Meta Entertainment Monthly April 2017

 

A lot of good shows premiering and returning this April, and some good 80’s movies coming to Netflix and Hulu.

 

Show Renewals

CBS Renewals

According to Entertainment Weekly, CBS has renewed 18 of their shows. They include dramas: Blue Bloods, Bull, Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver (I have a review for MacGyver below), Madam Secretary, Man with a Plan, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Scorpion; comedies: Kevin Can Wait, Life in Pieces, Mom, Superior Donuts, The Big Bang Theory, along with reality show Survivor, and news shows 48 Hours, and 60 Minutes.

Shows that haven’t been renewed as of yet, dramas: Code Black, Criminal Minds, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Doubt, Elementary, Pure Genius, Ransom and Training Day; comedies: 2 Broke Girls, The Great Indoors, and The Odd Couple. I will keep you updated when these are renewed or canceled (hopefully 2 Broke Girls and Elementary are renewed as these are two of my favorites.) (Source:http://ew.com/tv/2017/03/23/cbs-renewals-2017-2018/ )

 

The Expanse

I mentioned the popular SyFy show The Expanse in my first entertainment monthly article this past Feburary. It is nearing the end of it’s second season and has been renewed for season 3. Here is a link to my article going in depth about the show in case you missed it: http://metamedianews.com/2017/01/meta-entertainment-monthly-february-2017/

Season 1 is available on Amazon Prime in North America and on Netflix in other countries.
Season 2 is available on demand and SyFy.com

 

AMC

Better Call Saul

Breaking Bad’s spin-off/prequel premieres it’s third season this month.

Better Call Saul tells the story of Jimmy McGill as he becomes the slimy lawyer that we first met in Breaking Bad. The show also features Breaking Bad character Mike Ehrmantraut, Gus’s hired gun, detailing how his “side” jobs interfere with his family life. He meets Jimmy through his day job as a courthouse parking attendant. Other characters from Breaking Bad like Tuco, his uncle Tio and the Cousins along with Gus himself all make an appearance on the show.

 

 

The first two seasons of Better Call Saul are now available on Netflix.
Better Call Saul returns for Season 3 Monday April 10th on AMC 10pm E/9pm C

 

CBS

MacGyver

I was a huge fan of the original MacGyver with Richard Dean Anderson, and was very reluctant to watch the reboot. After a crossover with Hawaii Five-0 (which airs after MacGyver), I decided to give the show a chance. It also doesn’t hurt Lucas Till, who plays a young MacGyver is really cute, and that I have always loved George Eads (who plays Jack Dalton) since his CSI days.

The show retains some of the classic element. Most episodes start out on the tail end of a mission and feature MacGyver’s inner monologues. There is also great chemistry between Mac and Jack (a recurring character in the original and regular in the reboot). Characters like Penny Parker (who was played by Terri Hatcher in 6 episodes in the original) Nikki (who was a fellow agent working at Phoenix) and Murdoc who was Mac’s arch-nemesis in the orginal series appear as recurring characters.

One of the few things that have changed is MacGyver isn’t ashamed of his name. He freely tells people his first name is Angus, where as in the original we don’t find out his first name until the very last season. Another change is that he is part of a team, where as he mostly worked alone in the original. The last thing change is Pete Thorton from the original series (and it’s only other regular character) is now Patricia Thorton, who is now more hands on then Pete was.

The only drawbacks to the show are the theme and the character of Wilt Bozer (who is also based on a recurring character). The theme starts out with a bit of the original but then goes into a boring tune that really doesn’t fit the original. Bozer in the reboot is Mac’s best friend and roommate, but comes across as the token black guy, as he serves mostly as comic relief and is pining over Riley Davis (the teams hacker) hopefully he will get some more development as the series goes on.

Other than airing before Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver has strong ties to the veteran show. While only three characters from Hawaii Five-0 have appeared on MacGyver (as the Phoenix team goes to Hawaii for earthquake relief) there are other ties as well, as it seems Jack Dalton knows Five-0’s Steve Mcgarret from their military days (though they haven’t met on screen yet), and a major case that has been a recurring plot on Hawaii Five-0 has been referred to on MacGyver and is mentioned by the Five-0 team that they recieve the info from the Phoenix foundation on their respective show. The connection between these two shows could be the fact that Peter M. Lenkov is the creator and executive producer of both reboots.

Also of interesting note is Henry Winkler (yes, the Fonz) is an executive producer, he was also an executive producer on the original series. James Wan who is famous for his horror movies that he either produced, wrote, or directed, like The Conjuring series and their spin-offs, The Saw movies and some of The Insidious series is also an executive producer and directed the pilot.

MacGyver stars Lucas Till as MacGyver and George Eads as Jack Dalton.

 

 

Past Episodes are available on CBS All Access
MacGyver airs Friday nights on CBS at 8pm E/7pm C right before Hawaii Five-0

 

Food Network

Iron Chef Gauntlet

The popular cooking competition Iron Chef returns this month with Iron Chef Gauntlet. Seven contestants will vie for the coveted title. Iron Chef Gauntlet is hosted by Alton Brown.

 

 

Iron Chef Gauntlet premieres Sunday April 16th on The Food Network at 9pm E/8pm C

 

FOX

Prison Break

The popular FOX hit Prison Break returns this month as a mini-series. Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell return along with other stars from the original.

 

 

Prison Break returns Tuesday April 4th on FOX at 9pm E/8pm C and next day on Hulu

 

STARZ

American Gods

The popular novel by Neil Gaiman (famous for his Vertigo Comic series “Sandman”) American Gods is coming to the STARZ network this month.

American Gods follows Shadow Moon, a recently released convict, who is hired by the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday as his bodyguard, and is thrown into a frightening new world where New Gods (those who have adapted to modern times) and the Old Gods (the more traditional ones) fight for power in today’s America.

American Gods stars Ricky Whittle (from The CW’s 100) as Shadow Moon. (Warning: Trailer has some explicit violence)

 

 

American Gods premieres Sunday April 30th on STARZ time TBA

 

Hulu

80s Classics

Classic comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off starring Matthew Broderick and classic Scifi cop movie Robocop starring Peter Weller come to Hulu Saturday April 1st.

All 80s movies trailers courtesy of Movieclips Trailer Vault on YouTube.

 

 

 

The Handmaid’s Tale

The 80’s novel about a modern dystopia where women in New England are subjugated comes to Hulu.

 

 

The Handmaid’s Tale premieres Wednesday April 26th on Hulu

 

Preacher

Based on the popular 90’s comic from Vertigo, Preacher stars Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark from Captain America: The First Avenger and Agent Carter) as Jesse Custer, a preacher who is on a mission to fight evil after his Texas town is destroyed.

 

 

Preacher Season 1 comes to Hulu Wednesday April 5th

 

Hulu Shows Coming In April

Shows with network name after them air on Hulu the day after airing on the network.
All shows with Showtime are only available on Hulu’s special Showtime package.

 

Saturday April 1st

• 1408 (Showtime)
• A Horse Tale
• Agent Cody Banks
• Almost Famous
• America’s Sweethearts(Showtime)
• Bad Company (Showtime)
• Bangkok Dangerous (Showtime)
• Ben Collins: Stunt Driver
• Beyond the Sea (Showtime)
• The Big Empty
• Bigfoot Country
• The Burrowers
• Cadillac Man
• Call Me
• Casual Encounters
• Chaplin
• Chosen
• Company Man (Showtime)
• Cry Freedom (Showtime)
• Dancer
• Days of Thunder
• Deja vu (Showtime)
• Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (Showtime)
• Eddie Murphy Raw
• Election
• The Ex (Showtime)
• Factory Girl (Showtime)
• Federal Hill
• Felicia’s Journey
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• Fifteen and Pregnant
• Fight to the Finish
• Flyboys
• Frankenstein
• Furry Vengeance (Showtime)
• Gator
• The Giant King
• The Ghost and the Darkness
• Guns of the Magnificent Seven
• Happy Endings
• Hemingway’s Garden of Eden
• The Hours
• I Am Number Four(Showtime)
• I.Q.
• In Old California
• JFK
• Kill Me Again
• Kingdom of Blood
• Kiss the Girls
• Lincoln (Showtime)
• The Magnificent Seven Ride
• March of the Penguins
• Mighty Joe Young (Showtime)
• Miss Potter (Showtime)
• Mother’s Day (Showtime)
• Mr. Brooks (Showtime)
• Mulholland Falls
• My Best Friend’s Girl (Showtime)
• NYC Underground
• Original Sin
• Out of the Inferno
• Payback
• People Like Us (Showtime)
• The People vs. George Lucas
• Pony Express
• Premonition (Showtime)
• The Puffy Chair
• Return of the Living Dead 3
• Return of the Living Dead 4
• Return of the Living Dead 5
• Road Trip
• Robocop
• Robocop 2
• Robocop 3
• Saturday Night Fever
• Searching for Bobby Fischer
• Serpico
• Sexipede (Showtime)
• Scrooged (Showtime)
• Shaun of the Dead (Showtime)
• Sliver
• The Spirit (Showtime)
• The Switch
• Tale of Tales (Showtime)
• Tapeheads
• Thelma & Louise
• Tommy Boy
• Trail of Blood
• Twice Upon a Yesterday
• Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys (Showtime)
• Under the Sea
• The Usual Suspects
• The Warriors
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Showtime)
• Wicker Park
• The Yards (Showtime)

 

Sunday April 2nd

• Hello, My Name is Doris

 

Tuesday April 4th

• Dimension 404 (RocketJump Series Premiere)
• The Last Exorcism
• Precious Cargo

 

Wednesday April 5th

• Preacher Season 1
• Prison Break, Season 5 (Fox Season Premiere)
• Thursday April 6th
• NHL Road to the Outdoor Classics Ep. 4

 

Friday April 7th

• The Beach Boys: Making Pet Sounds (Showtime)
• Steve Byrne: Tell the Damn Joke (Showtime)

 

Saturday April 8th

• Barbershop: The Next Cut
• Beyond the Edge
• Camp Lakebottom, Season 1
• First Dates, series premiere (NBC)
• Perfect in ’76 (Showtime)

 

Sunday April 9th

• In A World
• The Perfect Match

 

Monday April 10th

• Swelter

 

Thursday April 13th

• Short Term 12

 

Friday April 14th

• The Babadook
• The Man Who Knew Infinity (Showtime)
• The Straight Story (Showtime)

 

Saturday April 15th

• DOT, complete season 1A
• Sid the Science Kid Seasons 1 & 2
• Sid the Science Kid: The Movie

 

Tuesday April 18th

• Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
• Election Day: Lens Across America
• Famous in Love (FreeForm Series Premiere)
• My Hero Academia, Season 1

 

Wednesday April 19th

• Den Brother
• The Even Stevens Movie
• Johnny Tsunami
• Pretty Little Liars Season 7 (FreeForm Season Premiere)
• Stuck in the Suburbs
• Teen Beach Movie
• Tiger Cruise

 

Friday April 21st

• LA Story, Season 2
• Warpath

 

Saturday April 22nd

• Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation (Nat Geo Series Premiere)

 

Monday April 24th

• Top of the Lake Season 1

 

Tuesday April 25th

• Origins: The Journey of Humankind (Nat Geo Series Premiere)
• Wayward Pines Season 2

 

Wednesday April 26th

• The Handmaid’s Tale Series Premiere (Hulu Original)

 

Saturday April 29th

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 4

 

Netflix

80’s Classics

Classic animated movie An American Tale and classic horror movies Gremlins and Nightmare On Elm Street come to Netflix on April 1st.

All 80s movies trailers courtesy of Movieclips Trailer Vault on YouTube.

 

 

 

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return

Premiering in the late 80s the cult series MST3K featured Joel Hodgson who was trapped on the Satellite of Love by the evil Dr. Clayton Forrester and forced to watch cheesy movies. Along with his robot friends Tom Servo and Crow T Robot, they would make fun of bad scifi, horror, action movies and assorted shorts. The show also featured skits (that sometimes related to the movie they were watching) and interactions with the mad scientists Dr. Forrester and his minion TV’s Frank. Joel would later escape and be replaced by Mike Nelson (who I had a crush on), then later in the last few years of the show Dr. Forrester was replaced by his mother Pearl Forrester.

The show ran from 1988 until 1999. It started out on an independent station KTMA in Minnesota before becoming one of Comedy Central’s original shows during it’s debut on cable TV. After Comedy Central canceled the show in 1996, the shows creators released a movie while shopping for a new network. MST3K would spend it’s final years on the SciFi Channel (what’s now SyFy) starting in 1997.

The new series stars Felicia Day as Kinga Forrester (Daughter of Dr Forrestor), Patton Oswalt as Son of Frank (his link to the original is obvious), and Jonah Heston as Jonah, who is the hapless man trapped on the Satellite Of Love. Where as the original’s base was the Gizmonics Institute, then Deep 13, the new mad’s lair will be on Moon 13. (source:http://mst3k.wikia.com/wiki/Mystery_Science_Theater_3000_Wiki )

 

 

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return Premieres Friday April 14th on Netflix

 

Netflix Shows Coming In April

 

Saturday April 1st

• A Weekend with the Family
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Across the Universe
• An American Tail
• An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
• An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster
• Boy Bye
• Born To Be Free
• Cool Runnings
• Good Witch: Season 2
• Gremlins
• Only for One Night
• Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin’
• Scooby-Doo
• Schindler’s List
• Something’s Gotta Give
• Thunderstruck
• Wynonna Earp: Season 1
• Trouble with the Curve
• Tropic Thunder
• The Tenth Man

 

Sunday April 2nd

• The D Train

 

Tuesday April 4th

• Chewing Gum: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
• Louis C.K. 2017 (Netflix Original)

 

Thursday April 6th

• Disney’s The BFG

 

Friday April 7th

• El Faro De Las Orcas (Netflix Original Film)
• Dawn of the Croods: Season 3 (Netflix Original)
• The Get Down: Part 2 (Netflix Original)
• Win It All (Netflix Original Film)

 

Saturday April 8th

• Kubo and the Two Strings

 

Monday April 10th

• Documentary Now!: Season 2

 

Tuesday April 11th

• Kevin Hart: What Now

 

Wednesday April 12th

• DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: Season 2

 

Friday April 14th

• Chelsea: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
• El Elegido
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return (Netflix Original)
• Sandy Wexler (Netflix Original Film)

 

Saturday April 15th

• Disney’s Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
• Slam (Netflix Original Film)

 

Tuesday April 18th

• Lucas Brothers: On Drugs (Netflix Original)

 

Wednesday April 19th

• A Plastic Ocean

 

Friday April 21st

• Bill Nye Saves the World: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
• Girlboss: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
• Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
• Sand Castle (Netflix Original Film)
• Tales by Light: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
• The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show: Season 4 (Netflix Original)
• The Prestige
• Tramps (Netflix Original Film)

 

Saturday April 22nd

• The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass: Season 1-3
• The Secret Life of Pets

 

Sunday April 23rd

• Liv and Maddie: Season 4
• Phantom

 

Monday April 24th

• Long Nights Short Mornings

 

Tuesday April 25th

• Disney’s Queen of Katwe
• The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared (Netflix Original Film)
• Vir Das: Abroad Understanding (Netflix Original)

 

Wednesday April 26th

• Real Rescues: Season 6-7
• Trust

 

Thursday April 27th

• Las Chicas del Cable: Season 1 (Netflix Original)

 

Friday April 28th

• A Murder in the Park
• Casting JonBenet (Netflix Original)
• Dear White People: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
• Rodney King (Netflix Original Film)
• Small Crimes (Netflix Original Film)

 

Sunday April 30th

• Sofia the First: Season 3