Tag / Broadchurch

by jim

Post Mortem – Broadchurch

Broadchurch, starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman, aired its third and final series on BBC America, wrapping up in August of 2017.  After a somewhat disappointing second season, the show went back to its roots for the third, with another case needing solving while everyone dealt with the repercussions from the previous 2 seasons.

Creator Chris Chibnall and co-star Jodie Whitaker have already moved on to their next project, re-teaming for the next series of Doctor Who due later this year.  The rest of the talented cast has also moved on to other projects, many of which I have either enjoyed or am sure to enjoy.

by jim

Running Out Of Timey-Wimey

Peter_CapaldiBig news out of the UK today, as the BBC announced that season 10 of Doctor Who will 1) not air until the spring of 2017 and 2) will mark the end of showrunner Steven Moffat’s run.  Moffat, who took over for Russell T. Davies in 2010, leaves as the most prolific writer of the new series.  The new showrunner, who will take over in 2018, is Chris Chibnall, an occasional Doctor Who writer who is currently wrapping up the final season of Broadchurch.

While nothing was mentioned in the release, one can only imagine that season 10 will also be the last for Peter Capaldi as the Doctor.  Capaldi had recently mentioned a desire to move on and Chibnall will likely be given the same blank slate that Moffat was given when he took over.

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Post Mortem – Gracepoint

gracepointFrom the moment this project was announced, I knew it wasn’t a good idea.  Remaking Broadchurch for an American audience, with the same star, mere months after the original had aired on BBC America, seemed like a pointless exercise when it was announced last May and, based, on the results FOX saw in the fall, it certainly turned out to be just that.

David Tennant returned as the lead detective and gave basically the same performance, except for swapping in an American accent.  That’s not to say that it wasn’t a good performance, just that it was the same.  Which is my main complaint about Gracepoint: it was the same.  Why bother remaking anything (a show, movie, or even song) if you are only going to replicate what came before.  From my recollection, there was a minor difference in the ending, which seems to be tacked on not for any creative reasons, but simply to fulfill the promise that the ending would be different for those that had already seen Broadchurch.

Series 2 of Broadchurch aired on BBC America earlier this year, but FOX has decided to not move forward with replicating it for a second seaon of Gracepoint.  But before you start to think that the network has learned anything from this experience, they have ordered an American remake of the BBC show Luther, which starred Idris Elba.

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Midseason Review – Wednesdays

old-tv-set1It’s Hump Day. Time to take a look back at my thoughts on the midweek offerings for the fall season.

7:00

Arrow – After a stellar second season, Arrow returns for more angtsy fun.  On tap for this season are DC stalwarts Ra’s Al Ghul and Ray Palmer.

Considering the main character was killed in the winter finale last month, the show will have to jump through a hoop or two to bring him back.

The Mysteries of Laura – Quite possibly the worst pilot I’ve seen ever.  What a waste of good talent.

I did not go back for any future entries after having suffered through the pilot.

8:00

Modern Family – The comedy, entering its sixth season, is starting to show its age.  It’s still fun, but the plots are starting to get a little out there.

I think it is safe to say that we are much closer to the end of this shows run than we are to the beginning.

Criminal Minds – The show returns for its tenth season with a new team member, the lovely Jennifer Love Hewitt.

I don’t know what else there is to say about this show at this point.  It is what it is.

Red Band Society – My initial instinct was to give this one a pass, but a few good reviews, plus an early premiere, made me decide to tune in.

Continue reading →

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2014 New Fall Season – Thursdays

old-tv-set1Thursday night is traditionally the busiest night of the week. Here’s what’s on the slate for this season.

7:00

Grey’s Anatomy – The medical drama enters its 11th season with a move to an earlier timeslot.  There are cast changes aplenty this year, so hopefully the show can continue its recent quality upswing.

The Big Bang Theory – The show returns to Thursdays in late October, following the midpoint of the NFL season.

Bones – The show moves back to Thursdays for its 10th season.  Beyond that, there’s not much to say about the show that hasn’t already been said.

8:00

Gracepoint – FOX hopes that taking a successful British mystery, Broadchurch, and remaking it for an American audience while keeping the same star, David Tennant, will make lightning hit twice.

8:30

A to Z – The pilot didn’t exactly reach out and grab me, but star Cristin Milloti, fresh from her turn as the titular mother in the final season of How I Met Your Mother, is exceedingly charming, so I will give this a longer chance to impress.

9:00

Elementary – Sherlock and Watson return for a third season of helping the NYPD solve their cases. Continue reading →

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FOX Upfronts

gracepointIn a departure from years past, FOX focused only on their fall schedule at their upfront presentation and didn’t bother with the winter or spring schedules they usually roll out and quietly ignore when the time comes.  The big changes start on Sunday, with the animation block broken up to include live action series Brooklyn Nine-Nine airing between The Simpsons and Family Guy.

Sleepy Hollow returns for an extended second season, which will follow their highest profile new show, Gotham, featuring a pre-Batman Bruce Wayne and the people who will become his rogues gallery.  New Girl and The Mindy Project return to Tuesdays, following a new reality show that, in a show of restraint, will air twice a week.

Bones returns to Thursday for what is expected to be its final season, where it will be followed by Gracepoint, an American remake of Broadchurch that, like its source, will star David Tennant.  The American version, expected to be have a different ending from the original, will have a limited 10 episode run.

At some point in the spring, The Following is expected to return.  The only exciting show waiting for a timeslot seems to be Backstrom, a comic police procedural from Bones creator Hart Hanson and starring Rainn Wilson.