Too Much of an Okay Thing

Prepare yourself. We have a new superhero whose greatest feat is leaping the hedges to get his Social Security check. That's right, SyFy found it necessary to give us the story of Superman's grandfather. The pilot is called Krypton and its a prequel to the Superman story by about 200 years.

Okay, I expect this will not be set in an elderly gated community near you, but let's be serious. We have gone from regular superheroes to the childhood version of superheroes (Gotham) to superhero battles with one another (Batman v Superman) to superhero grandparents. 

I am getting off this train and I hope the networks start thinking for themselves one of these days. Successful shows such as The 100, Mad Men, Justified, Fargo, Mr. Robot, and others illustrate the sky is the limit for the networks even when optioning the stories of others. We are somewhat infantilized by our need for men in underwear (and some women) to save us daily.

Time to grow up and change out of those Batman pajamas. 

Marseille: The New Boss

Last week Netflix premiered a new French-language series Marseille.  Starring legendary French actor Gerard Depardieu, the plot involves a mayor of 20 years hoping to leave a legacy and protege behind as he steps into the sunset. Of course, this all falls apart or we would have a boring series. 

What I found most interesting (outside of it being French series) was the use of dubbing. I am not sure why Netflix trusted us with Occupied, a subtitled Norwegian series, but thought French was too much. I would have preferred an option at least. 

The first episode of this eight episode series reminded me of the Starz show Boss, where Kelsey Grammer also played an ill mayor with a beautiful wife and troublesome daughter who could not hold together his political "allies" or his changing city.  I enjoyed the acting on Boss, yet it is harder to see the acting in this new series given the dubbing. Instead a great actor is only half there. 

Boss lasted for two seasons, which may be more than we will see of Marseille. While this is Netflix's first foray into local French content, the French do not seem to care for the series. I do not always agree with the French, but they may have a point.

Maybe a series about Depardieu's real battle with French authorities over high taxes would be a better series. His emigration to Belgium and Russian passport certainly raised eyebrows yet might be more entertaining to viewers.  

Grace and Frankie Return

Today marks the start of the second season of Netflix's Grace and Frankie. This comedy about a gay relationship emerging from elderly friends (Sheen and Waterston) to the surprise of their wives (Fonda and Tomlin) is both fun and revealing about a segment of the population often ignored on television.

I recommend you take a look if you have been to busy with other shows. You seldom have such talent in one room. Netlix has already approved a third season. In fact, one cast member is lucky he will be around for a third season. 

Martin Sheen had to get a physical when the show was extended. This test revealed Sheen had health issues that needed to be addressed immediatelyoo. 

In a recent article, Sheen stated:

And thank God for that, because I found out that I was in really bad shape. I could have been dead on a sidewalk somewhere.

You might remember Sheen had a heart attack 40 years ago while filming Apocalypse Now, also due to neglect of his health. I'm glad he is still with us.

More on Jon Snow, Of Course

I will keep it short since too much ink (okay, smartphone screen time) has been spilled. Kaitlin Thomas on TV.com is spending a lot of time downplaying the events with Jon Snow in the second episode of Game of Thrones because too many people have studied it already and ruined it.   She notes in her piece (Spoiler alert!):

We're living in a time where TV is dissected and inspected under a microscope, where various plot points are broken down into their small, individual parts and discussed at length until they no longer have any meaning. This story is probably one of thousands that will be written about Jon Snow in the coming weeks, and so knowing this, knowing how many millions of eyes were watching and waiting when Game of Thrones returned, one has to wonder if there was ever going to be a world in which Jon Snow's resurrection was going to be completely satisfying, because it was definitely never going to be surprising.

Folks, it's a television show! Enjoy the story and get back to life. Real people are being squashed in real time all around the world. Winter is truly coming and you are in your pajamas yelling at a television program

Breath...

Another Super Duo: Houdini and Doyle

If you have had enough of superheroes and find you are looking for something a little more real, you might want to take a look at Fox's new show Houdini & Doyle.  The new series starts tonight and as the name suggests it starts with the real friendship between escape artist Harry Houdini and author Arthur Conan Doyle, but that is where it ends.  Fox will say it is "inspired by" the friendship, but that is quite a stretch.  It is basically a Victorian-era Supernatural where the duo work with Scotland Yard to solve a variety of mysterious crimes.  Here is a clip showing what you can expect.  

You can check out Wikipedia for more on the actual relationship, but this is what I found:

Doyle was friends for a time with Harry Houdini, the American magician who himself became a prominent opponent of the Spiritualist movement in the 1920s following the death of his beloved mother. Although Houdini insisted that Spiritualist mediums employed trickery (and consistently exposed them as frauds), Doyle became convinced that Houdini himself possessed supernatural powers—a view expressed in Doyle's The Edge of the Unknown. Houdini was apparently unable to convince Doyle that his feats were simply illusions, leading to a bitter public falling out between the two. A specific incident is recounted in memoirs by Houdini's friend Bernard M.L. Ernst, in which Houdini performed an impressive trick at his home in the presence of Conan Doyle. Houdini assured Conan Doyle the trick was pure illusion and that he was attempting to prove a point about Doyle not "endorsing phenomena" simply because he had no explanation. According to Ernst, Conan Doyle refused to believe it was a trick.

 It is an interesting way to sell another police procedural and I may tune in for an episode or two, yet I expect Supernatural and Penny Dreadful will give me my dose of ghost hunting without the need to play with history. 
 

Penny Dreadful Returns for a Third Season

Tonight you can watch the third season of Showtime's Penny Dreadful, a show that is the Justice League of monsters.  Set in Victorian England, you can get your fill of witches, vampires, Frankenstein, werewolves, and more, including Dorian Gray and, new this season, Dr. Jekyll of the well known duo.  You will need to start for the beginning if you are new to the series, but I have thrown in a few season reminders below from the Showtime site.

SEASON 1

Vanessa Ives wages a personal battle against an evil demon determined to possess her; Sir Malcolm Murray tries to save his daughter from a fate worse than death; Ethan Chandler becomes enmeshed with a group of London vampire hunters and falls for a doomed local prostitute, even as his own mysterious past threatens to catch up with him; Dr. Victor Frankenstein must face the consequences of his successful death-defying experiments; Dorian Gray falls for the unapproachable Vanessa Ives; Brona Croft confronts her imminent demise from consumption.

SEASON 2

Vanessa Ives and her allies find themselves locked in epic battle against an unholy evil; Sir Malcolm falls under the spell of a bewitching temptress; Ethan's big secret becomes known as his past comes back to haunt him; Dr. Frankenstein's newest creation breaks hearts and then some; Dorian Gray falls for an unlikely woman.

SEASON 3

Confronting new horrors in dangerous new lands, Ethan Chandler, Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, Sir Malcolm, the Creature, and the ravishing but deadly Lily must each face -- and embrace -- their own most truly monstrous selves. But for Vanessa Ives, accepting her demons could exact a terrible cost and plunge the world into unending darkness.

If you need more to prepare for tonight's show, the International Business Times has put together more details leading up to and including this evening's show.  It is worth a look.  

Dylan O'Brien: It Sounds More Serious

You may have read that Dylan O'Brien, one of the starring actors on MTV's Teen Wolf, was injured when making the third film in the Maze Runner trilogy.  It now seems as though the injuries were more serious than originally thought, with the Maze Runner production being shut down for the time being.  

At the time of the injury, the author of the "Maze Runner" novels, James Dashner, tweeted the following:

I just want to let everyone know that yes, Dylan was hurt, but that he's going to be okay. Not life threatening in any way.

— James Dashner (@jamesdashner) March 18, 2016

That said, it sounds more serious now when you are shutting down a whole production with now indication when things will start up again.  Reports indicate O'Brien suffered "concussion, facial fracture and lacerations" in the vehicle accident on the set.  

No word yet on how this will impact filming of the sixth season of Teen Wolf.  We can only wish Dylan O'Brien a speedy recovery.  And even if he looks a little beat up when he comes back to Teen Wolf that can be added to the plot.  Maybe he can skip the heroics for awhile and be the lovable dorky Stiles we love on Teen Wolf.