The original 1966 Batman TV series took decades to see a release on DVD and Blu-ray, but the wait was definitely worth it! The first 30 episodes from the series’ second season are now available on DVD and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment graciously provided a copy for my review for this Throwback Thursday installment.

I grew up watching the original Batman series in reruns on cable television. It was always one of my favorites because it was so wondrously colorful and wacky. Everywhere you look in any given screenshot, your senses are bombarded by psychedelic, eye-popping costumes that only a 1960s series could pull off so well. It’s like a live-action cartoon with campy music, zany guest stars and playful puns and punches flying left and right. Don’t get me started on the delightful variety of villains the series also offered! From familiar comic book favorites like The Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and Mr. Freeze to crazy, new villainous concoctions such as Egghead, King Tut, The Clock King, The Archer and The Minstrel, the second season is full of fiendish foes and perilous plots. I’m having trouble deciding which villain is my all-time favorite because they’re all so interesting and diabolical in their own unique way!

The Second Season, Part One has many big-name guest stars, including Cesar Romero, Julie Newmar, Burgess Meredith, Vincent Price, Van Johnson, Art Carney, Shelley Winters, Liberace, Walter Slezak, Carolyn Jones, Victor Buono and Cliff Robertson. One interesting thing about the series was that they used various actors to play the same villain from season to season. Season two features Julie Newmar as a purrrrfect Catwoman and Otto Preminger as a space cadet-looking Mr. Freeze with a ray gun. In addition to the main guest stars, there are also numerous cameos from other notable stars, including Dick Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr., Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink from Hogan’s Heroes), Ted Cassidy (Lurch from The Addams Family) and musical group Paul Revere and the Raiders among these episodes. Just don’t blink, or you’ll miss ‘em!

Egghead (Vincent Price) is the only villain I remember being smart enough on the series to almost figure out that Bruce Wayne was Batman, so that makes him credible in my book (despite all of his “eggs-cruciating” puns every five seconds). The Archer (Art Carney) is awesome because he steals from the rich and gives to the poor a la Robin Hood and his Merry Men, while The Minstrel (Van Johnson) oozes charm and romantic lyrics that make you fall in love with Van Johnson and his velvety voice all over again. Not only is The Minstrel a musical genius, but he’s also equally versed in electronics and probably the only villain worthy of facing Batman in a technological showdown of wits.

I was delighted to discover that one of the most memorable episodes from my childhood was included in this set — “The Spell of Tut” — the one in which King Tut (Victor Buono) tries to resurrect ancient Egyptian scarabs to wreak havoc upon Gotham City’s water supply. Also look for horror icon Sid Haig as the Royal Apothecary in the King Tut episodes. Another old favorite of mine, “The Greatest Mother of Them All,” featuring Shelley Winters as criminal matriarch Ma Parker and her gang, is also included. The Parker clan has always reminded me of the Beagle Boys on Duck Tales, another beloved show from my childhood and perhaps the subject of a future Throwback.

An unexpected surprise was seeing footage from the Indianapolis 500 used as a racing event held in Gotham City in “Come Back, Shame,” an episode with Cliff Robertson as Shame, “The Conniving Cowboy of Crime,” a cowpoke/car thief who looks like he was lifted out of a spaghetti western complete with his sidekick Okie Annie (Joan Staley from The Ghost & Mr. Chicken fame). Of course, Shame and crew don’t look quite as tough as your traditional cowboys with their polka dot handkerchiefs and etc., but that’s beside the point when you can “get angrier than a hyena with laryngitis.” Another hidden gem was “Hizzonner The Penguin,” an episode in which Penguin runs for Mayor of Gotham City against Batman. It was the weirdest political debates I’ve ever seen, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t want all of Penguin’s cute, clever campaign paraphernalia. He had lovable, furry penguins all over his campaign buttons, posters, stickers, etc. I wonder if anyone ever made any of that stuff collectible because I would buy a lot of it for my personal collection of pop cultural oddities!

All of Batman’s gadgets in the Bat Cave, Batmobile and utility belts have never looked better — every detail has been completely remastered in this DVD box set. While reviewing the set, I realized that there are two types of people in this world — those who can appreciate the campiness of this series and those who simply cannot. Neither my mother or boyfriend could make it past more than a handful of episodes before they were begging me to turn it off, but I could have gone on for hours (the set has a total running time of 755 minutes), and my 21-year-old brother and his friends seemed amicably interested as well.

Every “Splatt!,” “Pow!,” “Biff!” and “Zok!” (yes, you read that right: Zok!) practically pops out of the screen at you in amazing comic book color as do the fabulous glittering outfits worn by Chandell (Liberace), and I had a lot of fun reviewing this set. The Season Two, Part One DVD box set features beautiful artwork from the eye-catching covers to the four discs depicting the iconic ’66 Batman logo on each. The only disappointment I had with the set was its lack of bonus features, but that’s what the expensive, all-inclusive Blu-ray collector set is for I suppose. I’ve read the Blu-rays come with an episode guide, Adam West scrapbook, vintage trading cards, digital copies of the episodes and an exclusive Hot Wheels replica of the Batmobile. The discerning collector would be better off saving their pennies for the Blu-ray set, but if you’re yearning to get your hands on some of the episodes in the meantime or if you’re introducing the series to a new generation of fans, this box set is a good starting point. If I’m ever lucky enough to review another Batman set, I’ll catch you at the same Bat time, same Bat channel.

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Spy movies have been around almost as long as the cinema. Great Britain produced the first spy movies during the silent era and the Great War (or World War I). Master German director Fritz Lang contributed to the genre (and pretty much set the standard) with his movie Spies in 1928. Lang’s Dr. Mabuse films also contained a host of spy film elements. Alfred Hitchcock, in his pre-US films of the 1930s, helped popularize the genre with a variety of films including The Man Who Knew Too Much, Secret Agent and Sabotage.

Spy movies became big in the US during World War II and into the Cold War era with the introduction of the first movie super spy, James Bond. Imitators came and went and Bond has endured but fans have to wait until November before his next big screen outing, SPECTRE. Until then, we have a new spy organization set to rival MI6 in Kingman: The Secret Service. And if you can ignore the hype of this weekend’s other big release, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by this alternative.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (based on the graphic novel The Secret Service) is an origin story of sorts. The movie opens with scant background on Harry Hart (Colin Firth), code name Galahad, and a mission which led to the death of one of his fellow agents. Presenting the agent’s wife with an offer of assistance, she rebuffs him but he makes sure her young son understands that help is only a phone call away.

The boy, Eggsy (Taron Egerton), grows into a juvenile delinquent teen who when faced with a stint in prison makes that phone call. Eggsy is reluctantly released but he doesn’t realize that the man who helped him is the same man who gave him the number to call and who also needed to repay him for his father’s sacrifice. Eggsy is also unaware that he has been selected by Hart as a candidate to fill the seat of a recently deceased Kingman. Eggsy is put through his paces with the other recruits while a billionaire businessman hatches a plan to save the world from the very thing he believes is causing climate change … the human race. It’s up to Galahad and the Kingsman agents to save the day, but does rough-around-the-edges Eggsy have what it takes to be a Kingsman?

As I said, this is an origin story that shows us what makes the Kingsman organization tick and introduces us to the character of Eggsy. Unlike some laborious superhero origin stories, though, this one never gets bogged down in exposition. We learn about Kingsman throughout the movie by bits and pieces of detail we get from Hart, Merlin (Mark Strong) and Arthur (Michael Caine). One of the most important things to note here is that each agent has an Arthurian code name and when that agent is killed in action, that code name is passed on to his replacement. Death is a very real element for these agents.

Even as we learn about the organization and Eggsy, we’re also introduced to Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) and his high-tech Rosa Kleb, Gazelle (Sofia Boutella), a cold-blooded killer with blades where her lower legs should be. Valentine seems to be a good guy who wants to save the world, but all of his efforts to stop climate change are thwarted by humans in general. When Valentine decides to throw in the towel and offer every person with a smart phone a free SIM card to access his phone and internet network free of charge, and notable celebrities and politicians go missing, red flags are raised. What could Valentine be up to? To say any more would ruin all of the surprises.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is hands down the best movie of the year … so far. Of course the year just started, but I can pretty much guarantee that the movie has already secured itself a place on my 2015 Top Ten list. Director Matthew Vaughn has woven together this action-packed tale with real character development, extreme and intense violence, humor and heart. Whereas his non-superhero movie Kick-Ass polarized audiences (and I am in the camp that loathes that movie), Kingsman more than makes up for that film’s utter ickiness and should appeal to a wider audience. Vaughn and his cast get high marks for treading that very fine line between seriousness and satire without falling over to either side, and manages to throw in a few Bond and The Avengers references (no, not the Marvel Avengers!) without them being too cheeky. The film also has one of the most insanely stylized scenes of mind-boggling violence ever committed to film about two-thirds of the way through that is almost too hard to top, but it does manage an ending that is completely, hilariously over-the-top.

Kudos also to Egerton for making us care about Eggsy, even when he’s being a complete prick. We know his background and we’re rooting for him to apply himself to become the man Harry believes he can be, a man comparable to the man his father was. His Welsh accent is a little tough to navigate at times, but he acquits himself nicely in his first big screen starring role.

The biggest surprise, though, has got to be Colin Firth who is best known for playing the dreamy romantic lead in films and TV series like Pride and Prejudice, The English Patient, Love Actually and Bridget Jones’ Diary. This is his first foray into big action films (he claims he’s never been considered to play James Bond) and he … well, he kicks ass. He’s the centerpiece of that action scene I mentioned earlier and he is amazing. And you can tell he’s having a ball doing it too, easily switching between the upright British gentleman in his “bespoke suit” and the agile killing machine he’s been trained to be. If nothing else, the movie will bring Firth a whole new generation of fans.

From start to finish, I absolutely loved Kingsman: The Secret Service and it’s a movie that I would even pay to see again … and I don’t say that very often. Kingsman is the new spy movie royalty.

Ten years, seven seasons, fifty-six hours, and one terrible live action adaptation … now we’re here at the end of the avatar’s world — no not the “Dances with Smurfs” one. The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is no more, at least for the foreseeable future. After three seasons of the original Avatar, many wondered if their follow-up, set seventy years after the first series, would be as well-done or as well-received by the viewing public. While not as consistently great as its parent series, The Legend of Korra had many moments that were well deserving of its lineage.

It’s a shame that such a well done piece of animation failed to find the number or quality of audience that Nickelodeon was hoping for. If it had, the last year could have gone much differently. After moving to streaming online only, scaring fans that the show would end without a proper finale, Nickelodeon moved the show back to airing for the end of the season just as suddenly.

After all that drama, it came out in the press that the budget for the final season was slashed heavily. To the point that one episode of the final season would be a clip show. Luckily the writers were clever enough to take this setback and give us an especially funny episode, albeit one with practically no plot or character development.

It’s doubtful the executives at Nickelodeon knew what they were doing when it came to Korra. Lucky for us the creative team behind the show kept their focus on getting us to the end of their story. Season four (or Book 4 as it’s called) was titled “Balance.” As such, the series explored several variations on the term: Work and family, spirituality and the physical, war and peace, along with love and duty were all running themes this year. The two-part finale did an amazing job at addressing each of these over a forty-five minute run time.

The finale started with Kuvira, a powerful and charismatic leader, poised to take over Republic City. To do so, she has a giant mech equipped with a spirit-powered super weapon. Seeing the rows of soldiers with her at the helm invokes tones of World War II. The use of a weapon of mass destruction not only invokes images of Hiroshima but modern acts of terror as well. The show has smartly strayed from turning Kuvira into a one-note villain, instead juxtaposing her intentions with Korra’s. They both are strong women who feel driven to an end: they both want a world at peace … but their views on achieving this balance are vastly different. A big arc this season was for Korra to look at her enemies, to see their similarities rather than their differences. Every antagonist she has faced had a quality that mirrors something inside of her.

Once the action begins, the episode really takes off. Throughout the good and the bad of this show one thing has always stood true: the action scenes are phenomenal. The way the fight scenes are choreographed and presented is some of the best action in any medium, not just animation. They lead you down a path where as a viewer you would ask yourself “why they don’t use a certain ability or tool at their disposal”,  the next second they do just that. Instead of building roadblocks out of characters stupidity, as many shows do, they have smart, creative characters whose conflicts feel organic. Team Avatar joining forces, using a multilateral attack of ground and air-based abilities is a great culmination to all the battles we’ve seen. It would have been nice to see more of the new Air Nomads at this point to really hammer home that the air nation is back in full swing, but understandably they wanted to keep the focus on our main group.

Korra gets one more talk with her teacher Tenzin; they have a heart to heart, demonstrating they have helped one another grow. Their dynamic is what drove the first season … now at the end we see that master and student view each other as equals. Neither one is above the other; balance once again.

For the last few minutes of the show the writers finally address the big issue that has sparked fan discussion since book two: the Mako/Korra/Asami relationship. Since day one, Mako and Korra never gelled the way they were intended to. It was obvious they were trying to capture a little of the Aang/Katara romantic magic of the first series, but it never felt right. Conversely, the friendship between Korra and Asami felt natural. It grew out of something organically. The last words we hear Mako tell Korra are platonic: “I’ll follow you into battle no matter how crazy things get, I’ve got your back and I always will.” These aren’t the words of someone in love, but those of a dear friend. In this moment the show finally lets go of the idea that Korra and Mako are romantically linked; instead they’re comrades, soldiers in arms, but not in love.

Fittingly, we see Korra and Asami together one last time. They talk about their regrets, say their apologies to one another, then decide to go off on a vacation together into the spirit world for an indefinite time. In probably the most beautiful moment of the series, they walk hand in hand into a spirit portal, turn in to face each other, look into each others eyes … and vanish. Many fans (including this one) have hoped against all odds that this same-sex pairing would be allowed to happen on a Nickelodeon animated show. It would be a safe bet there is probably a version of this episode’s script where they embraced or kissed in the end. By leaving it vague yet so assuredly true, the writers manage to show us a beautifully realized romance while still leaving enough deniability for those unready to deal with it.

Korra managed to bring peace to the world as well as find love in an unexpected place along the way. This season was about balance, it delivered on every front: a unique, smartly written story with beautiful animation, amazing action, and memorable characters. These are the ways Korra became a legend.

I’ve always found humans with disabilities that don’t allow themselves to become hindered by them as inspirational, whether they’re as humble and cheerful as the fictitious Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol or as fiercely competitive as real-life Olympian athlete Amy Purdy. However, it wasn’t until I was sent a copy of Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2 by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment that I found animals with disabilities could be equally inspirational.

Inspired by the true story of Winter, a young dolphin who lost her tail due to an infection and was given a new life and a second chance thanks to a specially-fitted prosthetic tail, Dolphin Tale was a runaway family hit in 2011. I had heard of it and wanted to see it, but just never had the opportunity to do so until now. And it was just as heartwarming as I’d expected it to be, making my mother and me laugh and cry. I always knew dolphins were a highly intelligent species, but I gained a newfound respect for them after watching this series.

Dolphin Tale 2 picks up a few years after the original and was written and directed by Charles Martin Smith (who also directed the first movie and has a cameo in the sequel as the government agent threatening to take away Winter). Everyone in the original cast is back, from the kids Sawyer and Hazel (Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff – though they’re teenagers going through puberty now), to their respective parents (Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr.) and all your other favorite characters portrayed by Morgan Freeman, Austin Stowell, Austin Highsmith and Kris Kristofferson. Even Rufus the bird is back, and up to mischief as always!

What’s perhaps most amazing about this 2014 sequel (aside from Winter herself that is) is that it’s another true story about the dolphin’s inspirational journey. After the death of her surrogate mother, Panama, Winter becomes disconsolate and unwilling to engage with anyone, even her best friend Sawyer. Because of a government mandate that dolphins in aquariums must be paired due to their social nature, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium & Hospital risks losing Winter unless a suitable companion dolphin can be found quickly.

While this may sound easy enough, we discover how tricky the process of pairing can actually be. Just as not every human being is compatible with every other human being (with marriage success and fail rates speaking volumes about compability studies), dolphins are also not always compatible. While the aquarium could have chosen to try and pair Winter with Mandy, another dolphin they rescued, Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) makes the ethical decision to release Mandy because she’s been rehabilitated and no longer requires care in their facility. It’s not always easy making the responsible decision with your mind when your heart wants to pull you in the opposite direction. Just when things look their bleakest, a baby dolphin named Hope shows up at the aquarium … but is Hope the answer to everyone’s prayers?

If you can watch either of these movies without shedding at least half of a tear, that’s commendable (though not something I’d applaud you for). I, for one, couldn’t do it. The dolphins were adorable, and I couldn’t help but feel compassion for them whenever they were in danger. What I find so captivating about both stories is that so many people (especially children) with disabilities are given inspiration and hope just by watching them. It was emotionally uplifting to see the children come and be able to interact with the dolphins and other marine life in such a profound way.

There is something extraordinary about this dolphin that goes far beyond her prosthetic tail. One could make the argument that she simply adapts in order to survive, but I feel there’s more to it than that. What separates a quitter from one who is perseverant and refuses to give up? I think it comes down to an inner drive and a personal zest for life, but what I never stopped to think about was that animals can also possess these personality traits – they’re not exclusive to humans. Smith does a wonderful job telling Winter’s story in a compelling, yet realistic manner in both movies. I was able to emotionally connect with the animals on a level much deeper than I ever thought was personally possible.

I also liked the character development from the original to the sequel. Everyone has come full circle in a meaningful way, not just Winter. Sawyer has emerged from the shy loner he was in the first movie into this blossoming young man who now leads the volunteers at the aquarium, while Hazel seems to enjoy the spotlight as an enthusiastic public speaker when visitors come to observe the animals. Dr. Clay Haskett is still making the important – and often difficult – decisions that define him as a respected professional in his field. Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) continues to amaze with his advances in the study of prosthetics and how they relate to humans and animals alike, while Sawyer’s older cousin Kyle (Austin Stowell) has embraced his new life working with animal rescues at the aquarium after his injury in the previous movie temporarily set him back.

The Dolphin Tale 2 Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack is jam-packed with bonus features that I think you and your children will enjoy watching together, including a blooper reel, footage of surfer Bethany Hamilton meeting Winter, an incredible underwater look at the making of the movie, and a couple of other behind-the-scenes featurettes that you won’t want to miss. And if you can’t make a pilgrimage to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida to visit the real Winter and Hope, I must confess I also visited the website www.seewinter.com to see what it was all about. The website allows you and your children to learn more about the dolphins’ escapades, including updates, visitors’ information and information on how to make a donation to their noble cause of “rescuing, rehabbing and releasing” marine life. There’s even a gift shop where you can purchase your very own Winter or Hope plushie just in time for the holidays.

Any time you can interact with a child using such a unique inspirational story is a good thing in my opinion. I hope to hear more about this amazing dolphin – and facility – for many years to come.

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The 100 was probably my favorite new show when I reviewed the 2013 pilots last summer. Nothing could have prepared me, however, for what was to come when the series got to Episode 3 (Or Episode 4 … or Episode 5; at some point I had to stop counting). Jason Rothenberg and his team are right up there with Shonda Rhimes’ Scandal in terms of telling a fast-paced, dark story that is less like a television show and more like — if you’ll forgive the cliche — a roller coaster ride (and a damn fine coaster, too. Not one of those kiddy-coasters, but one you lose your lunch just looking at from the bottom).

We sat down with the cast and crew at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this summer. They told us what they could about the upcoming season, which was unsurprisingly very little. Isaiah Washington was particularly obtuse (tongue-in-cheek … to an extent). If you had asked me this summer, I would have said that just by his appearance at the Con one could figure out his fate … but then I’m reminded of our conversation with Mark Guggenheim about how many episodes Caity Loitz was going to be in, and I start to hedge those bets.

Here is what we learned from our conversations:

Jason Rothenberg

• Rothenberg isn’t sure the show really earned the “Is Anyone Safe” reputation it received in the first season. “We didn’t really kill that many important characters … we killed Wells.” But the writers try to treat violence in a real way. Wounds are impactful, and characters don’t heal by the time the next episode comes around. “That said, this year? No one is safe. We got too much credit last year, so this year I need to earn it.”
• Managing what the writers and actors can say before an episode airs is tough. There’s a balance between needing to answer questions to media to help build hype and revealing too much. Rothenberg, “I know if I was a fan of the show and I read online, ‘Oh this guy’s going to live’ … I’d be like ‘eh, OK.’ I want to be surprised when I watch it.
• Murphy is a character whose backstory is going to be revealed a little this season. “We’re going to start to peel back the layers.” Rothenberg compares episode six that explained where Bellamy was coming from as something they are going to try to do with the most hated of The 100. “I feel like [Murphy] on some level was underserved as a character last year … There’s a reason why he is the way he is.”
• Rothenberg loves all of the characters, but particularly likes writing for Clarke, “Eliza is just so good, anything I write she shows me what it really means.”
• All of the characters are scattered. The survivors from the Ark have landed in different places; the original 100 – or what’s left of them – are separated. “One of the things that this season is about is figuring out ways to get the people back together. Reunions are a key storyline.” The adults from the Ark finding their children – and finding them changed – will be an important arc. Rothenberg stopped short of saying whether or not Clarke and Abbey will be reunited, but at least they’re on the same planet now.
• Rothenberg doesn’t think that they will ever show the story of the apocalypse on the planet, but is interested in showing how the people of the Ark came together. “It’s a big episode, where big = expensive, so I’m not really sure when it’s going to happen, but it’s something I’d like to do.”

 Eliza Taylor / Clarke Griffin

• Taylor “kinda knows where Clarke’s going,” but they’re only given scripts a couple of days in advance of shooting. Plus? The story is always changing.
• “Being able to play someone who is smart and strong and soulful is just fantastic.”
• Taylor has been focusing on her physicality this season, especially after watching last. “I’m a girly-girl really,” and that’s something that Clarke isn’t. There were scenes last year where she felt she put a little too much of that into play, and she doesn’t want to repeat it.
• She’s looking forward to the hypothetical reunion with her mother (she thinks it will happen, but again, she hasn’t read ahead). “There’s a lot of tension there, but also they’ve both changed so much individually, it will be interesting to see if they recognize one another.”
• When asked about whether Clarke will continue to evolve in the same direction we saw in Season One, Taylor was confident she would. “She’s on that path, there’s no turning back. She’s definitely blurring the lines,” doing those morally questionable things that being a leader forces her to take on.

 Devon Bostick / Jasper Jordon

• Bostick is really excited to explore “the new world that is Mount Weather.” It sounds like the mystery that is this new locale – which Rothenberg assures us we will understand in the first moments of the season – will change the fabric of the world these characters live in.
• Bostick loves playing Jasper. He took to the character immediately when he read the pilot script, though he was shocked to see him die in the end. “He was the only guy having fun, just enjoying Earth for the first time … he’s goofy, but there’s a lot of heart to him.” But playing the transition is interesting. Jasper has PTSD from being speared, and has become a very different person. He’s running into battle, when he should probably just stay in camp.
• Jacktavia: Octavia slipped out of Jasper’s hands, which did challenge how Bostick approached the character. “She was a motivation to be doing the crazy things, because ‘she’s gonna dig it.’” It was a good beat to play, that despite Jasper’s affection, she was taking advantage of him. But now, “She’s a Grounder-pounder as they say around camp.” You can tell that Jasper’s sense of humor is very much born in Bostick’s.
• No one will say if Bellamy is alive or if Jaha is dead. Usually, you get a pretty good indication of such things by the show’s marketing in advance of the season; for example Isaiah Washington attended the Convention where Bob Morley did not. In this case, I’m not sure that’s a definitive clue.
• The interactions of the various factions on the ground will be a big part of the season. “The politics of the different societies; we’re going to explore how they all relate and who stands where,” teases Bostick, who was walking a tight line on what he could say and what he should not.
• That Mount Weather was a big part of the premiere and the finale was done intentionally. It was their goal originally, as the adults on the Ark told them that is where they could find safety. In the season finale, they learned just how wrong they really were. Bostick tells us, “We were wrong about the Grounders; now we’re wrong about the Mountain Men.”

 Lindsey Morgan / Raven Reyes

• “If you think Season One was nuts, Season Two is definitely … ‘Get Ready.’” The intensity jumps off from the first minute back.
• Morgan appreciates how well the writers are in tune with what the actors are doing and what they bring to their characters: “They can see what we shine in, and what’s our strengths as actors. They’re also very curious … they always try to stretch us and surprise us.” They pushed Raven a great deal last year, exploring her character beyond just a normal guest star (the character and Reyes’ work was rewarded with a promotion to the regular cast this season).
• While talking about the writing surprising her, someone asked if there was a moment in a first season script that surprised her. “Bellamy … I mean, where did that come from?!?” Where the producers will give warnings about major plot points – most specifically to an actor if their character is going to die in a script, they let her find out this particular character beat on her own. “I was just reading the script going, ‘Oh, this is good! This is … WHAT?’” Raven was always intended to die, but the writers kept pushing that death back. When Morgan read scene where Raven and Bellamy hook up, she figured that such a shocking, raw moment would be an interesting final beat before the character was supposed to die in the next episode.

 Marie Avgeropoulos / Octavia Blake

• Avgeropoulos was able to enjoy Comic-Con this year much more than last year for several reasons. She explained that it is easier to talk about a show people have seen – and become a fan of – than last year, where she felt like they were promising that the show was amazing. Plus, managing the Convention while on crutches, as she was forced to do last year, is much harder than you’d think.
• While social media has been a part of the show’s early success, she hadn’t really participated much before. “It’s the only place you can get a marriage proposal and a death threat in the same day.”
• “Season Two? It’s much darker and will push the envelope and show viewers even more than Season One.” She tells us that what we think is happening is the exact opposite from what is actually going on. We will obviously be meeting new characters, who “survived – or not – the effects of the radiation.”
• Avgeropoulos is comfortable with the character at this point, “It’s like when you turn the key in a car and put it into drive and it’ll just do its thing.”
• “I think Jasper is desperately trying to get out of the friend-zone.” But the Lincoln/Octavia story is more dynamic. She identifies with Lincoln for several reasons, and that the 100 had wrongly accused him was one of them, as she has familiarity with that. “Her only crime was that she was born.”
• Octavia is separated from the 100, both physically and emotionally. Her time with Lincoln will be difficult once they encounter other Grounders who won’t welcome her with open arms, and how the 100 react if and when they reunite will surprise her as well.

 Ricky Whittle / Lincoln

• “Season One was really like Disneyland [compared to this season.]” His hashtag for the season is apparently, #justgotdarker.
• In preparing for this season, Rothenberg and Whittle’s discussions have lead him to doing a great deal of reading and research on “something,” which he obviously couldn’t share. “The material I’ve been given, I feel very honored to be trusted with … I’m going to have to go there, I’m going to have to ‘go there.’”
• Whittle has put a great deal of time and energy into crafting his performance. You can tell he has embraced not just the assignments the producers gave him, but everything that role entails. He obviously (yeah, ladies … it’s obvious) spent time in the gym, but it goes beyond that. He works with a vocal coach to get his accent right. His work with an acting coach lead him to lobby the writers to give him less dialogue, as he thinks that’s how Lincoln would be. “I don’t want dialogue. Keep that mystique, keep him silent. He doesn’t need to answer you.”
• The one assignment he would share with us? Horse training. He’d ridden before, but wants to take it to a new level. The stunt coordinator owns his own ranch where he worked with Joseph Gatt and Dichen Lachman last season.

Isaiah Washington / Counselor Jaha

• Talking with Washington was an interesting experience, much different from how he was last year. The whole conversation was, I hope, just tongue-in-cheek … cheekiness. Just a couple of quotes (which were repeated often) will sum up the experience (and I’ve left most of the beginning of the conversation in the highlight clip above):
• “I’m a walking cliffhanger, and I can’t tell you a thing.”
• “No, I can’t talk about it.”
• “Can’t talk about that.”
• “It’s so disappointing, I feel like I’m letting everyone down. I ran my mouth non-stop last [year].”
• “Yeah … it’s gonna be intense.”
• “You will be in alignment with Jason Rothenberg’s decisions on Counselor Jaha’s fate.”

Director Luc Besson was a darling with movie critics and audiences with his particular brand of action films that had a touch of humanity to them – La Femme Nikita, The Professional, The Fifth Element, even the original The Trasnporter. But somewhere along the line, he completely went off the rails, writing and producing not very funny action-comedy films (Taxi) and family dramadies (The Family), while continuing to have a hand in neverending Transporter sequels, and even a TV version of Taxi (Taxi Brooklyn).

But the previews and concept for his latest effort, Lucy, had me intrigued. The story wonders what would happen if humans were somehow able to access 100% of their brain capacity (flouting the myth that we only use 10%)? Would we be infinitely more intelligent than the super-est super computer? Would we remember everything from the time we gained consciousness … or even all the way back to the Big Bang? Would we be able to manipulate our own bodies, electromagnetic waves, and the people and environment around us? It all sounds like an interesting premise for a movie.

Unfortunately, it seems like Besson did not tap into his full brain capacity when writing the script. That’s not to say Lucy is a bad movie though. Okay, it is a hot mess of a movie, but Besson still manages to make it visually entertaining even when pretty much nothing makes any sense. But he really should give Scarlett Johansson all the credit for at least making Lucy watchable.

When the movie starts, Lucy is tricked into delivering a briefcase to a mysterious Chinese man whom everyone is terrified to deal with (hence, Lucy’s boyfriend of one week handcuffing the case to her wrist and forcing her to make the delivery). Turns out the case contains four packages of a synthetic drug, CPH4, which is said to be a natural chemical mothers produce to aid in the growth of their fetuses. Before she knows it, Lucy is knocked unconscious and then wakes up to find she’s been the recipient of an operation. Not for organ harvesting, though. She and three men have been turned into drug mules with the bags sewn up in their gut.

Everyone is released to return to their home country, but Lucy somehow ends up in a dingy cell, chained to a wall and brutalized by the guards. Why? Plot contrivance, of course. Lucy is kicked IN THE STOMACH by a guard who should know better, causing the bag to rupture and instantly boosting Lucy’s brain capacity to 20% as the helpful title cards that pop up throughout the film tell us. And the first thing Lucy is able to do with that brain capacity? Levitate, naturally. And then it only gets sillier from there.

The film cuts between Lucy and Morgan Freeman’s scientist Professor Norman, who is delivering a lecture about the very same subject Lucy is experiencing, and Besson also helpfully illustrates the lecture with stock footage of various images, including animals humping. He also had to hit us over the head with footage of cheetahs stalking a gazelle during Lucy’s delivery of the briefcase so we humans with only 10% brain capacity could understand her peril. Thankfully, that stops.

From that point on, it’s a race as Lucy tries to get to Norman to show him that his theories are on the right track but she has to get past many obstacles, including the Chinese henchmen who want their drug back. She understands what’s happening to her, so she enlists a French policeman to go on her journey as a way to keep her connected to her humanity which is quickly fading.

Johansson is pretty terrific as Lucy. She brings amazing vulnerability to the character in the opening scenes, making you feel emotionally connected to her as she’s forced into a situation she has no business being in. She’s so good at drawing us in right at the start that even as she becomes more robotic and less feeling as she gets more and more intelligent, you still connect to her in much the same way audiences connected to her amazing voice work in last year’s Her. I think Johansson has always been under-rated or dismissed as an actor because of her early career choices, but as she matures and takes on a variety of roles from Black Widow in the Marvel movies to the alien of Under the Skin to Lucy, she is proving that she has the talent to do just about anything. It will be interesting to see where she goes as she gets older. (And I can’t imagine anyone else in the role now, including the originally cast Angelina Jolie.)

Freeman is fine in his small role, bringing his natural warmth to a character who could have been interested only in his studies and what was happening to Lucy, but he shows just as much concern for the person Lucy is as well. The rest of the multi-national cast fulfills their duty adequately.

For as stupid as the movie is – why does Lucy levitate an army of assailants when she could just as easily put them all to sleep as she did in a previous encounter – it’s also wildy entertaining even in the most frustratingly ridiculous moments. (Why are cars flying and rolling around as Lucy makes her first getaway? Is she doing it? Who knows. If she is, then she’s becoming one of those monstrous computers from sci-fi films of yore which have no regard for human life.) Even with all the WTF moments, Besson’s style manages to make the movie a wild ride … and then it suddenly ends!

I’m usually not one to say “boy, I wish that movie was longer,” but Lucy seems like it really could have used another 30 minutes to explore what was happening to Lucy instead of focusing on the mayhem that followed her. In more thoughtful hands, Lucy could have been the movie Transcendence thought it was. If Besson had had a little more about what Lucy was becoming instead of leaving us with the same look of “what now” on our faces as Morgan Freeman has when presented with a Blingee flash drive, Besson could have had a film that harkened back to his earlier successes. Unfortuntely, he seems more concerned about all of his excesses these days.

So I’m torn about recommending Lucy to movie-goers. Is it entertaining? Without a doubt. Is it worth paying full price at the theater? That depends on your love of mindless action and Scar-Jo. This is a tough call. Even Rotten Tomatoes is having a hard time deciphering the critical response to the film, marking many reviews as “fresh” which clearly are not because everyone else is just as confused as entertained as I was. So, dear reader, I will have to leave this decision to you. Will you love Lucy or just find it was an incredible waste of time and talent?

The rags-to-riches story Jersey Boys, which chronicles the career highs and lows of Frankie Valli and the Four Season, made its Broadway debut in 2005, racking up four Tony Awards (including Best Musical), spinning off international versions and launching a US tour in 2006 which is still on the road today. Now director Clint Eastwood brings that show to the big screen with several cast members from Broadway or touring companies reprising their roles.

The story, if you’re not familiar, traces the origin of the group that became known as The Four Seasons. Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) has a band that performs in a local nightclub in Belleville, NJ. One night he gives friend Frankie Castelluccio (John Lloyd Young) a shot at singing with the group and brings him in as their lead (and Frankie changes his name to Vally and then Valli). When their friend Joey Pesci (yes, that Joe Pesci, played by Joseph Russo) introduces Tommy, Frankie and Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) to songwriter Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen), who had a hit song when he was 15, Frankie decides he should be an equal partner in the group, very much against Tommy’s wishes. Needless to say, Frankie was right but not everything was sunshine and roses as Tommy dug himself and the group into a financial hole that Frankie vowed to get them out of.

Jersey Boys, the movie, follows the stage musical fairly closely save for some extra expository scenes at the beginning of the movie. But the movie is just missing something that makes the show so wonderful, and it’s just that lack of energy that you get when this great music performed live on stage. The film itself is oddly quiet for the most part, with very little musical underscoring during the non-singing scenes. Perhaps Eastwood felt a score would take away from the songs, but it just makes the movie feel a bit empty and lifeless.

The performances are quite good across the board, with Young reprising his Tony Award winning role as Frankie … although it’s a little hard to buy him as a 16-year-old at the film’s start. His Frankie Valli is the group’s, and the film’s, anchor but he seems to always have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Even when he sings with that amazing voice, he rarely smiles. Even looking through all of the press photos, I could not find a single instance of him smiling. And Eastwood claims the actors all sang live on set, but there are times when that seems questionable (and the credits list many of the songs as “performed by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons” which makes the situation even more curious).

Piazza bring the most spark to his role as the volatile Tommy and Renée Marino, reprising her Broadway role as Mary Delgado (eventually Mrs. Valli), also brings some much needed fire to her scenes with Young. Russo does a pretty good young Joe Pesci, but the actor who will probably get the most notice is Mike Doyle for his flamboyant portrayal of writer/producer Bob Crewe. Some may say it’s a bit too over-the-top, but Doyle plays the role pretty much as it was played on stage, and with input from Valli and Gaudio, the depiction is probably accurate.

Eastwood directs the film with little flash, restraining himself from incorporating a lot of modern camera moves and quick edits during the musical numbers which is fitting for the era. The film is production designed perfectly, and cinematographer Tom Stern gives the film a very muted, almost sepia-toned palette. For the most part, the musical segments sound terrific, but things go horribly awry at what should be the film’s big moment.

In the stage version, when Frankie performs his signature song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” it’s a moment that is meant to give you goosebumps as he gets to the chorus and a full orchestra is revealed. In the movie, that reveal comes off a little more awkwardly because Eastwood is shooting the reveal too much in close-up. But that’s not the worst of it. The audio mix is atrocious, and the song has been re-orchestrated to include some brash, sharp, too loud saxophones which almost make your ears bleed, and they completely omitted that signature Bob Crewe musical touch that tells you it’s a Bob Crewe song (and if you’ve ever heard the music Crewe did for the movie Barbarella, you’ll know what I’m talking about). It was a terribly off-key musical moment in an otherwise perfectly fine audio mix. And let’s not even talk about the terrible old age makeup and wigs applied to the actors for their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction scene.

Eastwood closes the film with what is essentially a curtain call, uniting the entire cast to dance and sing down the street to “Oh What a Night.” It would have been nice had he also put the actor’s names with their faces since so many of them are virtual unknowns to movie-goers. I had really high hopes for Jersey Boys, especially after enjoying the stage version so much earlier this year but having that so fresh in my memory probably made it nearly impossible to appreciate the movie. And be warned, the movie is rated R mainly for the extremely colorful language which has also been imported from the stage version. If you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, you may want to think twice about seeing either. If you’ve always wanted to see the show but haven’t, then this is an okay introduction (for the most part), but if you do have the chance to see it live, don’t pass it up.

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I’m one of the few people who didn’t see The LEGO Movie when it hit theaters earlier this year, and from everything I was told I knew I had to see the movie once it came out on home video. And it did just that on June 17th, and thanks to our friends at Warner Home Video I was finally able to watch the movie … and in 3D!

If you’re like me and haven’t seen the movie yet, well what are you waiting for?! Even if you really have no clue about LEGO — like me — you should still find the movie extremely enjoyable for its stunning animation and pop culture references. The story is fairly simple: President Business (Will Farrell) plans to take over the world (or, rather freeze it in place with the Kragle), and it’s up to someone only known as The Special to save the day by stopping the Kragle with the Piece of Resistance. Unlikely Everyman Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) accidentally stumbles — or tumbles — upon the Piece of Resistance and seems to fulfill the prophecy of Vetruvius (Morgan Freeman), but Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and her boyfriend Batman (Will Arnett) don’t have as much faith in Emmet. But they must band together before their world becomes permanently permanent.

The LEGO Movie has a brilliant script by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who also directed) with story assistance from Dan and Kevin Hageman. They totally embrace the entire world of LEGO, but don’t allow all the minutiae of that world to become too overwhelming for the casual viewer. The jokes come fast and furious, but the movie has real heart too. I’ve never been one to sit down and play with LEGO bricks but it’s always fascinating to see what others can build with them, and seeing all of the amazing creations in the movie is no exception. What’s even more amazing is that the entire movie looks like a really well-made stop motion animated film, but everything is CGI. The artists who have worked on this movie have given an enormous amount of detail and weight to each piece of LEGO seen in the movie … and every piece in the movie is based on an actual LEGO brick or plate or any number of pieces. There was no cheating.

The voice cast is excellent with Pratt giving Emmet that innocent goofiness he’s honed on Parks & Recreation, and Will Arnett is perfectly cast as the raspy-voiced Batman (and he also does a less raspy Bruce Wayne, who isn’t Batman so don’t think he is, okay). And to hear Morgan Freeman do comedy is worth the price of admission, or of the DVD or Blu-ray. Everything he said made me laugh. Actually, Liam Neeson is pretty hilarious as Bad Cop/Good Cop too. Alison Brie, Charlie Day and Nick Offerman round out the main cast, but listen closely for celebrity cameos including Will Forte, Dave Franco, Jonah Hill, Keegan-Michael Key, Shaquille O’Neal, Cobie Smulders, Channing Tatum, Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels (it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out the last two).

The video presentation on Blu-ray is spectacular. The video is sharp and colorful with stunning detail on every brick and plate, and the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track brings even more dimensionality to the movie. This is one gorgeous movie. If you’re fortunate enough to have a 3D display, this is hands down one of the best 3D presentations of the year. Again, the detail is stunning, the depth is hugely immersive, and there are more than enough bits and pieces extending beyond the frame to make this a reference quality demo to show people how good 3D can be when it’s used properly.

While some recent Blu-ray releases have been a bit lacking in the extras department, The LEGO Movie is chock full of interesting tidbits. The highlight, and most in-depth feature, is the audio commentary with directors Lord and Miller and cast members Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Charlie Day and Alison Brie. They all seem to be having a great time, and the directors break down every easter egg hidden in the movie. It is well worth a listen. Also included:

Batman’s A True Artist (1:12) — Music video made by Markus Jolly, age 6
Michelangelo and Lincoln: History Cops (1:21) — Fake 70s style trailer.
Enter the Ninjago (2:13) — A Hollywood bugwig reimagines Emmett’s life story … with ninjas.
Behind the Scenes: Bringing LEGO to Life (12:36) — A look at the film’s production, from character design to animation and a trip to Denmark, the home of LEGO.
Everything Is Awesome Sing-Along (3:19)
Behind the Scenes: See It, Build It — A video tutorial on how to build some items from the movie at home using your own LEGO, and  by using LEGO Digital Designer.

• Introduction with Senior Designer Michael Fuller (00:49)
• Build the Double-Decker Couch (3:53)
• Build Emmet’s Car (2:55)
• Introduction with Modeling Artist Adam Ryan (00:41)
• Digital Double-Decker Couch (2:11)
• Digital Emmet’s Car (1:51)

Behind the Scenes: Stories from the Story Team (4:02) — The story team talks about scenes that didn’t make it into the film with animated storyboards for illustration, and talk about how seemingly random elements came together for the movie.
Fan-Made Films: Top-Secret Submissions (3:51) — Chris Pratt hosts a look at fan-made LEGO shorts and three that were incorporated into the movie.
Outtakes (2:33) – Flubbed lines and prop and set malfuctions, created especially for the outtake reel.
Additional Promotional Content (3:51) — A series of teaser trailers and “actor auditions.”
Alleyway Test (00:55) – The first animation test for the film, building the motorcycle in a single shot.
Deleted Scenes (3:20) — Storyboarded scenes with temporary voices. The temp Batman voice is pretty funny.
Featurette: Dream Jobs: Meet the LEGO Builders (13:28) — A look at the true Master Builders of LEGO who create the toys and also worked on the movie, and how what was created for the movie translates back to a toy.

The LEGO Movie on Blu-ray or DVD is a must-have for fans of the movie, and even if you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely give it a look. Even if you rent it first, it’s more than likely to become a purchase for your library. It’s certainly a movie that you can watch several times and pick up new things each time. Warner Home Video has done a stellar job bringing the movie from the big screen to the TV screen. The LEGO Movie is available as a 2-Disk DVD, a Blu-ray/DVD Combo, a Digital Download, or in the “Everything Is Awesome” package which includes the DVD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and a collectible Vetruvius figure in a special collector’s box.

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Imagine a world devastated by an alien attack and Tom Cruise is the one man who can figure out what’s going on and save the world. Yeah, many people think they have already seen this movie with last year’s Oblivion which was a much more solemn and thought-provoking affair. Cruise’s new sci-fi flick about an alien invasion, Edge of Tomorrow, is 180 degrees away from that other alien invasion movie, but will audiences feel like it’s Cruise vs aliens overkill?

The answer is a big fat NO! In Oblivion, Cruise was the “last man on Earth” after an alien invasion but not everything was as it seemed. In Edge of Tomorrow, Cruise is a military man of sorts. Instead of enlisting to fight the enemy, he’s taken a path that gives him rank but usually keeps him out of danger by producing what amounts to propaganda videos for the war effort. An alien race has arrived on Earth via meteor strike and is hellbent on wiping out the human race. Interestingly enough, we never know why. When Cruise’s Major Cage refuses General Brigham’s orders to be embedded at the front of an upcoming attack, he finds himself branded a deserter and placed with a squadron of less than desirable recruits.

At the beach on the day of the attack, the military finds itself under attack because the aliens somehow knew they were coming. Cage, completely at a loss on how to fight or survive, watches his men die horribly all around him and within minutes he is also killed by a marauding alien, which have been nicknamed “Mimics” because of their ability to learn and copy human behavior. But after Cage’s death, he wakes up in exactly the same place he woke up just before he was forced to join the troops. Did he have a bad dream? He’s thrust into battle again, dies again, wakes up again … and begins to realize that something happened to him that has given him the ability to reset the day. With the help of Special Forces soldier Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who has also experienced what Cage is going through, they try to advance the day far enough to figure out how the Mimics know their every move, and what to do about it.

There are many action movies that come along promising you an “edge of your seat” thrill ride, and Edge of Tomorrow is a movie that truly delivers. Director Doug Liman and writers Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth have adapted the novel “All You Need Is Kill” into a mind-bending rollercoaster ride that will keep you guessing to the very end and dazzle you with the outstanding visuals and pyrotechnics. It’s interesting to think that the director of Swingers and Go has become one of the best action movie directors working today with this, The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith to his credit. Edge of Tomorrow is just massive on scale and concept and he pulls it off without a hitch.

Cruise is also terrific, playing a decidedly unheroic character who has to become the hero to save not only his life, but the lives of those he actually grows to care about over the course of his very long day. What sets this film and his performance apart from Oblivion is the amount of humor which is injected into the situation. Yes, the planet is under attack, but Cruise manages to make us chuckle with some of his very creative deaths (one that happens off camera with only a sound effect is particularly funny). He also lightens things up every time he resets and has to go through the same rigamarole with Master Sergeant Farell (Bill Paxton) at the start of his “day.” But we really become invested in Cage’s journey not simply because he’s trying to save the world, but because we also see his emotional journey as he grows from a coward to a warrior, and as someone who cares about his fellow man while also developing feelings for Vrataski, whom he is never sure he can save.

One may not think Emily Blunt when casting the next big female action heroine, but she is totally believable as the kick-ass soldier who trains 24/7 to take her team out on their next mission … even if it is the same mission over and over again. She’s a total hard-ass when Cage first approaches her (Vrataski is revered for her victories in battle which has earned her the nickname The Angel of Verdun and made her a symbol of the war effort), and remains a hard-ass as she understands what has happened to him, pushes him through grueling training, and fights alongside him in battle, trying to learn what comes next and how to move forward. She does everything she can to keep her personal feelings out of their mission, so there’s never any real romantic tension between her and Cage until it seems that perhaps all is lost.

The movie has so much going for it, including keeping you guessing to the end as to how the situation will be resolved. You have to assume that Cruise will save the day, but as the film races to its conclusion, you’re not so sure who will live and die by the time it’s all over. It’s really not like an action movie where you know for sure the film’s biggest star has no chance of dying by the end. In this, Cruise and Blunt both stand a very good chance of not making it to the end credits. You just have to go along for the ride and be prepared for one of at least three outcomes (they save the world but sacrifice themselves to do so, one of them dies while saving the world, they both survive and save the world).

Whereas Oblivion was one of the most gorgeous films of the year, Edge of Tomorrow is not as glamorous but it still looks and sounds spectacular. If you have the chance to see the film in IMAX 3D, I highly recommend that being your first choice. The IMAX image is stunningly crisp and clear and the 3D effect does add a lot of depth to the scope of the film as well as throws debris and alien tentacles in your face. Pretty impressive for a conversion. Edge of Tomorrow has everything you could hope for in a summertime action movie — big stars doing some great work, a director at the top of his game, a clever script, and amazing visuals and sound design. This is the summer action movie to beat.

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CBS has announced its fall schedule, and with the network having the most returning new shows from the previous season, they really didn’t have too much to change. Until the network acquired Thursday Night Football and spin-offs from the popular CSI and NCIS franchises. In fact, a good portion of their returning programs are benched until football ends its run.

With the Thursday schedule disrupted and the new additions taking old favorites’ time slots, The Mentalist, Mike & Molly, Undercover Boss, and newcomers Battle Creek and The Odd Couple won’t be seen until 2015. Other shows like The Amazing Race and The Big Bang Theory are moving to make room for the new additions. CBS’ biggest change is the end of its 2-hour Monday comedy block, something that’s been in place since 1986! The 9 PM hour now belongs to new thriller Scorpion while the troubled 10 PM spot hopefully gets a boost from NCIS: Los Angeles.

Monday will now lead off with The Big Bang Theory, which will return to its Thursday slot after football (and then 2 Broke Girls will return to Monday), with Mom moving to 8:30. CBS did not pick up HIMYM spin-off How I Met Your Dad. Tuesday starts off with NCIS which leads into the third hour of NCIS shows on the network, this one taking place in New Orleans. Wednesday adds Kevin Williamson’s psychological thriller Stalker starring Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q. Thursday’s new addition is the comedy The McCarthys, about an Irish Catholic, sports-crazed family and the gay son who just doesn’t want to spend that much time with them. Friday welcomes The Amazing Race to the 8 PM timeslot, which should make fans of the show very happy. Why? Because the show will now always start on time! No more football and golf delays (makes setting a DVR so much easier).

Saturday sticks with the Crimetime/48 Hours block, and Sunday sees Madame Secretary, with Tea Leoni, Tim Daly and Bebe Neuwirth, take over the 8 PM slot, and CSI moves to the 10 PM slot until the spin-off CSI: Cyber takes over later in the season. And in case you’re wondering, CBS has confirmed that this will be the final season of Two and a Half Men. The one positive outcome of football disrupting the fall schedule is that the network will have enough original programming to cut down on or eliminate reruns throughout the season. CBS seems to be in a good position heading into fall with a roster of hit shows, newcomers that follow the CBS crime drama formula (so should be successful) and has more powerhouses waiting in the wings. Here’s what the fall schedule looks like:

Monday
8 p.m. — The Big Bang Theory/2 Broke Girls
8:30 p.m. — Mom
9 p.m. — Scorpion
10 p.m. — NCIS: Los Angeles

Tuesday
8 p.m. — NCIS
9 p.m. — NCIS: New Orleans
10 p.m. — Person of Interest

Wednesday
8 p.m. — Survivor
9 p.m. — Criminal Minds
10 p.m. — Stalker

Thursday
8 p.m. – Thursday Night Football

Thursday (after NFL)
8 p.m. — The Big Bang Theory
8:30 p.m. –The Millers
9 p.m. — Two and a Half Men
9:30 p.m. — The McCarthys
10 p.m. — Elementary

Friday
8 p.m. — The Amazing Race
9 p.m. — Hawaii Five-O
10 p.m. — Blue Bloods

Saturday
8 p.m. — Crimetime Saturday/48 Hours

Sunday
7 p.m. — 60 Minutes
8 p.m. — Madame Secretary
9 p.m. — The Good Wife
10 p.m. — CSI/CSI Cyber