Rise of Cobra was fun. It was the sequel that had a depressing setup and was terrible.

Penny Dreadful isn't a ratings powerhouse either with around 500k viewers a week vs. 300k for Salem. I'd guess WGN renews it because I think its an easier concept to sell to foreign markets compared to Manhattan plus it struck a Netflix deal and most importantly they need something on the air to stay in the original…

I'd say he'd do it for pennies on the dollar but this other guy they got to direct probably signed on for just as cheap.

My first thought was that it might be director of The Langoliers, Child's Play, Thinner, and Fright Night Tom Holland. (I had the vhs tape of Langoliers as a kid and that name is seared into my memory for whatever reason.)

If he waits any longer, he won't need makeup.

I felt the same way until a couple years ago but now I enjoy occasionaly catching early weekend afternoon movies solo if no one wants to go. Treat yourself to a large drink at the concession stand (or smuggle one in) and enjoy yourself.

That's not a good comparison at all. People watched it because of the pedigree not unlike any other HBO Sunday night drama. Rome's storytelling style was like a dry run for Game of Thrones. It had top notch actors and production design. The sets were spectacular. Xena was a cheaply produced syndicated show.

Both Brutus and Marc Antony showed off their phalluses.

Rome TV Club Classic, please.

Yeah, the Vanessa backstory was definitely a throwback to Hammer. The Cut Wife's house was a really cool looking location the production team found.

I just recently caught up and don't feel like slogging through 8 weeks of comments, but what's the general consensus on this season? I was left cold by the first season after high expecations but think this year has a much clearer narrative momentum and better sense of scale. That said, Sir Malcolm needs some…

Well, I think that's where the shortcut of the casting comes into play. We know Vaughn's character had charm a decade ago because the real actor did.

I support WGN's foray into original programming so I hope all their shows succeed. The more original content out there the better. Right now, they only have Salem and Manhattan with one more show in production. A Paul Giamatti starring-program about some sort of Appalachian family (I only know because its filming…

Its a weird situation because yes, the ratings aren't high, but WGN America is in much fewer homes than the other big time cable networks thus the ratings can be considered relative. It does have the highest uptick in +3 ratings of all cable shows, so there's that. WGN did it no favors by running it up against a…

I haven't watched this week's yet (10 pm dramas are a struggle for me) but Janet Montgomery's hood game is so strong. I think there's money to be made with a JM/Abigail Spencer show where they play sisters causing havoc across the nation.

I'll catch some flak for this but I think it needed more "R-rated James Bond" qualities like the first season's with the nude models. Pizzolatto obviously has his, um, quirks with his portrayal of women but don't shy away from it. Double down on it! Auteur theory.

The (alleged) joke about the crystal ball at the car dealership was one of the worst written/edited pieces of humor I've ever seen. I also can't really buy Omar Miller (aka reverse aging Forest Whitaker) as an ex-pro athlete.

Yeah, I'd put money on one of the Big 3 being killed off in a midseason shocker. If its Rachel Adams, though, the internet might explode.

First two, then its rotating.

I view the True Detective universe to be more intense and dark than our own and don't really consider it be occurring in the real world as we know it. So I'm ok with the extreme levels of grim darkness.