Television

If you weren’t lucky enough to get swept up in Chuck the first time around, you truly missed something unique. I got caught in the tidal wave at the very last scene of season two. My husband was watching the show and I was on my way through the living room. I stopped, watched the lead character, Chuck, do this thing where he looked at his bad guys, had some sort of flash, then did crazy, flipping kung fu. I remember looking at my husband and saying, “That was cool. Does he always do that?” To which he laughed and said, “Not like that!” I didn’t realize until I watched the seasons and caught up for myself that that scene was an awesome ending to season two. It truly only takes one scene to pull the viewer in. It’s a show made with passion that bleeds through to the audience.

I very clearly remember when they announced there would be a second series of this critically-acclaimed, fantastic show Broadchurch, and thinking, how on Earth is that possibly going to work? If you’ve seen the first series, it is quite clear, cut, and dry. The ending is a complete wrap-up. Sure, maybe there are a few lingering questions, but nothing that couldn’t be swept away with a short epilogue or possibly even left hanging on purpose to have the viewers realize that nothing is ever completely tidey. But, nonetheless, since the first series was amazing and the acting was spot on, how could I resist not coming back to Broadchurch for another visit? I hoped with crossed fingers the producers knew what they were doing and this wasn’t just a cash grab to keep a wayward series going, ie. Lost-style.

I know what everyone's going to say at the end of this trailer: How come everyone in the cast already seems to know that Kara is Supergirl? Her sister, her boyfriend, James (not Jimmy) Olsen (played by Mehcad Brooks), the DEO agent. Didn't THE FLASH take a whole season to do that (and he's supposed to be the fast one)? Seems the only one who doesn't know is Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) who named the Maid of Might after her initial appearance.

Peter Dinklage's star has been on the rise for a number of years now, but it certainly began shining its brightest when he took on the role of Tyrion Lannister in the HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin's sword and sorcery epic novel series, GAME OF THRONES. The series features a wide cast of characters (and rumor has it you should never get too attached to any of them), but it was Dinklage and his portrayal of Tyrion that captured the hearts and minds of fans, as reflected in the votes for this category.

According to Hollywood legend, Martin had no other actor in mind for the part of Tyrion, and no other auditions were held for the role; there was no one else to be considered but Dinklage. Whether that's true or just an interesting bit of filmmaking apocrypha, what ultimately matters is that Dinklage brings the wit and wisdom, the comedy and tragedy, of this character to a level that resonates with fans.

There's a reason why the CW is the #1 broadcast network on Tuesday nights among men 18 to 34, and that reason wears a red uniform. His name is Barry Allen, and he is not only The Fastest Man Alive, he's a ratings bonanza.

Grant Gustin is accompanied by an ensemble cast that has made THE FLASH one of the must-watch series on television. His premiere episode outpaced every show in CW history to become their most watched telecast ever, pulling in more than 13 million viewers across all viewing platforms.

It's no surprise, therefore, that THE FLASH won handily in the voting for Best Television Series of 2014. But it wasn't without some pretty stiff competition. Close on its heels was ARROW, followed by BBC's DOCTOR WHO.

Mike Maillaro: So, this week’s topic is something I have been thinking about a lot lately.  With the rise of Netflix exclusives, Amazon, Hulu, Sling, Roku, and on and on, it is harder and harder to justify the cost of cable TV.  So the question is:

Where do you see Television in 5 to 10 years?  

Mike Maillaro: Welcome to Blast of the Week.  Each week, the Critical Blast staff will post our thoughts about various entertainment and media topics.

This year's topic is Netflix's Daredevil series!

Hello readers! I know we're still just getting started for Critical Blast, but it's never too early to open up with a bang.

To that end, I'd like to introduce you to our first annual Critical Blast Awards -- and you get a vote! In the future, we'll have more categories, but for this year we're limiting ourselves to Best Movie, Best Television Series, and Best Actor (from each).

In an effort to prevent ballot box stuffing (as much as we can), the form below requires a Google+ account to participate. We look forward to your input. The polls will remain open through April 6th, 2015.

This just in: The X-Files is officially returning to FOX! Thirteen years after its original run, the sci-fi series is making its comeback with a six-episode event series from creator/executive producer Chris Carter. Stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson will reprise their roles as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

"I think of it as a 13-year commercial break," said Carter. "The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories."

The series is set to start production in summer 2015, but an air date has not yet been set.

Source: TV Guide

From Entertainment Weekly:

For the eagerly anticipated Sherlock special episode, Holmes and Watson are essentially going back in time.

Co-creator Steven Moffat has now confirmed the special will take place in Victorian London, validating fan assumptions about the episode. Last month the show’s stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman were spotted filming Sherlock in 19th century clothes, causing fans to wonder if perhaps the crime-fighting duo attended a costume ball, or ir perhaps it was just some kind of dream sequence within the special. But no: The 90-minute episode literally takes place hundreds of years ago.

This contest is over. The randomly selected winner is: LINDSAY D. of URBANA, OH.

Well, we promised you it was coming, and now it's here. On the heels of our POWER RANGERS COMPLETE SERIES giveaway, we now have POWER RANGERS SEASONS 4-7 -- the series that came after the "complete" series.

This hotly sought after series by fans of Saban's POWER RANGERS show includes the story arcs ZEO, TURBO, IN SPACE and LOST GALAXY, and includes a bonus disc of extra features.

But how, you may ask, can you make this set yours? Well, one way is to be the randomly selected winner of this contest, which is as simple as entering your information in the form below! Really, it's that easy!

I saw this story on Lucha Underground's Facebook feed.

Danny Trejo was announced as joining the cast of El Rey's From Dusk Till Dawn series.  Sadly, we don't get El Rey by me, but I love Robert Rodriguez, so I've been wanting to see this series for a while.  I have been considering subscribing to Sling just so I can more easily follow From Dusk Till Dawn and Lucha Underground.

I have always had a love for lesser known actors...you know, those guys you've seen in many movies, but you don't know their names.  Well, I take the time to learn their names, and Danny Trejo has been one of my favorites for a while (I should do a column on some of my favorites...including Tina Majorino, Andre Braugher, Peter Stormore, and Clancy Brown).  Danny Trejo has appeared in around 200 different roles, including doing voice work.  He even had a brilliant cameo in the Muppet's Most Wanted as a prisoner in a Russian Gulag...named Danny Trejo. 

From Entertainment Weekly:

Want to see Firefly stars Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk not only back together on screen but back together on a spaceship? Then we recommend you get out your credit card and head over to the just-launched-today Indiegogo page for the pair’s planned web series, Con Man.

From Deadline:

CBS and Warner Bros. TV have released the first images of Supergirl star Melissa Benoist as the super heroine. Gone are the bleach blonde locks and the skimpy, midriff-baring cheerleader outfit from the Supergirl comics.

The more conservative mesh garb in muted colors is very similar to what Henry Cavill wears in the Warner Bros. Supeman movies — maybe DC and the studio are eying a potential crossover of the cousins in matching outfits?

The CW also is going for consistency, with the Supergirl costume created by the same designer who also did the costumes for the other two CW/WBTV DC superhero series, The Flash and Arrow: three-time Oscar winner Colleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland, Memoirs Of A Geisha and Chicago). “In designing Supergirl, I wanted to embrace the past, but more importantly, thrust her into the street-style action hero of today,” she said.

On last night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart announced that through Omaze they will be raffling off tickets for the final episode of The Daily Show. 

The prize includes:

• Get 2 tickets to Jon Stewart’s last ever taping of The Daily Show
• Receive exclusive Daily Show memorabilia
• Be flown out to NYC and put up in a 4-star hotel

All proceeds go to Night of Too Many Stars and New York Collaborates for Autism.  My cousin Marcus was just diagnosed with Autism, and my wife works closely with numerous autistic and other classified kids as a special education teacher.  This is a cause that is particularly important to me.  And of course, I am also a huge Daily Show fan, so I am glad to be able to provide a little publicity for this. 

The CW Network has yet another DC Comics show to add to its programming schedule -- but don't expect any crossovers with THE FLASH or ARROW.

iZombie was the creation of comics veterans Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, and was part of DC's Vertigo line of horror comics. In the comics, the lead character was named Gwen, a girl who was a zombie who lived undetected among the living, but she had to eat a brain every month or lose her memories. Fortunately, her job as a gravedigger gave her ready access to food, at the cost of gaining the dead person's memories upon consumption of the brain.

Leonard Nimoy, star of stage and screen, and idol to millions of science fiction fans everywhere for his portrayal of the logical Vulcan, Spock, on STAR TREK, has passed away at age 83 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

There will be numerous articles appearing almost immediately detailing Nimoy's illustrious career. This isn't one of those. This is rather my personal remembrances of this actor, author, photographer and -- yes -- singer and musician.

From Deadline:

DC Comics superheroes are uniting in a potential new drama series at the CW, a spinoff from hits Arrow and The Flash that will feature several fan-favorite recurring actors/characters from both shows. I have learned that the network has teamed with Arrow creators Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim for a project eyed for next season toplined by Brandon Routh, Victor Garber, Wentworth Miller and Caity Lotz.

The untitled project, now in development, is described as a superhero team-up show. Routh, Miller and Garber will reprise their popular DC Comics characters  — Arrow‘s Ray Palmer/The Atom (Routh), Flash villain Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Miller), and Flash‘s Dr. Martin Stein (Garber). Because her Arrow character Sara Lance was killed off, with her sister Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) taking over as the Black Canary, it is unclear whether Lotz will play the same or new superhero.

I did not see the Doctor Who Christmas Special last Christmas. That is to say, I did not see the Doctor Who Christmas Special, "Last Christmas" last Christmas. Of course I've seen the Doctor Who Christmas Special, "Last Christmas," but I saw it last night on DVD.

The annual Doctor Who tradition traditionally provides some of the best stand-alone episodes of the show. And this one certainly plays with the viewers' heads -- and their hearts. The episode opens with Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) being awoken by such a clatter that has arose on her roof; so she springs from her bed to see what is the matter. When what to her wondering eyes should appear but two elves, a man in a Santa suit, and flying reindeer!

DisneyXD posted up a teaser for Monday's season finale of Star Wars: Rebels, "Fire Across the Galaxy."  I've really been enjoying Rebels, it definitely feels like Star Wars.  I know a lot of people preferred Clone Wars, but I just couldn't get into Clone Wars.  Rebels I was hooked from the first episode.  I really like the characters, especially Sabine and Hera.  I did think that Ezra was annoying in some of the earlier episodes, but even he's developed into a good character over the course of the series.

Watching this show, I really wonder what happens to these characters between Rebels and A New Hope.  It seems very likely to me that they pretty much would all have to die at some point, probably in some kind of act that starts to pull the threads of the Rebellion together. The teaser for the season finale definitely suggests someone will be dying next week, and I think Kanan is the most obvious choice.