TV Bits: Is ‘Mad Men’ Going Back In Time? Plus: ‘Game Of Thrones’ Trailer, ‘Girls’ Clips, Carlton Cuse Joins ‘Bates Motel’, ‘Dexter’ And ‘Homeland’ Return Dates
Lena Dunham and company may be having trouble finding lasting romance in HBO’sGirls, but they’ve still got it way easy compared to the tormented lovers of HBO’sGame of Thrones. For one thing, I’m betting love affairs in the former involve way fewer beheadings. After the jump:
Notice the conspicuously placed magazine in the above photo? That’s an old issue ofLifewith Rita Morena on the cover — from March 1954. Since the cast is dressed in ’60s attire, it seems unlikely that the entire show will be jumping back a decade, so it’s possible that this is just a red herring.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to believe that a shot composed as carefully as this one, from a show that’s known for its obsessive attention to period details, would slip up by including a magazine as outdated as thatLifeissue. Especially given that there are hardly any other props in the shot. Feel free to speculate on what may have happened in 1954 before the season premieres Sunday,March 25on AMC. [HuffPo]
And speaking of time travel:Lostco-showrunnerCarlton Cusehas signed on forBates Motel, an A&E series that will serve as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s horror classicPsycho. Described asTwin PeaksmeetsSmallville,Bates Motelwill tell the story of young Bates and how his deranged mother and her lover turned him into the psychotic killer of the film.
Cuse is on board to executive produce as well as oversee writing and production on A&E’s six-episode “event,” which the network hopes to eventually expand into an ongoing series. He joinsFriday Night LightsalumKerry Ehrin, who’s set to write and executive produce alongside Cuse.Mark WolperandRoy Leewill produce. [THR]
Much of the marketing we’ve seen for Season 2 of HBO’sGame of Throneshas centered around the impending war, but a new one shifts gears to focus on love. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, it turns out that the latter is almost as grim an undertaking as the former in this nasty universe, and that the two are inextricably intertwined. Watch it below.
Game of Thronesreturns Sunday,April 1. [EW]
On the lighter side of HBO, we also have two new clips forLena DunhamandJudd Apatow’sGirls. The more I see of this show, the more I’m intrigued. Speaking as someone more or less in Dunham’s demographic,Girlslooks like a painfully honest take on both the joys and unique horrors of being young and adrift in one of the greatest cities in the world.
It also helps thatGirlshas received some glowing early praise —THRcalled it “one of the most original, spot-on, no-missed-steps series in recent memories,” comparing it to critical favoriteLouie. IfGirlsis even half as good as that description indicates, it’ll be well worth a look when it debuts Sunday,April 15. [Bleeding Cool]
I haven’t even started thinking about fall television yet, but then again, I’m not a network exec. Showtime has announced return dates for two of its big hits, the long-runningDexterand the relatively newHomeland.Michael C. Hall’s beloved serial killer is slated to return for its seventh season onSeptember 30at 9 PM, followed by Season 2 ofHomelandat 10 PM on the same night. [TV Line]
