Welcome back to another episode of Geektown Radio! This week, Gray returns to join Dave for a packed show featuring some fantastic TV reviews, a massive shake-up at DC Studios, and plenty of new and returning series to discuss. From the brilliantly dark humour of ‘Black Doves‘ to the future of the DC Universe following James Gunn’s surprise departure as studio boss, there’s certainly no shortage of things to talk about!
We kick things off with our usual look at what we’ve been watching, and Gray has quite a bit to catch up on after his recent trip to New York! He’s been working through some excellent television, including ITV crime drama ‘The Blame’, the latest season of ‘Slow Horses‘, Channel 4 comedy ‘It Gets Worse’, and BBC family comedy ‘The Reluctant Vampire‘. He’s also finally caught up with ‘The Celebrity Traitors’, which delivered some extraordinary moments, even if he wasn’t quite as impressed with the overall series as he was with the first.
Gray also shares his thoughts on ‘Boston Blue’, the spin-off from ‘Blue Bloods’, along with the returning ‘Scrubs’, ‘Reacher’ and Marvel’s ‘VisionQuest’. There’s plenty of discussion about which revivals and spin-offs are working, and which might be relying a little too heavily on nostalgia.
Meanwhile, Dave has been thoroughly enjoying the second season of ‘Black Doves’ on Netflix. The spy thriller, starring Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game) and Ben Whishaw (This Is Going to Hurt), continues to deliver a wonderful combination of brutal action, intriguing mysteries and pitch-black comedy. Joe Barton’s writing is as sharp as ever, particularly when it comes to the gloriously dysfunctional relationship between Helen and Sam.
Dave has also checked out ‘S.W.A.T. Exiles‘, which brings Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds) back as Hondo, this time leading a rather unconventional team of younger recruits. After the original series began feeling a little repetitive towards the end, has this new incarnation found a way to breathe fresh life into the franchise?
Moving into the TV and film news, there’s one story that dominates the conversation this week, and it’s a big one!
James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as the bosses of DC Studios, with former Marvel executive Jeremy Latcham taking over as President and Chief Creative Officer. It’s a surprising development, particularly as Gunn and Safran were brought in to provide the sort of stability and connected storytelling that DC had been struggling to achieve.
Dave and Gray discuss what might be behind the decision, whether Gunn is better suited to making films rather than running an entire studio, and what Latcham’s arrival could mean for the future of the DCU. With ‘Superman’ proving successful, ‘Supergirl’ struggling at the box office, and several previously announced projects still stuck in development, could a change of leadership actually help? Or is DC once again changing direction just as things were beginning to come together?
There’s also the rather interesting question of why DC, which has access to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, still hasn’t properly established its own cinematic Holy Trinity!
Elsewhere in the news, Netflix has announced ‘Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure’, a new live-action prequel taking the franchise back to the 1950s. With Joe Wright directing the opening episodes and members of the original creative team involved, we discuss whether the series can recapture the magic of ‘Stranger Things’ without its distinctive 1980s setting.
We also cover ITV’s new thriller ‘Nightswimming’, starring Lennie James (The Walking Dead) and written by ‘The Tourist’ creators Harry and Jack Williams. Meanwhile, Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard) is having an extraordinarily busy time, joining Eve Myles (Torchwood) for the second series of ‘Gone’, while also appearing in Sky’s ‘Prisoner’ Series 2.
There’s news about the return of ‘The Devil’s Hour’, the trailer for Jed Mercurio’s Netflix conspiracy thriller ‘Trinity’, and Amy Poehler and Mike Schur’s new archaeological comedy ‘Dig’. Plus, ‘Clarkson’s Farm’ favourite Kaleb Cooper is heading to Australia for his own Prime Video series, ‘Kaleb Off the Farm’.
We also run through the latest renewals and cancellations, including more ‘Youth’, ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘Big Brother’, alongside Channel 4’s decision to cancel ‘Married at First Sight UK’ and ITV shelving plans to revive ‘The X Factor’.
Finally, we take our usual look at what’s arriving on UK television over the coming week. Highlights include the return of ‘Rivals’ for the second half of Season 2, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 3, ‘Cunk on Cinema’, and ‘Shetland’ Series 11. There’s also the intriguing new heist thriller ’12 12 12′, the darkly comic Cold War drama ‘Honey’, and the return of ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’.
And speaking of ’12 12 12′, both Dave and Gray have some questions about the decision to premiere a series with that particular title on the 13th. Someone in marketing really missed a trick there…
It’s another packed episode featuring TV recommendations, entertainment news, superhero debates, and the usual Geektown tangents!
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