop me if you've seen this one before: A CW hero begins a new season of a much-watched show, and the premiere ultimately reveals a new villain with a set of abilities exactly the same as the hero.

With THE FLASH, we started with the Reverse-Flash, moved on to Zoom, and are now potentially facing off against The Rival and/or Savitar. In ARROW we've been up against the Dark Archer, Damian Darkh (who admittedly was a bit more than a weapons master), and we conclude "Legacy" by meeting another hooded character who leaps off buildings and fires arrows. It's a big DC Universe out there, writing staff. You don't always have to have an equal-but-opposite villain.

But I'm moving too fast -- something I usually reserve for the show with the red-suited character.

For those wondering if the events from "Flashpoint" would last all season long or just for the first episode -- well, you're both right.

The second season of CW's hit superhero drama THE FLASH ended with Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) traveling back in time to prevent the Reverse-Flash from killing Barry's mother, setting the stage for what fans of the comics knew to be the "Flashpoint" paradox. And, certainly enough, when The Flash returns to the present day, his world has been changed. Both his parents (John Wesley Shipp, Michelle Harrison) are alive, but nobody remembers that Barry Allen is The Flash.

Instead, there's a new Flash in town -- Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale), who battles his own super-speed villain, The Rival (Todd Lasance). Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) is a billionaire, Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) is a pediatric eye doctor, Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) is a drunk, and Iris (Candice Patton) hasn't seen Barry since middle school.

Voltron has finally released the preview footage for season 2 and combined the ominous score that accompanies it, it appears that darker days loom ahead.

When season 1 ended, the 5 lions of Voltron were split up. My theory has long stood that since Shiro was a new character for this updated version, eventually Keith would step into a leadership role. Given his time spent with Shiro during season 1 he has had time to learn from his mentor.

In the early hours of the morning the official twitter account, for Marvel's IRON FIST on Netflix, awoke after a 3 month hiatus.

Starring Finn Jones (Game of Thrones) as Danny Rand, the show follows the story of a young man who is "bestowed with incredible martial arts skills and a mystical force known as the Iron Fist."

Breathe deep. #IronFist pic.twitter.com/RSTKHgJg6I

— Iron Fist (@MarvelIronFist) October 4, 2016

With Supergirl landing on The CW, the network has significantly upgraded it's 'Superhero Fight Club' promo from last year.

Seeing the entire gang together for the first time is enough to make any geek burst with excitement. It's the shortest of previews into the window of the upcoming 4 episode crossover that will have all four shows following the same story.

Rather than keep you in suspense with all the "mysterious mystery" we'll get you right into the video and provide commentary afterwards:

You can watch the entire episode on The CW App.

Earlier today, Larry Teng, executive producer turned director for The CW's Supergirl, tweeted his thoughts on this season's seventh episode, after giving it a read.

Needless to say he lacked a filter:

Just read @TheCWSupergirl 2.07... Holy shit. @DavidHarewood @chy_leigh @JeremyMJordan @MehcadBrooks @MelissaBenoist

— Larry Teng (@larryteng) September 21, 2016

Raimy Sullivan (Peyton List) is a police officer celebrating her 28th birthday. But for the past 20 years she's lived under a cloud. Her father, Frank Sullivan (Riley Smith), also a policeman, was killed days after her 8th birthday. The story was that he was so deep undercover that he forgot what side he fought for.

When a lightning storm reactivates her father's ham radio (you have to love lightning; that's two series now on CW that rely on it as a kick starter), Raimy finds herself talking to someone who claims to be Frank Sullivan. As the two converse the next few nights, it becomes undeniable to either of them that they are indeed conversing across the space of twenty years. And with that, you have the new CW series, FREQUENCY.

Critic’s Log 2476.5…I was six when Star Trek: The Motion Picture came out. Talk about old, nobody calls a film based on a television show a “motion picture” anymore, and rightly so—who would pay $40 for a ticket, a bucket o’ popcorn and a bladder-buster sized Mr. Pibb to sit for two-plus hours to watch a picture that doesn’t move? You whippersnappers with your Technicolor and your special effects…ahem! I digress…My father took me to the Cross Keys Theatre in North St. Louis at that impressionable young age. I lasted about 10 minutes before I wanted nothing more to do with it. Not long afterwards Star Wars was re-released ahead of The Empire Strikes Back, and what a difference another six months to a year made! I was a fiend for anything to do with space stuff. Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and this goofy old show my grandpa used to make me watch sometimes with this pointy eared dude with a lame haircut.

The second season of CW's breakout superhero show (and two-time winner of Critical Blast's Best Television Show of the Year) THE FLASH is now available on for home video on Blu-ray and DVD, including the crossover with ARROW (but not the crossover with SUPERGIRL). Maybe next year.

The CW's ARROW and THE FLASH have provided an embarrassment of riches, when it comes to talented actors portraying lesser known characters. So what happens when you have characters, that nobody cared about, suddenly become fan favorites?

You give them their own show!

The pre-Batman stories of Gotham City continue in the second season of GOTHAM, now on Blu-ray and DVD.

Ben McKenzie (SOUTHLAND) continues his role as Gotham City Police icon James Gordon, now busted down to traffic cop after his stint last season taking down corruption within the ranks. But when he is finally ousted by the crooked Police Commissioner Loeb (Peter Scolari -- in an outstanding dramatic contrast to BOSOM BUDDIES and NEWHART), Gordon makes a deal with the devil in the form of the Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), who now finds himself with a tenuous hold on the throne of all Gotham City crime. All Gordon has to do is collect a debt for Penguin and he'll see that Commissioner Loeb is fired and he gets his old job back. But things go horribly wrong in a way that will haunt Jim forever.

My first exposure to THE TICK was when the cartoon debuted way back in 1994.  After the success of the X-Men cartoon, I just assumed this was another superhero cartoon on Fox.  But from the first episode, it was clear this was something very different.  Something funny and ridiculous and just brilliant.  I immediately went out and picked up the 5 omnibus trades from my local comic shop.  THE TICK would also later get a short-lived live action show starring Patrick Warburton, who was brilliant in the role.

The Kornfield Kounty citizens and their classic cornpone routines -- not to mention some of the most outstanding country music performances ever recorded -- are now available (at least in part) in this 14-disc collector's edition from Time-Life, proving again that picking and grinning never go out of style. Buck Owens and Roy Clark kick off and wrap up each episode as well as give their own musical performances and comedy contributions, standing alongside some of the legends of country music who guest-starred on the series. And it's always heartening to see the musical guests partake in the comedy aspects -- it humanized some of these towering figures. Seeing Johnny Cash participate in the silly, running gag song "You Were Gone" is one of the highlights of the long-running series, and one of the many skits included in this boxed set.

***Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-Ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.***

I know what you're thinking: Oh, look at that disclaimer in bold lettering, he's totally going to suck up to WB; this reviewer is in their back pocket!

Science fiction has no shortage of Artificially Intelligent spacecraft. Coincidentally, it also doesn't have a shortage of A.I.s that enjoy the name Lucy (see HOMEWRECKER, HACKERS, and RED PLANET).

On Syfy's KILLJOYS, Tamsen McDonough provides the voice for the ship's computer, Lucy, providing personable (and smartass) dialogue to interact with the crew of the show's bounty hunters, earning her the unofficial title of the show's Fourth Killjoy. We spoke with McDonough about her role, and the role of A.I. in science fiction -- and modern life -- to get her perspective on things from the inside.

On KILLJOYS, you provide the voice of Lucy, the ship's computer. You have such a chemistry with the cast and your vocal interactions with them, I have to wonder -- even though you're not on screen, do you work physically with the other actors, or are you working solely out of a recording studio sound booth?

**review includes spoilers for seasons 1&2, and mild spoilers for season 3**

I’ve been a huge fan of The 100 for the last couple years. There is so much to love about this show, including a suspenseful dystopian / post-apocalyptic world, moral grayness, diverse characters, and strong and complex women.

When we last saw everyone at the end of season 2, Clarke and Bellamy just radiated Mount Weather in order to save their friends, who were being harvested for their bone marrow. Unfortunately, killing the bad guys also meant radiating a few good guys – including Jasper’s girlfriend, Maya. Clarke left camp in order to deal with her guilt, while Jaha and Murphy went on a trek in search of the mysterious “City of Light.” The Grounders violated their pact with Clarke by abandoning the “Sky People” at the last minute, fracturing the friendship/maybe more relationship between Clarke and Grounder Commander, Lexa.

The perfect summer series, IMHO, is mindless, full of music, has plenty of dancers, and is unabashedly nostalgic. ABC's six-week summertime event, Greatest Hits, fits the bill. When I heard about it from Steve Spears over at Stuck in the '80s I immediately thought back to the summer of 2005, when the limited series Hit Me Baby One More Time trotted out bands from the '80s to sing one of their hits, then tackle a newer pop song. Greatest Hits blessedly skips the "competition" format and just presents the musicians to let them do what they do best: perform in front of an appreciative crowd, just like the good ol' days.

In all my years of watching television, never have I felt such despair after watching what should have been cause for joy. But in the end, the epicenter of 'Battle of the Bastards' was portrayed with such dark reality, that it needs to be discussed.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

In the second to last episode of this year's GAME OF THRONES, we witnessed the liberation of Winterfell and the defeat of the 'Masters' at the hand of Daenerys and her Dragons. And while I'm always up for Dragon's raining down fire on slavers (or anyone for that matter), the focal point of the episode, 'Battle of the Bastards' was the most powerful of the two themes.

Ever since it was announced that SUPERGIRL has been moved to The CW, news about the show has been coming faster than a speeding bullet-point list.

Let's round up the news so far: