Tagged: drama

‘Survivors’ to Debut on BBC This Fall

  • News
  • November 9, 2008

If you’re wondering where Freema Agyeman went after leaving Doctor Who behind, you will be pleased to know she became a Survivor. She was cast in the remake of the Terry Nation Survivors series from the 1970s. The new incarnation will be debuting on the BBC this fall in a six-episode inaugural season. She is joined in the cast by Nikki Amuka–Bird (No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency) as Samantha Willis; Max Beesley (Hotel Babylon) as Tom Price; Shaun Dingwall (Doctor Who) as David; Julie Graham (Bonekickers) as Abby Grant; Paterson Joseph (Jekyll) as Greg; Phillip Rhys (24) as Al; Zoë Tapper (The Last Van Helsing) as Anya and newcomer Chahak Patel as 11-year-old Najid.

Agyeman was written out of the third season of Torchwood in a feud between rival production channels.

BBC Drama Productions pursued the remake rights for some time before finally obtaining them in 2007 and handing production over to Adrian Hodges (Primeval). Nation’s original novel is being republished by Orion Publishing, hitting shops this past Thursday. Also, the BBC is releasing the original series on DVD, comprising all 38 episodes, in a 12-disc box set on November 24.

According to press material from the BBC, the series is described this way:

Imagine being the only survivor of a disease that kills every member of your family that kills lovers, strangers, friends, nearly everyone you’ve ever met. You are among the lonely few to live and now you must start over in a strange new world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous.
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Review: ‘Dexter’ Episode #304

Note: Click here for last week’s victim!

The Crime Scene: “All in the Family”
From Showtime: “After a botched marriage proposal, Dexter has to figure out how to convince Rita that he is looking for more than a convenient merger of finances and fatherhood. But Deb’s case of a woman’s murdered fiancée offers hope for [[[Dexter]]] in strange ways. Meanwhile, Miguel’s brother, Ramon, is going off the rails in the hunt for their little brother Oscar’s murderer. Unfortunately, Oscar’s (supposed) murderer was killed by Dexter Morgan, and that’s something he desperately wants to keep secret.”

Blood Spatter Analysis
Dexter‘s latest installment, titled “[[[All in the Family]]],” gives the audience its first opportunity to really check in on all of the show’s leading characters. Be it LaGuerta, Masuka or Dexter himself, no stone is left unturned, offering the season’s first ensemble driven episode.

This week, Dexter struggles with two different dilemmas. Dexter and Rita’s announcement of their pregnancy is met with a mixed reaction from Astor and Cody. Cody is psyched to have Dexter as a dad, but Astor is upset that the couple isn’t getting married first. Throughout the episode, Dexter tries to justify to himself the need to marry Rita, even though she makes it clear that she’s not looking for an engagement ring. After a string of events, including Rita getting fired from her job, Dexter makes an official proposal to his girlfriend, essentially asking her entire family to marry him. Now engaged, Dexter’s likely to find that the complications between his relationship and his murderous habit will only get more complicated when marriage enters the picture. The look on Dexter’s face at the episode’s conclusion indicates that he has an idea of just how hairy his situation is going to get.

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‘Exterminators’ Headed to TV

  • News
  • July 10, 2008

Simon Oliver and Tony Moore’s bug-annihilating comic series The Exterminators appeared to have taken a lethal dose of RAID, with this month’s issue #30 scheduled as the series finale.

But the story, which was originally pitched by Oliver as a TV series, now comes full circle as it will live on in televised form on Showtime. The Hollywood Reporter has the story:

Showtime is reteaming with "Dexter" executive producer Sara Colleton for "Exterminators," a drama project based on the comic by Vertigo/DC Comics.

Created by Simon Oliver and Tony Moore, the comic centers on an ex-con who joins an exterminator company, working with a freakish supporting cast of characters. A mystery surrounding his girlfriend and the manufacturer of an insect poison percolates on the periphery, and the insects are much more dangerous than they seem.

Review: ‘Starman Omnibus Vol. 1’ by James Robinson and Tony Harris

starman-8359527The true measure of James Robinson’s Starman is how, 14 years later, the series remains fresh and invigorating. The story of Jack Knight reluctantly taking his father’s mantle as Starman and protecting Opal City is endlessly inventive, an odd and challenging riff on the superhero.

Now is a perfect time to appreciate the series again, as DC is somewhat surprisingly collecting the entire [[[Starman]]] run into six omnibuses ($49.99 each). The first holds 17 issues, each filled with Robinson’s elaborately labyrinthine narration and plotting.

The first three issues are a perfect example of Robinson’s creative approach. In one night, Jack’s brother, who had assumed the Starman mantle, is killed amid a massive attack launched by an old Starman foe. While it’s a flurried and violent opening, Robinson stretches the story, mining each angle of the fight for richness.

Through that gradual unfolding of Jack taking up the cosmic rod, his character becomes immediately rich and deep. That, no doubt, helped the book to become such a lasting success.

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Happy Birthday: Russell T. Davies

  • News
  • April 27, 2008

Born in Swansea, Wales in 1963, Russell T. Davies was immediately entered in academia—his father Vivian taught Classics and his mother Barbara taught French. Davies attended Olchfa Comprehensive School in Swansea and was a member of the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre.

He graduated Worcester College, Oxford in 1984 with a degree in English literature and turned to the theatre but soon left to work for BBC television. Davies started as a floor manager and then graduated to production assistant, but in the late 1980s he took the BBC’s directors training course. From 1988 to 1992 he produced children’s shows for BBC Manchester, and began writing for that division as well.

In 1991 Davies wrote his first television drama, Dark Season. Two years later he wrote Century Falls, technically a children’s show but dark enough that Davies realized he was better suited for adult programming. In 1992 he moved to Granada Television, producing and writing their children’s hospital drama Children’s Ward. He also began writing for several of Granada’s adult shows.

In the late ’90s Davies left Granada for Red Productions and created Queer as Folk and several other shows. He returned to the BBC in 2003 when they offered him his dream job, helming the revival of the long-running science-fiction series Doctor Who.

Since then, Davies has produced and often written not only Doctor Who but also two spin-off shows, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures—he can be reasonably credited with introducing a new generation and much of the world to the adventuring Time Lord and his companions and friends.

First ‘Lost Boys 2: The Tribe’ Pic Hits the Net

  • News
  • February 24, 2008

For me, The Lost Boys is probably director Joel Shumacher’s only really great movie. It was one of those movies I really loved as a kid and upon subsequent viewings, it still holds up very well as a scary, funny good time — shirtless sax solos not withstanding.

The movie pretty much had it all, including a great cast featuring Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patrick, both Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest and Bernard Hughes. It also had cutting-edge (for the time) effects, action, drama, romance, blood, gore, violence, comic books and a great soundtrack. All of which came together to make Lost Boys one of the seminal movies of the ’80s for me and many others.

To be honest, I never really considered the possibility of a sequel to The Lost Boys. I always thought the movie stood on its own as a complete and satisfying story. So, it was with some reluctance that I’ve followed the development of the sequel, The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe, which is, after many trials and tribulations, soon on its way into theaters.

But now, thanks to the folks over at Shock Til You Drop, there’s an exclusive first pic from the film that doesn’t completely reverse my feelings regarding a sequel but does make me want to give the film at least a chance. Who knows, maybe as we start to see more from it, my feeling about a sequel will completely change? Maybe. Until then, enjoy the pic.

‘Heroes’, ‘Chuck’ and ‘Life’ Get the Green Light for Fall

  • News
  • February 14, 2008

Even though the strike is over and many writers, actors, grips and craft service people are now getting back to work, the fate of some TV shows was still a bit uncertain.

Fortunately, according to NBC (via ComingSoon.net) three of my favorite shows, Heroes, Chuck and the underrated Life, don’t have to wait any longer to find out their fates because they have definitely been renewed for next Fall.

According to NBC Co-Chairman Ben Silverman:

"We are thrilled to be bringing back the high-energy dramas’ Chuck’ and ‘Life’ for next season. Additionally, we will be saving and re-launching our #1 drama and most successful franchise, ‘Heroes,’ so that it will run in all original episodes in the fourth quarter."

So, good news for fans of these shows. Although, it would have been great to see some new episodes earlier than next Fall but I guess you can’t have everything. At least they’re coming back, and for now, that’s enough.

 

“Dark Defender” Dexter nominated for Writers Guild Award

  • News
  • December 16, 2007

How do you get nominated for a Writers Guild Award? Write a comic book episode, apparently; one that’s a cut above the rest. (Sorry. Should I have gone with "slice of life drama" instead?)

One of the six nominees for this year’s Writers Guild Awards in the Episodic Drama category is "The Dark Defender" episode of Dexter, which reimagines America’s favorite serial killer as a vigilante called, you guessed it, The Dark Defender, because he seems to only be killing other killers, so he’s just a misunderstood vigilante. Like Rorschach. Or Faust. Or John Wayne Ga– well, you get the idea.

Showtime has been doing little bumper videos in the style of the Dark Defender comic book, here’s a taste:

The 60th Writers Guild Awards will be February 9th, strike or no strike. The finale of this season’s Dexter airs tonight on Showtime, and the series is rerun a couple of times a week.

BIG BROADCAST: A Day Without Hoosiers Is Like…

oneyrind-2666515Ever think that there are at least parts of your life that would make an interesting comic? Artist Kurt Dinse did and from there he added a little drama and created One Year In Indiana, an intriguing indy comic  spotlighted today on THE BIG BROADCAST!

Plus: What is the deal on all those Marvel Zombie variants? How about Princess Bride coming to the game market? The new Tintin trilogy? And today, we fondly remember Mrs. Hart.

Let us entertain you while you read the all-new, all-free Black Ice… PRESS THE BUTTON!

Kevin Smith Pilots Reaper

  • News
  • June 26, 2007

Kevin Smith is set to direct the CW pilot Reaper, a comedic drama about 21-year-old Sam Oliver, a slacker who learns that his parents sold his soul to the devil when he was born and now he must to pay the debt by becoming the Satan’s bounty hunter, retrieving souls escaped from hell. Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters (Law and Order: SVU) wrote the project; it film for two weeks in Vancouver, beginning March 12th.

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