If you only absorb one piece of television news today, let it be about Ian McShane coming to Game of Thrones. I’ll never not think about Al Swearengen when I think about McShane, and I basically want him to play exactly that character but in Westeros. I know he has more range, but… Keep reading today’s TV-Cap to get details on McShane’s role, to watch a trailer for a cuter Attack on Titan spinoff, and to be reminded of your age by looking at a picture from Fuller House.
Kid Problems. I recently started watching Attack on Titan. It’s intense. I like it–the world-building is quite wonderful–but it’s not a show I like to watch before bed. I’m not giving up, but if you want something a touch milder and a lot cuter, how about a junior high setting? Attack on Titan: Junior High, the spinoff manga, will be adapted as an anime series. Because of course it will. It will debut in Japan in October. Did you have to deal with titans when you were in junior high? Talk about perspective. [Comic Book Resources, Nerdist News]
What’s Ahead. We already knew AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead was getting a second season, but AMC has revealed a few more details about what’s ahead at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour. The 15 episodes of Season 2 will likely be split into two halves like basically everything else on the network. Showrunner Dave Erickson said the build-up is slow and heading into Season 2, “they definitely know the world has changed. It is the end of the world as we know it.” Season 1 will premiere on August 23. [Nerdist and TVLine]
Full Steam Ahead. And now for a renewal we didn’t know about until Friday: Starz has granted an early renewal to Black Sails. Season 3 won’t air until early 2016 even though production is wrapping now. With the greenlight for Season 4, Black Sails has become the first Starz original to air for longer than three seasons. [Deadline]
https://twitter.com/JohnStamos/status/627198836516126720
All Grown Up. My much younger self doesn’t know what to do with all of the pictures from the Full House reunion. On one hand, Fuller House sounds just silly enough that I’ll probably watch it when it drops on Netflix. On the other hand, seeing that the cast has advanced in years makes me feel old. Take the above picture of Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit as Nicky and Alex. Twenty years flew past. [TVLine]
Best or BEST. Game of Thrones has some rather talented actors, but we got to know most of them because of the series. But now, they’ve added a well-known name for Season 6: Ian McShane. Ian Effing McShane. We don’t know anything about his “mystery role,” except that he will have very little screen time and play a character pivotal to the story. Since we’re past George R.R. Martin’s books, it’s hard to speculate about who he’s playing. Could he maybe be Arthur Dayne? But really? I’m not picky. [Nerdist, gif via Tumblr]
Another Enemy. Yet another villain will be causing trouble for Oliver Queen in Season 4 of Arrow, but this one comes from the past. Ryan Robbins (Falling Skies) has been cast as Conklin. He’ll appear in Oliver’s flashback sequences as a member of the organization Shadowspire. (Doesn’t that sound like a Game of Thrones location?) [Variety]
Have a Grain of Salt. At the end of the day, we don’t really want to know every detail about every plot before it airs. Maybe I’m only speaking for myself, but I don’t want guesses confirmed. Thankfully, Steven Moffat basically never does that. At the TCA press tour, he shut down theories about who Maisie Williams will be playing on the upcoming Series 9 of Doctor Who. She’s not River Song, she’s not Clara Oswald–“she’s a brand new character.” Moffat doesn’t have any reason to be honest, but I hope he’s being truthful. I’d rather see Williams in a role we haven’t seen before in time and space. [Nerdist]
A Victorian Setting. Because your Monday needs more Moffat (you can read that with sarcasm or not–up to you), let’s talk Sherlock. Moffat discussed the upcoming special at TCAs, and by discussed, I mean he didn’t say much. He confirmed the Victorian setting and said that setting was suitable for otherworldly kind of stories: “The main difference I would say, the only temperature change moving it from Victorian and Modern is ghost stories work better in the Victorian setting. Doyle stories that are scary chillers we haven’t done much. Victorian era gives us a chance to do a creepy one, a scary one.” So, sounds like we’re getting a ghost story, eh? [/Film]
Broken Up. After getting word that Jessica Jones will be debuting on Netflix this year, Marvel has released the logo for the series. It’s subtle and doesn’t give away much, but it’s something new. Given that we’re no more than four months away from the end of the year and a release date, we’ll likely get key art soon. [Comic Book Resources]
Farewell, Downton. The elegance and drama of Downton Abbey is coming to a close, and the final season will premiere on January 3, 2016, on PBS. Life will be weird without the Crawleys, but I’d rather see them end the show on their own terms rather than drag it on until everyone feels uncomfortable. Season 6 will jump forward to 1925, and executive producer Gareth Neame said that if there’s a movie (and there are no firm plans yet), there are plenty of stories to keep exploring. [Give Me My Remote]
On a scale from one to ten, how excited are you about McShane appearing on Game of Thrones? Let me know in the comments.
