Television

Animated Star Trek Series in the Works

Producer/screenwriter duo Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have revealed that they are keen to produce a new Star Trek animated series. The pair, who co-wrote and executive produced the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise, discussed the project on radio show My Geek Time. Commenting on the notion of a TV show Orci said: “We have asked about [an animated Star Trek series].
We have asked what the rights are and who owns it and what are the
possibilities. It is a very early idea and we are waiting to hear back.
But we would love to do it.”

Syfy President Talks Video Games and More BSG Spinoffs

President of Syfy, David Howe, recently
gave an exclusive interview with THR, in which he expressed the
efforts to merge video games with the network, and also the
likelihood of more projects set in the Battlestar Galactica
universe. Recognizing
the link between fans of the network and fans of gaming,
Syfy is looking to create more programming-inspired games, as well as
more game-inspired programming.

Howe
spoke on the partnerships between Syfy and game companies, THQ and
Trion Worlds, and the projects he sees developing as a result;
“We’re very excited about games and we see it as a big growth
opportunity for us over the next five to ten years.” Already
releasing a made-for-TV movie based on the THQ title, Red
Faction: Armageddon, the network
is now working on a project with Trion to create a game that ties in
directly with one of their original series. Defiance
will be a massively multiplayer online game, that releases along with
a new live-action series on Syfy.

The Walking Dead: Details of Frank Darbont’s Departure Emerge

THR is reporting that a source closely
involved with The Walking Dead has confirmed that showrunner,
Frank Darabont, was fired by AMC from the hit series he helped
create. His termination was a shock to both the cast and crew; who
other insiders are claiming have been ordered by AMC to not discuss
the incident with the press. Darabont was originally reported to be
leaving the show just three days after his appearance at Comic-Con
2011.

Though an exact reason for his firing
has not been given -with both AMC execs and Darabont himself refusing
to talk to press- it is most likely due to the tightened budget and
shooting restrictions AMC was forcing on the show. Darabont was
vocal in his opposition to AMC’s plans, saying that it would have
affect the show creatively. In addition to slashing production
values, AMC submitted several “suggestions” on how to change
production; such as shooting half of each episode indoors and
reducing the number of onscreen zombies.

Louie – Come On, God

This week we were treated to a double
dose of Louie with two back-to-back episodes. The duo started
with “Come On, God” an episode that explored a subject close to
Louie’s heart: masturbation. C.K.’s unrelenting self-deprecation
reached new levels in this episode, and made for a hilarious
installment. A very memorable performance from a relatively unknown
actress also helped make it one of the series’ funniest episodes to
date.

“Come On, God” started with a scene
that felt like another of Louie’s surreal fantasies. I kept waiting
for the protagonist to snap out of his dream in which he was finding
himself publicly defending masturbation on a nationally televised
news segment. Such was not the case, and Louie really had agreed to
come on television and speak out in the name of self-love. Even real
life news anchor, Greg Gutfeld, was surprised anyone would be willing
to come on his show and debate the morality of masturbation. Don’t
get me wrong, if there is one man for the job, it’s Louie C.K.
Voicing the views of the other side was a woman who had started an
organization dedicated to staying way more chaste than anyone needs
to be. The scene was a laugh riot from start to finish, thanks
greatly to the outlandish views of Louie’s opponent.

Terra Nova May Have Extended First Season!

Terra Nova’s executive producer Brannon Braga has claimed that the show’s first season may be extended beyond its initial run. The sci-fi drama is expected to run for 13 episodes, but Braga told Blastr that additional episodes are a possibility if the series proves successful once it begins to air on Fox this fall.

“If they tell us they want nine more, it’ll be incredible,” he said. “We’re up to the challenge, [though] I might have a nervous breakdown!” Braga explained that Terra Nova is a “massive production” with “a lot of special needs”. “No other show in history has really had [this] scope and [these] visuals and the kind of visual effects we’re doing,” he said. “We’ve managed to pull it off. We’re nearly done, certainly, writing the first season, and we’re about over halfway done filming.”

Television’s Greatest Leaders of the Last Decade

The past ten years of television have
given us many incredible leaders of men, but I wanted to pay homage
to the cream of crop. Making the cut are the most benevolent, the
most selfless, and the the most determined of commanders. Their
domains range from entire countries down to single departments, but
they are all inspiring figures and deserve recognition for their
roles in modern television.

Falling Skies – Mutiny/Eight Hours

Falling Skies’
two-parter finale was remarkable in many ways. It delivered very good
moments of television and a satisfying conclusion. Unfortunately, like
always with the series, the devil was in the details. The story proved
unable to shake off the demons that plagued the entire season. And,
although there was no shortage of bright ideas, their execution often
left a lot to be desired.

The
series has been consistently good when it comes to conveying a sense of
urgency or characters’ feelings in spite of actors’ or actresses’
performances. Here again, whether we were watching Dai’s return from
Colonel Porter’s headquarters, or the 2nd Mass volunteers leaving for
the assault, we had the right mix of compelling visuals and orchestral
music. My issues in these two final episodes have been with the steps
leading to such moments.