Television

Why Futurama hasn’t jumped the shark

In truth, all any show requires to “jump the shark” is two seasons. Futurama is in its second season — and on its second network. Some critics are claiming the show has jumped the shark, but here’s why this animated series is actually rallying. The phrase “jumping the shark” got its origin from Happy Days.…

Only one of ABC’s new genre TV shows is truly worth your time

Next week, ABC is launching three new genre shows: 666 Park Avenue, The Neighbors, and Last Resort. All three of them feature bold premises and cool visuals — but which one of them is going to be your brand new obsession? We’ve seen all three pilots — and even though all three of them have…

Few TV shows could get away with being as cornball as Warehouse 13

Last night’s Warehouse 13 was short on the silly humor the show has made its wheelhouse lately — although there was a bit of fun with Pete was boxing — and instead long on the kind of sentimentality that would feel like ridiculous overkill on most TV shows. And yet, on Warehouse 13, it more…

Game of Thrones Season 2 FX reel reveals how they grew the direwolves and dragons

Get ready to be amazed — another Game of Thrones FX reel is out. Watch how they developed the lands of Westeros and beyond, for the show’s second season. See how a simple cliff became a mighty castle of the Iron Islands, and how the dragons and direwolves grew up in season two. Truly, there…

First Glimpse of Russell T. Davies’ Wizards Vs. Aliens!

Russell T. Davies brought Doctor Who back from the dead — and now he’s making genres collide. We couldn’t possibly be more excited for RTD’s new show Wizards Vs. Aliens, in which a boy wizard fights an alien invasion. And now, here’s the first glimpse, which is wrapped in with some footage from another new…

Artist builds beautiful He-Man sculpture with biceps the size of honey baked hams

Looks like Prince Adam has been hitting the gym even harder. Deviant Artist EJ Pang has erected this massive He-Man statue from scratch. Built entirely of ham hocks (or possibly clay) this marvelous manikin is about one-fourth the size of the real He-Man. Except for his veins — those are to scale. [Via Geekologie]

Why We’re Still Optimistic About Eric Kripke’s Revolution

When we saw the pilot for NBC’s new show Revolution at Comic-Con, we thought it seemed pretty fun. But since then, most people we know seem to have decided to hate this show, either on the basis of the silly premise (almost all technology on Earth stops working) or other stuff (like the wide-eyed pout-acting…

Is Warner Bros.’s plan for Justice League and Batman even more complicated than we thought?

HBO reveals a season three set photo for Game of Thrones — and hints at its massive importance. Check out a brand new Robocop poster and some Hobbit photos! Jon Favreau wants to do some swordfighting on Revolution. Plus tons of Walking Dead photos and the latest Once Upon a Time hints! Spoilers from here…

Starting tomorrow, all TV news since 2009 will be available, for free, on the Internet Archive. Literally all. [NYT]

The current season of Doctor Who, as recapped by an adorable four-year-old girl

In case you’ve missed the first three episodes of the most recent season of Doctor Who, allow four-and-a-half-year-old Lindalee Rose to get you up to speed. As her parents elaborate, “[She’s] barely in pre-school, but she can name various human companions and menacing alien races from the long-running hit BBC series.” Her informational recaps are…

The stars of Revolution explain why this isn’t a post-apocalyptic show

Tonight sees the first episode of Revolution, the new show from J.J. Abrams and Supernatural’s Eric Kripke in which all the power goes out, all over the world. We caught up with stars Billy Burke and Tracy Spiridakos, and they told us why you shouldn’t call this a post-apocalyptic adventure. “I don’t really think of…

Television really does make you less lonely, say scientists

It turns out that TV really does help lonely people feel like they’ve been socializing with friends. Recently psychologists have hit upon the idea of “social surrogacy” to explain how television can serve the same role as friends or family. In a study, psychologists noticed that people are more likely to watch favorite TV shows…

This Week’s TV: Is Revolution the new Supernatural, or the new Terra Nova?

This week’s television includes the premieres of three shows, including Eric Kripke’s Revolution, in which all the technology fails. Except for hairstyling technology, which never fails. But that’s not all! Also, there’s a documentary about how NASA became the first Martian music label. And Dylan Hunt himself, Kevin Sorbo, tells the story of how he…

Steven Moffat looks ahead to Doctor Who‘s big farewell. Plus a gigantic Thor: The Dark World rumor!

Get inside the head of Dredd’s two main Judges. Amy Adams is playing a whole new Lois Lane in Man of Steel… with just a little Margot Kidder thrown in. Plus lots of Woodbury hints from the Walking Dead cast! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Dredd. Man of Steel Amy Adams suggests…

Now You Can Tag Live TV With Shazam

Shazam, the app that lets you tag music to work out what it is, just got far more interesting. From now on, the app will be capable of tagging any TV show, to let you know what music it’s using, who’s acting in it, and whatever the hell else information you need. The company’s apparently…

Doctor Who and the Downside of Turning People into Weapons

Doctor Who’s quirky time traveler has often been accused of transforming human beings into weapons — most notably, Davros made this claim in “Journey’s End.” But last night’s episode, “A Town Called Mercy,” features another alien doctor who’s literally made people into weapons — and meanwhile, it makes a strong case that the Doctor’s companions…

Douglas Adams and Jim Henson tried to develop a TV special about the Muppet Institute of Technology

What happens when you get the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the creator of the Muppets in the same room? In the 1980s, Jim Henson met author Douglas Adams and together they tried to develop a television special starring the Muppets about the wonders of computers. Henson and Adams met almost…

What’s really going on with World War Z? And what’s the explanation of the latest Fringe set report?

Go deep inside this Saturday’s spaghetti Western Doctor Who episode. Get the lowdown on some rumored Man of Steel concept art. The 300 prequel gets a title, while Godzilla gets a release date. Plus Arrow adds DC Comics’ most famous playing-card-themed gang! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Doctor Who. Man of Steel…

The Independence Day sequels will be all about the love… wait, what!?

Pacific Rim is going 3D… even if Guillermo del Toro doesn’t like it. Watch a Thor: The Dark World set video. Just how drunk will Woody Harrelson be in Catching Fire? Joss Whedon explains why Squirrel Girl might not be in The Avengers 2. And James Cameron explains why the Avatar sequels won’t be like…

Joss Whedon reveals a few new details about his new S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show

The man behind this year’s biggest blockbuster, Joss Whedon, is slowly starting to leak his ideas on the highly anticipated S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series. In an interview with MTV Whedon dropped little hints, and explained that the show will be focused around new characters. So, no Maria Hill, probably. “It needs to be its own thing,”…