Comic-Con 2014 Spotlight: Television
Hi, guys. I am here today to give you the scoop on some upcoming television shows that piqued my interest at SDCC this year. By the time this is posted, some of them will actually have premiered already, which means instant gratification for you. :) I’ll also mention a few of my returning favorites at the end of the post.
http://youtu.be/zXxgXLIjnXs?list=PLe1meJtylm2UEZJ6Df9qgeQ9rBMatusO5
Constantine (NBC) – Constantine is based on the popular comic book Hellblazer. You may recall that there was a film version in 2005 starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. Not going to lie – I have a soft spot for the film version and even have the DVD. A lot of the criticism for the movie came from the fact that Keanu Reeves didn’t fit how John Constantine was portrayed in the comics. In the books, he is blond and British and Keanu Reeves is neither of those. It seems like the television show is at least trying to start off on the right foot by casting Matt Ryan as Constantine, who fits the physical description very well (and is also a Brit). I caught the pilot at SDCC and I have mixed feelings about it. I think they are trying to stay true to the spirit of the comics, which is good. However, it was missing that spark I look for in a new show and it all felt a little forced. Constantine is very cliche as the tortured demon fighter. There was a lot of long suffering sighs and general brooding. There was also a last minute change to the pilot and the lead actress was cut and her storyline changed so that she leaves at the end of the episode. They are introducing a new female character as the lead instead (portrayed by Angelica Celaya). I am firmly on the fence on this one. I’ll have to give it a few more episodes before making my final judgement.
iZombie (CW) – This is another comic book franchise that will be hitting television screens later this year. I love that there are so many comic book adaptations coming out! I love zombies and I really wanted to see the iZombie pilot while I was in San Diego this year. Unfortunately, the pilot screening we went to pulled it at the last minute (for unknown reasons). Unfortunately I was unable to make the dedicated iZombie panel later that weekend. I just know that it’s about a teenage girl who becomes a zombie and gets a job at the coroner’s office to cover up the fact that she needs to eat brains to survive. It also has David Anders in it (Sark from Alias), which is an added bonus. I wish I had been able to see this one at SDCC but I’m excited about it and definitely plan on watching it when it premieres.
http://youtu.be/hnjNZs_jD5g
The Strain (FX) – The Strain is based on the series of books by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I read first book in the series several years ago. I liked it but didn’t love it enough to run out and read the rest of the series. I really like the way the TV show looks. I like vampires and disease/virus stories and this is a great mix of the two. A few episodes have already aired. I haven’t been able to watch them yet though because I don’t have cable. I am curious enough about this though that I might buy a couple of episodes on Amazon Prime to see if I like it.
http://youtu.be/zGQXVWBWrJ8
Outlander (Starz) – Outlander just officially premiered last weekend on Starz. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet but I’ve heard pretty good things about it. I have not read the books on which the series is based on yet so I don’t have a lot invested in this, but I know some people do. It looks fun and romantic and I definitely want to make time for it soon.
http://youtu.be/5S_bodvIBG4
Gotham (Fox) – As you can imagine, people were pretty excited about Gotham at Comic-Con this year. While the trailers seem a little heavy handed, I am still pretty excited about this one. I love a good origin story and it looks like this is going to show us the origins of a lot of popular DC characters. I’ve always had a soft spot for Jim Gordon as well so I hope this show is good.
Some returning shows that I am really excited about are Orphan Black (finally finished Season 2 and whoa!), Bob’s Burgers, Archer, and Helix (which I need to catch up on). I was really sad that there was no Psych panel this year. I was hoping that they’d do one last panel. :( What do you guys think of my TV picks? Is there a show that you love that I must see?
