A Look at a President from Long Ago

With all of the attention on this year's presidential debates, it may be worth taking a few minutes thinking beyond the current candidates and recent past, and go back a little further to the time of President James Garfield.  On Tuesday (February 2nd) PBS will broadcast its special The Murder of a President.  This two-hour program tells about a President shot only four months into his presidency and how he died slow death as a result of questionable medical advice.  

As you read some introduction material, you learn that the presidential contests were somewhat different years ago.  For instance, we read:

As was the standard for the time, Garfield did very little campaigning for the presidency. Instead, he conducted what came to be known as "front porch talks" on the veranda of his farm in Mentor, Ohio where citizens came to see and speak to him. 

With all the grand-standing and animosity in the current campaign season, I think a front porch talk would be a nice change. 

Join Rob Lowe for the End of the World

Rob Lowe has been busy these days with The Grinder and Moonbeam City, but he still found time for the end of the world.  You, Me and the Apocalypse premieres on NBC tonight, and it looks like a pretty crazy comedy set in a time where the world faces destruction as a comet barrels towards us. Rob Lowe plays a priest. I'm not sure which scenario is less likely - our destruction or Father Rob - or more scary.

With only 34 days to go before Earth as we know it disappears, the characters act on some of their worst impulses.  This might be an interesting premise if I had not seen it before. You may remember Three Moons Over Milford (still available on iTunes) where the Moon is hit by an asteroid that breaks it into dangerous pieces soon that will soon fall to Earth. The series lasted one season and I have a feeling this new show will have the same fate. Besides, you can only stretch 34 days for so long. What is sad is that we may welcome the destruction. 

Outsiders on WGN America

I prefer Justified over Duck Dynasty when it comes to hillbillies. Scripted stories are always better than rambling thoughts, particularly some of these thoughts.

So now we learn WGN America's Outsiders, starting tonight, follows the Farrell family in Kentucky's bit of Appalachia. And it is scripted. So I am intrigued. 

Some critics already have nice things to say. The Washington Post noted:

...if you stick with it, “Outsiders” becomes another pleasant surprise in a winter season that’s so far been full of shows that turned out better than I expected. The pace and writing are meaningful and sometimes verge on elegant, as “Outsiders” patiently explores the power dynamics in the town and the strange world on the mountaintop above.

I plan to see if I can stick with it. 

Another Set of Troubled Teens

If The Fosters does not provide enough evidence that teens today face some tough issues, maybe you should check out Recovery Road tonight, also on Freeform.

You can learn more via this trailer and summary below:

Based on the popular young adult novel by Blake Nelson, “Recovery Road” focuses on Maddie, a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Maddie has a reputation as a party girl who doesn’t think she has a problem, until she’s confronted one day by her school guidance counselor and is forced to choose between expulsion and rehab. Maddie makes the difficult decision to live with other recovering addicts at a sober living facility while facing the daily pressures of her teenage life.

It looks like teen hospital series that crosses The Fosters and The Red Band Society. Freeform may have another winning family show on its hands. 

The Prince of Darkness in LA

If you prefer dark magic of a celestial sort, you should check out Lucifer on Fox. Here is the long summary:

The Devil has come to Los Angeles...LUCIFER is the story of the original fallen angel. Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR (Tom Ellis, “Merlin”) has abandoned his throne and retired to L.A., where he owns Lux, an upscale nightclub.

Charming, charismatic and devilishly handsome, Lucifer is enjoying his retirement, indulging in a few of his favorite things – wine, women and song – when a beautiful pop star is brutally murdered outside of Lux. For the first time in roughly 10 billion years, he feels something awaken deep within him as a result of this murder. Compassion? Sympathy? The very thought disturbs him – as well as his best friend and confidante, MAZIKEEN aka MAZE (Lesley-Ann Brandt, “The Librarians”), a fierce demon in the form of a beautiful young woman.

The murder attracts the attention of LAPD homicide detective CHLOE DECKER (Lauren German, “Chicago Fire”), who initially is dismissive of Lucifer. But she becomes intrigued by his talent for drawing out people’s secrets and his desire to dispense justice, doling out punishment to those who deserve it. As they work together to solve the pop star’s murder, Lucifer is struck by Chloe’s inherent goodness. Accustomed to dealing with the absolute worst of humanity, Lucifer is intrigued by Chloe’s apparent purity and begins to wonder if there’s hope for his own soul yet.

At the same time, God’s emissary, the angel AMENADIEL (DB Woodside, “Suits,” “24”), has been sent to Los Angeles to convince Lucifer to return to the underworld…can the Devil incarnate be tempted toward the side of Good, or will his original calling pull him back toward Evil?

Clearly, the devil is cover for another police serial, so I will probably skip it. I have seen too many monster/cop partner shows to be duped into one more.

The Magicians on SyFy

If you are a fan of Harry Potter, you may be interested in tonight's two hour premiere of The Magicians on SyFy.  Based on the popular book by Lev Grossman, the more mature tale involves "adults" you are whisked away to a secretive Brakebills University where their magical powers are tested in many ways. 

This trailer shows how Quentin Coldwater, the main character, is introduced to this new society.

I watched the first episode and liked what I saw. Unlike other new shows, such as Shadowhunters, the characters are better defined, the special effects more believable, and the story better told as you move slowly into the plot. 

Update: After three episodes SyFy believes it has a winner on its hands and has renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes. Three cheers for the Harry Potter generation looking for adult heroes. 

Part Two of the Fosters

If you have been following the Foster family you know the kids have a few brewing problems, including custody battles, drugs, firearms, pregnancy scares, and even sibling relationships (this is not the Brady Bunch). All this in a home headed by lesbian moms who do not always see eye to eye (Mrs. Brady's mind would explode).

You can see what happens when the second half of season three of The Fosters returns tomorrow (January 25). Trying to update you on all the characters' storylines will take forever, so I will remain silent. 

And if you like the series, you will be happy to hear a fourth season has been approved. I think it's the best show on Freeform right now. Check it out if you have yet to see it.