The Telly Addict Awards 2011-PART 2

 

Hero of the Year

     Hero is often an overused word, especially in the world of television. What makes a true here? Is it having the courage to do what others can’t as in the case of Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead? Is it following your own fate no matter what as in the case of The Misfits Simon Bellamy? Is it just pure heroicness as in the case of The Doctor? It’s possibly a combination of all of these and in choosing my Hero of 2011 I have take all of these things into account. It was close with Dexter falling just before the finishing line. Despite the fact that he only kills bad guys, he is after all a serial killer. So that just leaves me to announce the Hero of the year as………………………………………………………………………………………………….Commander Nathanial Taylor from Terra Nova. He is an old fashioned all American Hero and could have graced any war film. The fact that he’s from 2149 living in the late Cretaceous is neither here nor there. He is prepared to do anything for the colony, even killing his own son. You get the feeling that whenever he’s on screen he’ll do or say something heroic. While the rest of Terra Novas cast are one dimensional card board cut outs, Taylor really stands out and you get the feeling that without him, the colony would be screwed.

 

Heroine of the Year

Being heroic isn’t necessarily a male trait. These days we are treated to our fair share of heroines too. Gwen Cooper has shown that she can be every bit as heroic as the often scene-stealing Captain Jack. New show Once Upon A Time has a heroine as it’s main character in the form of Emma Swan. Even Game of Thrones (in a genre that is typically dominated by male hero's) had a strong female cast of characters that largely overshadowed the men. It was nearly a female character from Game of Thrones that took the Heroine of the Year award in the form of Daenerys Targaryen. Despite having an over bearing brother who forced her into a union with Khal Drogo, a brutish character, she soon proved that she was every bit as strong. Unfortunately though there can only be one Heroine of the Year and this year goes to………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Amy Pond from Doctor Who. It isn’t easy to steal the show from Matt Smiths The Doctor but Karen Gillian did it repeatedly as Amy Pond. The Girl Who Waited was arguably one of the best episodes of any show in 2011 and Amy's relationship not just with the Doctor but also with Rory is often provides the crux for each episode. In 2011, the whole series belonged to Amy Pond and her daughter (a resolution that brought us one of the twists of the year). After a couple of shaky companions (er Catherine Tate) Amy Pond is perhaps the best companion of the modern revival of Doctor Who and her I’m sure that she will be missed when she leaves the series midway though the next series.

 

Next time I’ll be announcing my Soap of the Year and The American Show of the Year.

The Telly Addict Awards 2011–Part 1

So, finally we are coming to the end of 2011 and so it’s time for the Telly Addict Awards to be handed out.

BADDIE OF THE YEAR

     There have been many bad guys strutting their stuff on the small screen this year. This year Dexter really found himself up against a true monster in the form of Travis Marshall while Once Upon A Time boasted not one but two brilliant bad guys in the form of The Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin. Over here, Appropriate Adult gave us a truly chilling Fred and Rose West while the soaps all boasted their fair share of bad guys. It is a soap that (in my opinion) gave us one of the baddest baddies of 2011. So the winner of Baddie of The Year goes to………………………………………………………………………………………………….MICHAEL MOON from Eastenders. When Michael Moon first came to the square he seemed like a bit of a cheeky chappy. As Alfie Moons cousin, at first he didn’t show any characteristics that often precede evilness. This year though, he really went off the scales. His growing infatuation of Ronnie Mitchell turned sinister as the year went on resulting in him launching a vendetta against her. When it seemed like Kat and Alfie were ready to forgive Ronnie for stealing the baby, Michael stepped in to turn them back against her. He began playing the Moons against the Mitchells for no other reason than his own entertainment. For most bad guys that would be enough for one year but not for Michael. His fathers return into his life gave him a whole new game as he set about bringing him down. This resulted in the sickest of plans as he spent months preparing to make his father pay for his mothers death years before. He got his brother interested in boxing, trained him up, gave him a few fights before setting him up against a psycho with a reputation for killing his opponents in the ring. His brother ended up in hospital and Michael eventually got found out resulting in a swift downfall. Now as 2011 ends he is on the way back up. He has a new enemy in Derek Branning and a new ally in Janine Butcher. Although there have been perhaps greater feats of evil achieved by other characters, Michael wins this award for how he goes about his bad ways. It’s the looks he gives and his patience in playing the long game. You get the feeling that he is capable of anything and for me that is truly terrifying.

BEST STORYLINE OF THE YEAR

We have enjoyed some great storylines this year. The soaps have thrown out some fantastic story's with Eastenders thrilling us with the pick in my opinion. The slow burning Masood/Kahn has been a year long storyline only ending a couple of days ago in truly explosive style. Dexter has kept me hooked with one of it’s best seasons while Doctor Who gave us a truly confusing story with great pay offs. It has also been a great year for new concepts. Outcasts may have been cancelled but the story of human beings settling on a new planet is a fantastic story with loads of potential. Mad Men also gave us a weaving story of four friends caught up in a drugs deal in Majorca. My storyline of the year goes to a show that gave us the best concept I have seen for some time. I think that the writers did everything they could with the story and more and they also gave us a relatively plausible explanation for the events depicted. The Telly Addict Storyline of the Year goes to…………………………………………………………………………………………………

TORCHWOOD:MIRACLE DAY. What would happen were no one to die is a simple concept on it’s own. But throw in that people can still get injured and grow old yet not die and you have a truly terrifying story. The show depicted a terrorist blowing himself apart yet still surviving (the blinking eye in the middle of a pile of burnt goo proved that). A woman was in a car as it went into a crusher lived despite being crushed to death inside a mangled cube of metal. It was a truly terrifying depiction that also meant that the previously immortal Captain Jack Harkness could now die. People who should have died were sent to camps to be burnt to dust in massive furnaces while the pharmaceutical industry took control of the various governments around the world. It was a fantastic storyline that I think warrants this award. Sure there were many other storylines that captured the imagination but Torchwood:Miracle Day really made me think and it’s not often that that happens.

Next post I’ll be handing out the awards for Hero and Heroine of the year.

Terra Nova: Series Review

    

     When I first heard about Terra Nova, I became very excited. The concept is simple but offers so many different possibilities. In the year 2149 the earth is dying. People need masks to survive the polluted planet. A rift in time has been discovered that leads back 85 million years ago and so a colony has been established there so that ‘we’ can learn from our mistakes and build a better future. I’ll be honest, the thing that drew me in was the idea of dinosaurs. I wanted big tyrannosaurs and Spinosaurs. I wanted people getting eaten and big dino face-offs. What we got was slightly different.

GOOD POINTS

+Stephen Lang as Commander Taylor is superb. He’s, in my opinion, the saviour of the show. He get’s a lot of the best lines and is a true American Hero.

+There are a few mysteries in the show that keep you watching but they don’t drag on for too long ala Lost.

+The finale was a prime example of how most of the show should have been. It had action, hope and bad guys becoming dino food. It also set things up nicely should there be a second season.

+The setting of Terra Nova is beautiful and in total contrast to the 2149 scenes. Dodgy CGI aside, the makers of Terra Nova definatly succeeded in the location shots.

BAD POINTS

+The show was a bit too cutesy at times. A series like Terra Nova really doesn’t need to be wrapped in cotton wool.

+The Shannon's are central to the show but I didn’t care about them enough. It seemed as though the writers kept thrusting them on us, trying to make us care about them. A prime example is Jim Shannon's friendship with Taylor with Taylor even leaving Jim in charge of the whole colony one day.

+The family moments are perhaps in keeping with a theme that human love survives all but I found them a little cheesy and annoying.

+There was a pretty big lack of dinosaur IMO with most of the dinos we encountered being ‘made-up’. I wanted to see dinos that I knew and recognised.

+The dodgy CGI lets down the dino moments slightly.

STAR OF THE SHOW

Stephen Lang is undoubtedly the star of Terra Nova. The show could carry on without many of the other characters but I think that it’d struggle without Taylor. He carries things and as the first human through the rift he is perhaps the most knowledgeable. He survived the first 118 days alone before the 2nd person came through the rift and that makes Taylor a hugely complex character. While many of the other colonists are slightly 1 dimensional, Commander Nathanial Taylor is well rounded with a history that you actually care about knowing.

FINAL OPINION

There are many things that let Terra Nova down but there are also many things that made it worth watching. The concept could’ve been presented in many different ways and I think that the makers of Terra Nova got it spot on. It was easy to follow while also complex enough to keep me watching. I also think that the number of episodes (12) was spot on. Sometimes American series’ drag on a bit and suffer by having to tell a story over a 24 episode season. Terra Nova carries on at a good pace with the story moving on each episode. Taylor is the perfect good guy in that in the earlier episodes he could be a bad guy. It is quite fitting that his enemy turns out to be his own son. These scenes between Taylor and Lucas really get Lang (Taylor) stretching his acting muscles and allows us to see behind the All-American facade presented by Taylor. On a slight bad note, I expected better CGI from a show as trumpeted as this one and I didn’t like the cutesy family moments.

7.5/10

Telly Addict Review of the Year 2011: The End!

     The end is something that comes to us all and the same is true with television shows. 2011 saw the end of a number of popular shows. It also saw the end of a few shows that weren’t as popular as the makers would’ve hoped.

     The first show of note to bite the dust was American show Medium. The show managed 7 seasons (quite an achievement by American standards) before it ended on the 21st January.

     Lark Rise to Candleford was the UK’s first big casualty of 2011 when it ended on the 13th February. The decision not to film a 5th series came as a real shock as the show had always maintained strong ratings.

     Outcasts arrived on our screens to a huge fanfare. The story of human colonists on a new planet was an intriguing concept. Unfortunately, despite featuring a strong cast, the show failed to attract a following resulting in the BBC cancelling it after only one series. The last episode aired on the 13th March.

     Another big show came to a close when The Tudors ended after 4 blood and sex filled series'. The future Telly Addict Hall of Famer aired for the final time on the 13th March.

     Surely on the of the biggest losses to the television schedule occurred on the 11th April when The Waking Dead ended. It had been a fixture on BBC 1 for 11 years.

     The 13th May signalled the the end of 2 American shows when SmallVille and The Event both ended. SmallVille had been showing Superman's early years for 10 years while The Event had only 1 series before it was cancelled.

     Long running British Comedy Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps ended after 10 years on the 24th May. The Runcorn based comedy had been a perfect vehicle for Will Mellor, Ralf Little and Sheridan Smith.

     One of the longest running shows ever came to an end on the 25th May when The Oprah Winfrey Show ended. It had had a run of 25 years. To put that into perspective, when it began I was 4!

    Johnny Vegas comedy Ideal aired it’s final ever episode on the 30th June after a 7 series run. The comedy had often enjoyed good ratings and so it’s cancelation came as a shock to many.

     Another popular British comedy ended on the 2nd September when My Family came to a close. Unlike most British sitcoms, My Family had a team of writers like in America. This no doubt helped in it’s success.

     Entourage was on of Americas top shows but it came to a natural end on 11th September. A feature film has now been confirmed.

     Remakes of popular shows is risky business as Charlie's Angels proves. The remake was cancelled after airing only 4 episodes on the 14th October.

     The last big show to end in 2011 was Spooks which finished on the 23rd October. The drama about MI5 spies came to a natural end after 10 years.

     Shows may end but they all started somewhere and 2011 was also a good year for new shows. Part 2 of my telly review of the year will focus on Telly Births.

The Walking Dead Review +++SPOILER ALERT+++

The walking dead is now on a bit of a mid-season break and so the question now is what do I do to get my zombie fix? The first thing I’ll do is look back at the first part of the current season.
     The series pretty much carries on from the 1st season with Rick Grimes and his fellow survivors playing hide and seek with the undead. The main plot points so far have been…
+ the hunt for Sofia (the young daughter of one of the survivors), who went missing in the 1st episode.
+Shane shooting a fellow survivor (Otis) in the leg so he could escape a hoard of Zombies. Otis ended up getting torn apart.
+The discovery of a farm that seems like the perfect sanctuary. That is until they discover that the owner of the farm (a veterinary called Hershel) is keeping Zombies locked in his barn.
The good thing about The Walking dead is that it is pretty good at tying up plots. It rarely leaves a plot hanging and often ends it in a truly shocking way. All of these plot points have been pretty much tied up leaving me excited for the 2nd half of the season wondering what madness is going to happen next.
     Another thing I like about this series is that it doesn’t sugar coat anything. The survivors are living in a world that is far different from ours. It is a world of no hope and no real future and the creators of The Walking Dead have painted the picture accordingly. If you haven’t watched this yet then I’m about to really spoil the show for you but this is a perfect example of the kind of show this is.
     Throughout the 7 episodes so far this season, the hunt for Sofia has pretty much dominated. There has been this faint hope that she would be found with signs of her being found everywhere. One or two of the survivors have even been seriously hurt in the hunt for her. Right at the end of episode 7, Shane takes matters into his own hands regarding the barn. He opens the barn doors and begins slaughtering the Zombies one by one. They think that it’s over until out of the darkness staggers one last Zombie, Sofia! It is left to Rick to shoot her in the head, delivering the audience with a true sucker punch. That is the kind of show that this is and it should come with a public health warning. Saying that, it is so fresh. It’s pretty rare to get a truly honest television show these days . The Walking Dead delivers a pretty honest portrayal of what life would be like were a zombie apocalypse to happen.
     It’s back on our screens in early February next year and I for one can’t wait.

Christmas Preview

     The rumours about the festive TV schedule have been leaking through for some time now so I thought it might be time to share some of those rumours. These are all pretty much confirmed now and I’ll keep you up to date with things right up until Santa leaves Lapland.

DOCTOR WHO is on his way back to screens on Christmas Day with a Narnia themed jaunt entitled The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe. Of course, if it’s like last years festive edition expect a totally new twist on a classic tale. Claire Skinner, Alexander Armstrong and Bill Bailey all star.

DOWNTON ABBEY get’s it’s first Christmas Special over on ITV. At the end of the last series Mr Bates found himself arrested over his ex wifes murder so expect that to play some part. Nigel Havers is set to star.

BBC 1 are showing a new take on THE BORROWERS starring Christopher Eccleston, Stephen Fry and Victoria Wood. The story follows the tiny people who live under the floorboards as they begin to explore the world beyond the carpet.

ABSOLIUTELY FABULOUS returns for the first time in 7 years for a 20th anniversry special. All of the original cast are set to appear in 2 festive specials.

THE ROYAL BODYGUARD is David Jasons first sitcom in almost 20 years. He plays the hapless head of security at Buckingham Palace carpark who unwittingly saves the queens life. After being promoted to Royal Bodyguard he is soon upsetting dignataries and the royal family themselves.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS is another of BBC 1’s big festive treats. Starring Ray Winstone, Gillian Anderson and Douglas Booth it is airing in anticipation of Dicken’s 200th birthday next year.

     So there you have it for a quick taster of what is to come over Christmas on the box. I’m going to finish off with the trailor for the Christmas edition of Doctor Who.

 

The Telly Addicts Hall Of Fame–London’s Burning 1988-2002

Back on the 7th December 1986 ITV broadcast a 2 hour TV movie about a fictional London Fire Brigade, entitled London's Burning. That TV movie went onto become a hit series that ran for 14 years between 1988 and 2002.

     So what makes London's Burning worthy of entry into The Telly Addicts Hall Of Fame? Well at it’s height it regularly received 17 million viewers. In fact it’s record was a figure of 18.86 million for the final episode of series 4. That episode dealt with a spectacular 20 pump warehouse fire. Although the series became reliant on the big disasters, it also dealt with the human side of being a fire-fighter. The characters often suffered from Post Traumatic Stress as a result of ‘the job’. Their wives and husbands also suffered as a result of the dangerous job their other halves did.

     Despite the drama that being a fire fighter entailed, there was still quite a lot of humour within the show. In fact for the first 3 series it was treated as a Black Comedy. It was at the end of the 4th series that a huge climax was planned. The climax was a huge warehouse fire which ended with one of the fire-fighters being trapped under a collapsed wall. This episode is the one which drew the record audience figure for the entire shows run.

     Because of those record breaking figures it became part of the series to have one major disaster per series. These included such things as a collapsing fairground ride like in series 5. Despite the strong ratings the series began to wane in the mid nineties with figures falling below 16 million. It was for this reason that the shows producer, Paul Knight, decided to introduce a real shock into the show by killing off one of the shows main characters at the beginning of series 9. The character was to be Sub Officer John Hallam who had been with the show from the beginning. He fell 80ft from a gantry while recuing some girls from a warehouse fire. This event and the subsequent fallout helped to get London's Burning back on track. Series 9 is widely regarded as the shows best series.

     After series 9, budget cuts meant that the show began to explore the home lives of the fire-fighters more. This essentially sounded the death knell for the show and despite managing another 4 series, London's Burning was cancelled in 2002. The last episode was broadcast on 25th August 2002.

    I’m going to finish off with a clip from the show and that huge shock at the beginning of series 9 in which John Hallam died.

Pan Am: First Look

Nowadays air travel is a bit of a nightmare. If you’re not having to swipe a credit card before using the lavortory, you’re having to put up with the pretty useless steward service. Of course, we live in an age of Ryanair and Easyjet, an age of the so called ‘budget airline’. Pan Am deals with a time when flying was a nice experience, 1963 to be exact. Of course this was also a time when the Cold War was heating up and when people were still getting over the Second World War. This show deals with those things as well as showing us how air travel should be.
     It was billed as 'Mad Men in Flight’. I’ll admit with some shame that I’m yet to watch Mad Men and so couldn’t really to the whole comparrison thing between the two. What I will say though is that this show is excellent. I read a review by Richard Arnold in The People in which he heavily critisised the show and he couldn’t be more wrong. The man is an idiot, I’m going to leave it at that.
     Firstly, the 1960’s setting means that we get a great soundtrack of a lot of 60’s swing straight out of The Great American Songbook. We also get the classic 60’s glamour and there isn’t a swear word in sight. It’s really easy viewing. Of course it is a little far fetched at times. One of the stewardesses has been employed by the Secret Service for example. There are some really intelligent and touching moments too though. One of the stewardeses is French and has to go to Berlin on a flight in a more recent episode. Seeing her trying to deal with being on German soil when her parents were killed by the Nazis when they occupied her country was actually quite emotional.
     The show is currently airing every Sunday on ABC in the states and every Saturday on BBC2 over here.

Once Upon A Time: 2nd Review ***SPOILER ALERT***

     Around 4 weeks ago I wrote a First Look Review on this new American show and I guess that the time is right for a bit of a catch up. Firstly, I am loving this show. It’s a pity that it hasn’t yet been picked up by a UK broadcaster although I’m sure that it’s only a matter of time. I personally expect it to be on Sky 1 sometime next year.
     As of writing, it is currently 4 episodes in and it keeps getting better, episode by episode. The mysteries that were a big part of Lost are big in this show although we are finding out the answers pretty quick. That’s not a bad thing though as it gives us more time to enjoy the show. With Lost, the mysteries were used to drive the story whereas with Once Upon A Time, they are used as episode devices. The big thing with this show is the fairy-tale element. It’s great seeing the different fairy tales play out. The clever thing that the writers have done though is to show very little of what we already know. For instance, the only familiar bits of Snow Whites story we have seen are her receiving Prince Charming's kiss as she lays in that famous glass coffin and the wedding. The writers have shown more of the untold stories such as how Snow White and Prince Charming meet and the months after they got married.
     In the most recent episode we saw the Cinderella story. That story is perhaps the most famous of all. Who doesn’t know how Cinders is sent to the ball by her fairy godmother? It is a story that is so familiar, until the writers of Once Upon A Time got hold of it that is. In their version, Cinders is visited by her Fairy Godmother as normal until Rumpelstiltskin arrives and kills her! The Fairy Godmother that is, not Cinders. He then offers Cinders a deal in that he’ll send her to the ball if she promises to give him her first born child. We then cut to Cinders and her Princes wedding, cutting out the part we already know. It’s doing things like this that are keeping the show fresh.
     Another big Lost device was the use of flashbacks against the present story. More often that not, what we saw in the flashbacks mirrored the theme of the present day story. A similar thing is used in Once Upon A Time in that what we see in the Fairy Tale world is mirrored in the present day story. It is still a very clever way of telling the story.
     I know that I’m comparing it a lot to Lost but it is written by the same duo that wrote a lot of the early Lost episodes. Also, being a huge fan of Lost I find myself comparing every new show to it.
     I’m currently working on a number of year review posts and I’m sure that this show will work it’s way into some of them. Definitely a front runner for my Show Of The Year 2011 and definitely one to look out for in the new year.

An Idiot Abroad 2: Series Review

     The first season of An Idiot Abroad was a huge success. Karl Pilkington, the round headed buffoon as referred to as by Ricky Gervais, was sent around the world to see the seven wonders of the world. These included the Pyramids in Egypt, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil and India’s Taj Mahal. These things have been seen on the telly so many times they have actually become pretty boring. That’s where Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant came in. They cooked up all manner of things for Karl to do while en route to the wonders. Whether it was a camel ride across the desert or a starring role in Brazils famous mardi gras festival, Karl was coerced into doing many wacky things for our entertainment. It was quite surprising when he ended up doing a second season, although as Karl himself said, after doing a show with the title of ‘An Idiot Abroad’, the job offers didn’t exactly come rolling in.
  
     The second season involved a bucket list. For those who don’t know, a bucket list is a list of things to do before you ‘kick the bucket’. A list was made of things that people wanted to do before you die. Things on it were things like seeing whales in the wild, doing route 66 and swimming with dolphins. Each episode involved Karl picking something from the list and going off to do it. As with the first season though, Ricky and Steve didn’t let him off that easily and had him doing all manner of horrible things. An example is that in episode 1 he picked ‘living on a desert island.’ Karl had images of a bounty advert, what he got was a wind and rain swept rock in the South Pacific.

     My main problem with the series was that it was all really familiar. I had been really looking forward to it as I loved the first series and maybe I built it up in my mind to much. There is only so much of Karl moaning that I could take though. There were times when it felt like he was moaning for the sake of it, moaning because that’s what we all wanted. Don’t get me wrong, the genius of the first series was Karl moaning. I just think that in hindsight, one series was maybe enough with the odd special every now and again. It’s not Karl's fault that this second series fell a bit flat. I think that a second series was pretty much demanded but I’m sure that a third won’t be. In fact my sources inform me that they are just going to leave it at the two seasons and I for one am pleased by that.

6/10

The Walking Dead Season 2

 

     The dead are walking again as AMC’s hit zombie apocalypse drama returns for an inevitable 2nd season. Despite being relatively short for an American series (the 1st season consisted of just 6 episodes), it was a huge hit both in the states and over here. I for one had been awaiting the 2nd season with some anticipation.

     For those of you who aren’t in the know, The Walking Dead is set after a Zombie apocalypse. The opening was clearly inspired by brit flick 28 Days Later as main character Rick Grimes wakes in a hospital bed. The first season followed him as he hunted for his wife and child before being reunited with them. A fight for survival in the ruins of Atlanta was the 1st seasons main focal point as Rick and his fellow survivors battled against a city overrun by Zombies. The season came to a close after a tense episode set in the CDC where the last surviving doctor explained a few things about the Zombie Apocalypse. It ended after the CDC exploded with Rick and his band of survivors heading back on the road.

     Season 2 began how season 1 ended and 3 episodes in, I am impressed. The basic premise has remained and the structure is unchanged. The Zombies often appear unexpectedly and there are still odd bits of humour to break up the tension. The tension is what makes this show so great though. It genuinely feels like nobody is safe. In episode 3 (due to air on FX this weekend) one character does something that literally changes everything and that is the beauty of this show. The writers are prepared to literally throw their characters to the dogs.

     There is still an air of mystery also. As of writing we still don’t know what has happened to Merle. He was the guy who got handcuffed to the pipe in Atlanta. When the rest of the survivors went back, he was gone. He is expected to return at some point although where and when remains a mystery.

     It has recently been confirmed that The Walking Dead has been renewed for a 3rd series. The show is currently airing on Sunday nights in the states with the same episode showing on FX at 10pm on Friday nights over here.

Mummifying Alan: Egypt’s Last Secret

Tuesday saw Channel 4 screen their much publicised documentary Mummifying Alan: Egypt's last secret. Alan had been diagnosed with a terminal illness when he’d answer a newspaper advertisement. The advert had requested a volunteer to donate their body to be mummified. Apparently no one had been mummified in the way of the ancient Egyptian kings for thousands of years and so it was seen as being one of Egypt's last secrets. The fact that the ancient Egyptians hadn’t actually recorded how to mummify someone made this whole process all the more intriguing. Apparently they’d perfected the art by word of mouth over thousands of years.

     The main man responsible for the mummification of Alan was a man called Stephen Buckley. He’d figured out the mummification process through the careful study of existing Egyptian mummy's and by many experiments in mummifying pigs trotters. Alan himself was at ease with the whole thing. He was very philosophical about what was going to happen to him and that made the parts of the show quite uneasy viewing. He was very easy to like as a man and so seeing his dead body was very unsettling. The fact that seconds before he’d been speaking to the camera and now he was a corpse was the most upsetting thing about it all.

     The actual process seemed to be carried out with a lot of respect and care. The team involved in the mummification process seemed to care about Alan. After disembowelling him through a small incision on his side he was painted in a concoction of bees wax and sesame sees oil before being ‘dried out’ in a salt water bath. He was kept in this bath for around 35 days before being dried out.

     The true hero of this whole thing though had to be Alan's wife. Despite not actually getting to bury her husband she seemed fine about the whole thing, even going to visit him in his bandaged state. She wasn’t around on his final unwrapping though which may have been a blessing. The mummification of Alan was complete and a resounding success. You could still tell that it was Alan and he looked like the ancient mummy's.

     As a whole, the show was very interesting and thought provoking. Alan's body is currently kept in Sheffield (only a short journey from my hometown of Chesterfield) and I found myself thinking about it for a few hours afterwards. The big question is did it need to be done? I have no doubt that Alan himself wanted to do it and that it has helped with our understanding of the ancient Egyptians. It has also helped in the understanding of what happens to be body after death. It also made a very good documentary.

First Look: Dexter Season 6

Dexter is back! Now on it’s 6th season the vigilante blood spatter anylyst shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to bring the bad guys to justice via his own brutal methods. Previous seasons have seen some unexpected stars playing the big killer. Who can forget John Lithgows Trinity Killer from season 4 or even last seasons Johnny Lee Miller. This season it is the turn of Colin Hanks to play the bad guy. He is the son of Tom Hanks if you hadn’t already guessed.

     Many critics had sugested that the show was becoming stale and that has kind of been addressed in the new series. This season seems darker than previous seasons with religion playing a huge influence. Dexter is forced to confront his own beliefs and the morality of what he does. It is not only religion that forces Dexter to think, it is Harrison his young son. In season 5 Dexter had to deal with being a single parent while still carrying out his form of justice. This season sees Harrison a little older and Dexter wondering how to keep his killing and his son seperate from each other.

     The genius of Dexter though is in it’s serial killers and this year we get a true monster, no make that 2 monsters. Colin Hanks is only the apprentice so to speak with an older man pulling the strings. He kills and presents his victims in scenes from the book of Revelations. We get snakes in one victims stomach while another victim is chopped up with his body parts sewn onto mannaquins in a bid to represent the four horsemen of the apocylypse. In these early episodes we have also had a plague of locusts! There is no doubt that this killer is a true monster although he obviously believes in the importance of his work. Colin Hanks also plays a disturbed individual although you get the feeling that he’s been brainwashed.

     As of writing I’ve not got a confirmed UK airdate but I’m guessing that it’ll be sometime in the new year on FX.

Once Upon A Time: First Look

I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t been looking forward to the premier of this show. I think it began when I heard that Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz had created it. They were involved in the writing team for Lost, in my opinion one of the greatest shows ever conceived. The premise also excited me. It deals with fairy tales and the unknown stories attached to the likes of Cinderella, Snow White, Pinocchio, etc. It also stars Jennifer Morrison who is better known for her portrayal of Cameron in House. These things all served to give me the kind of excitement that was normally reserved for a new season of Lost.

     The premise is that in the fairy tale world the evil queen has unleashed a curse. Basically all of the fairy tale characters have been transported to a place in our world called Storybrooke where there are “no more happy endings”. The thing is that none of the characters remember who they were. How do we find out all of this? By a mysterious ten year old called Henry. He is a resident of Storybrooke who runs away from home to look for his birth mother, Emma Swan (Jennifer Goodwin). She had him adopted when he was still a baby. Of course it isn’t as simple as all that and we soon find that Emma Swan is linked with Storybrooke in that she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

     Throughout the pilot we switch between the fairy tale world and the real world much as in Lost we switched to the flashbacks. Through the fairy-tale sequences we see what happened before the curse and we get to see some of the fairy tale characters we know and love. Snow White, Prince Charming, The Evil Queen, Geppetto and Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Granny (of red riding hood fame), Rumpelstiltskin and The Seven Dwarves are just some I spotted. Robert Carlyle in particular impressed for his portrayal of Rumpelstiltskin. The fairy tale world is beautiful, full of snowy peaks, vast forests and sparkling lakes. It is kind of what you would expect from a world inhabited by the likes of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I guess that’s one of the geniuses of the show as it cuts between this world and the real world these characters now inhabit. Another of the geniuses is the characters these fairy tale characters now are. Jiminy Cricket ( served as Pinocchio's conscience ) is a shrink in modern day Storybrooke. Rumpelstiltskin is the owner of StoryBrooke and carries the name Gold. Granny owns the towns bed and breakfast and lives with a Goth tearaway called Ruby (Red Riding Hood). The Evil Queen is also a resident in StoryBrooke. She is the towns mayor and adoptive mother to Harry.

     The show has all the hallmarks of Lost on it, from it’s mystery to it’s structure. It also has one or two Lost references. The StoryBrooke town clock is stuck on 8:15 (the flight number of the crashed plane in Lost). Emma Swans apartment number is 108 (the number from the hatch in Lost). The curse spreads across the fairy tale world in the form of black smoke (surely a reference to the smoke monster in Lost). I have been looking out for a replacement for Lost, a show that would give me the same tingling before I watched a new episode. Could this be it? Not yet, although it is a contender. The pilot was really good and it kept me watching. I loved so many different things about it and I’ll definitely be sticking with it. I’ve been watching a lot of the shows on Americas Autumn schedule recently and this is the best one so far.

     Unfortunately, as of writing, it hasn’t been picked up by a UK broadcaster. That is surely only a matter of time though and when it does, watch it, you won’t be disappointed.

The UK Autumn Schedule

British telly may not be able to boast the kind of budgets being thrown at the US studios at the moment but it’s still good in it’s own right. This shows with what is a very strong autumn schedule.
     The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing are currently enjoying very strong runs. Despite concerns over The X Factors viewing figures it still continues to dominate most peoples Saturday night. Another show enjoying a strong return is Downton Abbey and there are already plans for a 3rd series next year. I believe a Christmas special has already been filmed. Spooks is another show that returned a few weeks ago. It is currently enjoying it’s final series to strong viewing figures.

It isn’t all about returning shows though with a new Gervais/Merchant collaboration coming soon. Life's Too Short is a spoof documentary starring celeb dwarf Warwick Davies. It apparently boasts a better cameo hit than extras with Johnny Depp and Steve Carrel already confirmed. The series apparently revolves around a Dwarf talent agency run by Warwick and if The Office and Extras are anything to go by it should be both hilarious and cringe worthy in equal measure.


No, the vet drama isn’t making a return, not in it’s original form anyway. Young James revoles around James Herriots younger days as he made his way through Vet collage in Glasgow. The role made famous by Christopher Timothy has been taken by former Corrie star Iain de Caestecker. He played a young Adam Barlow. The three part series is due to air in November.


The first series of Downton Abbey was a resounding success and so a second series was inevitable. War has now engulfed Europe and that effects the residents of Downton, both upstairs and down. With a number of the characters fighting in the trenches the series switches between the horrors of war and the tranquillity of Downton seamlessly. And that is testament to the writting of creator Julian Fellowes. I’m a relative newcomer to the show having only recently watched the first series on DVD but I am a huge fan now. With a Christmas Special due to air on Christmas Day and a third series scheduled for next year there are still many Downton tales to tell.


The Jury first aired back in 2002 and this second outing is scripted by the man behind that first incarnation. Staring Julie Walters as the defendants QC it is due to be shown 5 nights over a single week next month. With her defendant standing accused of a gruesome triple murder Walters will need to be at her National Treasure best.

I'm going to finish with an exclusive clip from Lifes Too Short, a show that I'm really looking forward to.

American Autumn Schedule

America has begun it’s Autumn schedule with some brand new shows as well as some welcome returns. Long running series Dexter is currently 3 episodes into it’s 6th season while House is 2 episodes into it’s 8th season. On the other end of the scale The Walking Dead began it’s eagerly awaited 2nd season last night and Hawaii Five-O returned for it’s 2nd Season nearly 5 weeks ago. New series Terra Nova is 4 weeks into it’s first run and eagerly anticipated fairy tale saga Once Upon A Time makes it’s debut in a couple of weeks. On the comedy side, Big Bang Theory is onto it’s 5th run while a Charlie Sheen-less Two And A Half Men is enjoying it’s 9th season with Ashton Kutcher facing mixed reactions. These shows will arrive on UK screens shortly although some such as House and Terra Nova already have

Hawaii Five-O a enjoyed a great first run and so it was only natural that a 2nd season would follow, especially considering the cliff hanger ending of the 1st season. With Five-O broken up (Mcgarrett and Kono in prison and Chin Ho Kelly back in HPD) it seemed that only Danno remained to put the team back together. At the start of the 2nd season he does just that with the help of Mcgarretts old mentor Joe White (played brilliantly by Lost’s Terry O’Quinn aka Locke). Pretty soon the team are back together and once again going after the bad guys.
     The thing I liked about this reboot is that it was easy watching. It is like a throwback to the 80’s full of car chases, over the top fights and extravagant back drops. The fact that it’s filmed in Hawaii means that it is simply beautiful to watch. The cast are all brilliant in their respective roles. Some reboots of classic shows, be they series or film, often face the inevitable comparrisons with the original. Hawaii Five-O stands up as a show in it’s own right. 

Terra Nova is a new addition to the tv schedule both in the states and over here in the UK, although it is a week ahead in America. The story centres around the Shannon family. They are a normal family from the year 2149 who are transported back 85 million years. There they join a colony called Terra Nova which has been set up to give the human race a second chance. Steven Spielberg is executive producer and it shows with some very Speilberg-like action sequencers. Some scenes have even been in Jurassic Park! It has shown a lot of promise within it's first few episodes although some of the acting is a tad wooden. Stephen Lang is arguably the stand out star in the show, playing the commander of Terra Nova and the first human through the portal. He played the bad guy in Avatar if you're not sure who he is.
     As a fan of things like this I've found it a very good series although it may not be to every ones taste. There are one or two plot holes to look beyond but all in all it's a good premise, oh and there's dinosaurs.

When I heard of Charlie Sheens sacking from Two and a Half Men I couldn't see how the show could carry on. I'd always seen it as being about Charlie Harper and how he copes with having his brother, Alan, and his nephew, Jake, living with him. Without Charlie then there was no show, simple. The creators decided to carry on though and rather than recast another actor as Charlie, they have introduced a completely new character in Walden Schmidt played by Ashton Kutcher. It feels like a different show almost a sequel series. It is very good though and the humour is still there. It could have gone either way and when I found out about Kutchers casting, I wasn't so sure. I am happy to be proved wrong though as he brings something different to what was perhaps becoming a tired show.

     I'll review the various other shows that are coming to our screens in future posts. I'm going to finish off with the trailer for the upcoming Once Upon a Time staring former House M.D. star Jennifer Morrison. She played Dr Allison Cameron for 5 seasons.

Series Review: Falling Skies

***SPOILER ALERT*** The series begins 6 months after an alien invasion. We follow the fortunes of a group of resistance fighters called 2nd Massachusetts as they fight back against the alien occupiers. Tom Mason is the main character. He was a Boston History professor now the 2nd in command of the 2nd Mass. Not much is known about the aliens at the start of the series just that they are called Skitters and Mechs. The Skitters are spider like reptilian creatures while the Mechs are robotic war machines. Further on in the series we get glimpses of another type of alien. These are humanoid and resemble the traditional imaginings of what Aliens may look like. It becomes obvious that they are the main aliens behind the invasion. One of the running storylines in the series is that the alien invaders kidnap children between the ages of 6 and 16. These children are then fitted with a spinal slave device called a harness. The series progresses along at a steady pace as it builds up to a shocking finale. I liken it to a Lost finale as it wasn’t explosive as such. It just left me with a desperate yearning to find out what happens next. Steven Spielberg is an executive producer and it kinda shows. It’s a vast series almost movie like in scope. A lot of thought has gone into the development and storyline. It would have been far too easy to make this a cheesy series but it is most certainly not cheesy. It’s often bleak in places and sometimes shocking. It has real OMG moments such as the part where an autopsy is carried out on one of the Skitters. It’s revealed that the Skitter was once another species (maybe even human) that was harnessed. The fact that a couple of the children in the 2nd Mass (Toms son is one of them) were once harnessed makes this an even scarier revelation. One of the true masterstrokes of the series is that it’s set after the invasion. The very first episode opens up with a child's description of the invasion accompanied by children's pictures. It really sets the tone for the series. We are then thrust into this post apocalyptic world. It’s also set in todays timeline. There’s not a laser gun in sight which can only be a good thing. The 2nd season isn’t due until next summer and I for one will be tuning in. After the finale though, I’m not sure I can wait that long. I’m not going to say too much about it but it put me in mind of the season 2 finale of Lost. That is all I will say…..

8/10

Big Bother

So, Big Brother has begun again. Despite getting cancelled by Channel 4 last year, it is back. Channel 5 brought the rights and now we are subject to yet another Celebrity addition of the show lacking in …….celebrity! It is possibly one of the worst celebrity line-ups in the shows history and I’m not exaggerating. It is as though the shows relegation to channel 5 has resulted in it’s pulling power suffering a dramatic decrease. The fact that Jedward are the biggest stars in the house says it all really.



I think that the reason I’m a little scathing over this new series is that I was expecting a bit more. It was meant to be Big Brothers new launch, the start of a glorious new era. Gone is Davina and in is Brian Dowling! Gone is George Lamb and in is Emma Willis (granted she co-presented BBLB on C4 but it was all about George)! If anything, tonights events have confirmed that the show has run it’s course, or at least the celebrity version has. The public version of the show still has mileage. In a country with a population of 60 million there must be hundreds of thousands of idiots all desperate to make fools of themselves on television. I work with a few!



What Endemol need to do is to get me involved, give me a call. I’d put them right on how to do Celeb Big Bro. Sure, it’d cost them a few bob, but I’m positive that it’s be a ratings winner!

Presenting the main show I’d have Jim Bowen. He’d conduct the interviews with the evicted housemates in the speedboat that they could’ve won. Hosting ‘Big Brothers Little Brothers Half Cousin Twice Removed On His Mothers Aunties Side’ would be David Threlfall in his Frank Gallagher guise. He’d be supported by Alice Barry as Lillian in a Shameless/BB crossover doubleact.



I’d pull out all the stops to get the perfect housemates.

1) THE STAR – Big Brother needs a truly amazing star, somebody to wow the public. It would have to be somebody that needs people to see the real them while not necersarrily needing the show to boost there ego. Therfore I give you Karl Pilkington.

2)THE MODEL – Big Brother has a history of putting in attractive women and I do think that it is a necessity to appeal to the young men out there. Therfore I think that Cheryl Cole would fit right in.

3) THE NEXT JOHN McCRIRICK – People still talk about John and that’s because he was watchable. People were desperate to see what he did next, who he upset next. That’s why Prince Phillip would be my 3rd housemate.

4) THE POPSTAR – Dane Bowers, Mark Owen, Preston, Big Brother is littered with popstars desperate to make the big time again, desperate to prove that they still have what it takes. I think that Mr Blobby is ripe for a comeback in music and Big Brother could just be his platform.

5) THE FUNNY GUY – Comedians have done well in previous years. Jack Dee won it and Barrymore came 2nd. It is perhaps strange that comedians go into the house rarely. You do need a funny guy in the house though, someone to entertain us when Prince Phillip is asleep. Ken Dodd has been known to carry his performances on for hours. He could also help Phill out in his role as the new John McCririck.

6)THE HANGER ON – Every Series has a hanger on. An ex of a film star or even a mother as in Jackie Stallone. They want to be famous in their own right and not to be seen as the partner of someone more famous than they are. She’d cost a bit but I think that Victoria Beckham would be a perfect addition to Celeb BB 2012.

7)THE FAMILIAR FACE – You know who I mean. You recognise them, yet you have no idea who they are. The name just means nothing to you but you are sure you’ve seen and heard them before. Give it up for Marcus Bentley.

8) THE CONFUSED ONE – Tara Reid is this years version, Dirk Benedict was another years version. Basically they are often from distant shores, never seen the show, haven’t a clue what it’s all about but accept the invite purely for the money. Barack Obama needs the money for the American coffers.



So there you have it, my Big Brother line-up for next year. Evictions would be via a swim across a lake of custard with the last two being put to a public vote. The loser would then be extracted from the house by a complicated cable and pulley system involving various dangerous obstacles and angry toads. They would then be locked in a box with Jedward for half an hour before being interviewed by Jim Bowen in the speed boat they could’ve won.

The Borgias

The Borgias kicked off on Sky Atlantic last night and from first viewing I can reccomend it. It is in a similar vein to The Tudors with Jeremy Irons portrayal of Rodrigo Borgia similar to Jonathan Rhys Meyers of  Henry VIII. Steven Berkoff and David Jacobi are in the supporting cast.

     The story revolves around Rodrigo Borgia’s election to the papacy through bribery. Back in the 1400’s the papacy was one of the most powerful positions on the world political stage. He is not the best liked pope and so pretty soon the cardinals begin to plot against him with the first episode ending after Borgias narrowly escaped a poisoning plot.

     I have high hopes for this series, but then again I do enjoy a good historical epic. It may play fast and loose with the facts but so what? Showtime make these kind of shows so well as they proved with The Tudors .

Tit-Bits From Comic Con 2011

 

 

 

 

     Doctor Who also had a panel at Comic Con and the new trailer was premiered. The trailer is for episodes 8 to 13 of the present series that has been on a mid season break for the past few months. The first part of the season ended with the big reveal that River Song was actually Melody Pond, daughter of Amy and Rory and judging by the trailer, the second part of the series looks set to carry on where it left of.

 

Beavis and Butt-head are set to return as was announced at Comic Con. The show creator Mike Judge confirmed it with a five minute teaser video which is below. The series was last seen on MTV way back in ‘97 and so fans should be delighted to see the return of the pair.

 

Another familiar face set to return to television screens after a while away is Sarah Michelle Geller in upcoming show Ringer. It looks to be a very different show from Buffy, the series in which she made her name.

I’ll post more trailers and news from Comic Con 2011 in the coming days.

Spartacus: Vengeance at Comic Con

 

 

Spartacus: Blood and Sand was a huge success for american network Starz and so it’s little wonder that another season is on the way. The series had a panel at the recent Comic Con event in San Diego and a few juicy tit bits about the new series were revealed.

     The series will pick up where Blood and Sand left off as the slaves escaped with Spartacus and Crixus leading the ragtag army. Spartacus will apparently grow into a leader although he will still be seeking some kind of vengeance. Indeed, the title of the new season has been announced as Spartacus: Vengeance. Unfortunately due to ill health, Andy Whitfield will not be reprising his role of Spartacus with Liam Mcintyre taking over the role. Whitfield’s fight with cancer is the reason why starz gave him a break with the prequel series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.

     Many of the characters from Blood and Sand are set to return in Vengeance. Oenomaus, Ashur and Lucretia are all set for roles. Lucretia will surely be after vengeance after her husband Batiatus was killed at the end of Blood and Sand. The fact that Crixus also killed her unborn baby means that she could well be a lady on a mission. Ashur  was last seen escaping the clutches of Oenomaus and there is still clearly unfinished business between the two men.

     I actually looked at Wikipedia after watching the show in a genuine interest at knowing about the real Spartacus. He was essentially a roman era Braveheart and if the series sticks to an historical timeline we are in for a treat. The wikipedia article is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartacus and it’s well worth a look.

     Along with the Q and A and Comic Con, the Spartacus panel also showed a teaser trailer for the new series, expected to air in the states early next year and it’s already made it’s way onto youtube.

The British Way

I spoke yesterday about how great American Television seems to be these days. Lets not forget that we in dear old blighty are still capable of producing some great shows.

DOCTOR WHO

Ok so I know that Doctor Who isn’t technically a ‘New Show’. The first episode aired way back in 1963. It does seem to be enjoying a bit of a golden age though. The departure of David Tennant from the title role could’ve easily spelled the end for the show but Matt Smith has undoubtedly made the role his own. Despite a patchy start, the latest season went off on it’s summer break with a huge mystery reveal to set us up nicely for the 2nd part of the season. It’s due to air in Autumn with September looking likely and will be made up of 6 episodes. David Walliams is set to guest star in episode 4 and James Corden will reprise his role from The Lodger in episode 5. The finale is set to be huge and will be set on an alternate earth. A line from the episode is ‘Crowds lined the mall today as Holy Roman Emperor, Winston Churchill, returned to the Buckingham Senate on his personal mammoth
Source: Doctor Who TV http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-who-series-6-autumn-preview-20767.htm#ixzz1Ssh1eDOZ

SUGAR TOWN

This is a show that I will be watching. Set in a Northern seaside town, it follows the fortunes of a struggling sweet factory and stars Sue Johnston, Shaun Dooley and Tom Ellis. It begins a 3 episode run on Sunday on BBC1.

BEAVER FALLS

Another show that I’ll be watching. It centres around 3 university pals who having graduated decide that they need one last carefree summer. They bag themselves summer jobs working at a Summer Camp in the US and so head off for 2 months. It’s a comedy drama and begins a 6 episode run on Wednesday at 9:00pm on E4. .

TORCHWOOD

 

This series is only 2 episodes in and I’m already hooked. It’s good to have Captain Jack and Gwen back it has to be said. The story is amazing too. The fact that no one can die yet still grow old and get ill is a fantastic concept and I can’t wait to see where they take this.

The American Way

     American telly is going through a bit of a golden age it seems. Despite many of the top shows in America ending such as Lost, 24, Scrubs, etc, they are still churning out some truly great shows.

THE WALKING DEAD          

The first series centred around a policeman called Rick Grimes who, after getting shot, wakes up from a coma to find he’s in a post apocalyptic world overrun with Zombies. The scenes where Rick wakes up reminded me of 2002 horror movie 28 Days Later. The 2nd series is due to air in the autumn.

HAWAII FIVE O

This reboot was a resounding success and has already been picked up for a 2nd season. The casting of Alex O'Loughlin as Steve McGarrett proved to be a master stroke as he slotted into the role previosly made famous by Jack Lord. Alex O’Loughlin actually screen tested for the role of James Bond back in 2005 and although I’m a firm believer in having a british Bond, O’loughlin would’ve made a great 007 if his performance in this show is anything to go by. Of course it isn’t just Mcgarrett that makes this a great show though with the whole five-o team bringing something different to the table. The great thing about this reboot though is the way the writters set up each episode with a pre-titles sequence that ends with that iconic theme tune. Having SKY + means that I rarely sit through the titles of a show but Hawaii Five-O was definately an exception to that rule.

 

FALLING SKIES

When Steven Spielberg’s on the credits as an executive producer you pretty much know that you’re in for a treat and Falling Skies does not disappoint. As of writting, we are only 3 episodes in in the UK and already I’m hooked, desperate for the next installment. It has been described as Band of Brothers with aliens but I think that that’s slightly unfair. It’s a great show in it’s own right and it’s already been commissioned for a 2nd season. The brilliance in the show lies in it’s opening sequence. You never actually see the alien invasion, instead getting a childs description of it and some childrens pictures of alien ships. It humanises the survivors somehow. Another masterstoke is that the program could be set today in todays world. With a show like this it would’ve been too easy to arm the survivors with laser guns and set it in the 23rd century, which in my opinion would’ve been a mistake.

 

TERRA NOVA

Another show with Steven Spielberg on it’s credits. The basic premise of the show is that in 2149 the human race is dying out. To prevent extinction scientists have invented a time portal which transports teams back 85 million years to the time of the dinosaurs. It isn’t even on air yet but it’s already creating a massive buzz. With a rumoured budget of $4 million an episode it is set to be huge. It is due to air in the autumn and I for one can not wait.

 

GAME OF THRONES

It was described by many as being a The Sopranos in Middle Earth and you can see why. It is a sweeping Saga that has already been picked up for a 2nd season. Sean Bean slots seamlessly into his role as Ned Stark one of the main characters in the show. Although I personally couldn’t keep track of it, it looks like it has the legs to become as big as The Sopranos.

     Of course American television boasts some great long running television shows such as House M.D., C.S.I., South Park, Family Guy and The Simpsons. It does make you wonder whether these new additions to the American Television Network have the legs to last as long.

     Below is the trailor for the upcoming Terra Nova, a show I for one can’t wait for. See what you think.