"The Borgias" series premiere review

The Borgias is most definitely not a history lesson, it’s a crime drama in every sense of the genre. A powerful patriarch who loves his family dearly, but not nearly as much as he loves power, schemes his way to the top. He’s a man who does nothing different than his contemporaries, except that he does it so much better. His enemies hate him not only for the elevation of status, but also because they failed to do the same.

Cesare (Francois Arnaud)

Cesare (Francois Arnaud) is the eldest son, reluctant to follow in his father’s footsteps. He would be content to lead the armies to help his family, but dad has bigger plans. Raised to the position of Cardinal, Cesare is poised to take over once Rodrigo passes. Cesare would do anything to protect his family, but there’s hesitation when it comes to matters of serving the church. He would rather be free to act as defender without the political machinations of the Vatican. Luckily he finds help in what may be the most interesting character in the series, Micheletto (Sean Harris). The assassin is a chillingly fun man to watch on screen, and will make you constantly wonder how he’s going to kill his next target.

Juan Borgia (David Oakes) is the military might of the family. Although he at first does appear to be a bit out of his league, once given that role officially he takes to it quite nicely. Almost relishing the power he holds, right down to making sure the servant holds the light high enough for the armor to glitter. Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) is the beautiful young daughter of the Borgia family, a prize to any man. The question is what man has the worthy status to be allowed to marry her?

Pope Alexander VI (Jeremy Irons)

Jeremy Irons always imbues his bad guys with such forceful presence, and that is true here. In fact the moment when the Super Pope Hat (not to be confused with the every day Extra Tall Pope Hat) is placed on his head Irons plays the scene with such reverential ecstasy you can’t help but shiver for a moment. Who is this man, and what the hell has the College of Cardinals allowed to happen? This is followed not long after with a conversation between Pope Alexander VI and his mistress, and mother of his children, Vanozza (Joanne Whalley) where he reveals that he is now unable to continue their carnal relationship. “Must we take vows of poverty, too?” She asks him as he looks at her shocked and replies simply. “God forbid.”

The problem The Borgias has is that you really are not rooting for anyone, there’s no hero to the story. While the scheming and corruption makes for a great hour of entertainment, you have no one to latch onto. Spartacus: Blood and Sand has proven that you can take a historically factual character and make a great television series of his life. But Spartacus had not only a hero you cared about, but villains as well. Without a great good guy there’s a chance the assassinations and political power maneuverings of the Borgia family could get tedious.

Even so with a cast this deep and talented it’ll be fun to watch no matter how things turn out for the series. The Borgias is not grand in it’s world scope, feeling quite closed into the world of the Vatican, but it more than makes up for that with the lust for power that belongs to Rodrigo Borgia. It may shock some to see how powerful the Catholic Church once was, especially modern secularists who rail against a Church that is a mere fraction of its former glory. 

The truth is that in the end The Borgias is just a whole lot of fun to watch.

( source: TVBlend )

"Breaking Bad" season premiere is "shocking"

The stars of Breaking Bad have promised that the upcoming fourth season premiere is "shocking". Aaron Paul, who plays Jesse, told E! Online that the episode will continue the storylines from the last season.

"It literally starts off right where it left off," he said. "I can't wait to hear people's reactions, because they are going to lose it in the best way possible." 

Meanwhile, Paul's co-star Bryan Cranston hinted: "Our premiere episode is very shocking."

Filming for the fourth season of Breaking Bad began in January after the show's network AMC announced that it had decided to postpone its air date. The series is now expected to return for its fourth season on AMC in July.

New 'Doctor Who' will be 'scariest yet' (new full-length trailer)

Steven Moffat has claimed that the new series of Doctor Who will be scarier than the last run.

In an interview with the ABC TV Blog, the showrunner compared future episodes of the BBC drama to a "ghost train".

"Last year we reassured you [but] this year, to hell with that, we're going to worry the hell out of you," he explained. "[The monsters are] scary. Very scary.

"There's the Silence in [episodes] one and two, the Siren in episode three, the Gangers in five and six, [and] all these are more than just freaky costumes and masks. There are scary ideas here."

Moffat, who previously described opening episode 'The Impossible Astronaut' as "a belter", also revealed that the next seven episodes will have a stronger overall arc.

"Oh, there's a big story being told this year, and major mysteries from the very off," he confirmed. "We're barely ten minutes into episode one before our heroes face a dilemma that they'll be staring at months from now. And there will be no easy answers."

The new series of Doctor Who begins on April 23 on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US.

Watch the new full-length Doctor Who trailer below:

'Walking Dead' producer plans pirate drama

Gale Ann Hurd

Walking Dead producer Gale Ann Hurd is planning a new drama about pirates.

Deadline reports that Port Royal, which was created by Hurd, will be set in 17th century Jamaica.

The project is expected to focus on Port Royal's status as the "richest and wickedest city", and the pirates, politicians and merchants living there.

Hurd has teamed up with Graham King to develop the project. King has previously produced movies including The Departed, Blood Diamond and Traffic.

As well as working on The Walking Dead, Hale's credits include the Terminator films and The Incredible Hulk. The second season of The Walking Dead is due to air later this year. (source: DigitalSpy)

It's finale time on 'No Ordinary Family'!

Well, it's almost time for the season finale of No Ordinary Family!

It doesn't look like the show's going to be coming back next year - Julie Benz and Michael Chiklis have already signed up for new pilots. So if you've been enjoying the show, make the most of tomorrow's episode, which has the confusing title 'No Ordinary Beginning'! It sounds like it's going to be action-packed, anyway. Mrs X is back to her dastardly deeds and kidnaps JJ, while George is held hostage on a plane. We've got our hands on a couple of photos from the episode, so take a look below - and let us know if you're hoping for a second season! (source: DigitalSpy)

Kaley Cuoco talks about The Big Bang Theory

Kaley Cuoco

Kaley Cuoco has revealed that working on The Big Bang Theory feels different this season. Cuoco, who plays Penny, told TV Line that it's strange not working with the male stars so much.

"It has been like a whole other show for me this season," she said. "I felt almost a little separated from the boys, which is kind of sad but at the same time really fun.

"I'm working with Mayim [Bialik] and Melissa Rauch, who is absolutely hysterical... It's definitely, definitely been different. But it's season four, so it was time for a change."

Cuoco also claimed that Penny has changed "tremendously" since the show began.

"In the beginning, people would think, 'Oh, she's the dumb, cute girl next door, so she'll say dumb things and wear cute outfits. Whatever!'" she said. "But as we've seen that is so not the case. Every season she has gotten more and more sarcastic. I mean, she has gotten so dry!"

The Big Bang Theory, which has already been renewed for three more seasons, airs on Thursdays at 8/7c on CBS.

Brooke D'Orsay female lead in Smothered

Brooke D'Orsay

Brooke D'Orsay has won the lead female role in ABC comedy pilot Smothered.

The project will focus on a young couple as they deal with their two sets of very different but equally overbearing parents. Deadline reports that D'Orsay will play Gillian, the long-suffering wife of Zack (Kyle Howard). The actress recurs on USA's Royal Pains as Evan's girlfriend Paige and has previously appeared in episodes of Drop Dead Diva, How I Met Your Mother and Psych.

She joins the previously-cast Julie White and Alan Arkin, who will play Gillian's parents. Marcia Gay Harden and former Scrubs star John C. McGinley will also appear as Zack's mother and father.

Smothered has been created by Friends producers Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen.

All My Children signed Lorraine Broderick as head writer

Amidst cancellation rumors, AMC has signed ,Lorraine Broderick to a multi-year deal as head writer, replacing David Kreizman and Donna Swajeski. Broderick has a long history with the soap and the daytime community. She joined AMC as a scriptwriter and breakdown writer in 1979 and was promoted to associate head writer in 1982. In 1986, she was promoted to the co-head writer position and named sole head writer a year later.

After leaving AMC, she served as co-head writer of GL and head writer for AW. She returned to AMC, then left again and toiled at ATWT, DAYS, PC and OLTL. Broderick returned to AMC as associate head writer in 2009 and has earned four Emmys with the sudser during her many years there.

source: SoapOperaDigest

The Future of Water, tonight at 8:30PM on the Documentary Channel

US cablenet Documentary Channel has acquired documentary series The Future Of Water (3x50'), which was originally produced by Norwegian indie Panopticon for TV2 Norway.

The Future of Water is filmed in 25 countries and focuses on how the management of fresh water supply will determine political and economical development worldwide.

The future of water is the future of humankind. How water will run in our societies will determine the future of our environment, power relations, the balance between rich and poor, war and peace and the destinies of countries and continents. Nobody can escape the consequenses. Theese are issues raised by a true water-man, professor Terje Tvedt, in the documentary "The Future of Water".

Game of Thrones premieres, 4/17/2011, 9PM on HBO

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Political and sexual intrigue abound. The primary families are the Stark, Lannister, and Baratheon families. Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros, asks his old friend Eddard Stark to serve as his chief advisor. Eddard, suspecting that his predecessor had been murdered, accepts so that he can investigate further. It turns out more than one family is plotting to take the throne.

The Queen's family, the Lannisters, may be hatching a plot to take control. Across the sea, the last surviving members of the previously deposed ruling family, the Targaryens, are also plotting a return to power. The conflict between these families and others, including the Greyjoys, the Tullys, the Arryns, and the Tyrells, leads to war. Meanwhile, in the north, an ancient evil awakens. Amidst war and the political confusion, a brotherhood of misfits, The Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and the horrors beyond.

The Killing premieres tonight, 4/3/2011, 9PM/8C on AMC

The Killing, AMC original series

The Killing ties together three distinct stories around a single murder including the detectives assigned to the case, the victim's grieving family, and the suspects. Set in Seattle, the story also explores local politics as it follows politicians connected to the case. As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that there are no accidents; everyone has a secret, and while the characters think they've moved on, their past isn't done with them.

The Killing stars Mireille Enos (Big Love) as Sarah Linden, the lead homicide detective that investigates the death of Rosie Larsen; Billy Campbell (Once and Again) as Darren Richmond, Seattle's City Council President and now running for Mayor; Joel Kinnaman (Snabba Cash) as Stephen Holder, an ex-narc cop who joins the homicide division in the investigation to find Rosie's killer; Michelle Forbes (True Blood) as Rosie's mother, Mitch Larsen; and Brent Sexton (W., In the Valley of Elah) as Rosie's father, Stan Larsen. The pilot is directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster).

Filmed in Vancouver, The Killing is produced by Fox Television Studios and executive produced by Mikkel Bondesen (Burn Notice) for Fuse Entertainment. Fuse's Kristen Campo co-produces. AMC’s Joel Stillerman, senior vice president of original programming, production and digital content, Susie Fitzgerald, senior vice president of scripted development and current programming and Jason Fisher, senior vice president of production oversee production of the series for the network.

Mireille Enos (Sarah Linden)

Kristin Lehman (Gwen Eaton)

Michelle Forbes (Mitch Larsen)

Billy Campbell (Darren Richmond)

Brent Sexton (Stanley Larsen)

Joel Kinnaman (Stephen Holder)

Body of Proof - Pilot Episode review

What happens when you mix House, Bones and CSI? You get a show that while watching you can't shake the feeling that you have seen it before. The similarities to House are not only on the surface, the writers tried really hard to make this character as brilliant, obsessed and neurotic as possible. She even has a chronic disability that ruined her career as Neurosurgeon and her personal life is a complete mess, being divorced and loosing custody for her daughter.

Dana Delanys acting is stiff and emotionless, even if it is on purpose, it's simply painfull to watch. Her infinite wisdom and deductive skills are just over the top and annoying for the other characters and the TV audience.

"Body of Proof" is a new criminal procedural on ABC. It stars Dana Delany as Dr. Megan Hunt, a neurosurgeon turned medical examiner who uses her prodigious knowledge of medicine and the human body to solve killings much faster than the detectives assigned to the case. Is it necessary to add that she is brilliant but driven by anger and a troubled past? That she locks horns with authority and brushes aside any friendly offers of aid? That she can read a person's recent history from a shaving nick and that chance remarks cause her to gaze into the middle distance as her synapses miraculously solve the case?

If it is, then you don't watch much television. These characteristics could be describing half a dozen current lead characters on shows, including "The Mentalist" and "House," who may nod in passing to Sherlock Holmes (or, in this case, "Quincy, M.E.") but increasingly seem to be the product of some Modern Detective App. - By Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times Television Critic

Chaos premieres tonight, 4/1/2011, 08:00pm on CBS

CHAOS is a comedic drama about a group of rogue CIA spies in the Clandestine Administration and Oversight Services (CHAOS), who combat threats to national security amidst bureaucratic gridlock, rampant incompetence and political infighting.

The team tackles high risk foreign intelligence missions using manipulation, deception and wit to succeed. Rick Martinez was dismayed when his dream job as a spy was eliminated on his first day.

However, CIA Deputy Director H.J. Higgins, a calculating mastermind and the head of CHAOS, recognizes Rick's unique skill set and places him as an unwitting mole inside the department. Martinez joins the team under Michael Dorset, a psychologist turned CIA operative and a tactical genius motivated by pure paranoia. Working with Martinez is Scottish-born Billy Collins, de-commissioned from the British Secret Service and deported from the United Kingdom; Casey Malick, a 12 year veteran of the agency with an understated demeanor and the ability to transform into a "human weapon."

While Martinez's instincts on who he can trust are constantly tested, he may have a worthy confidant in the new Deputy Director, Adele Ferrer, who seems to have his best interests at heart. Or should he rely on officer Fay Carson, an alluring agent and an expert at deciphering people's "tells?" Attacking each assignment with unparalleled confidence and gusto, these operatives perform covert operations, exert political influence and eradicate all manner of evil - and that's just to survive the morning staff meeting.

Carmen Ejogo

Christina Cole

Tim Blake Nelson

Eric Close

Freddy Rodriguez

James Murray

Mad Men has been given a fifth season.

As expected, the Emmy Award-winning AMC show Mad Men has been given a fifth season, an option the cable network had with the series’ production company Lionsgate TV and creator Matthew Weiner.

However, due to protracted negotiations between AMC and Weiner the premiere of the show's fifth season is being pushed from late summer 2011 to early 2012.

The full statement from AMC reads as follows: “AMC has officially authorized production of season 5 of Mad Men, triggering our option with Lionsgate. While we are getting a later start than in years past due to ongoing, key non-cast negotiations, Mad Men will be back for a fifth season in early 2012.

The Borgias premieres tonight, 09:00pm on ShowTime

The ShowTime original series "The Borgias" promises a sordid saga of one of the most remarkable and famous families in italian history.

Set in 15th century Italy at the height of the Renaissance, The Borgias chronicles the corrupt rise of patriarch Rodrigo Borgia (Academy Award® winner Jeremy Irons) to the papacy, where he proceeds to commit every sin in the book to amass and retain power, influence and enormous wealth for himself and his family.

The unbounded audacity of this original crime family went on to inspire Machiavelli's The Prince and Mario Puzo's The Godfather. 

Don't miss a minute of the lavish, sexy, scandalous drama from the creative mind of Academy Award® winner Neil Jordan. The Borgias is a complex, unvarnished portrait of one of history's most intriguing and infamous dynastic families. The series begins as Rodrigo schemes his way into the position of Pope, causing him, his two Machiavellian sons Cesare and Juan, and his scandalously beautiful daughter Lucrezia, to become the most powerful and influential family of the Italian Renaissance.

Fox has renewed Fringe for a fourth season.

Great news for Fringe fans: Fox has renewed Fringe for a fourth season with a full season order of 22 episodes. You will not have to gut out the white knuckle ride until May!

The announcement comes on the heels of season low ratings last Friday when Fringe was up against the NCAA basketball tournament.

Futurama renewed for 13 more episodes.

Everybody’s favorite canceled animated Fox show (well, for Family Guy fans with long memories, second favorite) is getting a couple more years of life: Comedy Central’s Futurama has been renewed for two more years, say sources close to the production.

The network has picked up another two cycles of 13 episodes — and neither include the upcoming batch that launches this June. 

So that keeps Futurama on the air through 2013. (Whether the order is called the seventh season, or the eighth and ninth season, is still being debated — since seasons on Comedy Central are split over two years, do you call each year’s batch a season or do you call the full 26 episode order a season?) 

At any rate, last season averaged 2.5 million viewers per week once DVR is added in.

Body of Proof premieres tonight, 10:00pm on ABC

Tonight on ABC, 3 hot female leads in another Bones/CSI type serialized murder show. More Hot women and dead bodies, this concept is getting old but i give ABC the benefit of a doubt and will watch the Pilot to see what they think makes this series stand out from all the others.

When a brilliant and driven neurosurgeon’s career is cut short, she turns her unrivaled medical skills toward solving murders. Every body has a story to tell and Dr. Megan Hunt will find out what it is. 

Dr. Megan Hunt was a top neurosurgeon until a car accident ended her career as a surgeon. Now that she can no longer help the living, Dr. Hunt is Philadelphia’s most notorious medical examiner. Although she’s amazing at her job, Dr. Hunt’s reputation of being difficult precedes her wherever she goes. 

She’s never encountered a boundary that she wouldn’t cross. Her powerful boss tries to protect her as long as she doesn’t step too hard on the wrong toes. Although he grudgingly acknowledges her skill, seasoned police detective Bud Morris is not as enthralled with her methods.

Dana Delany

Jeri Ryan

Sonja Sohn