Ever since Mad Men put them on the map, AMC has seen one of the quickest rises in television history. Less than four years after their flagship show’s premiere, the network has become one of the most oft-discussed and go-to places for compelling cable television, elevating basic cable as a sub-medium of television like HBO did with premium cable when that channel came on the scene with original programming in the mid-90s. AMC followed up this success a few months later with the runaway hit that is Breaking Bad (which, if you ask me, is an even better show), which is about as far away from a sophomore slump as you can get.

In just three short years, both Mad Men and Breaking Bad have received seemingly limitless critical acclaim and award recognition for their respective compelling dramas and creative teams. Throw in the  massive ratings homerun that is The Walking Dead and you can pretty much call AMC one of the most successful channels on television right now.

And yet, recent developments make me ask: what the hell?

First there was the cancellation of Rubicon, with AMC refusing to give the “compelling drama” a further pickup and thusly not letting them continue the long-form story they clearly had to tell. Then there was The Killing, which started off with a promising pilot, got picked up, and then aired one of the most polarizing finales of all time, which (amongst other things) has been called “The Worst Season Finale of All Time“. Then there was the news that Frank Darabont has “stepped down” as showrunner of The Walking Dead, despite writing and directing one of the strongest pilots I’ve ever seen and helming an incredibly successful first season. And now there’s news that AMC is having trouble negotiating the forthcoming end of Breaking Bad with Sony.

As I’ve stated previously, AMC is at the foreground of every critic’s watch list. More than even HBO, people are dying to know what AMC’s going to do next. Up until The Killing, they’ve had nothing but hits (just don’t mention The Prisoner), but has The Killing hurt AMC?

We start our discussion with non-spoiler reviews of the film before falling into a full-on dissection/discussion of the show with heavy SPOILERS. Enjoy!

The announcement doesn’t come as much of a surprise. The first episode’s numbers weren’t nearly as high as Boardwalk Empire’s premiere, but they trounced the premiere of True Blood. However, Game of Thrones is expected to have much higher international presence than either of the other two properties, as well as a strong presence on DVD.

The first episode was well received by new comers, fans of the series, and critics alike. But the only people that we care about are the people reading this site, right now. So how did you like the first episode?

So yeah…this is actually happening. Stan Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger are working on an animated Governator television series as well as a comic book! After watching this trailer/test footage looking video I can’t help but express complete astonishment. It’s really one of those things you have to experience for yourself.

Play Along: How many summer blockbuster movie references are there? I counted Iron Man, Transformers, Terminator, The Dark Knight, and The Matrix

-Reid Ackerman

I couldn’t possibly be more pumped for the premiere of series 6:

Series 6 premieres with “The Impossible Astronaut” on Saturday, April 23 at 9pm on BBC America.

Two Steven Moffat written Doctor Who shorts were written for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day 2011. Staring Matt Smith as The Doctor with Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as Amy Pond and Rory Williams. ENJOY!

Episode 1: SPACE

Episode 2: TIME

So this is our first official look at the David E. Kelley’s live-action Wonder Woman television series being made for NBC. Judging by the photo I assume that the studio just wanted to get the photo out before anyone could snag a crappy quality set photo (a la The Amazing Spider-Man). There doesn’t seem to be a lot going for it and if anything I would mistake it for a Halloween costume model. Everything in the suit looks a little too plastic and fake for me. If anything my excitement (which wasn’t much) hasn’t changed. I’d like to get a look at trailer though and see the costume in action as well as the narrative.

What do you think?

A few days it was reported that Sandman, a comic book series by Neil Gaiman was being put on hold from becoming a television sereis. The series was supposedly being developed by Supernatural showrunner (Seasons 1-5) Eric Kripke. T’was a sad day or glorious day depending on your take of the adaptation. Cut to Geoff Johns, comic scribe and the Chief Creative Officer at DC Comics recently tweeting “Correction to world: The Sandman is AWAKE! :) Psyched to be working with @neilhimself on developing one of the greatest series ever!”, and “Sandman in any form – comics to live action – doesn’t work without @neilhimself #sandman“. Kripke’s involvement is still up in the air, however with Johns and Gaiman’s involvement I think we’re looking at some quality television here. While Sandman series is one of those series I’ve been really meaning to read, but just haven’t had the time yet, the promise of a television series gets me excited.

Anyone read Sandman? Is this a bad idea? Who would you cast?

-Reid Ackerman

Returning for a sixth series, Doctor Who will premiere April 23 at 9pm ET on BBC America. This is the same date as the UK premiere.

The premiere is titled “The Impossible Astronaut” and will be part one of a two-part story written by showrunner Steven Moffat, with part two being titled “Day of the Moon“. Set in America, the story will take the Doctor (Matt Smith) from the Utah desert to the Oval Office in 1969.  Mark Sheppard (Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica) will be guest star with returning companions Amy and Rory (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) along with Alex Kingston, who is returning  again as  River Song.

Excitement!

The new Wonder Woman series has cast it’s leading lady. Diana Prince will be played by Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights, Supernatural, Aquaman), but Palicki didn’t win the role so much as it was her role to begin with (she was the only actress invited to test for it).

David E. Kelley’s re imagining of Wonder Woman sounds a little like this:

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Palicki) is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life.

Based on the Image comic book by Robert Kirkman.

The Walking Dead, from writer-director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist), premieres on AMC at 10pm on Sunday, October 31st with a 90-minute pilot episode.

If you have Halloween plans, don’t forget to set your DVRs!

A prequel to Edgar Wright’s live action film currently in theaters (GO SEE IT NOW!!), Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation shows a flashback to Scott’s High School years and his romance with future Sex Bob-omb drummer Kim Pine. It also features the character Lisa Miller,  my favorite character from the graphic novel series who was tragically left out of the film (though not without good reason). Enjoy the 4-minute short below:

The pilot is being directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Majestic) and the six-episode first season premieres this October during AMC’s annual Monsterfest.

…And just like that, it turns out that the file was UK only, and was yanked down. False alarm, apparently.

Renewed:

Chuck
V

Cancelled:

FlashForward
Scrubs
Legend of the Seeker

Likely Renewed:

One Tree Hill
Life Unexpected

Likely Cancelled:

Heroes

While there is no debut date quite yet, Cartoon Network and DC Entertainment have announced Young Justice, a new animated series from Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, Spectacular Spider-Man).

In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over—to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice—Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis—will found out, whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero. This all-new series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based upon characters from DC Comics. Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) is the executive producer. Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood, Superman Doomsday, The Batman) and Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H.) are the producers.

This looks to be everything I’d hoped and wanted the Teen Titans animated series to be. Can’t wait.

FOX has decided not to pursue an American version of the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. “BBC Worldwide Productions and the FOX Broadcasting Company have mutually agreed not to progress together with a 13-episode serialized ‘Torchwood’ format. We are currently in discussion with several interested networks,” said BBC Worldwide executive vp of programming and production Jane Tranter. “It’s very much ongoing and very much alive.”

I think we can expect an announcement from SyFy very soon.

Also, that American Doctor Who conclusion that most people jumped to when an American Torchwood was first announced? According to Tranter, that is definitely not the case.

“It may well be confusing to have a British Doctor and an American Doctor at the same time,” she said. “There is only one Doctor, so I don’t see that happening.”

According to the BBC, Matt Smith will be guest starring in a two-part episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures to be written by former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies. The episodes will also mark the return of actress Katy Manning in her role as Third Doctor companion Jo Grant (1971-1973). The episodes will be part of Sarah Jane’s fourth series to premiere this Fall.

Well, looks like Russell T. Davies gets to write for Matt Smith’s Doctor afterall… should be interesting to say the least. I’ve never watched The Sarah Jane Adventures so I guess I have some catching up to do.

(BBC)

Marvel Entertainment just announced it has greenlit a new Spider-Man animated series, this time based on the mega successful Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and artists Mark Bagley, Stuart Immonen, and David Lafuente. It will premiere in fall 2011 on Disney XD.

First seeing publication in 2000, Ultimate Spider-Man was meant to make the character more “new reader friendly” by ditching the 40 years of continuity, and bringing the character back to its roots as a teenage superhero.  The animated series will “chronicle Peter Parker’s transition from a wise-cracking teen to a hero with a definite sense of responsibility who can hold his own with other Marvel superheroes who will join him in this series of animated adventures”.

Can.

Not.

Wait.

(Source: ICv2)

Series premiere April 3 on BBC1;  April 17, 9/8c on BBC America

- Good news for “Gleeks” everywhere: Glee’s second season has been expanded from the normal 22 episodes to 25! Meanwhile, the season one finale’s airdate has been announced as Tuesday, June 8. (Ausiello)

- Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Dollhouse) has been cast in the remake of The Rockford Files for NBC and producer David Shore (House). (Ausiello)

- James Marsters (Buffy, Smallville) has been cast as the main antagonist in CBS’ remake of Hawaii Five-O.  (AICN)

- Summer Glau (Firefly, Terminator: TSCC) has been cast as the lead in The Cape, a superhero pilot for NBC. (THR)

- True Blood returns for its third season June 13 on HBO. (Variety)

- Finally, check out this preview for the new HBO series Boardwalk Empire the creator of The Sopranos and director Martin Scorsese:

I’ve already posted a couple articles on the casting of the pilot, so you can read those here and here.

A Song of Ice and Fire is considered by many, including myself, to be one of the best fantasy series of modern day. However, it is also a very long series. In addition, the series is quite a ways off from being completed. So the decision to begin reading the novels could be particularly tough for some people. However, with a television series, many people will be able to get a good taste of the setting and plot of the novels, without dedicating the time to reading them. Which could in turn lead them back to the novels, once they know it’s something they are interested in.

The fact is, ASoIaF is not your typical fantasy series. The Hollywood Reporter did a good job of summarizing one of the main differences in their recent article:

Unlike many fantasy novels, the “Thrones” series largely avoids relying on magical elements and instead goes for brutal realism — think “Sopranos” with swords.

Martin’s view of fantasy in the novels up to this point has largely involved the setting itself. Yes, magic once existed in the world, and may very well exist again at some point. But the focus is more on political intrigue, knights and soldiers, and kingdoms rising from chaos.

Game of Thrones, which shares the same title as the first novel in the series (minus the preceding article “A”) will find quite possibly the perfect fit on HBO. The novels are way too violent for a network TV spot similar to “Legend of the Seeker“. Sex is also something that makes it’s way into the novels when appropriate for the story. Neither of those will be an issue for a show airing on HBO. If anything, it could help the show out with HBO’s audience.

The series is shaping up to be a good one. As of the pilot we have a fantastic list of stars including Sean Bean, Lena Headey, and Peter Dinklage. Add in a few rising actors and some fresh faces, and this series has the potential to really take off.

Ten episodes for the first season could work out pretty well. The first novel could be cut down quite a bit. Hopefully future seasons would warrant the normal HBO length of 13 episodes, however. It could be pretty difficult to cut down some of the later books. Currently there are four books, with the 5th book looking likely to come out sometime this year. Given HBO’s history with shows, it’s unlikely that the show would even make it to that point. However, should it reach the 5th season, there will probably be a 6th book waiting for it. The first three books came in two year gaps. Assuming A Dance with Dragons is released this year, that would mean that both of his last two books saw a gap of 5 years before they came out.

Game of Thrones is set to begin production this June, and should air in Spring of 2011.

Apparently, Fox has made the move to secure the rights to re-make Torchwood for American audiences. In addition to to picking up the rights to the show, Fox has also hired the original Torchwood’s writer/producer Russell T. Davies to write the script for the pilot. It’s also possible that some of the original series’ actors may make the trek over to the US version of the show. The most likely star to make the conversion would be John Barrowman, who plays the lead character, Captain Jack Harkness. While other actors are possible, few of them would work out on American television.

The plot of the new show is supposed to take a more global approach to the same story. Perhaps we will see an American wing of the Torchwood institute. This begs the question of whether or not the series will exist in the same continuity as the other Torchwood. If so, perhaps it would be best if the show got a rename along with it’s new story.

As much trouble as Fox has had with genre shows, I can’t see the show lasting long on their network, assuming it makes it past the pilot phase. Perhaps it will take a slightly more X-Files approach, and that is the potential that Fox likes in it. Either way, I wouldn’t bother getting too attached to the series.

The successful campaign to save Chuck last spring, which involved buying Subway sandwiches, was impressive enough to bring Subway in as a marketing partner for the show. Chuck was originally slated to return in March after the Olympics, but recent rumblings suggest that it may return in January instead. Now fans of the BuyMore have six more episodes of Chuck to look forward to. Considering that the show that was on the brink of being canceled a few months ago, things are now looking much rosier for Chuck and the gang.

(Variety)

The episode, which is standalone, but leads into the final two-parter is set in the Year 2059 on Earth’s first off-world colony, and features an aliens that use a water compound to infect its victims.

So who have we got so far?

Eddard “Ned” Stark – Sean Bean

Catelyn Stark – Jennifer Ehle

Robb Stark – Richard Madden

Sansa Stark – Sophie Turner

Arya Stark – Maisie Williams

Robert Baratheon – Mark Addy

Jamie Lannister – Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Lena Headey – Cersei Lannister (Added 9/01/09)

Tyrion Lannister – Peter Dinklage

Daenerys Targaryen – Tamzin Merchant

Theon Greyjoy – Alfie Allen

Jon Snow – Kit Harington

Joffrey Baratheon – Jack Gleeson

Viserys Targaryen – Harry Lloyd

Sandor Clegane (The Hound) – Rory McCann

Added on 9/02/09

• Lena Headey cast as Cersei Lannister
• New Picture for Sophie Turner
• New Picture for Maisie Williams (Maisie has been spelled Maizie and Maisie by George RR Martin, so no idea on correct spelling)

Added on 9/24/09

• Rory McCann was added as Sandor Clegane (The Hound)

1. This season will be something of a companion piece to Season 1. Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse stated that the show’s overall saga is meant to almost loop into itself thematically, meaning Season 6 will deal with plot (and charecters) the show hasn’t dealt with since Season 1.

2. Season 6 will be light on Dharma mythology.

3. Richard Alpert will get his own episode, which will hopefully unviel his mysterious origins

4. Daniel Faraday, aka The Greatest Charecter Ever, will be returning in some form next season, despite his death at the hands of his own mother

5. Although her fate seemed sealed at the end of Season 5’s finale, Juliet may not be dead. Actress Elizabeth Mitchell will be popping up next season, which means Jack’s plan to blow the Island back to the past may have worked.

6. Claire will be back. Maybe. Sort of.

7. At the panel, a video of a Mr. Cluck’s Chicken Shack commercial was shown, with Hugo “Hurley” Rayes as the chain’s owner/mascot. In the commercial, Hurley speaks of his adventure to Austrialia, resulting in exciting new “outback themed” menu items. This gives further evidence that Jack’s plan worked and the hydrogen bomb explosion prevented the crash of Oceanic Flight 815

8. More evidence; another video was a clip of America’s Most Wanted….featuring fugitive Kate Austin.

9. Lindelof states that not all of the Island’s mysteries will be solved. “Just the ones that matter.”

10. At the very end of the panel, Charlie himself Dominac Monahagn took to the stage, alongside former castmates Josh Holloway, Michael Emmerson and Jorege Garcia. Was he just making a fun little cameo or was this hinting that Charlie will be making an appearnce?

LOST!!!!!!!!!!!