Are androids the next zombies? “Almost Human,” coming to FOX on November 4, could trigger the next hot trend in beings that aren’t quite…natural. The J.J. Abrams creation, set in 2050 (just around the corner!) stars Karl Urban and Michael Ealy. Learn more about the series here. See the official series trailer here.
The 2013-2014 TV seasons is still rolling out (while the heads of some series have already rolled). October 25 sees the NBC debut of an ambitious limited series that revisits the mystique of Dracula, the ULTIMATE vampire. Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers of “The Tudors” fame. Full series information here. Watch the trailer here.
Curtains open Sunday, Sept. 29 8/7 c on the third season of ABC’s “Once Upon a Time.” The ambitious series concept from some of the creative minds behind “LOST” seemed like a gamble at the time (OK, so did the “LOST” concept!), but getting a third season plus a spinoff series (“Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”) affirms the vision.
Season 3 is a huge reset for the characters – at least the ones who’ve survived – and the show. So, ABC is kicking things off with a one-hour special that revisits history as way of ushering in the newest adventure in Neverland. The special “Once Upon a Time: Journey to Neverland” airs at 7/6 c, just prior to the season opener.
Here’s our #WatchingSocial guide to the new season:
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Buzz-worthy Dexter ended it’s eight-year run on Showtime amid a swirl of speculation on the fate of America’s favorite serial killer. Would he get caught? Killed? Be on the run? Get away? Every scenario was up for grabs. Except the scenario played out in the series’ final minutes.
The only thing predictable was the schism in fan reaction. Spoiler alert: the links below will take you to articles that comment extensively on the final episode.
eFangelists loved (loves) Dexter and considers it #IconicTV. No single episode could change that, whether you loved it, hated it or were somewhere in between.
For those interested in a little TV business inside baseball, check out this report from a recent industry conference to learn how ABC’s social media team has supported and been supported by the show’s fervent fan base.
As of this writing the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is exactly 30 days away (give or take a few hours). That means that TV-dom is buzzing with predictions, analysis and a fair amount of sour grapes. Aaah, aren’t awards uplifting?
There’s an extra degree of excitement this year on a number of fronts, with streaming content on Netflix getting umpteen nominations, lots of dark horse contenders in major categories, and a number of nominees in their final seasons.
To help navigate the next month, we’ve rounded up a small portfolio of resources you can use to track, participate and even pontificate a bit if you want.
OFFICIAL EMMY AWARDS
PUNDIT PREDICTIONS
FAN PARTICIPATION
Exposed!
The Wall Street Journal uncovered a seemingly subterranean sect whose members subsist on little more than Red Bull, all-nighters and combative TV fans. They’re The Recappers (The TV Recappers: From Breaking Bad to Honey Boo Boo) and they’re here to analyze TV shows down to their sub-atomic minutiae.
These recappers, the WSJ reports, are an elite cadre of bloggers who do the heavy lifting of scouring through each episode of every TV show to deliver reports laden with facts and hidden meanings. They retrace all the steps, peer behind each door and thread the needle of any obscure reference embedded in a show. And fans love and loathe them for that. Mostly love except for the argumentative types.
Ad industry bible Advertising Age famously recaps Mad Men, retelling plot points, psychoanalyzing characters, spotlighting subtle clues and musing over lessons never learned.
While this group of recappers wallows in details and communicates almost exclusively online, there’s another breed of recappers serving fans.
These ‘other’ recappers discard details that don’t serve a purpose and their foundation is light but durable. Their value to fans: creating easy-to-digest catch-ups on episodes, seasons and even entire series. Just the facts, ma’am, with enough color commentary to satisfy hard core fans and plenty of teases to attract newbies.
These recaps come in the form of show clip-driven special episodes that launch seasons, bid series farewell and fill the need for fan buzz when a show is on hiatus. For example, the CW Network offered up this series wrap-up special as a thank-you to fans of buzz champion Gossip Girl. They did the same for the now-departed 90210 and One Tree Hill.
Recaps also come as web clips, like the semi-iconic LOST in 8:15, which revisited three seasons of complex story arcs with economy and snarkiness to spare.
Why are recaps even a thing? As the WSJ points out, people don’t watch TV the way they used to. There’s binge watching, platform jumping, parallel content and a lot of other ways for fans to get satisfaction. Recappers from both camps serve as glue that benefits fans, the shows and especially the networks that are constantly vying for fan loyalty.
It’ll be a see-saw scenario at NBC this fall/winter. First you’ll see new shows. Then – for a while anyway – you won’t. Then you might see some others that you hadn’t seen before. And not see some that you saw. Got that?
NBC’s conundrum comes from its role as the host network for the 2014 Winter Olympics from Feb. 7-23. That’s a real plus for ratings and revenue, but a bit of a bumpy ride for the network’s regular schedule. Plus, the schedule come fall will be markedly different with lots of new entries and plenty more held back until March 2014.
Number of new fall shows: 6 + all encore programming Saturday night
Number of returning shows: 10 including Sunday Night Football
The fall mix: 8 dramas | 5 comedies | 2 reality | 1 news | 1 sports
The shuffle: Sunday, with football, and Tuesday feature returning fare | Thursday has the biggest new block with 3 half-hour comedies
Big names: Dick Wolf, Michael J. Fox, James Spader (hooray!), John Malkovich, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Blair Underwood, Linda Lavin, Sean Hayes, Jenna Elfman, Gillian Anderson
Obscure fact: NBC has the most aggressive new schedule across the 2013-2014 season with 16 news shows in prime time
New fall 2013 shows with links to each show’s promotional page and trailer:
Post-Olympics hopefuls include:
It’s off to hunt FOX and see what’s in their den. Keep in mind that the network programs just two hours per night so the schedule holes they have to fill are fewer:
Number of new fall shows: 5
Number of sorta new shows: 1 – Friday encore of Sleepy Hollow
Number of returning shows: 11 (+2 with mid-season bench-warmers The Following and Raising Hope)
The mix: 2 dramas | 9 comedies | 3 reality | 1 sports
The shuffle: No all-new nights; new shows sprinkled across Monday, Tuesday and Friday
Big names: J.J. Abrams, Seth Green, Giovanni Ribisi, Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, (more) Gordon Ramsay (again), Jason Ritter, Alexis Bledel
Obscure fact: Major League Baseball is a ratings champ for FOX but wreaks havoc on conventional fall scheduling. So the network will once again split fall debuts to either side of MLB action
New fall 2013 shows with links to each show’s promotional page and trailer:
New mid-season show waiting in the wings:
Following peeks at ABC then CBS, the alphabet next takes us to The CW.
“What?” you ask. “How does The CW come before FOX and NBC, what with the “The” and all that?”
Look, my third cousin’s ex-boyfriend’s uncle’s neighbor took a library classification course once, so I know this is the correct order. Trust me on this and settle into the 2013-2014 season on The CW. Just remember that this net airs only two hours per night, five nights a week:
Number of new shows: 3
Number of returning shows: 7 (+ mid-season bench-warmer Nikita in its final turn)
The mix: 9 dramas | 1 reality
The shuffle: Monday and Friday are old familiar faces, while mid-week nights have one newbie each
Big names: None right now, but just you wait
Obscure fact: Network mainstay Supernatural took ten years to make it on air and was originally slated for just three seasons; it’s about to start season eight
New fall 2013 shows with links to each show’s promotional page and trailer:
New mid-season show waiting in the wings:
eFangelists 