With 15 Certified Fresh series returning to the small and streaming screen this month, we’ve got something for all tastes: the return of some beloved comedy classics (Anamaniacs, Psych), the final chapters of boundary pushing favorites (Dickinson, Narcos: Mexico), and sophomore outings from some of the best new series of the last year (The Great, Gentefied). Now — get to binging!
90%
Animaniacs
(Hulu)
What it is: The water tower–dwelling Warner kids Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are back and, well, even more animaniacal than before! This years-in-the-making reboot brings our favorite characters back together as they wreak havoc on the famed Warner Bros. studio lot and the talented folks that work it. Throw in scheming mastermind mice Pinky and the Brain — all voiced by the original voice actors — and it scratches our itch for nostalgia while being a new favorite ’toon for the kids.
Why you should watch it: Produced originally in the 1990s by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment as part of the WB’s kids lineup, Animaniacs earned a cult following thanks to its wacky characters, its fast-and-loose premise, its celebrity elbow-rubbing, and its humor geared as much to adults as children. The rebooted series was equally a hit last year. Binge it before Season 2 premieres Nov. 5 on Hulu.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Hulu, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 4.5 hours (for the first season)
95%
Big Mouth
(Netflix)
What it is: Co-created by Nick Kroll and featuring the voice talents of comedy heavy-hitters like John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, 2020 Emmy winner Maya Rudolph, and Andrew Rannells, Big Mouth is a coming-of-age series about awkward teens discovering their sexuality through the raging hormones of puberty.
Why you should watch it: We’ve seen plenty of naughty comedies in the past, but none of them excavate the triumphs and traumas of pubescent adolescence quite as fearlessly or uproariously as Big Mouth, and that’s in part thanks to its animated treatment, where the limit is quite literally the writers’ imagination. Season 5 premieres Nov. 5 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 21 hours (for the first four seasons, plus a Valentine’s Day special)
92%
Dickinson
(Apple TV+)
What it is: A teen Emily Dickinson was a rebel with gifts and intelligence well beyond her years; Dickinson is a modern dramatization of how she set out to be the world’s best living poet in ways both unexpected and engrossing.
Why you should watch it: Creator Alena Smith’s hit flagship series with Apple TV+ left us wanting more the minute it started. Why? Well, Dickinson is herself a subject of intrigue, and played by a star like Hailee Steinfeld, she’s certainly a compelling character. But set to a contemporary soundtrack, sprinkled with millennial-tinged dialogue, and boasting a fast-paced, fantastical, feminist aesthetic that leaves period dramas of yesteryear in its dust, Dickinson is simply unlike anything we’ve seen before. Its third and final season premieres Nov. 5 on Apple TV+.
Where to watch it: Apple TV+
Commitment: Approx. 10 hours (for the first two seasons)
90%
Narcos: Mexico
(Netflix)
What it is: This critically-acclaimed bilingual Netflix original started with Narcos, taking a closer look at formidable and feared Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar and his criminal contemporaries. In 2018, Netflix launched companion series Narcos: Mexico, which dives into the roots of the modern drug war and the true-story rise of the cocaine trade led by the Guadalajara cartel in the 1980s.
Why you should watch it: The Narcos franchise is riveting and entertaining television, precisely documenting the history of the drug trade that still plagues the world today. In the Mexico seasons, Michael Peña stars as DEA agent Kiki Camarena alongside Diego Luna as cartel leader Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo. Narcos: Mexico season 3, its last, premieres Nov. 5 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 16.5 hours (for the first two seasons of Narcos: Mexico)
77%
Dexter: New Blood
(Showtime)
What it is: Whatever happened to our favorite neighborhood crime scene investigator and serial killer? Set 10 years after the original series finale, Dexter: New Blood finds Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) living in a small-town upstate New York, where he hasn’t relapsed on a killing spree in quite some time…
Why you should watch it: Even the creators of Dexter have owned up to the disappointment of original’s series finale, so led by a good-as-ever Hall, we’re keen to see how it make amends. Catch up before New Blood premieres Nov. 7 on Showtime.
Where to watch it: Amazon, Google Play, Hulu, Showtime, Vudu
Commitment: 85 hours (for all eight seasons of the original series)
96%
Gentefied
(Netflix)
What it is: Based on the original digital series from creators Linda Yvette Chávez and Marvin Lemus, Gentefied follows three cousins as they fight to save their grandfather’s taco shop from gentrification in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood.
Why you should watch it: This series’ exploration of a shifting city, clashing cultures, and a younger generation’s pursuit of the American Dream tackles a lot, but led by a relatable cast of newcomers, it hits every mark. Season 2 premieres Nov. 10 on Netflix.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 5 hours (for the first season)
85%
The Flash
(The CW)
What it is: Grant Gustin is a crime scene investigator–turned–crime scene vigilante Barry Allen (aka the Flash, the lightning-enhanced fastest man alive). The story follows Barry’s crime-fighting adventures alongside a group of friends with their own special abilities.
Why you should watch it: You don’t gain an adoring following like that of The Flash without bringing edge-of-your-seat comic-book action and suspense and pitch-perfect performances week to week. Season 8 premieres Nov. 16 on the CW.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 109 hours (for the first 7 seasons)
81%
Riverdale
(The CW)
What it is: With Riverdale, the beloved Archie comics get the CW treatment as a live-action murder mystery-thriller with high schoolers played by KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, and Cole Sprouse. In other words, this is not your mom and dad’s heroic redhead.
Why you should watch it: As the classic Archie we know with a heaping dose of sex appeal and a dash of True Detective, what’s not to love? Season 6 premieres Nov. 16 on the CW.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 70 hours (for the first five seasons)
52%
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
(Netflix)
What it is: This lightning-in-a-bottle docu-series charts the rivalry between big cat eccentrics who escalate their dramatics to a murder-for-hire plot.
Why you should watch it: Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin’s rivalry is the kind of recipe TV producers dream of. As a stranger-than-fiction murder mystery with a cast of characters more likely to be seen on Jerry Springer than prestige television, it took the quarantined world by storm in 2020. This follow-up has all the ingredients to do it all over again. Tiger King 2 premieres Nov. 17 on Netflix.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 5.5 hours (for the first season and bonus special)
89%
Psych
(Peacock)
What it is: As if you haven’t wondered what Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and Gus Guster (Dulé Hill) have been up to for the last few years? Psych: The Movie and Psych 2: Lassie Come Home have previously reunited the oddball detective duo, and typical shenanigans, of course, ensue.
Why you should watch it: No, Shawn is not a real psychic, but he’ll have you rooting for him anyway. The original USA Network series, which premiered back in 2006 and wrapped in 2014, followed Shawn as he utilized his impressive observational skills and memory as a Santa Barbara–based crime consultant. Putting affable goofiness to the forefront is what earned Psych it’s devoted “Psych-O” fan base. Catch up now so you can spot all the Easter eggs and call-back guest stars for its third film, premiering Nov. 18 on Peacock.
Where to watch it: Amazon, Google Play, Peacock, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 93 hours (for all eight seasons and the first two movies)
84%
Star Trek: Discovery
(Paramount+)
What it is: Star Trek: Discovery is set 10 years prior to the original series and in the same universe as Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, and sees the titular ship venturing out to discover new worlds and quell violent alien forces. As always with a Trek series, the cast of characters on board is the series’ beating heart — and you can expect some returning franchise-favorites along the way.
Why you should watch it: Creators Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, as well as star Sonequa Martin-Green and the rest of the ensemble cast, faced the franchise fandom’s lofty expectations when the series premiered in September 2017. They were rewarded with Certified Fresh Tomatometer scores for three seasons strong. Season 4 premieres Nov. 18 on Paramount+.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Paramount+, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 39 hours (for the first three seasons)
96%
The Great
(Hulu)
What it is: From Oscar-winner Tony McNamara (The Favourite), The Great is a darkly comedic, sexy, and surprisingly contemporary look at the 18th-century rise of Russia’s Catherine the Great.
Why you should watch it: Elle Fanning is no stranger to the screen, but you’ve never seen her light it up quite like this. In a series that defies genre and pigeonholing, she steers the ship as its central hero with aplomb. And for his part as Peter III, Nicholas Hoult flexes comedic muscles we didn’t even know he had. Huzzah! Season 2 premieres Nov. 19 on Hulu.
Where to watch it: Amazon, Google Play, Hulu, Vudu
Commitment: 7.5 hours (for the first season)
91%
Marvel's the Avengers
(2012)
75%
Avengers: Age of Ultron
(2015)
90%
Captain America: Civil War
(2016)
94%
Avengers: Endgame
(2019)
What it is: Marking Jeremy Renner’s first foray into Disney+’s slate of Marvel series, Hawkeye comes from showrunner Jonathan Igla and follows the central hero’s life after Avengers: Endgame and his passing of the bow and arrow to Young Avenger, Kate M. Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld).
Why you should watch it: Led by two of some of the industry’s most in-demand (and multi-Oscar-nominated) actors and building on a world that we already know and love, Hawkeye is sure to check the boxes for fans of WandaVision, The Falcon & the Winter Soldier, and Loki. We’re recommending you catch up on all of Renner’s Marvel outings before watching the season 1 premiere Nov. 24 on Disney+: Marvel’s The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Or watch the entire MCU, in order, if you really want to do your homework.
Where to watch it: Amazon, Disney+, Google Play, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 10.5 hours (for all four feature films)
What it is: California Governor Zack Morris — now there’s a phrase we never thought we’d see. But somehow, it works! This modern-day reboot of the 1990s classic sitcom features supporting turns from the characters of yesteryear, but zeroes in on a new group of lower-income high schoolers as they grapple with class prejudice and more after they’re transferred to Pacific Palisades’ wealthy Bayside High.
Why you should watch it: In a reboot we never knew we needed, Saved by the Bell’s modern twist makes it as fresh as ever while still quenching our thirst for nostalgia (and letting us oggle Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater all these years later). Season 2 premieres Nov. 24 on Peacock.
Where to watch it: Amazon, Peacock, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 4 hours (for the first season)
- -
F Is for Family
(Netflix)
What it is: Inspired in part by co-creator, executive producer, and star Bill Burr’s time growing up in the 1970s, this raunchy comedy follows Frank Murphy (Burr) and his fuss-free life in suburbia with his wife Sue (Laura Dern) and their three kids.
Why you should watch it: Point blank: If you’re a fan of Burr’s gruff, incisive, fed-up take on everything from parenting and dating to politics and race, then F Is for Family is right up your alley. Season 5 premieres Nov. 25 on Netflix.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 18 hours (for the first four seasons)
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From DC Comics superheroes to biker gang antiheroes, March 2021 has 10 freshly reviewed series worthy of a binge before premiering new seasons later this month. And in the case of Disney+’s The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, we’ve even got you catching up on some fan-favorite ’90s features. So grab the popcorn and get ready to dig in!
85%
The Flash
(The CW)
What it is: Grant Gustin is a crime scene investigator–turned–crime scene vigilante Barry Allen (aka the Flash, the lightning-enhanced fastest man alive). The story follows Barry’s crime-fighting adventures alongside a group of friends with their own special abilities.
Why you should watch it: You don’t gain an adoring following like that of The Flash without bringing edge-of-your-seat comic-book action and suspense, lovable characters and story arcs, and pitch-perfect performances week to week. Gustin, in particular, is a star. Equal parts charming and high-octane in all the right ways, this DC Comics offering keeps us coming back for more. Season 7 premieres March 2 on the CW.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 96 hours (for the first 6 seasons)
86%
Good Girls
(NBC)
What it is: Creator Jenna Bans (previously of Desperate Housewives and Scandal) brings her soapy creative chops to this unlikely network dramedy about three housewives — sisters Beth and Annie and their friend Ruby — who turn to burglary when put in a financial bind (mortgage defaulting, losing custody of her child, and healthcare crises, respectively). Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman, and Retta star.
Why you should watch it: Good Girls is nothing if not tonally adventurous, finding a ripe balance between high stakes, heartbreaking drama, bits of fish-out-of-water levity, and criminal thrills. Throw in a trio of layered performances from Hendricks, Whitman, and Retta — all of whom are always welcome presences onscreen — and it’s no wonder the series is going three years strong. Season 4 premieres March 7 on NBC.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 25.5 hours (for the first 3 seasons)
- -
Mayans M.C.
(FX)
What it is: Set on the blistering California-Mexico border, this Sons of Anarchy spinoff from creators Elgin James and Kurt Sutter follows Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo), who’s freshly released from prison and now a new prospect in the titular biker gang. But with intersecting familial loyalties at play while he charts life as an outlaw, the drama and violence quickly ratchets up.
Why you should watch it: Pardo delivers a star-making turn as our central protagonist, and co-stars Clayton Cardenas as EZ’s brother Angel, Edward James Olmos as their father Felipe, and their ensemble of largely Latinx performers all meet him mark for bloody mark. Season 3 premieres March 16 on FX.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 20 hours (for the first 2 seasons)
89%
Staged
(Hulu)
What it is: Staged dives deep into how actors are facing the present day. David Tennant and Michael Sheen star as two West End actors whose play has been postponed due to the coronavirus-induced industry shutdown. Rehearsals, meanwhile, continue by video call, to cringingly comedic results.
Why you should watch it: They say that tragedy plus time is comedy — but how do you get to comedy from tragedy if you’re still sitting in the thick of it? Why, you add in Tennant and Sheen, of course! That’s the winning formula, at least, for Staged, which brilliantly put a meta spin on the stagnated lives of working stage actors during this last year of the pandemic. Comfortingly playing off of its leads’ chemistry while dramatizing the too-close-for-comfort past via a Zoom screen, the series does little wrong. Season 2 premieres March 16 on Hulu.
Where to watch it: Amazon, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 2.5 hours (for the first season)
71%
Genius
(National Geographic)
What it is: In 2017, Genius marked National Geographic’s first major foray into prestige television. An intimate, life-charting look into history’s greatest minds and personalities, season 1 follows Geoffrey Rush as Albert Einstein, season 2 follows Antonio Banderas as Pablo Picasso, and now the long-awaited season 3 follows Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin. Better yet, this latest iteration also taps consummate playwright and Pulitzer winner Suzan-Lori Parks as showrunner.
Why you should watch it: An enthralling premise that’s ultimately as educational as it is entertaining (as the very best of narrative nonfiction is), Genius’ first outings rightfully earned a fistful of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. While you of course don’t have to watch the seasons on Einstein and Picasso to understand Aretha, we recommend you do simply for the quality time spent. Season 3 premieres March 21 on National Geographic.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 14.5 hours (for the first 2 seasons)
92%
Breeders
(FX)
What it is: Martin Freeman took his international stardom from The Hobbit film series and Sherlock and did something unlikely: turned the lens on his personal life and co-created a passion project about modern day parenting. Also serving as star and executive producer, he plays Paul, partner to Ally (Daisy Haggard) and father to Luke and Ava.
Why you should watch it: In title, it’s a tongue-in-cheek nod to the procreative practices of heterosexual couples. In practice, it’s a refreshingly unflinching look at the good, bad, and ugly realities of parenthood—new parents be warned! Season 2 premieres March 22 on FX.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 5 hours (for the first season)
87%
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
(Disney+)
What it is: Lauren Graham will never stop playing the small-screen mom of our dreams — and we love that for us! In this new The Mighty Ducks sequel series, she stars as Alex, a mom who encourages her son, Evan, to start his own youth hockey team when he doesn’t make the cut for the titular Ducks, who now stand as the junior league’s elite program.
Why you should watch it: Emilio Estevez returns to the franchise as the Mighty Ducks’ original coach Gordon Bombay. Graham stars as the dutifully supportive mother who sets the series’ action in motion. An ensemble of fresh-faced young actors hilariously steal the show, just like the films before it. What more do you want!? To get ready for it all, we’re recommending you watch the three original Mighty Ducks films from 1992–1992 (D1, D2, and D3), and the single season of Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers premieres March 26 on Disney+.
Where to watch: Amazon, Disney+, FandangoNow, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 5.2 hours (for D1, D2, and D3) and approx. 13 hours (for Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series)
95%
Solar Opposites
(Hulu)
What it is: Rick and Morty collaborators Mike McMahan and Justin Roiland reteam here to tell the story of an alien family who flee their home planet after it’s destroyed by an asteroid and wind up seeking refuge in middle America’s suburbia.
Why you should watch it: This adult-skewing animated series is as bizarre and deranged as it is sincere, zeroing in on contemporary humanity from the perspective of loveable if out-of-place extraterrestrials. Season 2 premieres March 26 on Hulu.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 3.5 hours (for the first season)
88%
City on a Hill
(Showtime)
What it is: Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge star in this 1990s-set police drama from creator Chuck MacLean as a respected veteran FBI agent with questionable (see: corrupt) tactics and a Black district attorney new on the scene, respectively. Together, however, they form an unlikely alliance to take on the rotten underbelly of Boston’s bureaucracy.
Why you should watch it: Our two leads are given enough scenery chewing here to elevate even the more meandering moments of their push for justice to top-tier entertainment for fans of the genre. The series’ fictionalized account of how Boston turned its justice system around from the inside out while tackling spiking street crime is nothing if not engaging. Plus, the accents! Season 2 premieres March 28 on Showtime.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 10 hours (for the first season)
97%
Back
(IFC)
What it is: Beloved British collaborators David Mitchell and Robert Webb (Peep Show) reunite on Simon Blackwell’s Back as estranged foster brothers Stephen and Andrew who themselves are reunited after the death of their father — for better or worse.
Why you should watch it: As the birthson of the deceased, Stephen, Mitchell plays a perfect increasingly tense straight-man to Webb’s Andrew, the long-forgotten foster brother who returns out of the blue to reconnect. It doesn’t help, either, that the two are placed at odds while taking over the family business. But for the most part, it’s just a great joy to see the two performers riffing off of each other with pitch-black comedic scripts from the acclaimed Blackwell (Veep, In the Loop) after a four-year hiatus. Season 2 premieres March 31 on IFC.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 2.5 hours (for the first season)
Thumbnail image: The CW; NBC; Eric Ogden/Showtime
On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.
Fall TV is still in full swing this month, which means more and more shows for your viewing pleasure. While you decide which new ones to tune into, catch up on the 13 series below — all of which are Certified Fresh returnees with zombies, superheroes, and brainiacs to spare.
What it is: Elizabeth Olsen stars as Leigh Shaw, a widow in mourning who, unable to bear living in the apartment she shared with husband, quits her job as a magazine writer and moves in with her mother. What follows is a nuanced character study of those left behind in death’s wake.
Why you should watch it: It’s not easy to make a show on grief, much less sell it. But I’m Sorry for Your Loss is benefited by its thoughtful and thought-provoking scripts from playwright-turned-series creator Kit Steinkellner and nuanced, heartbreaking performances from Olsen, Janet McTeer as her mother, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s Kelly Marie Tran as her sister. Plus, it’s perfectly timed at just 30 minutes per episode. Season 2 premiered October 1 on Facebook Watch.
Where to watch: Facebook Watch
Commitment: Approx. 5 hours (for the first season)
What it is: Co-created by Nick Kroll and featuring the voice talents of comedy heavy-hitters like John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, and Jenny Slate, Big Mouth is a coming-of-age series about awkward teens discovering their sexuality through the raging hormones of puberty.
Why you should watch it: We’ve seen plenty of naughty comedies in the past, but none of them excavate the triumphs and traumas of pubescent adolescence quite as fearlessly or uproariously as Big Mouth. Season 3 premieres in full on October 4.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 10.5 hours (for the first two seasons, plus a Valentine’s Day special)
What it is: The going’s rough and tough in this BBC and Netflix co-production from creator Stephen Knight. Charting the rise of the notorious Peaky Blinders gang in post-WWI England, the long-running drama is led by a never-better Cillian Murphy as the fearless, cold-blooded leader, Tommy Shelby.
Why you should watch it: Between its production design, its larger-than-life performances, and airtight writing and direction, this period series takes some big swings and lands each one. Murphy delivers as the icy Tommy, and Helen McCrory is stellar as the series’ hard-as-nails matriarch. Throw into the mix a strong, talent-heavy ensemble — including turns from the likes of Tom Hardy and Aidan Gillen — and Peaky Blinders earns its reputation as one of the best series that you just might be sleeping on. Season 5 premieres on October 4 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 24 hours (for the first four seasons)
What it is: This decorated, mind-teaser of a series from creator Sam Esmail is at its core the story of Elliot, played by 2018 Oscar winner Rami Malek in a role that nabbed him an Emmy for best actor after season 1. Elliot is a mentally unstable (see: socially anxious, depressed, and drug-addicted) hacktivist recruited into “fsociety” by one Mr. Robot (Christian Slater). Confused? Intrigued? Just watch it.
Why you should watch it: Over the course of three seasons, Mr. Robot has made it near-impossible to look away. Few other series today make for water-cooler fare at work, but Esmail — with the help of Malek, Slater, and an impressive supporting ensemble cast — taps into the cultural consciousness with a premise as timely as it is ambitious. Its fourth and final season premieres on October 6 on USA Network.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 24 hours (for the first three seasons)
What it is: Ever wonder what the other surviving Kryptonians (what few of them are left) are up to while Superman is out there saving the world? Well, turns out his cousin, Kara Zor-El (aka Supergirl) is up to just about the same thing. This is her story.
Why you should watch it: It took until the second season for this DC Comics series to really nail down its tone on the CW with star Melissa Benoist and co., but there’s no doubt that it today ranks as one of the most formidable hour-long outings in the superhero comics-to-screen universe. Season 5 premieres on October 6 on The CW.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 65 hours (for the first four seasons)
What it is: Don’t know what The Walking Dead is? You may want to check your pulse…
Why you should watch it: Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard’s post-apocalyptic premise of zombies walking the Earth and ending mankind as we know it, the acclaimed series developed by creator Frank Darabont indulges in gore and “what if” fascinations. These are characters brought to life with bone-deep precision from a stable of some of TV’s greatest talents. You just never know when your favorite will bite the dust, but that’s admittedly part of the fun, too. Tune into this season to catch Black Panther star Danai Gurira’s final outing. Season 10 premieres on October 6 on AMC.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 98 hours (for the first nine seasons)
What it is: Inspired by the true story of former NFL-er Spencer Paysinger, this drama series from creator April Blair follows a talented high school football player from South L.A. who’s drafted to play for Beverly Hills — and the social and professional tensions that build when two worlds collide.
Why you should watch it: Hailed by the Hollywood Reporter the best new broadcast network drama of 2018, All American bears ingredients from some of our favorite teen and sports dramas of yesteryear while managing to stand out from the pack thanks to its central performances: newcomer Daniel Ezra as the recruited football star Spencer James and Taye Diggs as the NFL star-turned-Beverly Hills coach who sees a future in him. Season 2 premieres on October 7 on The CW.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 12 hours (for the first season)
What it is: Grant Gustin is crime scene investigator–turned–crime scene vigilante Barry Allen (aka the Flash), a lightning-enhanced fastest man alive. The story follows Barry’s crime-fighting adventures alongside a group of friends with their own special abilities.
Why you should watch it: You don’t gain an adoring following like that of The Flash without bringing edge-of-your-seat comic-book action and suspense, lovable characters and story arcs, and pitch-perfect performances week to week. Equal parts charming and high-octane in all the right ways, this DC Comics offering keeps us coming back for more. Season 6 premieres on October 6 on The CW.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 82 hours (for the first five seasons)
What it is: Riverdale is the latest TV adaptation of the beloved Archie comics of yore — only this time, it gets the CW treatment as a murder mystery–thriller with hot, live-action high schoolers played by KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, and Cole Sprouse. This is not your mom and dad’s Archie.
Why you should watch it: We’ll say it: Riverdale ranks among the best teen dramas to come out of primetime since Gossip Girl, and it deserves the viewership and brand ubiquity to match. It’s the classic Archie we know with a heaping serving of sex appeal and a dash of True Detective. What’s not to love? Season 4 premieres on October 9 on The CW.
Where to watch it: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 42 hours (for the first three seasons)
What it is: Walter White is a high school chemistry professor who, after a terminal cancer diagnosis, begins cooking and selling methamphetamine to pay off his mounting medical bills and take care of his family. With that, what starts as a compelling enough premise in Vince Gilligan’s genre-defining character study builds to become one of the greatest series ever to grace the small screen.
Why you should watch it: As played by Bryan Cranston (who won a whopping five Emmys for the role), Walter White is one of the most iconic television characters of the 21st century. Meeting him mark for mark is Emmy winner Aaron Paul as his delinquent co-conspirator and cook, Jesse Pinkman. To watch the two of them play off each other while diving deeper into the underbelly of drugs and crime in New Mexico is about as good as TV gets. Binge all five groundbreaking seasons before its much-anticipated feature film bookend, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, premieres on October 11 on Netflix.
Where to watch it: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 46.5 hours (for all five seasons)
What it is: Set in the fictional, titular Maine town and drawn from the expansive works of Stephen King, this anthology series from creators Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason uses characters both classic and new to re-imagine the author’s best works for the small screen. Season 1 was largely inspired by The Shawshank Redemption, while the second outing looks to pull from Misery.
Why you should watch it: With executive producers like King himself and blockbuster filmmaker J.J. Abrams at the helm, you know you’re in for some tricks along with your treats. And with Halloween right around the corner, the return of this hit horror series is sure to get you in the appropriate holiday spirit. Season 1 features standout performances from the likes of Andre Holland, Sissy Spacek, and Bill Skarsgård (himself a King-universe vet thanks to his Pennywise role in the record-breaking It films). Lizzy Caplan promises to light up the screen in season 2, which serves as something of a prequel or origin story for Misery’s demented nurse Annie Wilkes. Get a taste of the King-inspired mayhem before the new season’s October 23 premiere on Hulu.
Where to watch it: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 8.5 hours (for the first season)
What it is: Chuck Lorre knows TV, but we’ve never seen The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men mastermind tackle something quite like The Kominsky Method, a half-hour, single-cam comedy that follows an aging acting coach and his agent in contemporary Hollywood. Both a stinging comedy on the industry’s lasting truths and a revealing, humorous look at men of a certain age, the series racked up two Golden Globes earlier this year, including Best Musical or Comedy Television Series.
Why you should watch it: Few things have been more satisfying over the last few years than watching Hollywood heavy-hitters deliver career-best work on the small screen. Among them are Oscar winners Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin as the central Sandy Kominsky and his longtime agent and friend Norman Newlander, respectively. The pair’s rat-a-tat everyman rapport goes down easy, even when they’re not on their best behavior. Season 2 premieres on October 25 on Netflix.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 4 hours (for the first season)
What it is: This acclaimed HBO comedy from creators John Altschuler, Mike Judge, and Dave Krinsky is the story of wunderkind coder Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) as he and partner Erlich Bachman (T.J. Miller) struggle to get their startup off the ground during Northern California’s tech boom.
Why you should watch it: Few shows pack as many laughs-per-episode as Silicon Valley. Through its hilarious portrayal of a company on the rise, it also taps into the real-world “brotopia” of the West Coast’s tech industry in more than just name with an assortment of memorable (and in the case of Middleditch, Emmy-nominated) performances across the board. Its sixth and final season premieres on October 27 on HBO.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, HBO Now, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 23 hours (for the first five seasons)
There’s a lot to binge up on going into this month — so let’s get right to it, shall we? Below, catch our roundup of 15 series boasting Certified Fresh seasons that are returning in October.
Why you should watch it: Few series can claim to have brought the situational comedy into the modern age, but with its fresh, incisive, and most of all hilarious take on contemporary life in New York city — while featuring a pair of gay men and their best girlfriends to match — Will & Grace is one of the series that did. The best episodes of last season prove a) why NBC revived this hit series and b) why it’s still essential viewing all these years later. Season 10 premieres Oct. 4.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 77 hours
Why you should watch it: We’ve seen plenty of naughty comedies in the past, but none of them excavate the triumphs and traumas of pubescent adolescence quite as fearlessly or uproariously as Big Mouth. Season 2 premieres in full October 5.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 5 hours
Why you should watch it: Fresh off Amazon’s Emmys-sweep with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, now’s as good a time as ever to go back and discover some other standouts in the streaming service’s catalog. First thing we’d suggest is The Man in the High Castle. Epic and engrossing — not to mention timely — it takes viewers into an utterly foreign world that still hits a little too close to today’s political climate for comfort (the way that so many of TV’s very finest manage to do). Season 3 premieres October 5.
Where to watch: Amazon
Commitment: Approx. 20 hours
Why you should watch it: A refreshing take on Asian Americans for the small screen? Check. Well-earned laughs from a trio of talented young actors? Check. A heaping dose of ’90s nostalgia? Check. And the combined powers of the hilarious Park and Constance Wu (now of Crazy Rich Asians fame)? Check and check. Need we say more? Season 5 premieres October 5.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 22 hours
Why you should watch it: Doctor Who is making a case for being one of those timeless sci-fi properties that’s earned a devout following akin to Star Wars or Star Trek. The decades-spanning series always finds ways to one-up itself, and with Jodie Whittaker appearing as the first female Doctor this season, there’s never been a better time to jump aboard. Season 11 premieres October 7 — to get ready, we recommend you begin with the 2005 relaunch.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 90 hours
Why you should watch it: One of cable’s highest rated dramas returns with its season 9 premiere on October 7. Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard’s post-apocalyptic premise of zombies walking the Earth and ending mankind as we know it, the acclaimed series developed by creator Frank Darabont indulges in gore and “what if” fascinations. These are characters brought to life with bone-deep precision from a stable of some of TV’s greatest talents. You just never know when your favorite will bite the dust. (That’s admittedly part of the fun, too.)
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 86 hours
Why you should watch it: If you’re a fan of the Greg Berlanti–led DC Comics universe on The CW, then you know what you’re in for here, and you’ll love Black Lightning. But this series goes one step further by being an awesome first of its kind, spotlighting not only black superheroes on the small screen, but LGBTQ ones, as well. Season 2 premieres on October 8.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 9.5 hours
Why you should watch it: You don’t gain an adoring following like that of The Flash without bringing edge-of-your-seat action and suspense, lovable characters and story arcs, and pitch-perfect performances week to week. Season 5 premieres October 8.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 66 hours
Why you should watch it: We’ll say it: Riverdale ranks among the best teen dramas to come out of The CW since Gossip Girl, and it deserves the viewership and brand ubiquity to match. It’s the classic Archie we know with a heaping of sex appeal and a dash of True Detective. What’s not to love? Season 3 premieres October 10.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 25.5 hours
Why you should watch it: Whatever you do, don’t be put off by the series’ title — even if you’ve got one! Starring as Rebecca, Rachel Bloom is a musical genius, concocting show-stopping comedic melodies inspired by the best of Broadway and Top 40 week after week. And as if the comedy’s song-and-dance wasn’t entertaining enough, it’s buoyed by excellent performances and tight, creative scripts that tackle everything from broken hearts to mental health. Last season got especially dark, and we love it all the more for continuing to break the mold. Season 4 premieres October 12.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 30 hours
Why you should watch it: It took until the second season for this DC Comics series to really nail down its tone with star Melissa Benoist and crew, but there’s no doubt that it now ranks as one of the most formidable hour-long outings in the superheroic comics-to-screen universe. Plus some behind-the-scenes trivia: Benoist is fresh off a Broadway run as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. We love a multi-talented Supergirl! Season 4 premieres October 14.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 45 hours
Why you should watch it: Arrow is the series that first kickstarted the DC Comics universe for Berlanti and The CW, and for six seasons now, it hasn’t let up the fun. Season 7 premieres October 15.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 102 hours
Why you should watch it: Creator Kenya Barris is one of those writers who just goes there. Even in what some would call the confines of network TV — which, incidentally, has been seen pushing up against him this last year — he conjures stories in the sitcom structure that are resonant, timely, and fearless. Plus, they’ll make you laugh, too! Tracy Ellis Ross and Anderson are especially show-stealing. Season 5 premieres October 16.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 35 hours
Why you should watch it: As the first Marvel original series venture on Netflix, Daredevil had a lot buzz and high expectations to live up to. We’re glad to report that it did and then some. Certainly among the best-executed comic adaptations for TV to date, it’s gritty, character-driven, and entertaining. Watch the first two seasons followed by The Defenders season 1 before diving into Daredevil season 3, which premieres Oct. 19.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 34 hours
Why you should watch it: When Ray Donovan premiered on Showtime in 2013, it promised the arrival of an exciting new anti-hero. It’s since stayed true to that promise and hasn’t let up, bringing us into the hidden underbelly of Los Angelean elite and slowly unveiling the many layers of a complicated and troubled man. Season 6 premieres October 28.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 52 hours
(Photo by David Giesbrecht/FOX)
While superheroes are best defined by the their powers, their costumes, and the psychological break that turned them into vigilantes, many have one more defining feature: their hero’s lair. Not everyone has one, of course, but thanks to the Batcave, they are more widespread than you would think. And since the Batcave made its television debut in 1966, many subsequent TV heroes have tried to match it. Some sets, like the Sanctum Santorum in the 1978 Dr. Strange TV movie, fail spectacularly to convey the sense that the hero would choose to work there.
But what defines a good lair? It should offer the hero or heroes as many tools as possible. Visually, it should convey some of the character’s persona. It should also offer a sort of stage for the hero and their friends to debate the crisis at hand — with lots of monitors, of course, for visual exposition. With those qualities in mind, here are five of the best lairs in comic book television.
The Arrowcave (Mark I) | Arrow () 86%
(Photo by The CW)
While the more recent Arrowcave definitely offers Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and his team a very theatrical place from which to disagree about everything, the original Arrowcave shows off more of Ollie’s personality. Maybe that was always the intent.
Hidden in Ollie’s nightclub, Verdant, the first Arrowcave was little more than a long brick alleyway with space enough for his gear, his salmon ladder, some of John Diggle’s (David Ramsey) ordinance, Felicity Smoak’s (Emily Bett Rickards) fancy hacking set-up, and Roy Harper’s (Colton Haynes) costume. Felicity’s workstation also featured the requisite monitor from which to quip and ease the dramatic tension.
But the cramped quarters reflected one of the key aspects of Arrow in those days, Ollie’s uneasy alliance with anybody. The early days of the salmon ladder perfectly illustrated to lone brooder accustomed to solitude, while each new arrival made the set more cramped and Ollie’s stated desire to work alone more of a lie. While it may have never been an ideal space for conferences, its design reflected a certain theatricality Ollie himself would also deny.
The second Arrowcave traded in the oddly charming dank for a much larger, but somehow impersonal space for the reinforced Team Arrow.
Harlem’s Paradise | Marvel's Luke Cage () 87%
As the only villain’s lair on our list — although the end of Luke Cage’s second season offers something of a status change for the night club – Harlem’s Paradise has to be something real special. It is real estate both Cornell Stokes (Mahershala Ali) and Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard) were willing to die for. It’s been shot up a number of times, used as part of a hostage situation and yet still manages to book some killer acts whenever its open to the public.
In terms of the theatrical, it literally has a stage serving as a focal point. But the real action occurs stage right, across the dance floor and up one level in the boss’s office. And thanks to a camera crane, the action often switches from stage to the office — or vice versa — in one beautiful shot. As for revealing character, it was very much Cornell’s soul on display before his death. The Biggie portrait, the Rhodes Mark II piano he salvaged from Mama Mabel’s house, even the way he displayed his liquor all offered clues to his character. Once Mariah took center stage — literally, figuratively, and violently — she made sure to change key elements of office, leaving only the piano behind and making Mama Mabel’s picture more prominent. And then, of course, there’s the Basquiat …
It may lack for monitors, but the gorgeous setting makes up for it with rich, mid-century details and the large round window from which the boss can observe the crowd below.
And as Harlem’s Paradise changes hands again, it becomes something more than a reflection of its owner. It symbolizes the struggle to hold onto Harlem itself. Maybe that’s why Mariah gave it to Luke (Mike Colter): preserving Harlem requires someone’s soul being consumed by the Paradise itself.
GCPD | Gotham () 77%
Like Harlem’s Paradise, the GCPD squad room on Gotham also steals souls. The person sitting in the captain’s office, for instance, often winds up dead. Set up on a dais conveniently behind Jim Gordon’s (Ben McKenzie) desk for the first few years, its theatricality also symbolized Jim’s inexorable flight up those stairs and his destiny within its walls.
Beyond the office, the squad room is a microcosm of Gotham City itself. Reprobates and psychos in the lock-up to the right of the captain’s office, a pool of detectives in the center. Then there is the craftsmanship of the set itself, which suggests an older and finer time in Gotham, but also reflects just how absurd it is to have the often corrupt police force residing within a place built with such care. To the left of the captain’s office, ornate entrances offer Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor) a theatrical entrance to consult with Jim or, in later seasons, threaten him. And if it truly is a microcosm of the city, then it also becomes a space for Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) to make a nuisance of himself.
But does the ornate architecture, theatrical accents, and space large enough to fit the entire Gotham cast offer insight into Jim? Definitely. The beautiful set is a constant reminder of the Gotham Jim believes exists under the chaos and crime on display within its walls. And as mentioned above, that office is his destiny. And now that he has finally embraced command, it remains to be seen if he can spread his vision across the squad room and across the city itself; particularly considering the compromise he had to make with Sofia Falcone (Crystal Reed).
Maybe someone with a more famous lair will be better suited for the task.
The Playground | Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. () 95%
In the early days of S.H.I.E.L.D., Phillip Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team really didn’t have a lair as such, they had the Bus. It was a flying mobile command center meant to evoke a S.H.I.E.L.D. helecarrier — as seen in Marvel’s The Avengers — while acting as a practical television set. It also reflected the team’s transient state both before and after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.
But in the final moments of the first season, Coulson moved the group to a S.H.I.E.L.D facility not overrun by Hydra: The Playground. It was an older base — in fact, it was appropriated from an older agency, the Strategic Scientific Reserve Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) served in after World War II – but it proved to be the perfect headquarters from which to rebuild the broken agency. The brick walls, adorned with SSR logos, and rec room offered something more homey than the Bus even as its various labs, vaults, giant flight deck, and Peggy’s old office reminded Coulson and the others about the task at hand.
In fact, Coulson’s office may have the most impressive bank of monitors on this list. Comprising the far wall of the office, Coulson (or whoever was acting as director that week) could keep abreast of crises all over the world with ease. It could also focus in on Daisy’s (Chloe Bennet) latest wave of destruction during season 4 or switch to the cable news, where political opponents questioned the value of restoring an agency so thoroughly overrun by Nazis.
Of course, that wall of monitors may be compensating for the base’s complete lack of a theatrical space. With no focal location, many of the tensest moments in the base occurred in a nondescript hallway.
Sadly, nothing lasts forever and the Playground was virtually destroyed during AIDA’s attempt to become a truly living entity. After a sojourn to the future, the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. would make their way to the Lighthouse, where even a holographic Patrick Warburton could do nothing to make the mid-1970s steel facility feel like home.
The Cortex | The Flash () 85%
Over on The Flash, S.T.A.R. labs would be nothing but hallways as well if not for Harrison Wells’ – or was it Eobard Thawne? (both played by Tom Cavanagh) — brilliant idea for the Cortex. Though the building is a massive complex of smaller labs and the meta-containing pipeline, it features a focal point from which much of the show’s drama can occur. This central lab has a bank of monitors to keep the characters up to date and a handy medbay where Dr. Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) can check out Barry (Grant Gustin) or any injured meta he happens to bring back with him from a mission.
Thanks to the prominent placing of Iris’ (Candace Patton) workstation and Barry’s costume, the Cortex has plenty of space for that sense of theater. And it’s been used for that purpose many times when the team huddle around the monitors to help an in-the-field Barry out-think his opponent. Sometimes, the Cortex has been home to more personal dramas as well.
It also reflects Barry’s personality in a very direct way. As both hero and scientist, he is represented by his costume and the clear dry-erase boards with notes scrawled upon them at all times. Also, those central items are flanked by Caitlin’s medbay and a smaller version of Cisco’s (Carlos Valdes) workshop — a subtle reminder that the Flash is a team. In the last few years, those marker boards have come to represent his struggle against foes better equipped than he is, but with their placement in the Cortex — the place where all of Team Flash comes together — the show illustrates that Barry’s greatest strength is, ultimately, his bond with those people backing him up.
When The X-Files returned to Fox in January 2016, fans were apprehensive. Would the revival hold up over time? Could it make up for the original iteration’s lackluster ninth season?
Luckily, they had nothing to worry about. Season 10 received a Fresh 65% Tomatometer score as well as stellar ratings, and season 11 was Certified Fresh with a 79% Tomatometer score.
Alas, not all reboots and revivals are created equal. While NBC’s season 9 revival of Will & Grace is Certified Fresh at 86% on the Tomatometer, the CW’s new take on Dynasty fell flat with a 53% Tomatometer score.
On the flip side, some titles like streaming series Cobra Kai, a sequel to the famous Karate Kid films, become big hits. The YouTube Red show premiered May 2 and has maintained a 100% score to land in the top spot of our scorecard of shows based on previous titles that returned from the dead.
ABC’s Roseanne and American Idol revivals also recently joined our list. Find out how all of the titles fared in their first new season (or TV-movie revival!) by Tomatometer.
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While the current age of TV superheroes features a lot of bold choices, inventive remixes of comic book mythology, and respectful adherence to the primary sources, not every choice can be a winner. In the last 20 years, in fact, a few series have made amazing blunders as super-powered people became ubiquitous on television. From one of Smallville‘s key creative decisions in 2001 to the execution of Marvel’s Inhumans, the following five examples prove there is still a margin of error when bringing superheroes to the small screen.
When Smallville began its 10-year run in 2001, executive producers and developers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar chose a bold way to set the series apart from previous TV treatments of Clark Kent. The concept was laid out in four words: “No Tights, No Flights.” Clark (Tom Welling) would come into his powers gradually with Superman’s marquee characteristics reserved for a then-hypothetical final episode. Gough and Miller left the series in 2008, but successive creative teams, including final showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Petersen, respected the rule. Or, at least, they tried to bend it as far as it could go. Clark would occasionally jump across tall buildings, flirt with various proto-costumes and, eventually, received Superman’s costume as a final gift from Jor-El (Terence Stamp). Although, the disembodied character put the costume on ice until Clark was deemed worthy.
Sadly, when Clark’s brief appearance as Superman occurred in the series finale, it was realized with a CGI Superman flying next to a plane and a very tight close-up on Welling’s face, barely registering that he was wearing Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns supersuit. Fans who stuck with the show to the end hoped there would be more Superman than this. Indeed, even Welling had hoped to be seen as Superman for longer. His 10-year devotion to the part when the rest of the original cast — even Chloe (Allison Mack) was part-time at the end — had long since departed certainly warranted at least one full episode flying in the tights. While some may credit the show with maintaining its original conceit, others see it as a slight to its star.
While the current season of The Flash attempts to break the pattern, it is very easy to joke about the show’s reliance of speedster villains and Barry’s (Grant Gustin) need to “run faster” to stop them. It began with Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh — pictured above right — and Matt Letscher), Barry’s biggest and most twisted 25th century fan, whose devotion led him to becoming The Flash’s greatest enemy. Though, for the season he was on the show, he was disguised as Barry’s trusted mentor. But erasing him from the timestream opened a breach allowing Zoom (Teddy Sears, pictured above left), the evil speedster of Earth-2 to cause havoc on Earth-1. For the first half of the second season, of course, he was disguised as Barry’s new trusted mentor. Then came Savitar (Gustin, pictured above center), who appeared after Barry attempted to undo his parents’ murders. For variety, he was not Barry’s trusted mentor, but a time-fragment of Barry’s own twisted future. Nonetheless, he shared the same goals as his villainous predecessors: get Barry to run really, really fast.
In each case, the speedster villain needed Barry’s speed to accentuate their own power for their own fiendish ends. For Reverse-Flash, it was to get to his home-century. For Zoom, it was to become the fastest being in the Multiverse. For Savitar, it was freedom. And in each of their run-ins with The Flash, they all offered Barry a critical understanding of his power and his connection to the Speed Force. Which, when you look at them all together, feels quite repetitive. Clifford DeVoe (various actors), based on the comic book villain The Thinker, was intended as a new kind of villain: one who could think quicker than the Fastest Man Alive. In the early part of the season, it felt fresh and different but, it seems he still needs Barry’s power to accentuate his master plan. Maybe bringing in the Turtle as Barry’s primary foe isn’t such a jokey idea anymore.
Though the John Constantine of comic book past often called on the assistance of cab driver Chaz — and gave future magician Tim Hunter a tour of the DC Universe’s mystical alleys — he has never been one to have a full-fledged Robin the Boy Wizard Wonder to his Magic Man adventures. But for the 2014 NBC series Constantine, an attempt was made to give Constantine (Matt Ryan) a sidekick in the form of Zed (Angelica Celaya), a psychic who could point John in the direction of his next case and took issue with the man’s reticence to get emotionally involved.
The impulse is understandable and borrowed for that other famous British adventurer with a long coat: The Doctor of Doctor Who. John (or The Doctor) is what a writing staff might call “the Other” — an mystery figure audiences may have trouble empathizing with. So he (or she) needs a conventional human person to ask questions the audience might ask of the strange and enigmatic lead.
Unfortunately, Zed came saddled with an ability (and sub-abilities) herself, making her part “other” and part companion (in the Doctor Who sense). Also, the writing and Celaya’s performance made her harder to empathize with than John, which was a colossal misread of what makes him interesting in the comics. Zed may not be the reason NBC chose to cancel the series — ultimately, it was an ill-fit for the network of Law & Order and the Chicago shows — but Ryan subsequently proved on Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow that he doesn’t really need a sidekick.
From the moment the first cast photo emerged in summer 2017, many fans of Marvel’s Inhumans in the comic world could feel something was amiss. Black Bolt (Anson Mount) was maskless, Medusa’s wig (Serinda Swan) was quite noticeable, Gorgon (Eme Ikwuakor) was wearing boots instead of sporting hooves, and family bulldog Lockjaw was nowhere to be seen. ABC quickly clarified the latter would appear, but the cracks became apparent as the IMAX release of the pilot episodes was announced and a trailer emerged. Between cheap-looking sets, strange costume choices, and a tone so incorrect it was apparent from a 30-second clip, people began to suspect Inhumans might follow Iron Fist as a rare, but notable Marvel TV misfire.
When the show finally aired, it had a major conceptual problem: the Inhuman Royal Family looked laughable in costume and as the protagonists. They were blind to a class struggle many American viewers sympathize with. Principal villain Maximus (Iwan Rheon) voiced sensible criticisms of the monarchy, making the show’s central conflict a muddle while he had to become increasingly cartoonist to defuse the validity of his points. Rushing to get the protagonists out of the dodgy sets and onto practical Hawaiian locales, the first episodes failed to establish the Royal Family as characters worth investing in. Sadly, the show never recovered from its initial flaws despite a few signs of life and solid performances from Swan and Ikwuakor. The end result was a lackluster program that felt more like a contractual obligation than a cornerstone of Marvel’s media strategy.
Like Inhumans, Iron Fist felt more like an obligation than a project anyone really wanted to see realized. Considering the same principal creative force was involved, that may not be an accident. A string of apparent delays tied to the development of The Defenders meant Finn Jones was cast well after his fellow three Defenders had made lasting impressions; in fact, Jones never met with Luke Cage star Mike Colter until a Defenders table read.
But beyond chemistry issues for the larger Marvel-Netflix scheme, Iron Fist was plagued with internal story issues, a lack of convincing fight scenes, and the perception that keeping the white Danny Rand as the Immortal Iron Fist reflected a larger myopia on the part of the series’ creative direction. And thanks to Jones’ late arrival, he was never able to prepare for the fight scenes or give Danny enough of a soul to not feel like a spoiled rich kid who likes Outkast way too much. While the end product produced strong performances by Tom Pelphrey as broken, but recovering rich kid Ward Meecham and Jessica Henwick as martial arts trainer Colleen Wing, the first season of Iron Fist failed in its main goal: making you care about Danny Rand.
Heroes was a sensation when it debuted in 2007. Between its TV-friendly concept of ordinary people discovering they have extraordinary abilities and clever marketing slogans like “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World,” it offered a road map for the superhero TV era to come. And as each episode in its first season aired, the key characters inched ever closer to meeting one another and becoming some sort of super team to fight Sylar (Zachary Quinto), the power-stealing serial killer who could, in fact, kill the cheerleader, Claire (Hayden Panettiere), and precipitate an apocalypse. The whole thing worked and the show became a success for NBC and creator Tim Kring. But Kring derived the wrong lesson from the first season, deciding the premise and not the character momentum was what people wanted. Consequently, he choose to repeat the program’s initial idea in its second season.
The new season began with Maya (Dania Ramirez) and her brother Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) fleeing a Central American country because of their powers, the nascent superteam from the first season scattered to the four winds, and Sylar on the loose again. Also, nominal lead hero Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) was given another vision of a post-apocalyptic hellscape to worry about. Risky choices with a writer’s strike looming. But Kring claimed in 2008 that he always saw Heroes as more of an anthology series with the continuing stories for Peter and Claire acting as a compromise with the network.
The second season suspended production during the 2008 writer’s strike, and when the show returned for season 3, it abandoned most of its current story lines, leaving Peter’s girlfriend orphaned in an alternate future, for example. The goodwill accrued during its first year was lost even as it hobbled into a fourth season and a short-lived 2015 revival, Heroes Reborn. Ultimately, believing the audience only wanted to see stories of people discovering their powers doomed the series, leaving it a curious footnote in the annals of superhero television history.
This week on DVD, we’ve got a a couple of wide releases that didn’t fare so well with critics, a few worthy indies, and some great TV. Read on for the full list.
The demon-hunting Winchester brothers (played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) continue their quest to fight evil wherever they find it in this long-running CW series. The season 12 set comes with featurettes on the Winchester Mythology, the show’s 2016 Comic-Con panel, deleted scenes, and more.
Considering season 3 just dropped on Netflix on Friday, we’ll just say that this series takes a closer look at Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, his criminal contemporaries, and his legacy. If you don’t have Netflix, or you just want the Blu-ray set for the special features, you’ll get an inside look at bringing the history of the show to life on set, a commentary track for one of the episodes, and deleted scenes.
This DC Comics-based CW series centers on scientist Barry Allen, who becomes the fastest man alive after a freak accident. The season 3 set comes with its 2016 Comic-Con panel, inside looks at the villains and time travel, deleted scenes, explorations of storylines, and more.
This comedy from Israel centers on a woman who befuddles her friends and loved ones by refusing to cancel her wedding plans even after the groom backs out. It’s available only on DVD, and there’s currently no information on special features.
Zoe Lister-Jones and Adam Pally star in Lister-Jones’ own comedy about a married couple who attempt to work out their troubles by forming a band together. Extras include a music video, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
Kate Mara stars in this inspirational true story about the bond between a Marine corporal and the K9 patrol dog she served two tours of duty with in Iraq. Its sole bonus is a brief look at the lead character’s story.
This LA-based drama co-starring Demian Bichir and Melissa Benoist follows a graffiti artist trying to pull away from his family’s history of violence. It comes with brief looks at the story, Theo Rossi’s character, and the lowrider culture.
Scarlett Johansson and Kate McKinnon star in this comedy about four women who reunite for a bachelorette party in Miami and get in way over their heads. Special features include an adult sing-along, inside looks at the cast, the directors, and more; plus, the Blu-ray carries exclusives like deleted scenes, a gag reel, and more.
Demetrius Shipp Jr., Kat Graham, and Lauren Cohan star in this chronicle of the life of influential rapper and actor Tupac Shakur. Extras include a making-of doc, a look at Shipp’s performance, Shipp’s audition tape, a collection of the cast discussing the influence of Tupac, and deleted scenes.
Also Available This Week:
Even though many actors on The Flash and Supergirl series on The CW have sung before, some fans heard them sing for the first time Monday night during the long-awaited musical-crossover episode “Duet” on The Flash.
The songs included covers and originals and were revealed as Barry (Grant Gustin), Kara (Melissa Benoist), Cisco (Carlos Valdes), Joe West (Jesse L. Martin), and guest stars Music Meister (Darren Criss), Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), and Dr. Stein (Victor Garber) sang them.
Music Meister visited Supergirl first to whammy her with his hypnotic, spiralling eyes. She woke up as a ’20s moll about to go on stage. Mon-El (Chris Wood) and J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood) followed Music Meister to The Flash’s Earth, but the tuneful mischief-maker proved too fast for the heroes and whammied Barry as well.
In their own minds, Kara and Barry conjured a world of a movie musical, thanks to Barry’s childhood love of Singin’ in the Rain and Kara’s of The Wizard of Oz. She had also suggested Funny Face for a movie night with Mon-El on the Supergirl episode “Star-Crossed” the previous night. Sans powers, Barry and Kara had to follow the musical script, with Winn Schott (Jeremy Jordan), Cisco, Merlyn, Stein, Joe and Iris West (Candice Patton) playing different characters in the story.
So what did the fan think of the show-stopping numbers? Here are some standout reactions to each performance.
UPDATE: Music from the episode is now available to purchase on iTunes.
Kara got the first solo of the night and threw down the gauntlet for the next hour!
https://twitter.com/sebastianperis/status/844340253339127808
https://twitter.com/hatie123/status/844340074523299840
https://twitter.com/twittsfromKC/status/844407394109149184
This song goes back to Jackie DeShannon’s 1969 recording, but everyone remembers it most from Scrooged. When Bill Murray finally learns to stop being a Scrooge, he leads the entire cast in a cover on live television. In “Duet,” Criss led Barrowman and Valdes in a new rendition.
https://twitter.com/ivanmcohen/status/844387619031191552
https://twitter.com/ChristyWGates/status/844391088047636485
https://twitter.com/Lyve_Wire/status/844389332651839488
From Guys and Dolls, one of the only classic Broadway musicals Garber hasn’t already done.
https://twitter.com/WhitneyM02/status/844408548088008704
https://twitter.com/willmckinley/status/844407560098762752
https://twitter.com/osilvias/status/844349177865883648
Not everyone was impressed, though.
https://twitter.com/tinmanic/status/844349767551471616
An original! Flash fans today may have grown up with the Super Friends cartoon, a kiddie version of The Justice League. Kara also set this up with a “Super Friends” high-five on this week’s Supergirl. This is also the tap dance number Gustin told Rotten Tomatoes about.
https://twitter.com/TheNerdstir/status/844419844497981440
https://twitter.com/NahMate420/status/844354866860429312
Although it was maybe a little too on the nose for some:
https://twitter.com/ShyHustler/status/844396335780577280
https://youtube.com/watch?v=gWwEtE7JKLQ
Barry didn’t let waking up from the musical to top him from singing. He had this original cued up to sing to Iris. Get it? Because The Flash runs fast! Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s Rachel Bloom co-wrote both “Super Friends” and “Running Home to You.”
https://twitter.com/iriswestallens/status/844354649423409152
https://twitter.com/tammyyim1/status/844354585976233984
https://twitter.com/tabsthewitch/status/844354529902645249
https://twitter.com/yaboyspitfire/status/844354454354743297
But dude, that proposal is going to be a tough act for regular guys to follow.
https://twitter.com/haileyhofauer/status/844354771058348036
https://twitter.com/barnesrodgers/status/844354679286960129
So that’s all the songs, but each singer made an impression too. Here’s what the fans had to say about each of the Arrowverse stars.
Before her first number ended, Benoist had her fans rapt.
https://twitter.com/onetruecripple/status/844339653029363714
https://twitter.com/thematthatt3r/status/844340718999130112
Some had a fan theory about how Gustin’s natural vocal talents make sense with Barry’s super powers. This is one power Gustin has in real life too.
https://twitter.com/steevnsysmanzki/status/844354447971139587
https://twitter.com/ofzefandoms/status/844417077683404801
https://twitter.com/CarloDimailig/status/844418725671571458
Criss may have gotten the most love of the night by live tweeting along with the fans.
https://twitter.com/rinna_q/status/844417822545625088
https://twitter.com/cpreynoldsict/status/844345877254803458
https://twitter.com/Liadian/status/844406634575204356
More than his pipes, fans appreciated Jordan’s piano playing.
https://twitter.com/lostlover90/status/844349472813518848
https://twitter.com/joyeilene/status/844366348172120070
But his pipes too.
https://twitter.com/prenerk/status/844342750480908289
https://twitter.com/theartistjen/status/844342540690173952
https://twitter.com/christinajobs/status/844350940643835904
Valdes is developing a loyal following for his band Tha Los, and they came out to support him tonight.
https://twitter.com/charlottcharles/status/844387081178812416
https://twitter.com/ThatJessiGal/status/844388839628058625
And when Cisco asked for a GIF, the fans were there to provide.
https://twitter.com/melxgarcia/status/844352389696143361
Barrowman has a legion of fans who’ve followed his singing since before and after the Doctor Who days.
https://twitter.com/whymsywynx/status/844343779561803776
https://twitter.com/littleal612/status/844343847249494017
https://twitter.com/aliskyrichards/status/844354565235523584
They may have their own fans on Broadway, but they shared a duet, and shared the love on “Duets.”
https://twitter.com/osilvias/status/844349177865883648
https://twitter.com/tanthonyauld/status/844348665221316612
https://twitter.com/misslissafrench/status/844347432318177280
https://twitter.com/misterdev3reaux/status/844347617295454209
https://twitter.com/sjello14/status/844347628615880704
Which performance was your favorite in “Duet?” Vote in the poll and tell us why in the comments!
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7 C; The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7 C on The CW
The Arrrowverse has a lot of musical talent. Two of their title heroes, Supergirl and The Flash, came from Glee. Many others cast members were on Broadway, and some have released albums. So when The Flash was doing a musical episode, it just had to crossover with the stars of Supergirl, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow.
At the end of Supergirl‘s episode Monday night, “Star-Crossed,” The Music Meister (guest star Darren Criss) puts Kara (Melissa Benoist) into a coma. J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood) and Mon-El (Chris Wood) take Kara over to The Flash’s Earth for help in episode “Duet.” Music Meister gets Barry (Grant Gustin), too, and the rest of the episode will play out as a musical fantasy featuring the characters from all four shows, including Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) and Dr. Stein (Victor Garber).
Here’s a breakdown of the musical cred of the stars of Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow, starting with Team Supergirl, with a clip highlighting each singer. (J’onn J’onzz and Mon-El have reportedly have non-singing roles in “Duets.”)
There were so many cast members in Glee, it was sometimes hard to give them all a song. Marley (Benoist) performed in a lot of group songs and shared a killer duet mashup of “Crazy/Drive Me Crazy.” She got to be Sandy in Grease until Rachel (Lea Michele) took over halfway through “You’re the One That I Want.” She even got to be Posh Spice with a zig-a-zig-ah in “Wannabe.” Her solo of “Wrecking Ball” really let Benoist belt it out and ride the ball. Hopefully, The Flash gives her a bravura solo like this one.
Smash allowed Jeremy Jordan to cross over from Broadway to television, employing his triple threat acting/singing/dancing skills. The fictional show on NBC’s Broadway drama couldn’t compete with Jordan’s real theater cred. Having appeared in the ensemble of Rock of Ages, Jordan then played the leads Bonnie and Clyde (Clyde) and Newsies (Jack Kelly, the Christian Bale role in the movie). The only downside of Supergirl is it kept Jordan from singing. Until now!
Criss was a theater kid and recording artist. With his University of Michigan friends, Criss co-founded StarKid Productions in which Criss played Harry Potter in a trilogy of musicals. On Glee, he introduced the show’s all boy a cappella group, The Warblers, which briefly recruited Kurt (Chris Colfer) in season 2. After Glee, Criss has earned raves for his title role in the revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway and on tour. Hedwig had a sex change operation to escape pre-WWII Germany with a G.I., but the operation was botched leaving Hedwig feeling like neither gender, and the G.I. left. The songs encompass anger, sorrow, and bittersweet joy. If you want to see any more, you’d have to buy a ticket.
Sebastian Smythe (Gustin) popped in and out of Glee so he didn’t get to do as many songs as the regulars. Plus, he was a villain! Under Smythe’s leadership, The Warblers covered some classic Billy Joel like “Uptown Girl” and Michael Jackson from “Bad” all the way back to The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” One Jackson song gave him a one-on-one with Santana (Naya Rivera) doing “Smooth Criminal” to a cello accompaniment.
John Barrowman’s stage credits are as impressive as his run on Doctor Who and its spinoff Torchwood. Anything Goes, Phantom of the Opera, Hair, Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, Godspell, Putting It Together, and many nonmusical dramas too. He’s even released albums covering classic showtunes and standards. So many to choose from, but above is the song he calls his anthem. Here’s Barrowman performing it live at the Royal Albert Hall in concert.
Jesse L. Martin was part of the original company of Rent when it conquered Broadway in the ’90s. He even reprised his role for the movie. Since Rent he’s had a long TV career with a steady gig on Law & Order. When he returned to stage, it was for Shakespeare, not musicals. So The Flash will hopefully be the first chance to hear him sing a song like “I’ll Cover You” again.
Valdes studied musical theater and performed in High School Musical, The Wedding Singer, and Jersey Boys on stage. Cavanagh was in Grease, A Chorus Line, Cabaret, and more on Broadway. Cavanagh has even appeared in some videos on Valdes’s music YouTube channel for his jazz band The Los. You can find The Los’s tracks and EP on iTunes as well as Band Camp, Spotify, and other audio services. Valdes’ goes solo in his smoldering video for “Night Off!”
Victor Garber had a long musical history before he ever appeared on camera. He was in the Canadian folk band The Sugar Shoppe and on stage in Godspell, Sweeney Todd, and Tony-nominated musical roles in Little Me and Damn Yankees. Fortunately, many of Garber’s ’90s performances are preserved on YouTube and televised awards shows. One could fall down a rabbit hole watching old Garber performances, so here’s Garber singing George Michael’s “Freedom” on the short-lived Eli Stone.
Supergirl episode “Star-Crossed” kicks off The CW’s musical crossover event on Monday, March 20 night at 8/7 C; The Flash episode “Duets” airs Tuesday, March 21 at 8/7 C on The CW
When there are four shows in the DC Arrowverse on The CW, how can you pick a favorite? Easy — make like PaleyFest and don’t choose. Instead of focusing on one of the superheroes, the week-long TV celebration invited cast members from Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow to participate in one panel alongside their producers.
Before the panel, Rotten Tomatoes spoke with Melissa Benoist, Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Brandon Routh, and producers of all four shows on the red carpet, and they dished on the big week ahead for the Arrowverse — which includes The Flash musical crossover; Supergirl‘s impending reveal that Mon-El (Chris Wood) is the prince of Daxam; on Arrow, Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) capture by Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra); and the Legends going to war.
Below, find 11 exciting developments coming up on Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow that we learned at Paleyfest, including season finale and future season plans!
Legends of Tomorrow showrunner Phil Klemmer told Rotten Tomatoes on the red carpet that season 3 will reboot the Waverider with some new Legends, just like the team did in the beginning of season 2. Producer Marc Guggenheim revealed that one of those newbies is pre-existing, but with a catch.
“We’re drawing on an established character who is not from the comics,” Guggenheim said. “Let me be very clear: not original to the show but not from the comics and not from any of the other DC Arrowverse shows.”
Perhaps it’s time to start watching other DC-based movies and TV shows that invented original characters to narrow down who might be the new hero poised to join the team. “That’s what I would do,” Guggenheim suggested.
During the panel, producer Andrew Kreisberg said that regardless of which DC villain ends up being the big bad of The Flash season 4, it will not be another speedster. Considering the show has already seen Reverse Flash, Professor Zoom, and Savitar, that might be prudent.
“Next season we’re not going to have a speedster as the villain,” Kreisberg said on the panel.
On the red carpet, day-to-day showrunners Todd and Aaron Helbing said they also expect to back off the time travel and alternate reality concept next season. “We haven’t really talked that much about season 4 yet, but I don’t think we’re going to do as much time traveling,” Todd said.
Added Aaron, “We like playing with the timelines and the different time periods and future and past. For now, I think we’re going to focus on the present.”
The teaser to this week’s Supergirl revealed guest stars Teri Hatcher and Kevin Sorbo hailing Mon-El as the prince of Daxam. Kara (Benoist) tells him, “This changes everything.” On the red carpet, Benoist elaborated on why Kara feels Mon-El’s title changes things.
“Well, when you find out that the person you love hasn’t been honest with you about who they really are, and when you disagree so wholeheartedly with the way they were raised and where they come from, it’s not going to bode well for them romantically,” Benoist said. “The title definitely stirs up some old feelings. Kryptonians and Daxamites do not agree. It’s a little Hatfield/McCoys, Romeo and Juliet sort of thing.”
On the panel, producers of The Flash said that the musical episode is not just a gimmick. It addresses where both Barry (Gustin) and guest star Kara are in their love lives, and Todd Helbing explained why the musical fantasy is a period piece.
“Music Meister transports whoever he whammies into a universe that they create,” he said. “Why they’re in the musical stems from something that was born out of Barry’s childhood.”
On the red carpet, Benoist and Gustin described filming the ’20s-style song-and-dance numbers.
“I had been in Thoroughly Modern Millie and we sort of sometimes did genre songs on Glee,” Benoist said. “We did ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’ so sometimes we got to dress up and be in period clothes. This time, being so immersed in that world was awesome.”
Gustin’s fast feet came right back to him in real life. “I started as a tap dancer as an 8-year-old and did it until I was 17, and haven’t tapped really in 10 years,” Gustin said. “They sent me a video of all the choreography and I started to run over it at home. My feet were figuring it out before my brain was.”
Iris West (Patton) appears in the musical as a different character named Millie Floss. “I’ve got a wig situation,” Patton said on the red carpet. “She’s completely different and she’s very much a part of helping Barry and Kara remember that love is the most important thing.”
Showrunner Aaron Helbing said two of the five original songs written for the episode should be available on iTunes or the CWTV website after the episode airs.
The teaser for this week’s episode shows what happens to Oliver after Adrian Chase finally captured him: torture. Arrow showrunner Wendy Mericle told Rotten Tomatoes on the red carpet just how dark it gets.
“Oliver goes through arguably the toughest thing he’s ever been through with Adrian Chase,” Mericle said. “Stephen gives this performance that he’s more or less broken at the end of the episode.”
Barry has always loved Iris, but his proposal might’ve ruined the future they had together (since he only popped the question in an attempt to change the future and save her life). On the red carpet, though, Patton said she still has hope for the couple.
“I think for Barry and Iris there’s always a way to come back,” she said. “They are really and truly each other’s true loves. They just have to get on the same page and stick with it.”
Todd Helbing added that the musical episode gives a hint as to where Barry and Iris are heading. “You’ll see at the end of the musical where Iris and Barry are,” he said. “It sort of kickstarts the last six episodes. There’s another episode further down the line were Barry does something to get a key piece of information to help them, and that really snowballs into the last couple episodes.”
Arrow is now in its fifth season, so by now fans noticed a particular formula for each of the prior four season finales. But with Adrian Chase/Prometheus as the villain, Mericle said Arrow is changing it up.
“I’ll just say this: Star City is not in jeopardy,” she said on the red carpet. “As we’ve joked before, there’s always a terrorist attack on Star City in May. Not this time. Prometheus is a very personal villain, very psychological villain and the ending will be appropriate to that.”
Arrow also introduced Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig) this season, and her presence could complicate things for Oliver by the end of the season. Producer Marc Guggenheim said it runs in the family.
“I would say that she probably bears more of a resemblance to her father than [her sister] Nyssa does,” Guggenheim said.
With Supergirl on The CW, the network managed to stage a four-show crossover in the Fall. While the producers admit scheduling crossovers is difficult, they’ve still got more ideas. They may not have a choice, either.
On the panel, Amell shared a story of a dinner he had with CW president Mark Pedowitz. “I say, ‘Mark, we’re gonna do a crossover every year, right?’” Amell recalled. “He goes, ‘You’re f—ing right we are.’”
Kreisberg felt the “Heroes Vs. Aliens” event was not the best they could do. “We’re going to try to do a real, true four-way crossover with all four shows,” Kreisberg promised on the panel.
Teasing some of the post-musical episodes on The Flash, Kreisberg said on the panel that DC villain Abra Kadabra would play a major role in defeating Savitar.
“[Episode] 18 has Abra Kadabra, who’s also a villain from the future,” Kreisberg said. “He knows who Savitar is and it becomes a moral conundrum to Barry and the team to let Abra Kadabra go in order to get Savitar’s identity. It’s one of those great morality plays. Can you be a hero if you do one bad thing for the greater good?”
In the following episode, Barry himself goes to the future. “Nineteen is called ‘The Once And Future Flash,’” Kreisberg said. “Barry decides that the only way he can find out what he needs to know is in the future.”
The Legends of Tomorrow go back to World War I this week. On the red carpet, Routh said to expect some trench warfare. “We’re in trenches, which is pretty cool,” Routh said. “They built trenches and that was kind of fun to be in.”
Klemmer added that before the end of the season, the show plays with reality beyond time bending. “We’re going to get into some very strange, mind-bending, experimental alternate kind of reality action,” Klemmer said.
Working with an ex is complicated, as exemplified by Felicity’s (Emily Bett Rickards) Team Arrow conundrum. But just because she’s accepted the invitation to join Helix doesn’t mean there’s no hope for her to find a way back into the light.
“She got involved with Helix and she’s now in this really dark space,” Mericle said. “We’re going to see how she comes out on the other end of that. There’s always hope on Arrow. As dark as we get, ultimately I think there’s a lot of hope on the show.”
Supergirl airs Monday nights at 8 p.m.; The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.; and Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
The proliferation of television shows based on comic books means producers must dig deeper – much deeper – than the marquee characters of major motion pictures and TV’s yesteryear. With the Justice League, the Avengers, and a good number of X-Men unavailable, a lot of these second- and third-tier characters have a new chance at popularity.
Of course, adapting some of these characters is more difficult than trying to make a man fly. Some require radical reinvention, while others just need a change of clothes. And every so often, one is so perfectly realized in the pages of their source comic that the best thing television can do is let them live in their four-color glory. Let’s take a look at a handful of some of the most successful of these recent comic books–to–TV reinventions.
One of the most recent comic book characters to enter the TV fray is not known for his amazing abilities or status as a beloved icon with T-shirt sales to prove his worth. Instead, Archie Comics’ Jughead Jones is known more for three things: a sunny disposition, his crown-like whoopee cap, and a voracious appetite. First appearing in Pep Comics #22, Juggie has been Archie’s best friend for at least three generations despite the character’s lack of interest in sports or girls (Archie’s favorite subjects). Typically, the character’s quirks are played for comedic effect, but the new CW series Riverdale shows that Jughead can have layers.
His appetite for hamburgers has been replaced with a thirst for justice as the town’s resident chronicler. A recent episode also revealed he was living in a drive-in movie theater; no doubt a source of his tendency to brood far more often than his classic comic-book interpretation. Elements of the characterization debuted in a major 2015 reboot of Archie Comics and the 2016 Jughead comic book series written by Chip Zdarsky and, later, Ryan North. But as played by Cole Sprouse, Archie’s ex-best friend is a delight to watch as he and Betty attempt to solve Jason Blossom’s murder and re-establish Riverdale High’s student newspaper.
One element that may not transfer from his new comic book status quo to screen is Jughead’s status as asexual. Sprouse has offered his support for that interpretation of the character in interviews, but it seems the producers of Riverdale may have other ideas.
And though it may seem one of the most radical departures from comics to TV, Jughead’s sense of fair play and outsider persona are well established traits in the comics, if usually presented in a happier light. If anything, the show has identified a number of dramatically provocative elements that make him an essential part of the series and a possible trendsetter with his modern take on the whoopee cap.
Riverdale airs Thursdays at 9/8C on The CW; series returns March 30
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has offered a weekly glimpse into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for nearly five years, but as its ties to the films’ universe appear to become fewer, the series has found a new niche in focusing on Marvel Comics characters that may not be strong enough to carry their own film or television series. One example is the recent storyline featuring Ghost Rider.
The character first debuted in 1972 in the form of Johnny Blaze (created by Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, and Mike Ploog), but his television form comes from a recent Ghost Rider series by writer Felipe Smith with artist Tradd Moore.
Robbie Reyes is a hard working high school kid from the Lincoln Heights section of Los Angeles who happens to become possessed by the angry spirit of his Satan-worshipping dead uncle. In exchange for the powers of Ghost Rider, Robbie agrees to help Uncle Eli with his need to kill. But all Robbie really wants is to make the neighborhood safe for his developmentally challenged little brother Gabe.
On S.H.I.E.L.D., the producers went for a fairly faithful approach; right down to Robbie’s jacket, Lincoln Heights stomping ground, and boss Dodge Charger. A few alterations to his origin include receiving his powers directly from Johnny Blaze and Eli turning up alive in prison, but hellbent on learning the secrets of an ancient dark tome presumably stolen from the library at Kamar-Taj. He is also older than his comic-book counterpart.
Played by Gabriel Luna, the character gave the series some truly great episodes and one absolutely amazing sequence: the showdown between Ghost Rider and the Inhuman Hellfire in a fireworks factory.
While Ghost Rider – in any of his forms – may never be strong enough to carry a series, Luna’s Ghost Rider made for a spectacular ally (and occasional foil) for Coulson’s team simply by bringing the strongest elements of the comic book Robbie Reyes to the screen.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 10/9 C on ABC; series returns April 4
Perhaps one of the most unconventional characters on the list, Patsy Walker began her Marvel Comics career in the teen romance–comedy comics published by Marvel when it was known as Timely Comics in the 1940s. Created by Otto Binder and Ruth Atkinson in the pages of Miss America Magazine #2, Patsy soon earned her own title and survived changes in comic book trends and the company’s evolving identity until 1965 when Patsy Walker was canceled. She made a cameo appearance at wedding of the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richard and Sue Storm that same year, but would not become a Marvel superhero until writer Steve Engelhart revived her in the pages of The Avengers in 1976. Adopting the name Hellcat, she eventually became a member of the Defenders. Sometime later, she died — as many Marvel heroes do — and returned from Hell with magic-based powers. In recent years, she became the best friend of She-Hulk Jennifer Walters.
In an interesting wrinkle, the Patsy Walker comics of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s became part of her backstory; the in-universe products of her estranged and manipulative mother. In the current series, Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat!, this aspect of her past became relevant again as Patsy’s rival from the teen comics, Hedy Wolfe, attempted to seize control of her mother’s estate to reprint and profit from the Patsy Walker series. The resulting fanfare lead to Hellcat becoming internet famous in both her personas while also opening old wounds.
On Marvel’s Netflix series Jessica Jones, Patsy’s magical powers and superhero credentials were replaced with a popular New York radio show and a very special role as best friend to Jessica (Krysten Ritter), who is endowed with superstrength and other abilities.
Interestingly, the producers of the series seized on Patsy’s relationship with her mother and the Patsy Walker comics to create an involving supporting character. In the show’s history, Trish (as she is called) starred on the television teen comedy It’s Patsy and was forced to live the life her mother created for the character.
Escaping from her mother left Trish paranoid, but also interested in learning to fight. She trains in advanced martial arts and also prods Jessica into using her powers to help people, setting off the main story of the first season. It remains to be seen if this means Trish will eventually become Hellcat in Marvel’s TV New York, but actress Rachael Taylor already admitted that the prospect would be amazing.
Trish Walker appeared in voiceover in Luke Cage and will also appear in upcoming Marvel superhero ensemble series The Defenders on Netflix alongside Jessica, Luke, Daredevil, and Iron Fist.
Jessica Jones is available to stream on Netflix
One remarkable aspect of The CW’s various series based on DC Comics is their surprising devotion to the “Detroit Era” of the Justice League of America comic book. From 1984 to 1987, Aquaman ran the League out of old Detroit factory, and it featured members like Martian Manhunter (now appearing on Supergirl), Citizen Steel (now on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Vixen (star of the CW Seed series and a character on Legends), Gypsy (a Flash guest character), and Vibe. The latter was notable for being the first Puerto Rican superhero in the DC Universe, but his stereotypical gangland roots and penchant for breakdancing while using his sonic powers soon made him a punchline. He also died during the 1987 Legends crossover event.
This didn’t stop Flash’s eventual executive producer Andrew Kreisberg from attempting to rehabilitate the character in his own Vibe series in 2013. Teased as a member of the New 52’s Justice League, Vibe was said to be the survivor of a close encounter with an interdimensional gate known as a Boom Tube, developing sonic powers thereafter.
But the real saving throw for Vibe came when Kreisberg and producers Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim enlisted him into the ranks of Team Flash in the Flash series they were developing for The CW.
Played by Carlos Valdes, Vibe was reshaped as Cisco Ramon; an engineer of particular skill, an expert in nerdy media, and a procurer of fantastic T-shirts. With no gang affiliations or a particular need to breakdance, he was quite a departure from the Justice League Detroit character, but also a further adaption from Kreisberg’s earlier work with the character. At first Cisco exhibited no powers, but was presented as an equal amongst the S.T.A.R. Labs crew. Ready with the wry quip or pop culture reference, he quickly became one of Barry Allen’s closest friends. In the second season, his metahuman abilities began to emerge and now resemble the skill set Kreisberg gave the character in the comic book.
Unlike the previous characters on this list, Cisco required the most reconstruction as the character underneath the superpowers needed serious thought and consideration. It is interesting to note that the Flash production team had to look at him first as a character before thinking about him as a superhero – he’s only recently worn a costume. The end result is a character filled with a charm one suspects his creators always wanted him to have, but never quite accomplished.
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7 C on The CW
Lar Gand of Daxam has a lush, but often rewritten history in the DC Comics Universe, making him an ideal choice for reinvention of TV.
As he first appeared in Superboy #89, he was an amnesiac explorer with nearly identical strengths as Superboy. Believing him to be another survivor of Krypton, Clark dubbed him “Mon-El” and helped him integrate into Smallville society. Eventually, they discovered — to Mon-El’s horror — that he is not Kryptonian. He is also deathly allergic to lead, and a severe reaction forces Clark to send his new friend into the Phantom Zone where he had to remain for 1,000 years to suspend the lethal effects of the poisoning. In the 2960s, the Legion of Super-Heroes finally discovered a means to stave off Mon-El’s vulnerability to lead and induct him into the team.
Beyond similar powers, Mon-El was very much a version of Superboy with a side order of wanderlust. His sense of honor and dedication to his new team led him to become a favorite character among Legion fans in the 1970s. He served two terms as the team leader and as DC Comics changed its in-universe history, he eventually became the inspiration for the Legion in a time travel story more complex than Doctor Who.
But bringing him to The CW’s Supergirl meant reinterpreting not just the character, but his homeworld. On the show, Daxam is depicted as a sister planet to Krypton; sharing the same sun and engaging in a fierce sibling rivalry. Both are completely new elements as the Daxam of DC Comics has always been a world colonized by ancient Kryptonians in another part of the universe. The society of that comic book planet is extremely xenophobic and isolationist. On Supergirl, Kara’s secondhand knowledge of Daxam led her to believe it is a world of autocratic excesses.
This would also seem to be true of Mon-El. Though he claims to be a guard to the prince of Daxam, his boorish, almost fratty tendencies – played with aplomb by Chris Wood — suggest a more affluent upbringing. (A tease for the March 20 episode seemingly gives away Mon-El’s ruse: Looks like he’s actually a prince.) It is also a wild departure from the straight-laced symbol of valor in the Legion comics of the 20th century. At the same time, the changes positioned him as a worthy romantic foil for Kara.
It could also be suggested that this Mon-El will eventually be that heroic Legionnaire of a far-away time. He just has to learn some humility (and to listen to Kara) before he adopts a blue cape and superhero identity.
Perhaps that is what makes this adaptation so successful. Despite a number of wild departures from the comics, Mon-El is on an interesting path. Though he clearly has been holding back a big secret, his time on Earth has been far more productive than a simple case of lead poisoning and a trip to the Phantom Zone.
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7C on The CW
Now a beloved member of Team Arrow, Felicity Smoak began her comics career with a very different role – an opponent for Firestorm. First appearing in The Fury of Firestorm #23, writer Jerry Conway and artist Rafael Kayanan fashioned her as a supervisor at a software firm where Firestorm caused serious collateral damage to their in-development projects. She threatened to sue him and continued to appear in the series as a reminder of unintended consequences.
Ultimately, she married the father of Ronnie Raymond, one half of the team who make up Firestorm. The two eventually called a truce, but Felicity never stopped reminding Ronnie about the damage Firestorm’s powers can unleash. Unlike other characters on the list, Felicity never developed beyond those Firestorm appearances and became DC Comics trivia as Firestorm himself lost relevance.
In 2012, Felicity was re-imagined as an IT expert working at Queen Consolidated in the television series Arrow. Initially planned to be a one-off character with a deep-pull name from DC Comics lore, actress Emily Bett Rickards impressed the producers with her performance, and Felicity soon became a regular facet of Starling City.
Other than retaining the character’s computer background, Arrow had a great amount of freedom adapting the minor DC Comics character into the quippy voice of reason; bringing much needed light to the gruff-voiced duo of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and John Diggle (David Ramsey). That freedom gave rise to a character that can be believable as a goth hacktivist college kid and the CEO of Palmer Tech.
The success of Felicity’s adaptation led to the creation of a specific support class within The CW’s superhero shows. It is hard to imagine Winn on Supergirl or even Cisco without Felicity establishing the way.
Arrow airs on Wednesdays at 8/7 C on The CW
So imagine the pitch to a network executive: “This week, the Flash fights a giant, intelligent, telepathic gorilla with mind control powers.” It sounds insane. It always has from the moment Barry Allen first fought Gorilla Grodd in the pages of 1959’s The Flash #106. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, Grodd was a criminal mastermind from a society of hyper-intelligent apes who sought to become its unquestioned leader and, from there, conquer the world.
Yeah, it still sounds insane. But the producers of The Flash television series figured out a way to make it all work by parsing out Grodd’s basic premise over three years and four episodes. Introduced as one of S.T.A.R. Labs’s test animals, Grodd made his first real appearance late in the show’s debut season.
Voiced by David Sobolov, Grodd sought revenge on a U.S. Army general who tortured him during a joint S.T.A.R. Labs–Army experiment in mind control. The season 1 big bad, the Reverse-Flash, was more than happy to assist Grodd and later used him as a distraction when his civilian identity was revealed to the Flash.
In his second season appearance, he hoped to create more apes like himself. Team Flash tried their best to help him by sending him to another Earth where a society of intelligent gorillas already existed. In the most recent episodes, he became ruler of Gorilla City and returned to Earth-1 in an attempt to make it a world under Grodd.
Grodd is, perhaps, the best example of comic book character adapted to TV faithfully while also well-realized. In parceling him out in manageable segments, the show’s staff established him first as a character – even a sympathetic one – before making him a true adversary of the Flash. In doing so, they also managed to create a plausible TV reality in which a hyper-intelligent gorilla with mind control powers is not instantly the most laughable thing on television that week, but instead an anticipated and marketable event.
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7 C on The CW
Is there a comic book character who you think surpasses his or her (or its) paper potential on TV? Tell us in the comments! Comments
The Flash’s two-parter concludes this week with Grodd leading his gorilla army to the Central City of Earth-One. Last week, Barry (Grant Gustin), Cisco (Carlos Valdes), Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker), and Julian (Tom Felton) traveled to Earth-Two to rescue Harry (Tom Cavanagh) from Grodd. Barry defeated Grodd’s boss Solovar, but when Grodd took over Gorilla City, Barry and his friends escaped back to Earth-One.
This week’s The Flash picks up with Grodd taking the fight to Central City. As the gorilla army plunders the streets, Rotten Tomatoes asks, “Who is really king of the apes?” There’s a good case for either Solovar or Grodd. Let’s break down the strengths and weaknesses of each gorilla, and you can vote for the king of the apes before they make their last stand.
Grodd began life as a silverback gorilla — already one of nature’s most powerful creatures — before S.T.A.R. Labs’ experiment made him a meta-gorilla. Now psychic, he’s got brains as well as brawn.
Solovar is clearly the alpha. He can smack Grodd down in his tracks. Even Grodd knew he couldn’t defeat Solovar himself, so he enlisted Barry to do his dirty work.
Grodd’s psychic powers come in handy for controlling humans, like he did with Harry and Cisco. His whole scheme to make Barry beat Solovar to put Grodd in power was Machiavellian.
Solovar had some good battle tactics against Barry. Knowing speed was his asset, Solovar made him stumble and blocked the sonic waves he was generating. He didn’t see Grodd’s moves coming though.
Grodd just wanted to rule Gorilla City. He was happy with his kingdom as long as it was his. At least, that’s what he said before Barry ruined everything and took off back to Central City.
Solovar wanted to kill humans. In his defense, have you spent much time with a human lately? Still, when it comes down to lessers of two evils, oppression > genocide.
David Sobolov has been the voice of Grodd since season 1. He’s got that deep, raspy intimidation factor down.
Solovar is voiced by Keith David. His voice is legendary. That’s why he played Spawn in HBO’s animated series and narrated The Bible. In live-action, he fought Roddy Piper over a pair of sunglasses in They Live and played a menacing drug dealer in Requiem For A Dream. For a laugh, he was also Mary (Cameron Diaz)’s dad in There’s Something About Mary.
As a silverback, Grodd is mostly black fur and markings, with the hint of silver male gorillas of the species have. Quite intimidating.
On the other end of the color spectrum, Solovar is white with pink paws, nose, and mouth. Solovar is more of the white sheep in a herd of silverbacks. Maybe that’s why he’s risen to the top to dominate them.
The Flash airs Tuesday nights a 8 p.m. on The CW
The people have spoken, and the results are in. Check out the list below for the winners of the People’s Choice Awards 2017, celebrated last night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Ellen DeGeneres made history at the show by becoming the most decorated People’s Choice Awards winner of all time.
Movies | Television | Music & Digital
The polls are officially open at the People’s Choice Awards website, where you can vote for your 2016 favorites in film, TV, music and digital starting now. The nominees, revealed this morning, were chosen entirely by fans, who voted from Oct 25 through Nov 3 to pick the finalists. You can see the full list of nominees below, and go to PeoplesChoice.com to cast your vote. The 2017 edition of the People’s Choice Awards will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on CBS on Jan 18.
Movie Nominations | TV Nominations | Music & Digital
It’s time again for our weekly countdown of the Fall TV premieres! Here are the best new shows for the week of Friday, October 7, 2016. See how this week’s shows, No Tomorrow, Insecure, Timeless, Divorce, Conviction, The Flash, and Frequency stack up against each other on the Tomatometer!
20%
- -
63%
72%
77%
85%
85%
63%
83%
85%
88%
86%
100%
81%
But if you’re behind on your TV watching, or your reading for that matter, never fear true believers: We have a guide to current superhero shows on television and available for streaming, including which comic universe they belong to, so you know who’s likely to do a crossover episode or two … or three or four.
Though inspired by comic books that are part of the same fictional universe as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, the shows in the Arrow universe are actually unconnected to such DC Comics movies as Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and the upcoming Wonder Woman, Justice League, Cyborg, Aquaman, and Flash flicks. Or, for that matter, a certain show about a juvenile Caped Crusader. They’re all encapsulated in the Arrow-verse, and will see a four-way crossover this season in which Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, and the heroes of Legends of Tomorrow join forces to battle an alien race called the Dominators that was introduced in 1980s comics-crossover Invasion!
Played By: Stephen Amell (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows)
Show Created By: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim
Where to See It: Wednesdays, 8 p.m., on The CW returning October 5. Seasons one through three are available on Netflix.
Who Is He? After being stranded on a deserted island for five years, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen returns home to Starling City, where he uses his considerable skills with a bow and arrow to fight crime.
Fun Fact: Three of the actors who’ve co-starring or had recurring roles on Arrow — John Barrowman (who plays Malcolm Merlyn), Alex Kingston (Dinah Lance), and Colin Salmon (Walter Steele) — also had recurring roles on Doctor Who.
Played By: Grant Gustin (Glee)
Show Created By: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns
Where to See It: Tuesdays, 8 p.m., on The CW returning October 4. Season one is available on Netflix.
Who Is He? After being struck by lightning that was infused with radiation from a malfunctioning particle accelerator, crime scene investigator Barry Allen finds he’s become the fastest man alive.
Fun Fact: Mark Hamill, who played The Trickster on this show, previously played that same bad guy in the 1991 TV series The Flash, and has voiced him in both the Justice League cartoon and in the animated movie LEGO DC Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom!
Played By: Rip Hunter: Arthur Darvill (Broadchurch); Atom: Brandon Routh (Chuck); Chronos: Dominic Purcell (Prison Break); Captain Cold (who sacrificed himself at the end of season 1): Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) ; Firestorm: Victor Garber (Alias) and Franz Drameh (Attack the Block); White Canary: Caity Lotz (Arrow); Hawkman: Falk Hentschel (White House Down); Hawkgirl: Ciara Renée (Big Fish)
Show Created By: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim, Phil Klemmer
Where to See It: Thursdays, 8 p.m., on The CW returning October 13.
Who Are They? To prevent Vandal Savage from destroying the world, a time traveler named Rip Hunter (Darvill) assembles a group of superheroes and supervillains to save the Earth.
Fun Fact: Legends of Tomorrow isn’t the first time Routh has played a comic book character. Not only was he the Man of Steel in Superman Returns, but he also starred in the comic book adaptations Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and Dylan Dog: Dead of Night.
Played By: Melissa Benoist (Glee)
Show Created By: Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg
Where to See It: Mondays, 8 p.m., debuting on The CW (season one aired on CBS and is available on Netflix) starting October 10
Who Is She? Years after Superman started fighting crime, his teenage cousin Kara Zor-El arrives on Earth and decides to follow in his footsteps.
Fun Fact: In the first season, Kara’s adoptive human parents were played by Helen Slater, who played Supergirl in the 1984 movie of the same name, while her dad was Dean Cain from the show Lois & Clark. In season 2, Lynda Carter of Wonder Woman fame plays the president.
Just as all their comic books are connected, so too are all of Marvel Comics’ movies and TV shows. But while Daredevil hasn’t had lunch with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Agent Coulson yet, Netflix are prepping a miniseries called The Defenders that will have Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil’s frenemy The Punisher, and Iron Fist (the latter two of which have their own Netflix shows in the pipeline) teaming up Avengers-style. Daredevil‘s second season aired earlier this year, and Jessica Jones isn’t debuting a new season this fall, but we have a lot to look forward to from those two Marvel superheroes.
Played By: Agent Coulson: Clark Gregg (The New Adventures of Old Christine); Melina May: Ming-Na Wen (The Joy Luck Club); Quake: Chloe Bennet (Nashville); Leo Fitz: Iain De Caestecker (Not Another Happy Ending); Jemma Simmons: Elizabeth Henstridge (Reach Me); Mack: Henry Simmons (NYPD Blue)
Show Created By: Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen
Where to See It: Tuesdays, 10 p.m., on ABC. Seasons one through three are available on Netflix.
Who Are They? Remember those guys in The Avengers with the big, flying aircraft carrier who helped out Iron Man and his superfriends? Yeah, Coulson and crew used to work for them, then they didn’t, and now they do again.
Fun Fact: While some of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s characters were created just for this show or the movies, they’re all comic characters now, as you can see in the books S.H.I.E.L.D: Volume 1: Perfect Bullets and S.H.I.E.L.D: Volume 2: The Man Called D.E.A.T.H. from former Fantastic Four writer Marc Waid.
Played By: Mike Colter (The Good Wife)
Show Created By: Cheo Hodari Coker
Where To See It: Season 1 debuted on Netflix Sept. 28.
Who Is He? While he has unbreakable skin and superhuman strength, Luke, in this show, has not become a Daredevil-esque superhero…yet.
Fun Fact: In the comics, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones are not only married, but they have a kid together. Best part: their babysitter is Squirrel Girl — y’know, the fuzzy superhero with a tail who talks to squirrels and once beat up Galactus.
Though this show is — like The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow — based on stories from DC Comics, it’s actually not connected to those shows. Or, for that matter, the DC Comics movies. It’s all alone at the center of its own universe.
Played By: James Gordon: Ben McKenzie (The O.C.); Harvey Bullock: Donal Logue (Grounded for Life); Bruce Wayne: David Mazouz (Touch); Alfred Pennyworth: Sean Pertwee (Elementary); Penguin: Robin Lord Taylor (Accepted); Leslie Thompkins: Morena Baccarin (Firefly)
Show Created By: Bruno Heller
Where to See It: Mondays, 8 p.m., on Fox. Seasons one and two are available on Netflix.
Who Are They? In this Batman prequel show, the future Commissioner Gordon starts out as a beat cop, Penguin slowly builds his criminal empire, and The Dark Knight is just a kid who hasn’t learned the joys of cosplay.
Fun Fact: Gotham City’s mental hospital Arkham Asylum takes its name from the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, who died two years before Batman first took flight in 1939’s Detective Comics #27.
Robbie Amell and Grae Drake got together in Toronto during TIFF to chat about his latest movie, ARQ, that premiered on Netflix on September 16. They talked timeloops, the mysteries of ARQ, bachelor parties, and played a game we call Fresh/Rotten Questions.
Clockwise from top left: Marvel’s Luke Cage, Wolf Creek, The Simpsons, Harley and the Davidsons, NCIS, The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again
It’s time for the Rotten Tomatoes one-stop fall TV premieres guide. This season promises to be an exciting one, with hotly anticipated premieres (Westworld, MacGyver), one-off special events (Hairspray Live!), and returning favorites (Gilmore Girls, The Blacklist). Whatever your tastes, this fall season is bound to have something for you. See below for the full list, which will be updated as more information develops. Happy New TV Time, everybody!
September | October | November | Winter | TBA
Friday, Sept. 2
Narcos: Season 2 ()
93%
, Netflix
Monday, Sept. 5
Harley and the Davidsons: Miniseries ()
80%
, 9 p.m., Discovery
Mary and Jane: Season 1 ()
38%
, 10 p.m., MTV
Loosely, Exactly Nicole: Season 1 ()
60%
, 10:30 p.m. MTV
Tuesday, Sept. 6
StartUp: Season 1 ()
36%
, Crackle
9/11 Inside the Pentagon (2016)
- -
, 8 p.m., PBS
Dance Moms: Season 6 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., Lifetime (returning)
From Dusk Till Dawn: Season 3 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., El Rey
Atlanta: Season 1 ()
98%
, 10 p.m., FX
Queen Sugar: Season 1 ()
94%
, 10 p.m., OWN
Wednesday, Sept. 7
Full Circle: Season 3 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., DirecTV
Thursday, Sept. 8
Better Things: Season 1 ()
95%
series premiere, 10 p.m., FX
Quarry
Friday, Sept. 9
One Mississippi: Season 1 ()
93%
, Amazon
Quarry: Season 1 ()
78%
, 10 p.m., Cinemax
Saturday, Sept. 10
Girl in the Box (2016)
- -
, 8 p.m., Lifetime
Sunday, Sept. 11
The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth: Season 1 ()
75%
, 8 p.m., Showtime
Son of Zorn: Season 1 ()
58%
, 8 p.m., FOX
Indian Summers: Season 2 ()
- -
, 10 p.m., PBS
Masters of Sex: Season 4 ()
80%
, 10 p.m., Showtime
Monday, Sept. 12
Dancing With the Stars: Season 23 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., ABC
Documentary Now!
Wednesday, Sept. 14
American Horror Story: Roanoke ()
74%
, 10 p.m., FX
Blindspot: Season 2 ()
100%
, 10 p.m., NBC
Documentary Now!: Season 2 ()
93%
, 10 p.m., IFC
South Park: Season 20 ()
73%
, 10 p.m., Comedy Central
Legends of Chamberlain Heights: Season 1 ()
40%
, 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central
Friday, Sept. 16
Fleabag: Season 1 ()
100%
, Amazon
The White Helmets (2016)
100%
, Netflix
Z Nation: Season 3 ()
- -
,8 p.m., SyFy
High Maintenance: Season 1 ()
95%
, 10 p.m., HBO
Saturday, Sept. 17
Sister Cities (2016)
- -
, 8 p.m., Lifetime
Sunday, Sept. 18
()
, 8:30 p.m., CBS
Monday, Sept. 19
The Big Bang Theory: Season 10 ()
83%
, 8 p.m., CBS
Gotham: Season 3 ()
74%
, 8 p.m., FOX
The Voice: Season 11 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., NBC
Kevin Can Wait: Season 1 ()
28%
, 8:30 p.m., CBS
Lucifer: Season 2 ()
100%
, 9 p.m., FOX
The Good Place: Season 1 ()
92%
, 10 p.m., NBC
StarTalk: Season 3 ()
- -
, 11 p.m., NatGeo
This Is Us
Tuesday, Sept. 20
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 4 ()
100%
, 8 p.m., Fox
NCIS: Season 14 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., CBS
New Girl: Season 6 ()
- -
, 8:30 p.m., FOX
Bull: Season 1 ()
22%
, 9 p.m., CBS
Two Who Dared: The Sharp's War (2016)
100%
, 9 p.m., PBS
Scream Queens: Season 2 ()
86%
, 9 p.m., FOX
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4 ()
96%
. 10 p.m., ABC
NCIS: New Orleans: Season 3 ()
- -
, 10 p.m., CBS
This Is Us: Season 1 ()
92%
, 10 p.m., NBC
Wednesday, Sept. 21
The Goldbergs: Season 4 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., ABC
Lethal Weapon: Season 1 ()
67%
, 8 p.m., FOX
Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X ()
- -
, 8 p.m., CBS
Speechless: Season 1 ()
98%
, 8:30 p.m., ABC
Empire: Season 3 ()
87%
, 9 p.m., FOX
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 18 ()
100%
, 9 p.m., NBC
Modern Family: Season 8 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., ABC
black-ish: Season 3 ()
100%
, 9:30 p.m., ABC
Chicago P.D.: Season 4 ()
- -
, 10 p.m., NBC
Designated Survivor: Season 1 ()
87%
, 10 p.m., ABC
Falling Water: Season 1 ()
26%
, midnight, USA (preview)
Grey’s Anatomy
Thursday, Sept. 22
Easy: Season 1 ()
85%
, Amazon
Grey's Anatomy: Season 13 ()
89%
, 8 p.m., ABC
Rosewood: Season 2 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., FOX
Superstore: Season 2 ()
100%
, 8 p.m., NBC (returning)
Chicago Med: Season 2 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., NBC
Notorious: Season 1 ()
22%
, 9 p.m., ABC
Pitch: Season 1 ()
93%
, 9 p.m., FOX
The Blacklist: Season 4 ()
90%
, 10 p.m., NBC
How to Get Away With Murder: Season 3 ()
90%
, 10 p.m., ABC
Friday, Sept 23
Longmire: Season 5 ()
- -
, Netflix
Transparent: Season 3 ()
100%
, Amazon
Caught on Camera With Nick Cannon: Season 3 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., NBC
Hell's Kitchen: Season 16 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., FOX
Last Man Standing: Season 6 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., ABC
MacGyver: Season 1 ()
25%
, 8 p.m., CBS
Dr. Ken: Season 2 ()
- -
, 8:30 p.m., ABC
The Exorcist: Season 1 ()
79%
, 9 p.m., FOX
Hawaii Five-0: Season 7 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., CBS
Shark Tank: Season 8 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., ABC
Blue Bloods: Season 7 ()
- -
, 10 p.m., CBS
Van Helsing: Season 1 ()
82%
, 10 p.m., SyFy
Saturday, Sept 24
Star Wars Rebels: Season 3 ()
100%
, 8:30 p.m., Disney XD
Family Guy
Sunday, Sept. 25
Bob's Burgers: Season 7 ()
- -
, 7:30 p.m., FOX
NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 8 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., CBS
Once Upon a Time: Season 6 ()
89%
, 8 p.m., ABC
Poldark: Season 2 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., PBS
The Simpsons: Season 28 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., FOX
Family Guy: Season 15 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., FOX
Secrets and Lies: Season 2 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., ABC
The Last Man on Earth: Season 3 ()
78%
, 9:30 p.m., FOX
Quantico: Season 2 ()
60%
, 10 p.m., ABC
Tuesday, Sept. 27
Aftermath: Season 1 ()
- -
, 10 p.m., SyFy
Drunk History: Season 4 ()
100%
, 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central
Wednesday, Sept. 28
Criminal Minds: Season 12 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., CBS
Code Black: Season 2 ()
- -
, 10 p.m., CBS
Younger: Season 3 ()
100%
, 10 p.m., TV Land
Impastor: Season 2 ()
- -
, 10:30 p.m., TV Land
Friday, Sept. 30
Amanda Knox (2016)
82%
, Netflix
Crisis in Six Scenes: Miniseries ()
18%
, Amazon
Marvel's Luke Cage: Season 1 ()
90%
, Netflix
Saturday, Oct. 1
Versailles: Season 1 ()
77%
, 10 p.m., Ovation (US premiere)
Saturday Night Live: Season 42 ()
57%
, 11:30 p.m., NBC
Westworld
Sunday, Oct. 2
America's Funniest Home Videos: Season 27 ()
- -
, 7 p.m., ABC
Ash vs Evil Dead: Season 2 ()
100%
, 8 p.m., Starz
Blunt Talk: Season 2 ()
- -
, 8:35 p.m., Starz
Madam Secretary: Season 3 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., CBS
Shameless: Season 7 ()
88%
, 9 p.m., Showtime
Westworld: Season 1 ()
87%
, 9 p.m., HBO
Elementary: Season 5 ()
100%
, 10 p.m., CBS
Monday, Oct.3
Class Divide (2015)
100%
, 9 p.m., HBO
Scorpion: Season 3 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., CBS
Conviction: Season 1 ()
20%
, 10 p.m., ABC
Timeless: Season 1 ()
83%
, 10 p.m., NBC
Tuesday, Oct.4
The Mindy Project: Season 5 ()
80%
, Hulu
The Flash: Season 3 ()
85%
, 8 p.m., CW
No Tomorrow: Season 1 ()
88%
, 9 p.m., CW
Wednesday, Oct. 5
Arrow: Season 5 ()
88%
, 8 p.m., CW
Frequency: Season 1 ()
77%
, 9 p.m., CW
Thursday, Oct. 6
Those Who Can't: Season 2 ()
- -
, 10:30 p.m., TruTV
Friday, Oct. 7
13TH (2016)
97%
, Netflix
The Ranch: Season 1 ()
60%
(returning), Netflix
Sunday, Oct. 9
Divorce: Season 1 ()
63%
, 10 p.m., HBO
Insecure: Season 1 ()
100%
, 10:30 p.m., HBO
Monday, Oct.10
Freakish: Season 1 ()
- -
, Hulu
()
, Netflix
Supergirl: Season 2 ()
92%
, 8 p.m., CW
2 Broke Girls: Season 6 ()
- -
, 9 p.m., CBS
American Housewife
Tuesday, Oct. 11
The Middle: Season 8 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., ABC
American Housewife: Season 1 ()
58%
, 8:30 p.m., ABC
Channel Zero: Candle Cove ()
86%
, 9 p.m., SyFy
Fresh Off the Boat: Season 3 ()
100%
, 9 p.m., ABC
The Real O'Neals: Season 2 ()
- -
, 9:30 p.m., ABC
Chicago Fire: Season 5 ()
- -
, 10 p.m., NBC
Thursday, Oct. 13
Mascots (2016)
48%
, Netflix
DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Season 2 ()
88%
, 8 p.m., CW
Supernatural: Season 12 ()
100%
, 9 p.m., CW
Falling Water: Season 1 ()
26%
, 10 p.m., USA (regular timeslot)
Friday, Oct. 14
Goliath: Season 1 ()
78%
, Amazon
Haters Back Off: Season 1 ()
50%
, Netflix
Wolf Creek: Miniseries ()
77%
, 10 p.m., POP
Saturday, Oct. 15
Glitch: Season 1 ()
80%
, Netflix (U.S. premiere)
Sunday, Oct. 16
Eyewitness: Season 1 ()
- -
, Amazon
Graves: Season 1 ()
55%
, Epix
The Durrells: Season 1 ()
94%
, 8 p.m., PBS
Killing Reagan (2016)
63%
, 8 p.m., Nat Geo
Berlin Station: Season 1 ()
60%
, 10:45 p.m., Epix
Monday, Oct. 17
Jane The Virgin: Season 3 ()
100%
, 9 p.m., CW
The Odd Couple: Season 3 ()
- -
, 9:30 p.m., CBS
Wednesday, Oct. 19
Chance: Season 1 ()
75%
, Hulu
Thursday, Oct. 20
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016)
29%
, 8 p.m., FOX
Black Mirror
Friday, Oct. 21
Black Mirror: Season 3 ()
86%
, Netflix
Midnight Diner -- Tokyo Stories: Season 1 ()
100%
, Netflix
The Vampire Diaries: Season 8 ()
100%
, 8 p.m., CW
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 2 ()
100%
, 9 p.m., CW
Saturday, Oct. 22
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: Season 1 ()
71%
, 9 p.m., BBC America
Sunday, Oct. 23
The Walking Dead: Season 7 ()
66%
, 9 p.m., AMC
Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell: Season 3 ()
- -
, 11:30 p.m., Cartoon (Adult Swim)
Dream Corp LLC: Season 1 ()
100%
, 11:45 p.m., Cartoon (Adult Swim)
Monday, Oct. 24
Man With a Plan: Season 1 ()
21%
, 8:30 p.m., CBS
()
, 9 p.m., HBO
Wednesday, Oct. 26
Rectify: Season 4 ()
100%
, 10 p.m., Sundance
Thursday, Oct. 27
The Great Indoors: Season 1 ()
45%
, 8:30 p.m., CBS
The Living and the Dead: Miniseries ()
83%
, 9 p.m., BBC America
()
, 9 p.m., CBS
Life in Pieces: Season 2 ()
- -
, 9:30, CBS
Pure Genius: Season 1 ()
26%
, 10 p.m., CBS
Friday, Oct. 28
Good Girls Revolt: Season 1 ()
71%
, Amazon
Into the Inferno (2016)
92%
, Netflix
Skylanders Academy: Season 1 ()
- -
, Netflix
Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park: Europe ()
- -
, Netflix
Tracey Ullman's Show: Season 1 ()
90%
, 11 p.m., HBO
Saturday, Oct. 29
The Fall: Season 3 ()
65%
, Netflix
Monday, Oct. 31
Chewing Gum: Season 1 ()
100%
, Netflix
People of Earth: Season 1 ()
89%
, 9 p.m., TBS
Salem
Wednesday, Nov. 2
Salem: Season 3 ()
100%
, 9 p.m.,WGN
Stan Against Evil: Season 1 ()
64%
, 10 p.m., IFC
Friday, Nov. 4
The Crown: Season 1 ()
88%
, Netflix
Thursday, Nov. 10
Please Like Me: Season 4 ()
100%
, Pivot
Friday, Nov. 11
Red Oaks: Season 2 ()
100%
, Amazon
Saturday, Nov. 12
The Killing Season: Season 1 ()
71%
, 9 p.m., A&E
Tuesday, Nov. 15
Good Behavior: Season 1 ()
78%
, 9 p.m., TNT
Teen Wolf: Season 6 ()
83%
, 9 p.m., MTV
Shooter: Season 1 ()
50%
, 10 p.m., USA
Sweet/Vicious: Season 1 ()
100%
, 10 p.m., MTV
Wednesday, Nov. 16
The Art of More: Season 2 ()
- -
, Crackle
Ice: Season 1 ()
- -
, DirecTV
Nightcap: Season 1 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., POP
Undercover
Thursday, Nov. 17
Lovesick: Season 1 ()
95%
, Netflix
Undercover: Miniseries ()
75%
, BBC America
Friday, Nov. 18
Beat Bugs: Season 2 ()
- -
, Netflix
The Grand Tour: Season 1 ()
91%
, Amazon
Saturday, Nov. 19
Beat Bugs: Season 2 ()
- -
, BBC America
Sunday, Nov. 20
The Librarians: Season 3 ()
- -
, 8 p.m., TNT
The Affair: Season 3 ()
71%
, 10 p.m., Showtime
Tuesday, Nov. 25
()
, Netflix
Saturday, Nov. 29
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, 10 p.m., A&E
Wednesday, Nov. 30
Vikings: Season 4 ()
92%
, 9 p.m., History (returning)
Incorporated: Season 1 ()
72%
, 10 p.m., SyFy
Sunday, Dec. 4
Mariah's World: Season 1 ()
44%
, 9 p.m., E!
Wednesday, Dec. 7
Shut Eye: Season 1 ()
37%
, Hulu
Hairspray Live! (2016)
76%
, 8 p.m., NBC
Thursday, Dec. 8
()
, Crackle
Gangland Undercover: Season 2 ()
- -
, 10 p.m., A&E
Friday, Dec. 9
Captive: Season 1 ()
75%
, Netflix
Mozart in the Jungle: Season 3 ()
100%
, Amazon
Sunday, Dec. 11
The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses ()
100%
, 9 p.m., PBS
Friday, Dec. 16
The Man in the High Castle: Season 2 ()
64%
, Amazon
Sunday, Dec. 25
Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio ()
89%
, BBC America
()
, CBS
Doubt: Season 1 ()
55%
, CBS
()
, TNT
Riverdale: Season 1 ()
88%
, CW
The Royals: Season 3 ()
- -
, E!
Search Party: Season 1 ()
100%
, TBS
()
, TNT
Training Day: Season 1 ()
24%
, CBS
()
, TNT
