Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jun 7, 2014 20:40:52 GMT -6
www.newsarama.com/21298-comic-book-tv-guide.html
Starting this fall, there will be five comic book TV shows on broadcast television, with two mid-season replacements waiting just off panel. Plus, comic book TV juggernaut The Walking Dead marches on at AMC, and between AMC and Syfy alone, there are at least 7 more series in various stages of development, with others coming to other networks, or even (like Powers) to other delivery platforms altogether (that’s debuting on the Sony PlayStation Network), or the Marvel Studios - Netflix team-up coming later next year.
To help make sense of it all, here’s where we stand in the world of comic book TV series (focusing solely on live-action here) with things like premiere dates, airing times, principal cast, and official descriptions when applicable. This information is ever-changing, and we’ll endeavor to keep this very page as up-to-date as humanly possible as news arrives.
The Walking Dead
Season: Five
Network: AMC
Airs: Sunday, 9pm
Premiere Date: October 12, 2014
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, many more.
Comic Published By: Image Comics Skybound imprint
Season 5 Description: There is no official description released by AMC for Season 5 yet, but creator Robert Kirkman had this to say to EW.com late in May (after shooting had begun on the season):
"This is the first time we’ve really finished a season and gone back to the same place for the next season, so that’s kind of cool. I think this show works best with a cycle or ramping up and ramping down, and lulling people into a sense of security and speeding things up and keeping them on guard. I will say that we definitely start this season in an up cycle, whereas last season we definitely started the season in a down cycle. So we’re certainly changing things up in that respect and we’re gonna kind of hit the ground running this season."
Season 4 ended with most of the principal cast locked away in Terminus, home to survivors who enjoy a special kind of sustenance (that gives them something in common with the Walkers).
Gotham
Season: One
Network: Fox
Airs: Monday, 8pm
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, Jada Pinkett Smith, Camren Bicondova, David Mazouz, many more.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and locations in DC Comics
Official Description: Based upon characters published by DC Entertainment and produced by Warner Bros. Television, GOTHAM is an origin story of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. Starring Ben McKenzie (“Southland,” “The O.C.”), Donal Logue (“Sons of Anarchy,” “Terriers,” “Vikings,” “Copper”) and Jada Pinkett Smith (“The Matrix” films, “HawthoRNe”), GOTHAM follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time. Executive producer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist”) wrote the pilot, which was directed and executive-produced by Emmy Award nominee Danny Cannon (the “CSI” franchise, “Nikita”). John Stephens will serve as an executive producer on the series.
The Flash
Season: One
Network: The CW
Airs: Tuesday, 8pm
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Rick Cosnett, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin.
Comic Published By: DC Comics
Official Description: Barry Allen was just 11 years old when his mother was killed in a bizarre and terrifying incident and his father was falsely convicted of the murder. With his life changed forever by the tragedy, Barry was taken in and raised by Detective Joe West, the father of Barry’s best friend, Iris. Now, Barry has become a brilliant, driven and endearingly geeky CSI investigator, whose determination to uncover the truth about his mother’s strange death leads him to follow up on every unexplained urban legend and scientific advancement that comes along. Barry’s latest obsession is a cutting edge particle accelerator, created by visionary physicist Harrison Wells and his S.T.A.R. Labs team, who claim that this invention will bring about unimaginable advancements in power and medicine. However, something goes horribly wrong during the public unveiling, and when the devastating explosion causes a freak storm, many lives are lost and Barry is struck by lightning. After nine months in a coma, Barry awakens to find his life has changed once again – the accident has given him the power of super speed, granting him the ability to move through Central City like an unseen guardian angel. Though initially excited by his newfound powers, Barry is shocked to discover he is not the only “meta-human” who was created in the wake of the accelerator explosion – and not everyone is using their new powers for good. In the months since the accident, the city has seen a sharp increase in missing people, unexplained deaths and other strange phenomena. Barry now has a renewed purpose – using his gift of speed to protect the innocent, while never giving up on his quest to solve his mother’s murder and clear his father’s name. For now, only a few close friends and associates know that Barry is literally the fastest man alive, but it won’t be long before the world learns what Barry Allen has become…The Flash. The series stars Grant Gustin (“Glee,” “Arrow”) as Barry Allen/The Flash, Candice Patton (“The Game”) as Iris West, Rick Cosnett (“The Vampire Diaries”) as Eddie Thawne, Danielle Panabaker (“Necessary Roughness,” “Justified”) as Caitlin Snow, Carlos Valdes (“Once” on Broadway ) as Cisco Ramon, with Tom Cavanagh (“Ed,” “Eli Stone”) as Harrison Wells and Jesse L. Martin (“Law & Order”) as Detective West. THE FLASH is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Tomorrow People,” “Green Lantern”), Andrew Kreisberg (“Arrow,” “Eli Stone”), David Nutter (“Arrow,” “Game of Thrones”) and Sarah Schechter. The pilot was directed by David Nutter. This series is based upon characters published by DC Entertainment.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Season: Two
Network: ABC
Airs: Tuesday, 9pm
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Season 2 Description: No official description of the season released yet by ABC, but star Clark Gregg teased Collider about what he knows of the season:
"It’s going to be lo-fi. You’re going back to basics. You’ve got to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. from the ground up in a much more dangerous world where your group is outlawed. So it feels like the early, Sean Connery James Bond with the brass knuckles and not afraid to knock somebody off."
Season one ended with the near total destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Hydra from within, leaving the small team of Agents nearly alone to pick up the pieces.
Arrow
Season: Three
Network: The CW
Airs: Wednesday, 8pm
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Stephen Amell, Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey, Katie Cassidy, Paul Blackthorne, Willa Holland, Colton Haynes, new series regular John Barrowman, and more.
Comic Published By: DC Comics
Season 3 Description: No official description for season 3 yet released by The CW. The stars have teased some developments, though:
Stephen Amell on the big bad: "[Slade was] omnipresent, but I don’t think that will necessarily be the case in Season 3 [with the new big bad]. It’s going to be a little bit different than in Season 2."
John Barrowman on Merlyn’s plans for Thea: "He’s got to train her to be a powerhouse, to be a tough bitch."
Katie Cassidy on Black Canary possibilities: "I do think the torch has been passed. I get that feeling, and I think everybody else gets that feeling."
Season two left off with the capturing of Slade Wilson, the reveal of Thea Queen as Merlyn’s biological daughter (and her subsequent leaving to be with him), Roy Harper being cured of the Mirakuru and getting a mask, and Sara "Canary" Lance leaving the city to rejoin the League of Assassins, giving her signature leather jacket to her sister Laurel.
Constantine
Season: One
Network: NBC
Airs: Friday, 10pm
Premiere Date: October 24, 2014
Stars: Matt Ryan, Lucy Griffiths, Harold Perrineau, and more.
Comic Published By: DC Comics
Official Description: Based on the wildly popular comic book series “Hellblazer” from DC Comics, seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight – or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind. But when demons target Liv, the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her. Before long, it’s revealed that Liv’s “second sight,” an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences, is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. And now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world – and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.
The Strain
Season: One
Network: FX
Airs: Sunday, 10pm
Premiere Date: July 13, 2014
Stars: Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Mia Maestro, many more.
Comic Published By: Dark Horse Comics
Official Description: The Strain is a high concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.
Other Upcoming Series already picked up
Marvel’s Agent Carter
Season: One
Network: ABC
Airs: Tuesday, 9pm
Premiere Date: None Yet, will air first season during the mid-season break of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Stars: Hayley Atwell.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: "Marvel's Agent Carter," starring Captain America's Hayley Atwell follows the story of Peggy Carter. It's 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life--Steve Rogers. Inspired by the feature films "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," along with the short "Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter."
iZOMBIE
Season: One
Network: The CW
Airs: To Be Determined
Premiere Date: None Yet, planned as a Mid-Season replacement
Stars: Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli.
Comic Published By: DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint
Official Description: Olivia “Liv” Moore was a rosy-cheeked, disciplined, over-achieving medical resident who had her life path completely mapped out…until the night she attended a party that unexpectedly turned into a zombie feeding frenzy. As one of the newly undead, Liv is doing her best to blend in and look as human as possible. Her appearance now passes for “Goth,” with shockingly pale skin and nearly white hair, and her demeanor has gone from exuberant to exhausted. The change in Liv is baffling to her mother, her former fiancé, Major, and her best friend and roommate, Peyton, who still has the high-energy, Type-A personality that Liv has completely abandoned. Despite her post-traumatic ennui, Liv has devised a way to resist her baser urges to devour fresh human brains – she’s taken a job in the Seattle coroner’s office. In this appropriately dead-end job, Liv can secretly snack on the brains of the many Jane and John Doe corpses that make a final stop in the morgue. Despite carefully covering her tracks, Liv’s boss, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, discovers her secret and is surprisingly excited about the scientific possibilities. Even with her boss’ enthusiasm, Liv remains resigned to an eternity without hope or purpose, until she realizes that with every brain she consumes, she retains a portion of that person’s memories. Liv begins to experience visions from the point of view of the murder victims. Much to the surprise of Dr. Ravi and homicide detective Clive Babineaux, Liv often has detailed knowledge of crime scenes and motives that she can’t easily explain. Posing as a psychic, she works with Detective Babineaux to investigate these crimes and discover who is responsible. It’s not the same as being alive again, but at least Liv can find purpose in her undead existence by helping Clive solve the murders of those who are indeed fully dead.
Daredevil
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: 2015
Stars: Charlie Cox.
Comic Published By: Marvel Comics
Official Description: Blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, Matt Murdock fights against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the super hero Daredevil in modern day Hell's Kitchen, New York City.
Steven S. DeKnight is show runner and EP, Drew Goddard wrote the first two episodes.
Jessica Jones
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: None Yet.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: None Yet, in development with Melissa Rosenberg writing and producing.
Iron Fist
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: None Yet.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: None Yet.
Luke Cage
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: None Yet.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: None Yet.
Marvel’s The Defenders
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Charlie Cox, More.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: The culmination of the previous four solo series, Defenders will bring them together for an Avengers-style team-up in a shorter mini-series.
Powers
Season: One
Network: PlayStation Network
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: None Yet.
Comic Published By: Marvel Comics’ Icon imprint (previously Image Comics)
Official Description: No Official Description yet released (but we might hear something from Sony at E3). Charlie Huston is writing the pilot, and producing alongside the comic creators Brian Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, as well as Circle of Confusion (David Alpert, David Engel, Lawrence Mattis). Huston and Remi Aubuchon will act as co-showrunners.
Other Upcoming Series in Development
Untitled The Walking Dead Spin-Off
Network: AMC
Publisher: Based on concepts from Image Comics’ Skybound Imprint
What We Know: This one pretty much is what it says on the packaging. The idea of the spin-off is to show a different part of the world, something neither the show nor comics nor even the games have done much of at all. Current producers and writers involved with the first show are working on the second, and it’s tentatively debuting next year, alongside season six of The Walking Dead.
Thief of Thieves
Network: AMC
Publisher: Image Comics’ Skybound Imprint
What We Know: Robert Kirkman is producing alongside David Alpert (Circle of Confusion, TWD producers - you’ll see that again in this article). The show is based on a comic Kirkman developed and leads already in a TV series style, bringing in writers to tell an arc at a time. It centers on a master thief who only steals from other thieves. No timeline given for release.
Outcast
Network: Cinemax
Publisher: Image Comics’ Skybound Imprint
What We Know: It’s another Robert Kirkman comic book being developed for TV. Kirkman is writing the pilot and producing with David Alpert, Circle of Confusion. The official description is: “Outcast follows Kyle Barnes, a young man who has been plagued by possession since he was a child. Now an adult, he embarks on a journey to find answers but what he uncovers could mean the end of life on Earth as we know it.”
Pax Romana
Network: Syfy
Publisher: Image Comics
What We Know: You might just want to assume this, but yes, David Alpert of Circle of Confusion is producing this Jonathan Hickman comic TV series, with writers Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia penning the pilot. The series follows a modern Special Forces unit traveling in time to ancient Rome to prevent World War III.
Clone
Network: Syfy
Publisher: Image Comics’ Skybound Imprint
What We Know: And more Skybound, and yes, this is being produced by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion. Joining them is the writer of the comic book, David Schulner, who is also producing and is writing the pilot. The story centers on a man discovering a burglar in his home, who just so happens to be a clone of himself. Things quickly escalate with multiple clones, a deeper conspiracy, and the threat of impending death.
Ronin
Network: Syfy
Publisher: DC Comics
What We Know: Based on the comic book mini-series by Frank Miller, this one is being developed strictly as a mini-series (the others on this list are all for full length ongoing shows). The titular Ronin is displaced into 21st Century New York to fight demons of both a literal and figurative sense. The TV series will take place “eight centuries” after the Ronin’s former master was killed by a demon, with the ancient warrior waking up in a distant future in the body of a young man named Billy, and back on the hunt for the Demon. No writer attached yet, and Warner Horizon TV & DC Entertainment are producing.
Letter 44
Network: Syfy
Publisher: Oni Press
What We Know: Based on a comic book by Charles Soule, the series revolves around a newly-elected president, Stephen Blades, who learns of a secret mission for first contact that was launched by his predecessor and is about to end. Jonathan Mostow of Terminator 3 will write, executive produce, and direct the pilot. Eric Gitter of Scott Pilgrim is also producing.
Scalped
Network: WGN America
Publisher: DC Comics’ Vertigo Imprint
What We Know: Based on Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera’s 60-issue comic, the show is described as a crime noir set on a Native American reservation. Doug Jung (Banshee) is writing the pilot and executive producing for Warner Horizon Television.
Hourman
Network: The CW
Publisher: DC Comics
What We Know: This one hasn’t been talked about since the initial development announcement in November 2013, but it hasn’t publicly been killed, either. The show would likely pull from the multiple incarnations of the character at DC Comics, with his superpower, according to official description, in this case being the ability to see tragic events that happen one hour in the future - which he then tries to prevent. Michael Caleo (The Sopranos) is writing/wrote the pilot, and is executive producing with Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz.
Preacher
Network: AMC
Publisher: DC Comics’ Vertigo Imprint
What We Know: It’s AMC again, it’s Vertigo again. The series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon has been elusive for TV and film development, and Sony Pictures Television and AMC are hoping to be the ones to actually do it. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This is the End) are writing, with producer/showrunner Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad). Ennis and Dillon have “been included in the conversation” and fully support the adaptation.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Network: Fox
Publisher: DC Comics’ Vertigo Imprint
What We Know: Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s series of graphic novels team up literary icons from the Victorian age for adventures. Michael Green (Green Lantern, Heroes, Smallville) is writing and producing the pilot with intent to be showrunner if it goes to series. Moore and O’Neill are not involved with the project, which is the second live action adaptation of their concept, which saw a big-screen try in 2003.
DMZ
Network: Syfy
Publisher: DC Comics' Vertigo Imprint
What We Know: Brian Wood's series about an embedded journalist in a Manhattan of a near-future that has been given up by the US was picked up by Syfy before their glut of four more series. Andre and Maria Jacquemetton (Mad Men) are writing the pilot with David Heyman (Gravity) producing for Warner Horizon TV.
Starting this fall, there will be five comic book TV shows on broadcast television, with two mid-season replacements waiting just off panel. Plus, comic book TV juggernaut The Walking Dead marches on at AMC, and between AMC and Syfy alone, there are at least 7 more series in various stages of development, with others coming to other networks, or even (like Powers) to other delivery platforms altogether (that’s debuting on the Sony PlayStation Network), or the Marvel Studios - Netflix team-up coming later next year.
To help make sense of it all, here’s where we stand in the world of comic book TV series (focusing solely on live-action here) with things like premiere dates, airing times, principal cast, and official descriptions when applicable. This information is ever-changing, and we’ll endeavor to keep this very page as up-to-date as humanly possible as news arrives.
The Walking Dead
Season: Five
Network: AMC
Airs: Sunday, 9pm
Premiere Date: October 12, 2014
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, many more.
Comic Published By: Image Comics Skybound imprint
Season 5 Description: There is no official description released by AMC for Season 5 yet, but creator Robert Kirkman had this to say to EW.com late in May (after shooting had begun on the season):
"This is the first time we’ve really finished a season and gone back to the same place for the next season, so that’s kind of cool. I think this show works best with a cycle or ramping up and ramping down, and lulling people into a sense of security and speeding things up and keeping them on guard. I will say that we definitely start this season in an up cycle, whereas last season we definitely started the season in a down cycle. So we’re certainly changing things up in that respect and we’re gonna kind of hit the ground running this season."
Season 4 ended with most of the principal cast locked away in Terminus, home to survivors who enjoy a special kind of sustenance (that gives them something in common with the Walkers).
Gotham
Season: One
Network: Fox
Airs: Monday, 8pm
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, Jada Pinkett Smith, Camren Bicondova, David Mazouz, many more.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and locations in DC Comics
Official Description: Based upon characters published by DC Entertainment and produced by Warner Bros. Television, GOTHAM is an origin story of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. Starring Ben McKenzie (“Southland,” “The O.C.”), Donal Logue (“Sons of Anarchy,” “Terriers,” “Vikings,” “Copper”) and Jada Pinkett Smith (“The Matrix” films, “HawthoRNe”), GOTHAM follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time. Executive producer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist”) wrote the pilot, which was directed and executive-produced by Emmy Award nominee Danny Cannon (the “CSI” franchise, “Nikita”). John Stephens will serve as an executive producer on the series.
The Flash
Season: One
Network: The CW
Airs: Tuesday, 8pm
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Rick Cosnett, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin.
Comic Published By: DC Comics
Official Description: Barry Allen was just 11 years old when his mother was killed in a bizarre and terrifying incident and his father was falsely convicted of the murder. With his life changed forever by the tragedy, Barry was taken in and raised by Detective Joe West, the father of Barry’s best friend, Iris. Now, Barry has become a brilliant, driven and endearingly geeky CSI investigator, whose determination to uncover the truth about his mother’s strange death leads him to follow up on every unexplained urban legend and scientific advancement that comes along. Barry’s latest obsession is a cutting edge particle accelerator, created by visionary physicist Harrison Wells and his S.T.A.R. Labs team, who claim that this invention will bring about unimaginable advancements in power and medicine. However, something goes horribly wrong during the public unveiling, and when the devastating explosion causes a freak storm, many lives are lost and Barry is struck by lightning. After nine months in a coma, Barry awakens to find his life has changed once again – the accident has given him the power of super speed, granting him the ability to move through Central City like an unseen guardian angel. Though initially excited by his newfound powers, Barry is shocked to discover he is not the only “meta-human” who was created in the wake of the accelerator explosion – and not everyone is using their new powers for good. In the months since the accident, the city has seen a sharp increase in missing people, unexplained deaths and other strange phenomena. Barry now has a renewed purpose – using his gift of speed to protect the innocent, while never giving up on his quest to solve his mother’s murder and clear his father’s name. For now, only a few close friends and associates know that Barry is literally the fastest man alive, but it won’t be long before the world learns what Barry Allen has become…The Flash. The series stars Grant Gustin (“Glee,” “Arrow”) as Barry Allen/The Flash, Candice Patton (“The Game”) as Iris West, Rick Cosnett (“The Vampire Diaries”) as Eddie Thawne, Danielle Panabaker (“Necessary Roughness,” “Justified”) as Caitlin Snow, Carlos Valdes (“Once” on Broadway ) as Cisco Ramon, with Tom Cavanagh (“Ed,” “Eli Stone”) as Harrison Wells and Jesse L. Martin (“Law & Order”) as Detective West. THE FLASH is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Tomorrow People,” “Green Lantern”), Andrew Kreisberg (“Arrow,” “Eli Stone”), David Nutter (“Arrow,” “Game of Thrones”) and Sarah Schechter. The pilot was directed by David Nutter. This series is based upon characters published by DC Entertainment.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Season: Two
Network: ABC
Airs: Tuesday, 9pm
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Season 2 Description: No official description of the season released yet by ABC, but star Clark Gregg teased Collider about what he knows of the season:
"It’s going to be lo-fi. You’re going back to basics. You’ve got to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. from the ground up in a much more dangerous world where your group is outlawed. So it feels like the early, Sean Connery James Bond with the brass knuckles and not afraid to knock somebody off."
Season one ended with the near total destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Hydra from within, leaving the small team of Agents nearly alone to pick up the pieces.
Arrow
Season: Three
Network: The CW
Airs: Wednesday, 8pm
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Stephen Amell, Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey, Katie Cassidy, Paul Blackthorne, Willa Holland, Colton Haynes, new series regular John Barrowman, and more.
Comic Published By: DC Comics
Season 3 Description: No official description for season 3 yet released by The CW. The stars have teased some developments, though:
Stephen Amell on the big bad: "[Slade was] omnipresent, but I don’t think that will necessarily be the case in Season 3 [with the new big bad]. It’s going to be a little bit different than in Season 2."
John Barrowman on Merlyn’s plans for Thea: "He’s got to train her to be a powerhouse, to be a tough bitch."
Katie Cassidy on Black Canary possibilities: "I do think the torch has been passed. I get that feeling, and I think everybody else gets that feeling."
Season two left off with the capturing of Slade Wilson, the reveal of Thea Queen as Merlyn’s biological daughter (and her subsequent leaving to be with him), Roy Harper being cured of the Mirakuru and getting a mask, and Sara "Canary" Lance leaving the city to rejoin the League of Assassins, giving her signature leather jacket to her sister Laurel.
Constantine
Season: One
Network: NBC
Airs: Friday, 10pm
Premiere Date: October 24, 2014
Stars: Matt Ryan, Lucy Griffiths, Harold Perrineau, and more.
Comic Published By: DC Comics
Official Description: Based on the wildly popular comic book series “Hellblazer” from DC Comics, seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight – or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind. But when demons target Liv, the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her. Before long, it’s revealed that Liv’s “second sight,” an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences, is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. And now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world – and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.
The Strain
Season: One
Network: FX
Airs: Sunday, 10pm
Premiere Date: July 13, 2014
Stars: Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Mia Maestro, many more.
Comic Published By: Dark Horse Comics
Official Description: The Strain is a high concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.
Other Upcoming Series already picked up
Marvel’s Agent Carter
Season: One
Network: ABC
Airs: Tuesday, 9pm
Premiere Date: None Yet, will air first season during the mid-season break of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Stars: Hayley Atwell.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: "Marvel's Agent Carter," starring Captain America's Hayley Atwell follows the story of Peggy Carter. It's 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life--Steve Rogers. Inspired by the feature films "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," along with the short "Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter."
iZOMBIE
Season: One
Network: The CW
Airs: To Be Determined
Premiere Date: None Yet, planned as a Mid-Season replacement
Stars: Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli.
Comic Published By: DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint
Official Description: Olivia “Liv” Moore was a rosy-cheeked, disciplined, over-achieving medical resident who had her life path completely mapped out…until the night she attended a party that unexpectedly turned into a zombie feeding frenzy. As one of the newly undead, Liv is doing her best to blend in and look as human as possible. Her appearance now passes for “Goth,” with shockingly pale skin and nearly white hair, and her demeanor has gone from exuberant to exhausted. The change in Liv is baffling to her mother, her former fiancé, Major, and her best friend and roommate, Peyton, who still has the high-energy, Type-A personality that Liv has completely abandoned. Despite her post-traumatic ennui, Liv has devised a way to resist her baser urges to devour fresh human brains – she’s taken a job in the Seattle coroner’s office. In this appropriately dead-end job, Liv can secretly snack on the brains of the many Jane and John Doe corpses that make a final stop in the morgue. Despite carefully covering her tracks, Liv’s boss, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, discovers her secret and is surprisingly excited about the scientific possibilities. Even with her boss’ enthusiasm, Liv remains resigned to an eternity without hope or purpose, until she realizes that with every brain she consumes, she retains a portion of that person’s memories. Liv begins to experience visions from the point of view of the murder victims. Much to the surprise of Dr. Ravi and homicide detective Clive Babineaux, Liv often has detailed knowledge of crime scenes and motives that she can’t easily explain. Posing as a psychic, she works with Detective Babineaux to investigate these crimes and discover who is responsible. It’s not the same as being alive again, but at least Liv can find purpose in her undead existence by helping Clive solve the murders of those who are indeed fully dead.
Daredevil
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: 2015
Stars: Charlie Cox.
Comic Published By: Marvel Comics
Official Description: Blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, Matt Murdock fights against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the super hero Daredevil in modern day Hell's Kitchen, New York City.
Steven S. DeKnight is show runner and EP, Drew Goddard wrote the first two episodes.
Jessica Jones
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: None Yet.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: None Yet, in development with Melissa Rosenberg writing and producing.
Iron Fist
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: None Yet.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: None Yet.
Luke Cage
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: None Yet.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: None Yet.
Marvel’s The Defenders
Season: One
Network: Netflix
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: Charlie Cox, More.
Comic Published By: Based on characters and concepts by Marvel Comics
Official Description: The culmination of the previous four solo series, Defenders will bring them together for an Avengers-style team-up in a shorter mini-series.
Powers
Season: One
Network: PlayStation Network
Airs: N/A
Premiere Date: None Yet
Stars: None Yet.
Comic Published By: Marvel Comics’ Icon imprint (previously Image Comics)
Official Description: No Official Description yet released (but we might hear something from Sony at E3). Charlie Huston is writing the pilot, and producing alongside the comic creators Brian Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, as well as Circle of Confusion (David Alpert, David Engel, Lawrence Mattis). Huston and Remi Aubuchon will act as co-showrunners.
Other Upcoming Series in Development
Untitled The Walking Dead Spin-Off
Network: AMC
Publisher: Based on concepts from Image Comics’ Skybound Imprint
What We Know: This one pretty much is what it says on the packaging. The idea of the spin-off is to show a different part of the world, something neither the show nor comics nor even the games have done much of at all. Current producers and writers involved with the first show are working on the second, and it’s tentatively debuting next year, alongside season six of The Walking Dead.
Thief of Thieves
Network: AMC
Publisher: Image Comics’ Skybound Imprint
What We Know: Robert Kirkman is producing alongside David Alpert (Circle of Confusion, TWD producers - you’ll see that again in this article). The show is based on a comic Kirkman developed and leads already in a TV series style, bringing in writers to tell an arc at a time. It centers on a master thief who only steals from other thieves. No timeline given for release.
Outcast
Network: Cinemax
Publisher: Image Comics’ Skybound Imprint
What We Know: It’s another Robert Kirkman comic book being developed for TV. Kirkman is writing the pilot and producing with David Alpert, Circle of Confusion. The official description is: “Outcast follows Kyle Barnes, a young man who has been plagued by possession since he was a child. Now an adult, he embarks on a journey to find answers but what he uncovers could mean the end of life on Earth as we know it.”
Pax Romana
Network: Syfy
Publisher: Image Comics
What We Know: You might just want to assume this, but yes, David Alpert of Circle of Confusion is producing this Jonathan Hickman comic TV series, with writers Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia penning the pilot. The series follows a modern Special Forces unit traveling in time to ancient Rome to prevent World War III.
Clone
Network: Syfy
Publisher: Image Comics’ Skybound Imprint
What We Know: And more Skybound, and yes, this is being produced by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion. Joining them is the writer of the comic book, David Schulner, who is also producing and is writing the pilot. The story centers on a man discovering a burglar in his home, who just so happens to be a clone of himself. Things quickly escalate with multiple clones, a deeper conspiracy, and the threat of impending death.
Ronin
Network: Syfy
Publisher: DC Comics
What We Know: Based on the comic book mini-series by Frank Miller, this one is being developed strictly as a mini-series (the others on this list are all for full length ongoing shows). The titular Ronin is displaced into 21st Century New York to fight demons of both a literal and figurative sense. The TV series will take place “eight centuries” after the Ronin’s former master was killed by a demon, with the ancient warrior waking up in a distant future in the body of a young man named Billy, and back on the hunt for the Demon. No writer attached yet, and Warner Horizon TV & DC Entertainment are producing.
Letter 44
Network: Syfy
Publisher: Oni Press
What We Know: Based on a comic book by Charles Soule, the series revolves around a newly-elected president, Stephen Blades, who learns of a secret mission for first contact that was launched by his predecessor and is about to end. Jonathan Mostow of Terminator 3 will write, executive produce, and direct the pilot. Eric Gitter of Scott Pilgrim is also producing.
Scalped
Network: WGN America
Publisher: DC Comics’ Vertigo Imprint
What We Know: Based on Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera’s 60-issue comic, the show is described as a crime noir set on a Native American reservation. Doug Jung (Banshee) is writing the pilot and executive producing for Warner Horizon Television.
Hourman
Network: The CW
Publisher: DC Comics
What We Know: This one hasn’t been talked about since the initial development announcement in November 2013, but it hasn’t publicly been killed, either. The show would likely pull from the multiple incarnations of the character at DC Comics, with his superpower, according to official description, in this case being the ability to see tragic events that happen one hour in the future - which he then tries to prevent. Michael Caleo (The Sopranos) is writing/wrote the pilot, and is executive producing with Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz.
Preacher
Network: AMC
Publisher: DC Comics’ Vertigo Imprint
What We Know: It’s AMC again, it’s Vertigo again. The series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon has been elusive for TV and film development, and Sony Pictures Television and AMC are hoping to be the ones to actually do it. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This is the End) are writing, with producer/showrunner Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad). Ennis and Dillon have “been included in the conversation” and fully support the adaptation.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Network: Fox
Publisher: DC Comics’ Vertigo Imprint
What We Know: Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s series of graphic novels team up literary icons from the Victorian age for adventures. Michael Green (Green Lantern, Heroes, Smallville) is writing and producing the pilot with intent to be showrunner if it goes to series. Moore and O’Neill are not involved with the project, which is the second live action adaptation of their concept, which saw a big-screen try in 2003.
DMZ
Network: Syfy
Publisher: DC Comics' Vertigo Imprint
What We Know: Brian Wood's series about an embedded journalist in a Manhattan of a near-future that has been given up by the US was picked up by Syfy before their glut of four more series. Andre and Maria Jacquemetton (Mad Men) are writing the pilot with David Heyman (Gravity) producing for Warner Horizon TV.