World Without End on Reelz

I am not sure how Reelz was able to pull it off, but it began broadcasting Ken Follett's miniseries World Without End on October 17.  The story takes place in Kingsbridge, though it is now two centuries after the completion of the Gothic cathedral covered in Follett's earlier The Pillars of the Earth.

Pillars was broadcast on Starz back in 2010. It reminds me of another miniseries, The Kennedys, that was turned down by other networks and finally broadcast on Reelz only to go on to win an Emmy (Barry Pepper, as Bobby Kennedy, won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie).

The Hollywood Reporter summarizes the setting in this way:

Chronicling the late Middle Ages -- the start of the Hundred Years War against France, the devastation of the Black Death, the corrupt machinations of the Church and the peasant uprisings against royal tyranny -- Follett’s novel follows four adolescents into adulthood. Caris (Charlotte Riley) is a smart, compassionate girl drawn to the healing arts of medicine, while Gwenda (Nora von Waldstaetten) is a feisty peasant laborer accustomed since a young age to living by her wits. Then there are the brothers, Merthin (Tom Weston-Jones) and Ralph (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), sons of a fallen knight. The former is a builder’s apprentice with a natural aptitude for architecture, the latter a thuggish answer to Jake Gyllenhaal with grand aspirations and a talent for raping and killing.

While it sounds like another good story,  The Hollywood Reporter review finishes with little praise:

However, while the series is always at least mildly entertaining, it’s also stodgy. Even when it tosses in juicy ingredients (Incest! Fratricide! Gay monks! Lesbian nuns!), World Without End is just too tame and tasteful.

If you need a tame version of the Tudors, this may be a place to start.  As far as an Emmy, that may not be in the cards.  

Note:  Click here for a little more on the story from Ken Follett.

MTV: Underemployed and More

Tonight (October 16) MTV's new series Underemployed premieres at 10 pm EST.  Set in Chicago, the new show follows five friends trying to make their way in a bad economy.  Sadly, many young viewers will probably know this story all too well.  MTV notes:

"Underemployed" picks up one year after their college graduation when reality has set in and the group struggles, often comically, to stay optimistic through the major life changes young twentysomethings know all too well, including dead-end jobs, terrible bosses and romantic mistakes. This group of old friends becomes a new family as they go through all the highs and lows in their newfound adult lives and prove together that if life is about living, none of them are underemployed.

Sophia struggles to hold on to her dreams of becoming a writer, as she serves maple bacon bars at Donut Girl, while Daphne continues to toil as an unpaid and unnoticed intern at an advertising agency. Lou and Raviva ended their relationship when she left for Los Angeles to become a famous singer, leaving Lou on his quest to save the environment, but all that changes when she shows up on his doorstep nine-months pregnant. Meanwhile, Miles aspires to be a world famous model, the face of a major ad campaign, but instead finds himself serving mojitos and mini-tacos in his skivvies. 

After failing with I Want My Pants Back, MTV has another chance to speak to this work depressed generation.  Not that everyone is willing to give MTV another chance.  Mike Hale in a New York Times story warns:

“Underemployed,” an hourlong dramedy that begins on Tuesday night, is a botch, an attempt to do a dirty-sexy-funny show about struggling (but great-looking) millennials that’s so creaky and clichéd hardly a moment rings true. If it demonstrates anything, it’s the inadvisability of a 40-something producer (Mr. Wright) creating and supervising a show based on the life of his 20-something son.

So what else is happening at MTV?   Rumors are circulating that Teen Wolf's Colton Haynes may not return for a third season, which does not really make a lot of sense given the arc of his character.  MTV via Facebook has now confirmed rumors are true:

We were just as surprised and disappointed as Colton’s fans to read out about his decision to leave the show. We want him to return for a third season, as he has for the past two, but if this is his decision we respect that and will wish him all the best. We are excited for what Jeff Davis and producers have in store for our incredible cast in the upcoming third season.

At the end of last season his character Jackson finally became a werewolf, giving him a third life after his second life as a Kanima.  I am sure MTV can find a creative way to kill off his character, and the writers certainly had a chance last season, but the last two shows were a mess.  I would have ended the season with the second to last episode and the drowning of Matt, but the writers could not leave it alone.  

Maybe season three can streamline the story a little and get us back to the original cast, though that will not be possible with Jackson absent.  The growing number of characters and creatures in season two was enough to make you dizzy.  Teen Wolf has been one of MTV's better shows to date.  It would be sad to see it all go to waste.
 

This Week: More Heroes and Monsters

If you are looking for an unlikely hero, you always have Nathan Fillion's Captain Hammer in the CW's special re-broadcasting of Joss Whedon's Dr Horrible Sing-Along Blog last night.  Whedon fans would have downloaded this three-part program back in 2008, but the CW wanted to bring it to the masses as well via regular television.  In addition to Dr. Hammer, you have a strange yet strangely satisfying anti-hero in Dr. Horrible, played by Neil Patrick Harris.  While I would not call any of it fantastic acting, it certainly ranks with great fun.  Here is a short trailer for the uninitiated.   

Of course, tonight (October 10) you can see another hero, Arrow, also on the CW.  The previews remind me of another show, The Cape, which had a very short life, with a little bit of Batman mixed in (disgruntled playboy with a dark back story).  The new series may be better, but I am thinking Dr. Hammer could be more to my liking.  Here is the spin on Arrow:

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he's become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow - a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be - flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle - while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel's father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver's own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on – and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.

If your taste runs to monsters,  you can always watch the CW's Beauty and the Beast starting Thursday night (October 11).  The remake of the story is basically a typical detective story with a monster thrown in.  You know, like Grimm and Blood Ties and many others.  In this case, it a Afghanistan War veteran Vincent hooking up with a "strong and confident" Catherine who likes "bad boys."  Who writes this stuff?  Well, the CW does, as you can see below:

Catherine “Cat” Chandler (Kristin Kreuk, "Smallville,” “Chuck”) is a smart, no-nonsense homicide detective, who is haunted by her own tragic past. When she was a teenager, Cat witnessed the murder of her mother at the hands of two gunmen. Cat would have been killed too, but someone – or something – saved her. No one has ever believed her, but she knows it wasn’t an animal that attacked the assassins…though it was strange and terrifying, it was human.

Years have passed, and although she thinks about her mother every day, Cat is now strong and confident, a capable police detective working with her equally talented partner, Tess Vargas (Nina Lisandrello, “Nurse Jackie”). The two women make a good team, and have become close friends while working on countless homicide cases under the supervision of their tough-but-fair boss, Joe Bishop (Brian White, “The Shield,” “The Cabin in the Woods”). Cat has also become close to another co-worker, the medical examiner Evan Marks (Max Brown, “The Tudors,” “MI-5”), and they’ve developed a fun, flirtatious relationship that could easily turn into something deeper – if Cat would let that happen. However, much to the concern of her younger sister, Heather (Nicole Gale Anderson, "Make It or Break It"), Cat’s romantic inclinations tend toward bad boys.

While investigating a new case Cat and Tess discover fingerprints that lead to a handsome doctor named Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan, “Terra Nova”), who was reportedly killed by enemy fire while serving in Afghanistan in 2002. Digging deeper, Cat learns that Vincent is actually still alive. For mysterious reasons that have forced him to live outside of traditional society, Vincent has been in hiding for the past 10 years. With the help of his childhood friend J.T. Forbes (Austin Basis, “Life Unexpected”), Vincent has been able to guard his terrible secret – when he is enraged, he becomes a terrifying beast, unable to control his super-strength and heightened senses. Cat is stunned when Vincent admits he was the “animal” who saved her the night of her mother’s murder. Vincent doesn’t admit the whole truth – he is emotionally tied to Cat and has been watching over her for years.

Cat agrees to protect Vincent’s identity in return for any insight he may have into her mother’s murder. Thus begins a complex relationship between Cat and Vincent, who understand that their connection is extremely dangerous for both of them. Cat’s secret obsession with Vincent puts a strain on her relationship with everyone around her, and Tess is especially troubled by the feeling that Cat is keeping something from her.

Perhaps the most surprising element of their relationship is that Vincent soon becomes a secret but important part of Cat’s detective work. During the years he spent hiding in the shadows, watching over Cat and other innocents, Vincent learned a lot about the darkest parts of the city and the people who live there. His sharpened instincts, incredible strength and human compassion become invaluable to Cat as she works to bring criminals to justice.

As she slowly comes to terms with Vincent’s monstrous alter-ego, Cat senses she can trust him in ways she hasn’t been able to trust any man before and, despite the obstacles between them, she realizes that she’s safer with him than anywhere else.

Maybe your taste in monsters is the more traditional zombies.  If so, then you can catch the season three premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead this Sunday (October 14).  If you are new to the show, here is what you need to know. 

Where There's Smoke: Chicago Fire

This Wednesday you can also catch Chicago Fire on NBC.  The pilot had a lot of energy and even a surprise visit by Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel.  I know we have seen much of this before with Rescue me (and even the much earlier Emergency), yet the Chicago setting may provide some additional story lines and certainly an interesting setting.  I know the earlier Fox police series, The Chicago Code, did not make it in the Second City, but think of the successful shows that have, such as Starz' Boss and Showtime's Shameless (see my earlier ode to Chicago).  Notice the successful shows are on the cable networks, but I am still hopeful that Chicago Fire can hold its own.

Here is the story per NBC:

From renowned, Emmy Award-winning executive producer Dick Wolf ("Law & Order" brand) and creators Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, the writing team behind "3:10 to Yuma," comes the high-octane drama "Chicago Fire," - an edge-of-your-seat view into the lives of everyday heroes committed to one of America's noblest professions. For the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51, no occupation is more stressful or dangerous, yet so rewarding and exhilarating. These courageous men and women are among the elite who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way and whose actions make the difference between life and death. 

The pressure to perform on such a high level has a way of taking a personal toll, sometimes putting team members from the Truck and the specially trained Rescue Squad at odds with each other. Despite any differences, this is an extended family, and when it's "go time," everyone inside Firehouse 51 knows no other way than to lay it all on the line for each other. When a tragedy claims one of their own, there's plenty of guilt and blame to go around. Lt. Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer, "House"), in charge of the Truck, tries to carry on, but butts heads with the brash Lt. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney, "The Vampire Diaries") of the Rescue Squad - and each blames the other for their fallen team member. Adding to the turmoil, Casey, unbeknownst to his colleagues, is in the midst of a separation from Hallie (Teri Reeves, "Three Rivers").

The firehouse also includes Battalion Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker, "Oz"), a fireman's fireman who is confronted by important personal decisions, paramedics Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund, "The Good Wife") and Leslie Shay (Lauren German, "Hawaii Five-O"), who share a close bond and team together to face some of the most harrowing situations imaginable, Peter Mills (Charlie Barnett, "Law & Order: SVU"), an academy graduate who is the latest generation in a family of firefighters, and Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg, "Sex and the City"), a seasoned veteran who loses his home to foreclosure and now must uproot his family to move in with his in-laws.

More Music Television: Nashville

This Wednesday ABC brings us Nashville starring the talented Connie Britton from Friday Night Lights (she was also in American Horror Story, but I will forgive her).  Ms. Britton plays a country music singer nearing what appears to be her prime and trying to figure out her next steps.  I had a chance to watch the pilot, which I believe shows a lot of promise.  Think Smash with cowboy boots (and better acting). 

Here is the full story from ABC:

Music legend Rayna Jaymes reigns as the Queen of Country, but after two decades, her grip on the throne is slipping. Rayna refuses to be steamrolled by her record label as they present a new arrangement. And in the face of an evolving industry, Rayna is struggling to adapt and reinvent herself, which she must do if she plans to stay relevant.

Juliette Barnes is sexy, sassy, and trails trouble in her wake— she’s also the country’s #1 crossover artist. In her climb to the top, Juliette's public image is threatened by circumstances she struggles to control. And while she is determined to sit on Rayna's throne, Juliette refuses to deal with her difficult past.

Offstage, things aren't much smoother for Rayna. Her father, Lamar Wyatt, Nashville's most influential businessman, continues to complicate her life. Their strained relationship is defined by years of resentment and secrets that come to a head when Lamar and Rayna’s sister, Tandy, push Rayna's husband to run for mayor. For husband Teddy Conrad, this marks an opportunity to share the spotlight with his wife instead of continuing to be the man behind the woman.

The city of Nashville is the stage for many hopefuls: Deacon Claybourne, Rayna's longtime bandleader whose unrequited love for Rayna prevents him from claiming success if he went on his own. Scarlett O'Connor, the beautiful and gifted songwriter, who's here to support her boyfriend Avery's talent while still unsure of her own. Avery Barkley, a struggling alt-country musician, who can't help but feel left behind when his girlfriend Scarlett's songs have a chance to find an audience before his own. And Gunnar Scott, a wholesome up-and-coming crooner, who finds a musical soulmate in Scarlett, coming in between her relationship with Avery.

Nashville is Music City U.S.A. It’s where today's top recording artists lay down tracks while tomorrow's undiscovered talent fight to be heard. With the backdrop of a thriving contemporary music scene, and a tense mayoral race, "Nashville" takes us into the cutthroat world of music and politics, showing what it really means to become a star and stay one.

Another Debate, Though Not Very Presidential

If Wednesday presidential debate was a little dry, you may want to tune into tomorrow's debate in Washington, DC, where you can see Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly duke it out.  It promises to be a little less stuffy than what you are used to and for all you know even more informative.

Stewart already provided his opinion on Wednesday's presidential debate, noting his disappointment with President Obama's defense of his policies and pointing out that the President's best response to Romney would have been "LIAR, LIAR, LIAR."  On his show, O'Reilly said President Obama was "...coming off as a boring college professor," who failed to bring up the 47 percent issue.  O'Reilly even showed a clip of Al Gore blaming the President's performance on Denver's altitude.  If you watched the debate you will at least need to acknowledge that Romney had all the energy that evening.  It is not clear if President Obama was up past his bedtime or has some secret strategy to lure Romney into a sense of safety before launching a serious strike. 

The Stewart/O'Reilly debate will be streamed live, Saturday, October 6th at 8pm ET from Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University.  You can go to www.theRumble2012.com for more information and tickets to see the show online (since seating at the auditorium sold out pretty early).   

Update:  While many viewers (including myself) had problems with the Internet broadcast, it was a good debate overall.  I would even say it had better coverage of the issues than the first presidential debate.  And yes, it even covered crucial issues such as the "War on Christmas."  What I found odd was O'Reilly's need to emphasize everything he said with a sign restating his words.  This may work on television, but it looked goofy on the stage.  I guess he is a creature of habit.  

USAToday captured Jon Stewart's opinion of the night's debate:

The main thing is it's an ongoing conversation and I don't think you can look at these things in this idea of it's a match and there's a winner and the winner takes all. it's an ongoing conversation. ... If you can strip it away and get to the core of what someone's honestly thinking and believing, that's got a value to it on its own.

If you are looking for a similar debate, try out Glenn Beck debating former governor Eliot Spitzer at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver on October 2nd.  While it is not as humorous, it is equally informative about the issues in the upcoming election.  Spitzer's take on the debate and Beck's followers was outlined in his Slate column:
 
The passion they summon for their anti-government rhetoric is based on a strong emotional need to channel a visceral anger against the state of the world—and the government has become the perfect target for their ire. What transforms their anti-government views into a form of bizarre patriotism is the way they turn the founders of the nation into paragons of virtue. They say that if only we had remained true to the virtues of the founders, things today would be all right.

Televised Political Debates in October

Tonight at 9pm EST, President Obama and Governor Romney will hold their first debate on national television from the University of Denver, which is good for the country and most likely annoying for those who would rather watch their regularly scheduled shows.  The topic tonight is domestic policy, with the debate moderated by Jim Lehrer, the Host of NewsHour on PBS.   

CBS notes that the debates drew large audiences in the past and this one should be no different:

Despite ongoing efforts by both camps to tamp down debate expectations, there's no question that the event will have bearing on the public consciousness. According to Nielsen estimates, 52.7 million people watched the first match-up between Mr. Obama and McCain in the 2008 presidential contest - and that was down 16 percent from the first presidential debate in 2004, when 62.5 million people tuned in. 

The other debates scheduled prior the election are as follows: 

-- October 11, 2012:  Vice Presidential debate at 9pm EST from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.  The topic will be foreign and domestic policy.   The moderator will be Martha Raddatz, ABC News Chief Foreign Correspondent.

-- October 16, 2012:  Presidential debate at 9pm EST from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.  This will be a town meeting format covering foreign and domestic policy.  The moderator will be Candy Crowley, CNN Chief Political Correspondent.

-- October 22, 2012:  Presidential debate at 9pm EST from Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.  The topic will be foreign policy.  The moderator will be Bob Schieffer, Host of Face the Nation on CBS.

My suggestion is catch up on national politics and watch your show later on, but that is just my opinion as a citizen first and a television viewer second.  I can put tonight's Supernatural on my DVR for later since the CW will not be broadcasting the debate (broadcasters include C-SPAN, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, as well as all cable news channels, such as CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC).  And I expect the debate will have its dramatic moments, even if it does not necessarily concern the same Supernatural theme of holding back the forces of hell (or does it?).

The Winchester Boys Are Back!

Tomorrow night (October 3) Supernatural returns for its eighth episode.  Expect more mayhem from the Winchester brothers as they battle the forces from hell.  Last season had a number of twists, including the death of Bobby and his return as a ghost.  The program even made a few pokes at the fan base.  That is what I like about this show - nothing is taken too seriously.  In fact, the actors know they have a somewhat over-the-top fan base, which they will play to in various episodes, even if it means making an episode as actors playing themselves.  Why take hell so seriously, I say. 

If you are new to the series, no worries.  CW provided a good summary of where we are at this point:
 
Twenty-seven years ago, Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. Subsequently, their father John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, “Watchmen”) raised them to be soldiers. He taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America…and he taught them how to kill it. 

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) have spent the last seven years battling the things that go bump in the night. Over the years, with the help of both fallen-angel, Castiel (Misha Collins, “24”), and the King of Hell, Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard), the Winchesters have straddled the line between good and evil. Last season, the boys encountered their worst enemy yet, Leviathan, a highly adaptable, seemingly unkillable foe that takes the form of billionaire Dick Roman. Roman’s plan is to turn the human race into a walking buffet for the Leviathan to feed on once the world has been taken over. Roman discovers the existence of a tablet that is the only source on how to kill the Leviathan and stops at nothing to get it. The Winchesters, along with Castiel, also discover the tablet and the young prophet, Kevin Tran (Osric Chau), who is the only one who can decipher the text. Using the tablet, the boys are able to beat the Leviathan, but after the blast, Dean and Castiel find themselves in Purgatory and Sam finds himself alone. 

Season Eight begins with Dean’s seemingly impossible escape from Purgatory, though Castiel is nowhere to be found.  However, Dean isn’t alone.  He’s returned with a mysterious comrade-in-arms whose reason for escape is perhaps more than Dean bargained for.  Meanwhile, Sam finds himself reconciling the life he discovered while Dean was gone with Dean’s sudden reappearance.  As the boys struggle with their unexpected reunion, they make a shocking discovery that could lead them on a deeply personal mission to settle old scores.  If only they could agree – is this a “family business” or isn’t it?.

If you are interested in some words from the actors themselves, I summarized their Comic Con points from this past summer.  Check it out, and enjoy the show.