Tag: roswell

The Upfronts 2018 – The CW

On By sulkyblueIn TV, TV 18-19 SeasonLeave a comment

Bye bye
The Originals, long running spin-off from The Vampire Diaries was cancelled after five seasons. Neither Life Sentence or Valor (which always seemed an odd match for The CW) survived their first seasons.

See you again soon
It used to be I watched almost everything on The CW, now there’s mostly a lot of stuff that I either used to watch, or keep meaning to try. The only one I watch is iZombie which will have a fifth and final season next year, so I’m happy that it will get a proper close at least. Supernatural STILL goes on, into its 14th season which will see its 300th episode. The Arrow-verse proliferates with the original series (season 7) alongside The Flash (5), Supergirl (4), and Legends of Tomorrow (4). Black Lightning is not technically part of the Arrow verse apparently, but will also be back for a 2nd season, I watched the pilot and liked it and keep meaning to go back to it. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is one I’ve had recommended lots of times but I’ve never been able to get through the pilot but will be back for a fourth and final season; Jane the Virgin I liked the first season but never bothered to watch more of, that will get a fifth and final season. The 100 (never made it past the pilot) comes back for season 6 and Riverdale (also never made it beyond the pilot) will be back for season 3, while Dynasty (not a chance I was even going to glance at the pilot) is renewed for a second season.

Hello there
Given how many shows have been cancelled, or flagged that the coming season will be their last, there’s not much to look forward to from the new series.


All American – Friday Night Lights meets Fresh Prince of Bel Air and dials the drama up. The trailer was full of cliche, but the actors seem solid.


Charmed – rebooting the series that started 20 years ago (gulp) and ran for 8 seasons. It’s a solid enough basic concept and partnering it with 2018 feminism could work but the cast didn’t leap off the screen for me.

Also:

  • Roswell, New Mexico – another reboot, of a series that I actually watched and enjoyed. It’s no longer set in high school, more like late twenty-somethings which could be an interesting take on it I guess.
  • In the Dark – I’m just going to copy the wikipedia synopsis because I don’t think I can do it justice – “A flawed and irreverent blind woman is the only “witness” to the murder of her drug-dealing friend. After the police dismiss her story, she sets out with her dog, Pretzel, to find the killer while also managing her colorful dating life and the job she hates at Breaking Blind – the guide dog school owned by her overprotective parents.”
  • Legacies – a second generation spin-off based on The Originals which was based on The Vampire diaries. It focusses on Hope Mikaelson, the daughter of Klaus and Hayley if that means anything to anyone.
    • Advertisement

    Roswell: Season 2

    On By sulkyblueIn Science FictionLeave a comment

    I didn’t enjoy this season as much as the first, although I think the overall quality may actually be higher. I enjoyed the first season because it was aliens in highschool, there were serious plots, but it was just kids dealing with their every day lives and problems that come up because they’re aliens. But in season 2 they suddenly have this whole destiny thing going on, worlds depending on them and everything and I just felt it took away some of the fun. It’s still enjoyable, but it’s trying to be more than (possibly) it can be.

    DVD Special Features
    The three commentaries are really interesting with the writers and producers talking about how the stories came about, why choices were made and how they fit into wider pictures. The main featurette is a detailed look at the season episode by episode again filling in some of the reasoning for arcs and changes. Despite the continuing obsession with hair they’re a good selection of extras.

    Roswell: Season 1

    On By sulkyblueIn Science FictionLeave a comment

    I picked Roswell up for 20quid in HMV because I knew I had nothing better to do than watch tv on bank holiday monday. I quite enjoyed watching the series right up until the last ten minutes or so of the final episode when the exposition became rather silly.

    The concept is fun, Romeo and Juliet with species rather than families being the separator. However like with Romeo and Juliet, the love-struck pair are fairly insipid and irritating and it’s the sidekicks that make the series better. While I find Michael, Isabel and Maria interesting and diverse characters, I find Liz overly whiny and Max just plain boring. Alex and Kyle had the potential to be interesting but they were ridiculously underused, really not appearing in enough episodes to rate more than recurring slots. The sheriff continually stole the show by being the grown up, both in terms of acting and, towards the end of the season at least, by being most sensible.

    It’s a fun spin on the US high-school standards, although there’s a noticeable lack of much school work. The setting is well used, the Crashdown diner and UFO centre fitting well into the Roswell mythos and the scenes in the desert are often beautiful. I think the only real let down in the series are the lead characters, particularly Max, who just seems content to amble along.

    DVD Special Features
    There’s an entertaining selection of commentaries, which avoid becoming repetitive by each covering different areas – direction, writing, plots and acting are all covered. Be warned though the actors give away some spoilers for season 2. The featurettes are also interesting, particularly the interview with the original creators of the books the series is based on.