Post-apocalyptic television shows after ‘Revolution’: Lots more to come

NBC’s “Revolution” may be gone, but there are a bunch of post-apocalyptic TV shows waiting in the wings.
Four post-apocalyptic TV dramas are currently airing. They are: AMC’s zombie apocalypse series “The Walking Dead,” the CW’s post-nuclear war drama “The 100,” TNT’s alien combat show “Falling Skies” and Syfy’s alien invasion series “Defiance.”
I’ve written previously about how I think the proliferation of post-apocalyptic shows mirrors our nation’s psyche following 9-11, the Great Recession and Washington’s increased corruption. (See Nov. 30, 2013, article.)

I count at least 12 more post-apocalyptic TV shows in production.
Next month will see the premieres of three such shows.
On June 19, Syfy will premiere “Dominion,” a series based on the 2010 movie “Legion.” The show is described as a supernatural action drama set 25 years after an army of angels waged war on mankind.
On June 22, TNT will premiere “The Last Ship,” which takes place after a global pandemic wipes out 80% of the world’s population.
On June 29, HBO will premiere “The Leftovers,” which concerns a small town dealing with the aftermath of a global Rapture-like event where 2% of the world’s population abruptly disappears without explanation.
But wait, there’s more.
“The X-Files” creator Chris Carter is developing a post-apocalyptic drama series for Amazon.com called “The After.”
Syfy is making a TV series based on the movie “12 Monkeys.” The story follows a time traveler from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will eventually decimate the human race. It is set to premiere in January 2015, EW and Deadline report.
Syfy also is hoping to do a TV series based on the movie “Waterworld,” which takes place after the polar ice caps melt and flood the Earth.
“The Walking Dead” could be joined by three more zombie apocalypse shows.
AMC is working on an unnamed “Walking Dead” spin-off series. It will feature a new cast of characters dealing with the zombie apocalypse. AMC hopes to premiere the show in 2015, GeekTyrant says.
Syfy is working on its own zombie apocalypse show called “Z Nation.” The 13-episode first season is slated to premiere this fall, EW reports.
Microsoft is starting to produce original TV shows based on its video game franchises. First up is the sci-fi combat drama “Halo.” It could be followed by a TV show based on its zombie survival-horror game “State of Decay,” according to AP.
AMC also is making a series called “Galyntine,” a post-apocalyptic tale about a society that eschews all forms of technology following a global disaster. Sounds a bit like the dearly departed “Revolution.”
USA Network is developing a show called “Colony,” which is a drama set in Los Angeles after an alien invasion and occupation, according to SciFi Mafia.
And finally, on a lighter note, Fox will premiere a high-concept comedy in 2015 starring Will Forte called “Last Man on Earth,” according to EW and the Huffington Post.

See also: List of post-apocalyptic TV dramas.

Photos: Posters for “Dominion” and “The 100”; still photo from “Last Man on Earth.” 

‘Revolution’ ends on major cliffhanger

I was disappointed when NBC recently canceled its world-without-electricity sci-fi drama “Revolution” after just two seasons. The series was one of my favorite shows.
“Revolution” ended its short run on a major cliffhanger that likely will go unresolved. We might never find out what the nano technology that caused the global blackout has in store next for the human race.
In the final minutes of the series finale last week, the invisible nano computer network plays God. It builds an army of followers by appearing as loved ones to select people. It tells those people to travel to the town of Bradbury, Idaho, now located in a region of the former United States called the Wasteland.
Starting with an ice cream shop with a creepy clown logo, it turns on the electricity in the town, welcoming hundreds of misguided followers. Then, fade to black.
There’s always a chance that another network could resurrect the series. But unlike “The Killing,” a show resurrected by Netflix, “Revolution” looks costly to produce.
The good news for fans of post-apocalyptic fiction on TV is that there are more series on the theme coming. I’ll cover that in a follow-up post.

Photos: Stills from the final episode of “Revolution” called “Declaration of Independence” and a sexy photo of “Revolution” co-star Tracy Spiridakos. 

Related: 

Revolution: “Declaration of Independence” (A.V. Club)

‘Revolution’ over: NBC cancels apocalyptic drama (EW.com)

7 interesting science and nature lists: invasive species, medical myths, etc.

Here are some interesting listicles I’ve come across in my website visits. This time the subject is nature and science.

5 Species That Seem to be Trying to Take over the Earth (Cracked)

9 Invasive Species In The U.S. (Huffington Post)

Top 10 Evil Animals (Time)

6 Shockingly Evil Things Babies Are Capable Of (Cracked)

Top 10 Common Medical Myths (Listverse)

20 things you didn’t know you could recycle. (Mother Nature Network)

8 Wonders of the Solar System (Scientific American)

Photo: Asian silver carp jumping out of the water when startled by a boat’s motor. (Student Science). 

Women who sell their virginity and the news media who love them

Every now and then a young woman makes headlines for wanting to sell her virginity to the highest bidder.
Most recently, Elizabeth Raine, a 28-year-old medical school student, put her virginity up for auction. The current high bid is $550,000. Bidding closes on May 7.
To get around U.S. laws prohibiting prostitution, the paid sex act will take place in Australia, where it is legal, according to the Huffington Post.
Raine has a website, a Twitter feed and a blog called Musings of a Virgin Whore.
There have been other high-profile cases of women auctioning their virginity. But many were never consummated.
Update (May 17, 2014): Raine canceled the auction after receiving few legitimate bids, according to the Daily Mail.
Last year, a 21-year-old Brazilian woman, Catarina Migliorini, tried to auction her virginity. But the deal never happened and she felt exploited by the man handling the auction, according to the Huffington Post.
In 2008, a 22-year-old San Diego woman named Natalie Dylan put her virginity up for auction. She wrote on the Daily Beast in 2009 that the bidding reached $3.8 million. Reports later surfaced that the whole thing may have been a hoax, the Mirror reported.
Other young ladies who have made headlines for auctioning their virginity include an 18-year-old Russian woman Shatuniha and an 18-year-old Romanian woman Alina Percea.
Shatuniha reportedly got about $28,000 for her cherry in October 2013, the Mirror and Huffington Post reported. Percea banked about $13,000 for her deflowering in May 2009, the Daily Mail reported.
A Wikipedia entry on “virginity auction” lists 15 newsworthy cases. It says seven were not completed and two were likely hoaxes. Of the rest, two were reportedly completed, three unconfirmed and one (Raine) is in progress.
These cases raise some interesting questions: Why is having sex with a female virgin considered to be such a valuable commodity? Who are these men who place such a high price on it? Why is the media so fascinated with these stories, even though most appear to be hoaxes or publicity stunts?
Well, I can answer the last one. Sex sells. News articles on women who auction off their virginity are titillating and attract attention, especially if there are sexy photos.

Photos: Elizabeth Raine (top) and Shatuniha. 

5 plotlines left unresolved now that ‘Almost Human’ is canceled

Now that Fox has canceled its sci-fi cop show “Almost Human,” there are a lot of unresolved story lines. Fans of the show may never get answers.
Fox canned the J.J. Abrams-produced drama after one short season of 13 episodes. The show starred Karl Urban as Detective John Kennex and Michael Ealy as his android partner Dorian. It takes place in 2048.
Here are five unanswered questions from the show:

1. What were the circumstances behind the botched raid that almost killed Kennex? 

In the pilot episode, Kennex nearly dies in an ambush that kills his team. He is badly injured, in a coma for 17 months, and gets a cybernetic prosthetic leg.
Kennex eventually learns that his ex-girlfriend Anna was involved in the ambush. We never see Anna, except in flashbacks, and so we don’t learn about her role with the bad guys, a criminal organization called InSyndicate.
The audience also never learns the source of the leak that tipped off the gang to the police raid.

2. What was on the other side of “the Wall”? 

The show mentions a lawless area on the other side of a massive wall that divides the city. We never learn about why “the Wall” was built and what’s on the other side. Whatever is there it scares the protagonists.

3. Who implanted false memories into Dorian and for what reason? 

Police technician Rudy Lom discovers hidden memories implanted in Dorian. We never find out who put them there and why?
 
4. What was Dorian’s creator up to? 

 

In the episode “Unbound,” Dr. Nigel Vaughn (John Larroquette) activates a deadly XRN combat android named Danica (Gina Carano). She goes on a rampage, but it turns out to be misdirection by Vaughn, who created the DRN androids including Dorian. At the end of the episode, he escapes over the Wall with a case of stolen “synthetic soul” android processors. What was he up to?

5. Would Kennex ever hook up with Detective Valerie Stahl? 

The show teased romantic interest between Kennex and Stahl (Minka Kelly), but they never became a couple. Was that ever going to happen? And was Minka going to take her clothes off? If that’s what the story called for, of course.

Resources: 

Almost Human (TV series) Wikipedia page.

Almost Human page on Wikia.

‘Almost Human’ entirely canceled by Fox (Entertainment Weekly)

Fox Bursts Almost Human’s Bubble: No second season for J.J. Abrams’ robocop strip (Adweek)