If We Controlled Your Remote… 1/6/17

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Kyle’s Choice

Tonight, Emerald City – NBC’s long-awaited re-imagining of The Wizard Of Oz – finally premieres. The series was first announced in 2014 and even had a presence at San Diego Comic-Con but was canceled shortly afterwards due to creative differences. Later it was picked back up and continued to appear in NBC’s list of new shows at its annual upfronts presentation but never actually made it onto the schedule…until now.

Tonight, the 10-episode first season, directed by the visually-creative Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall, Immortals, Mirror Mirror, Self/less), finally kicks off with a double-episode premiere. This darker retelling of the classic tale finds 20-year-old doctor Dorothy Gale (Adria Arjona, True Detective) swept into a tornado and transported in a mysterious new world. She wakes up in a wrecked police car along with K-9 officer Toto and soon learns she is in a land called Oz, governed by the all-powerful Wizard (Vincent D’Onofrio, Daredevil, Law & Order: CI). Years earlier, the Wizard had stopped the Beast Forever from destroying the Emerald City and its people, and ever since he has outlawed magic. However, Dorothy’s falling from the sky is the first foretold sign of a disastrous prophesy predicting the return of the mythical Beast.

As Glinda (Joely Richardson, Nip/Tuck), West (Ana Ularu), and the other witches start pressuring the Wizard to take action to prevent the looming disaster, an unknowing Dorothy makes her toward the city in hopes of finding her way home. As she sets off, Dorothy crosses paths with Lucas (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Dracula), a former member of the Wizard’s guard, who has amnesia after being tied to a cross in the middle of a field. The cast also includes Mido Hamada (24), Gerran Howell (Young Dracula), and Jordan Loughran (Evermoor).

While I wasn’t blown away by tonight’s premiere (no pun intended), I did like the cast and the look of the series. I’m interested to see how the other key characters of the original story are going to be worked into this tale. And there were also some interesting characters and developments set up by the end of the second episode that made me a little more keen to check out some more.

On part one of tonight’s premiere, “The Beast Forever,” a tornado occurs while Dorothy searches for her mother, and the storm transports Dorothy to a mystical land where a powerful ruler has outlawed magic. Then, in “Prison of the Abject,” Dorothy finds a soldier with amnesia and a man trying to help his best friend. Meanwhile, Glinda and West say good-bye to their fallen sister.

Check out the premiere tonight on NBC at 9/8c.

I’ll also be watching/recording One Day at a Time, Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Ginormous Food.
 
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch.
 

Jenny’s Choice

On the last episode of Hawaii Five-0 before the short winter break, Chin got notice that his niece, Sara, had been kidnapped down in Mexico. Chin, of course, raced out of the birthday party his friends had thrown for him. When Steve followed him and found out what was going on, he said there was no way Chin was going alone. So Chin and the team headed down to Mexico. Once there, they assumed it was Sara’s Uncle Jorge who was behind the kidnapping, but in a heartbreaking (for Chin) twist, it turns out Sara wasn’t kidnapped because of her Uncle Jorge, who Chin has thought since the beginning was involved with the cartel and drugs. No, Sara was kidnapped because of Chin himself. In one previous episode, the team tracked down and killed one of the Diego cartel members. His brother, the drug kingpin, took Sara out of revenge. Unfortunately, she was being held in what amounted to an impenetrable fortress. There was almost no chance of the team sneaking in and getting her out.

So what did Chin do? He offered himself up in exchange for Sara. So now the team has recovered Sara. She’s safe and sound. Unfortunately, Chin is now in the hands of the drug cartel. It was so heartbreaking, watching Chin say good-bye to Sara. But I have no doubt the team will get him back. Question is…what shape will he be in? I’m also assuming that Chin will drop his pursuit of wanting custody of Sara, since it seems like her aunt and uncle aren’t involved with the cartel and he now knows his work put her in jeopardy. I guess we’ll see…

On tonight’s episode, “Ka ‘aelike (The Deal),” after Chin is kidnapped by a cartel in Mexico, Five-0 must find and rescue him before he is executed by the group that’s out for revenge. Also, Grover goes undercover as a car salesman to investigate a murder that turns out to be far more complex and dangerous than expected.

See if the team can rescue Chin tonight on CBS at 9/8c.

I’ll also be watching/DVRing Grimm, Last Man Standing, MacGyver, Rosewood, & Blue Bloods.
 

Megan’s Choice

Grimm returns tonight for its sixth and final season. I’m not sure how I feel. On one hand, I’m so happy that it’s finally back, but on the other, it’s sad knowing it’s the last season we’ll get. It’s definitely had a good run, and I’m glad audiences gave it this long.

On the season five finale, Meisner died, Rosalee told Monroe she’s pregnant, and Eve started to remember bits of Juliette. I am so sad about Meisner, but he died valiantly. My only hope is that Adalind and Nick end up together, even though Eve is starting to remember being Juliette.

On tonight’s episode, “Fugitive,” following the massacre in Nick’s loft, Capt. Renard is hell bent on eliminating him once and for all. Hank and Wu head back to the precinct to keep an eye on the Captain and help give the gang the upper hand. Meanwhile, Monroe and Rosalee grapple with staying in Portland now that their family will be expanding. Elsewhere, Eve suffers the side effects of the mysterious stick’s healing power.

To see how this season gets started, tune in to NBC at 8/7c.

I’ll also be watching MacGyver, Blue Bloods, Hawaii Five-0, Rosewood, Sleepy Hollow, and Emerald City.