Our world, centuries in the future, during which Mars and the asteroid belt have been colonized. Earth and Mars are independent powers, but rely on the asteroid belt for resources. The three regions are on the verge of war with each other.
Cast:
Three time Golden Globe niminee Thomas Jane ("Hung" 2009, "The Mist" 2007, "Face/Off" 1997).
Wes Chatham ("The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" 2014, "In the Valley of Elah" 2007).
Ratings:
IMDB: 76% (New series with > 200 reviews) Rotten Tomatoes: N/A (New Series)
Length:
season 1: 10 episodes.
Notes:
Syfy President, Dave Howe, claims "The Expanse is epic in scale and scope and promises to be Syfy's most ambitious series to date". We'll see if that holds true. Based on the first episode, which was released early, the show looks interesting. Production values are pretty good. Casting is unimpressive.
Rufus Sewell ("Dark City" 1998, "The Illusionist" 2006).
Ratings:
IMDB: 84% Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (based on 4.5/5 average rating as of nov 2015).
Length:
season 1: 10 episodes.
Notes:
No patience required here. Suspense builds quickly in this very engaging "what if", as events rush towards seeming disaster. Each episode is well done. Unfortunately, the very brief and simple ending feels like a cop-out after the the detail provided by previous episodes. Expect to be entertained. Don't expect a clever ending.
Two time Fangoria Chainsaw Award winner (!) Bruce Campbell ("Burn Notice", "The Evil Dead").
Ratings:
IMDB: 90% Rotten Tomatoes: 92% (based on 4.6/5 average rating as of Oct 2015). Note: The second season has a 100% "critics's consensus" on Rotten Tomatoes.
Length:
season 1: 10 episodes. season 2: (current) 10 episodes.
Notes:
A superlative entry in a golden age of TV, "Fargo" distinguishes itself with a unique blend of comedy, drama and weirdness. Perfectly timed bursts of intensity occur against the dull matter-of-fact backdrop of middle-american suburbia. Characters stand out. Most are flawed, well layered, interesting, likable, and all drawn from masterful writing. This one is a treat, first pointed out by Myk.
The disastrous personal and professional life of a famous news anchor, who is given a talk show.
Cast:
Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Patrick Stewart ("Star Trek", "X-Men").
Adrian Scarborough ("The King's Speech (2010)", "Les Misérables Les Misérables (2012)").
Richard Lewis ("Leaving Las Vegas", "Robin Hood: Men in Tights").
Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Ed Begley Jr. ("St. Elsewhere").
Ratings:
IMDB: 77% Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (based on average audience rating of 4.3/5 as of Oct 2015). However it's important to note that the "critics review" (53%) is much lower than the audience score.
Length:
season 1: 10 episodes.
Notes:
A formally trained British actor, long associated with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, Captain Picard is also science fiction royalty. This Star Trek icon and fixture in Marvel's "X-Men" movie franchise, who has also been knighted by the Queen of England, brings some Hollywood star power to Starz network. Unfortunately critics hate "Blunt Talk", considering it a poorly written "waste of Patrick Stewart's considerable gifts" (Rotten tomatoes' "critics consensus"). In my opinion, Stewart really shines in serious roles rather than comedy, but his effort to depart from the type of roles he traditionally plays, by taking on "Blunt Talk", is still something we should appreciate. At times, his regal voice (which advertisers love) makes him seem a little stiff for comedy, but a genuine, natural, fun-loving nature works it's way through, despite his rather proper manner of speaking. He has a magnetic screen presence and the end result is quite entertaining.
season 1: 6 episodes. season 2: 13 episodes. season 3: 16 episodes. season 4: 16 episodes. season 5: 16 episodes. season 6: (current) 16 episodes.
Notes:
This is the oldest surviving "zombie show" for a reason: It's the most watched cable series in history, with recent seasons eclipsing viewership of any broadcast television series as well as cable. Is it great? Certainly not, but many aspects of it are pretty good, resulting in broad appeal. The characters are generally likable and the story line is interesting. Early seasons of the show drag a little, with notably slower-paced plot lines and long periods of inactivity, but the pace picks up in the third season. Later seasons still have "throwaway episodes" (my opinion) where little or nothing happens, but for the most part they are more action-oriented than the early ones. Definitely worth watching, but it probably won't top your list.
First Look: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Season 3
Synopsis:
Live action television adaptation of Marvel comic's "Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division". A fictional spy agency that exists in the Marvel world of superheroes and aliens.
Wass Stevens ("House of Cards", "Brooklyn's Finest").
Ratings:
IMDB: 67% Rotten Tomatoes: 92% (based on 4.6/5 average rating as of September 2015).
Length:
season 1: 10 episodes.
Notes:
Not your typical cop show, this one features criminals on both sides of the law looking for ways to profit from crime rather than stop it. There is a pretty big discrepancy between it's IMDB audience and Rotten Tomato audience scores, but the IMDB rating includes a much larger sample size and is closer to the truth. Good but not great, this show doesn't take many risks. It features a relatively simple storyline, but has very strong character actors, including legendary New York nightlife icon Was Stevens.
Harry Lennix ("Man of Steel", "Ray", "The Matrix Reloaded", "The Matrix Revolutions").
Ratings:
IMDB: 82% Rotten Tomatoes: 87% (based on 4.35/5 average viewer rating for the first two seasons combined as of September 2015).
Length:
season 1: 22 episodes. season 2: 22 episodes. season 3: (current) 22 episodes.
Notes:
James Spader flourishes in this expansive lead role. His quirky mannerisms and distinctive voice, transition from humor to dramatic scenes seamlessly. If you had the pleasure of listening to Spader play "Ultron" in the last Avenger's movie, then you probably realize how much his voice can flesh out a character. Megan Boone does an excellent job as his co-lead, and the supporting cast is decent. It's an unusually beefy show, with twenty two episode seasons, but you'll wanna watch every one.
A political comedy centered on US government manipulation of events in the Middle East and South Asia. The story is told from the perspectives of a US secretary of state, a low level diplomatic functionary and a naval fighter pilot.
Star Power:
Golden Globe nominee Jack Black ("Kung Fu Panda", "King Kong").
Academy Award winner Tim Robbins ("Shawshank Redemption", "Mystic River", "War of the Worlds").
Tony Award and Emmy nominee Pablo Schreiber ("The Manchurian Candidate", "Orange is the New Black").
Five time Emmy winner and Golden Globe nominee John Larroquette ("Night Court", "The Practice").
Ratings:
IMDB: 77% Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (4.2/5 based on average rating as of Aug 2015, season 1).
Length:
season 1: (current) 10 episodes. season 2: Show has been renewed
Notes:
This show takes the same approach as an old Tom Cruise movie "Lions for lambs", and gives you three distinct but overlapping perspectives on foreign relations and war. However it is definitely a comedy, not a serious look at the subject matter. The three main characters are very good, and the supporting cast is pretty funny. The Brink is somewhat vanilla and lacks the edginess possessed by many other high powered entries on cable recently. Fun show to watch, but there's nothing groundbreaking about it, which probably explains why critics are hard on it even though general audiences seem to like it.
Bold and different take on Vampires. In this case the condition is a disease spread by parasitic worms. Victims take on very interesting new characteristics.
Cast:
Golden Globe nominee Corey Stoll ("Salt", "Bourne legacy", "House of Cards").
IMDB: 76% Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (based on 4.2/5 average rating as of July 2015).
Length:
season 1: 13 episodes. season 2: (current) 13 episodes.
Notes:
A pretty wide departure from "typical" vampire shows. Here the vampires are more monster than human, and there's lot's of comic book-style action. In the show, vampirism is often referred to as a "viral" disease. Presumably the parasitic worms carry a virus that transforms cells of the victim.
IMDB: 93% Rotten Tomatoes: 92% (4.6/5 based on average rating as of May 2015).
Length:
season 1: 8 episodes. season 2: (current) 8 episodes.
Notes:
season one was outstanding. One of the best shows in a golden age of TV, "True detective" features long story arcs with interesting twists and top-shelf acting.
A psychological thriller/horror show featuring a psychiatrist who is also a serial killer. One of his patients is a special adviser who helps the FBI catch serial killers.
IMDB: 86% Rotten Tomatoes: 98% (based on 4.9/5 average rating as of May 2015).
Length:
season 1: 13 episodes. season 2: 13 episodes. season 3: (current) 13 episodes.
Notes:
This elegant and well made show leads you on interesting hunts for many different killers, in addition to it's focus on a very refined version of Hannibal Lector. It's bloody pretty.
IMDB: 85% Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (4.2/5 average rating as of May 2015).
Length:
10 episodes.
Notes:
The first episode is strange and interesting. Someone put "Twin Peaks" and "The Truman Show" into a blender. Hopefully the subsequent episodes will live up to the promise shown by the beginning, but you never know.
IMDB: 75% Rotten Tomatoes: 73% (3.9/5 based on average rating as of May 2015).
Length:
Season 1: 12 episodes. Season 2: 10 episodes (airing in 2016).
Notes:
"Fortitude" starts off at a slow, deliberate pace, but still manages to be pretty engaging. By the middle of the series, there is a creepy, unsettled atmosphere with the kind of tension you only get from a well-told story. Little star power in terms of casting, but the acting is very good. The show was very well received by critics, but lacks the stars and fast pace usually favored by the general public. ** He's the one eyed man who keeps coming back from the dead in "Game of Thrones".
