The New Television Season So Far

Today marks the start of what I consider to be week 3 of the Fall 2015 television season. Some shows I am week or two behind. Been able to play Dungeons & Dragons on Monday nights and that's a whole slew of shows to catch up on! Thank goodness for television recording devices.


Gotham - I have a confession: still have yet to watch the second episode of the season. Not because I hated the premiere. Loved it in fact. Airs on Monday night and thus played D&D instead. So geek card saved? Back to the show. As I said I loved the premiere. Rise of the Villains is off to a rollicking good start. The passcode for Thomas Wayne's secret cave office was a delicious surprise that should not have been a surprise. Penguin as criminal boss is promising but I hope more rivals emerge. Not a fan of how Gordon was reinstated. Matches the shows tone and should lead to intriguing developments but it does not seem true to the character. Felt more like the plot dictating the character rather the other way around. The main plot was beginning the Rise of the Villains arc where several Arkham inmates including Jerome (Joker?) and Barbara Keen are broken out of Arkham.


Minority Report - Never watched the movie starring Tom Cruise nor read Philip K Dick's story that inspired it. Only discovered after watching the pilot that show happens after the events of the movie. Only have seen the first episode so far but Minority Report promises to be an excellent sci-fi thriller although I tire of the police procedural of which serves as the shows frame. The cybernetic eye implant that enable the cop to see how a murder was committed in order to deduce the 'why' was a nice touch.


Castle - Castle is one of those regular shows that I watch sporadically but when I do I watch it as it airs. Ergo I have only seen the premiere 'XY' which tells a story from Castle's perspective as Beckett mysteriously disappears and undergoes a secret mission. Loved the action thriller break from the usual crime detective story.


Blindspot - Jamie Alexander, Lady Sif in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stars as the central protagonist whose an amnesiac covered in 'prophetic' tattoos and some... interesting skills. Due to D&D, the premiere is the only episode that I have seen. The pilot strained my suspension of disbelief a couple times; but Blindspot fits the action-thriller with an arcane tone that I crave.


The Muppets - The Muppet Show trades in the variety show for a late-night show hosted by Miss Piggy, while switching from G-rated content to PG with humor that veers into PG-13 territory. Its hilarious! Loved the Jay Leno - Fozzy Bear segments in the second episode.


Scream Queens - Technically, I have seen the first two episodes as they were aired concurrently. The creators that brought us American Horror Story have created a comedy that acts a serious horror story in the slasher genre. Fittingly, Scream Queens begins in 1995 as its more like a serious parody of slasher films of that era. Plus you can't go wrong with Jamie Lee Curtis - who may very well be in cahoots with the Red Devil serial killer plaguing the sorority, which is at the center of this season's story. Hilariously good fun in a cult movie fashion I am glad that Fox re-airs it later in the week as otherwise it would become trumped by comic book Tuesday programming such as...


Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.LD. - Finally, Agents of SHIELD is the show that fans wanted it be when it debuted a couple years ago as super-spies are now fully integrated with super-powered individuals. An excellent premiere where we are introduced to the show's Little Bad and possibly Big Bad. In delightful espionage fashion, its unclear which of the two new characters is which let alone whether they are.


Limitless - Much like Minority Report, never saw the movie. While I found the pilot episode lukewarm at times, I'm glad I stuck around for the second episode. The lead is quirky enough and the light sci-fi (virus that targets a specific genetic mutation in the second episode) that I find myself drawn to the show.


Heroes Reborn - Yatta! Heroes is back. The original Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show has returned. While conceptually Heroes Reborn is what if Heroes was never cancelled, Heroes Reborn is very much a product of said cancellation as I doubt Heroes 10th season would have unfolded like this. Doubt Molly Walker would have made such a surprise appearance otherwise. Another pleasant benefit to HR is that HRG is joined by a mostly brand-new cast that exhibit powers that function uniquely. Its been three episodes and Zachary Levi's character has been quite a surprise, repeatedly.


Sleepy Hollow - after last season's apocalyptic ending, I didn't know what would be next for Sleepy Hollow. Should not have worried as the second (of seven!) tribulations is introduced. Have not seen Sleepy Hollow? The third season is a stellar jumping-on point.


The Player - In a scripted television era of procedurals, The Player is a breath of fresh air. Its an action-suspense thriller where an unknown group gamble on a crime's outcome. Each episode feels like a one-hour action flick. Not going to lie while Wesley Snipes chews the scenery, I am not sure I'd continue to watch if he wasn't on the show.


Blood & Oil - A primetime drama that tells the story of people trying to make it (or continue to) big in the oil boomtowns of North Dakota. Yes, the oil/natural gas boom of the Bakken fields in North Dakota have finally arrived on network television. Blood & Oil is not only evocative of the North Dakota boomtowns but captures the feel of unfettered capitalism. Want to know what capitalism is truly like? Watch Blood & Oil. I'm also pleasantly surprised at how much this captures the feel of role-playing games such as the OSR of Gygaxian D&D or the World of Darkness. I have played in Vampire LARPs that played like this. Well, that is if the characters could come out during the day...


Quantico - A suspense thriller where the protagonist has to deduce which of her fellow recruits were responsible for a terrorist attack that she was framed for before her framer strikes again. Quantico is fairly engaging and everything at the school is not quite as it seems. Very lurid too - for network television anyway.