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.