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 #1
Tonight, Syfy kicks off a new Thursday night lineup, beginning with the second season premiere of Van Helsing. In the first season, Vanessa Helsing awoke from a long coma to find herself in a world overrun by vampires and learned that her young daughter was missing. She banded with a group of survivors while she looked for her daughter. In the process, she discovered that she had special powers — her blood could turn vampires back into humans. Dmitri, the leader of the vampires, managed to capture Vanessa and brought her to his citadel, where he had his doctor perform experiments on her, trying to learn more about her unique blood. However, the experiments seem to have left Vanessa with super-human strength, and she managed to break free. As Vanessa roamed the building, she found her daughter, but Dylan had been turned into a vampire. Meanwhile, Taka, with the help of vampire Rebecca, led a small Resistance army into the citadel to take down the vampires. While the others spread out, he found Dmitri and was about to kill him, when Dmitri made him an offer.
Tonight’s second season premiere picks up right where the first season left off. How will Vanessa deal with her vampire daughter? Will she try to use her blood to save her, or is it already too late? The same goes for Julius, who was also turned at the end of last season. What did Dmitri offer Taka, and will he betray the Resistance? Will Vanessa rejoin the others? How will she react to reuniting with Mohamad after his betrayal last season? It should be another exciting season!
While she’s not in tonight’s episode, Missy Peregrym (Rookie Blue) will be joining the cast this season as Scarlett Harker. I’m sure that last name is no coincidence, so I’m looking forward to seeing how she fits into the story. I had a chance to talk with some of the cast members and producers about the show at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. You can find my video interviews at NoReruns.net.
On tonight’s premiere, “Began Again,†Vanessa and Mohamad search for Dylan as Dmitri’s citadel crumbles around them; Flesh acquires an unexpected ally in one of the Resistance Fighters; Taka clashes with the Vampire Elite.
Catch all the action tonight on Syfy at 9/8c.
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch.
Phoebe’s Choice
This fall on FOX, they’ve rolled the die and given Seth McFarlane one more go as a show creator/runner, and not even for a cartoon this time! Instead we have seen the slow, steady emergence of a satirical Star Trek-based universe on The Orville. It’s billed as a comedy, but the way it plays in an hour-long episode is more like 80% normal Trek plot with 20% mostly harmless humor sprinkled in. It’s been doing well, and a lot of the fandom see it as having more authentic Trek-verse type characters and plots than what’s been going on over on ABC’s Star Trek: Discovery.
Last week we got a very cool sample of this continuity. Early in the episode, an enormous mysterious object was detected, where the Orville was on patrol in uncharted space. Upon close inspection, it appeared to be a 2000-year-old spacecraft that was the size of a small moon. The ship was adrift on a path that would soon see it plunge into the gravity of a nearby star. In the medical bay, gelatinous alien Yaphit (Norm Macdonald) again flirted with (human) Dr. Finn, but she was called to the bridge. She joined Captain Mercer (McFarlane) on an away team that boarded the mega ship.
They found a world that had it’s own atmosphere and geography… Instead of a mechanical interior, there were fields, mountains, and forests under an obviously faked blue sky. The term “bio-ship†was how they identified it. The robot Isaac monitored the ship and found there were several million humanoids on board. They decided to split into groups to see if they could find who was in charge.
Mercer, Finn, & Isaac were in one group. Together they encountered a family that attacked them on sight. These people didn’t seem to know they were on a space ship. Elsewhere, Alara & Grayson wandered the fields of the bio-ship and bonded on relationship woes. Soon, though, they were rolled up on by an SUV. Armed men popped out and demanded ID. When they couldn’t provide it, the men shot Alara and abducted Grayson. Back at the farm Mercer’s team discovered, the son of the family told them that while they were all taught to believe that a man named Dural created the whole universe, there wsa a growing contingent that doubted this. They were known as the Reformers.
Back on the Orville, they received a distress call and had to respond, leaving a communications buoy to tell the away team where they went, should they attempt to make contact. Inside the bio-ship, the Reformers were bringing Mercer’s team up to speed on the religion that ruled their world; led by a man named Hemelek, they worshiped Dural as the creator and killed any who suggested there was more to the universe than the narrative they provided. As they learned of the culture, Alara called the captain to inform him that she’d been shot. Grayson woke up at a pro-Dural rally, where the crowd savagely beat one of the Reformers to death.
Alara was found, and Dr. Finn quickly healed her. Mercer decided it was time for backup, so Isaac was sent to call the Orville and instead discovered the communication buoy. The Orville itself was at that moment in a dogfight with an enemy ship. They managed to blow it up but were damaged enough that their return to the bio-ship was delayed by an hour’s worth of repairs. Grayson was being violently interrogated, so Cpt. Mercer led the team into the base where she was being held. They sneaked in and freed her, confronting Hemelek. Despite semi-believing the truth that they told him, Hemelek refuses to share it with the common people, afraid of the change the revelation would cause. So they knocked him out and took the leader of the Reformers to explore the “forbidden†parts of the ship.
They found an elevator that took them to the bridge, where they saw an old video loop of Dural telling the tale of the ship: They were knocked off course on a colonizing mission and were going to be doomed unless help chanced upon them. Captain Mercer and his crew helped them make the repairs they needed, giving them a new lease on the universe!
While it gives me nostalgia pangs for Powerless, this show has a lot of potential, and I’ll be tuning back in tonight.
On tonight’s episode, “Pria,†after the crew saves a stranded ship and its attractive captain (guest star Charlize Theron), Ed becomes smitten with the Orville’s new guest, while Kelly suspects all is not what it seems. Meanwhile, Gordon attempts to teach Isaac the art of pulling off a practical joke.
Learn why Kelly suspects something’s amiss tonight on FOX at 9:01/8:01c.
I’ll also be watching Gotham, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, & The Opposition with Jordan Klepper.
Kyle’s Choice #2
Also premiering tonight on Syfy is the new horror series, Ghost Wars, from creator Simon Barry (Continuum, Van Helsing) and producers Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev (Fargo, Van Helsing, Hell on Wheels). The small Alaskan town of Port Moore is suddenly struck by a mass haunting. Evil spirits are running amok, threatening to destroy the town and everyone in it. Roman Mercer (Avan Jogia, Tut, Victorious) has been able to communicate with spirits ever since he was young, which has left him a troubled loner. Now he must overcome his own personal demons and use his psychic powers to help stop the evil forces. However, town bully/handyman Doug Rennie (Meat Loaf) is not a fan of Mercer and tries to get the townspeople riled up against him. Meanwhile, Father Dan Carpenter (Vincent D’Onfrio, Emerald City, Daredevil, Law & Order: CI) sees the ranks of his dwindling congregation grow dramatically once the hauntings begin, and this sudden popularity starts to get to his head. As the townsfolk flock to religion, Lambda research scientist Landis Barker (Kandyse McClure, Hemlock Grove, Battlestar Galactica) believes that science may hold the key to saving the town. The series also stars Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy) and Kristin Lehman (Motive).
While I haven’t had a chance to check out tonight’s premiere, based on the trailer, the series looks like it will be entertaining and have some impressive (and creepy) special effects. I got to talk with some of the cast members and producers about the series at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. You can find my video interviews at NoReruns.net. From these conversations, it sounds like a promising series, with a talented cast and a writer who is a huge horror fan — at SDCC, he explained his love of the genre and how he tried to pay homage to some of his favorite horror films throughout the series. I look forward to checking out the tonight’s premiere!
On tonight’s episode, “Death’s Door,†just as troubled medium Roman Mercer prepares to leave the small town of Port Moore, an earthquake strikes the Alaskan island and awakens a supernatural force bent on destruction.
Find out what sort of supernatural force it is tonight on Syfy at 10/9c.
I’ll also be watching/recording Grey’s Anatomy, Superstore, The Good Place, Will & Grace, Gotham, The Orville, Flipping Out, and Nathan for You.
Megan’s Choice
I was nervous when it was announced that Will & Grace was being brought back, because it was so perfect the first time around, but I was pleasantly surprised with how great the season premiere was last week. Karen is still by far my favorite, with her inappropriate comments, and I adored the comedic timing. I’m looking forward to seeing how the characters evolve from here and if they can keep it fresh and funny as they go forward.
On tonight’s episode, “Who’s Your Daddy?” Will and Jack try to date younger guys but find it challenging. Grace and Karen experience a crisis that reveals Grace’s true feelings about Karen.
To see how Will and Jack make out robbing the cradle, tune in to NBC at 9/8c.
I’ll also be watching Grey’s Anatomy, Beat Bobby Flay, and Chicago Fire.
