On January 9th, 2011 NBC premiered the new superhero drama  The Cape starring David Lyons as Vince Faraday (thanks to Lost every time I hear that last name I can’t help but to picture a skinny, greasy looking guy carrying around a notebook and trying to explain temporal displacement), a cop who has been framed for a series of murders he didn’t commit and is now presumed dead by everyone he knows.  Well everyone except for a group of bank robbing circus performers and a hacker who bares a striking resemblance to...

After being away from the small screen since 2004 (I refuse to count the Joey years) Matt LeBlanc returns in the new Showtime series Episodes.   Well he kind of appears.  I mean he is there and he is in the show but if you are wondering if this is his comeback show I doubt you will be able to garner much from his 2 minute appearance.  Oh sure the promos have been advertising it is the show where Matt LeBlanc is playing Matt LeBlanc but in the premiere he doesn’t do much more than get in to an accident with, coincidentally,...

I don’t know if you can call 2011 the year British television invaded America, but it comes darn close.   The first of the shows to premiere in the new year will be Showtime’s version of the British award winning Shameless.  Shameless follow Frank Gallagher, played by William H. Macy, and his not quite normal family.  For instance the youngest of the Gallagher clan is quite obviously not Frank’s yet that isn’t even the family’s biggest concern.  Nor would it be the fact that in order to make...

TNT has finally released a preview for it’s new show Falling Skies that is being produced by Stephen Spielberg and starring Noah Wyle.   Unlike that other alien show that is about to premiere it’s second season, Falling Skies leaves no doubt about the friendliness the aliens that have landed.   So far there is no set premiere date for the show other than the Summer of 2011 and who said only the good shows air in the fall?   Falling Skies also stars Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation), Dale Dye (any movie...

After making a brief stop over to the big screen Matthew Perry (otherwise known as Chandler Bing from Friends) returns to our living rooms in a new comedy on ABC called Mr. Sunshine.  Perry plays Ben Donovan a manager of a sports arena who just so happens to be going through a midlife crisis.  Joining him on this journey are Allison Janney, Nate Torrence, Andrea Anders, James Lesure, and Portia Doubleday.  Mr. Sunshine premieres on February 9, 2011 at 9:30pm EST. Until next time, Mendie

Admittedly, the first preview introduced by HBO doesn’t give their new medieval fantasy series much justice.  In fact if you don’t have HBO or follow entertainment news there is a good chance you had no idea this show was even being made.  HBO’s official synopsis is: Summer spans decades.  Winters can last a lifetime.  And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.  It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plots, lust, and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen...

The Fox Broadcasting Company is adding another show to it’s Sunday Animation Domination line-up.  Bob’s Burgers centers around the Belcher family and their struggling to survive hamburger restaurant.  I have to admit that because I had lost interest in the animated line-up sometime after the premiere of American Dad I had no idea that Fox was even contemplating a new addition let alone adding one.  Bob’s was created by Loren Bouchard who helped bring Dr. Katz and Adult Swim’s Home Movies to the masses. ...

FX has spent the last couple of years building themselves up as the place to go for gritty true to life drama and the same can be said for their new show Lights Out.  Holt McCallany heads the ensemble cast as retired boxer Patrick “Lights Out” Leary who is struggling to take care of his family.  Thanks to movies like Rocky and Cinderella Man it isn’t that much of a stretch to think of a boxer as a blue collar down on his luck and if any one can bring a gritty realism to the world of boxing it would be FX.  ...

“Hope, like the gleaming taper’s light adorns and cheers our way; And still, as darker grows the night, emits a brighter ray.” ~ Oliver Goldsmith There are a couple of things that separate us from the animals.  One of those vital things keeps us from rolling over and accepting fate.  It keeps families together and armies strong.  It turns average men into heroes.  It’s Hope.   As Václav Havel says in Disturbing the Peace, “Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction...

A recurring theme is emerging this upcoming spring; BBC shows re-imagined as American versions, because yet another show is coming from across the pond.  This time in the form of a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost all live together while trying to figure out their place in this wacky topsy turvy world we live in.  While I did enjoy the original version I can’t say that I am so attached to it that it pains me to give this one a chance.  In fact even with out prior knowledge of the show or without seeing the 30 second...

I don’t know if laughing a few times during the 3 minute promo is a good thing or a bad thing.  On one hand it would be worse if I hadn’t laughed at all and the laughs that were provided were genuine.  On the other hand I am afraid this may be one of those shows that put it’s best foot forward and then forget to bring the funny later.  Traffic Light* is about 3 best friends in different stages of relationships.  Ethan is the fun loving bachelor who comes complete with an adorable British accent. ...

Let it be known that I am a full on fan of the BBC’s Skins.  I love that show with unabashed glee.  I could watch Sid sing Wild World over and over and over again.  Let it also be known that as a general rule I hate it when American television tries to “re-imagine” a British or hell any awesome show for that matter.  Showtime’s upcoming show Shameless may be the one that changes my mind but that is another story.  So when you take the fact that I adore the original Skins and I despise re-imagined...

It would seem as though NBC has not yet learned their lesson from the failure that Heroes turned out to be.  Because once again they are attempting a show about a superhero.  Except this time the hero has no special powers and he isn’t trying to find his place in this world.  No this time they went with the tried and true storyline: Good guy is framed by the so called good guys, while his family watches on the news no less, to look like a bad guy.  Got that?  Good.  After an explosion leaves everyone thinking the...

As a general rule I don’t like episodes that center around child abductions.  For one as Walternate said, “There is no tragedy greater than the theft of a child” but for another a part of me finds it difficult to enjoy something that is using that type of tragedy for entertainment value.   Now I know that the writers don’t intend for anyone to take pleasure in a child being abducted, even a fictional one.  Yet, I still can not enjoy them, well not fully anyway. So you can imagine how I felt watching...

The Walking Dead is coming to an end, and this week’s episode, “Wildfire,” is all about setting up the big finale.  The theme of episode 5 revolves around making big decisions; not just decisions made by the characters, but for the direction of the show as well. “Wildfire” picks up right where “Vatos” left off, dropping us into the aftermath of the zombie attack on the survivor camp.  Many of the lesser characters were picked off, and the timing couldn’t have been better.  Having...