The Kids Beat Frank Underwood

I did not expect Netflix's new series  Stranger Things to take off like it has, but it is already more popular than House of Cards.  The list below demostrates the troublesome kids are doing better than most of the available shows.

I expect Frank Underwood is furious, so the kids should probably avoid Washington, DC for a little while. 

The End of Larry Wilmore

I am not a great fan of late night television, but if I were to set aside time for a show it would include The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. It would also include Stephen Colbert and Samantha Bee (okay, she is not a late night show). 

But now I read Larry's Comedy Central show is ending, with this Thursday being his last show after about a year and a half of episodes.  It appears he never really captured the Millennials.  

Comedy Central president Kent Alterman stated:

We hold Larry in the highest esteem, personally and professionally. He brought a strong voice and point of view to the late-night landscape. Unfortunately it hasn’t resonated with our audience.

Television is littered with talking heads and comedy, but Larry was less song and dance, more uncomfortable substance.  We still need this, though maybe fewer than originally envisioned.

I hope we see Larry again shortly in something new. 

More Details on the Star Trek Television Series

The news continue to leak out regarding CBS's new Star Trek: Discovery television series.  Of course, this is how it is done in the industry.  So to play along, here are some of the latest clues: 

-- The series takes place about 10 years before the period portrayed in the 1966 television series;
-- The lead character will be played by a female, but she will not be the captain; 
-- At least one character will be gay (of course, the latest Star Trek film broke through on this issue with a gay Sulu); and 
-- The series will include more alien characters.

Probably only the period of the series really answers many of the fans' questions, but the nature of the mission still puzzles some.  Well, Movie Pilot has some theories there as well, believing the U.S.S. Discovery's designation NCC-1031 may refer to Section 31 from the Deep Space Nine series.  

Section 31 was a controversial "autonomous intelligence and defense organization" created by the Federation (per Wikipedia).  The organization has been accused of torture, brainwashing, assassination, and genocide.  

And this is a family show?  It could very interesting, and I am sure we will learn more shortly.

Luke Cage Get His Own Show Next Month

If you are a fan of Netflix's Jennifer Jones, you will remember her love interest Luke Cage, also called Power Man.  He came across as a lovable yet wounded teddy-bear with super powers that made him indestructible.  Well, he returns on September 30 with his own Netflix series Luke Cage.  And I prefer him over many of the spandex-wearing super heroes these days.  He is more real and more reluctant to save the world, though he will do it if necessary.  Here is a trailer for the new series.

Should you be impatient, you can try out a Luke Cage comic book, such as Hero for Hire (which first appeared in 1972).  Here is more on a one-volume version of his story: 

Look out world, here he comes - Luke Cage, Hero for Hire - and bullets won't stop him! The early adventures of comics' first and foremost black superstar of the seventies are collected for the first time in one volume as Power Man defends his home turf against the likes of Diamondback, Mace, Black Mariah, Dr. Doom, Senor Suerte, Chemistro, Lionfang, Steeplejack, Cottonmouth, and more! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and Iron Man!

Netflix: The Get Down

Here is how the New York Time's describes Netflix's new series The Get Down, which premieres tonight;

In actuality, though, "The Get Down" is more like a secret superhero story, one with black and brown teenagers as the heroes. Using extravagant camerawork and technical tricks that present the protagonists as larger than life, “The Get Down” takes a period and place that’s often approached with dutiful naturalism and sobriety about difficult circumstances and infuses it with light touches of magical realism and bursts of palpable otherworldly joy.

Here is a trailer for you to decide if it is "magical" with its "secret superheroes."

You can see the first six episodes tonight, and more should follow. That had better be the case since Netflix is said to have spent $120 million on the series.  

More on Mr. Robot

If you too are a fan of USA Network's Mr. Robot, you should follow Slate's weekly wrap-up of the show.  Here is a sample covering the first episode of season two:

What a metaphor for modern life—and only a slight extension of its reality. Nearly all the pieces of our critical infrastructure—banking, transportation, energy, waterworks, government, the military, and of course information technology—are wired into computer networks. With the Internet of Things, so, increasingly, are our appliances and cars. If these systems break down, whether due to a technical flaw or a hacker’s keystrokes, most of us don’t—and won’t—know what to do. 

Unlike many shows today, Mr. Robot is not only entertaining but also says something about the world around us.  It may say something disturbing, yet it needs to be pondered while sitting on the couch (and hopefully acted upon).

Update: Good news! Mr. Robot has been renewed for a third season. I guess that means Elliott and E Corp also survive another season. I'm happy about Elliott. 

U.S.S. Enterprise: A New Coat of Paint

If you are a fan of the early Star Trek television series you will be happy to know that the Smithsonian Museum is taking good care of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

This Vimeo video and summary will fill you in on the details:

This is a short film showing the process of the detail paint work on the conservation of the original U.S.S. Enterprise miniature, used in all 79 episodes of the original Star Trek television series. The detail paint work was done between the 11th and the 23rd of April 2016 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The model is now on display in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.