A&E remaking French supernatural drama THE RETURNED

French supernatural drama The Returned (Les Revenants) is to be remade in the US, adapted for the A&E network by Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) and Raelle Tucker (True Blood).

Review: Showtime's PENNY DREADFUL

written by John Logan | directed by J.A Bayona

There have been so many vampires stories it's hard to give audiences a new and exciting one; so writers often have to wait until an approach falls out of fashion, before attempting to breathe new life into it. Or else add lots of associated things into the mix, hoping the chimerical result is enticing to viewers. Screenwriter John Logan (Gladiator, Skyfall) does a little of both for his first foray into television, with Bond collaborator Sam Mendes serving as executive producer for his Gothic supernatural horror...

Trailer: HBO's THE LEFTOVERS

There are so many great ideas that, on the face of it, don't appear to justify the long-form treatment television allows. You see it all the time in US television, where "the big idea" managed to get a pilot made and then audiences drop away when the concept just isn't elastic enough. I had HBO's The Leftovers in that bracket, because it's the story of what happens after 2% of the world's population simply vanish one day, instantaneously. It just sounds like the set-up to a brilliant "what if?" movie, but could the idea really work over multiple hours, perhaps for years?

ITV developing JEKYLL & HYDE and BEOWULF adaptations

The BBC has almost cornered the market in family-friendly fantasy in the UK, although ITV had some success with Primeval. But that wormhole/monster silliness couldn't hold a candle to Doctor Who or Merlin. The BBC's telefantasy has stumbled with Atlantis (although some people enjoy it), but they still reign supreme when you remember another of ITV counter-attacks was Demons. Remember that sub-Buffy calamity?

TV Picks: 28 April – 4 May 2014 (Cardinal Burns, Good Morning Britain, Orphan Black, Paul O'Grady Show, Prey, etc.)

Below are my picks of the week's most notable shows, returning/premiering on UK screens this week...

Is Fox's action thriller 24 the most influential TV drama of the past 15 years?

24 returns to airwaves on 5 May, when Fox's action thriller begins a new twelve-part story set in London, England. 24: Live Another Day finds Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on the run in the UK, chased by the CIA, and fans are already salivating at the prospect of another real-time adventure with twists, shocks, moles, torture, betrayals, and large explosions... only with added shots of Big Ben, red telephone boxes, and Double Decker buses. But is this excitement warranted for a show that arguably ran its course, and was perhaps deservedly axed in 2010? Well yes, because there's a very real chance 24 is actually the most influential television show of the past 15 years, dammit...

HANNIBAL, 2.9 – 'Shiizakana'

written by Jeff Vlaming & Bryan Fuller | directed by Michael Rymer

This was a good episode in terms of elaborating on exactly what Hannibal Lecter's (Mads Mikkelsen) long-term goal is with criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). It's not solely a twisted friendship or a fascination with how Will's mind works; it appears Lecter is hoping to guide Will down a path of transformation, moulding him into also becoming a killer.

Review: Channel 4's DEREK - Series 2

The intention behind Derek (and one that writer-star Ricky Gervais believes he's succeeded at) is to take an affectionate and half-serious look at the state of elderly health care in the UK, while making people fall in love with the eponymous simpleton Gervais plays. Never mind the fact Derek started life as a blunt characterisation of a mentally-disabled man, or that one of Gervais's own stand-up comedy shows saw him "doing Derek" to mimic the abnormal nerds with bad haircuts that occasionally pester him for autographs. Maybe he's had a change of heart since then, and now sees Derek-types as beacons of hope in a cynical world. Or maybe he's just realised his range as an actor (after six degrees of David Brent) immediately narrows into going "full retard"--as Robert Downey Jr's character described it in Tropic Thunder.

MAD MEN, 7.2 – 'A Day's Work'

Valentine's Day, 1969. Peggy receives an unexpected bouquet of flowers, Pete grapples with new office politics, Joan handles a difficult decision at work, and Sally Draper realises the truth of her proud father's situation...

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, 5.12 & 5.13 – 'Checkpoint' & 'Blood Ties'

QUENTIN: You used to respect us, Giles. You used to be one of us.
GILES: You used to pay me.

Along with the show's wishy-washy treatment of vampire culture, the other thing I've been disappointed with in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the Watchers Council. As a group, they've just never made much sense to me. What exactly do they do? And why don't they provide more support for Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Giles (Anthony Head), instead of being obstinate bookworms? I understand the show wanted to give "the good guys" some edge, but as a society I just don't understand them. I would actually make more sense if there was always a sole Watcher and they passed their knowledge onto a protégée, in order to help the next generation's Slayer.

MSN TV: Channel 4's FARGO, 1.1 - 'The Crocodile's Dilemma'

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed the excellent TV adaptation of the 1996 film FARGO, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman, which had its UK premiere on Channel 4 last night...

We're seeing a good deal of big-screen properties transfer to the small-screen lately: Hannibal, Bates Motel, From Dusk till Dawn, the upcoming Rosemary's Baby, etc. The thinking appears to be that audiences are so consumed by TV, studios need to cut through this digital din by pitching remakes of stories with which people are already familiar, or else lean on brand recognition. On hearing about a Fargo mini-series, the very idea felt pointless. Fortunately, screenwriter Noah Hawley (Bones) knew there was no improving on the Coen's original production so he wisely decided to tell another "true crime" story with fresh characters.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

Easter TV Picks: 21-27 April 2014 (Derek, Game Face, Jamaica Inn, Tommy Cooper, Trying Again, Vera, Warren United, etc.)

Below are my picks of the week's most notable shows, returning/premiering on UK screens...

Review: BBC1's THE GUESS LIST

As everyone will tell you, BBC1's new Saturday night celebrity gameshow The Guess List is a blatant rip-off of Blankety Blank. It resembles that long-running show so much that I'm surprised they didn't just revive Blankety Blank once again, with a few tweaks to suit host Rob Brydon. Instead, they've gone with an inferior format that recycles the core Blankety Blank set-up (two contestants helped along by two tiers of seated celebrities). The result is, you guessed it, very underwhelming.

HANNIBAL, 2.8 – 'Su-zakana'

written by Scott Nimerfo, Bryan Fuller & Steve Lightfoot | directed by Vincenzo Natali

After a very serialised and fast-paced run of episodes, it's reasonable for Hannibal to have a slower transitional episode in "Su-zakana"—which went back to the show's default 'killer-of-the-week' format, while slyly introducing a new storyline I assume's going to become a big factor in the remaining episodes.

COMMUNITY, 5.13 – 'Basic Sandwich' (Part 2)

written by Ryan Ridley | directed by Rob Schrab

This was potentially the last ever episode of Community; but that's been true of almost every season finale, so despite notably low ratings this year I'm optimistic it will return somehow and somewhere. "Basic Sandwich" was a much better episode than its predecessor, "Basic Story", and tapped into a style of writing I particularly enjoy about Community: where it's not only fun and amusing, but also creative, adventurous, and happy to take bizarre diversions.

MSN TV: Sky Atlantic's MAD MEN, 7.1 - 'Time Zones'

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed the seventh and final season premiere of AMC's 1960s drama MAD MEN, which made its UK bow on Sky Atlantic last night...

I sometimes hear complaints that not much changes in Mad Men, but I think that's very unfair. I think the show's deliberate pacing, relatively few regular locations, and characters who are largely defined by an inability to break out of old habits, simply gives that impression to the casual viewer. In fact, every season has given us changes—although, admittedly, some were far bigger than others. But for its final season (picking up the story only a few months later, in January 1969), creator Matthew Weiner gives fans the biggest shake-up of Mad Men in quite some time...

Continue reading at MSN TV...

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, 5.10 & 5.11 – 'Into the Woods' & 'Triangle'

XANDER: But you missed the point. You shut down, Buffy. And you've been treating Riley like the rebound guy. When he's the one that comes along once in a lifetime. He's never held back with you. He's risked everything. And you're about to let him fly because you don't like ultimatums?

I will admit I haven't been completely understanding of Riley's (Marc Blucas) state of mind this season, as his behaviour toward Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has struck me as odd and unwarranted... so perhaps my brain's wired more like the titular Slayer, who came to realise her relationship with her boyfriend's been slowly crumbling for awhile now. Marti Noxon's "INTO THE WOODS" was one of the better character studies this season, and certainly managed to explain the mindset of both Riley and Buffy.

HANNIBAL, 2.7 – 'Yakimono'

written by Steve Lightfoot & Bryan Fuller | directed by Michael Rymer

The second phase of this season is most definitely under way, with the stunning "Yakimono" sending the narrative veering down another unexpected path. The discovery that FBI rookie Miriam Lass (Anna Chlumsky) is alive was dealt with as expected, as she's suffering from the same memory loss Will (Hugh Dancy) is battling—only even more comprehensively because she's been under Lecter's (Mads Mikkelsen) control for two whole years—and yet there was so much more going on in this episode. Following the hour where Lecter took charge of a disintegrating situation, after Will hired an assassin to kill him, this was another episode that underscored just how difficult catching Lecter will be...

COMMUNITY, 5.12 – 'Basic Story' (Part 1)

written by Carol Kolb | directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

Like most two-part episodes, it feels unfair reviewing the first half without seeing the second. "Basic Story" is potentially the last adventure for the study group (in the wake of dismal ratings, I'm less certain NBC will be kind enough to greenlight that fabled sixth season), and it worked in the sense it set everything up very nicely. The Save Greendale committee (which has been less significant to the season than I'd hoped) were successful when the college was valued by an insurance appraiser (Michael McDonald), but this unfortunately led to the school being sold to Subway (apparently the sponsor of choice for all struggling geek-friendly shows, post-Chuck).

Easter TV Picks: 14-20 April 2014 (Fargo, Intelligence, Mad Men, Only Connect, Twin Towns, etc.)

Below are my picks of the week's most notable shows, premiering/returning to UK screens this Easter week...

Intermission: 12-14 April

Sorry, I'm on a weekend break, so reviews of Community and Hannibal will again be delayed. Next week's TV Picks may also go up Monday afternoon instead. I'm sure you'll all survive without me...

THE TRUMAN SHOW: the television show

Peter Weir's masterpiece The Truman Show is being developed into an actual television show; which makes sense in some respects, but also feels like an oddly pointless endeavour. If you're somehow unaware, the 1998 sci-fi drama concerned a man called Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) who was unwittingly the star of the world's most popular reality TV show. His entire life from birth had been spent on a massive sound-stage doubling as an idyllic seaside town, and his everyday existence manipulated by programme-makers to keep him blissfully unaware his every waking moment is being watched as entertainment.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, 5.8 & 5.9 – 'Shadow' & 'Listening to Fear'

XANDER: Am I right, Giles?
GILES: I'm almost certain you're not. But, to be fair, I wasn't listening.

This felt like an important episode for the season, but it wasn't one I was completely swept along with. I did enjoy seeing the situation with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) play out, however, as the Slayer is finding her powers to be utterly useless on two fronts: the newest villain Glory (Clare Kramer) barely breaks a sweat when they fight, and now her sweet mother Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) has been diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumour. The latter issue was the most effective part of this episode by David Fury, as it's always interesting whenever a superhero can't defeat something that feels comparatively small-scale and humdrum. Buffy's saved the world a dozen times and slaughtered many beasts (including a giant cobra in this very episode), and yet a simple medical diagnosis leaves her utterly helpless.

Review: HBO's SILICON VALLEY, 1.1 – 'Minimum Viable Product'

written by John Altschuler, Dave Krinskey & Mike Judge | directed by Mike Judge

Curiously, I've never liked Mike Judge's animated hits (Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill), but have enjoyed most of his flop live-action efforts (Office Space, Idiocracy), which makes me an unusual case. As Judge's biggest hits have been on TV, it feels like a wise move that his next non-animated project is an eight-part HBO series; and after sampling Silicon Valley's pilot I'm hopeful this will develop into something smart and funny... although, given its subject-matter, it'll likely remain as niche as the Office Space did. But is that a bad thing?

MSN TV: Sky Atlantic's GAME OF THRONES, 4.1 - 'Two Swords'

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed the fourth season premiere of HBO's GAME OF THRONES, which was simulcast early Monday morning on Sky Atlantic...

Now firmly established as a fine piece of TV drama and impressive feat of transnational production, Game of Thrones is better placed to reap the rewards of its own broadcast history and growing audience appreciation for each character's hopes, desires, failings, fears, and grievances. After the excellent third season, it's expected this year won't falter - primarily because it's still adapting what's commonly considered the best of George R.R Martin's ongoing saga.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

TV Picks: 7-13 April 2014 (Britain's Got Talent, The Call Centre, Community, Game of Thrones, The Guess List, Weekend Escapes with Warwick Davies, etc.)

Below are my picks of the week's most notable shows, returning/premiering on UK screens this week...

British Children's TV Shows that Deserve to Become Movies

Gerry Anderson's seminal marionette epic Thunderbirds became a live-action flop in 2004, and this summer's CGI Postman Pat should be returned to sender (based on the ghastly trailer), but surely there are some fantastic British children's shows that deserve the big-screen treatment? Of course there is! And no, Telletubbies didn't make the cut. Below are my top 7 choices...

Syfy picks up 12 MONKEYS

Syfy have ordered 12 episodes of a television series based on Terry Gilliam's 1995 sci-fi movie 12 Monkeys (itself based on the French short movie La Jetée). The pilot (written by Nikita's Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett) has already been filmed, starring Aaron Stanford (Nikita) as a time-traveller from a post-apocalyptic future who arrives in the present day to find the source of the deadly plague that decimated mankind.

HANNIBAL, 2.6 – 'Futamono'

written by Andy Black, Bryan Fuller, Scott Nimerfo & Steve Lightfoot (story by Andy Black) | directed by Tim Hunter

Coming halfway through the second season, it's fitting that "Futamono" changes the narrative in keys way—even if a few of them probably won't stick, for now. Above all, this was an episode where Jack (Laurence Fishburne) finally began to take Will's (Hugh Dancy) assertion that Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) is a the Chesapeake Ripper seriously, which led to some very interesting sequences of investigation. I was also glad Dr Chilton (Raúl Esparza) seems to believe Will's telling the truth about Lecter (who fits the profile of a sociopath), after overhearing him talking with Abel Gideon (Eddie Izzard) about their meeting in a room Gideon shouldn't be able to describe. Chilton even coined the nickname "Hannibal the Cannibal" in this episode, during a dinner party where Jack had his team test the food Lecter's serving his guests.

COMMUNITY, 5.11 – 'G.I Jeff'

I admired "G.I Jeff" more than I enjoyed it, and a lot of that was down to one simple thing: G.I Joe™ wasn't part of my childhood, and that's likely true of my fellow Britons (we played with Action Man™). While this was clearly a very loving pastiche of the 1980s G.I Joe cartoon, it was never going to tickle my funnybone in terms of Joe-related gags. I just enjoyed seeing the attention to detail in its 1980s-style animation (familiar to me more through cartoons like Transformers and He-Man), although that wasn't enough to see this episode transcend itself.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, 5.7 – 'Fool for Love' & ANGEL, 2.7 - 'Darla'

SPIKE: Lesson the second: ask the right questions. You wanna know how I beat 'em? The question isn't how'd I win. The question is, why'd they lose?

Spike (James Marsters) has been one of the trickier characters to handle, ever since the writers decided to keep him around after villain duties in the second season. The idea of muzzling him with a behaviour-inhibiting chip in season 4 was a step in the right direction, and I'm actually quite enjoying this fifth season's desire to see him romantically entangled with sworn enemy Buffy (Sarah Michele Gellar)—which goes against every fibre of his being.

It's April, and I'm watching...

It's impossible to review everything I watch on a daily basis these days, so here are my broad thoughts on the TV shows I'm still watching every week, have started queueing on my TiVo, or have sadly dropped from regular viewing, as of 2 April...

Finale review: AMC's THE WALKING DEAD - season 4

The Walking Dead still isn't a show I feel compelled to write about episodically, but it's much better than it used to be. Every season of the show has improved the formula in certain areas, and this fourth year certainly delivered more zombies and stronger character moments. The mid-season finale found a way to (almost literally) explode the close-knit community of the prison, spitting the characters off into different storylines. This certainly helped put a spotlight on faces desperately in need of care and attention, who were suddenly able to get it thanks to having whole episodes focusing on less people. There was even a period of time when the show's hero, grizzled Sheriff Rick (Andrew Lincoln), was absent for many weeks, which came as a welcome respite.