Pointed Video: Indiana in the Spotlight

While James Van Der Beek may have some trouble finding firm footing on a television series (though one can argue one full season of any television show - in this case Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 - is a triumph these days), he continues to do well with short comedy clips.  Take this Funny or Die skit Indiana Home Shopping with James Van Der Beek and Anna Camp poking fun at the recent Indiana legislation supposedly aimed at protecting religious liberties while potentially trouncing other liberties.  This is pointed humor that cuts though the baloney of the apologists for the bill. 

By the way, don't forget his earlier video A------ for Hire.  Sorry for the censoring, but the b---- made me do it to protect the kids.

Daredevil on Netflix

Don't forget that you can stream the new Daredevil series via Netflix starting today.   As I noted earlier, this is Netflix's first foray into the superhero universe.  And if you need  a little more background on the comic book that started this series, Polygon has you covered.  Just be careful because it is full of spoilers.

Update: Daredevil has been renewed for a second 

A Night of Comedy: Louis and The Comedians

Tonight you can catch the fifth season of Louis on FX or try something new and watch The Comedians, also on FX.  Or, better yet, you can watch both. That's what I plan to do.

One cannot do much better than Louis, an award-winning series that always surprises you with odd yet brilliant comedy.  Earlier this week Louis C.K. was visiting with Jimmy Fallow on The Tonight Show and discussed the first time he met Jimmy and his troll dolls.  Fallon was auditioning for Dana Carvey's sketch show and Louis was jealous of this "cute" kid and refused to let the studio hire him.  Louis also does a great impression of Fallon.  Its fun to see the two of them together and gives you some sense of how Louis is truthful in everything, often to his own detriment.

The Comedians stars a comic duo, Billy Crystal and Josh Gad, who are having trouble working together.  Here is the FX version of the story (and you can check out this trailer):

In The Comedians, Billy Crystal plays a comedy legend who is reluctantly paired with Josh Gad, an edgier up-and-coming star, in an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at a fictional late night sketch comedy show where egos and generations collide. Stephnie Weir stars as “Kristen Laybourne,” the anxiety-ridden producer behind The Billy & Josh Show who frequently finds herself caught in the middle of Billy and Josh's arguments, Matt Oberg stars as “Mitch Reed,” the show’s head writer, and Megan Ferguson stars as “Esme McCauley,” a no-nonsense production assistant. Together they spend most of their time managing the egos of their two stars and the generational divide that keeps them from ever fully seeing eye-to-eye.

In discussing the show with the Washington Post, Gad noted:

There are some episodes that really require us to go down the rabbit hole. ... To have that conversation where we go, “Are you going to be OK with this? You sure?” Then we hug each other and we go, “Let’s do this. Let’s take the Thelma and Louise jump, as it were.”

I am surprised to find Billy Crystal on a television series again in any format, so I look forward to the rabbit hole.

A Very Busy Easter Weekend: Scots, Sales Men, the Middle East, and the English

I hope you are ready for the tsunami of new and returning quality shows starting this holiday weekend and continuing into next weekend.  It starts with the mid-season return of Starz' Outlander tonight (April 4), followed by a very full Easter Sunday.  

First, you can see the final season of AMC's Mad Men, to learn if Don Draper's way continue to lead to demise and destruction, or if he can pull out of his tailspin and redeem himself.  At a minimum, you get to relive the fashions from that period and either remember the time fondly or thank the heavens for the end of plaid suits.  This trailer highlights a few moments from the earlier seasons leading us to where we are today.  It will all be wrapped up with 7 more episodes starting tomorrow (April 5).

Next, if you are in the mood for another Easter special tomorrow, you have a choice of an old classic, Cecil B. Demille's Ten Commandments on ABC, or the new series 12-part series A.D. on NBC.  This is another series from the creators of History Channel's The Bible, and it appears to be just as gory as it covers the New Testament this time.  Here is a trailer for the new show.  In case you are rusty on the story, NBC helps us out: 

The immediate aftermath of Christ's death had a massive impact on his disciples, his mother, Mary, and key political and religious leaders of the era, completely altering the entire world in an instant. Beginning at that fateful moment of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, "A.D. The Bible Continues" will focus on the disciples who had to go forward and spread the teachings of Christ to a world dominated by political unrest, and the start of a whole new religion that would dramatically reshape the history of the world.

Jesus (Juan Pablo Di Pace) dies on the cross at the hands of the Romans, deserted by even his most loyal followers. Peter (Adam Levy) and the disciples are hunted by Temple authorities led by High Priest Caiaphas (Richard Coyle) and Roman soldiers under orders from Governor Pontius Pilate (Vincent Regan). For the tiny band of followers, every day is a fight for survival, and their mission to spread the word to the world seems impossible.

Yet, they have hope and soon they have power: the amazing miracle of the Resurrection and the shocking arrival of the Holy Spirit upon them all at Pentecost enables them to inspire more and more people to join. The growing church brings challenges for Peter, John (Babou Alieu Ceesay) and Mary Magdalene (Chipo Chung), who are pushed to the limit; they face trials and imprisonments, persecutions and punishments while trying to understand the God-given power granted to them as they transition from the sorrow of Christ's ultimate sacrifice to the awe-inspiring wonder of the Resurrection and beyond.

And finally, tomorrow night you can sit back and enjoy a terrific tale of power, intrigue, high crimes, murders, kingdoms, and excommunication.  Yes, the tale of Thomas Cromwell and his services to English King Henry VIII.  PBS' Masterpiece brings you Wolf Hall, based on author Hillary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies.  In this trailer, you can get a sense of the whole story, which will play out over six episodes over six Sundays.   Here are a few words from PBS:

A historical drama for a modern audience, Wolf Hall tells the story of Thomas Cromwell, played by Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night)—a blacksmith’s son who rises from the ashes of personal disaster, and deftly picks his way through a court where ‘man is wolf to man.’ Damian Lewis (Homeland) is King Henry VIII, haunted by his brother’s premature death and obsessed with protecting the Tudor dynasty by securing his succession with a male heir to the throne. The cast also includes Claire Foy (Little Dorrit) as the future queen Anne Boleyn.

Told from Cromwell’s perspective, Wolf Hall follows the complex machinations and back room dealings of this accomplished power broker who must serve king and country while dealing with deadly political intrigue, Henry VIII’s tempestuous relationship with Anne Boleyn, and the religious upheavals of the Protestant reformation.

Ms. Mantel's story has also been made into a play now being seen on Broadway.  This is the season of Cromwell, a man from humble beginnings who touched the sun only to be thrown back to earth.  A tale for all times.  

Recent TV Show Renewals

Even with some recent show cancellations, many other shows have been renewed for another season.  I thought I would list some of them here in alphabetical order (and this list is far from complete):

- The Americans on FX, renewed for a fourth season

- Bosch on Amazon, renewed for a second season

- Bloodline on Netflix, renewed for a second season

- Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Fox, renewed for a third season

- Empire on Fox, renewed for second season (even if the name of the show might need to change)

- The Flash on The CW, renewed for a second season

- The Fosters on ABC Family, renewed for a third season

- Girls on HBO, renewed for a fifth season

- Gotham on Fox, renewed for a second season

- House of Cards on Netflix, renewed for a fourth season

- Man Seeking Woman on FX, renewed for a second season

- Marco Polo on Netflix, renewed for a second season

- Mozart in the Jungle on Amazon, renewed for a second season

- Portlandia on IFC, renewed for a fifth and sixth season

- Sleepy Hollow on Fox, renewed for a third season

- Supernatural on The CW, renewed for an eleventh season

- Togetherness on HBO, renewed for a second season

- 12 Monkeys on SyFy, renewed for a second season

- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix, renewed for a second season

- Vikings on History Channel, renewed for a fourth season

HOC: Similar Except for the Murders

If you think House of Cards went off the rails in season three with some strange story lines, you might be surprised to hear former President Clinton told Kevin Spacey the portrayal of Washington, DC was "99 percent" real.

According to the Business Insider, Kevin Spacey remember a conversation where Bill Clinton stated:

Kevin, 99 percent of what you do on that show is real. The 1 percent you get wrong is you could never get an education bill passed that fast.

Now that is a scary thought.  The Clintons were accused of many ridiculous things, including bumping off White House counsel Vince Foster in a local park.  However, Frank Underwood would have little trouble resolving power struggles by creatively eliminating the obstacle.  Let's hope House of Cards is very far from reality.  

Trade in Atlantis for SyFy's Olympus

While BBC America's Atlantis came to an abrupt end, do not fret.  SyFy is coming to the rescue tomorrow night (April 2) with Olympus, another myth-filled story for those who like their superheroes of the ancient sort.  

SyFy provided some information on the show:

Olympus tells the story of how a few brave men and women banished the Gods to the realm of the unconscious - a place they called the Underworld or the Kingdom of Hades. The series follows the protagonist as he seeks the truth about his past, which may be intertwined with the Gods themselves.

But what does this really mean?  I was hoping this trailer would make it somewhat more clear.  However, the story provided in the trailer is disjointed, while full of slashing, screaming, and blood.  I get the feeling this is not the buddy series we saw in Atlantis.  This seems to be much darker and more serious, probably to its detriment.  SyFy is providing 13 episodes in the shows first season, giving us plenty of time for it to grow on us. 

Tom York, who plays the main character, warns us about the show during an interview with Blastr:

Firstly, for my character it's not a conventional, mythological, Hercules-like character. He's not a fully formed warrior; steel-faced, unemotional and cold. He's a young man brought up in the forest alone with his mother, and he doesn't know why. Then he sees his mother killed before his eyes, and everything that follows is this young ingenue going on this adventure to try and find out who he is and what his place is in the world. It's through all the darkness and violence that his humanity gets stripped away through the 13 episodes. By the end, if I've done my job, we should see an angry, prepared assassin ready to challenge the gods of Olympus.

A boot camp for the gods?  Interesting, but I am not sure about a whole season.  I am missing Atlantis already.