As I’m getting ready to leave for a New Year’s party that happens to be (what else?) a TV marathon, I’m thinking about the television I’m really excited for in the new year. Unfortunately, because of my schedule, I probably won’t be adding any of these to the blogging rotation, but I thought they deserved a little mention here on the blog, at least.
Doctor Who Series 6
Although I was kind of lukewarm on “new-new Doctor Who” as we saw it in series 5, I saw the preview for the new series while watching the “Christmas Carol” themed new Christmas special earlier this week, and it made me pretty excited. First of all, the Christmas special itself was pretty decent (although still not quite to the level of “The Christmas Invasion”). As far as the preview goes, I like that the Doctor’s obsession with odd clothing choices continues, and I like that we’re going to be seeing more of River Song. I think Alex Kingston has more chemistry with Matt Smith than David Tennant, so I enjoy her interactions with Eleven. Although I’m a bit wary of trying to import British television ideas in any way, because the original product is so much better, I’m intrigued that at least a few episodes will take place and were filmed here in the United States. The new series will premiere on BBC America in Spring 2011.
Off the Map
“Off the Map,” premiering January 12 on ABC, is the newest show to be produced by Shonda Rhimes, of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” fame. If you’ve read this blog from the beginning, you’ll know that I was once a big-time “Grey’s” fan, but Shonda and I had a bit of a “falling out.” Why am I seriously considering going back to Shondaland? First of all, Rhimes will not be writing on this series. The pilot was written by former “Grey’s” writer Jenna Bans. Second, it stars two of my absolute favorite actors, Caroline Dhavernas (Jaye from “Wonderfalls”) and Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen from “Friday Night Lights”). I’ll deal with the trademark Shonda melodrama for quite a while to see these two actors work, especially Dhavernas, who has not been on American television (she’s French Canadian) on a regular basis since her “Wonderfalls” days.
Torchwood: The New World
As I mentioned when talking about the new series of "Doctor Who," I’m a little wary of the “International” scope of the new series of "Torchwood," but it will be good to see Jack and Gwen back on my television screen, and I’m curious to see how the team gets back together after the tragic events that ended the last series. The last series of “Torchwood,” called “Children of Earth,” was fantastic. I’m also missing Russell T. Davies’ unique voice since he is no longer head writer for “Doctor Who.” I’m hoping that since Davies is still head writer of “Torchwood” this will give me my fix of what I’ve been missing so much with Moffat-run “Doctor Who.” Jane Espenson, who has written wonderful episodes for every TV series created by Joss Whedon, will also be writing for this series of "Torchwood." "Torchwood: The New World" is set to premiere on Starz in Summer 2011.
Being Human Series 3
The American version of this wonderful BBC Three series will be debuting on Syfy on January 13, but we won’t speak of that here. I’m talking about the original. The third series of “Being Human” is currently filming in Cardiff, Wales, and although there doesn’t appear to be an official premiere date available yet, it is slated to premiere at some point in 2011. “Being Human” tells the story of a vampire named Mitchell (Aidan Turner), a werewolf named George (Russell Tovey), and a ghost named Annie (Lenora Crichlow), who are roommates. The trio try to blend in with the rest of society as best they can while dealing with big supernatural threats at the same time. To whet your appetite, here’s a behind the scenes video of the first read-through of the new series (which took place over the summer) from the BBC.
The Cape
“The Cape,” which premieres January 9 on NBC, is this television season’s second superhero-themed show, and even though I’ve been kind of up and down on “No Ordinary Family,” I’m really looking forward to this one. The trailers are intriguing- they make it seem a little more grown up than I originally thought it would be. I’m also excited that fabulous Joss Whedon alum Summer Glau (major Whedon roles being River Tam in “Firefly” and Bennett on “Dollhouse”) has a major role. Glau brings a fascinating physicality and grace to any role she inhabits. Overall, “The Cape” looks like it will be good fun with some intelligence, and we need more of that on television. Sarah may be blogging this one for MTVP depending on her school schedule, so you may get recaps of “The Cape” despite what I said at the beginning of this post.
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