Get Ready for the Dead of Summer

It would not be summer without a camping series, and Freeform's Dead of Summer hopes to fill this need tonight. Amber Coney, one if the show's stars stated:

Dead of Summer is about Camp Stillwater and the ominous things that start to manifest...It’s about the dark mythology that awakens to all of our surprise. We think it’s just going to be a summer of fun.

I am just fine with the sun and the beach, but maybe you need more. If so, you should curl up on the couch (or find a nice log) and indulge yourself. 

More Amazon Pilots

Amazon had fewer non-animated pilots on display this year, yet I enjoyed both of them and hope to see full series in the future. 

The first pilot, The Last Tycoon, is based F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished last novel.  The pilot involves 1930s Hollywood dandy Monroe Stahr (Matt Bomer from White Collar) who, also being Jewish, faces antisemitism as the Germans start to decide which of his productions can be shown their country.  The head of the studio, Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammer from Boss), is more willing to compromise with the Germans to keep his business running during the Great Depression. Throw in a few woman flinging themselves at Monroe as he continues to mourn his dead wife and you have quite a period piece as well as an intriguing series. 

The second pilot,The Interestings, is based on a more recent novel by Meg Waltzer. The series follows a group of teens who meet at camp in the mid-1970s and shows how their lives unfold over the next 20 years. If you did not already know this, the dreams of teenagers are often poor forecasts of the future. Oh, and old flings stay with you. A better name for the series, muttered by one of the teens, would have been "Great Expectations Suck."

I was recently watching Red Oaks and Bosch, two earlier pilots that made it into full series, and thought that we are fortunate Amazon is producing some great shows. These new pilots show that Amazon aims to maintain this trend. 

Get Ready for Roadies

Showtime's new series Roadies premieres tonight, and it is just what it sounds like - a story about rock band roadies. Showtime notes:

...ROADIES is an insider’s look at the reckless, romantic, funny and often poignant lives of a committed group of “roadies,” who live for music and the de facto family they’ve formed along the way. The music-infused ensemble comedy series chronicles the rock world through the eyes of music’s unsung heroes and puts the spotlight on the backstage workers who put the show on the road while touring the United States for a successful arena-level band.

Starring Luke Wilson and created by Cameron Crowe, who also gave us Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Say Anything, we should have high hopes. Yet not everyone is hopeful. 

After viewing the first three episodes, Tim Goodman in The Hollywood Reporter wrote:

All three episodes of Roadies feel, astonishingly, like they were written by someone who has never been connected to music or real people. No matter how many hip band shirts you toss on these characters or how many references there are to The Replacements or Pearl Jam, it feels inauthentic — like actual roadies would never live this life. "How is this a Cameron Crowe series?" is a question that kept popping up with alarming frequency.

And don't forget HBO's Vinyl, another new television series based on the music industry, was recently canceled after one season. So this new series may need hope and a prayer. 

Match Game Returns

Tomorrow night on ABC we get the treat of watching Alec Baldwin host a new Match Game. I remember the original version, which was zany at times and often adult-only in its content (though most the comments were crafty enough to zip over the kids' heads). 

I expect Mr. Baldwin will keep the six celebrities on track as they attempt to fill in the blanks on various sentences. Yes, the premise is simple, but with the right host and celebrities it was a great show years ago and should be again. 

Mr. Baldwin has 10 episodes to show it can work. After that? Who knows?

What is BBC's Thirteen?

BBC America's five-part series Thirteen is about a girl taken as a child and returning to her family 13 years later. Does it sound familiar? Of course, if you have been watching television. For example, ABC premiered The Family in March about an abducted boy who returns home. I should add it has already been canceled.

And need I mention the many other series about abducted children, returning children, and even ghostly children who disappear for years yet return at the same age?

So tonight's premiere of Thirteen is not all that new.  So is it worth a peek? Take a look at this trailer and decide for yourself.

Here is more about the story from BBC:

The BBC AMERICA co-production follows Ivy Moxam (Jodie Comer, Doctor Foster) on the day she escapes from the cellar that has been her prison for the last 13 years. It’s the day she’ll return to her home, to her family, to her life – but that day is only the beginning…The Moxam family had given up all hope when suddenly their loved one was thrust back into their lives – now the family struggles to piece back together the version of their lives that existed before Ivy disappeared. Mother Christina (Natasha Little, The Night Manager) insists husband Angus (Stuart Graham, The Fall) leave his girlfriend and return to the family home – never to breathe a word to Ivy of their separation, his breakdown, and all that has passed. Their other daughter, Emma (Katherine Rose Morley, Last Tango in Halifax), isn’t even consulted about this and feels disgusted by it. Once again the focus shifts from her, and her imminent wedding to Craig Watts (Joe Layton, Tatau), to her sister.

For Ivy, even after escaping her kidnapper and returning to her family, she still can’t seem to find peace or a sense of safety; the police inform her that her captor evaded arrest and is on the run. Assigned to the case and tasked with protecting Ivy are Detective Inspector (DI) Elliott Carne (Richard Rankin, The Crimson Field) and Detective Sergeant (DS) Lisa Merchant (Valene Kane, The Fall). The duo is sharp-tongued and shares a close relationship that occasionally crosses over the line of friendship, which DS Merchant enjoys far more than DI Carne. Their relationship is tested as DI Carne becomes consumed with protecting Ivy.

Ivy is the only one who knows her kidnapper, who understands him and who can help DI Carne and DS Merchant snare him. As leads run cold, the police begin to suspect Ivy isn’t telling them the whole truth. As she fights to retain her sanity, the doubts about her begin to form – the anomalies of her statement, the errors, and her outright lies. What happened in that cellar? Where is her kidnapper? Can Ivy really be trusted? Everyone wants to untangle the mystery that is Ivy Moxam, but where narrators are unreliable, truths are withheld, and when everyone has an agenda, it is no easy task.

As you can see, this may not be a straight forward narrative. Yet that keeps it interesting given the common theme.

I'm not sure what to make if a culture that needs such shows as it obsesses over and warps its children. How about a show where parents are taken, trained to be better adults and disciplinarians, and then returned to their kids while no time has actually passed? I would pay to see that series. 

American Gothic Tonight

Should you be looking for another murder mystery, CBS's American Gothic may suit your needs. Premiering tonight, this series is about a Boston family that learns its departed patriarch may have been involved in a series of murders. And more to the point, one of the remaining family members may have been involved as well. 

The 13-episode series stars Juliet Rylance, Virginia Madsen, Antony Starr, Justin Chatwin, Stephanie Leonidas, Megan Ketch, and Elliot Knight. I haven't seen Justin Chatwin in a series since Shameless, where his lovable yet criminal  character helped to center the show. 

I'm not looking for new shows, but this is one I might check out. 

New Shows: Tunnels and Churches

This week you can watch a number of new summer shows, including PBS's The Tunnel and OWN's Greenleaf.

Let's start with this past Sunday's (June19) premiere of The Tunnel. Yes, you may have seen the Dutch program The Bridge, a murder mystery on a bridge between Denmark and Sweden, or the American remake set between the United States and Mexico.  But now you can see the BBC remake involving murder in a tunnel between England and France. It has already run for two seasons in England and now PBS brings it to us.

Here is what you need to know:

The Tunnel is set against the backdrop of Europe in crisis. When a prominent French politician is found dead on the border between the U.K. and France, detectives Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane, "Game of Thrones") and Elise Wassermann (Clémence Poésy, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II") are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries.

The case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership. As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, Karl and Elise are drawn deeper into his increasingly personal agenda.

And should you prefer something else and a little more original, how about tuning into the to Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) for Greenleaf, starting tonight?  What could be better than greed and conflict at a mega church? 

According to OWN, the new series

...takes viewers into the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch, where scandalous secrets and lies are as numerous as the faithful. Born of the church, the Greenleaf family love and care for each other, but beneath the surface lies a den of iniquity—greed, adultery, sibling rivalry and conflicting values—that threatens to tear apart the very core of their faith that holds them together.

And don't worry - more new shows will premiere this week. You don't have to commit to anything at this point. 

Unnecessary Battles

It was really dumb for Noah Galvin, the gay teenager on The Real O'Neals, to pick a battle with other gay actors. And now it appears his tirade almost cost him part of the second season of his show. With all the other gay battles in America, this was self-indulgent and damaging at a time when a little bit of unity would have been nice.

It started when Noah attacked other actors, such as Colton Haynes, in a Vulture interview:

Too often, gay characters on TV are being played by straight people. Some play stereotypes of gay people, some don't. But more often than not, the people playing gay on TV are either not gay, or they are gay and they're not out of the closet.

Colton had recently come out and discussed the issues related to keeping his sexuality hidden. He had made himself sick with worry, noting:

People want you to be that GQ image that you put out, but people don't realize what it's like to act 24 hours a day. I'd go home and I was still acting...People who are so judgmental about those who are gay or different don't realize that acting 24 hours a day is the most exhausting thing in the world.

Of course, Noah realized the idiocy of his comments, and shortly apologized:

To Colton Haynes and to the LGBTQ youth, especially those who have embraced our show, I have no right to dictate how or when anybody comes out of the closet; I know how difficult and scary the process of coming out can be, and the last thing I would ever want to do is make it scarier. 

Noah is not a teenager in real life (he is 22), so maybe he should start acting like an adult. And a little bit of support among actors, particularly those coming out, would make more sense.  

Cleaning Up Late Night Television

"To be clear, this is bigotry, plain and simple...To claim that any group of people — immigrants or anyone else — has anything in common with a terrorist murderer simply based on their ethnic background or religion … is dangerous and wrong.”

- Statement by Seth Meyers regarding Donald Trump being banned from the Late Night Show.

Too Much on TV Tonight

Are you ready? The networks are pouring out more material tonight. Here are three previews you might want to know about. 

- Uncle Buck on ABC: Sound familiar? It is, but no John Candy in sight. Here is the official story:

Based on the hit movie of the same name, the new comedy Uncle Buck is coming to ABC. Mike Epps is a fun-loving but irresponsible guy who needs a job and a place to stay. By happy coincidence, his nieces and nephew’s Nanny has just quit and his brother and sister-in-law need his help. His unconventional personality just may make him the right fit for the family and they may be the answer to his problems, too.

I always worry about a TV show from a movie (with a few exceptions, such as Damien), and this is no exception. The Philadelphia Inquirer notes:

ABC's stab at "Uncle Buck" is the just the latest example of dozens of vintage film and TV titles hauled out of storage for development this year -- the surest sign that the TV biz is struggling to balance yearly development needs with the explosive growth of current series production.

- Animal Kingdom on TNT:  This too is a TV series from an Australian film (pictured above), yet I am more hopeful given the actors involved (Ellen Barkin, Scott Speedman, Shawn Hatosy, and others).  This family crime drama - and by that I mean a criminal family - where the animals are the five boys making their way in the world. It is a darker form of Shameless mixed with Justified, or maybe more like The Black Donnellys, that can be hard to watch at times.  This trailer gives you fair warning.  The pilot is 2 hours long, so get ready.

- Wrecked on TBS: One more comedy to consider. And if you are a fan of Lost you will need a sense of humor to deal with this plane crash. While airplane spoofs have been done before, but this is truly a new creation for a new age. 

TV Guide notes:

But there's more to Wrecked than just digs at Lost. The show's crass sense of humor can be best described as if the gang from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia found themselves stranded on a deserted island. 

And that is all I need to be interested - picturing Danny DeVito and a plane crash.

Update: Uncle Buck will not see a second season. 

A Brain Dead Evening

Tonight you can watch the premiere of two new series: BrainDead on CBS and Guilt on Freeform. Interested? Well, here is a little more on both.

BrainDead: Bugs are eating the brains of our legislators. And?  I'm not sure if this is a documentary since I have been saying this for years. Of course, the bugs found nothing left to eat in Hollywood so they had to migrate somewhere.

Guilt: A woman is accused of murdering her roommate and we get to help solve the murder (in our heads, of course). Think of it as Clue without the comedy and therefore unintentionally silly.  The only reason I might check it out is because it includes Anthony Stewart Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, who also happens to be the father of the main star, Daisy Head. 

Yes, it will be quite an evening of bugs and blood.

CMT Brings You Billy Ray Cyrus

If you have nothing else to watch tonight, you can always try CMT's new series Still The King.  It's one more show about an older man still acting like a teenager and learning he has a child. This tale has been done right only a few times, and I doubt this is one of them even if you are casting a country music star. 

Just in case you are still interested, here is the story and trailer from CMT:

Still The King features Billy Ray Cyrus as Vernon Brownmule, aka "Burnin' Vernon," a scandal-ridden, washed-up, one-hit-wonder who was kicked out of country music, only to emerge 20 years later as the second best Elvis impersonator around. After crashing into an old country church sign during a drunken bender, he is arrested and sentenced to return and serve as the church's handyman as part of his parole. Along the way, he pretends to be the congregation's new minister and reconnects with a former one-night-stand (Joey Lauren Adams), when he learns he has a 15-year-old daughter (Madison Iseman) he's never met.

Good luck. 

Good News: The Last Kingdom Returns

If you thought you saw the last episode of The Last Kingdom you are incorrect. Fortunately, the BBC and Netflix are bringing it back.

Filming is starting in Hungary and the second season should premiere next year. So now we can learn more about the fate of Uhtred and his ongoing battle to reclaim Northumbria.

And should you be impatient, I recommend Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles Series from which the television series is drawn. It will provide you with some great summer reading. 

American West on AMC

Starting tomorrow (June 11) you can watch the 8-part American West series on AMC.  This is starting on the same weekend when AMC's Hell on Wheels starts to wind down its last season. So you have plenty of western stories this weekend.

So what is American West about? Here is the story from AMC:

Spanning the years 1865 to 1890, The American West, will show how -- in the aftermath of the Civil War -- the United States transforms into the “land of opportunity.” Viewers will be transported into the violent world of cowboys, Indians, outlaws and law men. The 8-episode limited event series chronicles the personal, little-known stories of Western legends such as Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. The series features exclusive interviews with notable names from classic Western films, including Robert Redford, James Caan, Burt Reynolds, Tom Selleck, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Harmon, Ed Harris and more.

That is quite a list of western characters and modern day actors. And a perfect mix of history, myth-making, and Hollywood. Of course, I am not sure if anything from a "classic film" should be trusted, but it is sure to be an entertaining series.

GOT: A Waste of Ian McShane

I really do not understand the logic of bringing in an actor like Ian McShane for one episode on Game of Thrones. It was a treat, but also a waste that did not move the story forward. And what the hell were they building?

Here is McShane on his role as Brother Ray:

 ...he's an ex warrior who’s grown tired of the murdering life and trying to lead another kind of life.

Okay, but more story development would have been nice. So it goes with this show where the characters die like flies.

The good news is that during this same interview McShane noted he should be appearing at some point in a Deadwood film. That too would be quite a treat. 

Schwimmer and Sturgess Cook Up a Mess

Tonight AMC premieres its new series Feed the Beast.  Don't worry, it is not another monster show based on a comic book.  Instead the program actually focuses on food and two friends who try their hand at a restaurant in the Bronx.

Starring David Schwimmer and Jim Sturgess, I am hopeful that at least the acting will be good even if the story is less than perfect.  Then again, that is never enough, is it?  And we have seen too many stars take programs off the cliff, so I will reserve judgement.  

Here is the main story from AMC and a trailer:

Feed the Beast tells the story of Tommy (David Schwimmer) and Dion (Jim Sturgess) who are like brothers. Dion can’t stay out of trouble. Tommy can’t move past it. For two friends on the brink of losing everything, a dusty pipe dream of opening up an upscale restaurant in their hometown of the Bronx is all they have left to turn their lives around. Together, they take on the insanity of the New York restaurant world, and navigate its underbelly of petty criminals, corrupt officials and violent mobsters.

The trailer provides enough information for you to learn Tommy lost his wife, has a drinking problem, and is raising his son by himself.  And Dion may be out of prison but his is not out of trouble.  And yes, in the Bronx there are monsters as well in the form of the mob.  So expect some cooking, brotherly spats, and plenty of violence.  

Critic Rob Owen in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette does not give the show high marks, noting:
 
AMC is known for populating its Sunday night schedule with shows that push the envelope, whether it’s a character-driven thriller set during the zombie apocalypse or a psychological character study like “Mad Men.” But “Feed the Beast” feels like a broadcast network crime underworld show circa 2002 — it feels like same old, same old TV.

And remember, while the series premieres tonight, it will be broadcast on Tuesdays after that.  

Another Renewal: Transparent

I was a fan of Amazon's Transparent in its first season, even though the family was hard to stomach at times. Yet my attention started to drift in season two as the story left the continent and my patience thinned with each character's temper tantrum. 

So what do I think the announcement of a fourth season before the third season airs? I am indifferent given all the new shows that offer better family drama, such as Outlander on Starz where a family is torn between time or Showtime's The Affair where a family vacation tests a marriage. Even on Amazon, I am much more interested in families fighting German and Japanese-occupiers (see The Man in the High Castle) or a mad London household (see Catastrophe).  

So while Transparent was an interesting idea at first, the novelty cannot hide a very unhappy family full of people you would never want to be around. I really wish I had stopped after one season. Four seasons would kill me.

Enjoy. 

Two Choices Tonight: Horror or Comedy

Tonight you can watch the premiere of the horror series Outcast or a Carol Burnett comedy on PBS. Of course, you might watch both. I think I will stick with Carol.

Outcast will be shown on Cinemax. It is based on a comic book (of course) and has ties to The Walking Dead (same creator). Here are the basics:

Outcast follows Kyle Barnes, a young man who has been plagued by possession since he was a child. Now an adult, he embarks on a journey to find answers but what he uncovers could mean the end of life on Earth as we know it.

Yes, a simple story after a long day at work. All the reviews I have read warn viewers that they will see some disturbing imagery. One tv critic noted:

The scenes of possession are graphic and horrifying; "Outcast" is certainly adults-only fare. The original "Exorcist" looks almost tame by comparison.

Next!

Now you know what you will be getting with Carol Burnett's Favorite Sketches. And that is enough to draw me away from evil children and towards wicked humor. 

So you decide, but you have been warned. 

Good News for Outlander Lovers

It appears two seasons will now become four seasons for Starz's Outlander series. The time-traveling love story has been renewed for two additional seasons, not that finding storylines will be hard given the numerous books by Diana Gabaldon in the Outlander series. In fact, the announcement was made on the 25th anniversary of the first book in this series. 

The television series offers sufficient plot lines, history, blood, and sex to excite almost any viewer. So if we are lucky, it will continue beyond four seasons, yet I am happy for now.