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Showtime's Penny Dreadful returns this weekend (May 3rd), and it continues to dig into the traditional monster tales, from vampires to werewolves, while also mining deeper into well known characters, from Dr. Frankenstein to Dorian Grey. And unlike Twilight and other newer versions with likeable and sexy monsters, these creatures here remain rough and true to form. These are beasts for adults. And let's not forget the witches, which this clip will illustrate.
In an interview, show creator John Logan stated,
This
season, we embrace witchcraft...The
character Evelyn Poole (a.k.a. Madame Kali, the spiritualist introduced
at the séance in Season 1) becomes the antagonist for not only Vanessa
but all the characters...Sir
Malcolm is drawn into a relationship with Evelyn Poole that alienates
him, romantically, personally, and supernaturally, from the rest of the
people in the series.
Plenty of demons for all here. And take a look at this more general trailer for the show to come.
Steve Coogan is pondering middle life, and he does not like what he sees. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he notes:
Midlife crisis is kind of a perennial subject matter. It’s not original,
but Shalom is coming at it from an interesting angle. There’s
uncertainty all around because of the pace of change. Forty years ago
there was a set of rules, and if you abided by them you would have a
comfortable, fulfilling life. People would find a job with a company,
work for 35 or 40 years and retire. There was a system, and it’s not
there now, even for the so-called fortunate ones. Forty years ago, we
also had the simplicity of the Cold War; it was black-and-white. You
could orientate yourself. That’s partly what Shalom is writing about.
Also, growing up, there was a notion that by the end of the millennium
we would have sorted everything out; we’d be living in some sort of
semi-serene equilibrium.
The equilibrium is gone, as anyone can witness in reality and in Showtime's new series Happyish. Here is the basic story from Showtime:
Thom Payne is a 44 year-old man whose world is thrown into disarray when
his 25 year-old "wunderkind" boss arrives, saying things like
"digital," "social" and "viral." Is he in need of a "rebranding," or
does he just have a "low joy ceiling?" Maybe pursuing happiness is a
fool's errand? Maybe, after 44 years on this ludicrous planet, settling
for happyish is the best one can expect. Bitingly funny and raw,
HAPPYish features a stellar cast led by Steve Coogan, Kathryn Hahn, and
Bradley Whitford.
Thom Payne is no Don Draper, though even the older Don has been starting to lose his magic in the final season of Mad Men. But Don also came from a time when age could be interpreted as experience and accompanying wisdom, as Coogan notes above, whereas today age is seen to be an impediment to creativity and new products.
While the role was first performed by Philip Seymour Hoffman before he died, the re-shot pilot will bring in the sobering British sensibility of a man who can do dour very well (I also hope we can see Hoffman's pilot someday). I enjoyed Coogan in The Trip, where he played a traveling food critic with a roving eye, heavy wit, and solid impersonations. If he brings this to his new role, it will be worth the ticket price (or opportunity cost, in this case).
Critic Tim Goodman in The Hollywood Reporter is not convinced the show will work. He notes:
The most frustrating part about Happyish is that there's a good
show in there somewhere. An advertising agency provides loads of
opportunity for both commentary and target riffing. And Coogan is at his
best when he's a father, husband and employee worrying about how
growing old is changing all those roles for him. Aging, its fears and
indecencies and ego-slicing, are themes ripe for exploration, but having
Thom go up against the cardboard cutout tech-talk of "the Swedes" is
the easiest "you're out of touch or obsolete" trope out there.
Unlike a movie, a series has time to find it pace and work out the problems by the end of the first season. Maybe that is what we will see. Maybe not. But I think I will go along for the trip.
If you are too busy to catch up on the new comedies, I will give you a quick summary of what you missed. I viewed three comedies that premiered in the last month and enjoyed all three for different reasons.
First, Big Time in Hollywood, FL on Comedy Central (premiered March 25th) is a wild ride with two brothers and their friend Del who just want to make movies. But mom and dad have other ideas, and the two brothers come up with a ruse to remain at home involving Ben Stiller that spins out of control and now involves drugs, kidnapping, murder, and more. Think of it as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia set in the suburbs (with real deaths). I am hoping this one gets renewed. That is, if the brothers can remain alive that long.
Second, Weird Loners on Fox (premiered March 31st) is about four friends show come together in the first episode and then stick around to see what will happen in large part because nothing else is happening in their lives.
You may recognize Zachary Knighton from another friend series Happy Endings. He is just as clueless in this series, yet just as likeable. All the characters have their quirks as well as something that draws you in. My favorite part in the first episode was the four of them trying to read lips at a wedding taking place across the park. It told you everything you needed to know about the characters mindset (and reason they are alone) without any of them being aware of this reveal. My TV calendar is booked, but I may find time for this one.
Finally, Younger on TV Land (premiered March 31st) is what you might expect to be a droll story about a woman facing a mid-life crisis at 40. The main character is finding that all the jobs are going to younger women, so after she changes her wardrobe and hair she returns to the corporate world in her mid-20s. From this simple premise, you find yourself liking Liza (played by Sutton Foster) as she attempts to adjust to the lingo and preferences of a younger generation. Her confusion with Twitter and other technologies reminded me of Kimmy in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt who lived hidden underground for 15 years. The show has already been renewed for a second season. If you are looking for a light comedy, this is for you.
After its success with Neil deGrasse Tyson in the remake of Cosmos, the National Geographic Channel is bringing Star Talk to television this evening. The radio program Star Talk has been around for years as a combination of science discusions, light comedy, and audience questions. Bringing this same format to television should be pretty easy. I have no idea what kind of radio/podcast audience the program maintains, but if Dr. Tyson cannot make such a program work on television I am not sure who can.
With all the recent press about the latest clip from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it was only a matter of time before it started to permeate other areas. One such area is a parody of Louis, but this time Chewie brought to you by Nerdist.com. Given the bleak start to Louis this season, with his depression, rude party antics, and involvement with a pregnant woman, I am willing to give the big fur ball (Chewie, that is) a chance to liven up the show a little.
The Messengers starts tomorrow night (April 17) on The CW. And while I was hoping for an angel-related spin-off from Supernatural, this new series will take a whole new approach. It relates to five individuals who died after a strange object crashes to Earth and find they returned to life as the angels of the Apocalypse. Now they need to fight the "devil" on behalf of humanity. Here is a short clip.
You may recognize J.D. Pardo from NBC's Revolution and Diogo Morgado from The Bible (he played Jesus). Diogo describe the series in this interview on ShareTV. He seems to be playing the opposite of Jesus this time.
In addition to Supernatural, we have angels on SyFy's Dominion as well as a guardian angel on Fox's Sleepy Hollow, so this is not new ground. The question now is whether The Messengers is a worthwhile addition to this genre.
"When you get to a certain point in the business, what a man is
looking for in a network is the same as in his underwear. A little bit
of support and a little bit of freedom."
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