Four new television shows promise to provide weird entertainment in the New Year. One show, centered around the famous Hannibal the Cannibal even skipped its pilot and went straight into production. It seems that NBC is so keen on the new drama, it decided to order 13 episodes right away. That's somewhat unprecedented in today's TV world.
Hannibal
At the helm of the new NBC drama is former Pushing Up Daisies' alum, Bryan Fuller. He'll bring the story of the relationship between Lector (played by Mads Mikkelsen) and the FBI's Will Graham (played by Hugh Darcy) to life. Also involved in the project are two rather big names in TV; Laurence Fishburne (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and Gillian Anderson (X-Files). The former plays Graham's boss. The latter is Hannibal's psychiatrist.
Sadly, this one will probably be a bit violent and the subject matter could be difficult for some people to handle. Still the network bills the show primarily as an Alfred Hitchcock suspense vehicle and not as a horror story per se. Still they are promising "no holds barred storytelling" that could upset viewers with more delicate sensibilities. Only time will tell.
No release date has been set for the show as yet.
Masters of Sex
The sex drama goes back to the days when William Masters and Virginia Johnson stirred up a sexual revolution. That was courtesy of their rather intimate studies of human sexuality. The show stars Michael Sheen as William Masters and Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson.
Thank goodness this one is scheduled for cable's Showtime, where it can get as intimate as it wants. Chances are the series wouldn't be welcomed on mainstream TV, especially by the Parents Council on Television.
The show's premiere date has not yet been established.
Ray Donovan
This new cable drama brings big screen star, Liev Schreiber to TV as a fix not unlike that of ABC's Kerry Washington in Scandal. Just like Washington's character, Schreiber is good at fixing everything but his own life. It's a mess.
Also on board for this copycat series is Oscar winner Jon Voight. He plays Schreiber's day who gets released from prison only to come crashing back into his son's life. That means things are likely to get a lot messier before it's all said and done.
No release date has been announced for the show yet.
The Americans
This new FX drama is getting a lot of new hype. The show seems like a take off on the story presented in the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. It involves a pair of KGB agents who were forced to marry and live in America to obtain intelligence information for the home land. It stars Felicity's Keri Russell and Mathew Rhys of Brothers and Sisters fame.
The time frame is the era of President Ronald Reagan, when many Americans were experiencing wealth and prosperity. But was everything right elsewhere? Apparently not, given that the couple, who finally develop a kind of love/hate relationship, find it difficult to make their marriage work during a not dead yet Cold War. Things get even more difficult when an FBI agent moves into the house next to them. Talk about troublesome neighbors!
The show premieres January 30th.
For videos of Hannibal the Cannibal and other new shows click here.
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