Summer is winding down and the cold nights are one the way. The only solution, flick on the TV and get settled into some of these fantastic shows coming your way from September!
The Walking Dead
What started as a six episode pilot season has now gone on to become a global phenomenon. The Walking Dead is based on the 101 issue (and still going) strong comic book series by Robert Kirkman and as TV goes, it is definitely one of the least likely to be universally accepted series around. It follows a band of survivors trying to survive a world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse, with the alternate spin on the formula being that TWD focuses on how the survivors manage more so than any gruesome flesh eating violence, though there is plenty of that too. Acted with aplomb by Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Callis and especially Norman Reedus, the writing on the show is a step above the standard TV fare and will surprise most viewers at how dramatic it can be. We are now on to the third season, boasting a new record 13 episodes, and things are about to start moving quicker and meaner so now is the time to catch up and prepare yourself for The Walking Dead!
Starts October 14th
The Office
With all the doom and gloom of a zombie apocalypse you may be in need of some comedy. Have no fear because everyone’s favourite paper company is back on our TVs this autumn! The Office follows the exploits of the wacky and slightly offbeat staff of Dunder Mifflin (-Sabre) paper company and has proven over the last few years to really be its own beast apart from its British original. Gervais’ version of the show was regarded as great situational deadpan humour but Greg Daniels and his crew decided to take a more obvious and exaggerated (let’s just say American) approach to the idea and have in turn created their own universe that no longer has any real ties to the original series, but exists tremendously on its own all the same. Last season was the first without loveable dunce Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) and it is no secret that the series definitely felt the loss, but with the fast moving conclusion to the last season and the hope that the writing crew has now learned to cope without Carrell to write for, this ninth season will hopefully bring back the show’s former glory.
Starts September 20th
Supernatural
It’s hard to believe that we’re on to the eight season of this show. Along with The Wire, Breaking Bad and more, Supernatural is in that elite club of critically adored shows that just couldn’t find strong enough viewerships. Since about the third year, there had been constant hints and rumours that the show would be finished. Yet here we are, eight years on the go and now moving to a Wednesday night anchor slot. The plot of Supernatural follows the Winchester brothers whose family business is “saving people, hunting things”. All those stories of things that go bump in the night? They’re not stories! Sam and Dean spend their time hunting and killing demons, ghosts, vampires, shapeshifters and more, all the while each season dealing with a major season long story arc to boot. It is incredibly well written stuff, playing on the real friendship between Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki to provide fantastic moments of humour, as well as incredibly heavy hitting moments of grief and tragedy. Season 8 has a little work to do after an only slightly disappointing last season, plus there are plenty of loose ends to tie up, but this is a show that always comes through, no fear.
Starts October 3rd
Revolution
The first newbie on the list, Revolution is the brainchild of Eric Kripkie who previously created Supernatural, and produced by J.J Abrams. The show is based in a post-apocalyptic world where an unknown event has rendered all modern technology useless. A world without the internet, all shudder together now. We follow the Matheson family who possess and item which can reverse the effects and possibly explain what caused them to begin with, but they must avoid the pursuit of the warlords and militia that rule the territories. It’s a series that could go either way, but Kripkie knows good TV and Lost showed us all that Abrams is the same. Hopefully this one has legs and gets a decent viewership.
Starts September 17th
666 Park Avenue
Featuring the return to our screens of Lost star Terry O’Quinn in this exciting looking supernatural mystery series. It follows the new management at a building complex, the occupants of which all appear to be harbouring something sinister. The aforementioned O’Quinn plays the owner of said complex who, it would appear from promotional material anyway, is the Devil-like creature who is pulling the strings of the whole operation. Pre-release information has been coming very slowly and thinly but it is all only adding to the intrigue and this should hopefully be a very exciting show, if done right, in the vein of Stephen King’s finer novels.
Starts September 30th
Community
Last but not least is a show in desperate need of some TLC. Community follows the exploits of a group of eccentric, to say the least, characters all attending Greendale Community College. What set the show apart from the very first episode was its ability to dedicate each episode to a particular pop culture phenomenon or movie series, whilst retaining enough affection for the subject matter at times to avoid out and out parody. It has been bandied about by NBC so much that each year a new series was debated right down to the wire, with season three even being put on hiatus half way through. Yet the critics still heap the praise and a fourth season will be airing, albeit with two new showrunners stepping in in place of original head honcho Dan Harmon, who was removed under shady circumstances on the studio’s part. Here’s hoping studio intervention hasn’t ruined something wonderful and Community still has all the charm that has made it one of the most rewarding shows airing for its fans
Starts October 19th
Along with these shows, which we will be reviewing weekly on Irish News Review, there are many others worth a watch that have wrapped up mid-season, such as True Blood, The Newsroom, Breaking Bad. Others that definitely get our thumbs up are The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and the fantastic Modern Family.
The Republic Of Telly go head to head with fellow RTE show Love/Hate and Ràsai Na Gaillimhe tomorrow night at the Zebbie Awards after they were nominated by the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild.
