2015 viewing: sex, lies and bad guys

Special Agent Avery Ryan (Patricia Arquette, right) goes through a lot of background information on the case while Julie Finlay (Elisabeth Shue) watches as the teams join forces to find out who murdered a prominent casino owner's wife, on CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, Wednesday, April 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS �'�,�,©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Special Agent Avery Ryan (Patricia Arquette, right) goes through a lot of background information on the case while Julie Finlay (Elisabeth Shue) watches as the teams join forces to find out who murdered a prominent casino owner's wife, on CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, Wednesday, April 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS �'�,�,©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Published Mar 5, 2015

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The fate of the top TV series and the duds have been decided on for 2015. There are also ground-breaking new shows on the menu.

 

WHAT HAD US RELIGIOUSLY TUNING IN

CRITICS are calling this the golden era of TV. Actors, directors and producers are nodding as they cross the creative floor to the small screen. The stigma once attached to TV being the stepping stone to fame and fortune has been replaced with Hollywood’s seal of approval.

Resurrection, with Omar Epps, is back for a second instalment, as is Extant with Halle Berry, the brilliant crime drama Stalker, as well as Gotham, Chicago PD, The Mysteries of Laura with Debra Messing and Josh Lucas and the psychological drama, The Affair.

Black Sails, which has Michael Bay involved, has made so much noise during the shoot of its first season. Sadly, to date, we are still awaiting confirmation of when it will release. Meanwhile, Dominion, also featuring a host of local talent, has been given the nod for another seasons.

Other shows currying favour include From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, a vampire thriller that’s not for the easily squeamish, How to Get Away with Murder, Murder in the First (with Taye Diggs), The Strain and True Detective.

The Leftovers, a show mirroring The 4400, is also back, as is the adventure series The Librarians with Noah Wyle (Falling Skies).

And, not that it comes as a big surprise, but fans of Castle, Mistresses, Modern Family, The Fixer, 2 Broke Girls, Blue, Arrow, The Flash, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, New Girl, The Mindy Project, Banshee, Broadchurch, Da Vinci’s Demons, Devious Maids, Defiance, Graceland, Homeland, Major Crimes, Masters of Sex, Pretty Little Liars and Veep will be elated to learn that their favourite series will be making a comeback.

Oh, let’s not forget about Orange is the New Black making a spectacular return for season three.

What’s most exciting about these shows – aside from them covering the gamut of genres – is that they are underpinned by razor-sharp scriptwriting and unrivalled talent

 

CANNED, FOR GOOD REASON!

WHEN the benchmark has been raised and the market is saturated with ingenious script-writers and talent, there’s no excuse for failure.

Sometimes the filter for banality works brilliantly and, at other times, it appears to be riddled with loopholes.

How else can any respectable network decision-maker explain the birth of contrived, cringe-worthy shows like Manhattan Love Story, Selfie, The Millers and Bad Judge?

What works in theory doesn’t often translate to instant success on paper.

These shows trip over so many failures: from shabby scripting to glorified casting to mind-numbing execution.

Some creative’s fail to accept that there is a very fine line between dumb-down and plain dumb.

But don’t be lulled into a false sense of security that these shows being canned means the war on insipidness has yielded results. It hasn’t.

 

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TIME TO WHET THOSE APPETITES

AS I have mentioned, networks are churning out new series faster than the Kardashians do their daily dramas.

And I have to admit that some of the pioneering new series have given me goose- bumps. These are my Top 5 must-sees.

 

Empire: It’s just over a week old in South Africa. But the sterling cast have ensured this hip hop saga endures with Taraji P Henson, Terrence Howard and Malik Yoba in the leads. There’s family strife intermingled with blind ambition along with deception, fuelled by mistrust. Did I mention it has a host of celebrity appearances from Naomi Campbell, Courtney Love, Gabourey Sidibe, Cuba Gooding Jr, Gladys Knight and Anthony Hamilton?

Can someone say, “Swoon!”

 

Wayward Pines: Matt Dillon – yes, you heard right – is the flawed protagonist in this thriller by M Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense). Aside from shadowing the intrigue of Twin Peaks, there is so much more lurking in a small town in Idaho, where strangers are watched like hawks. Expect the traditional freaky encounters and secrets that cause some serious dramage.

 

CSI: Cyber: A fourth spin-off in the series, this first season sees Patricia Arquette steal the spotlight as the head of the CSI: Cyber unit.

 

NCIS: New Orleans: The writers of this series have had to re-invent the wheel, so to speak, to ensure the franchise’s sustainability. Of course, with NCIS spearheaded by Mark Hamon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and NCIS: LA, under the leadership of Hetty Lance (Linda Hunt), the head of the team is a crucial factor for fans. This time, Scott Bakula takes over the reins as special agent Jefferson Parish.

 

You’re the Worst: Looks at relationships through the cynical eyes of Jimmy, a taciturn writer, and Gretchen, a self-destructive PR executive, who hook up. Although the sex is mind-blowing, they can’t stand each other and are often dishing out a stockpile of insults.

It’s gregarious fun with two self-destructive people negating the “grey areas” around their hook up.

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