Television

The Walking Dead: Season Split and Premiere Extended

AMC announced today that The Walking
Dead’s second season premiere would have the same treatment as
the first season with a 90 minute extended episode. The network also
stated that the second season would be split in half. The first seven
episodes will air this fall as planned, beginning on October 16 and
kicking off AMC’s annual Fearfest lineup. The season will finish its
run with the final six episodes beginning on February 12.

It is commonplace for cable networks to
divide their show’s seasons, though this marks the first occasion for
AMC. It won’t be their last, as the network will likely also be
splitting Breaking Bad’s final sixteen episode season. The
network’s newest series, Hell on Wheels, which begins November
6, will be airing along with The Walking Dead’s first half,
and will maintain AMC’s presence on Sunday nights until the the
second half begins.

Will Powers Be a Hit For FX?

I should begin this article by
admitting I’m not an expert on Powers.
I’m not an expert on any comic actually, this being only the
third series I have ventured into. But since starting the first
issue about a week ago, I haven’t been able to stop. Now I’m as
excited as any fan to start seeing promos featuring caped figure’s in
chalk outlines. Though that won’t be happening for awhile, if ever,
as the series has yet to be greenlit past a pilot, and if it is
picked up would likely be looking at a mid-2012 premiere date. Though
with the news that FX President John Landgraf has enjoyed what he has
seen so far of the pilot(that finished shooting earlier this month),
there is a good chance Powers will be finding its way onto
television screens. Which has me wondering if the series will be
able to capture the appeal of its source material.

At first the concept of Powers
didn’t sound all that enticing to me; especially as a television
series. The comics tell the tale of two homicide detectives who face
the usual crime that comes with any big city, but with one small
difference: they also share their jurisdiction with all manner of
superheroes and villains. A police procedural with fantastical
elements; NBC just had two of those this pilot season(Grimm
that will be airing in this fall, and 17th Precinct which
wasn’t picked up). Needless to say, it was a concept I had heard
before, and even knowing the comic had over ten years on these new
shows didn’t make me any more open to the idea. It was once I
stopped judging a book by it’s cover that I realized Powers
had a very unique story to tell, that was set in an enthralling
universe. And as luck would have it, FX seems intent on staying true
to that story.

Alphas – A Short Time in Paradise

With “A Short Time in Paradise,” Alphas‘
producers tried again to provide a self-contained episode allowing them
to focus on the team. They failed (again), even with the story line
involving the most likeable characters. Rachel’s issue with her family
was at times annoying, the relationship between Nina and Cameron was as
awkward as ever, and Dr. Rosen was dragged into an amateurish sub-plot
about guns. Ironically, the Alpha-of-the-week story line — which was
probably not meant to be — proved more interesting than the others
despite also failing to deliver.

Fall Viewing Guide

In those places that have trees, the leaves are falling. Blockbuster season is over and Oscar contenders are beginning to hit theaters, but the most important thing about the fall, (at least as far as we’re concerned) is the return of 90% of everything good on television. Summer isn’t without its charms, but when it comes to TV, the fall is where it all begins. Serialized dramas and the comedy elites return to the screens for your and our viewing pleasure, but with so much to choose from and only so much time in the day, how does one choose? That question is sadly unanswerable, but to lend a helping hand, we thought we’d put together our thoughts on some of the best that’s out there.

Nick’s Picks 

Archer (FX) September 15, 10:00PM EST

Someone call Kenny Loggins, because the gang from Isis are back in the “Danger Zone” this Fall. A trio of episodes will be airing to help build anticipation for the third season; which is premiering in 2012. Archer is a must for anyone calling themselves a fan of comedy, and this is the perfect opportunity to jump on board. There is no reason not to stick around after the first three episodes of It’s Always Sunny and be treated to Archer’s subtle genius. The best comedic cast since Arrested Development is reason enough to watch (don’t let his Comedy Central show fool you; H. Jon Benjamin is one of the funniest people alive), but the series also features some of the sharpest writing TV has seen in years. Dialogue that moves so fast it’s hard to keep up with all the laughs and deeply layered running jokes are just two of the things this show does incredibly well.

Ronald D. Moore Working on Western for ABC

According to Deadline, former Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica producer Ronald D. Moore has set up a new pilot at ABC, a western TV Series titled Hangtown. With no official confirmation or denial from ABC as of yet, information surrounding the show remains speculative, but Deadline offered this as a description for the concept, should it go to series: 

“Described as a Western with a procedural overlay, Hangtown is set in the early 1900s in a frontier town that’s begun to rapidly expand with the coming of the railroad. It centers around three characters: the Marshal, a Matt Dillon/Clint Eastwood type who prefers to solve crimes by his instinct, a young Doctor from the East Coast who is interested in using the new field of forensics to solve crimes, and a young woman writer who is trying to sell dime novels to the publishing houses in New York about crime in the Wild West. Every week the instincts of the Marshal, the science of the doctor, and the young woman’s drive to tell a rousing good yarn to her editors, combine to solve crimes in a wide-open, lawless town.”

Fringe Going Back to the Future

Fringe show-runner Jeff Pinker has confirmed that new episodes in the upcoming fourth season of the sci-fi drama will return to the future. In the show’s acclaimed third season finale, Peter (Joshua Jackson) was erased from history after traveling to a dystopian future world and subsequently altering the universe with the power at his disposal.

“The future that we saw in 2026 will now not have happened, because by altering the past, inevitably you set in motion a new chain of events that lead to a different future,” Pinkner told TV Guide. The executive producer also revealed that the fourth season ofFringe will include more glimpses into the past.

Haven – The Tides That Bind

“The
Tides That Bind” brought us something new by introducing a whole family
— or more accurately, a whole clan — of cursed people in an episode
that quietly ignored what happened the previous week. There was
something sadly beautiful in the main story that made it right at home
in Haven. Plus, the episode also managed to bring together two storylines that were until now developing independently.