A man I love is in danger!

All right, maybe that's an exaggeration. And no, I'm not speaking of someone in my life who's dying or anything horrible like that. The man I'm speaking of is John Constantine, and I've grown very fond of him, but I understand there may be no second season. So from that standpoint, he is in danger of being cancelled.

How awful to have a show one loves in imminent peril of having the plug pulled. I have two such shows that I know of - Constantine and Forever. And I love them both.

For those who don't know, Constantine is based on the long-running DC comic Hellblazer, concerning the exploits of a slick exorcist by the name of John Constantine, who is a very complex character. There was a movie made starring Keanu Reeves and I liked the movie pretty well - until I started reading the comics and realized just how far offbase the filmmakers were. First, in casting Keanu Reeves in the first place. he's very un-John Constantine, and totally mis-cast.

The NBC version features Matt Ryan, who makes a most excellent Constantine. And I have no complaint with the writing, or with the storylines they've come up with. They're far more canon than the movie, especially with regard to Chas.

I hope someone decides to keep this wonderful show, but NBC has a history of pulling the plug on shows I like - such as Awake, Dracula, and Do No Harm. I hear a decision will come in April, so cross your fingers!

Also, I recommend the comic books. And if you like the premise, I'd like to recommend a series of books I've been reading about another exorcist, Felix Castor. They're written by Mike Carey, the genius behind Lucifer, the graphic novels. I've read the first three and hope to be able to read the last two. Felix has vague similarities to John, but don't be fooled by that. Carey has created some rather memorable characters in this series, and his wit and intelligence are off the charts.

Now, my second show, Forever.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this show before, about an immortal medical examiner. This week's episode was awesome, having to do with a mummified body found at a rock concert in a building about to be torn down. Along the way, we learned more about Henry's past. I can't say enough good things about this show. Whenever it comes out on DVD, I'll get it. And I'll be devastated if it is cancelled.

What else am I watching? Well, Once Upon a Time is back, and this season features three villaineses - Ursula, Maleficent, and Cruella, who have aligned themselves with Mr. Gold ****POSSIBLE SPOILERS*** who was cast out of Storybrook by a fed-up Belle. This season focuses on them, and on Regina's search for the mysterious author of Henry's book, so she can achieve her own happy ending.

My favorite character in the show is still Mr. Gold. I won't even lie - the man has issues. He's not exactly trustworthy, and he can kill without thinking twice about it. And yet there is something very irresistible about him. Maybe it's that bad boy vibe he gives off so well? Just ask Belle, I'm sure she understands.








This season is off to a good start and I'm enjoying it.

Cutthroat Kitchen is crazy and full of fun. You gotta love a no-holds-barred Alton Brown. The premise of the show is that four chefs compete against one another, in three rounds, and the name of the game is sabotage, which Alton is happy to oblige with his wicked auctions.  Fun, fun, and more fun.

Unlike Hell's Kitchen. We didn't watch the last season, as it came so quickly on the heels of the lackluster season before, but thought we'd give this one a whirl. After two episodes, Sarah and I asked each other - do we want to continue? And the answer was a resounding NO. Nothing new under this sun. Different chefs, same old problems, situations, screaming and dialogue. Heard it, over it. Still love Gordon Ramsey, but maybe he needs a new shtick? How about more Motel Hell? That was better.

Mr. Selfridge began its third season with a wonderful two hour premiere. *****SPOILERS

AHEAD***** Between the two seasons, Mrs. Selfridge passed on, but that was no surprise as we saw her receive her diagnosis last season. This season begins with Harry's daughter Rosalie's marriage to a Russian aviator named Sergei. I see a lot of fireworks coming out of this union. Sergei is tied to his mother, the Princess - read leach. That woman is all about getting what she can out of Harry, including taking a suite at an expensive hotel and charging it to him. Sergei is hot on developing his own airplane and building an aerodrome, and assumes Harry will foot the bill. Harry, though, decides to push for non-profit housing for returning soldiers, a plan which Rose at one time drew houses for. Sergei gets bent out of shape, but luckily for him, he is approached by another potential investor - none other than Lord Locksley! Boo, hiss!

Then there is Agnes, who split with Victor last season, and married Henri Leclair this season. Also this season, Harry's daughter Violette is coming into her own, and showing she is her father's daughter. There's a lot going on, and I'm looking forward to seeing it all!

Well, I have to stop there. I hope to write more tomorrow night about other shows, such as Dig and Vikings.

Have a great Friday!

The Valentine's Day Hop continues

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Not everyone celebrates this day, I know. Some people, like me, don't have a special someone in their lives. That doesn't matter, though. Who doesn't love the idea of love?

Today being Valentine's Day, I'm going to talk about some of the shows I love that I've been watching lately.

Forever:  Tuesdays on ABC

This is a show about an immortal medical examiner. That alone piqued my interest. But watching the show, I've fallen in love with it. Ioan Gruffudd plays Henry Morgan. For two hundred years, he has been unable to die, doomed to watch those he loves do what he cannot. During the Second World War, he adopted an infant abandoned at a concentration camp. That child is now fully grown, Abraham, and is played by Judd Hirsch. Alana de la Garza plays Jo Martinez, a cop whose husband has recently died.

I love the way Henry solves cases. I love the cases. I love the relationship between him and Jo. I love

the relationship between him and Lucas, his wisecracking geeky assistant. But most of all I love the relationship between Henry and Abe. I look forward to watching this every week, and hope it is picked up for another season.

















Constantine: Fridays, NBC

To prepare for this show, I read the Hellblazer comics, I'd already seen the movie, with Keanu Reeves, and liked it, because I didn't know any better. Boy, did they get it wrong. Who the hell ever chose Keanu Reeves for that role?

In the TV series, Matt Ryan is a perfect John Constantine. Although the show deviates from canon a bit, it's close enough for government work, and very well done. The angel, Manny, isn't part of the book verse, but I like him. And Zed is a little different, but I like the differences. Ryan nails Constantine with every word, every action, with every breath he takes. He IS John Constantine.

Where the movie totally bolluxed the character of Chas, the series does it right, with a little twist.  For those of you who don't know John, he's an irreverent, sarcastic exorcist - a mage, if you will, whose soul was condemned to Hell for an act committed in the ignorance of youth, for which he wishes to atone. He can be a right selfish son of a bitch, but underneath it all, he has a large heart.

This is another show I'm worried won't be renewed. It's awesome.

Sleepy Hollow: Mondays, Fox

I've loved this show from the beginning, and it just keeps on getting better. This season, we saw the

bad seed return - aka Henry, son of Ichabod and Katrina Crane. Also back is Captain Irving, which is pretty good, since he died last season. Ichabod and Katrina's marriage is on shaky ground, which I can't say breaks my heart since I intensely dislike her. Ichabod is assimilating more and more into modern life. I suspect there are some rough times ahead, especially for the two Witnesses.


I imagine they have two horsemen left to contend with, and who knows what else. I hope this continues for a long while, and maybe Ichabod and Abby Mills can deep their relationship.

Coming back soon are The Following and The Vikings. Sarah and I are still catching up on Person of Interest. We're almost done with Season Three now. It's been an interesting, albeit sad season, with the loss of one of the team. I wasn't surprised since I saw she had a new series coming out. The loony tunes woman who thinks she's in touch personally with the computer is still around. She gets on my nerves. I've come to like Shaw, though.

Another season of Top Chef just ended. My favorite chef won, Chef Mei, but I have to say this season wasn't particularly memorable. I hope the next one is better. I still wish they'd put Sweet Genius back on. I miss seeing Chef Ron.

Going to leave you here, hope everyone's having a great day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ichabod's back, Gotham, Forever, and more

The new season of Sleepy Hollow has begun with a bang!  **SPOILERS AHEAD** As you may

recall, at the end of last season, Ichabod was buried in a coffin by Henry, the Sin-eater (aka Jeremy, his son), Abby's sister was in an accident, Captain Irving confessed to a murder he didn't commit to save his daughter, while Ichabod's wife Katrina is in the hands of the Headless Horseman. The first episode was spectacular and has set the bar high for what's to come. I love the development of the characters, particularly Ichabod and Abby. Ichabod is embracing this time more and more. I find it hard to believe he'll be willing to leave it once the four horsemen have been dealt with, and I'm not sure he'll end up with Katrina, but that all remains to be seen.  We see more of the Horseman this season, in that he can assume his former appearance for short periods of time, and of course there's always Moloch, who's determined to take possession of the world for his own purposes. Good times ahead!

I wasn't sure I was going to watch Gotham when I first heard about it, not sure I trusted them to do a good job with the story, and not sure how interesting a pre-Batman Gotham might be. But I gave it a try, and I'm glad I did. **SPOILERS AHEAD** Ben McKenzie plays the young James Gordon, rookie policeman, who's there on the night of the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents' murder, and bonds with the young traumatized boy. Donal Logue is his partner, Detective Harvey Bullock, and  you know from the outside he isn't exactly on the up and up, although James is as honest as they come. To prove himself to Harvey and the criminal element, he pretends to kill Oswald Cobblepot, but actually just pushes him in the river and tells him to stay away from Gotham. Of course, that can't happen as he is the future Penguin. And we see other criminals-to-be before their rise to criminality - Riddler, Joker, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. Sean Pertwee plays Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's butler/caretaker. He's looking good, I must say, and I like the way he plays Alfred. Jada Pinkett Smith plays a criminal named Fish Mooney, but don't look for a one-dimensional performance there, as she gives layers to her character.   The writing is good, the acting is good, and the characters are interesting and well-written. I particularly like whoever does the matte paintings - the backgrounds are very well done. I look forward to seeing what they do with the show in its premiere season. Look for Gotham on Monday nights.

Another new show I've started to watch is Forever, Tuesday nights on ABC. I didn't know anything

about it until the day of its premiere, when I heard an ad about an immortal medical examiner, and I knew I had to at least watch one episode. **SPOILERS AHEAD** Am I glad I did. Ioan Gruffudd plays a two-hundred-year-old man, Henry Morgan,  who doesn't seem able to die. He's a medical examiner in New York City, and he's trying to find out why he can't seem to die. Or at least stay dead. Every time he dies, he reappears in the river - naked - which can lead to some interesting times. He lives with Abe (Judd Hirsch), who although he looks older than Henry is actually younger and was raised by Henry from an infant, making him technically Henry's son. Alana de la Garza plays Detective Jo Martinez, who is skeptical of Henry at first but comes to see his worth, even if she knows nothing of his past. I already love this series and hope it lasts. The scenes between Henry and Abe are some of my favorites. I suspect at some point, Henry will become involved with Jo and tell her the truth, but that is just speculation on my part. Ioan is certainly easy on the eyes, too. I have a theory as to why he's immortal - just guesswork, of course, but at the time it occurred, he was a doctor on a ship, and he was trying to protect the life of a slave. I believe that slave used some sort of voodoo or magic to prolong Henry's life. We'll see.

I just watched the season finale of Outlander, based on the books by Diana Gabaldon, which I haven't read yet. Catriona Balfe plays Claire Randall, a nurse in 1945 Great Britain. **SPOILERS AHEAD** She and her husband, Frank (Tobias Menzies, Edmure Tully of Game of Thrones) are on a second honeymoon in Scotland after the war ends. Claire goes, on her own, to see some mysterious stones, and finds herself in a different time, a time when the English are the enemy of the Scots, in the middle of their fighting. First she runs into her husband's distant ancestor, who is a bit of a bastard, and then she is taken prisoner by the Scots, who think she's an English spy. They call her Sassenach, or Outlander. All she wants to do is get back to Inverness, to the stones and her husband, but they have other plans. And then a complication occurs in the person of young, handsome Jamie Frasier. She ends up married to him, but a chance occurrence lands her near the stones and she sees her chance to go home. Unfortunately, the British capture her and Black Jack (her husband's ancestor) is all set to rape her when Jamie appears and the season ends. I'm interested to see what happens next season, and which man she'll end up with.

The new season of American Horror Story starts this week, on October 8th. This time it's Freak Show, and the previews look very interesting. More after I watch it.

The Originals and Vampire Diaries are starting up also, and Once Upon a Time, which has an interesting new plot. More on those later.