SyFy Monday: The Expanse and Childhood's End

Get ready for an impressive night of adventure on Monday (December 14) as SyFy premieres both The Expanse and Childhood's End. I already discussed Childhood's End in an earlier posting, and this trailer gives you a good idea of what is to come in the three-night miniseries, so I will focus my remarks here on The Expanse. Here is the basic story: 

Hundreds of years in the future, humans have colonized the solar system. The U.N. controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The planets rely on the resources of the Asteroid Belt, where air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising between these three places. Earth, Mars and the Belt are now on the brink of war. And all it will take is a single spark. 

It is within this future that The Expanse begins. The series follows the case of a missing young woman that brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship’s captain together in a race across the solar system that will expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.

Sounds pretty dramatic, doesn't it? I watched the pilot episode and had to rewatch it to ground myself in both the dialogue and underlying story. You are dropped into the middle of an expansive plot (sorry) and you need to catch up fast, unlike other shows like Dark Matter where you start knowing as much as the characters.

This is not Star Trek. The spacecraft are slow, the environment is gritty, and the story is grounded on Ceres in the asteroid belt. Is this why we want to stretch our wings and expand throughout the solar system - slave colonies on asteroids, close-quarters insanity, and sub-premium limb replacements? Space travel seems as slow and hazardous as submarine travel. And corporate shirking of its duty to the greater good seems rampant. 

Even given these point, I like it because it has an authentic feel and compelling storyline. And the pilot episode ends with a bang. I recommend you take a look for yourselves.

Michael Buble's Christmas in Hollywood

If you missed the last four annual specials, this may be your last chance to capture a Michael Buble Christmas singalong.  NBC is broadcasting Michael Buble's Christmas in Hollywood tonight.  Each year the show has been a little schmaltzy yet still filled with plenty of holiday songs to get you into the right mood.  Mr. Buble has indicated that this show may be his last. 

This year's special includes special performances by Celine Dion, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, and Tori Kelly.  Other appearances will be made by Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner, Jay Leno, Eva Longoria, William Shatner, and Blake Shelton.  I hope Mr. Shatner has no plans to sing. 

Telenovela on NBC

It is not a new idea, but the spread of Telenovelas on American TV sets is a welcome phenomenon. ABC had Ugly Betty and The CW has Jane the Virgin. So now it is NBC's turn with the premiere of Telenovela tonight. This is what you can expect: 

Eva Longoria ("Desperate Housewives") stars on this big, fun and flashy half-hour comedy as Ana Sofia, the star of a popular Spanish language soap opera. One problem, she doesn't speak any Spanish. Other problems? Ana must manage a new boss, jealous castmates and high-maintenance best friends - and that's all before her ex-husband is hired as her new on-screen love interest. Just like a real telenovela, this comedy is full of all kinds of drama, including love, hate, life and even death! Despite all the chaos, this telenovela's cast and crew is a family... or, at least, they try to be.

We can thank the Telenovelas for at least on great star that went a little more mainstream (yet maintains the drama).  As noted by ABC News in 2012:

 ...increasingly the slap-happy, sometimes sappy, and always dramatic world of Telenovelas is becoming a proving ground of sorts for Latin stars eager to make the jump into English language TV. Before Colombian-born Sofia Vergara played for laughs as Gloria on "Modern Family," she was the sultry Leonora on "Burning for Revenge." And before William Levy's mainstream breakthrough on "Dancing With the Stars," the Cuban native glowered as Alejandro on "Love Spell."

Yes, thank goodness for Gloria and the telenovelas.

Update:  While you can see the first 3 episodes in December, the 13-part series will officially start on January 4th.

Comic Werewolf Deaths on Adult Swim

Can you have a grisly comedy?  Yes, and I have witnessed one.  Adult Swim is already showing the pilot episode of its new mini-series Neon Joe: Werewolf Hunter.  This is not Teen Wolf or anything like it, but I would not expect such from Adult Swim.  Instead you have the sudden death of B&B hopping Paul Rudd and the craziness that ensues in a small Vermont town.  Luckily, Neon Joe, played by Jon Glaser from Parks and Recreation, can save this small town. 

The fun officially starts tomorrow night (December 7), so tune in for all five episodes.  It is odd yet memorable (and did I mention "grisly"?). 

Amazon's Transparent Returns

Tonight you can begin streaming the second season of Amazon's hit series Transparent (I think it may have been unofficially available even earlier).  In the trailer for this season, one of the character states "It's a mess...everything is blowing up."  That appears to be the theme of this season, and we know they will all do it so well.  

For those not familiar with Transparent, the series follows the family drama surrounding a father's transformation to a woman.  It was one of those break-out hits no one expected and yet one that now seems so natural in a fast-changing society.  Very often the father, played by Jeffrey Tambor, can be the most normal one of the bunch. He projects a certain calmness that is pretty amazing while everything else is falling apart. The children are a mess, while the suffering Jewish mom has her moments yet can also be a sane presence at times. 

Here is Willa Paskin's take on the family in Slate magazine:

Chatty charismatics, as bright and blunt as they are self-obsessed, the Pfeffermans are like amnesiac spiders—drawing interesting and substantial people into their web and then leaving them stuck in Pfefferman gossamer, abandoned for shinier prey. It is spellbinding to watch them in action, and it makes you feel lucky to be doing so through the safety glass of a TV screen.

I plan to be watching them through the safety glass this weekend.  I expect many more will be joining me. 

Update: In case you are wondering, Transparent has already been renewed for a third season. 

Second Update: If you are not an Amazon Prime member you will need to wait until December 11th to view the second season.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

You cannot do better than start the Christmas season with the classic 1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  You can catch it tonight on CBS. Turn it on and let the holidays begin.  Don't be a Scrooge!

Netflix: Real Rob

If you like Rob Schneider you will like this eight-episode series from Netflix called Real Rob. It not only follows the Hollywood business world as fictionalized by Mr. Schneider, but also stars his real life wife Patricia Schneider.  We already have Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Louie, and now Aziz Ansari in Netflix's new Master of None.  Do we have room for one more?

I think I will skip this series. Here is the trailer if you are thinking of checking it out.