Just a quick update on the shows I've been following since I haven't posted in a while!
THE FOLLOWING:
Finished airing at the beginning of last week. Disappointing on the whole and actually pretty <censored> dire in parts tbh but it did have some good moments and it did improve slightly as the series went on. I will give season 2 a second chance next year (already been renewed) and see how far they've come with that, then decide whether to continue watching it or not.
THE AMERICANS:
Also finished its first season at the end of last week. Brilliant throughout imo, will definitely be watching this again when it returns. If you're looking for new shows to try this is one of the ones I would recommend.
BROADCHURCH:
Finished 2-3 weeks ago and another great series but this time a British murder mystery for ITV from Kudos. This went down extremely well in the UK and had lots of speculating each week as to who the killer(s) was/were. Incredibly gripping drama and another new show I would recommend checking out. They are already making plans for a second series.
TOP OF THE LAKE | RECTIFY:
These two were recommended to me by BD just recently (though I was already aware of the first one due to Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) starring in it). Both of these are worth considering too.
BATES MOTEL | WENTWORTH:
2 slightly different shows here and 2 shows which kinda took me by surprise.
- Bates Motel covers Norman as a teenager when him as his mother first move into the Motel together
except it is set in modern times, not the 1950s as you would expect. So it's not a true prequel to Psycho exactly, but a kind of modern reimagined prequel if that makes sense. Sounds weird I agree and as a massive Hitchcock fan I wasn't even going to bother with it initially but I decided to give it a go in the end and I'm glad I did. Really surprised by how much I've enjoyed this. I originally came across this due to Carlton Cuse being behind it (one of the lead guys on Lost for those unaware). I like to keep tabs on what him and Damon (Lindelof) have been up to since Lost, just to see what their next tv projects would be. Anyway.. This turned out to be one of my "new show highlights" personally and another I'd recommend. 2 more episodes left to air and has already been renewed which is great.
-Secondly we have Wentworth. This is based on the 70s/80s Australian prison drama, Prisoner (or Prisoner Cell Block H as it was known over here due to "The Prisoner"). It is set in the modern day but it is not a sequel or continuation of the original show. This one is more like a reimagining / loose remake. The prison is named the same and some of the characters share the same names as some of the original cast of characters too but their stories differ from those of the original, their roles are not all the same, it introduces new characters and it's not the same Prison building either. I have always been a fan of the original show and when I first saw trailers for this I actually laughed out loud so I hadn't really entertained the idea of watching it, especially when seeing one particular "reimagined" character go from a white female to black lol. After reading a bunch of surprisingly good feedback from other fans of the original though, who were also skeptical at the thought of this new show to say the least, I decided to give this a go too. Only 2 eps of this have aired so far so it's still early days yet but both my brother and I were surprised to like this. It's actually pretty good. Will continue watching and see how it turns out.
HANNIBAL:
Just watched the first episode last night. Anthony Hopkins will always be
the Hannibal Lecter so I think it'll take me a few episodes to get used to seeing Mads Mikkelsen's portrayal of the character but I fully expected this going in. Freddie Highmore plays a very believable Norman in Bates Motel as you can see shades of future him starting to come through but with him being just a young lad instead of the adult that Anthony Perkins played you don't really have the same issue there like you can with Hannibal. It's difficult to disassociate Hopkins from the role especially when he played the part so incredibly well.
It does look like it'll be a good watch though. Great pacing throughout, good acting and pretty dark too. I have 1 worry though and it's a big one. This is one of those shows which has been well reviewed and people who watch it seem to speak very positively about it but the ratings it has been getting in the US have been extremely poor from what I understand. This has not been renewed for a second series yet and unless they start to show improvement I think there's a high chance it'll get cancelled tbh, and if not this season then next. I don't generally like to start watching shows which look like they are at risk of cancellation so that's a little worrying for me. I will keep watching though and keep my fingers crossed.
PERSON OF INTEREST:
This is not one of the new shows for this year but I thought it was one worth mentioning again since the only other person I know of who watches this (or did do) is Mech, also since my list from the OP needs a bit of updating it isn't currently on there atm either when it should be.
This is the tv drama I have often referred to as "Watch Dogs the tv show". One of the very best shows airing right now and something a lot of you here would probably really enjoy given how Watch Dogs is one of the most anticipated games of this year for several of us here.
The season 2 finale aired last night and was absolutely fantastic. More of you need to get on this already
Last but not least - One upcoming show is "The Fall" with Gillian Anderson.
"A psychological thriller that examines the lives of two hunters. One is a serial killer who stalks his victims at random in and around Belfast and the other is a talented female Detective Superintendent from the MET who is brought in to catch him."
This starts on Monday (13th on BBC2 at 9pm) so we'll see what that is like next week!...
Any one else been following any other new shows which are worth mentioning? or any upcoming shows you've seen which look potentially interesting?
Watched any of the above too? What did you make of them?