COMMUNITY, 4.2 – 'Paranormal Parentage'

After last week's worrying premiere, Megan Ganz's "Paranormal Parentage" was a very good return to form that has me more optimistic about Community's future without Dan Harmon around—well, creatively, as this episode registered a drop in overnight ratings from 3.8m to 2.75m. But if the show's on its way out, hopefully the majority of episodes will be of this one's quality.

MSN TV: Sky Atlantic's VEGAS

Over at MSN today: I've reviewed VEGAS, which had its UK premiere on Sky Atlantic last night. Regular readers probably don't need to read it, as it's a reworking of the original review I wrote for its US premiere last September on CBS. Unless you want to help the page-hit stats, of course...

I was looking forward to Vegas on account of its arresting premise (outmoded cowboy takes on smooth mob boss), its beautiful setting (1960s Las Vegas), and the fact that The Shield's Michael Chiklis will be locking horns with The Right Stuff's Dennis Quaid. However, this well-made pilot didn't grab me as strongly as I'd hoped. It certainly wasn't bad; oozing style in James Mangold's (3:10 to Yuma) direction, while trying to do something different to other shows of its ilk. However, ultimately the opener just tweaked things we've seen time and time again.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, 3.19 & 3.20 - 'Choices' & 'The Prom'

Willow: Actually this isn't about you--although I'm fond, don't get me wrong, of you. The other night, you know being captured and all, facing off with Faith, things just kind of got clear. I mean you've been fighting evil here for three.. years, and I've helped some, and now we're supposed to decide what we want to do with our lives and I just realized that's what I wanna do, fight evil, help people. I think it's worth doing and I don't think you do it 'cause you have to. It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in!

While I don't really believe in Faith's (Eliza Dushku) decision to ally herself with the villainous Mayor (Harry Groener), I do like their dynamic together. Mayor Wilkins is the father figure Faith never had, so even when he infantilises her (like offering her cookies) she's charmed by his supportive and affable nature. He even buys her cool presents like a particularly baroque knife. Their relationship also works as the flipside of Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) close bond with her kind-hearted mother, which befits the character of Faith as the anti-Buffy in many ways.

BBC replace MERLIN with ATLANTIS

Unsurprisingly, the BBC have announced their intention to replace Merlin with another family-friendly fantasy series: Atlantis.

They've even hired one of that show's better writers, Howard Overman (who later created Misfits, Vexed and adapted Dirk Gently), to take charge of this new thirteen-part series. Atlantis takes place in the titular mythical city, described as being a "strange, compelling realm" where "snake-haired goddesses" roam, containing "palaces so vast it was said they were built by giants".

The hero will be a character called Jason (of Argonauts fame) and the show will essentially rework many of the enduring Greek myths and legends. Atlantis will begin filming in Morrocco and Wales this April, scheduled to fill Merlin's timeslot this autumn. But will it manage to dent ITV's X Factor ratings in a similar fashion?

It's far too early to say much about this show, but I'm glad Howard Overman's in charge of things. He was a stand-out writer on Merlin from way back, and it's been great to see his career blossom in unusual ways: from the great (Misfits), to the problematic (Dirk Gently) and the ugly (Vexed). Atlantis will most likely follow the example set by Merlin in execution and style, because it's executive-produced by that show's creators Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy, but with Overman's stronger influence I suspect the quality of writing will be much sharper. Anyone else excited? Or should we perhaps brace ourselves for a Sinbad-style misfire?

Review: SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED – 'Enemies of Rome'

This review is a number of weeks behind the US broadcast on Starz, so please be mindful of spoilers in any discussion below.

I stopped reviewing Spartacus last season because the show, while still very enjoyable and made with bloodthirsty zest, had drifted away from some of the things I most responded to in its Blood & Sand and Gods of the Arena years. The scope widened and the ambition grew as rebel gladiator Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) ventured out beyond his ludus, but I think I started to realise the show spoke to me more in its tighter focus on the everyday running of a gladiator training camp. Given its clear master and servant backdrop, it was essentially a blood-spattered version of Downton Abbey—only with more bodily mutilation. A lot more, let's be honest.

BEING HUMAN, 5.2 – 'Sticks & Rope'

If this wasn't the last series of Being Human (coupled with the fact I've reviewed every episode so far) I would give serious thought to dropping weekly reviews. It's lost its freshness. I quite like fastidious Hal (Damien Molony), but sleepy-eyed Tom (Michael Socha) leaves me cold, and Alex (Kate Bracken) has yet to grab my attention. When the show is trying to be funny and relying on the chemistry of the three leads, I find it a little unbearable. They're just not very compelling as a trio, which makes me realise just how much their predecessors worked as a dynamic threesome. Where the show still manages to come alive is whenever it's being dark and creepy, with a handful of spooky scenes towards the end going some way to rescuing the whole hour.

MSN TV: Channel 4's BLACK MIRROR - 'Be Right Back'

Today over at MSN: I've reviewed the first instalment of Charlie Brooker's BLACK MIRROR, which returned for a second series with a story about a widow (Hayley Atwell) who resurrects her dead boyfriend using cutting-edge technology...

Charlie Brooker's best known for his savage criticism and misanthropic analysis of junk TV and current events, but Black Mirror sees him in a more contemplative and imaginative gear. The first batch of Black Mirror episodes were of high quality, and Be Right Back, the second series opener, certainly doesn't let the standard slip. However, rather than echo series one's shocking premiere (where a prime minister was forced to have sex with a pig on live TV), this episode was comparatively sedate - perhaps intending to draw in viewers who may have been put off with last year's controversial premiere.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

Review: COMMUNITY, 4.1 – 'History 101'

Creators of many TV shows lose their position of power, for one reason or another, all the time. Most viewers don't notice, unless the show in question went through one person's filter as "showrunner" to a far greater extent than usual. Dan Harmon was one such person, having extensive input on every script for NBC's low-rated but highly-regarded Community—which means the show is intrinsically the product of his unique imagination. That's not to discredit the many talented writers who have worked on Community, but now that Harmon's been fired by NBC (amidst all manner of behind-the-scenes tittle-tattle), the fourth season of the show is in a distinctly precarious position. Can the remaining writers and directors keep the show's unique voice alive (perhaps even taking it to inspired new places), or are they doomed to crank out a weak imitation?

TV Picks: 11-17 February 2013 (Big Fat Gypsy Valentine, Black Mirror, Spartacus: War of the Damned, Vegas, The Walking Dead, etc.)

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

The long weekend

Family commitments mean I won't be blogging until after the weekend, which makes it difficult to review the return of Community until then. But next week should be better, with reviews for Black Mirror, Spartacus, The Walking Dead and Zero Hour. Sorry it's been so fragmented here recently, and somewhat focused on my MSN work, but these things happen. Still mulling over making The Americans a weekly thing, too. As before, this is the ideal place to leave a random comment, start an off-topic discussion, or suggest items for DMD.