LifestyleThe Reactor

Reactor: Summer TV Highlights

By DRWHO42 and Alyssa

As we say goodbye for our 2016/2017 TV season we look ahead toward the 2017 summer TV season. This summer additionally special with the airings of Game of Thrones, which is the prelude to the final season, and Orphan Black, which embarks on its fifth and unfortunately final season. These series typically air in the spring and with the move to the summer months they will make fans very happy on Saturday and Sunday evenings. On a side note – with the Emmy nomination cutoff at the end of May we will have to wait an additional year in order to celebrate the accolades they may receive at the Emmy awards. Other series we’re looking forward to returning are Killjoys, Face Off, The Strain, Last Ship, Ray Donovan, and Cleaverman.

We have looked through the listing of what is airing over the summer and made our picks. We certainly have Game of Thrones, Preacher, and Orphan Black place high on our list. We also wanted to go a little further to highlight a few new gems which may be good to check out. Here are our top six gems, in no particular order, we are looking forward to watching this summer:

The Mist

If the movie did not scare you enough how about a weekly dose of Stephen King’s The Mist? The Dome was a successful summer series and based on what we see in this trailer you can expect another engaging series.

Blood Drive

This series is a callback to the grindhouse era. The premise is quite interesting and unique with cars running on blood, cannibals, and much more. This series will appeal to grindhouse-style movies as well as the horror and gore aficionados.

Midnight, Texas

The series about a town in a remote part of Texas where ‘being strange’ is considered normal has been on our radar for some time. There will be a broad spectrum of supernatural abilities on display including psychics, wiccas, and an angel.

The Defenders

Hooten & the Lady

The UK drama “follows the escapades of American maverick adventurer and treasure hunter Hooten, played by Michael Landes (CSI, Love Soup), and a British historical expert, Lady Alexandra, portrayed by Ophelia Lovibond (Elementary).” Jane Seymour, Jessica Hynes, and Shaun Parkes also star.

Salvation

Salvation is a suspense thriller that centers on a staggering discovery: an enormous asteroid is just six months away from colliding with Earth. Without alerting the public, MIT grad student Liam Cole and tech billionaire Darius Tanz team up to save humanity from this impending apocalypse.

One other exciting new series we would like to mention is The Tick. Amazon has published the first episode on Prime but it’s not linkable to everyone at this time. It is scheduled to air at the end of August.

DRWHO42’s summer viewing list:
Game of Thrones, Orphan Black, Preacher, The Strain, Orange is the New Black, The Mist, The Defenders, Ray Donovan, Sharknado, Broadchurch, and Midnight, Texas

Alyssa’s summer viewing list:
Returning Shows: Fear the Walking Dead, Dark Matter, Killjoys, Last Ship, Zoo, CleaverMan, Face off, and Zack Levi’s SyFy at SDCC
New shows I’ll try: The Mist, Midnight TX, The Tick, Salvation, The Defenders, and Hooten & the Lady.

 

Saturday, June 10
8 pm – Idiotsitter (Season 2) – COMEDY CENTRAL
10 pm – Orphan Black (5th and final season) – BBC America

Monday, June 12
8 pm – American Ninja Warrior (Season 6) – NBC

Tuesday, June 13
9 pm – Face Off (Season 12) – SyFy

Wednesday, June 14
10 pm – Blood Drive (Season 1) – SyFy

Los Angeles 1999 – The Future: where water is a scarce as oil, and climate change keeps the temperature at a cool 115 in the shade. It’s a place where crime is so rampant that only the worst violence is punished, and where Arthur Bailey — the city’s last good cop — runs afoul of the dirtiest and meanest underground car rally in the world, Blood Drive.  The master of ceremonies is a vaudevillian nightmare, The drivers are homicidal deviants, and the cars run on human blood. Buckle Up, Lube Up and prepare for everything you know about Cable Television to Blow up! For more info Click Here

Thursday, June 15
9 pm – The Tunnel: Sabotage (Season 2) – PBS

“The Tunnel: Sabotage” is a high-volume, geo-political, bi-lingual thriller moving between the coasts of Kent and Northern France via the Eurotunnel, against a backdrop of a continent in crisis. This intricately plotted series reveals how the vulnerable and powerless become mere commodities in an underworld of ideological predators, corrupted appetites and Machiavellian realpolitik. For more info Click Here

Friday, June 16
12:01 am PT – The Ranch (Season 2) – NETFLIX
9 pm – The Great British Baking Show (Season 4) – PBS

Saturday, June 17
10:30 am – Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures (Season 2) – Disney XD
For more info Click Here
9 pm – Turn: Washington’s Spies (4th and final season) – AMC

Washington’s Spies takes viewers into the stirring and treacherous world of the Revolutionary War and introduces Abraham Woodhull who, after aligning with a group of childhood friends, forms the Culper Ring — America’s first spy ring. For more info Click Here

Sunday, June 18
9 pm – Grantchester (Season 3) – PBS

Tuesday, June 20
9 pm – Wrecked (Season 2) – TBS

Wrecked is a single-camera comedy that centers on a diverse group of survivors adjusting to being stranded on an uninhabited island, a dangerous new world where they must face many threats – mostly brought on by themselves. No longer plugged into the rest of the world, the group struggles to navigate their makeshift society while also learning to live without such modern comforts as indoor plumbing, Wi-Fi, social media and Chipotle. For more info Click Here.

Thursday, June 22
8 pm – The Wall (Midseason Premiere) – NBC
9 pm – The Night Shift (Season 4) – NBC
10 pm – The Mist (Season 1) – Spike

When the residents of Bridgeville, Maine find themselves engulfed by a foreboding mist containing a myriad of inexplicable and bizarre threats, their humanity is put to the test in THE MIST, a new 10 episode serialized drama.
Based on a story by Stephen King, THE MIST has been re-imagined for television by Executive Producer and Writer Christian Torpe and produced for Spike by TWC-Dimension Television. Spike’s THE MIST centers around a small town family that is torn apart by a brutal crime. As they deal with the fallout an eerie mist rolls in, suddenly cutting them off from the rest of the world, and in some cases, each other. Family, friends and adversaries become strange bedfellows, battling the mysterious mist and its threats, fighting to maintain morality and sanity as the rules of society break down.
THE MIST stars Morgan Spector, Alyssa Sutherland, Gus Birney, Danica Curcic, Okezie Morro, Luke Cosgrove, Darren Pettie, Russell Posner, Dan Butler, Isiah Washington, Jr. and Frances Conroy. For more info Click Here.

Friday, June 23
12:01 am PT – Glow – NETFLIX

Inspired by the real story of the 1980’s female wrestling league, the series — set in Los Angeles and showcasing big hair and body slams — will be the fictionalized story of an out of work actress who finds one last attempt to live her dreams in the form of a weekly series about female wrestlers.
Jenji Kohan (Orange is the New Black) and Tara Herrmann (Orange is the New Black) are executive producers, and the series was co-created by Liz Flahive (Homeland) and Carly Mensch (Orange is the New Black), who will serve as showrunners. For more info Click Here.

11 pm – Playing House (Season 3) – USA [All Season 3 Episodes Available On Vod On June 24]

Sunday, June 25
8 pm – Hotel Transylvania (TV Series) – Disney
9 pm – Power (Season 4) – Starz
10 pm – Preacher (Season 2) – AMC (starts with a 2-night Premiere Event)
10 pm – Prime Suspect: Tennison – PBS

Wednesday, June 28
10 pm – Broadchurch (3rd and final season) – BBC America 

10 pm – Cleverman (Season 2) – SUNDANCE

Set in the near future, CLEVERMAN is a startlingly original drama rooted in Aboriginal mythology. The series depicts a deeply conflicted and anxious society, fearful of a minority group living among them, endowed with extraordinary physical traits. One young man – The Cleverman – struggles with his own power and the responsibility to unite this divided world, but he must first overcome a deep estrangement from his older brother. For more info Click Here.

Thursday, June 29
9 pm – Zoo (Season 3) – CBS

ZOO, based on the #1 bestselling novel by James Patterson, is a global thriller about a wave of violent animal attacks against humans sweeping the planet. In season three, the year is 2027, and the world has reached a tipping point: as the human population continues to dwindle due to the sterility problem, an equally devastating threat rises in the form of “the hybrids,” an army of unstoppable lab-made creatures, hell-bent on destroying mankind. Although the team has become estranged over the past decade, Jackson, Jamie, Abraham, Dariela and Logan are forced to overcome their differences and reunite when they learn that Mitch is alive. As the planet’s future hangs in the balance, the team must race to stop the hybrids and their creator – a shadowy figure with a startling connection to the team’s past. For more info Click Here.

Friday, June 30
12:01 am PT – Gypsy – NETFLIX

A thrilling new series follows Jean Holloway, a therapist who develops dangerous and intimate relationships with the people in her patients’ lives. For more info Click Here.

8 pm – Killjoys Season 3 – SYFY

Wednesday, July 5
10 pm – Snowfall – FX

Los Angeles. 1983. A storm is coming and its name is crack. Snowfall is a one-hour drama set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic and its ultimate radical impact on the culture as we know it.

The story follows numerous characters on a violent collision course, including: Franklin Saint (Damson Idris), young street entrepreneur on a quest for power; Gustavo “El Oso” Zapata (Sergio Peris-Mencheta), a Mexican wrestler caught up in a power struggle within a crime family; Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson), a CIA operative running from a dark past who begins an off-book operation to fund the Nicaraguan Contras; and Lucia Villanueva (Emily Rios), the self-possessed daughter of a Mexican crime lord. For more info Click Here.

Monday, July 10
9 pm – Will – TNT

Will tells the wild story of young William Shakespeare’s (Laurie Davidson) arrival onto the punk-rock theater scene in 16th century London — the seductive, violent world where his raw talent faced rioting audiences, religious fanatics and raucous side-shows. It’s a contemporary version of Shakespeare’s life, played to a modern soundtrack that exposes all his recklessness, lustful temptations and brilliance. For more info Click Here.

Tuesday, July 11
8 pm – The Fosters Season 5 – FREEFORM
9 pm – The Bold Type – FREEFORM
10 pm – Still The King Season 2 – CMT

Wednesday, July 12
9 pm – Suits (Season 7) – USA
9 pm – Salvation   CBS

Salvation is a suspense thriller that centers on a staggering discovery: an enormous asteroid is just six months away from colliding with Earth. Without alerting the public, MIT grad student Liam Cole and tech billionaire Darius Tanz team up to save humanity from this impending apocalypse. Keeping it secret will complicate life for Liam and those closest to him. Meanwhile, the government has its own approach. Grace Barrows is both the Pentagon Press Secretary and a single mom, and she deftly navigates the complicated waters of both jobs. Deputy Secretary of Defense Harris Edwards has been tasked with running their own top-secret plan to deflect the asteroid. Meanwhile, Darius recruits an aspiring sci-fi writer, Jillian, to work on a theoretical approach to saving humanity—a project that might prove to be all too real. Salvation stars Santiago Cabrera, Jennifer Finnigan, Charlie Rowe, Jacqueline Byers, Rachel Drance, Shazi Raja, and Ian Anthony Dale. For more info Click Here.

Thursday, July 13
9 pm – Hooten & The Lady – THE CW

The UK drama “follows the escapades of American maverick adventurer and treasure hunter Hooten, played by Michael Landes (CSI, Love Soup), and a British historical expert, Lady Alexandra, portrayed by Ophelia Lovibond (Elementary).” Jane Seymour, Jessica Hynes, and Shaun Parkes also star. For more info Click Here. Click for Trailer

Sunday, July 16
9 pm – Game Of Thrones Season 7 – HBO
The Strain (4th and final season) – FX

Tuesday, July 18
10 pm – Shooter (Season 2) – USA

SHOOTER, a drama based on the best-selling Bob Lee Swagger novel by Stephen Hunter, Point of Impact, and the 2007 Paramount film starring Mark Wahlberg. The co-production with Paramount Television and Universal Cable Productions comes from executive producers Wahlberg (“Ballers,” “Boardwalk Empire”) of Closest to the Hole Productions; Stephen Levinson (“Ballers,” “Boardwalk Empire”) of Leverage Entertainment; and Lorenzo di Bonaventura (“Transformers,” “The Real O’Neals”). John Hlavin (“The Shield”) wrote the pilot and will also executive produce. Simon Cellan Jones (“Bloodline”) directed the pilot.  For more info Click Here.

Thursday, Jul. 20-22
11 pm – Syfy Presents Live From Comic-Con: Season 2 (2017)

Zach Levi will host this three night event, which will be broadcast during San Diego Comic-Con. Expect discussion of all the biggest news coming out of each day of the Con, trailer breakdowns, guests, coverage of the events at the Con and, generally, a lot of geeking out. Syfy Presents Live From Comic Con will air Thursday, July 20 through Saturday, July 22 at 11/10c each night.  For more info Click Here.

Tuesday, July 25
10 pm – Midnight, Texas – NBC

The town of Midnight sits on a veil between the living and hell. This supernatural thriller takes a journey into a remote Texas town called Midnight where nothing is what it seems. Where being normal is strange and only outsiders fit in, Midnight is a mysterious safe haven for those who are different – a perfect place for anyone looking to hide from the outside world.

“Midnight, Texas” stars François Arnaud (“The Borgias”) as Manfred, a charming, powerful psychic who can communicate with spirits and finds safety in Midnight, surrounding himself with both human and supernatural allies. Midnight is also home to Bobo (Dylan Bruce, “Orphan Black”), proprietor of Midnight’s local pawn shop; Fiji (Parisa Fitz-Henley, “Luke Cage”), a witch who owns the local wiccan shop; Olivia (Arielle Kebbel, “Ballers”), a mysterious assassin with a weapon for every occasion; Joe (Jason Lewis, “Sex and the City”), an angel who knows all of Midnight’s secrets, having been around for millennia; Lemuel (Peter Mensah, “True Blood”), a wise vampire with a long history in Midnight; Creek (Sarah Ramos, “Parenthood”), an aspiring writer with big dreams who learns her family is harboring a deep secret; and Rev. Emilio Sheehan (Yul Vazquez, “Captain Phillips”), who can’t resist the pull of a full moon.

As the town members fight off outside pressures from ever-suspicious cops, deadly biker gangs and their own dangerous pasts, they band together and form an unlikely but strong family. “Midnight, Texas” is based on the best-selling book series by Charlaine Harris (author of the novels that inspired “True Blood”), executive produced by Monica Owusu-Breen (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) and David Janollari (“Six Feet Under”) and produced by Universal Television and David Janollari Entertainment. For more info Click Here.

Wednesday, August 2
10 pm – The Sinner – USA

An eight episode close-ended series, The Sinner follows a young mother (Jessica Biel) who, when overcome by an inexplicable fit of rage, commits a startling act of violence and to her horror has no idea why. The event launches an inverted and utterly surprising crime thriller whose driving force is not the “who” or the “what” — but the “why” — as an investigator (Bill Pullman) finds himself obsessed with uncovering the woman’s buried motive. Together they travel a harrowing journey into the depths of her psyche and the violent secrets hidden in her past. The Sinner premieres summer 2017. For more info Click Here.

Sunday, August 6
8 pm – Sharknado 5 (TV Movie) – SyFy
9 pm – Ray Donovan (Season 5) – Showtime

Tuesday, August 8
12:01 am PT – Difficult People (Season 3) – HULU

Difficult People hails from Julie Klausner who stars alongside Emmy®-nominated Billy on the Street host Billy Eichner. As best friends living in New York City, their typical, irreverent behavior lands them in some very awkward situations. For more info Click Here.

Thursday, August 10
9 pm – Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update – NBC

Sunday, August 13
Get Shorty – EPIX

Based on Elmore Leonard’s 1990 New York Times bestselling novel, GET SHORTY is the story of Miles Daly, played by Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, This Is 40) who works as muscle for a murderous crime ring in Nevada and attempts to change professions and become a movie producer, laundering money through a Hollywood film. Three-time Emmy award winner Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Parenthood”) stars as Rick, a washed up producer of low quality films who becomes Miles’ partner and guide through the maze of Hollywood. GET SHORTY also stars Sean Bridgers, Lidia Porto, Megan Stevenson, Goya Robles, Lucy Walters and Carolyn Dodd. For more info Click Here.

Wednesday, August 16
9 pm – Marlon – NBC

Loosely inspired by the real life of star Marlon Wayans (“In Living Color,” “Scary Movie”), this update to the classic family comedy centers on a loving (but immature) father committed to co-parenting his two kids with his very-together ex-wife. While his misguided fatherly advice, unstoppable larger-than-life personality and unpredictable Internet superstardom might get in the way sometimes, for Marlon, family really always does come first – even if he’s the biggest kid of all.
The cast includes Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Notlim Taylor, Amir O’Neil, Bresha Webb and Diallo Riddle. For more info Click Here.

Friday, August 18
12:01 am PT – The Defenders – NETFLIX

Marvel’s The Defenders’ follows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal – to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together. For more info Click Here. Click for Trailer

Sunday, August 20
10:00 pm – Episodes (5th and final season) – Showtime
The Last Ship (Season 4) TNT

Friday, August 25
12:01 am PT – Disjointed – NETFLIX
12:01 am PT – The Tick – AMAZON

DRWHO42

Kevin aka "DRWHO42" watches a lot of TV and avoids spoilers like the plague. He is an avid Whovian, Trekker, fanboy, gamer, traveler, planner, self-professed gym rat, and Starbucks espresso loyalist. When not plotting out his schedule for the next tent-pole movie or watching his favorite shows he is on the hunt for pop-culture TV & Movie media news. More importantly he is a frequent attendee of San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) and New York Comic Con (NYCC). Follow him on Twitter @kevinDW42 @FoCCBlog