Category: TV

15 Great TV Shows Netflix Needs To Add To Their Library

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Zak Wojnar and ScreenRant present 15 Great TV Shows Netflix Needs To Add To Their Library.  using just their list, here are the three I’d request…

15. BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
Who is the best Batman? Some people say Christian Bale, others say Michael Keaton. There’s probably one misguided fool out there who says George Clooney. But a big percentage of fans out there agree, the powerful timbre of the inimitable Kevin Conroy is the greatest take on the Caped Crusader.

Batman: The Animated Series is widely regarded as one of the greatest animated programs of all time, and the definitive version of Gotham’s Dark Knight. The influence of the series cannot be overstated. When shows like Arrow and Gotham are at their best, they’re essentially live-action versions of the animated world created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and co. all the way back in 1992.

It’s shocking, then, that this seminal superhero saga is currently unavailable on any subscription-based streaming service. Sure, episodes can be purchased for two bucks a pop on Amazon Video, but Warner Brothers is keeping way too tight of a leash on its most famous cartoon. For that matter, what about Superman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond? DC is in the midst of preparing a new digital streaming service (which will air original programming, including the eagerly-anticipated third season of Young Justice), but there’s no word yet as to whether any of these legendary shows might be added to the platform when it launches. Hint: they really should!

12. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
Before Batman: The Animated Series in the ’90s, before The Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman in the ’70s, and even before Adam West‘s Batman in the ’60s, there was The Adventures of Superman.

This half-hour 1950s series starred George Reeves as the Man of Steel, and it remains a favorite among old-school comics fans for its admirable fidelity to the printed stories of the era. In the first season, written during the Golden Age of Comics, Superman went up against pinstriped-suited mobsters and their film noir molls. George Reeves shined as Clark Kent, hard-edged intrepid reporter, and when he eventually suited up as Superman, he brought an admirable physicality to the low-budget production, filling out his costume with barrel-chested gravitas and leaping out of windows with whimsical bravado.

The Adventures of Superman is required viewing for any fan of superhero media, but it’s currently unavailable on any streaming service. This is a situation which needs to be remedied – immediately.

1. MIAMI VICE
Before Miami Vice, every television show looked like Dragnet. Flat camera angles, sparse sets, old men in brown suits, and little personality. Michael Mann saw the dry state of television drama and decided to do something about it. He created Miami Vice, a cop show like no other, with film-style production values, unprecedented use of licensed music, and sexy, chic, charismatic leads in the form of Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas.

Miami Vice changed the rules of television, featuring long stretches with little dialogue, letting licensed music, grand imagery, and emotional context to push the story forward. These days, pretty much every show relies on dramatic “music video sequences” to convey their stories, but Miami Vice did it first, and did it best.

The series was on Netflix for a time, but is no longer available there. The first four seasons are still on Hulu, though the fantastic fifth and final season is curiously missing from the service. Recently, the series was released on Blu ray disc, remastered in High Definition, but with the original 4:3 aspect ration intact (no needless cropping here!). This HD version of the so-called “MTV Cops” series needs to be brought over to Netflix, so the whole world can enjoy the entire Miami Vice story with the best visuals possible.

Shows that didn’t make their list that I’d add:

  • The Wild, Wild West
  • Cheyenne
  • The Shield
  • Deadwood
  • The Wire

George Romero Interview ‘Road of the Dead,’ & More!

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George (Night of the Living Dead) Romero was working to arrange financing for Road of the Dead, a proposed new installment in Romero’s zombie franchise before he passed on. Romero pitched Road of the Dead by saying…

“In the darkest days of the zombie apocalypse, the last safe place on earth is anything but, as a mad despot uses the spectacle of high-octane carnage to keep control of his populace… “It’s ‘Fast and the Furious’ with zombies at the wheel”…

While Road of the Dead doesn’t sound like the zombie film that I’d like to see, I’d give it a go and hope to be pleasantly surprised.  Romero is the man who redefined the genre.

You can check out Romero’s thoughts on Road of the Dead, modern zombie films and more by clicking over to  George Romero Talks ‘Road of the Dead,’ His Disdain for ‘World War Z’ and Why He Liked ‘La La Land’ More Than ‘Moonlight’.

Source: IndieWire.

16 Fascinating Facts About Peter Falk and “Columbo”

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Me-TV presents 16 Fascinating Facts About Peter Falk and Columbo.  Here are three of my favorites (and it was tough to just choose three):

HE WAS THE FIRST ACTOR NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR AND EMMY THE SAME YEAR.
In 1961, Falk earned the distinction of becoming the first actor to be nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year. He received nominations for his supporting roles in Murder, Inc. and television program The Law and Mr. Jones. Incredibly, Falk repeated this double nomination in 1962, being nominated again for a supporting actor role in Pocketful of Miracles and best actor in “The Price of Tomatoes,” an episode of The Dick Powell Theatre, for which he took home the award.

HE WASN’T THE FIRST ACTOR TO PLAY COLUMBO.
Though the character Columbo first appeared on television in 1960, it would be nearly a decade before Falk would become synonymous with the rumpled detective. First, Bert Freed played the LAPD flatfoot in a 1960 episode of anthology series The Chevy Mystery Show. A couple years later, Thomas Mitchell (pictured to the left) played the sleuth onstage in a production called Prescription: Murder in San Francisco. When it was decided that the play would be turned into a television movie in 1968, the lead was offered to Lee J. Cobb and Bing Crosby, but Falk landed the part.

HE SUPPLIED COLUMBO’S WARDROBE AND OFTEN AD LIBBED.
Perhaps to add further authenticity to the LAPD detective, Falk personally supplied his character’s shabby clothes. One anecdote purports that when asked whether Columbo’s trademark raincoat was in the Smithsonian, the actor retorted that the garment was in his upstairs closet. Falk also ad libbed extensively as the character, throwing adversaries (and fellow actors) off balance with improvised misdirection.

10 LITTLE MISTAKES YOU NEVER NOTICED IN ‘THE BRADY BUNCH’

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MeTV  presents 10 LITTLE MISTAKES YOU NEVER NOTICED IN THE BRADY BUNCH! Here are three of my favorites…

What’s in a Name?  “What Goes Up…”
It can be tough to keep actors’ and characters’ names straight in the heat of the moment. In “What Goes Up…,” when Peter hops up on the trampoline, Florence Henderson cheers, “Go get ’em, Chris!” A bit later, Greg lets an “Eve” slip intead of “Jan.” This also happens in “Amateur Night,” when the kids practice for a talent show, as Marcia says, “C’mon, Chris!”

HOME SECURITY IS A REAL PANE IN THE GLASS.   “The Big Bet”
This is a little goof you can spot in a few episodes, but this example comes from “The Big Bet.” When Bobby comes in through the sliding glass door, the curtain breezes through the frame — there is no glass in the sliding glass door! In another episode, Sam the Butcher puts his hand through the non-existant pane.

WAS SPIDER-MAN TO BLAME?   “The Hero”
Peter rescues a little girl from a collapsing shelving unit at the toy store. When the case falls over, you can clearly see a thin, white rope yanking the red shelves from the wall.

Which “Twilight Zone” is Your Personal Nightmare?

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MeTV  presents Which Twilight Zone is Your Personal Nightmare?

As you can see I came out with Eye of the Beholder.  EotB is an excellent episode but if I was to pick my own personal nightmare it would have been…

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet – Not much could be worse than seing a creature on the wing of the plane you’re flying on…DURING A STORM… AT NIGHT… TEARING UP THE ENGINES… AND NO ONE ELSE SEES IT!

Ok.  Maybe there is something worse…

To Serve Man – Trapped on a spaceship piloted by giants who are taking you to their planet to EAT YOU!

11 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT REALIZE ANDY GRIFFITH DID BEYOND ‘THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW’!

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MeTV  presents 11 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT REALIZE ANDY GRIFFITH DID BEYOND ‘THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW’!  Here are three of my favorites…

HE TAUGHT HIGH SCHOOL.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Griffith hopped from Chapel Hill to Goldsboro, North Carolina, where he taught drama at Goldsboro High School for a few years. Go Mighty Cougars!

HE PLAYED SHERIFF ANDY TAYLOR ON FOUR DIFFERENT TV SERIES.
Okay, we are going to spend a little time talking about Andy Taylor. The Sheriff pulled off the rare feat of appearing on four different shows — The Danny Thomas Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D. and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

HE WAS NOMINATED FOR TWO TONY AWARDS FOR HIS WORK ON BROADWAY.
Griffith took to Broadway in 1955, starring in Ira Levin’s comedic drama No Time for Sergeants. Roddy McDowell, seen here hanging from his leg, played Griffith’s buddy. The Tony Awards honored Griffith with a nomination for Distinguished Supporting or Featured Dramatic Actor at the 1956 ceremony. He lost to Ed Begley. Four years later, he earned a nomination for Distinguished Musical Actor for his lead role in Destry Rides Again.

 

15 Mature Comic Book TV Shows We Need To See Next

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Michael Edward Taylor and ScreenRant present 15 Mature Comic Book TV Shows We Need To See Next.  Using just their choices here are my top three plus a few that didn’t make their list…

11. HUMAN TARGET
Please try to wipe that lame 2010 Fox series of the same name from your memory, because it was the second worst adaptation of the DC/Vertigo title of the same name featuring detective/bodyguard Christopher Chance. (For what it’s worth, the top honor goes to a short-lived 1992 series starring Rick Springfield.)

The key to the character’s appeal is taking on the appearance and persona of the clients he’s sworn to protect in order to take down assassins and other nefarious entities who stalk them, and the effect his unusual profession has on his psyche. This is ripe for a mature television adaptation that delves into his complicated psychology and dangerous line of work. Sure, the character made an appearance on the 5th season of Arrow, but he deserves to be front and center with his own series with no content restrictions.

2. WATCHMEN
Ever since Terry Gilliam’s aborted 1980s adaptation, there has been a growing consensus that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s groundbreaking classic Watchmen would work better as a television miniseries than a feature film.

And even with Zack Snyder’s 2009 movie still fresh in our minds, a big-budget premium cable adaptation should still happen. Why? Because Moore’s densely plotted 12-issue series simply can’t be completely covered in a movie, no matter the length.

It would take 12 episodes (or more) to fully explore every major plot reveal and characterization. Just a few years ago, Snyder was in contact with HBO to pitch a series, and while that idea seemed to dissolve, Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers, Lost) appears to be picking up where he left off. This may still happen yet. Will it be live-action or animated? Will it add new storyline elements (a risky proposition), or stick close to the source material (…giant psychic squid, another risky proposition)? We’ll have to see if it comes to fruition first.

1. 100 BULLETS
There have been rumors of a 100 Bullets movie or television series in the works for years, and to be honest, it’s kinda maddening that the Brian Azzarello Vertigo series created in 1999 still hasn’t made it onto the small screen. It’s probably the one adult comic series that would make the easiest transition to the medium.

The premise revolves around a shadowy organization that equips victims with the ability to take revenge. They’re told the guns they use have untraceable bullets, letting them get away with murder. But while that may be true, they eventually get coerced into a world of contract killing and political intrigue.

A crime drama full of murky anti-heroes, sex, violence, and unpredictable plot twists would be a perfect match in the modern television landscape where all great characters exist in shades of gray. It’s beyond time for 100 Bullets to blast through the television screen and into our hearts.

+++++

Here are other comics that would make great transitions to tv shows.

He Walked by Night (1948)

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He Walked by Night (1948)

Director: Alfred L. Werker (as Alfred Werker), Anthony Mann (uncredited)

Screenplay: Crane Wilbur and John C. Higgins with additional dialogue by Harry Essex

Stars: Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell and Jack Webb

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s do a crime docu-drama”

Tagline: From the Homicide Files of the Los Angeles Police.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When an off-duty cop stumbles onto a robbery, the thief, an intelligent cold-blooded killer (Basehart) guns him down.  With no real leads, LA police Sgt. Marty Brennan (Brady) leads a unit to catch the killer.  Told in a psuedo-documentary style.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars.

 ‘Dracula’: 7 Things A Series About the World’s Most Famous Vampire Should Have

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A new tv series based on Dracula is in the work.  Seems there has been a lot of grumbling from fans worried about the potential success of a new series based on the infamous Count…

…these concerns aren’t unjustified — Dracula-centered television shows are notoriously short-lived, and while there are a multitude of shows centered around the supernatural, there aren’t that many dedicated to the main vamp himself. NBC took a stab at it in 2013 with “Dracula,” a British-American horror drama… Though promising, the series only lasted one season.

Gabrielle Kiss and IndieWire came up with ‘Dracula’: 7 Things A Series About the World’s Most Famous Vampire Should Have.  Here are the three that I think are most important…

5. Make Dracula a Bit Ruthless
Rumor has it that Dracula was based off of Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, better known as Vlad the Impaler. It’s said that Vlad Dracula (meaning son of the dragon, or son of the devil) would dip chunks of bread into buckets of blood drained from the people he killed, usually after he invited them to a feast and then immediately impaled them at the dinner table (he always finished his dinner afterwards, bodies and all, in case you were wondering). So it would be nice if that same sense of ruthlessness could be brought to the new adaptation of “Dracula.” There’s no rule that states you can’t be suave and merciless (just ask Klaus Mikaelson of “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals”).  (I agree.  Dracula didn’t become King of the Vampires and live as long as he did without being ruthless.  He’s a vampire!)

6. Give Him a Sense of Humor
Speaking of “The Originals,” let’s bring in some of that dark humor and wit that makes characters like Klaus Mikaelson a baddie that we love to hate (but just can’t). That same natural charisma and use of offhanded sardonic remarks should be applied to our newest Dracula, because that’s what the audience connects to. It’s also what keeps people coming back for more, everyone needs a tension breaker once in awhile. (His sense of humor should arise from the fact that he’s amusing himself.  Saying things and making jokes not for others but his own amusement.  He believes himself to be above mere humans.  So it will be very interesting when a human catches his innuendo and responds.  Dracula will know he’s perhaps met his match.)

3. Tell the Original Story
While a lot of vampire stories have spawned from the original “Dracula,” there haven’t been nearly as many that actually tell Dracula’s story. Bring back characters like Jonathan Harker and Van Helsing! They don’t have to share the spotlight with Dracula, but they’re relatively new characters to the younger generation, and they would help inspire interesting plot points for the new show (something the previous “Dracula” series lacked).  (While I go back on forth on the era – modern or 1890’s, I do believe that the original story, even if slightly modified should be the basis for the series.)

Breaking Bad: 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Walter White

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Craig Elvy and ScreenRant present Breaking Bad: 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Walter White.  Here are three of my favorites…

15. HE HAS MUCH IN COMMON WITH THE REAL HEISENBERG

It’s common knowledge that Walter White’s Heisenberg alias is inspired by real life scientist Werner Heisenberg, but like so much else in Breaking Bad, this was not a random choice, and the two figures share more than just a name.

Like Walter, the real life Heisenberg also suffered from cancer, albeit not of the lung. Both men also followed a similar career trajectory, in the sense that they started off on the straight and narrow before becoming involved in something darker. In the case of Werner Heisenberg, the scientist won a Nobel Prize in 1932 but would eventually form part of the Nazis’ Nuclear Research team.

Perhaps the main reason why Walter White was given the Heisenberg alias, however, is because of the scientist’s famous Uncertainty Principle. This theory claims that a particle’s momentum and exact position cannot both be known for certain. This acts as an metaphor for Walter White’s transformation from humble teacher to hardened criminal – as he gains momentum, his moral position becomes less clear.

9. JOHN CUSACK AND MATTHEW BRODERICK WERE CONSIDERED FOR THE PART

John Cusack and Matthew Broderick Breaking Bad: 15 Things You Didnt Know About Walter White

Before AMC was sold on Bryan Cranston’s suitability for the role of Walter White, several other actors were strongly considered, including big names such as John Cusack (High Fidelity, Being John Malkovich) and Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).

Although AMC’s apparent determination to cast an eighties coming-of-age movie icon is certainly odd, both actors would’ve likely been talented enough to portray White’s everyman-turned-criminal character. Cusack in particular has proven himself to be equally effective as both a protagonist and an antagonist.

With hindsight, however, it’s impossible to imagine anyone other than Cranston in the role, and Vince Gilligan has previously stated that he was actively against casting big-name actors, as he felt this would be detrimental to the show. Breaking Bad’s major success proved he knew exactly what he was doing.

4. WALT WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO DIRECTLY KILL JANE

One of the most despicable acts Walter White commits during Breaking Bad is allowing Jesse’s girlfriend Jane to die of a drug overdose during the season two offering “Phoenix,” especially since he could have at least made some attempt to save her. As uncomfortable as this scene is, however, the original draft was far, far darker.

Vince Gilligan’s original intention was for Walt to kill Jane in a more direct way, either by injecting her with drugs himself or by actually moving her into a position that would make her choke. Other members of the writers’ room disagreed with this idea and felt that it would make viewers hate Walt more than was necessary at that point in the show.

Eventually, Gilligan came to the same conclusion, and Walt stood by and watched Jane die, rather than killing her directly. As if that’s any better.

Adam West – R.I.P.

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Adam West passed away last night after short battle with leukemia surrounded by his family.

West, known as tv’s Batman, is (along with Leonard Nimoy as Spock) perhaps the best example of the danger of typecasting.  Chosen to play the Caped Crusader for television, West shot to such fame that he had trouble finding new leading roles when Batman ended.  Yet he persevered and in later years did very well on the convention circuit meeting fans who couldn’t wait to get an autograph and photo with Batman.

I was seven years old when Batman premiered.  Adam West instantly became one of my childhood heroes.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Frank Miller’s Sin City TV Series One Step Closer to Reality

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Deadline is reporting that a Frank Miller’s Sin City tv series is closer to becoming a reality.

…Glen Mazzara, the showrunner whose resume includes The Shield, The Walking Dead and The Omen…

…would take over the writing chores with  Len (Luficer) Wiseman set to direct.

If this comes to pass on a network like AMC, or FX or one of the other networks that’s not afraid to make Sin City without wholesale changes, then I’m all over it.  Bet you are too.