Not Worth a Thread: TV Edition

[RottingCorpse]

I've been on a bit of an entertainment news blackout of late. Catching up today, I can see how maybe that's been a good thing.

38-year-old “Sliders” icon Jerry O’Connell will play Herman Munster in “Mockingbird Lane,” the hourlong pilot reboot of “The Munsters” masterminded by Bryan Fuller (creator of “Dead Like Me,” “Wonderfalls” and “Pushing Daisies”).

[nacho]

Oh my god! I can't imagine anything more horrible. Go back on your entertainment news blackout, please.

[nacho]

It only took five episodes of Continuum for the bad guys to figure out that they should kill our main girl's grandparents if they want to get rid of her. Which is starting to wade into complicated timey wimey territory...

There's been some blabbering about how all this is a time loop so, therefore, nothing can be changed. Which explains why Old Alec seems to not be surprised about the shit that goes down in the pilot. And also means that the entire series is pointless! So why are we watching?

Our main girl believes that the future is being changed and she has to stop the bad guys in order to save the future. But it's too late for that, just five episodes in, which means that the entire series is pointless. So why are we watching?

[nacho]

The big problem I have with Continuum is that we're being asked to root for a murdering agent of a corporate-run authoritarian future that makes Orwell's worst nightmare seem like the Puppy Bowl.

The show seems aware of that, but isn't clever enough to play on it properly. They're obsessed with making the terrorists (who, despite their methods, are essentially freedom fighters and mankind's last best hope) into evil maniacs.

So... I guess Continuum is pro corporate authoritarianism.

[nacho]

Leaping onto the True Blood wagon...

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is to play the titular vamp in NBC and Sky Living’s 10-episode Dracula adaptation

In the year that sees The Twilight Saga finally draw to a close, you might say that NBCUniversal and Sky Living’s hop onto the vamp bandwagon is a bit, er, dilatory. That said, interest in Bram Stoker’s 1897 Dracula has never really waned, so now probably seems as good a time as any to produce a new TV adaptation.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) will be playing the lead role, and the series will reportedly kick off with Drac's arrival in 1890s London rather than Jonathan Harker’s journey to the Count's distant castle. In this incarnation, Dracula is posing as an American entrepreneur seeking to bring modern technology to Victorian England, all the while planning to wreak revenge on the descendants of his former enemies. Sounds like a good few departures have been taken from the novel, then.

Dracula comes based on a script by comic book writer Cole Haddon (The Strange Case of Mr Hyde), that’s been described as “…dark, twisted and intelligent” by Sky’s Head of Drama. The series is co-produced by NBCUniversal and Sky Living, and due to go into production later this year.

[RottingCorpse]

So it's the Will SMith I, Robot... except a TV series.

“Homeland” showrunner Howard Gordon is teaming with “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” showrunner for prospective new NBC series about deadly robots, according to a Deadline Hollywood exclusive.

Deadline describes the premise:

    … a thriller soap set in a world much like ours, where human-looking robots are commonplace. After a routine homicide explodes into the first robot-on-human murder, the lead detective must solve the case and investigate a growing robot rebellion while dealing with the impact on his own fractured family.

Friedman will script the pilot under Gordon’s supervision.

Gordon’s non-"Homeland" credits include “The X-Files,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” “24” and this year’s NBC drama “Awake.”

Friedman’s other big credit was co-writing 2005’s “War of the Worlds” with David Koepp.

[nacho]

A prequel to Runaway!

[Reginald McGraw]

I was just thinking about Runaway last night because a KISS song came on.

[nacho]

I loved the crazy gun in Runaway.

[nacho]

666 Park Avenue.

Predictable, boring... It's basically the next evolutionary step in things like Friday the 13: The Series and so on. Terry O'Quinn is pretty much just playing the Smoke Monster. I find myself not caring about any of the characters.

It's not bad, exactly. Might be good off-season filler. As it is, I feel like there's enough to watch and I don't want to add another mediocre hour into the mix...

[nacho]

I've been on a bit of an entertainment news blackout of late. Catching up today, I can see how maybe that's been a good thing.

38-year-old “Sliders” icon Jerry O’Connell will play Herman Munster in “Mockingbird Lane,” the hourlong pilot reboot of “The Munsters” masterminded by Bryan Fuller (creator of “Dead Like Me,” “Wonderfalls” and “Pushing Daisies”).

Eddie Izzard sort of wins me over...

[nacho]

I'm embarrassed to admit this... But "Nashville" on ABC -- a new series about an aging country singer being overshadowed by an up and coming young songstress (played by the ever lovely Hayden Panty-air). Forced together by her record label, it's basically a soap opera, I guess. And strangely compelling. Or maybe I just like to watch Panty-air play a dolled up slut who has her tits hanging out all the time.

[nacho]

Just a quick nod to the latest episode of Raising Hope...which played wonderful games with the fourth wall. Cloris Leachman (now meta-Cloris Leachman in the loony bin/nursing home) talking to the wall (which is our POV), but everyone else sees her just...talking to the wall, and says she's crazy.

Which sort of makes it feel like we're crazy.

I love fun and games like that. Usually a bit ham-handed (the old "Who are you talking to?" whenever someone breaks the wall when their characters aren't supposed to), but really works this time.

[nacho]

I've been on a bit of an entertainment news blackout of late. Catching up today, I can see how maybe that's been a good thing.

38-year-old “Sliders” icon Jerry O’Connell will play Herman Munster in “Mockingbird Lane,” the hourlong pilot reboot of “The Munsters” masterminded by Bryan Fuller (creator of “Dead Like Me,” “Wonderfalls” and “Pushing Daisies”).

Eddie Izzard sort of wins me over...

There's a part of me that's not dreading this...

[RottingCorpse]

Early reviews are pretty glowing...