TV Bits: Frank Darabont’s ‘L.A. Noir’ Gets Guest Star Simon Pegg, Plus: ‘The Killing’, ‘Mad Men’, ‘Community’, ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Game Of Thrones’, And More
We’ve got a ton of small screen-centric odds and ends today, and there’s good news for just about everyone. Unless, that is, you’re Mike Tyson, Spike Lee, John Boyega, or Lord Eddard Stark. After the jump:
It seems like just yesterday that (seemingly) the entire Internet was getting all up in arms about the first season finale of AMC’sThe Killing, but here we are, about to head into Season 2. A new promo rehashes some of last season’s events while dropping a few small hints to set up the upcoming episodes. Check it out below:
So… Have you forgivenThe Killingyet or do the reminders of last season just make you feel bitter all over again? In any case, the show returns Sunday,April 1. [TVOvermind]
I’m betting TV watchers are feeling much less conflicted about the return of a different AMC show,Mad Men. The network has dropped some slick new promo images (one of which contains that mysterious Rita MorenoLifecover wediscussedearlier this week), as well as a couple more teasers. No, these new videos and pictures don’t reveal any more of Season 5 than the earlier ones did. Sorry.
Well, at least the tunes are fun and the photos are pretty.Mad Menpremieres Sunday,March 25. [Coming Soon,Cinema Blend]
In still more returning-series news, Showtime has announced thatWeeds' thirteen-episode eighth season will debut Sunday,July 1at 10:00 PM. Following at 10:30 PM on the same night will be the premiere ofEpisodes' second season, which will have nine episodes. So now you have something to do with your Showtime subscription untilDexterandHomelandreturn September 30. [Deadline]
I had high hopes forAttack the BlockstarJohn Boyegawhen helanded the leadin theMike Tyson-produced HBO dramaDa Brick, but alas, it seems that role is not to be. HBO has officially passed on the project, which boasted a pilot directed bySpike Lee, written byJohn Ridley(Three Kings), and executive produced byDoug Ellin(Entourage).
Inspired by Tyson’s early career, the series would’ve centered around a troubled young Newark man (Boyega) and explored “what it means to be a young, black man in supposedly post-racial America.“Da Brickis the second of Ellin’s projects to get turned down by HBO in recent days; earlier this month, the network alsodecided againsthis middle-aged comedy pilot40. [Deadline]
It’s unfortunate that this next bit of news comes a bit too late to comfortCommunityfans who were distraught by the NBC comedy’s hiatus. On the plus side, if it happens again next year, you’ll have somewhere else to turn. Comedy Central has just acquired the syndication rights to the first three seasons ofCommunity, and will begin airing reruns in fall 2013. [Variety]
WithKaren GillanandArthur Darvillset toexitDoctor Whosometime in the near future, speculation has heated up about whom the Doctor might be taking along on his travels next.Bleeding Cool’s detective work suggests thatSophia Myleswill be returning to the series at some point, perhaps as a replacement for Amy and Rory, though they believeMiranda Hartis a strong contenderas well. Hmm. Leave your own guesses in the comments. [viaAICN]
A few weeks back,Robert Rodriguezannouncedthat he would be launching his own TV networkEl Rey, “designed to be an action-packed, general entertainment network in English for Latino and general audiences that includes a mix of reality, scripted and animated series, movies, documentaries, news, music, comedy, and sports programming.” Now Rodriguez has offered a bit more about why he’s launching his network, what kind of material he’s looking for, and who might want to tune in. Oh, and if you’re still wondering why it’s called El Rey, the network is named after a song by Vicente Fernandez. Watch the video below:
[viaHuffPo Entertainment]
Finally, I’ve saved theseGame of Thronesbits for last because the second one is rather spoiler-y.Access Hollywoodhas posted the first look atTom Wlaschihaas convicted criminal Jaqen H’ghar, who crosses paths with Arya (Maisie Williams) in the upcoming season.
Did he look just as you’d imagined? Not that it matters, anyway, considering his special talents.
HBO has also put out a gory new poster for Season 2, which I should warn you includes aMAJOR SPOILERfor Season 1. Venture past this warning at your own risk.
Okay, ready?
Damn you, Joffrey. Hasn’t Sean Bean died enough already?Game of Thronesreturns Sunday, April 1. [Comic Book Movie]
