Into the Badlands S01E01 'The Fort'

Into the Badlands is described as "a genre-bending martial arts series" loosely inspired by the Chinese tale, 'Into the West.'
The premise certainly sounds interesting, but the first episode was anything but.  Although visually striking, the show lacks any real depth.  To be quite honest, this first episode bored me to tears.  Even the fight scenes, although well choreographed and performed, seemed to lack any real intensity. The actors shamble through the scenery with all the vigor and vim of a troop of zombies.
Perhaps the show improves later, but after watching this premier, I have very little interest in wasting more time to find out.

Jessica Jones S01E01 "Ladies' Night'

So, I just watched the first episode of Jessica Jones on Netflix.  I have to admit that I went into the show with some bias; I've read Alias, the Marvel Comic that inspired the series.  Honestly, I didn't think much of that, and, apparently, neither did the bulk of readers because Alias was cancelled after twentysomething issues.
Gentle readers, I wasn't impressed with Jessica Jones.  The acting in the first ep was mediocre, the plot was uninteresting, the pacing was atrocious.  Thirty minutes into the episode, I wanted to turn it off, but decided I should tought it out.
I regret that.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give this show 2 stars.  I have no desire to watch another episode.  However, in all fairness, Daredevil doesn't do anything for me either.

Comics on the Screen

The Oscars were on last night. I didn't watch them.  I don't really watch much of anything anymore. That's one of the reasons I don't have a television.
The other is the expense. If I had a television I'd want cable which would cost way too much for what you get.  It's cheaper and more practical just to have the Internet and stream the few programs I want to watch when I want to watch them.
To be honest, there's not much on the boob tube these days that I want to watch.  And what I do watch would probably surprise people.
Working in a comic shop, most people assume I'm a big fan of comic related television programming. That's actually not true.
I can't stand The Walking Dead with its endless misery.  I've only watched a couple of episodes of Flash and Arrow.  They just don't interest me.  Arrow is basically a Batman show without using Batman and Flash just didn't ring my bell.
I gave Agents of SHIELD a shot in the first season but it was too damn boring. The second season was better because they hit the ground running, but I'm still not enamored of the show.
That said, I love Agent Carter and usually enjoy Gotham. 
The fact that I'm watching a Batman-related show at all comes as a shock to many of my friends, as I have a deep and powerful loathing of the Batman character.  And, in all honesty, if the show runners decided to go completely AU with Gotham and kill of young Bruce Wayne, I would probably enjoy it even more.  That said, the main reason I watch is for the Penguin and Fish Mooney bits.
I've watched a few episodes of Constantine, but find Matt Ryan's portrayal of the title character too quick and light for my tastes. 
Upcoming comic-related shows aren't exactly winding their way into my heart, either.
The news that Fox has greenlit a Lucifer pilot, inspired by the biblical character from DC's Sandman series, has left a bad taste in my mouth.  They've taken one of the most interesting concepts and are basically turning it into a stupid police procedural.
Apparently, the Dreadstar comic series may be making its way to the small screen, as well, but I'll believe that when I see it.  On the one hand, it's such a little known property it could come in with very little public bias, but, on the other hand, people might look at it and think it's just a Star Wars ripoff.
No, there's not a lot of comic-related television love in my house.
This is probably a good thing.
I love comics, the stories and characters, the fact that they are modern morality tales.  When they're done right, we can get some truly great shows.
But when they're done wrong? Well, we get stuff like Birds of Prey.
And, trust me, no one needs to be exposed to something like that.

SciFan

Hello, gentle readers! Last night, while the bulk of Americans were watching the Super Bowl and being extremely disappointed, I was sitting at home, coming up with a fake cable television channel:
SciFan.  SciFan would be an alternative to the Scyfy Channel, showcasing horror, fantasy and science fiction programs.  So grab a bag of chips, ladies and gentlemen, settle back in your recliners and see what's on offer.

Mondays:


The work week starts off with Arkham. Inspired by the works of American Horror writer, H. P. Lovecraft, this hour long drama is set in the mysterious city of Arkham, Massachusetts.  Here, things that mankind was never meant to know are starting to come to light, and inhuman forces stir in the shadows, preparing for the night when the stars align and the Old Ones return!

 After the horrors of Arkham, cleanse your psychic pallet with the steampunk adventure series, The Wild, Wild West! Follow the journeys of Jennifer West, as she searches for her lost brother in a landscape plagued by mad scientists, monsters and worse!

Finally, end your evening with a trip to a futuristic Seattle where magic has returned with a vengeance and cyborg and fantasy creatures coexist!
Based on the hit tabletop RPG of the same name, Shadowrun details the lives and exploits of a group of shadowrunners, freelance intelligence operatives, who work for whoever has the cash to pay them.




Tuesdays:

Tuesday night's programming beings with the SciFan version of Sliders.  When college student Quin Mallory discovers a way to travel to an alternate world, where history took a different path, he's thrilled, anticipating fame and fortune. What he didn't expect was that the trip would be one way! Now trapped in an alternate reality, Quinn and his friends have to blend into this new world until they can find a way back home.

From an alternate reality to our nearest celestial neighbor, the adventure continues with Moonbase: Alpha.  The first extraplanetary colony may be man's last hope of survival after a rogue asteroid smashes into the Earth.  Cut off from Earth, on their own with limited resources, the fate of humanity will be decided by the men and women of Moonbase: Alpha!

Finally, we end the night with Nosferatu, a gothic horror series inspired by the classic movie of the same name.  Meet the sinister vampire, Orlok, as he insinuates himself into the lives of the Hutter family, the better to slake his bloodlust!





Wednesdays:

Wednesday's starts off with Just Roll With It, a half-hour comedy about the trials and tribulations of a group of tabletop gamers.

The laughs continue with This Ain't Kansas, a comedy series shot entirely in black and white and set in a post-apocalyptic world.

At 9:00, the laughs give way to the hour-long drama series, The Martians.  Set on Mars, the series deals with the lives of the first generation of humans born and raised on the Red Planet and their growing antipathy toward an increasingly tyranical Earth.

Finally, the evenings winds up with In Search Of..., a show that investigates mysterious phenomena around the world.  Hosted by veteran news personality, Geraldo Rivera, ISO will explore everything from the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle to the possible existence of the Loch Ness Monster.





Thursdays:

SciFan's Thursday night programming starts off with a revamp (Revamp! Get it?) of the teen horror/comedy movie, The Lost Boys.
Michael and Sam have just moved to Santa Carla, California with their mom, Lucy.  They soon discover Santa Carla isn't like other towns and not just because it's the mass murder capital of America. The town is infested with vampires! Vampires who have set their sites on Michael and Sam! Will the brothers survive or will they become just two more lost boys, haunting the night forever?

College student Eric Chord didn't believe in werewolves until the night he was bitten by one.  Cursed, Eric must hide his new nature from friends and family, even as he hunts for a cure to his condition.  His situation is complicated by the arrival of Janos Skorzeny, an older werewolf who wants to recruit Eric into his pack. Will Eric succumb to his animal nature or will he find a way to break his curse?






Finally, we leave the world of supernatural horror for a more realistic scenario.  Pandemic is an hour long drama set in a world where a global plague is decimating humanity.  Focusing on a group of scientists and medical personnel combatting the plague, Pandemic reveals what happens when society starts to collapse.






Fridays:

Friday marks the beginning of weekend programming for SciFan with Friday Night at the Frights. Hosted by monster hostess, Frankie, FNF will showcase horror movies from the golden age to today! So tune in, turn down the lights and get that pillow ready to hide behind!





Saturdays:

Our light weekend programming continues Saturday with Drive-In Theater, hosted by Roger Corman.
Join us for the best of B-movies, selected and introduced by Mister Corman himself and make sure to watch through the end for a chance to win the Drive-In Prize!





Sundays:

We wrap up the weekend and the week with our comic-inspired Sunday programming.
Up first is The Umbrella Academy, an action drama based on the comic books created by Gerard Way. A disbanded group of superheroes, the Umbrella Academy reunites after the death of their adoptive father, to save the world from a mysterious threat.

Finishing up the week is the fantasy series, Sandman, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and inspired by the Vertigo Comic series written by Neil Gaiman. 
In the first season, Dream (The Sandman) must reclaim his power after being imprisoned for decades by human sorcerors. Along the way he'll encounter a dream-addict, the legions of hell and an all-powerful madman!

And there you have it, gentle readers.  My version of a genre-focused cable channel. 
And still a better use of time than watching that attrociously bad football game.