Television

Oscar the Grouch used to be orange (but was supposed to be magenta)

Sesame Streetis 45 years old today, and the warm-spirited puppeteers behind the show’s Twitter account did a fun thing. They shared45 facts aboutSesame Street over the course of the day. Chief among them is the fact that Oscar the Grouch was actually orangefor the entire first season of the show. Orange! The story behind the…

On Resurrection, the Returned Share a Hive Mind and Are Saved by Prayer

This episode proved that we have a few plots too many this season. This episode wandered through a bunch of them, before driving home that we’ll be seeing a mob full of pitchforks before the season’s out. Spoilers now… Rachael The big thing that we learned about the Returned this week is that, apparently, they…

Has Suicide Squad Cast Two of Batman’s Most Famous Villains Already?

A photo from the Arrow set reveals a change coming for a major character. Set video from Chicago shows Lois Lane with Superman. James Gunn talks Guardians of the Galaxy 2. We’ve got more details for the Minority Report TV series and a mysterious new Flash character. Spoilers now! Top image: Batman v. Superman Suicide…

John Oliver Somehow Improves the Already Awesome Salmon Cannon

Remember the salmon cannon? That supremely overenthusiastic answer to the problem of fish migration being blocked by dams? Well, John Oliver found that single use to be lacking something more… Pythonesque. This video is hilarious in a way that’ll make you feel kind of bad for loving it. It was amusing when Jon Stewart got…

Even Robert Baratheon Bows Down To This George R. R. Martin Cosplay

Did you do a double take? Because at first glance, we didn’t even realize there were two cosplayers in this picture. “A friend of mine does cosplay as Robert Baratheon,” writes redditor wheeliejuice. “He ran into another cosplayer today. I think they both nailed it.” No kidding. That is damn impressive. H/t /r/pics

All Of Doctor Who‘s Big Thematic Arcs Pay Off, With Clara’s Final Test

This season of Doctor Who has been pretty tightly structured around a few big themes, and all of them were tied up in the season finale. A lot of them, not surprisingly, had to do with Clara Oswald — and we finally found out why she was chosen as the Doctor’s companion. Spoilers! So all…

Orphan Black Season Three Teaser Is Astoundingly Clever

Here is the first-ever teaser trailer for the third season of beloved clone drama Orphan Black. Sadly, there’s no footage, but unsurprisingly, they still managed to make a pretty clever teaser. Anyone catch that the strands of DNA on the “H” are both blue and pink? FORESHADOWING, PEOPLE. At least, we hope. There’s no limit…

Is Everyone Wrong About Luke Skywalker’s Role In The Force Awakens?

Peggy Carter gets a new neighbor in Agent Carter. Get your first look at another classic Bat-character on Gotham. We know at least one character that Constantine will introduce if it gets more episodes. Plus, sneak peeks at Agents of SHIELD, The Originals, and Once Upon a Time. Spoilers now! Top Image: Agents of SHIELD…

Aereo’s Latest Death Rattle Comes as Boston Office Shutters

Well, that’s no good. Aereojust sent a letter to its employees announcing that it would be closing its Boston offices, laying off all 43 employees that work there, and shuttering operations. The company is not shutting down, yet. But unfortunately for hopeful cord-cutters, this is not a good sign, especially after the crushing Supreme Court…

Behold The Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Couch Gag

Here it is, the very first look at The Simpsons/Futurama crossover episode. Watch how a visit from the Planet Express crew will change The Simpsons opening couch gag. Spoiler alert: Hedonismbot makes things sexy. And there’s yet ANOTHER clip over at Entertainment Weekly that is sadly not embeddable, but you can head over there to…

Why Is OLED Different and What Makes It So Great?

I have seen the future of high definition displays and lo, it is glorious. Not to mention rollable, foldable, and clearly superior to LCD/LED—really every other panel technology available today. What is OLED and how does it work? OLED, or Organic Light Emitting Diodes, are an offshoot of existing conventional LED technology. LEDs are semiconducting…

That Time Doctor Who Used Real Science For Its Stories

While frequently called a science fantasy show for its loose approach to scientific plausibility, Doctor Who can be surprisingly grounded in real science. Along with changing to accommodate shifting understanding of cosmology over the decades, the show has explored a whole range of science.

For its next stab at original programming, Netflix is venturing into kid-land with a series based on Daniel Handler’s Lemony Snicket books. The series is a partnership with Paramount, which produced the 2004 Jim Carrey film. How great would it be if Carrey starred in the series, too? [Variety]

Terry Nation’s Recurring Nightmare That Helped Inspire The Daleks

The Daleks have been Doctor Who’s most unstoppable villains for pretty much the show’s entire run — but what drives them? What are they a metaphor for? On one level, they’re clearly a version of the Nazis, created by people who lived through World War II. But their creator had another metaphor in mind. Talking…

Are You Hurting Your Brain By “Hate-Watching” Bad Television?

Everybody does it. We obsessively watch TV shows that we kind of despise, and then we mock them, and complain about them on the internet afterwards. “Hate-watching” is a thing now. What’s going on — are we just masochists? Are we doing serious damage to our bodies? What’s the worst thing that could happen to…

Constantine‘s New Sidekick Is A Vast Improvement—But This Episode Isn’t

Constantine traded the rather dull Liv for the mysterious Zed as our hero’s mystery-solving pal, and Zed proves a much better match for the sardonic exorcist. Unfortunately, this mining town murder plot doesn’t live up to the grotesque tone set up by the pilot. This week’s episode functioned as a sort of second Constantine pilot,…

​The Walking Dead Just Turned Into The World’s Strangest Medical Drama

In “Slabtown,” we finally learn what happened to Beth after she was spirited off by that mysterious car with the white cross on it all those months and episodes ago. The short version: She joined an extremely bizarre medical drama as a new orderly in the post-apocalypse’s least well-run hospital. It’s like Scrubs, but with…

CBS has made a commitment to produce a pilot for a Limitless series, based on the2011 moviestarring Bradley Cooper. The show was in development last year, but now you can officially get ready for Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman’s take on a drug that enhances the brain with some intense side affects. [Deadline]

Will Clara Pay A High Cost For Trying To Be The Doctor On Doctor Who?

Doctor Who’s two-part season finale aired its first half tonight, and the story is almost entirely driven by Clara Oswald and her decisions. It’s a measure of how much she’s grown as a character that this works as splendidly as it does. But did Clara just learn the true cost of trying to be the…

The Best Moments From Last Night’s Arrow

Arrow enters its usual first-quarter holding pattern in this episode, so we don’t make much progress. But “The Magician” is still peppered with great moments. Let’s talk about the scenes that absolutely made the episode. Nyssa and Laurel Share a Bloodlust Nyssa is back, and she’s pissed off. So is Laurel. What a coincidence! At…