Happy Friday, everyone! Let me go ahead and rip off a Band-aid: Downton Abbey is ending with Season 6. While I’m a fan of the elegance and drama the Crawleys and the downstairs staff bring to television, I feel good about this decision. It’s best to end a series while it’s still regarded positively rather than dragging on for season after season (Kyle Anderson wrote an excellent article on this very subject). Don’t cry, instead be happy because we won’t be watching 50-year-old Lady Mary trying to choose a husband. More on Downton Abbey in today’s TV round-up along with a trailer for Inspector Gadget, a villain for Supergirl, and a Mockingbird-centric poster for next week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Go-Go Gadget! Dr. Claw is up to his old tricks again, but don’t worry, Inspector Gadget is here to save the day. The cartoon returns to Netflix today so can stream some episodes with Gadget, Penny, and the Brain tomorrow morning while you eat your cereal. [/Film]
Premiere Dates for Everyone. Well, for a few shows. If you’re a fan of Masters of Sex, Ray Donovan, or Halt and Catch Fire, then you’ll want to grab your calendar and make some notes. Showtime’s Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex will both have Season 3 premieres on July 12. AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire will return for Season 2 on May 31. In case you need to catch up on the drama starring Lee Pace, Season 1 hits Netflix on April 8. [TVLine and Hitfix]
Wedding Bells and Covert Ops. On the last episode of Arrow, John and Lyla got married again and everyone on Team Arrow got to smile for a few hours. Crazy, right? It didn’t last as John and Lyla got pulled away on a risky mission with the Suicide Squad and imposters dressed as Arrow caused trouble for Oliver Queen. Read Kyle’s review of “Suicidal Tendencies.”
Mockingbird Front and Center. The next episodic poster for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. focuses on Mockingbird. “One Door Closes” airs on Tuesday, March 31, and will go into details about Mockingbird’s relationship with Robert Gonzales. The striking poster was created by the Delicious Design League and is on sale today from Marvel. [CBR]
Supergirl’s First Villain. We’ve heard about plenty of casting for Supergirl, but it looks like Kara Danvers’s first villain will be Vartox. Played by Owain Yeoman (The Mentalist), the character from the comics will be portrayed slightly differently here. TVLine reports Vartox “is an alien convict who has been hiding on Earth for 12 years.” [TVLine]
The Rich and Powerful. Who’s ready for another comic book television series on TV? All of you? That’s excellent to hear because it looks like Greg Rucka and Michael Lark’s Lazarus is being adapted for television. In the comic, a Lazarus is a genetically engineered bodyguard who protects the rich and powerful families in charge of the world. [Nerdist]
The Best Intentions. Snow and Charming continue to hide their secret from Emma, and the next episode of Once Upon a Time (“Best Laid Plans”) will see a flashback to the Enchanted Forest showing us exactly what occurred between them and Maleficent. In Storybrooke, Henry gets closer to finding the Author. See more photos from the episode at TV Fanatic.
Never Go Away, Lagertha. History has renewed Vikings for Season 4. Yea, huzzah, etc.! More battles and seers and who knows what else is ahead. Like History’s GM Dirk Hoogstra said, this series has a great balance of “scope, smarts, and bloodshed.” And lots of awesome braids. [TVLine]
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It Really Is Good-Bye. Downton Abbey’s executive producer, Gareth Neame, has confirmed that Season 6 of Downton Abbey will be the final one. He told TV Insider, “We wanted to close the doors of Downton Abbey when it felt right and natural for the storylines to come together and when the show was still being enjoyed so much by its fans.” I am a fan of this reasoning. He goes more in depth about the final season at TV Insider and doesn’t say yes or no to the question about whether there will be a Downton movie later down the line.
What do you think about the Inspector Gadget trailer? Let us know in the comments.
the new Inspector Gadget themesong sucks in comparison. And why do all cartoons these days have to be CGI?