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Post by orokiah on Oct 11, 2012 13:06:39 GMT
The SFX website has compiled a list of The 25 Worst Sci-fi and Fantasy TV Shows Ever, based on a vote taken on Facebook, but with the SFX staff having the final say. The following is at #25; The Secret Circle Adapted from a series of books by the same author who wrote The Vampire Diaries, L. J. Smith, it’s probably not surprising that The Secret Circle often feels like The Vampire Diaries‘ younger, less cool sibling. In fact, it’s almost impossible to look at it without comparing it to The Vampire Diaries, seeing as it’s basically a re-run with witches instead of vampires. The crucial element that’s missing, however, is sex appeal. While The Vampire Diaries positively drips with it, The Secret Circle has cast a group of bland, charmless adolescents (or pretend adolescents) who have all the charisma of an ulcerated bladder. Add to this predictable scripting, naff FX and fake teenage angst and this is one circle that’s too square to bother with.I agree with this to some extent. Most of the charisma was on the adult side of the equation; it was no coincidence that the older generation were the more watchable part of the show. In retrospect, Thomas Dekker was probably miscast as Adam, and maybe a more engaging lead could have prevented Cassie the super special dark magic witch from being, at times, super annoying. But there were lots of things I loved about it, too. And no show that boasts Natasha Henstridge, Gale Harold, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Shelley Hennig and Phoebe Tonkin in its cast could ever credibly be described as lacking in sex appeal.
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Post by orokiah on Jun 17, 2013 17:08:28 GMT
In a prime example of the ruthless haste that is typical of American network television, The CW have cancelled The Secret Circle the day after it's season finale was broadcast; fellow CW show Ringer has also been culled. Sky Livingit begins daily double bills of Ringer in the early hours of tomorrow morning, starting at 1.50am (they're also stripshowing seasons one and two of Teen Wolf, the third season of which they chose not to pick up). In the soapy identity swap stakes, I came to prefer Revenge over Ringer, and I liked season two even more than season one--mostly thanks to Barry Sloane's season-long James Bond audition. I'm really looking forward to watching Ringer again, though, and seeing how it holds up. Since Sky is in a repeating mood, my fingers are crossed that a repeat of The Secret Circle might also be on the cards. There's still no DVD, and while it's available on Netflix in the US (which partly accounts for the lack of one--no point in producing DVDs for your low rated shows, when you can just stream them online), the same isn't true over here. I have a few episodes recorded, but I'd love to see the whole series again without needing to download it.
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Post by fenris on May 17, 2014 16:54:12 GMT
Dammit, I still miss Hex. What hasn't helped is that there hasn't been a TV show that's come along since that has been a match for it, although a few have partly captured some of Hex's unique vibe: Demons (a worthy if flawed follow-up, with several Hex personnel on both sides of the camera), Trinity (with it's seat-of-higher-learning setting), and the unfairly ignored Young Dracula (wonderfully Gothic). The Fades looked promising, but it totally lost me with it's second episode, when the series' lead ludicrously sprouted angel wings while masturbating (that said, everything I subsequently read about the show on-line was overwhelming positive - perhaps I should have stuck with it). Ultimately, in my opinion the series that came closest to Hex without actually being Hex was the American effort Point Pleasant (which originally aired inbetween Hex's two seasons, but which I didn't see until buying the boxset a few years later, while looking for a Hex substitute), with it's series-long storyline of a young blonde girl unwittingly discovering her birthright as a figure of major importance in the war between Judeo-Christian defined Good and Evil. But now here's the trailer for upcoming US television series Constantine, which has just been successfully greenlit and will debut this Autumn. For anyone unfamilar with the titular character - British freelance exorcist/occult troubleshooter and complete arsehole John Constantine - the show is based on the comic book series Hellblazer (which was originally going to be called Hellraiser until Clive Barker's 1987 movie slipped in and bagged the copyright first), published since January 1988 by DC Comic's Vertigo imprint. One of the most unusual aspects of Hellblazer (and almost unique in an American-published comic) was that Constantine aged in real-time, meaning that over the title's twenty-five year run he transformed from a careworn, frayed, cynical twentysomething git into a haggard, seedy, ultra-cynical middle-aged git. Sadly, to the consternation of Hellblazer's fanbase, the title was cancelled in early 2013 after 300 issues as part of DC's ongoing 'New 52' reboot, and immediately replaced by new series Constantine which ignores all the events that occurred in Hellblazer and depicts a de-aged and considerably more personable Constantine as an occult superhero in plain clothes, operating in the very heart of the mainstream DC universe. The 2005 movie Constantine was also hated by most Hellblazer fans, due to the diabolical liberties to took with the original material, especially the portrayal of Constantine (played by a groomed & clean-shaven Keanu Reeves) as an American. 'Shudder' (it is universally agreed amongst the character's loyal following that ideal casting would be Tim Roth). Personally, I have to admit I liked the film for what it was, instead of disliking it for what it wasn't. Looking at the trailer for the forthcoming TV show (above), I'm amazed by the number of similarities - surely by coincidence as opposed to design - that it has to Hex. Angels. Demons. A chief protagonist locked up in a psychiatric ward. Good old British swearwords. Ghosts walking the earth, invisible to the living - and a sidekick/potential romantic interest who suddenly gains the ability to see them. Overhead shots of elaborate pentagrams chalked onto the floor, etc. Constantine co-star Lucy Griffiths also has impeccable Hex credentials: prior to her big break in the BBC's Robin Hood, she appeared in episodes of Sugar Rush and Sea of Souls playing a teenage lesbian (who was seduced by Anna Wilson-Jones) and a succubus respectively. Post- Hood we lost her to America, and she's spent the last few years playing a vampire in True Blood.
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Post by fenris on Jun 9, 2014 16:43:42 GMT
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Post by orokiah on Jun 17, 2014 19:17:00 GMT
Since Sky is in a repeating mood, my fingers are crossed that a repeat of The Secret Circle might also be on the cards. Sky Living is finally, finally repeating The Secret Circle: in weekly double bills, starting this Saturday (21/06/14) at 11pm. I'm really looking forward to seeing it all again. They'd better not yank it from the schedule at the last second.
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Post by fenris on Jul 13, 2014 16:00:26 GMT
Constantine co-star Lucy Griffiths also has impeccable Hex credentials: prior to her big break in the BBC's Robin Hood, she appeared in episodes of Sugar Rush and Sea of Souls playing a teenage lesbian (who was seduced by Anna Wilson-Jones) and a succubus respectively. Post- Hood we lost her to America, and she's spent the last few years playing a vampire in True Blood. Some disappointing news regarding Constantine; NBC's Constantine is parting ways with its female lead. True Blood alum Lucy Griffiths has exited the network's adaptation of Hellblazer after the show's creators opted to move in a different direction. Constantine centers on master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan), who struggles with his faith as he is haunted by the sins of his past and is suddenly thrust into the role of defending humanity from the gathering forces of darkness. Griffiths played Liv, the female lead and an offbeat woman who finds herself teamed with Constantine after she is marked for death by a powerful demon. With the ability to see the supernatural world among us, she becomes a key player in the battle between good and evil. NBC will not recast the role but instead will add the character of Zed, a familiar name from the Constantine books. Zed, a foil for the show's title character who becomes his right-hand woman, has not yet been cast. She will appear in an early episode of the series, with additional characters from Hellblazer and the occult DC universe to be introduced later. Zed will, however, be the first to appear. Constantine airs Fridays at 10 p.m. starting Oct. 24 on NBC.
Source (The Hollywood Reporter)
I guess this means that Constantine's pilot, starring Griffiths and directed by Neil Marshall ( Dog Soldiers, The Descent, Doomsday and Centurian) will now be shelved and never seen (unless it gets leaked on-line).
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Post by fenris on Jul 31, 2014 16:32:36 GMT
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Post by fenris on Nov 11, 2014 15:40:16 GMT
The UK screening rights for Constantine have been nabbed by Amazon Prime, with the first episode available for viewing from 8th November 2014, and a new episode released every subsequent Saturday. However, the show is reportedly struggling in the ratings in America, and is believed to be unlikely to survive for a full season.
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Post by fenris on May 16, 2015 15:54:23 GMT
The UK screening rights for Constantine have been nabbed by Amazon Prime. However, the show is reportedly struggling in the ratings in America, and is believed to be unlikely to survive for a full season. As predicted by everyone, Constantine has been cancelled after a single season. However, as one supernatural TV show based on a Vertigo comic book series ends, another has been greenlit. Here's the trailer for Lucifer.
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Post by orokiah on Jun 5, 2015 16:13:28 GMT
Since Sky is in a repeating mood, my fingers are crossed that a repeat of The Secret Circle might also be on the cards. The Secret Circle is receiving its free-to-air premiere on Pick, starting this Sunday (07/06/15). The first two episodes are showing from 3pm, with weekly double bills thereafter.
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Post by fenris on Jun 15, 2015 15:59:56 GMT
The Secret Circle is receiving its free-to-air premiere on Pick, starting this Sunday (07/06/15). The first two episodes are showing from 3pm, with weekly double bills thereafter. Thanks orokiah. I hadn't noticed The Secret Circle was being repeated and would have missed it, if not for your heads-up. However, it must be said that Pick aren't treating the Circle with much respect. Other American imports that were originally screened on Sky's subscription channels, such as Revolution and Criminal Minds, are shown by Pick in weekday prime-time slots, one episode a week. But The Secret Circle? Shunted into the hinterland of Sunday afternoons, with two episodes a throw, enabling Pick to rattle through the show's only season in double-quick time. What's more, despite all the TV listings stating that the second double bill of The Secret Circle was being screened yesterday (14/06/15) at 15:00 (the same time as the previous Sunday, 07/06/15), when I switched over to Pick at that time, I discovered the double bill had actually been moved forward an hour to begin at 14:00, meaning that I'd missed Episode #3. Grrr.
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Post by orokiah on Jun 15, 2015 19:07:57 GMT
However, it must be said that Pick aren't treating the Circle with much respect. Other American imports that were originally screened on Sky's subscription channels, such as Revolution and Criminal Minds, are shown by Pick in weekday prime-time slots, one episode a week. But The Secret Circle? Shunted into the hinterland of Sunday afternoons, with two episodes a throw, enabling Pick to rattle through the show's only season in double-quick time. What's more, despite all the TV listings stating that the second double bill of The Secret Circle was being screened yesterday (14/06/15) at 15:00 (the same time as the previous Sunday, 07/06/15), when I switched over to Pick at that time, I discovered the double bill had actually been moved forward an hour to begin at 14:00, meaning that I'd missed Episode #3. Grrr. That is infuriating. Why schedule a show in what was at least a consistent, logical manner, and then mess around with it? (I know, I know: because no one's paying a whacking great subscription for Pick, so THEY CAN) I checked the upcoming listings, and next Sunday they're showing four episodes instead of two...but one's in the early hours of the morning, and one (#6, 'Wake') is skipped over altogether. Poor Secret Circle. Spat upon even in its afterlife. I hope it doesn't ruin the series for you entirely, fenris. I would have made certain to post an update, had I noticed the changes.
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Post by fenris on Jun 16, 2015 17:04:15 GMT
I would have made certain to post an update, had I noticed the changes. No worries, orokiah. Looking at that link to the upcoming listings, it appears to have been changed so that Episode #6 is now being shown. But throwing away Episode #5 by screening it at 02:30 in the morning (?!!) is an utterly bizarre decision by Pick's programmers.
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Post by orokiah on Jun 21, 2015 15:12:53 GMT
Looking at that link to the upcoming listings, it appears to have been changed so that Episode #6 is now being shown. But throwing away Episode #5 by screening it at 02:30 in the morning (?!!) is an utterly bizarre decision by Pick's programmers. Ha! I noticed. And I'm pretty sure they only changed it because someone (not me) tweeted them to point out the omission... What a load of palava.
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Post by fenris on Aug 20, 2015 1:54:22 GMT
Have you ever heard of The Omega Factor? It was a ten part series made by BBC Scotland, screened in 1979, about a secret Government department which investigated the supernatural. Ghosts, hauntings, psychic powers, possession, mind-control conspiracies, paranormal weapons being tested for military use, and demons all featured in the series. It was released on DVD last year, and I bought the boxset a few weeks ago. I've watched six episodes so far, and while the show is undeniably dated (it is over a quarter of a century old), in some ways it still holds up quite well. Genre specialists Big Finish have produced The Omega Factor: Series One, an audio production sequel that is set in the present day. Louise Jameson and Natasha Gerson reprise their roles from the original show. It's available as a set of CDs and also a download. Official Synopsis Over thirty years have passed since Tom Crane left Department 7, a top secret organisation that investigates the paranormal. Anne Reynolds now runs the operation, and for three decades their enigmatic nemesis Omega has been silent. But that peace is about to be shattered. When Crane’s son Adam is drawn into Department 7, the past quickly catches up with Anne and her team… The first set comprises the following four episodes:
1: From Beyond by Matt Fitton Dr Anne Reynolds finds her life's work under threat as Department 7 faces review. Is there really any place for paranormal investigation in government? Help arrives from an unlikely source, as a young man comes to Edinburgh looking for answers. Adam Dean holds a connection to Anne's past, which will open the doors of perception and take them down a new and disturbing path...
2: The Old Gods by Phil Mulryne Looking into Tom Crane's legacy, Anne and Adam investigate a remote community, isolated from the distractions of the twenty-first century. As Anne fights to justify Department 7's existence, Adam begins to learn how dangerous his new life can be. For when the world is stripped of the trappings of today, only the old gods are left to rule it...
3: Legion by Cavan Scott Exorcism is alive and well and making a healthy profit in modern Scotland. As one practitioner's unsavoury methods are called to account, a terrible force threatens to be unleashed. While Anne follows the trail left by Tom Crane, Adam hears a voice from his father's past calling for help - but what will it cost him if he chooses to answer?
4: The Hollow Earth by Ken Bentley A church is meant to be a place of sanctuary. Of peace. Of protection. But when Anne and Adam look into disappearances among the homeless of one Southside parish, they find themselves trapped and terrified within the walls of St Nicholas as all hell breaks loose around them... Link to the relevant page on Big Finish's website.
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