TV I've been watching lately...

We're fast approaching November and most of the new autumn shows have begun, plenty of old favourites are back, and the summer shows are a memory. But what am I enjoying watching every week, finding time to write about, or have given up on completely? Read on!

THE AFFAIR (Showtime, season 1). It's been a great two-episode start to this new Showtime drama starring Dominic West and Ruth Wilson as extra-marital lovers, with a unique flashback format that also bisects each episode into opposing perspectives on the same events. Even without those narrative devices, I'd like this The Affair in terms of the basic story and performances, but the twists are what makes this feel so compelling. And I was pleased the second episode didn't beat around the bush, so we already have an idea about why the main characters are being interviewed by cops a year after their affair began. My only vague concern is that it's hard to really side with West or Wilson's character, as each "part" of the tale casts one or t'other as the more dominant, mildly unlikeable one. Not knowing who to believe or trust is part of the show's mystery, of course, but it does mean the viewer's constantly unsure about anything... which makes it hard to settle into. ★★★☆

Review: SLEEPY HOLLOW, 2.1 – 'This is War' • it's back, crazier than ever!

★★☆☆

SLEEPY HOLLOW is back for more. More, more, more! Has there ever been a more frenzied, resolutely high-tempo supernatural drama? I can't remember the time an episode paused for breath, as the writers seem to push every scene like it's the climax of a blockbuster movie. Season 2's typically bonkers premiere, "This is War", was the concluding part of season 1's finale—answering how Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) escaped being buried alive in a wood, and partner Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) escaped being sent to Purgatory. Big answers were required, and delivered in the show's usual way: during a barrage of preposterous flashbacks, fake-outs, scene-chewing performances, copious visual effects, bizarre hoop-jumping (find Benjamin Franklin's key that can cheat the 'one in, one out' rule of purgatory), and the gross overuse use of smoke-and-light machines.

September 2014 Highlights - AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D • DOWNTON ABBEY • FOREVER • THE GOOD WIFE • GOTHAM • SLEEPY HOLLOW, etc.

It's the busiest month of the TV calendar (certainly for U.S shows, that tend to debut in September), but what are the big highlights to check out? I use the term "highlights" fairly loosely, by the way...

Digital Spy: 12 Fantasy Television Crossovers

Over at Digital Spy today, it's my latest article. This one fantasises about 12 "crossover" episodes of past and present TV shows, that would be extremely unlikely but incredibly fun to watch. Dexter meets Hannibal? Sherlock travels to Fargo? Justified visits True Blood? Click through to read more, and remember to share if you enjoy it!

Finale review: Fox's SLEEPY HOLLOW (Season 1)

WARNING: SPOILERS! Fox's supernatural drama Sleepy Hollow was the surprise hit of the autumn and ended its first season of thirteen episodes last Monday. I've been wrestling with this show most weeks, because sometimes it stays focused and delivers some genuinely creepy visuals, then at other times it devolves into a screwy mess of supernatural weirdness. The fact it's a hit isn't surprising to me, because it's so restless in its approach that my guess is most viewers have been swept along on a tidal wave of spookiness and Tom Mison worship. The English actor's fantastic as Ichabod Crane, of course; playing a courteous 19th-century colonial who awakens in the 21st-century to fight a Headless Horseman and other nasties on the eve of Armageddon. I also like Nicole Beharie as his strong-willed partner, Sheriff Abby Mills, and it's great to see the writers haven't forced an obvious romance between the pair.

Hiatus report: Fox's SLEEPY HOLLOW

The summer trailer of Sleepy Hollow looked so dumb-beyond-words I was prematurely sharpening my critical knives, so of course it's become one of this autumn's bigger freshman hits in the US. A healthy seven million viewers are tuning in most weeks on Fox, although the show's hidden away on the Universal Channel here in the UK—to be overlooked by everyone except TV connoisseurs. Oh, the pitfalls of this multi-channel age! We can only hope a bigger network recognise Sleepy Hollow's appeal and swoop in to outbid them for the second season. Sorry, Universal.

Is Fox's SLEEPY HOLLOW just a supernatural FRINGE?

Fox's new hit supernatural drama (although viewers have dipped to 7.8m since the premiere's 10.1m) was created by Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, who co-created Fox's Fringe with JJ Abrams. And the two shows share some similarities, which are obscured quite well, but become increasingly apparent when you stop to think about...

Pilot: Fox's SLEEPY HOLLOW

What's it about? Sleepy Hollow's a fantasy thriller that concerns Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison), a soldier who beheads a masked horseman during a skirmish in 1781, only to wake up in present-day Sleepy Hollow to continue his duel with the now 'headless horseman', aided by Deputy Sheriff Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie).

Trailers: Showtime's DEXTER (season 8) and Fox's SLEEPY HOLLOW

After yesterday's blog about an effective 'Masterpiece' promo I enjoyed, Showtime have released the official trailer for Dexter's final season. It's a little bit spoiler-y and suggests some avenues the show may ultimately take to resolve itself. There appears to be a lot of character-based content for Dex and Deb this year, following the climax of season 7 (which is both appropriate and great to see), but not a lot else to get excited about... beyond the fact this show is building towards a definite ending, which is exciting in itself.

Of all the trailers that have been released for US network Upfronts presentations, I feel like I have to write about the one for Fox's Sleepy Hollow. God, this looks insane! Adapting Washington Irving's famous ghost story for television struck me as a difficult task, but the ways in which they've "broadened" the idea are plain ludicrous...

TV Pilots I Want to See - 2013-14

It's become a blog tradition (sort of) that I compile a list of the most promising or interesting TV pilots that are being made for 2013-14. This tends to favour US shows (where the whole idea of a 'pilot episode' is purer and drives the industry), but it does include one UK show. Some of these pilots will never see the light of day (although a few may leak online), while others will become full-blown TV shows over the next year.