Mr. Robot is Back for Another Round

Just in case you missed all the press, tonight on USA Network you can see the second season premiere of Mr. Robot. The show has generated a cult following that has made this the "must see" TV show of the summer.

In an age of vampires and dragons, it's nice to know that a guy with a laptop can generate such excitement. Maybe winter is not only coming, but it is here and we are suffering the consequences, be it unemployment due to robots, ID theft, and government spying. Edward Snowden is a professed fan of the show, so it must be onto something.

With all the zombie teenagers attached to their phones, the 1 percent dismissing the human race, and democracy on the ropes as only dopes seem to run for government posts, we are at the edge of something. 

Is it as dark as Elliott's world? Time will tell.

Marc Maron Hangs It Up

Only last month did I start to watch Marc Maron's semi-autobiographic series Maron, and now I learn he is ending his TV show after four seasons. But don't worry, he will still be doing his WTF podcast where he interviews comedians and other celebrities.  

Maron stated:

IFC gave us a lot of creative freedom, but I feel like it's done and I'm proud of it. And I don't see any reason to keep going.

I have been a longtime fan of Maron's podcast, so I finally decided to see what he had done with his series. I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much as it covers everything from divorce and dating to dads and drugs. 

Now I'm glad I have three more seasons to watch after this one. I expect I will be sad like others when I reach the end, but I am happy now.

And who knows? If Curb Your Enthusiasm can return after a five year hiatus, you never know what can happens 

HBO Tries Crime Again

Don't worry, True Detective is gone and HBO is coming back with a new and improved crime drama called The Night Of. This 8-part series, premiering tomorrow night, follows the fate of a young Pakistani man accused of murder as he moves his way through the so-called justice system. It sounds like this program will be bleak with no winners. 

James Gandolfini was originally scheduled to play the defense lawyer, but his death threw everything into the air before John Turturro was able to fill in the gap. I would have loved to see Gandolfini again in any role, but Turturro will also be great to watch.

In an interview, Turturro stated:

I liked that you dealt with not just the plot and the whodunit quality, but how the crime accusation affects everybody. The cost of it really ruins people...I don’t (normally) think people can change … but a terrible thing can really alter you. You don’t usually get to see that.

Prepare yourself for an evening of great drama that may transform you. 

Cleverman is an Odd Australian Import

Last month we saw the premiere of Sundance's Cleverman, a strange show from Australia that showed a society where aboriginals and "hairy" individuals lived life in a zone away from the rest of society monitored by drones - think Big Foot meets The Colony. 

I watched three episodes to give it a chance and yet it still seemed like the waste of a good evening, so I am dropping it from my schedule. Maybe it is loaded with "social commentary," as some suggest, but I also like subtlety.  At least the USA Network's The Colony understands such things. 

Oddly, it was already approved for a second season, so someone must like it. I will leave that up to you. 

By the way, The Colony was also renewed for a second season.

Poldark: A Third Season?

I am pleased that BBC's historical tale Poldark has been renewed for a third season. I'm just wondering when we all get to see the second season. 

Ross Poldark (played my Adian Turner who you may remember from the BBC's Being Human) is a British soldier returning from the American colonial wars  only to find his inheritance has been squandered. By the end of season one, he finds himself married below his station but nonetheless happy as he attempts to save his mine and workers from ruin.

Season two should appear on BBC and Masterpiece later this year. That gives everyone time to catch up on this superb series. 

Reviewing the Battle of The Bastards

As fantastic as the last episode in the Game of Thrones might have been, it was the ninth episode, "The Battle of the Bastards," that truly amazed the eyes. The broad, bloody battle involving men and horses was too much to take in as soldiers were trampled, war horses toppled, and lives quickly ended.

And this video from Iloura will show you how it was done, step by step. It is all the more amazing to think of all the pieces that needs to fit together to create the realistic and overpowering scenes. 

The Iloura press release notes:

The battle required many photorealistic horse and rider collisions, 3,000-strong armies, a mix of close-ups featuring live-action and CG humans and animals and massive crowd simulations, as well as hundreds of assets – CG armoury, weapons, flags, saddlery, body parts, and environmental assets such as blood, mud, smoke, fire and mist.

Congratulations, Iloura, on your superb production. 

Space Series Second Seasons on SyFy

Do not forget to watch tonight's second season premieres of Dark Matter and Killjoys on SyFy. While I favor the confused crew on Dark Matter, who are slowly learning about their hidden pasts, Killjoys offers a fun view of brotherly bounty hunters.

Anthony Lemke, who plays Three on Dark Matter, said he was just as clueless about his character's backstory as the viewers. In an interview, he stated:

Joe [Mallozzi,  show co-creator] is very good about parsing out knowledge. So much so that we didn’t know who the traitor was until we shot it at the end of the first season, literally the last episode...It’s on a need to know basis! You know, you go in and it’s famous. You ask him a question about, trying to mine where your character is going and he gets that wonderful twinkle in his eye and starts telling you, ‘well it could be…,’ you know, this kind of thing. All of us just sort of recognize that immediately, it’s very funny, very funny.

It is also a very good show. Start with Dark Matter if you only have time for one show.