The 2012-2013 New Season of TV shows!

It's that time of year once again, when us proud couch potatoes settle back in our chairs, ready for the onslaught of new TV shows.  The TV execs have had 12 months to come up with some really ground breaking ideas to wow us into watching their shows, and (because let's face it, this is what TV is all about) make us sit there through the adverts.

So, I've had a look at the new, forthcoming shows from the major broadcasters. ABC, CBS, CW, NBC and Fox. Now I'll admit right away this isn't a complete and definite list of EVERY new show coming out - and in fact some might still get dropped - but it's an almost complete list.

I've only dealt with scripted shows, so no reality or game shows. 

So, without further ado, here is the list.

Sitcoms:

1600 Penn: Bill Pullman stars as the head of a dysfunctional family living in the White House.

Animal Practise: Set in a vets, with a monkey nurse.

Ben and Kate: Hilarious fun with a brother and sister who are opposites of each other.

Family Tools: A useless bloke takes over the family hardware business. With hilarious consequences.

Friend Me: (Shoot me now, please..) Sitcom based around 2 friends working at the Groupon website. No, seriously...

The Goodwin Games: 3 siblings reunite when their father dies, but in order to get their share of the will, they have to play Trivial Pursuit. Or something. I read the story outline 5 times and i still don't get it...

Go On: Matthew “Chandler” Perry stars as a sport reporter coming to terms with the loss of his wife. Yes, apparently it is meant to be a comedy...

Guys With Kids: A sitcom about three guys who try to raise their children.

How to Live With Your Parents: Sarah “Scrubs” Chalke moves back in with her parents. Sometimes these sitcom title designers are paid WAY too much money!

Malibu County: A woman moves her family from Nashville to Malibu.

The Mindy Project: Comedy about someone called Mindy and her everyday life. Created, produced and starring Mindy Kaling.

The Neighbours: A new family move into a neighbourhood to find all their neighbours are aliens.

The New Normal: A woman becomes a surrogate for a gay couple.

Next Caller: Two DJ's become radio phone-in hosts. With hilarious consequences.

Partners: From the makers of Will and Grace comes a sitcom about a bromance.

Save Me: A sitcom about an Angel. With hilarious consequences.

Drama:

Beauty and the Beast: No need to tell you what this is about. Stars Smallville's Lana Lang. Sorry about that.

The Carrie Diaries: Sex in the City, for teenagers. No, seriously...

Chicago Fire: The day to day lives of a bunch of – go on, guess – fire fighters working in – go on, guess again – Chicago.

Do No Harm: Modern day Jekyll and Hide story about a surgeon who changes every night into something – or someone – else.

Elementary: US version of Sherlock Holmes. With Johnny Lee Miller as Holmes, Lucy Liu as Watson and Aiden Quinn as Lestrad (who isn't called Lestrad.)

Emily Owens, MD: A new student nurse turns up at hew new hospital to find some old classmates there. Or something. It's a teen-angst medical drama.

The Following: Kevin Bacon stars as an FBI agent tracking down a serial killer. Sounds brilliant. It's on Fox. It'll last 2 seasons.

Last Resort: Military Drama about the crew of a submarine. Brilliant Cast (IMO): Scott Speedman, Robert Patrick, Dichen Lachman, Daisy Betts, Autumn Reeser...

Made in Jersey: Legal drama starring Ames from Human target, and Agent Cooper from Twin peaks.

Mistresses: US Remake of the British mystery Drama about adults going around having affairs. Or something.

The Mob Doctor: A surgeon gets involved with the mob. Title says it all really :)

Nashville: Musical Drama starring everyone's favourite regenerating cheerleader, Hayden Panettiere. It's about Country singers. In Nashville.

Red Widow: A widow continues her husbands business. Which was to say, he was organising crime.

Vegas: Michael Chiklis is a mobster, Dennis Quaid is the sheriff trying to put him down. Set in Vegas in the 60's.

Zero Hour: Created by Paul “Prison Break” Scheuring.

Horror, Supernatural and Sci-Fi:

666 Park Avenue: The new couple in an apartment think their entire block may be haunter. Locke from Lost is the villian. Sounds good enough reason to watch to me.

Arrow: Based on Dc Comics Green Arrow. Basically, a modern day American Robin Hood-type figure.

Revolution: JJ Abrams produced show about... Look, It's JJ Abrams. It'll be worth watching, ok. Not that I'm biased or anything :)

Others:

Cult: Mystery show about an investigation into a series of crimes based on the stories of a TV show. Starring Robert “T-Bag” Knepper! Say no more!

Hannibal: Psychological Thriller based on the work of Thomas Harris, featuring everyones favourite cannibal, Dr Hannibal Lecter. Mads Mikkelsen stars as Hannibal.

Infamous: A Mystery Soap Opera Drama about some woman who dies and the investigation into her death. Might turn into a Twin peaks type thin. Who knows...

And last by most certainly least... I know I said I was avoiding mentioning gameshows, but this one just had to be mentioned.

Oh Sit!: On the CW network. An hour long game of Musical Chairs.. No, seriously...

Happy Viewing!

Flashpoint Uk schedule. A Universal Guide.

So, for the past few months Universal Channel UK (113 Sky (150 for +1), 162 VirginTV (163 +1), 8 TalkTalkTV) has been airing the critically acclaimed Canadian show "Flashpoint". 

The season numbering by Universal is off, due to them putting seasons 2 and 3 together, so to avoid any further confusion, i shall mention episode numbers [with notes in these square bracket things (which have probably got some official name, but I think Square Bracket thing sums them up quite nicely.)]

Universal UK have the rights now to all 5 seasons, which consist of 75 episodes in total. Scorpio [#01] to Keep the Peace [#75].

The aim of this entry is to keep updating it with the forthcoming schedule from Universal Channel UK.

All episodes air at 6pm, with a repeat at midnight and then a second repeat the next day at midday. All 3 airings are of course duplicated on the +1 channel (7pm, 1am and 1pm respectively.)


26th-30th November: 
Monday:  Grounded [#52]
Tuesday: Call to Arms[#57]
Wednesday: Team Player[#60]
Thursday: Day Game[#58]
Friday: Blue on Blue [#59]

3rd-7th December: 
Monday:  Priority of Life[#61]
Tuesday: Slow Burn [#62]
Wednesday: Broken Peace [#63] (Labelled as Season 5)
Thursday: No Kind of Life [#64]

Friday:  Run to Me [#65]

10th-14th December:
Monday:  Eyes In [#66]
Tuesday: Sons of the Father [#67]
Wednesday:  A World of Their Own [#72]
Thursday:  Below The Surface [#68]
Friday:  Forget Oblivion [#69]

17th-21st December:Monday:  We Take care of our Own [#70]
Tuesday: Lawmen [#71]
Wednesday:  Fit for Duty [#73]
Thursday:  Keep the Peace - Part 1 [#74]
Friday:  Keep the Peace - Part 2 [#75]

You can follow Universal Channel UK on twitter @UniversalChUK or on facebook

How they laughed.

When I was young I got teased a lot. Made fun of. Mocked. Why? Because I was different. I had strange hobbies. I enjoyed odd things. I spent a lot of time sitting in front of my computer, doing (or so it seemed to everyone else) nothing much at all.

I was laughed at because I would happily spend all day tapping away at the keys.
And then the Internet came along, and suddenly everyone wanted a computer. Computers were cool.
I played computer games, and they laughed at me. But then Playstation, Wii and Xbox came along, and now it’s cool to play computer games.

I was laughed at because I liked Sci-fi.Star Trek, Star Wars and Doctor Who.
In 2005, Doctor Who came back, and suddenly it was cool to watch Doctor Who.
In 2009 Star Trek returned to Cinemas, and suddenly it was cool to watch Star Trek.

They mocked me because I read comic books. I enjoyed the stories of Spider-man, Hulk and the X-Men.
Then graphic novels started to influence the world of movies and TV, and now it’s cool to read comics.

I read HUGE books with maps in the cover, about far away lands populated by strange people and mythical creatures. And they laughed at me . Then Lord of the Rings was made and it was cool to like this. Game of Thrones continued the tradition.

I can’t forgive anyone who laughed at me, because I know now what I always knew. I’m the pioneer of cool. Want to know what I’m into now; what will be cool in a few years? I’m not going to tell you. You’ll laugh at me!

Flashpoint comes back to the UK!

An armed man takes a hospital ward hostage, endangering the lives of the patients.
A bank robber runs into the street, using the manageress of the branch as a shield, daring the police to shoot him.
A convicted murderer takes an off-duty policeman hostage and demands to speak to a prosecutor.

Three instances of bad people who deserve what they get from the authorities. The authorities in this case being the SRU – Strategic Response Unit – of the TV show Flashpoint. When the SRU are called in you know bad things are going on. They try and deal with situations in their own unique way, which is different to most other TV shows. While most would have the team burst in, guns blazing, taking down the bad guys, the SRU turn up and talk to them as people.
Sure they have the back-up plan of going in and shooting, but they talk first. Why are they doing what they're doing?

And that is the beautiful thing about this show. The suspects – or Subjects as Sergeant Greg Parker prefers to call them – are treated as people. As each episode unfolds we learn WHY they are doing what they're doing. What drove them to pick up a gun and point it at someone?
And by the end of the episode, if you let the story carry you along, you'll find yourself feeling the exact same emotions as the characters.

And now the United Kingdom has the chance to experience this. Finally we're getting this show in a proper time slot.
For the past few years, ITV network have had it, and have shown an episode here and there, different times, different days. Show it when they've got time. No advertising or promotion so the only viewers were those who happened to channel hop at half 1 in the morning and stumble on it.

But all that changes on March 19th. Universal channel UK (113 Sky (150 for +1), 162 VirginTV (163 +1), 8 TalkTalkTV) is showing it from the first episode. As with all shows, if you haven't seen it before I would recommend giving it a couple of episodes to get used to it. If you're not enjoying it by the end of the bank robber episode then I'll never bother you again :)

A Lonely Place to Die

We sat down yesterday to watch “A Lonely Place to Die”, a film staring Angel off of Home and Away (as well as many other fine roles, including “The woman in '30 Days of Night'” and “The chick who is married to Sid's Bloke in 'Alias'”) A film which seemed to be of the “127 Hours” variety; an adventure holiday/extreme sport goes wrong. On the face of it it's about 5 mountaineers trying to climb a large mountain in the remotest part of Scotland they can find. However it takes a strange twist with the discovery of a young girl locked in a box, buried underground. What follows is almost a “Deadly Pursuit” on a budget. The plot doesn't seem to know where to go, although the effects are pretty good throughout. And the camera work/photography of the whole area is brilliantly breathtaking. I was however stunned by one very large scene, which caused me to spend the next 20 minutes shouting loudly and arguing with the film. It is this pivotal moment that I wish to discuss, however it is of course very spoilery. If you haven't seen the film but want to, then please, stop reading. Go watch the film then come back. If you have seen the film, or don't really care then please do read on.

Still here? Good. So, on finding the girl, Rob gets out his map and shows they are on a plateau. The nearest town is fairly close as the bird flies, about 5 miles due south. However there is a rather large gorge (the Devils Drop) between them and the town. He decides to take Alison with him, because she's the main star of the film. The other three are to head East around the ridge, before going south then south west. This is about 50 miles. All is looking good until Rob's rope is cut. Rob is on what we shall call the “North side” of the ridge/gorge. Alison is at this point, clinging to the same side. The bad guys then throw rocks at her, they are clearly on the top of the north ridge. Alison gets down and then, after watching the other 3 for a while, we return to her and she's now running through woods. We can therefore assume she climbed up the south side ridge. In fact we know she did because she finds the other three! There are just the other side of a river. Now, I'm no outdoors type, but.. what direction were they all heading in? How did they meet like this? And – and again I remind you I know very little of the outdoors life – surely this river crossing – dangerous as it appears to be, is still a hell of a lot safer then a 10 million gazillion foot drop to certain death, that is Devils Drop. Alison gets there the same time as the others – in fact, they get there before she does. Why didn't they chose to make that river the crossing point between the North and the South? They had enough rope with them at the start to allow one person to get across the river with one end of the rope, fasten it somewhere on the other side and create a simple bridge to cross. Hell, we made one many years ago in the scouts. Yes I know it's a fast flowing river, but.. Still surely a more sensible option than a drop that you DON'T have enough rope for... So, while I was still reeling from this stupidity of the plot, there comes a moment of terror when the bad guys start shooting our heroes. But.. the shots come from the south side... We see this when Alison crosses back through the water and the bad guys have to try and follow her. When did they cross the ravine? They hardly look the type to take on the Devils Drop. Is there yet another crossing; one capable of being navigated by two blokes – one who clearly doesn't get outside much either! And if so, why didn't Rob try that one?

Twitter, and bringing the world closer.

A slightly different vein for my ramblings today. The topic at hand is Twitter (and some ways, facebook, although Twitter is slightly more in line with the article at hand).

Some celebrities have embraced Twitter as a way to "advertise" their new products. Singers tweet about their latest compositions, actors about their new film or TV show. Many of these celebrities reply to the "normal people" (you and me), making us feel like valued "customers".

As great as it to have the news that Steve Martin is getting ready to do a one-man show, or Snoop Dogg is finishing the last bit of mixing on his new album, to me, the main joy of reading famous tweets is the mundane things.

What I really enjoy, more than knowing that Lady Gaga is about to start a new tour, is that Justin Bieber just burnt his toast. Or Katy Perry stubbed her toe.
Or that Barack Obhama has just farted.

It's the little things that makes Twitter more fun.

As a total aside, sometimes it can ruin the magic. I saw a photo the other day, of Richard Dean Anderson (best known for StarGate: SG1 and of course, MacGuyver) standing in front of his car, scratching his head. MacGuyver can't fix his own car?
It sort of ruins the magic of everything.

This one, however, really made me laugh.
https://twitter.com/#!/rajskub/status/160762663205470209
Chloe from 24 - Jack Bauer's right hand woman; the woman responsible for opening more locked doors, cracking more security, hi-jacking more camera footage than anyone else... And she's can't work her DVD player...

Like I said, it's the simple things in life.

(Ps: Celebrities, tweet more about the boring things :-D )

(PPs: I don't follow Steve martin, Lady gaga, Snoop Dogg, Bieber, Katy Perry... The things I made up are fictional. Apart from the Chloe and MacGuyver one.)

Good looking people in Cult TV...

I made a discovery several months ago, regarding good looking men and women in Cult TV shows. Now I don't profess to have paid any real attention to good looking men. The women on the other hand... It all started back in September, when I had the following conversation with my wife, about a new TV show starting the next week.
"Ringer starts next week" I said casually.
"What's that then?" asks the missus.
"Something about a woman and her twin sister and.. stuff..."
She sighs. "Who is in it?"
"Umm.. Sarah Michelle Gellar."
"Right. So that has no bearing on why we're watching it then?"

All of which lead us into a more in depth conversation about the fact nearly ever TV show we watch has someone I fancy in it.

"But Person of Interest starts the week after that! That's got the bloke who is in the remake of The Prisoner, and Ben from Lost!" I said, trying to defend my position.
"You get Buffy. I get Ben from Lost. Where are all the good looking blokes on TV? All I've got is Supernatural!"

Which then lead her to spend the rest of that afternoon looking for blokes she fancies who might be making TV shows...

Maybe she's just too picky, but of all the shows we watch, there seems to be no one she really fancies, with the exception of Dean from Supernatural.

Even Flashpoint, a show which consists of 6 main characters, 5 of which are male. The odds are good there would be someone for her. But no. None of them do it for her. I meanwhile get to dribble over Jules for 45 minutes.

Just for kicks I listed some of the shows we watch and compared the men vs Women.

Hawaii 5-0: She admits Danno is pretty good. I however get Boomer (from BSG) and New Girl Lori.
Big Bang Theory: Perhaps the perfect example. I get Penny to lust over for 30 minutes a week. She gets Sheldon and Leonard. (I did point out she gets Howard as a bonus...)
Burn Notice: She says Michael makes his face into too many silly expression for her to like. However I get psycho Fi.
Secret Circle: Ignoring the fact the main cast are kids, the lead girl and the evil girl are quite good, while she just gets John Connor. (As an aside I will quickly mention The Sarah Connor Chronicles, featuring the divine Summer Glau...) In terms of the previous generation cast, i get Natasha Henstridge!
Fringe: Hello Alternative Liv...
Merlin: While she admits Arthur is alright, if he was a little older, I of course get Morganna...

So, I asked the question to my friends via facebook: "Where are the good looking blokes in Cult TV", and the response was overwhelming. "True Blood". We have since watched all 4 seasons of that, and yes she has to admit that that's where they are all hiding. (Maybe now would be a good time to mention I was undecided about it, until I discovered Rogue from the X-Men films was the main lead... So, another for me...) So she gets True Blood and Supernatural. It still seems slightly unbalanced.