Summer has arrived! Now that you’ve binged OITNB and revisited the Dome, it’s time to jump into new worlds including Halle Berry’s Extant and Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain. Skip after the break for the full rundown of anticipated July premieres you can’t miss. Continue reading TV reminder: 5 premieres to look out for in July
Production on The Walking Dead season 5 is officially underway and here’s a clip to prove it! In it you’ll hear from a number of cast members and show producers.
“It’s the most ambitious first episode I think we’ve attempted,” says Andrew Lincoln aka leader Rick Grimes. Adds Steven Yeun aka Glenn: “It’s a great welcome to the season.”
Lincoln talks about how the upcoming season is about hierarchy. “A lot of people are going to work out where they belong in the group.” That is, if they can find a way out of Train Car A…
The Walking Dead returns this October on AMC. And don’t forget to tune into a Talking Dead special airing Sunday, July 6 at 9PM; host Chris Hardwick, Dead showrunner Scott M. Gimple, and actress Aisha Tyler will discuss what’s in store for season 5.
Better Call Saul is coming soon and here’s your first look at the Breaking Bad prequel series starring Bob Odenkirk as the scheming lawyer Saul Goodman. Standing to his right are executive producer Peter Gould (a former Bad exec producer and the inventor of the Saul character) and Bad mastermind Vince Gilligan (who will serve as co-showrunner on Saul alongside Gould and direct the series pilot).
Some new information has surfaced since AMC announced the highly anticipated Breaking Bad spinoff. First of all, the new series was originally intended to premiere this November, but the network decided that more time was needed to prep so now Saul Goodman won’t return to our screens until early 2015. Such news typically stings, but AMC is putting a damper on that by greenlighting a 13-episode second season before the first 10 episodes even launch! That’s right–Bad fans who intend to flock to Saul are already guaranteed a healthy serving of 23 episodes of Gilligan and Gould’s next drama.
Also, there’s this: Jonathan Banks aka Bad‘s dearly departed Mike Ehrmantraut is joining Odenkirk as a series regular! And that’s not all. Gould recently spilled to The New York Daily News that “perhaps some of [Better Call Saul] takes place before Breaking Bad, during Breaking Bad, and after Breaking Bad.” So what does this mean? “That gives us the ability to bring back characters that were killed on Breaking Bad.” Boom. All hail Walter White and his prodigal son Jesse Pinkman?
As exciting as that may sound–Bad favorites, dead or otherwise, returning to the small screen–Gould assures viewers that his new show “stands on it own, is its own story, and is a brand extension” and will not rely on flashy guest spots from Bad alumni. Still, leaving the door open for Mr. White and Jesse “Magnets, Bitch!” Pinkman to return for more mayhem is an exciting proposition to say the least.
AMC president Charlie Collier said the following surrounding the news of Better Call Saul‘s premiere date shift and early season 2 renewal: “Production on Better Call Saul is underway and we could not be more proud of nor more excited about the work to date. We join the fans in eager anticipation for this series and today we happily confirm that our initial Saul order is for two seasons and a total of 23 episodes. When introducing any series, especially one with the DNA of Breaking Bad, there are countless factors to consider in making sure the show gets the launch it deserves. We have a strong history with Vince, Peter, Bob, the studio and so many involved with this production; we are enjoying the process on ‘Saul’ and all share a focus on making it a true television event. No half measures.”
Darkest timeline begone! Not even two months after NBC cancelled cult-comedy Community an online suitor–namely, Yahoo–stepped up to the plate to revive it for a 13-episode sixth season. That’s right, Human Beings; we are one step closer to fulfilling our #sixseasonsandamovie destiny.
Everyone is on board for the new season that will debut online at Yahoo Screen this fall; that includes show creator Dan Harmon and executive producers Chris McKenna, Russ Krasnoff, and Gary Foster as well as the cast: Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Ken Jeong, and the Dean himself Jim Rash. Chevy Chase exited the show prior to season 5, and Donald Glover set sail early last season; Harmon had publicly stated that if a season 6 were to get greenlit he would pursue Glover for a Troy Barnes comeback.
What makes this special announcement even more exciting is that it truly did come down to the wire. After the Peacock network axed it, backing studio Sony Pictures TV almost immediately started shopping it around to various suiters, network, cable and otherwise. Shortly after talks broke down with Hulu last week, hope really began to wane since Sony had until June 30 (today!) to get the series picked up somewhere before cast’s contracts expired. So, in a truly 11th hour decision, Sony sold a sixth season to Yahoo and now you can breath a heavy sigh of relief and allow anticipation to ramp up.
Dan Harmon released the following statement today: I am very pleased that Community will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo. I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, Big Bang Theory. Look out, Bang Bus!”
“The fans spoke and we listened. Thanks to Yahoo, and the amazing team that makes Community great, we’ve avoided the Darkest Timeline yet again and plan to deliver a fantastic season,” said Zack Van Amburg, president of programming and production at Sony Pictures TV. Added Jamie Erlicht, president of programming and production: “You can’t get to six seasons and a movie without a 6th season. Yahoo is the perfect home for the continuation of this journey.”
And frontman Joel McHale reminds Community fans that an online-exclusive season might bring a very interesting twist to the sitcom. “The reports of our cancelation have been greatly exaggerated.’ —Mark Twain (The other version of this quote has been wrong for years). # SixSeasonsAndaMovie is real. Thank you Sony. Thank you Yahoo. Thank you Dan Harmon. And thank you to the greatest f%$#ing fans in the history of the human race. It’s the Internet. We can swear now.”
The summer months are upon us and though many of your favorites series are taking a break until September there are quite a few new and returning ones that premiere in June. See what’s coming up and worth checking out after the break! Continue reading TV reminder: 6 premieres to look out for in June
Can you believe we are talking about The Walking Dead season 5 already? The ratings juggernaut is plowing through plot and when the show returns this fall it will introduce viewers to an entirely new location called Terminus. At the end of last season (spoiler alert) our band of zombie apocalypse survivors converged at Terminus, a place whose slogan went like this: “Those who arrive survive.” Turn out that may not necessarily be the case. Shortly after Rick and the gang arrived they were almost immediately pursued by gunfire. Whether or not the “termites” of Terminus are cannibals remains to be seen, but this remains certain: They’ve screwed with the wrong people. Those were the famous words dramatically uttered by our hero Rick Grimes at the very end of the season. Rick and our people were forced inside train car “A” and our first look at the new season presents the former sheriff bloody, renewed with strength peering through it likely planning how he intends to tear the termites apart. Excited? Chyeah, uh huh.
The Walking Dead returns this fall to AMC.
The Upfronts have come and gone and now it’s time for you to figure out which new shows you’ll be watching when the new TV season kicks off this fall. The networks have picked up their respective pilots to series and you can preview them with tantalizing trailers and juicy synopses. First up is the Peacock!
NBC picked up a whopping 16 new series. This fall three dramas, State of Affairs, The Mysteries of Laura, and Constantine will premiere. Three comedies will also launch in the fall and they are Marry Me, Bad Judge, and A to Z. The rest are being held on the bench to air sometime later in the year: A.D., Allegiance, Aquarius, Emerald City, Heroes Reborn, and Odyssey and comedies Mission Control, Mr. Robinson, One Big Happy, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Also being held for midseason are returning series Hannibal, the final season of Parks and Recreation, Celebrity Apprentice, and Hollywood Game Night.
The Voice returns to open Monday night where it will be paired with red-hot The Blacklist; on Nov. 17 The Blacklist will go on break and new drama State of Affairs will takeover the 10PM slot. The Blacklist will return on Feb. 1 landing the prime post Super Bowl slot. That special episode will be the first of a two-parter which will resolve when the James Spader drama falls into its brand new timeslot Thursdays at 9 starting Feb. 5. Moving onto Tuesdays, The Voice will air its second hour at 8 followed by new sitcom Marry Me; that, in turn, is followed by returning sitcom About a Boy and Dick Wolf drama Chicago Fire. Wednesdays opens with new Debra Messing procedural The Mysterious of Laura followed by Law & Order: SVU and spinoff Chicago P.D. Reality veteran The Biggest Loser relocates to Thursdays leading into new comedies Bad Judge and A to Z and the final season of Parenthood closes the night at 10 (later in the season drama Allegiance takes over Parenthood‘s slot). NBC expands its genre night on Fridays pairing Grimm with DC comic book based Constantine. Elsewhere, football dominates Sundays.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CBS series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: NBC intros 16 new series
FOX is packing 12 new series in total for the upcoming TV season. Three dramas, Gotham, Red Band Society, and Gracepoint, one comedy, Mulaney, and one reality series Utopia will premiere in the fall. The rest are on tap for midseason: dramas Backstrom, Empire, Hieroglyph, and Wayward Pines and comedies Bordertown, The Last Man on Earth, and Weird Loners. Also being held for midseason are returning series American Idol, The Following and the final season of Glee.
The network is putting a lot of faith in the highly anticipated new drama series Gotham to open Monday night; it’s paired with Sleepy Hollow. New reality series Utopia starts Tuesdays and it will lead into that night’s comedy staples New Girl and The Mindy Project. Another reality series Hell’s Kitchen will open the next night followed by new hospital drama Red Band Society. Veteran Bones makes a comeback to Thursday nights where it will provide cushion for new “event series” Gracepoint. Utopia will air again on Fridays following Masterchef Junior. And Sundays, which have been dominated solely by animated series for some time, are now being injected with some live action: following Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons is the returning Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and following Family Guy at 9:30 is new multi-cam sitcom Mulaney.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall FOX series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: FOX intros 12 new series
ABC has 12 new series on tap for next season: two dramas–Forever and How to Get Away with Murder–will launch in the fall alongside four sitcoms Selfie, Manhattan Love Story, Black-ish, and Cristela. The rest will follow later in the year: dramas American Crime, Marvel’s Agent Carter, Secrets and Lies, and The Whispers and comedies Fresh Off the Boat and Galavant. Also being held for midseason are returning series The Bachelor and The Taste.
Dancing with the Stars and Castle remained paired on Mondays. Two new sitcoms Selfie and Manhattan Love Story will open Tuesdays leading into one returning drama, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and a new one, Forever. Wednesdays pack four comedies starting with The Middle; The Goldbergs lands a great slot between that and Modern Family. The veteran, award-winning sitcom will serve as a launching pad for newbie Black-ish and then returning Nashville closes the night at 10. Thursdays are completely dominated by Shonda Rhimes: Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal will lead into her latest offering How to Get Away with Murder at 10 (new drama Secrets and Lies will take over Murder‘s timeslot later in the season. Elsewhere, Latina sitcom Cristela is paired with Last Man Standing on Fridays and Sunday’s lineup of Once Upon a Time, Resurrection, and Revenge is unchanged (new drama American Crime will replace Resurrection at 9 when that show’s second season comes to a close). Once Upon a Time‘s season will be aired in two distinct halves again and so will S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s; taking over their slots on the schedule during their extended hiatuses are musical fairytale Galavant and origin story Marvel‘s Agent Carter, respectively.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CBS series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: ABC intros 12 new series
CBS has eight new series lined up for next season. In the fall, four new dramas will premiere–Scorpion, spinoff NCIS: New Orleans, Stalker, and Madam Secretary–alongside a new comedy The McCarthys. Two dramas–Battle Creek and spinoff CSI: Cyber–will land on the schedule in midseason with new comedy The Odd Couple. Also being held for midseason are returning series The Mentalist, Mike & Molly, and Undercover Boss.
The Big Bang Theory returns to Mondays to kick the night off leading into another sitcom Mom, and these are followed by new drama series Scorpion and the returning NCIS: LA. TBBT will revert to its Thursday 8PM timeslot when Thursday Night Football concludes in late October; at that point 2 Broke Girls will premiere its third season in its regular Monday 8PM slot. On Tuesdays the flagship NCIS will lead into the latest franchise spinoff NCIS: New Orleans and Person of Interest will follow at 10PM. New drama Stalker is paired with Criminal Minds on Wednesdays and new sitcom The McCarthys is sandwiched between the final season of Two and a Half Men and Elementary on Thursdays. Elsewhere, The Amazing Race relocates to Fridays at 8 and newbie Madam Secretary opens Sunday nights leading into The Good Wife and CSI. Spinoff CSI: Cyber will take over the flagship CSI on Sundays at 10 in midseason.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CBS series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: CBS intros 8 new series
The CW introduced four new series for next season; Jane the Virgin and The Flash will premiere in the fall, and iZombie and The Messengers will bow in midseason. Also being held for later in the year are returning series Hart of Dixie and Beauty and the Beast. The Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals will serve as a lead-in for Jane the Virgin on Mondays and The Flash will open Tuesdays paired with veteran Supernatural.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CW series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: The CW intros 4 new series
The Upfronts are coming, and you know what means: the big networks have carved their axes and they’re ready to chop away at their underperforming programs to make way for new series to be introduced in the fall and midseason of next year. To keep it as short and sweet as possible, jump after the break for a full listing of every 2013-14 cancelled show categorized by network. Later this week, with news from the Upfronts, you will learn which shows will be returning to their respective schedules at the networks. For now, the slaughtering is after the jump.
Continue reading Cancellation report: The Big Networks prepare for Upfronts