Colonial Spies Return Tonight

Where by AMC else can you get American spies and Generals George Washington and Benefict Arnold together for a night on television? With tonight's return of the third season of Turn: Washington's Spies, we will look deeper at the divisions within and without Washington's camp. Add to that the ongoing trama of slavery, and you have an amazing window on a piece of America's history that is often glorified yet seldom understood.

Ian Kahn, who plays the role of General Washington, noted in a recent interview how he studied for the role to get it just right:

Lafayette wrote in his autobiography about it. Alexander Hamilton had an opinion about it. All of these different people, I'm getting all of this different information so that I can hopefully create a well-rounded figure of this man that can be entertaining for modern audiences but also that historians can look at and say, ‘Yeah, that's General Washington. That's the General Washington that I studied’. That's very important to me.

Mr. Kahn also notes in the interview how he went so far as to abandon his dental care to better understand George Washington's struggle with his own teeth. Of course, he had mints near by (Ian that is, since I cannot speak for George).

As with HBO's superb colonial story John Adams, I am glad this story will be part of our historical record for years to come as young and old strive to learn more about this great country's original struggle. 

Rebellion on Sundance

Not that you will have time tonight with all the HBO shows, but you may want to set aside some time for the 3-night special Rebellion that starts tonight on SundanceTV. The show premieres on the 100th anniversary of a real challenge to a real throne, this time the Easter Rising in Ireland against English Crown.  The story follows various families as they struggle internally and externally with the circumstances around them. 

Here is show producer Catherine Magee describing the ongoing struggle:

In our drama, one brother is in the British army trying to support his family; the other brother is a socialist caught up with Connolly. These kinds of splits happen. This kind of fascinating drama happens in the middle of a historical event. So we tried to do what a drama does, which is take a human perspective and not try and be a history lesson. I hope that will make it different and that’s what people will respond to: the human perspective.

You can see a clip from the series here, demonstrating how a daughter conspires against her own father.  

The Irish already celebrated the 100th anniversary on Easter Sunday, though here in the US the celebration happens today.  Why the confusion?  Here is one view from the the website IrishCentral:
 
Why did Ireland mark one day as the 1916 centennial and the rest of the world another? Was it to ensure a tourism boost for the commemorative events? Was it to avoid a St. Patrick’s Day-esque scenario in which Ireland’s leaders seem to be in every nation except the one they represent on the day that celebrates their country? It can’t be the latter, as only one government minister is traveling to the US for the 1916 celebrations.

Regardless of the scheduling of celebrations, the event itself is well commemorated in the SundanceTV series.  

GOT is Coming!

In fact, season six of Game of Thrones arrives tonight on HBO.  The latest trailer gives you some sense of what is to come.  And if you are a little lost since last season, you can catch up this this New York Times piece titled "Game of Thrones' Season 6: Here's Where We Left Off."  For instance, we are reminded about Brandon Stark's story: 

Bran took a gap year to focus on his studies with the Three-Eyed Raven, who will be played by Max von Sydow this season. Perhaps you’ve been puzzled by photos and trailers from the new season that show the paraplegic Bran standing. The explanation is that he is able to walk in his visions, which we’ve previously seen in bits and pieces but will be more substantial this year, as Bran comes into his own as metaphysical force. 

The latest news is seasons seven and eight will be shorter as they wrap up the series - sounds like one season divided into two, as was done with the final seasons of Mad Men. 

And don't forget to also watch the third season of Silicon Valley and the fifth season of Veep.  Both shows have already been renewed for another season.

Yes, a very busy night on HBO.

From Ramsay to Hitler

Okay, here is more about Game of Thrones as the Sunday (April 24th) premiere of season six approaches. But instead of discussing loved characters like Jon Snow, let's focus on Iwan Rheon, better known to you as Ramsay Bolton, the sadistic butcher strategically married to Sansa Stark.

In a New York Times interview with Mr. Rheon, we learn he will be playing a young Hilter in a new BBC drama. That's a stretch. And his character is less liked than Hannibal Lector. All good for the show and maybe limiting for Mr. Rheon. 

Mr. Rheon knows he is good at dark parts, but I recommend you take a look at his character in the British sitcom Vicious, where he is a mild-mannered neighbor to a gay couple. He has been in quite a few other shows, And he also has a separate gig as a folk singer.  

So it is not all gloom and doom. In fact, he is a talented actor that I hope to see in many roles to come. 

And remember, like everyone else on Game of Thrones, his character will meet a gruesome fate soon enough. 

RIP Jon Snow

It is called a ‘pupillary sphincter,’ as a matter of fact, we looked this up on the Internets and it said that your pupillary sphincter relaxes and that your eyes dilate, and if you look carefully, Jon’s pupil dilates — the one that’s in the light dilates.

--Game of Thrones co-creator D.B. Weiss in a Variety interview on the status of Jon Snow 

Update:  Of course, you know that is not the last word.  That Jon really dies is the lesser issue.  Whether Jon rises again is the real issue.  Here is another convincing view that more it to follow - see the video "Jon Snow's Return & Why It's Not Melisandre Who Brings Him Back."

Spies and Plagues Tonight

Get ready for a new batch of shows starting tonight.  First, on AMC you can watch The Night Manager, a John le Carre spy story about modern day gun-running in the Middle East.  While we remember Mr. le Carre's tales from the days of the Cold War, his story has been updated to reflect the new international realities.  Here is how AMC defines this six-part miniseries:

...a contemporary interpretation of John le Carré’s best-selling spy novel, which follows hotel manager Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) in his quest to bring down international arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). Pine, a former soldier, is thrust into a world of international intrigue when he is recruited by a British intelligence officer (Olivia Colman) to infiltrate Roper’s inner circle. To get to the heart of Roper’s vast empire, Pine must withstand the allure of his beautiful girlfriend Jed (Elizabeth Debicki) and the suspicious interrogations of his venal chief of staff Major Corkoran (Tom Hollander). In his quest to do the right thing, Pine must first become a criminal himself.

This trailer may draw you in, particularly if you have been a fan of previous le Carre or even James Bond productions. 

And if you tastes run more towards the tragic back home, The CW will be showing Containment.  The series is set in Atlanta during an outbreak of god knows what.  It looks a lot like what we missed in the early days leading to The Last Ship, another plague-driven tale.  The series was created by Julie Plec, who also created The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.  I presume we are not looking at a vampire-induced plague here, but I reserve my comments for now.

The trailer will not provide much more about what affects these people.  However, it looks worst than Zika.  

Season Two of Kimmy Schmidt

If none of the new shows this week captured your attention, you always have season two of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix.  All 13 episodes will be released today, but I recommend you stretch them out and savor them.

This odd ball show about the recently liberated (from a hole in the ground) Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) and her dramatic neighbor Titus (Tituss Burgess) has a fresh-eyed look at the world around us. Doomsday cults or simply living in Indiana will do that to you. 

This production from Tina Fey surpasses her 30 Rock and reminds me more of Leslie Knope's experiences in Parks and Recreation (created by Fey's friend Amy Poehler).  You cannot go wrong with Kimmy.

The Last Panthers

The new shows keep coming this week. Tonight in SundanceTV you can see The Last Panthers, a six-part miniseries from overseas.

Here is the spin from Sundance TV:

THE LAST PANTHERS begins with an audacious jewelry heist in Marseilles, bearing all the trademarks of the recently dormant "Pink Panthers" gang — a group of real jewel thieves responsible for some of the most daring and glamorous heists in the world. 

So there you have it. But from all accounts it appears to be a pretty solid, yet dark, story with some excellent acting across the European continent. 

I have no urge to watch it at the moment, but it will be something for a rainy day. 

NBC: Game of Silence

You may remember David Lyons' role in the cancelled NBC series Revolution where he played Sebastian Monroe as a paranoid president and brutal general. Unlike his buddy, played by Billy Burke, Lyons' character had no sense of humor and generally destroyed everything  he touched. 

So now Lyons is starring in the new series Game of Silence on NBC, which premieres tonight (yes, it was supposed to be the 7th yet it was delayed).  I'm just not sure I can drop that dark image from my head, and his new character and situation is already bleak to begin with. 

Here is the trailer and storyline:

Five best friends have a dark secret they thought was buried 25 years ago, but they soon discover that you can't hide your past forever. From the executive producers of "CSI" and "Friday Night Lights" comes a gripping new drama about friendship, love, revenge and the moral dilemma of how far one will go in the pursuit of justice.

Jackson Brooks (David Lyons) is a successful attorney who seems to have it all. He's engaged to his boss, Marina (Claire van der Boom), and he's on the fast track to becoming partner at his firm, but his world is turned upside down when his long-lost childhood friends unexpectedly reappear after 25 years.

Jackson, Gil Harris (Michael Raymond-James), Shawn Polk (Larenz Tate) and Boots (Derek Phillips) always stuck together, like brothers. They spent their boyhood summers in the small town of Dalton, Texas, swimming in the quarry, shooting bottle rockets and doing everything they could to mine the fun out of small-town life. But their idyllic world turned chaotic one fateful summer afternoon when a well-intentioned and heroic attempt to save their friend Jessie (Bre Blair) from her alcoholic mother ultimately cost the 13-year-old boys nine months at Quitman Youth Detention Facility, where their lives were changed forever.

Now 25 years later, the nightmare of the worst nine months of their lives has resurfaced, uprooting a mystery even deeper than their buried past. The brotherhood must now band together to right the wrongs of their shared past - a journey that will push the limits of their loyalty and ignite in them an unquenchable thirst for revenge.

See what I mean - real dark. We just had The Family on ABC and that was hard enough to watch. So I'm not sure if I can watch another brutal youth show. I may pass for now.

Alien Hunters on SyFY

Just as The Magicians ends its first season tonight, the new show Hunters magically appears on SyFy.  And while my tastes right now run toward the supernatural, I suppose a good alien hunting series could be a fun change of pace.  

Hunters deals with non-humans hiding among us.  The 13-episode season starts off with kidnapping, terrorism, and more. You can get a taste of it here.

The new series is based on Whitley Streiber's book Alien Hunters.  Here is a quick summary of the plot in the book from Publisher's Weekly:
 
Opens on a strong note with a terrifying and moving scene. Soon after midnight on November 16, 2002, police detective Errol “Flynn” Carroll discovers that his 22-year-old wife, Abby, is missing from their smalltown Texas home. It looks as if she put three changes of clothes into her backpack before leaving voluntarily. The marriage was happy and she hadn’t mentioned any travel plans, and Flynn spends the next decade trying to discover who or what has taken Abby. When the answer arrives, it’s a doozy: an alien killer has been snatching bodies for nefarious purposes.

The TV series starts with the Errol Carroll as an FBI agent, but you get the point.  Bad things happen to a good man's wife and he is ready to do anything to make it right.   

Sadly, we have plenty of human terrorists to worry about without the need for non-humans.  But that is where we are today, fascinated with a society that is out of control and driven mad by forces we cannot understand. Bleak but true. 

Should You Take The Detour?

My answer is yes, try out The Detour tonight on TBS.  We need a few Chevy Chase-like comedies so we can laugh at the end of the day. And you can watch the first episode on Youtube.

Here is what to expect:

The Detour is a what-in-the-living-hell-is-wrong-with-this-family comedy created by comic super-couple Jason Jones & Samantha Bee and inspired by their own experiences with family trips. Jones stars as unfiltered dad Nate, who hits the road with wife Robin (Natalie Zea) and kids Delilah (Ashley Gerasimovich) and Jared (Liam Carroll). Every leg of their trip is fraught with disaster as they encounter one hellish turn after another. If there's trouble on the road, this family will find it and plow into it.

I was hoping Jason Jones would join his wife Samantha Bee on Full Frontal, but it was not in the cards for now.  Then again, we should count ourselves lucky to get two shows out of this talented couple, so I cannot complain.

Update: This "family comedy" has an edge to it. That's not a bad thing, but it may not be a show for the whole family. For example, pole dancing and urine tossing may not be appropriate for some (or many) viewers.  And the end of the episode reminded me of the criminal   investigation running through Showtime's The Affair. So let's just say it's a dark comedy that will take some time to adjust to, yet I am eager to see where the show is going.

Do We Need More Dice?

The answer is no regarding the need to watch Showtime's new show Dice, which follows the antics of the loudmouth comic. 

This is the set-up:

Twenty-five years after taking the entertainment world by storm, Andrew Dice Clay is eager to reclaim his comedy throne. But that's easier said than done. This scripted, semi-autobiographical series follows him as he tries to make a comeback.

Since I never found him funny on the stage I had few expectations for the new series. This turned out to a good thing. 

Is the series horrible? No. The man is more of a big baby than nuisance off the stage. It could be age, medication, acting, or the real man. I can't tell, and I don't expect to watch enough to learn more. 

The first episode is available on Youtube if you are not a Showtime subscriber.  Good luck. 

An Outlander in Paris?

Just as the History's Channel Vikings opened up a new front in Paris (consistent with history), it appears the characters in Starz successful series Outlander are doing the same thing (consistent with fiction, or in this case the writing of Diana J. Gabaldon).  But don't fear, we still have plenty of fun ahead with Claire and Jamie in season two, starting tonight.

This time-bending love story about a woman torn between two husbands in two worlds (post World War II  Britain and 18th Century Scotland) has been a hit with audiences after one season, and I expect the second season will be just as fascinating.  Just in terms of a woman's place in society, the series has a lot to share, be it every women deemed as property or smart women labeled as witches.  Of course, not even 1945, Claire's starting point, was perfect.  Yet society was changing in the 1940s at a pace not present in 18th Century Scotland.  And yet this social commentary is overwhelmed with beautiful settings, superb acting, and enough high adventure to keep anyone entertained.  

Diana J. Gabaldon has already written eight books in the Outlander series, providing Starz with penty of material for future seasons.  Will there be a ninth book?  In this interview, Ms. Gabaldon hints at more to come: 

Well eventually I’m gonna die so you have to bear that in mind. I just don’t know. I know there’s a book 9. I have more than enough material for that. So chances are good that there will be a book 10. I think 10 is probably as many as it will take me to the end of Jamie and Claire’s lifetimes, because it’s their story. It ends when they do. 

Good news for all.

Catastrophe: The Crazy Yet Lovable Couple Returns

Season two of Amazon's Catastrophe has arrived and will premiere tonight.  What is Catastrophe?  It is a series from last year where Sharon Morris (played by Sharon Horgan), an Irish schoolteacher, has multiple one-night stands over a weekend with Rob Norris (played by Rob Delaney), a traveling American businessman.  Pregnancy, drama, and marriage ensue, creating a powerfully funny series. When you sprinkle in the weird family and friends, it only gets better.

The Sharon/Rob mixup, both the characters and actors, is pure fun. Rob reminds me a little of the older brother of Phil Dunphy from Modern Family in both his attitude and appearance. Sharon is her own force and much more prickly where her next statement is far from predictable. 

If the series has a weakness it would only be the limited number of episodes. Seasons one and two contain only six episodes apiece, barely making one regular season when combined. So savor each one.

The trailer will show you what is to come.  And the episode outline below is an even better road map, should you need it.

Episode 1: The couple invite friends and family to a very awkward celebratory party. The animosity between Sharon and Rob's mother boils over, and they make a very unfortunate discovery about another family member.

Episode 2: An overly flirtatious new co-worker frustrates Rob. Sharon feels out of place at her mommy-and-me class, but she may be too dependent on the friendship of the only other normal mother.

Episode 3: After news of a friend's separation, Sharon decides to inject some passion into her and Rob's life with a romantic trip to Paris. Chris goes out on the town.

Episode 4:  Things are certainly less catastrophic for Sharon and Rob as they celebrate their anniversary with a night out. Their friends, however, are a different story: Fran dates a possessive man, Chris has an awkward hook up, and Dave must decide whether to change for a new girlfriend.

Episode 5: Sharon resolves to return to teaching, but she must control her nerves for the interview. Tension with his flirtatious co-worker causes Rob to make a huge decision about his career.

Episode 6: Rob bonds with Dave when both reach an all-time low. After a girls' night out with a divorced friend, Sharon struggles to remember the night's events.

Bosch is Better

If you haven't had a chance to view Amazon's detective series Bosch then you are missing out on one of the better dramas on television (okay, online). Harry Bosch (played by Titus Welliver) is one tough cop with quite a backstory making very questionable decisions in his work.  The series is built on Michael Connelly novels, with season one coming from  City of Bones, Echo Park, and The Concrete Blonde.  More novels were used in season two and now a third season has been approved.  

Speaking about the first season, author Michael Connelly stated: 

The essential difficulty in adapting the novels was taking a character who was very interior and bringing those hidden characteristics out. This led us to The Concrete Blonde because it involves a story where Bosch is put on trial and testifies about himself under oath. That gave us the construct through which we could reveal much of Harry’s back story – his war time service, the tragedy of his mother’s murder, his growing up in foster homes and youth halls. It all came out very honestly because he was asked about it on the stand. From there we looked for stories that would show his relentless character as well as put him and the community in danger. That led us to City of Bones and Echo Park. We had our season then.

And now we have three seasons. 

Don't Miss The Story of God

Morgan Freeman has been playing God for awhile now, so it only makes sense for him to discuss world religions in tonight's premiere of The Story of God on National Geographic.  Here is a quick trailer in preparation for tonight's episode titled "Beyond Death."  

When asked in an interview what he learned from the series, Mr. Freeman stated:

One really interesting thing I didn’t know was that reincarnation is binding. You’re bound to the Earth, you’re bound to a corporal existence. You have to keep coming back and coming back until you get it right. But once you get it right, that’s it, you’re done. But, we were in Varanasi in India, the holiest city on the Ganges, and we learned that you could get a shortcut. Just go to Varanasi and die, and be cremated at that river, and that’s it, you’re done, it’s over. You don’t have to come back anymore. So you know where I’m going! 

I would imagine we can all learn something new if we tune in.  

Netflix: The Ranch

If you missed some of the cast from That 70s Show, you can get your fill with tonight's premiere of The Ranch on Netflix.  Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson from the earlier show paired up for this new series and took their act in a new direction far from the burbs. 

Here is the situation:

Set in the present day on a Colorado ranch, THE RANCH stars Ashton Kutcher as Colt, a failed semi-pro football player who returns home to run the family ranching business with his older brother Jameson “Rooster” (Danny Masterson) and father Beau (Sam Elliott), whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years. Debra Winger stars as Colt’s and Rooster’s mother, Maggie, who runs the local town bar.

Here is a trailer as well.

It is a top-rate cast and we will see if it holds together.  In the previews, Ashton seems to have an accent whereas the rest of the family does not. Maybe this will be explained. 

However, I mostly look forward to the interplay between Elliott and Winger. The last series I watched starring Elliott was the final season of Justified. As always, his low-key performance was overwhelming.

Update: The series was better than expected. I watched the first two episodes and plan to watch more. I never did care for Two and a Half Men, so I missed his performance there. Yet his new role on a better show works, particularly with Elliott and Masterson there to feed him lines or knock him down, whichever comes first. It also feels more like a play than a regular television show, adding to its appeal. 

While it is not in the same league as Friday Night Lights, it still has some of that feel of a small town, the let downs of life, and the value of family. Certainly worth your time.