With such acclaimed series as Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Walking Dead on its resume, AMC has earned a reputation as one of the creatively strongest television networks. And perhaps in part because of a focus on protecting that reputation, the network has opted to shutter two high-profile drama projects it has had in the works for years. Rest in peace, Galyntine and Knifeman - the two ambitious series will not make it past the pilot stage.
After an unusually long grace period this fall, the shiny broadcast ax has been taken out of the woodshed and finally used in earnest. ABC's Manhattan Love Story holds the unfortunate distinction of being the first canceled show of the season, having been handed a pink slip last week, but today finds NBC's low-rated comedy freshmen A to Z and Bad Judge joining it in the television graveyard.
Is Michael Bay finally as tired of the Transformers as the rest of us? It appears that may be the case, with news that the blockbuster-skewing director is majorly switching gears and pushing to direct political thriller 13 Hours, about the 2012 attacks on an American compound in Libya that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
This fall season has proven to be disappointing for all of the Big Four television networks (NBC, Fox, ABC and CBS), with more soft landings than certifiable hits, and in that type of environment, even simple consistency in the ratings can sustain a series. Such is the case with NBC's The Mysteries of Laura, a modest success for the Peacock Network that holds the distinction of being the only new series with ratings that have stayed within .2 of its regular time slot premiere. With a seemingly solid fanbase established, NBC has gone ahead and given The Mysteries of Laura a back-nine order, bringing its first season to a full 22 episodes.
Netflix's aggressive advances into original programming have so far included star-studded political dramas (House of Cards), animated sitcoms (BoJack Horseman) and distinctive dramedies (Orange is the New Black), but this winter will see the arrival of what could be the streaming giant's most ambitious venture yet - Marco Polo.
Yesterday was a pretty spectacular day for Marvel fans, who learned about nine upcoming superhero films from the studio, including Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, The Inhumans and the two-part Avengers: Infinity War. Before any of those highly promising Phase Three titles arrives in theaters, however, we can all look forward to next May's Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The first casualty of the fall television season came last week when ABC axed low-rated freshman comedy Manhattan Love Story, but today finds the small screen world in better spirits. CBS, currently the top-rated major cable network, has committed to all four of its new drama series, picking up back-nine orders for NCIS: New Orleans, Scorpion, Madam Secretary and Stalker.
While Daniel Radcliffe continues to shed his Harry Potter stardom this month by starring in the grisly horror comedy Horns, the actor has already turned his attention to another upcoming project, in which he takes on one of his most against-type roles to date. In 20th Century Fox's Victor Frankenstein, Radcliffe will put a new spin on the hunchbacked Igor, assistant and friend to the brilliant and destructive medical student Victor von Frankenstein (James McAvoy).
Fox's fall lineup, Gotham aside, has delivered a whole slew of disappointments, with heavily promoted reality series Utopia landing softly and new series like Gracepoint, Mulaney and Red Band Society proving dead on arrival. However, maybe midseason hip-hop drama Empire will turn things around for the network.
