Nickelodeon finally officially announced the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender! It (as expected) will be called The Legend of Korra and will feature the female waterbending Avatar, Korra.
You can see the full press release here. What’s mainly got me excited is this bit though:
Her quest leads her to the epicenter of the modern “Avatar” world, Republic City – a metropolis that is fueled by steampunk technology. It is a virtual melting pot where benders and non-benders from all nations live and thrive.
Steampunk!!!! Squeeeee!!!!
I know, I know, that was far too many exclamation points, but the fangirl in me couldn’t resist. I already was looking forward to this show, but with the added element (pun not intended) of steampunk it’s now pretty high on my MUSTSEECANTWAITFORTHIS list.
I recently got to see M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender and although I can’t talk about that (it’s embargoed until August), I can talk about the original TV series it was based on. I looooved that show, and I still think it’s one of the best TV shows from the past couple of years, even compared to ‘grownup’ shows.
If you haven’t seen it yet, now’s the time to do so (and if you do, stick with it for a couple of episodes. The first couple are a little on the silly side, but the story is good). Nothing has been officially been confirmed yet, but there are rumours of a new TV show called Avatar: The Legend of Korra.
I did some investigating to see if there was any truth at all in this, and I think there is. For starters, Viacom trademarked Nickelodeon Avatar: The Legend of Korra two months ago, which seems to indicate this isn’t completely pulled out of thin air. Besides that at a signing for the artwork book about the TV show, the site Racebending.com managed to ask some questions to the creators of the original. Their reply: they couldn’t say anything at the signing, but to expect an announcement, soon.
I’m guessing and hoping that we’ll hear something official about it at Comic-Con. So far it looks like it will be set 100 years after the events of the Last Airbender and will star the titular charactar Korra, a female waterbending Avatar. She’d be joined by two other new characters Meelo and Wei Bei.
Cool news, if this all turns out to be true. So what do you think? I’m guessing that by now Aang and everyone else is dead. And maybe one of Aangs kids will become Korra’s airbending teacher? (although that would be the final element she’d have to master) Also I’m wondering whether we’ll finally see some of the unanswered questions of the original show in flashbacks here.
I’m really liking the look of this show! Kind of like The Incredibles… but then real. So what are everyone’s powers? From what I can gather from the trailer the father’s got invincibility/super strength or something like that; the mother superspeed; and the daugther telepathy. But what about the son? You saw all the math symbols ‘light up’, super intelligence?
Here’s ABC’s description:
The Powells are about to go from ordinary to extraordinary. After 16 years of marriage, Jim and Stephanie’s relationship lacks the spark it once had, and their family life now consists of balancing work and their two children, leaving little time for family bonding. During a family vacation set up by Jim in an attempt to reconnect, their plane crashes into the Amazon River. But this is where the fun starts for the Powells, as they soon discover that something’s not quite right. Each of them now possesses unique and distinct superpowers. But saving and savoring their family life will be equally important, as they try to find purpose for their new powers and embark on a journey to find out what defines and unifies them. The Powells are a totally relatable family who happen to be a little bit amazing.
It stars Michael Chiklis (The Shield) as Jim Powell, Julie Benz (Dexter) as Stephanie Powell, Kay Panabaker as Daphne Powell and Jimmy Bennett as JJ Powell. Side characters are Romany Malco (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) as George St. Cloud, Tate Donovan (Damages) as Mitch McCutcheon, Autumn Reeser as Katie Andrews and Christina Chang as Yvonne Cho.
I love this time of the season when new shows are being announced and we get to see trailers of some of the fabulous stuff that will be coming to our screens! And of course some of the not so good stuff that fills our screen…
NBC announced their new fall schedule this morning and it includes 7 new shows. I’ll briefly give a description of each new TV series and show you the trailer, starting with the most interesting ones first.
The Event
I kind of like the look of this one, but again I have the feeling it’s trying to be a new Lost… It’s about a mysterious ‘Event’ which will change the course of history. Airing Monday’s from 9 to 10pm, it’s being paired with Chuck and the new show Chase (see below). Starring Ian Anthony Dale, Laura Innes, Željko Ivanek, Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Scott Patterson and Blair Underwood.
And the official description from NBC:
What if there was a cover-up so big that even the President was on a need-to-know basis? And what if some average guy stumbled upon the truth – a secret so powerful it could literally change the course of humanity? You think that guy would stand a chance of survival?
Undercovers
I used to love Alias during its first 2 seasons, so it’s nice to see another JJ Abrams spy show! Starring Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Steven and Samantha Bloom, Undercovers is about a retired spy couple who rejoin the CIA after 5 years of ‘normal’ life.
NBC’s description:
From acclaimed filmmaker J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Fringe, Lost, Alias) and executive producer Josh Reims (Brothers and Sisters) comes a one-hour spy drama that proves marriage is still the world’s most dangerous partnership.
To put the spark back in their marriage, some couples take a tropical vacation. Not Steven and Samantha. They rejoin the CIA. Now they’re discovering things about each other they never knew. Like which lock-picking technique each prefers, and who killed who, and how well they work together in a hostile environment. With their day jobs and lives in the balance, date night is about to get a lot more exciting.
Love Bites
Watch the trailer first, and then I’ll give my views on this:
If I understand this correctly, Love Bites will feature new stories and new guest stars each week. It could be fun, like a sort of The Outer Limits, but then romance style. What I don’t understand though is that Becki Newton and Jordana Spiro (the two girls at the start) are listed as cast; so will they be in every episode telling the stores or something like that? Curious to see how this turns out, cause it could be fun.
Here’s the description from NBC:
Cindy Chupack (Sex and the City) and Working Title Films (Love Actually, Bridget Jones) bring us a series about love, and all the crazy things it makes us do. Like pretending to be a virgin to get a guy interested. Or competing with your fiance’s favorite bedroom toy. Or actually being in the position to take advantage of the “celebrity exemption list,” and join the mile high club at the same time! Irreverent and poignant, Love Bites pulls back the curtain to expose modern romance – in a way you’ve never seen before.
Chase
This seems a little too procedural for me, but I think it might be something my mum will like. It’s about a U.S. Marshal team who have to track down the bad guy each week.
NBC’s description:
U.S. Marshals Annie Frost (Kelli Giddish, Past Life) likes to stay one step ahead of the outlaws. As far as this cowboy boot-wearing girl is concerned, they can run, but they can’t hide from her forever. Annie has a sharp mind, a big heart, and an attitude to match. Throw in a unique perspective and personal style, and she is the reason you don’t mess with Texas. Jump aboard this rollercoaster ride. It’s all about the thrill of the chase.
Outlaw
This looks okay. I’m not too sure about the story, but I loved seeing all those familiar faces in the trailer (Carly Pope, Jesse Bradford, J August Richards). Jimmy Smits (Dexter season 3) stars as a Supreme Court judge who quits to become a lawyer again.
NBC’s description:
Few jobs are guaranteed for a lifetime, and a Supreme Court appointment is one you just don’t quit. Unless you’re Cyrus Garza (Smits). A playboy and a gambler, Justice Garza always adhered to a strict interpretation of the law. Until he realized the system he always believed in was flawed. Now, he’s quit the bench and returned to being an attorney. Determined to represent “the little guy,” he’s using his inside knowledge of the justice system to take on today’s biggest legal cases. And making plenty of powerful people unhappy along the way.
Outsourced
Is is just me or does this look baaaad? (and no I don’t mean that in the “so bad it’s good” type of way)
NBC’s description:
Mid America Novelties sells products like whoopee cushions, foam fingers, and wallets made of bacon. Yes, this is the stuff upon which the American way of life is built, but try explaining that to someone who lives on the other side of the world.
Well, that’s exactly what Todd Donovan must do when he’s sent to run the company’s call center in India. Talk about culture shock, and not just for Todd’s employees. While Todd has to teach them how to make the up-sell to the Deluxe Twin Beer Helmet, he’s going to have to adapt as well. Like in a country where cows are sacred, perhaps you don’t order a double cheeseburger.
Beside the 6 shows above, Law & Order: Los Angeles will also air this fall. There will be a couple of some more new shows airing midseason: the comedies Friends with Benefits, The Paul Reiser Show, Perfect Couples, and the dramas The Cape and Harry’s Law. I’ll be posting more about those once we get nearer to their release date.
So what do you think of NBC’s new shows? Any musts watchs?
I’ve kind of gotten addicted to Glee the past couple of months. I know how cheesy it is, and I have to admit I’m not the greatest fan of the actual story lines, but I love the songs performed in it (I’ve got a weakness for musicals, growing up with lots of singing along to The Sound of Music and Oklahoma!).
Anyway, in the US the show has been on hiatus since December and we’re having to wait until it comes back in April (Tuesday April 13th to be exact). Fox has just released a new trailer though and I’m guessing in the weeks before airing we’ll get to see even more goodies:
What do you think of the trailer? They don’t show a lot, but it looks like they’ll be doing some good songs!
Farewell, Tenth Doctor! I’ve just finished watching the latest and last episode with David Tennant as the Doctor. Sniff. I won’t spoil anything yet for those who haven’t seen it, but it was a nice goodbye to Tennant. Not as great as an episode as I had hoped for (and nothing as spine-tingly exciting as previous finals), but still good (albeit a bit soppy).
I loved David Tennant as the Doctor, and since it was announced that he’d leave the show after the specials, I’ve been really curious to his successor. It was revealed a couple of months ago that the role went to Matt Smith; I wasn’t that impressed by the first photos we saw from him, but looking at the latest trailer and the little tidbit at the end of the final, I’m having more faith as him as the Doctor now.
What do you think? D you like how this new Doctor looks like?
I really enjoyed SyFy’s Tin Man last year (ugh, still not used to writing SyFy. Stupid, stupid name). While it wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, it was a cool sci-fi re-interpretation of the standard Wizard of Oz story. Now SyFy has done the same thing with Alice in Wonderland.
Now it isn’t exactly a “preview” cause the first part aired yesterday (the second will air tonight), but I still haven’t had the chance to check this out. It stars Caterina Scorsone as Alice, Kathy Bates as the Queen of Hearts, Andrew-Lee Potts as resistance fighter Hatter, Tim Curry as resistance leader Dodo, Colm Meaney as the King of Hearts, Harry Dean Stanton as the Caterpillar and Matt Frewer as the White Knight. Here’s the trailer:
It doesn’t happen everyday that someone you know is making a TV show, and actually delivers something that looks awesome. I met Sizemore (aka Mike Atherton) almost two years ago at the Tuttle/SocialMedia Cafe (not sure what it exactly is called nowadays, haven’t been able to make it for ages), and he’s one of the familiar faces I keep bumping into at various events here in London.
I think it was about a year ago when he mentioned for the first time that he was working on creating a new sci fi show… and now a sizzle reel has been released and it looks awesome. It’s not an actual trailer yet (cause there isn’t an actual pilot yet), it’s more like a mini promo to pitch the show to TV networks and executives etc. They’re hoping to shoot a pilot in 2010.
For more info about Slingers, head on over to Sizemore’s blog.
Chuck fans rejoice! For me, last season’s finale of Chuck was the surprise of the year. I loved loved loved that episode, only to find out that Chuck was on the bubble and was threatened to be cancelled. Luckily because of the support of its fans, NBC picked it up for 13 episodes, all airing in the latter half of the new season.
Now though NBC have ordered 6 additional episodes, bringing the season 3 of Chuck to 19 episodes. Yay! The premiere date has also been announced: Sunday January 10th for a special 2-hour premiere, and then to its new timeslot on Monday 8pm. This was the old slot of Heroes, which has now been pushed back to 9pm. This shows the amount of faith NBC now has in Chuck!
So here’s the new promo clip (of course it’s full of spoilers for the previous seasons):
Ooh, I like the added twist of this new upgraded intersect; I can’t wait for this new season to start!
In short: they should have called this show Spartacus: Blood and Sex. Cause that’s basically all it seems: lots of gore and blood, and loads of nudity and sex. Nothing wrong with that, mind, but for a TV show to hook me, there at least has to be some interesting story line and so far it doesn’t really show. I’m keeping an open mind though, cause I’m basing this all solely on the trailer.
Initially I was pretty curious, because it’s being produced by Sam Raimi. But then I realized he also produced: Xena, Hercules and more recently Legend of the Seeker. Not exactly shows that had me screaming for more. Spartacus: Blood and Sand reunites Raimi with Xena/BSG star Lucy Lawless, playing here Lucretia, who together with her husband Batiatus (John Hannah) own the gladiator camp that Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) is from.
