The creators of the new Supergirl show have said that they never would have done this if they hadn't found Melissa Benoist to be the title character, so she must be pretty good. Here's a new trailer revealed at the TC A panel today for the series, starting October 26th.
REVIEW: "UnREAL" Season 1
For as long as this new age of television has existed, my one wish has been for some new show out there to embrace a female anti-hero for once. With all of my favorite shows of the last six to seven years, from Mad Men to Justified and Breaking Bad, the issue that fans have complained about consistently and routinely has been the inevitable role of the annoying wife or girlfriend, always the part written for the female lead, and even though that character has its defenders from people who watch it ("oh, but look what he's doing to her- she deserves to be pissed off, whiny, complaining about his nefarious activities"), I myself am not immune from the charge of finding these characters irritating. They are. I always wish the girl could be in on the crime, part of the action, just as devious and devil-may-care as the men are allowed to be.
So finally, what Lifetime of all networks has given us is an answer to my wish, in the form of not just one, but two complete, straight up anti-heroines on its new show UnReal, which follows the backstage and behind the scenes process that it takes to put on a popular reality show like The Bachelor. This is prime subject matter to finally be exposed, and the show is dark, twisted, soap operatic, and cynical beyond belief as we see just how soulless and manipulative reality TV producers are. Yes, to some extent we knew that already, but this show strips it bare and puts it all in your face, brought to you by the people who know, because they actually worked on those shows before. Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, two women with a history in reality television, have created a show within a show, that follows Rachel (Shiri Appleby), field producer in charge of rallying and putting together a season of Everlasting, which is The Bachelor in all but name, as she befriends, plots, schemes and consciously forces her female contestants into catfights, girls gone wild, real housewives-esque situations (imagine how bad it is on that show) in order to make "good tv." Rachel's good at her job because the girls believe her as she saddles up to each of them to further her end goal, which we don't always know until the end of an episode.
Shiri Appleby, once the teen star of Roswell, is fantastic in this part, because she has such an easygoing, casual, friendly, un-glamorous vibe about her- we see how likeable she is to everyone she's talking to, and we're never sure if she's acting or not as she goes about the business of destroying lives. She's not totally heartless, as the set-up of the show sees her coming back to work after a meltdown that had destroyed her conscience and placed her on meds and in therapy to pull herself together, but whether she feels bad about the various soul-sucking methods of her tabloid chasing series is always in doubt, because Appleby plays everything so seemingly genuine, and then suddenly all will be revealed as a ploy. Her nemesis/partner-in-crime on the show is Quinn King, Everlasting's executive producer played by Constance Zimmer, a twisted maternal figure for Rachel who trained her to do what she does, and is even more brazen and not stricken at all by anything required to place the show high in the ratings. Zimmer's fantastic as well, so boldly, unapologetically out for her own success and the mouth-watering public humiliation of the contestants that she tosses off one-liners and insults reminiscent of Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold of Entourage fame. And yet, the show takes pains to make her something resembling a human at times too, in the form of her love/hate relationship with the show's owner Chet (Craig Bierko), her married boyfriend of eight years who sometimes produces the show with her and parties with the contestants for maximum sleaze effect, yet still, underneath the immoral and disgusting personality, kind of does love Quinn and she him in their own, particularly evil way.
Not everything on the show is perfect, as the season long will they, won't they tease between Rachel and the show's British suitor Adam (Freddie Stroma) and her ex-boyfriend, cameraman Jeremy (Josh Kelly) doesn't exactly make for the most compelling love triangle. Jeremy's a wet drip and Adam is a teflon guy, good at giving the producers what they want when they need it, but changes his mind so many times you can't really tell who he is underneath. Not to mention the fact that Rachel's manipulation of everyone around her extends to him as well, so it's hard to know whether we should even be investing in this so-called relationship at all. But everything else is sensational here, from the contestants, who are revealed to be more the victims of reality tv producers than willing participants who signed on to humiliate themselves on national television, and the various other field producers involved, who all compete amongst each other to see who can ruin more people's lives in the process of ascending the Hollywood stepladder.
This is revealing, insightful, entertaining and engrossing television, and the unabashed evilness of Rachel and Quinn finally give us females who don't give a fuck in their quest to grab the gold ring for themselves in the dark, demented and shallow world in which they live. I love it and I can't get enough- not only are these women antiheroes, but they're antiheroes not simply imitating the typical male antihero template. No, these ladies do bad stuff the way that women do bad stuff. Through manipulation, through lies, through the subtle control not just of these other women who they know how to make behave badly, but through men, who remain on top of the power ranks in Hollywood- Quinn makes the show successful, but Chet gets all the credit, while the suits at the network won't listen to her own ideas, so she must devise a way to get to the top through various other means. This is obviously written by women who know what they're talking about and how to make female characters complex and fascinating, even if they're basically bad people making their way through a dirty world. It's enough to reinvent Lifetime's image, if people will just give it a chance and take a look. It's worth it, you'll be hooked right off the bat.
Grade: A-
2015 TCA Winners Include 'Empire,' Amy Schumer, 'The Americans'
The Television Critics Association handed out their prizes tonight for the last year of TV, and the big winners were Empire, which won the cultural "Program of the Year" award, and Amy Schumer, whose Comedy Central show won for achievement in comedy, and her own performance on the show won as well. In drama, The Americans took home the well deserved prize, while Mad Men vet Jon Hamm grabbed the honors for individual acting. Let's hope the Emmys can maybe follow suit with Hamm at least (although I think Amy Schumer has a real chance for comedy actress there as well). I like how apparently John Oliver's HBO show is considered actual news and information, while David Letterman rightly got the legacy heritage award in the year where he signed off from television. A pretty good batch, overall.
2015 TCA WINNERS
Program of the Year: Empire
Outstanding New Program: Better Call Saul
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy: Inside Amy Schumer
Individual Achievement in Comedy: Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Outstanding Achievement in Drama: The Americans
Individual Achievement in Drama: Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials: The Jinx
Outstanding Achievment in Reality Programming: The Chair
Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming: The Fosters
Outstanding Achievement in News and Information: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Heritage Award: The Late Show/Late Night with David Letterman
Jon Stewart Says Goodbye
I'm still sad about this, guys. Last night's final send off to America's most trusted comic newsman was everything long time fans could want- a gathering of just about every correspondent in the show's history (including Wyatt Cenac, who showed up even after the recent behind the scenes controversy reveal), and an unprompted and lovely, genuine tribute to a squirming Jon from prodigal son Stephen Colbert himself. Then the man signed off for good, to go back to Jersey and hang with the fam, I guess. But it feels like a real loss, what with the first Republican debate held just last night, which was as batshit crazy as you'd expect. What will we do without him for this next election season? I know there's a guy taking over, but this leaves a gaping hole that won't be filled by just anyone. And even Jon himself acknowledged that he knows he'll never have the set-up and the team that he built here all these years ever again, and let's be honest- whatever he does in the future won't be nearly as influential and as important, as The Daily Show under his reign turned out to be for all these years. I'll miss not just him, but what he created, and the country will sorely miss it too.
Here's Jon's final message: a plea for ongoing vigilance- a prime reason why we'll miss him, and why he was so necessary:
Marisa Tomei Appears in Trailer for 'Empire' Season 2
I admit, I haven't quite jumped on the Empire bandwagon yet, but I'll probably catch up with it sooner or later. The second season of the cultural phenomenon comes back on September 23rd on Fox, this time with a recurring role for Oscar winner Marisa Tomei.
First Teaser for Martin Scorsese's 'Vinyl'
Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger have teamed up to produce this 1970's set rock and roll period drama for HBO, although I'm betting Scorsese will be about as involved in this as he was in Boardwalk Empire (where he served as a producer but only directed the pilot). This will be Terence Winter's show all the way, I'm sure, since he was the real showrunner of Boardwalk as well. Looks cool though- Bobby Cannavale is always reliable.
REVIEW: "Outlander" Season 1
Historical romance novels are hard to transfer to the screen, as the material may seem uniquely cheesy and predominantly female-oriented from the start (not that there's anything wrong with that of course). But in the age of Game of Thrones, when fantasy period pieces have suddenly become not only viable but increasingly popular, Ronald Moore, showrunner of Battlestar Galactica, has taken the bestselling Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon and turned it into sweeping, romantic, cinematic and stunningly addictive television. I ate up the first season like it was ice cream and can't wait to do it again- even if it's a guilty pleasure that might make you blush if watching it with other people (hint: this show uses its Starz platform to give us some of the longest and most explicit sex scenes on television, bordering on soft core porn), if you're at all prone to this material you will be hooked by the end of the first episode.
Our heroine is Claire Randall, a 1940's English war nurse played by the Irish newbie Caitriona Balfe, a sensitive, warm and intelligent screen presence. After the war ends Claire reunites with her husband Frank (Tobias Menzies) for a second honeymoon in the Scottish highlands, which are swamped by mythical forces beyond explanation. As a historian, Frank conveniently details the history of the land and his own family ancestry before Claire is suddenly swept up in the magic, falling through the legendary stones and through time to end up in the same place circa 1743, two hundred years earlier. As in all fantasy stories like this, you have to accept the premise for what it is- Moore doesn't bother to get too technical with the details and the show's all the better for it. Claire is a modern (well, 1940's modern) woman "out of time" who must navigate her way through the dangerous and brutal period where she finds herself trapped. She comes in contact with all sorts in the Scotland of the 1740's, when the English redcoats routinely terrorized the Scottish highlanders, and though she manages to make herself useful with the people she comes in contact with (her profession as a nurse may as well make her something akin to a wizard in this era), she must avoid the ever present threats of accusations of witchcraft, being an English spy, and of course, rape.
Rape is an ever present threat, a common trope in historical romance novels, and the show doesn't shy away from showing what was the major, constant fear for all women in a somewhat barbaric time. The violence on the show is extreme, comparative to Game of Thrones but at times much more excessive due to the lengthy scenes and far more realistic sadism of what was supposed to be in fact, the actual world of the 18th century as opposed to the medieval fantasy setting where dragons and white walkers roam. This was a real, very primal, very dangerous world for women in particular, but also men, as the show reminds us. Balfe narrates the series in a style that gives it the feel of a novel, as we hear her constant thoughts and reactions to the world around her. And I haven't even gotten to what will be the major attraction of this show and likely a breakout star from it in the form of Jamie Fraser, Claire's savior and eventual lover and second husband, played by the 6'3, red-headed, muscle-bound scot Sam Heughan, the long-suffering, brave and devoted hero who lives to love, rescue and please his soulmate Claire, as all the best romance novel heroes do. Heughan and Balfe have electric chemistry, and as the show and the books are ultimately about their star crossed love and evolving relationship, the casting of the pair was always key to the success of the series. They knocked it out of the park here, as everyone who watches this will be heavily invested in their romance and adventures together, and in love with Heughan by season's end (actually not even that long- girls, we'll all in by episode two).
The two leads carry the show with tremendous ease and sizzling spark, which they need since those sex scenes I mentioned really do take up a major part of the season and are key to investing in the relationship. Much like The Affair, I do wonder if the heavy focus on the romance means that the audience for a show like this is limited to mostly women, but that's not even a drawback as far I'm concerned. I guess I'm just warning the guys out there that this may not be for them, but it's definitely for me and for any other women who want to get lost in the romance of period Scotland and 6 foot tall hunks who'll ride to your rescue if ever you need it. Which Claire does, constantly, even though she's a capable and feisty heroine, but hey this is practically an alien planet she's living in and when you're always being pursued by one Captain "Black Jack" Randall, sadistic ancestor of husband Frank (and played in a dual role by Menzies) things are going to get ugly and out of control fast. Special mention here to Menzies, actually- the leads are fantastic, but Tobias Menzies as the redcoat Randall is a villain the likes of which I don't believe I've ever seen on television or film for that matter. He inhabits this brutal, yet still layered monster of a man in a fierce, commanding performance that will terrify you, haunt your dreams, and yet still dare you to take your eyes off of him every time he's on screen. Forget the rest of the show if it's not your thing- it may be worth watching for this character alone. It's an astounding, unforgettable portrayal.
Outlander is genre television done to perfection, even if it's material that will appeal to a certain kind of audience and not necessarily be for everyone (whether you just can't handle the violence or are not prone to the love story), but for the people it's meant for, again, it's like your favorite snack food that you just can't stop eating. Call it a guilty pleasure, but I'm guilty as charged and don't care who knows it. Bring on Season 2.
Grade: A
Clive Owen Returns in Promo for 'The Knick' Season 2
Yay! One of my favorite shows of last year is coming back for Season 2 starting October 16th! I seriously can't wait- you guys need to check this show out if you haven't seen it yet.
REVIEW: "Orange is the New Black" Season 3
The third season of Orange is the New Black stayed remarkably consistent with the quality of the first two years, and though it lacked a compelling ongoing storyline comparable to Piper's first year adjustment to the prison or Vee's reign of terror in season two, the return to the more humorous nature of the first season helped the more episodic storytelling this year to be just as entertaining as ever.
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed Orange this season, I will say that for the first time, as the show dispensed with some of the series regulars in favor of more exploration of the smaller side characters, we do get a taste of the acting limits in the massive ensemble the show has employed in a way that we hadn't seen before, perhaps with good reason. The true value of Taylor Schilling's Piper as the lead of the series seemed to assert itself as more necessary than the show may have realized, and not just Piper as a narrative device to introduce us to this world, but Schilling as a good actress more than capable of carrying the series and multiple storylines in a way some of these other actors probably are not. For example, this year saw the early exits of fan favorite Natasha Lyonne's Nicky, and Matt McGorry's Bennett, and some new focus on characters who were extremely minor in the past, like Chang, Norma, Leanne and Flaca, now getting their own backstories and ongoing prison arcs.
And every single one of those backstories and arcs were essentially unneeded, as far as I could tell. I'm sorry, but Norma running a prison cult couldn't have been a sillier subplot this season, and Flaca's mistaken arrest for selling phony drugs didn't do a thing to develop her character or make her at all interesting in the present day. I'm not saying they've reached the limit on interesting characters who reside in the prison walls (I'd still like to see flashbacks for Maritza and Yoga Jones, for example, but since the actresses singled out this year also didn't leave much of an impression on the material they had to work with...let's just say it made me think the original regulars were regulars for a reason).
But enough with the negative- this season was filled with fantastic moments alongside some irrelevant side stuff. The "Mother's Day" premiere episode was among the best the show has ever done, and the recurring season long theme of motherhood worked wonders for some of our best characters, most perfectly the relationship between Daya and Aleida, which culminates as Daya finally gives birth to her baby and wonders whether to keep the child given her circumstances. Another outstanding plotline this year belonged to Pennsatucky (or Tiffany Doggett), whose relationship with Boo continued to develop and who had been sidelined last year only to come back with a subtle and layered performance from Taryn Manning, who proves she can handle whatever she's given, as she battles the darkest part of the season- the recurring attentions of a predatory prison guard who sets his sights on her with tragic consequences, made even worse by Tiffany's revelatory backstory. (Hint to the show: Taryn Manning deserves as much screentime as possible and she's got a great character to work with who justifies the extra focus).
Taylor Schilling herself was given lighter material this season, as she resumes her passionate, love/hate relationship with the returning Laura Prepon's Alex, and then takes it upon herself to become a panty-producing prison "godmother," as it were, but Schilling's handling of all this once again proved that she can handle dramatic and comedic subject matter and ace all of it, making me notice that while we may spend some filler time with people like Leanne and her silly Amish flashback story, Piper alone is interesting, even when she's selfish and self-absorbed, and her brother Cal adds to riotousness with a bigger recurring role this year as her partner in crime in the outside world (much easier to spend time with than Larry, who's now thankfully gone). How can she produce panties you might ask? Well, that brings us to the actual throughline of the season, which was the takeover of Litchfield by a private corporation, a situation produced by new administrative head Caputo (Nick Sandow) in order to save it, and who becomes a co-lead this year as he battles the new owners and their designs on the prison, which involve giving out sludge for food to save money, using the prisoners to make the lingerie in question, and hiring new guards with no training, which endangers the inmates in ways both anticipated and not.
The struggles of running a prison for profit is interesting, especially with the real world implications it involves and Sandow is great as the well-meaning but long suffering Caputo, who wants to help both the staff and the inmates but finds himself often on the other side of the business, but it's just not quite as intriguing as Vee and her villainous plotting within the prison and among the various subgroups last year. Still, I give the show a lot of credit for drawing attention to this issue at all, which is important and not nearly given enough voice in the public. Maybe Jenji Kohan does want to make a political statement here, on top of all the raunchy, comedic moments that stand out as the memorable ones of the season (Healy and Red's weird, unrequited romance and Lorna's ultimately requited one with with a new guy she finds while wooing pen pal suitors). And did I forget to mention two of the best season long subplots? Suzanne and her smut novel that becomes a prison sensation leading to her finding an actual, real life love interest (awww!) and Cindy's quest to convert to Judaism for the kosher meals ultimately culminating in a genuine and touching moment as she realizes in front of a rabbi that she does want to be changed for the better. This is a show with so many great moments and great characters that even the irrelevant subplots are quickly drowned out by the great ones, and whatever missteps I found here that didn't exist for me in the first two years were more than made up for by all the classic scenes that added up to a very good season indeed. I just love this show, guys.
Grade: A-
CBS's 'Supergirl' Unveils New Poster
Here she is, Superman's cousin and the first female centered superhero show to debut this fall on CBS. I'm actually a little curious about this show, but I'm still wary, simply because I've had a longheld bias against CBS in general. I can't explain it, really- I'll give a show on Lifetime a chance in an instant (UnReal is one of the best new shows of the year, people), but if you tell me something I may want to check out exists on CBS I hesitate. The last show I gave a chance to on the network was Joan of Arcadia, so yeah, it's been a while. This is from the same team that's been doing the CW superhero shows Flash and Arrow though, so I feel an obligation to at least sample it. I probably will, but it'll feel weird doing so. Supergirl premieres October 26th with Glee alum Melissa Benoist in the title role.
