It's been quite a long time since my last update! I've kept busy, as you might imagine, but that shouldn't mean I neglect writing about awesome topics. In that spirit, I've decided to devote this post to one of my favorite subjects. Fall is just around the corner, and that means only one thing: new fall TV season! Below is a list of some of my favorites that I might sadly have to wait to see (Netflix as a cable replacement has a few downsides). But just because I will have to exercise monk-like patience doesn't mean you have to! (seriously, go see these ASAP) Ranked in no particular order, they are:
4. Sherlock
Airs on: BBC, PBS
Expect it: October (UK), January 2014 (US)
Although the premiere date has yet to be announced, fans have a reason to be excited for this one. The third series** of the BBC's modern take on the classic detective stories recently received a teaser trailer, highlighting some amazing scenes that we can expect to see. With primary antagonist Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) dead, it will be up to a new villain to step up to the plate. Even more exciting, the resolution of last season's cliffhanger will finally be revealed, and the internet will finally be at (temporary) peace. But what has been the delay for so long? Perhaps it is the increasingly busy schedule of both lead actors. Benedict Cumberbatch has recently played Khan in the latest Star Trek installment, as well as been rumored for some other work. Martin Freeman's face is popping up everywhere these days, from an oddly relevant Real-estate Agent (The World's End), to a particularly famous hobbit (The Hobbit: The desolation of Smaug). Coincidentally enough, the two will meet up in the latter movie, where Freeman's Bilbo Baggins has a game of wits with Cumberbatch's Smaug (and if that weren't enough screentime, he will also pull double duty as the sinister Necromancer*). But with all their busy schedules, the pair have amazingly managed to get Sherlock's season 3 filmed and ready to air. It has been awhile in coming, but this fantastic take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work in finally just around the corner.
3. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Airs on: The Hub
Airs on: The Hub
Expect it: Saturday, November 23
There is a reason this show, while aimed at a much younger demographic, has taken the internet community (primarily 18-30 year-olds) by storm. Some say it is the animation style that is most appealing (MLP is made using Flash), some enjoy the story writing of the accomplished Lauren Faust; and some find a deeper meaning in the show's message about friendship. Whatever the reason, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has enjoyed unprecedented success across one of the most diverse fan bases i've ever been a part of. All of this has ensured the show's fourth season will be even more exciting: Twilight Sparkle and her five friends return to the horse-themed land of Equestria this November for new adventures, new fun, and perhaps some new friends and enemies. Whether a minor mishap leads to major mayhem, or Equestria is threatened by some fantastical villain, the Mane Six (pony pun) will be up to the challenge. And just maybe, they will learn something new about friendship along the way.
2. Avatar: The Legend of Korra
Airs on: Nickelodeon
Airs on: Nickelodeon
Expect it: Friday, September 13
It has been well over a year sice we last heard from Avatar Korra and her friends in Republic City. The sequel to the critically acclaimed Avatar: The Last Airbender has been seen as a solid, if sometimes hasty, continuation of Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino's original story. In the world of Avatar, some people posess the ability to control or "bend" one of the four classical elements of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Air. One person, known as the Avatar, can bend all four. At the end of the previous series, the imperialist Fire Nation has been defated by then-Avatar Aang and his friends, and peace is slowly returning to the world after 100 years of war. Flash forward sixty years, and the setting for Korra is drawn up. Undergoing rapid modernization, the world has gone from feudal era to 1920's Industrial, and all of the change centers on the melting-pot metropolis of Republic City. But of course, all is not well. Aang's teenaged reincarnation Korra sneaks aboard a Republic City-bound freighter, escaping the confinement of her home in the South Pole. Upon arriving, she discovers new friends and deadly enemies. An anti-Bending revolution brews in the depths of the city, eventually sparking conflict that leads to a climactic battle with the leader of the revolution, Amon (Voiced by the legendary Steve Blum). Originally planned to run as a miniseries (terminating at the end of 12 episodes), Korra featured an explosive season finale that aired last June. The series expansion can be credited to host network Nickelodeon, an amusing turnaround from their original reluctance to approve the show in the first place. Korra and her new "Team Avatar" will come out of hiatus this next Friday, with an entirely new story arc that fans both new and old will love.
1. Doctor Who
Airs on: BBC One
Airs on: BBC One
Expect it: Saturday, November 23
What can I say? I did play favorites after all, and saved the best for last. This year marks the 50th since the inception of the most famous Sci-Fi program of all time (Sorry, Star Trek fans!) The momentous occasion will be celebrated in a true Doctor Who fashion, with a special episode set to air this November. The history of the Iconic Doctor's adventures could span a novel longer than The Lord of the Rings, which makes elaborating on it a bit difficult. The most recent incarnation of the series, however, is a bit easier: it began its run in 2005. Then-producer Russel T. Davies faced a difficult task of breathing new life into a show that had been off the air for over 15 years, with only a 1996 movie in between. He accomplished this by bringing in both superb writers and actors (including the "fantastic!" Christopher Eccleston). After series** one's success, the show's return seemed absolute. And it has been; over the years since it's return to air, an entirely new generation of fans around the world has sprung up around the show, bridging the generation gap that so few TV programs can manage. One of the more clever bits of writing in Doctor Who is the way in which the protagonist's actors are switched out. The Doctor is an alien capable of "regenerating" his body when he is mortally injured. When he does so, the character's entire appearance (and personality) is altered, allowing the show's writers to recast him as another actor. The end of last season was the final run for the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith), and the show's writers have announced that Peter Capaldi (of BBC series The Thick of It, among others) will become the next Doctor during the special. Some of the more popular previous Doctors and travel companions will reappear as well, setting the 50th Anniversary up to be a spectacular one. And with the annual Christmas special to lead into the new series only a month away from that, fans certainly have much to be excited for.
What can I say? I did play favorites after all, and saved the best for last. This year marks the 50th since the inception of the most famous Sci-Fi program of all time (Sorry, Star Trek fans!) The momentous occasion will be celebrated in a true Doctor Who fashion, with a special episode set to air this November. The history of the Iconic Doctor's adventures could span a novel longer than The Lord of the Rings, which makes elaborating on it a bit difficult. The most recent incarnation of the series, however, is a bit easier: it began its run in 2005. Then-producer Russel T. Davies faced a difficult task of breathing new life into a show that had been off the air for over 15 years, with only a 1996 movie in between. He accomplished this by bringing in both superb writers and actors (including the "fantastic!" Christopher Eccleston). After series** one's success, the show's return seemed absolute. And it has been; over the years since it's return to air, an entirely new generation of fans around the world has sprung up around the show, bridging the generation gap that so few TV programs can manage. One of the more clever bits of writing in Doctor Who is the way in which the protagonist's actors are switched out. The Doctor is an alien capable of "regenerating" his body when he is mortally injured. When he does so, the character's entire appearance (and personality) is altered, allowing the show's writers to recast him as another actor. The end of last season was the final run for the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith), and the show's writers have announced that Peter Capaldi (of BBC series The Thick of It, among others) will become the next Doctor during the special. Some of the more popular previous Doctors and travel companions will reappear as well, setting the 50th Anniversary up to be a spectacular one. And with the annual Christmas special to lead into the new series only a month away from that, fans certainly have much to be excited for.
*See: Sauron
**In the UK, TV seasons are referred to as "Series"
**In the UK, TV seasons are referred to as "Series"
