Sci-fi/fantasy fans can get their fill with these series
It’s remarkable how quickly the TV industry changes these days. It was only a decade ago that sci-fi or fantasy series were a TV rarity outside of Syfy (then Sci-Fi Network).
Thanks in large part to the success of comic book-inspired motion pictures, fantasy and sci-fi genre stories are all the rage on TV, from AMC’s top-rated zombie drama “The Walking Dead” to The CW’s successful “The Flash.” Even traditional CBS is planning a “Supergirl” reboot for the 2015-16 TV season.
Viewer appetite for more programming from this genre is evident over the next two weeks with today’s debut of “Marvel’s Daredevil” on Netflix and the return of “Game of Thrones” (and tech-geek comedy “Silicon Valley”) Sunday on HBO. Next week The CW premieres new drama “The Messengers” and BBC America brings back clone drama “Orphan Black.”
‘Marvel’s Daredevil’
The first of four Marvel series planned for Netflix, “Daredevil” (streaming via the online service starting today) distinguishes itself from other Marvel shows (ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Agent Carter”) by a tighter focus on an actual, primary comic book character as opposed to supporting players.
And with a smaller cast in the first two episodes, the emphasis is as much on character development as it is on derring-do fight scenes, although there are plenty of those, too.
Previously made into a 2003 movie that starred Ben Affleck, this new “Daredevil” again follows lawyer-by-day, crime-fighter-bynight Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), who was blinded as a child.
Flashbacks to 9-year-old Matt figure prominently in this betterthan-average superhero story executive produced by Steven S. DeKnight (“Spartacus”) and Drew Goddard (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). Viewers see recently blinded Matt with his boxer father and later his mentor, Stick (Scott Glenn), which helps fill in the blanks to explain the psychology of the show’s masked hero.
In the present, Matt opens a legal practice with best friend Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson, who gives the show its lighter, funnier moments). Their first case involves Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll, “True Blood”), who ends up becoming their law firm secretary.
“Daredevil” wisely takes its time to introduce its characters. Episode one is all about Karen and her case; episode two introduces ER nurse Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson). A staggered introduction of characters gives each one time to breathe and grow; it’s not the forced introductions that bog down so many broadcast network pilots.
While TV and movies currently
feature an overabundance of comic book-inspired stories, Netflix’s “Daredevil” makes the case that not all superhero shows are created equal and this one improves markedly on both the previous “Daredevil” movie and the other, current Marvel universe TV series.
‘Game of Thrones’
The HBO hit returns for its fifth season at 9 p.m. Sunday picking up not long after the previous season’s finale.
Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) has been spirited out of King’s Landing by Varys (Conleth Hill), who’s plotting to bring another “Thrones” player to sit on the Iron Throne with Tyrion’s help. A figure from the show’s past returns to get involved in this plot by episode three of the new season.
Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) first turns up in the second episode as she seeks an old friend and tries on a new nickname: Arya the Pigeon Slayer.
Rebellious former slave holders in Mereen give Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) a leadership headache that’s compounded by her now-uncontrollable dragons.
Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) takes on a leadership role at Castle Black. At King’s Landing, religious zealots cause friction between Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) and her intended, Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), over her gay brother, Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones). Yes, even in “GOT” there are darker shades of Indiana-style discrimination.
The first three of four episodes of “GOT” made available for review offer plenty of forward momentum as the show re-sets after the events of last season and positions itself to move the story forward as some plots advance beyond what’s been published in the George R.R. Martin books upon which the TV series is based. It’s dark, bloody and occasionally sexy, as it usually is, and “Thrones” fans wouldn’t want it any other way.
‘The Messengers’
NBC’s “American Odyssey” was a ratings bust Sunday night — don’t get too attached if you tuned in — and next week The CW debuts another big-cast, disparately-situated characters show, “The Messengers” (9 p.m. April 17, WPCW).
The pilot, the only episode The CW made available for review, is all set-up, so who knows how the series will play out on a weekly basis.
In the premiere episode of “Awakenings,” what appears to be an asteroid plummets to Earth and emits some sort of shockwave that knocks out a half-dozen people, who are the show’s lead characters. The object that crashes to Earth brings with it a mysterious figure (Diogo Morgado, “Son of God”), who appears to be the devil incarnate.
Characters impacted by the object’s crash include a single mom and her daughter, a DEA agent (JD Pardo), a scientist and a televangelist (Jon Fletcher). By the end of the episode, each of these people sees their reflection in a mirror, which shows angel-like wings sprouting from their backs.
Viewers will be excused for coming away from the show with a “What did I just watch?” reaction. Press notes indicate these five folks impacted by the shockwave are “angels of the apocalypse,” but “Messengers” never comes out and says this. A general rule of thumb in TV reviewing: When press notes do a better job of explaining a show’s intent than the show itself, viewers beware.
‘Orphan Black’
BBC America’s “Orphan Black” (9 p.m. April 18) lost steam in its second season, growing too convoluted and devoid of the fun-with-clones tone that at least occasionally popped up during the show’s first season.
The season three premiere seems to recognize the need for some lightness, opening with an amusing dream sequence, a talking scorpion and a new project for uptight suburban soccer mom clone Alison (Tatiana Maslany, who also plays clones Sarah, Cosima, Rachel and Helena).
There’s also an entertaining series of scenes where one clone impersonates the other: Sarah pretends to be Rachel while dealing with Dyad Institute cleaner Ferdinand (James Frain), then Cosima pretends to be Sarah.
But the plot focus this year will surely be on the discovery of a male series of clones, Project Castor, all played by actor Ari Millen. It’s a welcome re-set that may prevent “Orphan Black” from becoming more complicated than it already is.
Tuned In online
Today’s TV Q&A column responds to questions about “Survivor,” “The Good Wife” and viewer story ideas. This week’s Tuned In Journal includes posts on local extras casting for Cinemax’s “Banshee,” “Better Call Saul,” “The Runner-Up” and “New Girls on the Block.” Read online-only TV content at post-gazette.com/tv.