Television’s kind of great. It hit me when I rounded up the news today that we have shows with Ursula from The Little Mermaid, the Brothers Grimm, real crime, and even shows with Mr. T renovating homes. That’s quite the variety. I’m going to stick with my opinion about television being neat. Proof is in today’s round-up of news. Read about Edward James Olmos on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., an Orphan Black game, and more.
Has Coulson Met His Match? Director Coulson has worked hard to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. together after Hydra tore the organization apart from the inside out. But it looks like he’s not the only leader in town. Next week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will introduce Edward James Olmos as Robert Gonzales. Ads focused on Gonzales were placed in Marvel comic titles released this week and tease that maybe Coulson has met his match. [CBR]
Trust No One. Orphan Black has made the leap from television to a best-selling comic book with IDW, and now IDW is moving the franchise along to games. They’ll be releasing a series of tabletop games inspired by the drama, and the first one will be out this July. Orphan Black: The Card Game “will be a tense contest of deduction and deception for 3-6 players. In Orphan Black: The Card Game, you are secretly assigned to one of three teams; the Proletheans, Neolutionists, or the Bird Watchers.” The key rule: don’t trust any of the other players. [Nerdist]
Folklore and Adventure. Remember the 2005 film The Brothers Grimm? If not, that’s probably OK. The movie starred Matt Damon and Heath Ledger as Will and Jake Grimm, respectively, and was directed by Terry Gilliam. It portrayed the Grimms as con artists who end up stumbling upon a real fairy tale curse. And now that premise is coming to television. Miramax is developing the show with writer Ehren Kruger, and it will build off the story introduced in the movie and follow the brothers on swashbuckling adventures as they “discover startling mythological and supernatural stakes behind the folklore that swept 19th century Europe.” [The Playlist and /Film]
A Deal. When the Queens of Darkness rolled into Storybrooke on Once Upon a Time, we quickly learned that Hook and Ursula had some kind of past. It looks like this week’s episode, “Poor Unfortunate Soul,” may revisit their history and sees Hook making a deal with Ursula that should help stop Rumplestiltskin. I hope the episode gives Ursula a chance to shine and show off powers that are more substantial than using her tentacles a la Doc Ock. [TV Fanatic]
“The Offer.” When we last saw Arrow, Ra’s al Ghul extended what he saw as a charitable hand and offered his position to Oliver Queen. This week’s episode give us Oliver’s answer and also shows the Lazarus Pit. Yep. Read Kyle’s review to learn about the biggest happenings in Starling City.
Mr. T Goes DIY. Mr. T is wrestling with different sorts of problems these days, specifically remodeling problems. He will host a new home renovation series for DIY Network titled I Pity the Tool. I’m not even making that up. The program received a straight to series order and will showcase Mr. T bashing and remodeling updated homes. [IGN]
Witches Among Us. We’ve seen several teases and photos for the next season of Salem, but the first full trailer for Season 2 is here. War is coming to the small town, and it’s villagers vs. witches. I know who I’m putting my money on Salem returns on April 5.
Writer and Magician. Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle might not seem like a likely pair, but they were friends. A new 10-episode series from Sony Pictures is inspired by that friendship and appropriately titled Houdini and Doyle. Sony sold the series to Fox, ITV, and Shaw Media so the show will air in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada. David Hoselton (House) will serve as showrunner and writer, and he’ll executive produce the series with David Titcher (The Librarian), and David Shore (House). Start dream casting now. [Deadline]
Crime Spree. ABC is currently working on a pilot about a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. Titled L.A. Crime, the series is about a duo of serial killers named Betty and Kent who go on a killing rampage on Sunset Strip in the ’80s. They’ve cast Gossip Girl alumnus Ed Westwick as Kent. [TV Fanatic]
Who’s looking forward to seeing Edward James Olmos on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Go to the comments and share your thoughts on that and the rest of today’s TV news.
