The Flash – Oct 7, The CW
We’re big fans of Arrow here at PCM HQ (read: mom’s basement), so the new The CW spin-off premiering on October 7th is right up our alley. Most early reviews suggest it has duplicated the exact magic that makes Arrow so successful: the cast. We’ve seen the pilot and can confirm they’re all absolutely right. The cast is very strong, and Grant Gustin is just as adorkable as he was in his Arrow stint. There’s your Tuesday 8pm slot booked out for the foreseeable future.
Selfie – Sep 30, ABC
Don’t let that awful title put you off. Seriously, who let that title go through to production? I mean that’s NOT a working-title? Bleurgh. Awful. Kill it with fire.
Now, where was I. Oh yes, don’t let the title put you off this Pygmalion/My Fair Lady adaptation from the woman who brought us the desperately underrated Suburgatory. It stars Karen Gillan, fresh from her awfully camp but actually very good stint as Nebula in this year’s smash-hit Guardians of the Galaxy, and the incomparable John Cho in a comedic retelling of the classic story tackling society’s obsession with, you guessed it, social media. Look, it’s not going to change your life, but you need something to watch while you’re having your dinner. And it really couldn’t come at a better time. Maybe it will actually make society reflect on how awful it is.
But probably not. *duckface*
Gotham – Sep 22, FOX
Another comic book adaptation and another DC property premiering in the fall schedule. This one follows (shocker) Batman. Well, pre-Batman, quasi-Batman, proto-Batman. It’s basically a new version of the Batman origin story. But it’s not, because it’s mostly about a young Commissioner Gordon played by Benjamin McKenzie (The OC). Okay I’m not really selling this one, but trust me, it looks pretty good. Plus it’s got your favourite DC baddies like the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman, the Riddler, and Hugo Strange.
Constantine – Oct 24, NBC
“Okay Ciarán, we get it. You like comic books. Now stop recommending me goddamn comic book adaptations. Especially DC ones.”
FINE, gentle reader. FINE. But you’re probably missing out if you skip this one. And I really can’t do anything about the DC thing, okay? Marvel’s ones are coming; not soon enough if you ask me though. And plus, DC has been doing WELL with its TV shows. I mean, its films have universally sucked but the TV shows are really good. I don’t want to taint anything, but let’s hope they can keep it up with so many starting this year. Even if the titular character isn’t allowed to smoke.
So basically, don’t skip this one. It looks great. Not like that Keanu Reeves thing they did a few years ago. Plus, the pilot was directed by Neil Marshall. So if even only for that, watch it.
How to Get Away with Murder – Sep 25, ABC
Shonda Rhimes is basically the busiest person on TV. She wasn’t satisfied with two major smash-hit TV shows on the schedule (in the form of Scandal and the way-past-its-prime Grey’s Anatomy), so she had to go and add a third. This one is a legal drama, which means Shonda officially has completed the holy trinity of TV – Medical, Legal, Political. Not only that, but it’s a concurrent one (literally: 8pm Grey’s, 9pm Scandal, 10pm this), so it’s way better than anyone else’s*. The show stars the wonderful Viola Davis (still not over her Oscar snub) and other people you won’t care about because Viola Davis is in it.
*Note, I just made this up. And I haven’t fact checked any of my claims. And I won’t bother, either. So feel free to scoff at my knowledge-lacking.
Z Nation – Sep 12, SyFy
No, it’s not The Walking Dead but it may tide you over until its return. And it also might *shock* *horror* replace it in the top spot of your Favourite Shows Primarily About Zombies list. Z Nation follows Mark Hammond, a soldier who’s been tasked with escorting a “package” across the country to California. The “package” is the only man to ever survive being bitten by a zombie, thanks to an experimental vaccine. It’s all very timely, and will definitely have the ebola alarmists among us up all night with worry.
