More Weekend Adventures: The Last Ship and The Musketeers

Two new shows premiere tonight (June 22) and I am not sure when I will get to them with all the other great shows starting this summer or still underway.  TNT, the same network that is bringing us Falling Skies tonight, has a new show called The Last Ship.  And BBC America is bringing us more than fake royals with its retelling of a great French classic The Three Musketeers.  Some details are provided below.

-- The Last Ship:  Remember ABC's show Last Resort about a renegade submarine with a crew that did not want to be part of killing millions of Pakistanis for a crazy U.S. president?  Well, now we have another navy ship separated from the pack, but this time unintentionally as the world goes to hell.  About 80 percent of the world's population has died from a mysterious virus, and our crew is determined to hold things together while searching for a cure.  By the way, the 20 percent still alive is not too friendly, so you can expect mad Russians and nuclear explosions.  This series is a Michael Bay product, so you know the action will be pretty crazy. Take a look at this clip for more.

-- The Musketeers:  Retelling classic tales can be dangerous if you stray too much from the original tale  and upset readers, though I am not sure how many young adults are reading classics these days versus The Hunger Games and similar stories.  So in this case, retelling may be the first telling for many in the audience and it could lead to a greater curiosity about the source material. Let's hope BBC America can bring back the classics one at a time, starting with the 1844 classic story by Alexandre Dumas.  BBC America also brings viewers up to speed with this quick bio of the characters:

D’Artagnan, a skilled fighter from rural Gascony, meets the three Musketeers while on a mission to right the wrong of his father’s death. Although he meets the men in unfortunate circumstances, he finds kindred spirits in the other soldiers. Athos, who has rejected his noble roots to become a Musketeer, quickly befriends D’Artagnan, but has a past which is shrouded in mystery, and is prone to getting in trouble.

Porthos is a larger-than-life character, who has come from humble beginnings to become a soldier in the most elite regiment in the land, finding a family in the other Musketeers. Never short of admirers, Aramis has an effortless charm which leads him in and out of love. Despite this, he is a shrewd pragmatist who is ferocious in battle and commands a key place in the brotherhood.
 
Constance Bonacieux (Tamla Kari) leads a dull but comfortable life married to a cloth merchant, but her life is turned upside down when D’Artagnan tumbles into her world, and she becomes involved with the Musketeers.

Cardinal Richelieu (Peter Capaldi), while striving to achieve his vision of a thoroughly modern France, is a shadowy character who will stop at nothing to achieve his objectives. Milady (Maimie McCoy) is the Cardinal’s secret weapon, the most mysterious and beautiful of villains whose motives are often concealed.

The King relies on the advice of the Cardinal, his shrewd wife Queen Anne and also Captain Treville (Hugo Speer), the brave and respected commander of the Musketeers who keeps an eye on the soldiers to ensure they stay out of trouble. The series bursts with escapism, adventure and romance and is set to thrill audiences with riveting stories every week. 

BBC America must have some faith in this production since it has already renewed it for a second season after it aired in the United Kingdom earlier this year.  Here is a trailer showing what you can expect.