Following television this closely is kind of a new racket for me, so I’m still learning about the ebbs and flows of the seasons, when new shows are born, when they pass away.
Turns out the beginning of the year is not a bad time for new shows, typically referred to as mid-season offerings from the major networks.
One kind of weird premiere is From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, starting on March 11, created by the director of its cinematic namesake, Robert Rodriquez, who also directs the first two episodes.
The trailer had me at Don Johnson, but the fact that it looks like a slick, twisted take on the cult movie sealed the deal. With D.J. Cotrona and Zane Holtz taking the reins from George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino as the Gecko Brothers, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series will likely be watered down compared to the batscat-crazy movie, but fans should still be excited.
As far as I can tell the show is only being aired in the States (on Rodriquez’ own station, El Rey) but I hear there are other ways to access such things.
If you loved Lost and the movie Gravity, well Believe, with a special preview March 10, might just be the mid-season show for you. Gravity director Alfonso Cuarón has teamed up with executive producer J.J. Abrams for a show about a young girl with special powers who must be protected from evil forces at work to take her.
This isn’t top of my list to see, as I’m not a huge sci-fi fan and Abrams’ name generally has me running to the hills lately, but Cuarón, who will also direct the pilot, is the talk about town these days in film and it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the TV world.
One sci-fi looking show which does pique my interest is Resurrection, an ABC series premiering March 9. Starring, among many, That ‘70s Show’s Kurtwood Smith, the series is about previously dead people who come back to life, and not in a zombie-type way but more of an unexplained-and-makes-everyone-cry kind of way.
That might not sound like a good time, but trust me, the trailer alone nearly had me welling up.
There’s a bunch of programs returning too, with new seasons starting up for much-loved The Americans (Feb. 26), Hannibal (Feb. 28), Bates Motel (March 3) and Portlandia (Feb. 27).
So there you go, lots on the TV as we head into spring. Get to it.
TV on DVD
Californication, Season 6 – March 25
Veep, Season 2 – March 25
