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.
