There is no better community on the web than ComicBookMovie! With that being said, we would like to continue our new series of articles in which we discuss the movies and news that we love to cover! In each article we will ask five questions of the CBM editors on different topics ranging from movie reviews, casting decisions, movie stills, leaked information and much much more. We look forward to bringing the community new perspectives and different ways to enjoy the news that comes out for comic book movies and allow the users to learn more about our editors. In this round table edition we ask the editiors five questions about this fall's television show lineup and what they think about it.
1. What show are you most looking forward to and why?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah: Is it cheating if I say
Jessica Jones? I know it’s set to premiere a little later this fall, but for me it’s tough to even compare network TV to Marvel’s Netflix shows. The writers have bigger budgets, darker themes and much more creative freedom to play with.
Daredevil was phenomenal, and this could be just as great. Krysten Ritter & Mike Colter both seem like sound choices for Jessica Jones & Luke Cage, but David Tennant’s Kilgrave is the most exciting addition for me. I think he could top Vincent D’Onofrio’s Fisk.
Josh Wilding, @Josh_Wilding: The Flash. We still need a resolution to that awesome season one cliffhanger, and there's so much to look forward to besides that thanks to all the new characters (Jay Garrick, Patty Spivot, Zoom, etc.) and introduction of Earth-2. As long as they keep the quality of storytelling on the same level as last year, I have no doubt this is going to continue being the best comic book series on TV. The Walking Dead isn't too far behind though as that also had a pretty amazing last season and cliffhanger ending.
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine: Definitely Agents Of SHIELD. The show started off okay, got worse until I was almost done with it, and then steadily began to improve until it became damn fine television. It still has some issues of course (bit of cheese, some ropy acting here and there) but for the most part I find it to be riveting stuff. Gotham is also.... okay. It's too inconsistent for me to follow week to week, but I keep and eye on what's going on.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel7: The Flash, no question. The first half of last season was good, but the second half was just terrific. I'm excited to see where the show takes Barry and the S.T.A.R. Labs team. Great villains make great shows, so I'm glad to hear Tom Cavanagh is back, he was easily the best part of last year, so I'm very curious to see how they use him again. Honorable mention: Agent Carter. Really liked the first season, so I can't wait to see Hayley Atwell back in action.
2. What show are you least looking forward to and why?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah:
Arrow. A year ago, this would have been my answer for Q1 - how things have changed. So much went wrong last year. Supporting characters like Diggle, Malcolm & Roy lost their sense of purpose, Ra’s paled in comparison to former ‘Big Bads’ and Olicity became the dominant plot on a show about superheroes. Worst of all, it felt like the writers didn’t actually have a long-term plan. Season 2’s twists and turns kept us all on the edge of our seats. Season 3’s ludicrous story arcs made me want to stop watching.
Josh Wilding, @Josh_Wilding: Lucifer. I barely made it halfway through the first pretty terrible trailer and it looks like the kind of show which is going to be cancelled after about six episodes. There's just no obvious reason for it to exist, and the premise sounds incredibly lame. I normally make a point of checking out all the new comic book TV shows, but will definitely be giving this one a miss.
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine: The thing is, I actually don't watch the Flash so I'm going to have to say that! I realize how popular it is and that I'm in the minority, but it's just not my cuppa tea at all. Not a fan of how the CW does things in general (also gave up on Arrow though I find that more entertaining overall) and The Flash layers on the mawkishness even thicker than usual. It also might have something to do with the fact that I'm not really a fan of the character from the comics either, but there you go.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel7: Probably a tie between Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Arrow. I'll still watch both, but it's going to be taxing keeping up with both over the course of the season if the first few episodes aren't good. I'm starting to think AOS is just a fundamentally flawed show, especially with a good majority of stuff that happens on the show proven irrelevant with the much more awesome happenings of the MCU. The show basically only made it to a second season because of the phenomenal Captain America: The Winter Soldier saving it and more or less survived its second season by periodically dropping Age Of Ultron trailers to boost ratings, I expect more of the same with Civil War trailers this fall. I'm a fan of Marvel's product, but I just don't see a way they can get me interested in the Inhumans with this show, cause I really haven't seen anything yet that makes them remotely compelling, they just seem like a bargain bin version of the much more superior X-Men. Also, Skye sucks. I can see why it's been rumored that Feige isn't a big fan of the Marvel TV universe. I won't be all negative though, the show made a great move when they introduced both Lance Hunter & Mockingbird, they were huge highlights for a majority of last season, looking forward to their spin-off. As for Arrow, the show just fell off the deep end and it's really a shame after that phenomenal second season. Oliver killing Ra's? Really? It's a little crazy to say, but The Vampire Diaries had a much better year than Arrow last season. Outside of the questionable plot direction, the character assassination of Felicity has been a pain to lve through, they've more or less taken away everything that made her likeable in the first two seasons. I have a little more faith in Arrow than AOS to improve, especially after what they were able to do with Laurel last season. but I'm pretty sure it's already the lowest rated mainstream CBTV show on, not sure how much longer it can survive with shows like The Flash and potentially Supergirl raising the bar.
3. What new show is most intriguing and why?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah: I loved
Heroes, so I can’t help but be intrigued by
Heroes Reborn. The first season is still one of my favorite seasons of TV – even if the following seasons could never live up to it. The promos haven’t done much for me though, so I’m still on the fence.
Supergirl’s the big new arrival. Melissa Benoist makes for a likeable lead but I haven’t been too impressed by the marketing for this one either. It seems far too corny... Then again, that’s what I said about
The Flash, so what do I know really?
Josh Wilding, @Josh_Wilding: As good as Supergirl looks (and the pilot was surprisingly great), DC's Legends of Tomorrow has the advantage of being set in the same world as Arrow and The Flash, and I love the unique mixture of characters - both old and new - we're going to see showing up there. The time travel premise is also very cool, and I can't wait to see how the show explores the DC Universe. I just hope Constantine is added to the roster following his appearance in Arrow!
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine: Though I just ripped on the CW, I'm going to have to say legends Of Tomorrow because they have gathered quite an interesting bunch of characters together, and I probably won't be able to resist tuning in to see what they do with them. I already know it'll annoy me after 5 mins though! Also, Supergirl looks (and is;) absolutely wretched beyond belief.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel7: Honestly, I don't really feel like anything too worthwhile is debuting this fall, but if I have to say one, I'll say Supergirl. Berlanti & Kreisberg have already shown that they know what they're doing with Flash/Arrow, so I'm pretty confident Supergirl will be another hit for them. The pilot had a lot of potential and I really like Benoist in the lead, she was great in Whiplash and based on the pilot, she seems like the perfect choice for Kara. Plus, we share the same birthday, so that's always a positive in my book. I'm also a big fan of Superman and his world, I mean, I was even a diehard Smallville fan for ten something years, so I'm ready to revisit that mythology and am very interested in seeing Kara's story. Honorable mention: Minority Report, seems like it may have some potential.
4. What do you think of the updated costumes?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah: I’m not overly concerned about costumes on TV shows. It’s worth bearing in mind these designers are working on a shoestring budget. That said there’s no excuse for Diggle’s joke of a costume. Forget that it’s a Magneto rip-off - it just looks so half-hearted. The Flash & (Green) Arrow’s duds look fine though, while Supergirl’s look seems pretty great.
Agents Of SHIELD has struggled in this department in the past. We’ll get a better look at Lash soon, but I wasn’t too impressed by that first glimpse…
Josh Wilding, @Josh_Wilding: Green Arrow was long overdue and looks great in action; Diggle's costume on the other hand will hopefully be destroyed and forgotten about by the end of the pilot because it looks like garbage. I like that The Flash is also getting his classic white logo too, though I do wish they'd made a few changes to his suit at the same time. Overall, the main heroes of all these shows look great this year. The days of Smallville decking out Superman in a red coat and a blue t-shirt are thankfully long gone...
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine: Well the less said about those cosplay outfits they debuted Hawgirl and Hawkman in the other day the better, but I guess Supergirl's costume, at least, is pretty cool looking. Arrow and The Flash also look fine, no issues there.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel7: The new Flash and Arrow suits are welcome upgrades, both look sweet. Diggle's costume, however, is a major misstep. besides being a total ripoff of Magneto's costume, I'm assuming the reasoning behind him wearing a costume was to protect his identity, but then why is his face completely uncovered in that helmet? Hopefully they scrap it fairly early on, I mean a motorcycle helmet was a better costume upgrade for Diggle than that atrocity. Quake's costume is okay I guess, it's really just Black Widow's costume with a yellow accent instead of a red one. The Hawkman/Hawkgirl costumes fit the Arrow/Flash world, but could maybe use some improvement. Not really sure what other costume upgrades there have been, but I'm assuming Thea & Laurel will receive upgrades too, both of their suits made solid debuts last year.
5. What new characters are you most excited to see and why?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah: Jay Garrick is probably this fall’s most exciting new arrival. It’ll be interesting to see how he interacts with Barry’s other father figures in Henry & Joe. James Frain always makes for a good villain – his Theo Galavan should add a bit of class to
Gotham. I’m a big JSA fan, so I was excited by Mr. Terrific’s inclusion on
Arrow. Sadly, it seems he’s only there to be Felicity’s quirky sidekick. That’s a real shame - I think David Ramsey would have made a great Michael Holt on a different show…
Josh Wilding, @Josh_Wilding: I think Melissa Benoist is going to be an amazing Supergirl, so am very much looking forward to seeing what she does with that character. Both Arrow and The Flash are making some interesting new additions though, and even Gotham and The Walking Dead look set to introduce some cool new heroes and villains. I'm excited for them all! Except Lucifer.
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine: Lash in AOS because it'll be the first time we see a truly monstrous looking character, of which the Marvel Comics Universe is full of. In Gotham I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with Jerome, and if he really is their take on The Joker. I'll be curious to find out which established DC character this Theo Galavan is too.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel7: Not really a new character, but I'm excited to see John Constantine return and I'm hoping he sticks around for more than just one episode. Matt Ryan's great in the role and he could make an interesting addition to that world if used properly. I'm also excited to see all of the new additions to The Flash, too many characters to count. Constance Zimmer should be a good addition to AOS, loved her on Entourage.