New Zealand television really does kinda suck. And hard at that. There are shows that we get which are shown in other parts of the world at the same time and then there’s… everything else. Like Survivors for instance. Survivors is exactly the type of stuff I love to watch and now that I have a brand new telly with freeview HD built in, I could easily spend time with my eyes glued to the box watching quality drama like this.

Survivors will eventually be broadcast on New Zealand television despite having been released two years ago… WTF is up with that? I really have no idea why we’re always consistently behind everyone else when it comes to certain TV shows and really up to date with others (like True Blood).

And for those wondering, I’m not referring to the 1975 classic BBC production of Survivors but the remake which aired in the UK in 2008. Post-apocalyptic plot based on the lives of survivors that manage to live through a life-threatening flu pandemic which kills 99 per cent of the world’s population. Yeah, exactly the type of thing I’d love to watch but two years after the rest of the world? That’s kinda sad. Will I still watch it? Absolutely. As I’ve previously admitted, Brit TV is my favourite and anything post-apocalyptic is worthy of my time.

Sources on the interweb stated that sci-fi scorcher “V” could be in jeopardy. Considering the show is probably one of the best tv shows to hit mainstream viewer tellies since BSG, it wasn’t surprising to find that the show has now been officially renewed for a second season.

Wikipedia states:

As production of the fourth episode of V wrapped, it was announced on November 3, 2009 that Scott Rosenbaum had been named executive producer and showrunner of the series, with Peters and Hall remaining as executive producers. Production of the remaining eight episodes resumed in January 2010 with new episodes returning March 30, 2010. On May 13, 2010, ABC renewed V for a second season.

We at PCR omit a welcome sigh of relief at this news and continue to relish in the words that seem to drip from Ms. Anna’s lips like bubbles of liquid ecstasy: “We are of Peace – Always”…

Image via ABC

Kiwi actors Lucy Lawless and Craig Parker will be appearing in the upcoming Starz TV series ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’ which looks extremely kick ass, I might add. With executive producer Sam Raimi behind the scenes, I have a good feeling about the show. Checking out the trailer gives me a distinctly ’300′-cum-’Gladiator’ type feel about it with the grittiness of ‘Rome’. And of course, anything that showcases homegrown talent such as Lucy Lawless and Craig Parker deserves support from me You can visit the official Starz website here.

Check out the trailer:

Lena Headey from Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles and 300 is to join the cast for the Medieval fantasy series ‘Game of Thrones‘. HBO will be carrying the show which is based on the fantasy book series of the same name.

So far some of the cast members confirmed to be appearing are: Lena Heady, Peter Dinklage, Jennifer Ehle and Sean Bean. Meanwhile, we’re still wondering why Terminator the SCChronicles was dropped and we miss it, dearly…

However, Game of Thrones looks like it might be quite entertaining and with the way the cast is shaping up, it’s looking good. Game of Thrones is set to release via HBO next year.

According to EW, Bryan Singer will be directing and producing a Battlestar Galactica movie. Universal Pictures has confirmed both Bryan Singer and Glen Larson (the original creator of BSG) are onboard. The movie will not be a continuation of the recent television series but rather a complete re-invention of the original TV series invented by Larson in the 70s.

Go go BSG!!

Part Jericho, part War of the Worlds, Day One is the latest television show from the creator of Heroes, Jesse Alexander. It definitely has a ‘Heroes’ feel to it but it looks like it could be exciting stuff if you’re into alien/post-apocalyptic world domination, which of course, we are!

Here’s the trailer and a heads up to the awesome team over at QuietEarth for the info.

So we have the story of Bella Swan who falls in love with the vampire Edward Cullen, a student at her school from the Twilight book series. Now it’s the Vampire Diaries also based on a series of books by author L. J. Smith which is about a girl named Elena who falls in love with a vampire named Stefan, a student at her school. Stefan’s older brother shows up on the scene and decides that he also wants a piece of lovely Elena and the battle for Elena’s attention (or should that be veins?) ensues.

Now at first I thought I was writing the same exact plot description for two different books twice, but no. As it turns out, the Vampire Diaries was released well before Twilight (Wikipedia lists the books as being written in 1991 – doh!).

Regardless, this looks like it will be yet another tweenage melo-drama about a vampire-human love affair that never really seems to go anywhere (well, not if you compare it to the hot, steamy loving that’s going on in True Blood). But we’re not biased, not at all! We look at all vampire-human love stories equally… and there’s so many of them now, it’s getting difficult to choose which one to follow.

Take a look at the trailer for Vampire Diaries and let us know what you think.

Kiwi gal Anna Paquin’s show True Blood has finally made it to New Zealand prime time but I am actually very surprised the show was even picked up here. Our rating system seems to be exceptionally strict when it comes to certain material and viewers and let’s just say that True Blood isn’t viewing for the kids.

All the same, I am thrilled to see the show here – now maybe our New Zealand viewers can see what all the fuss was about, Anna Paquin is fantastic in this as is the rest of the exceptional cast which includes Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton, Home and Away star Ryan Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse, Chris Bauer (The Wire, Third Watch) as Detective Andy Bellefleur and Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte.

If there’s one thing you should know about this show, it’s that nobody is quite what they seem to be… oh yeah, and there’s alot of good old fashioned blood curdling violence with lots and lots of blood.

Mmm, tasty.

True Blood starts screening in New Zealand this Wednesday, 18th of March on Prime TV. Don’t miss it!

Distributor: Madman [Adult Swim] Released: 2008 Genre: Music Credits: Creators: Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha Rating: R 16

Adult Swim has some great content – it’s a pity we don’t get exposed to alot of it in New Zealand. In the US however, the Adult Swim channel is immense and features all sorts of animated content including anime, cartoons and animated television shows such as Metalocalypse.

Although you may not have heard of Metalocalypse (I was initially introduced to the cartoon via a song appearing on the Guitar Hero II video game), it’s actually an extremely well-written cartoon show. As it is rated R16 and includes adult themes and content (violence and swearing are abundant), it’s not a cartoon for the kids.

One of the most noticeable features in Metalocalypse is the music. Metalocalypse is the story of a Finnish/American heavy metal band called ‘Dethklok’ and begins with season one (currently unreviewed). Dethklok have become the most popular band in music history and rank as the ‘seventh largest economy in the world’. This popularity causes all sorts of problems for the band including a following of fanatics that will do just about anything to get their hands on Dethklok music and a secret society called ‘The Tribunal’ watching their every move to ensure their popularity is kept in check.

There are various references to drugs and alcohol throughout the series and all the band members of Dethklok suffer from alcoholism and display anti-social behaviour towards each other and everyone else. This is part of the charm of Dethklok and is a consistent theme. Metalocalypse will probably suit a specific audience of viewers due to some of the more extreme content on the dvd (examples of this are various death scenes by decapitation, references to the occult and various gruesome acts of violence).

Although Metalocalypse may be extreme viewing, each episode is very entertaining and boasts some very famous cast members such as Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) and cameo appearances by some well known musicians including Mike Patton (Faith No More) and  Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield from Metallica.

One of the creators behind Metalocalypse is a talented writer and musician and the real-life band ‘Dethklok’ toured in 2008. Subsequently, an album entitled ‘The Dethalbum’ was released earlier in 2007.

Metalocalypse Season 2: Black Fire Upon Us comes in a nicely presented two disk set with character art on the cover and comes complete with extra dvd content including featurettes and hidden content.

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According to this post over at Starpulse, there is going to be a big screen adaptation made of the cancelled CBS TV series, Jericho. I remember watching the first few episodes of Jericho and thinking that the story was actually pretty good. It’s a pity that flagging ratings have meant the end of so many good shows. Jericho wouldn’t be one of the first decent TV shows to share the same fate.

PCR will be following a few of these ‘ill-fated’ TV shows at a later date, but for now, I guess we’ll be waiting to see how Jericho the movie production develops.

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