Post-apocalyptic TV shows get refresh with ‘Fallout’

While it’s been slim pickings for post-apocalyptic movies, TV series in the genre have been plentiful.
Current series getting new seasons include “Invasion” (Apple TV+), “Silo” (Apple TV+), “Twisted Metal” (Peacock) and “The Last of Us” (Max). There also are at least two “Walking Dead” franchise series developing new episodes (“Dead City” and “Daryl Dixon”). Plus, “Snowpiercer” has jumped to AMC from TNT for its fourth and final season.
Today saw the premiere of “Fallout” on Amazon Prime Video. The adaptation of the popular video game series released all eight episodes at once. The series is set 219 years after the outbreak of nuclear war sent Americans underground into fallout shelters called Vaults.
Last week, Netflix premiered the South Korean series “Parasyte: The Grey.” The alien-invasion horror series is more pre-apocalyptic, but the outlook looks pretty grim.
But with the era of peak TV at an end, the plentiful genre offerings could be slowing down.
The number of scripted TV seasons being ordered in the U.S. has nearly halved since 2019, according to Ampere Analysis. However, international TV production could pick up the slack, Deadline reported.

2023 looks like banner year for post-apocalyptic themed TV shows

Two major post-apocalyptic themed TV series ended their runs in 2022: “The Walking Dead” (AMC) after 11 seasons and “See” (Apple TV+) after three seasons. But more end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it TV shows are coming in 2023.
At least four new series are slated for release in 2023. They include “The Last of Us” on HBO Max, “Wool” on Apple TV+, “The Ark” on Syfy and “The Walking Dead: Dead City” on AMC.
First up is “The Last of Us,” which premieres on Jan. 15. Based on the popular video game series, “The Last of Us” takes place after an outbreak of a mutant Cordyceps fungus ravages the United States, transforming its human hosts into aggressive creatures known as the Infected.
Next up, “Wool” is scheduled for release in March. The series is set in a ruined and toxic future where a community lives in a massive silo, hundreds of levels underground.
Syfy plans to release its series “The Ark” sometime in 2023. The show takes place 100 years in the future, aboard the Ark One — a star-cruising vessel carrying humanity’s last hope for survival. When the ship sustains heavy casualties, the remaining passengers must band together and complete the mission of finding a new planetary home, the destination of which is more than a year away.
Also coming this year is “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” a spinoff of the just-concluded parent series. It’s one of three planned follow-on series. “Dead City” focuses on characters Negan and Maggie navigating the zombie apocalypse in New York City. “Dead City” is likely to premiere in April.
Another planned spinoff show will follow fan-favorite character Daryl Dixon in Europe. And characters Rick Grimes and Michonne will get their own series as well. Those shows don’t have release dates but could come out in 2023 as well.
Another show that could come out in 2023 is “Fallout” on Amazon Prime Video. Based on the video game franchise, “Fallout” is a post-apocalyptic story set after a nuclear war.

Related article: Comprehensive list of live-action post-apocalyptic TV series

Photo: Promotional art for “The Last of Us.”

‘DMZ’ kicks off new round of dystopian and post-apocalyptic TV series

“DMZ” on HBO Max is the first new television show of 2022 to be set in a dystopian or post-apocalyptic world. The four-episode miniseries premiered on March 17.
Based on a DC graphic novel, “DMZ” takes place in the demilitarized zone of Manhattan Island during a second American civil war. It stars Rosario Dawson and Benjamin Bratt.
Next up in the post-apocalyptic genre is “Tales of the Walking Dead,” premiering in mid-2022 on AMC. The anthology series is the fourth television series in “The Walking Dead” zombie apocalypse franchise.
The six-episode run of “Tales of the Walking Dead” will feature actors Anthony Edwards, Terry Crews, Parker Posey, and Olivia Munn in standalone stories.
Next year will see the fifth series in the franchise, “Isle of the Dead.” It will star Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan as their characters Negan and Maggie.
A sixth series also is due to premiere next year. It’s an untitled spin-off series starring Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride as their characters Daryl and Carol.
In the meantime, there will be other dystopian and post-apocalyptic television series.
Netflix has set a premiere date of July 14 for “Resident Evil,” based on the long-running video game series. The eight-episode series takes place 14 years after a deadly virus caused a global apocalypse that overran the world with blood-thirsty creatures. It will star Lance Reddick and Ella Balinska.
HBO is making a TV series based on the acclaimed video game franchise “The Last of Us.” The series, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, is expected to debut in 2023. The story takes place in a world destroyed by an outbreak of a mutant Cordyceps fungus. The fungus turns human hosts into aggressive creatures known as the Infected.
Amazon Prime is working on a TV series based on the “Fallout” video game series. Walton Goggins has been cast in a lead role. The “Fallout” series is set in an alternate future United States after a nuclear apocalypse.
Apple TV+ is developing a dystopian sci-fi drama called “Wool.” The show will star Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Robbins and David Oyelowo. It is based on the “Silo” trilogy of novels by Hugh Howey.
“Wool” takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth where the air is poisonous. What’s left of humanity lives in The Silo, a subterranean city 144 stories below the surface.
Netflix is planning a spin-off series of “Into the Night,” which completed its second season last fall. The series takes place after radiation from the Sun kills all life on the surface of the Earth. Survivors must live underground during the day.
The spin-off is called “Into the Deep” and is set on a submarine.

Related articles:

Comprehensive list of live-action post-apocalyptic TV series

Netflix is keeping post-apocalyptic themed TV going (March 13, 2022)

The post-apocalypse is thriving on television (July 11, 2021)

Post-apocalyptic TV series entertain in troubled times (Sept. 14, 2020)

The post-apocalypse is thriving on television

Post-apocalyptic fiction is alive and well on traditional television and streaming video services.
Even after the finale of Syfy vampire apocalypse series “Van Helsing” on June 25, there are still 12 post-apocalyptic themed television shows airing.
Active shows include four zombie apocalypse series (AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and “The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” and Netflix’s “Black Summer”).
Including “Black Summer,” Netflix has six post-apocalyptic series. The others are “Into the Night,” “To the Lake,” “Sweet Home,” “Tribes of Europa” and “Sweet Tooth.” Those shows depict a range of end-of-the-world scenarios including deadly solar radiation, diseases, and monsters.
The other post-apocalyptic series currently running include “See” on Apple TV+, “War of the Worlds” on Epix and “Snowpiercer” on TNT.
More such shows are coming soon. “Y: The Last Man” premieres on Hulu on Sept. 13. Apple TV+ will premiere “Invasion” on Oct. 22. And HBO Max has “Station Eleven” queued up in the near future.

Related article:

Comprehensive list of live-action post-apocalyptic TV series

Fall TV season 2020: ‘Bly Manor,’ ‘Helstrom,’ ‘WandaVision’ top watchlist

The 2020 fall television season is the strangest one ever with U.S. broadcast and cable TV networks filling their programming slots with game shows and reality TV, shows from Canada and the U.K., and series that previously aired on streaming services. That’s because the Covid-19 pandemic cratered their production of new scripted shows.
I’ve checked out the many fall preview articles online as well as the latest issues of TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly magazines to compile a list of new shows to try out.
I’m a true believer in the binge-watching model of TV viewing, which Netflix perfected. Even if a show has new episodes weekly, I’ll wait until there are several episodes to watch before diving in. For instance, I’m waiting for season two of “The Boys” to finish on Amazon Prime Video before sitting down to watch it. And I loved season one.
Here are the new shows that have caught my attention:

• “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” (AMC, Oct. 4 premiere): The latest spinoff in the Walking Dead zombie apocalypse franchise looks bad, but I’ll still give it a try.
• “Next” (Fox, Oct. 6): This series is about a Silicon Valley genius and an FBI agent joining forces to stop a rogue AI from destroying the world. The plot seems better suited for a movie or miniseries than episodic television.
• “Swamp Thing” (CW, Oct. 6 broadcast premiere): This dark superhero horror series was rescued from the DC Universe streaming channel where it was canceled after one season.
• “The Haunting of Bly Manor” (Netflix, Oct. 9): This horror series is a follow-up to the excellent Netflix series “The Haunting of Hill House.”
• “Helstrom” (Hulu, Oct. 16): “Helstrom” is from the world of Marvel Comics and centers on a brother and sister, the children of a serial killer, who now fight the forces of evil.
• “WandaVision” (Disney+, Nov. 27 unconfirmed premiere): Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their Marvel Cinematic Universe roles of Scarlet Witch (aka Wanda) and Vision.

I’m also looking forward to second seasons of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+ and “Evil” on CBS. Plus, there’s the conclusion to the final season of “Supernatural” on the CW and the third season of “Star Trek: Discovery” on CBS All Access.
As I’ve written before, there are many more interesting TV series now than I have time to watch. I still have shows like “Star Trek: Picard” from CBS All Access and “Raised by Wolves” from HBO Max on my watchlist, to name just two.

Related reading:

Fall TV season 2020: Covid-19 pandemic limits new shows (Tech-media-tainment; June 20, 2020)

The pandemic wiped out the fall TV schedule. Does it matter? (Los Angeles Times; Sept. 4, 2020)

Networks Are Prepping for the Craziest Fall Season in the History of Broadcast TV (Bloomberg; Sept. 22, 2020)

Post-apocalyptic TV series entertain in troubled times

While the Covid-19 pandemic rages, people stuck at home are consuming more video entertainment. That includes TV series set in apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic times. How fitting.
However, the genre soon will be losing its longest-running series, “The Walking Dead.” AMC announced that the zombie-apocalypse show will end after its upcoming 11th season, which is likely to run through late 2022.
The good news for fans of “The Walking Dead” universe is that the series is getting a spinoff series built around characters Daryl and Carol.
In addition to “The Walking Dead,” AMC airs a companion series, “Fear the Walking Dead,” which is set to start its sixth season on Oct. 11. A third series, “The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” will premiere on Oct. 4.
Plus, producers of the franchise are working on an episodic anthology series currently titled “Tales of the Walking Dead.” Also, a movie centered on the character Rick Grimes is in the works.
Here’s an update on other post-apocalyptic TV series:

• “The 100”: The CW series “The 100” will complete its seven-season run with a final episode on Sept. 30.
• “To the Lake”: On Oct. 7, Netflix will premiere the Russian series “To the Lake.” Here’s the official description: “Facing the end of civilization when a terrifying plague strikes, a group risks their lives, loves — and humanity — in a brutal struggle to survive.”
• “The Stand”: CBS All Access will premiere a miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s epic novel “The Stand” on Dec. 17. “The Stand” is a battle between good and evil forces that takes place in the aftermath of a super plague.
• “Y: The Last Man”: Based on a science-fiction comic book, “Y: The Last Man” is set to premiere on FX on Hulu sometime in 2021. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which a cataclysmic event has killed every male mammal except for one lone man and his capuchin monkey.
• “Station Eleven”: HBO Max has ordered a miniseries based on the novel “Station Eleven.” The story depicts the aftermath of a flu pandemic that wipes out most of the world’s population.
• “Resident Evil”: Netflix has ordered a series based on the “Resident Evil” survival-horror video game franchise. The series will have two timelines: one pre-apocalyptic and one post-apocalyptic. No release date has been announced.
• “The Silent Sea”: Netflix has ordered a Korean series called “The Silent Sea.” The show is set in a precarious future where Earth is running out of water.
• “All of Us Are Dead”: Netflix has ordered a Korean series called “All of Us Are Dead.” It is based on Korean webtoon called “Now at Our School.” It follows a group of high school students who are trapped in their school as a zombie virus spreads like a wildfire.
• “The Last of Us”: HBO plans to make a TV series based on the acclaimed video game franchise “The Last of Us.”
• “Fallout”: Amazon Studios has licensed the rights to the “Fallout” video game franchise for a television series.
• Meanwhile, new seasons are coming for “Black Summer” on Netflix, “Into the Night” on Netflix, “Snowpiercer” on TNT, “See” on Apple TV+, “Van Helsing” on Syfy and “War of the Worlds” on Epix.
  

Related articles:

Comprehensive list of live-action post-apocalyptic TV series

As one post-apocalyptic TV series ends, another begins (Tech-media-tainment; May 19, 2020)

Post-apocalyptic TV shows ready for comeback (Tech-media-tainment; Sept. 8, 2019)

Photo: Promotional art for “The Walking Dead: World Beyond.”

As one post-apocalyptic TV series ends, another begins

The seventh and final season of epic post-apocalyptic TV series “The 100” begins on Wednesday on the CW. Its season premiere follows the series premiere on Sunday of another post-apocalyptic series, “Snowpiercer,” on TNT.
With the debut of “Snowpiercer,” there are now 10 TV series set in post-apocalyptic worlds currently running. Of those, three, including “The 100,” are scheduled to finish their runs this year. The other two are “Van Helsing” on Syfy after five seasons and “The Rain” on Netflix after three seasons.
Other post-apocalyptic series currently airing include “The Walking Dead” and spinoff “Fear the Walking Dead” on AMC, “Black Summer” on Netflix, “See” on Apple TV+, “War of the Worlds” on Epix and “Into the Night” on Netflix.
“Snowpiercer” originally was set to debut on May 31 but was moved up to May 17 to bring the show to viewers stuck at home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, a second “Walking Dead” spinoff, “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” was delayed from it’s April 12 premiere until sometime later this year.
At least a dozen new post-apocalyptic set TV series are in development. So, the genre remains a popular category of escapist entertainment. However dark.

Related articles:

Comprehensive list of post-apocalyptic TV shows

Post-apocalyptic TV shows ready for comeback

Despite being the age of peak TV, the genre of post-apocalyptic-themed shows peaked three years ago.
In 2016, there were a record 16 post-apocalyptic shows airing on broadcast and cable channels.
Today there are just five such shows and two of those (“The 100” on CW and “The Rain” on Netflix) are scheduled for their final seasons in 2020. The others are AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead,” both of which are suffering ratings declines, and “Van Helsing” on Syfy.
I didn’t include “Black Summer” from Netflix as a current show, because it hasn’t been renewed for a second season and now appears to be a one-and-done mini-series.
But more post-apocalyptic-themed shows are in development. So, perhaps there’s a comeback ahead for the genre.

Snowpiercer

TBS will premiere “Snowpiercer” in spring 2020. The long-gestating series is based on the 2013 movie “Snowpiercer,” which was adapted from the French graphic novel “Le Transperceneige.” The series takes place on a globe-circumnavigating train seven years after an attempt to reverse global warming froze the world.
“Snowpiercer” stars Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs. Originally slated for TNT, WarnerMedia moved the show to TBS and approved a second season. (See articles by Entertainment Weekly, Deadline, Wikipedia and WarnerMedia news release.)

The Last Kids on Earth

Netflix is scheduled to premiere the first season of animated show “The Last Kids on Earth” on Sept. 17. It’s based on the New York Times bestselling book series.
The humorous show follows “13-year-old Jack Sullivan and a band of suburban middle schoolers who live in a decked-out tree house, play video games, gorge themselves on candy, and battle zombies in the aftermath of the monster apocalypse.” (See article by Deadline.)

Untitled Walking Dead spinoff

A third show set in AMC’s “Walking Dead” television universe is due to premiere next year. The as-yet-untitled series will follow two female protagonists and focus on the first generation to come-of-age in the zombie apocalypse, according to Variety.

Y

FX is developing a TV series based on the comic book “Y: The Last Man,” which is about the world after an illness wipes out every male on the planet except one man, Yorick Brown. The series, “Y” starring Barry Keoghan and Diane Lane, is set to premiere in 2020. (See FX press release and article by GeekTyrant.)

War of the Worlds

Canal Plus, Fox Networks Group Europe & Africa, and AGC Television are making a TV series of the classic H.G. Wells sci-fi novel. It stars Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern, according to Variety.
“Set in contemporary Europe, the reimagining will follow the pockets of humanity left on earth following an apocalyptic extra-terrestrial strike,” Deadline said. “The series is due to debut later this year on Canal+ in France, and on Fox in more than 50 markets.”

See

Apple’s new subscription video-on-demand service Apple TV+ has ordered a series called “See.” The drama stars Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard. It “takes place centuries after a virus wiped out most of Earth’s inhabitants and left the only survivors blind,” Entertainment Weekly reported.
(See Wikipedia article.)

Into the Night

Netflix will introduce its first series from Belgium in 2020, a drama called “Into the Night.” The series “tells the story about retaining humanity in the face of a cosmic disaster, as a flight departs Brussels,” according to Programming Insider.
Here’s the official synopsis from Netflix: “‘Into the Night’ begins with a sudden solar event, as the sun inexplicably starts killing everything in its path. The show centers around the ‘lucky’ passengers and crew of an overnight flight out of Brussels, as they attempt to fly west — into the safety of the dark night. The plane’s manifest is multinational and multilingual, with passengers rich and poor, young and old, civilian and military. The seemingly ordinary travelers share but one thing: A desire to survive the sun — and each other — by any means necessary.”

Reality Z

Netflix is doing a Brazilian remake of the British horror series “Dead Set,” created by Charlie Booker of “Black Mirror” fame. The show depicts what happens on a “Big Brother” type reality TV show when a zombie apocalypse breaks out. The series is set to premiere in 2020.
(See article by Deadline.)

V Wars

Netflix is producing a TV series based on the graphic comic series “V-Wars.”
“V Wars follows the story of a scientist and his best friend, as they face the evolving crisis of a deadly outbreak, that fractures society into opposing factions, potentially escalating to a future war between humans and vampires,” Wikipedia says.
(See articles by CinemaBlend and What’s on Netflix.)

Daybreak

Netflix has ordered a post-apocalyptic dramedy called “Daybreak,” based on the graphic novel of the same name. “Daybreak” follows a 17-year-old high school outcast in post-apocalyptic Glendale, California. The world is “populated by Mad Max-esque bands of marauders, including cheerleaders who have become Amazon warriors and evil jocks, and zombie-like beings known as ‘Ghoulies,’” according to the Hollywood Reporter. Season one premieres on Oct. 24.

Station Eleven

WarnerMedia has ordered a limited series based on Emily St. John Mandel’s bestseller “Station Eleven” for its HBO Max streaming video service. The story takes place after a swine flu pandemic kills most of the world’s population, according to Deadline.

Aeon Flux

MTV is doing a live-action reboot of its animated series “Aeon Flux.” The series is set in a dystopian future and revolves around a young assassin who teams with a group of biohacking rebels to save humanity. (See article by the Hollywood Reporter.)

More post-apocalyptic TV series in the works

Other post-apocalyptic themed shows have been discussed in recent years, but some might have slipped into development hell. Those shows include adaptations of novels “Dawn,” “MaddAddam” and “Who Fears Death.”
Another long-in-development show is “Judge Dredd: Mega City One,” based on the comic book and movie series.

Related articles:

Comprehensive list of post-apocalyptic TV shows

‘Black Summer’ adds new blood to post-apocalyptic TV genre

The number of television shows set in post-apocalyptic times will dip to seven after AMC’s “Into the Badlands” airs its series finale on May 6.
And one of those remaining seven, Fox’s “The Passage,” has yet to be renewed or cancelled. A decision on whether that vampire apocalypse show gets a second season will occur by mid-May, TVLine reported.
The latest post-apocalyptic themed series to air is “Black Summer,” which premiered on April 11 on Netflix. The zombie apocalypse series is reportedly set in the “Z Nation” universe of fast-moving zombies.
“Black Summer” is Netflix’s second post-apocalyptic TV show after the Danish drama “The Rain,” which returns for a sophomore season on May 17.
Other series in the genre currently airing include “The Walking Dead” (AMC), “Fear the Walking Dead” (AMC), “The 100” (CW) and “Van Helsing” (Syfy).
But more end-of-the-world entertainment is on the way.
Netflix has four additional PA shows in the works: “Daybreak,” “V-Wars,” “The Last Kids on Earth” and a series based on the “Resident Evil” video games.
Other such shows in development include “Y” on FX, “Snowpiercer” on TNT, and “See” on Apple TV Plus. AMC also is developing a second spinoff series from “The Walking Dead,” set to air next year.

Related articles:

Comprehensive list of post-apocalyptic TV shows

Post-apocalyptic TV show trend on the decline (Sept. 2, 2018)

Photos: Scenes from “Black Summer” on Netflix (Netflix)

Vampire TV shows stage comeback as zombie TV shows fade

Several years ago, you almost couldn’t change the channel on your TV without landing on a vampire show. The first half of the decade was flooded with shows about blood-suckers, including “True Blood,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Strain.” But the trend petered out. Those shows and others have since been canceled.
In its place came a wave of zombie shows, riding on the success of AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” But now zombie shows seem to be ebbing. Ratings are way down for “The Walking Dead”; Syfy recently canceled “Z Nation” after five seasons; and the CW’s “iZombie” is preparing to air its fifth and final season starting in May.
But it looks like vampire TV shows could be staging a comeback.
Earlier this month, Fox premiered “The Passage,” a drama series based on the trilogy of vampire-themed novels by Justin Cronin. It joins Syfy’s vampire apocalypse show “Van Helsing,” which was just renewed for a fourth season.
In March, FX is set to air “What We Do in the Shadows,” a comedy series based the 2014 film of the same name. It follows three vampires who have been roommates for hundreds of years.
Meanwhile, the CW has ordered a pilot for a possible series based on the 1987 vampire movie “Lost Boys.” Rob Thomas, showrunner for “iZombie,” is executive producing the new show, according to Deadline.
The following are lists of TV shows featuring vampires and zombies. I’ve included only English-language, live-action series.

Vampire TV shows:

Angel (WB, 1999-2004)
Being Human (BBC, 2008-2013)
Being Human (Syfy, 2011-2014)
Blade (Spike, 2006)
Blood Ties (Lifetime, 2007)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB, UPN; 1997-2003)
Cliffhangers: The Curse of Dracula (NBC, 1979)
Dark Shadows (ABC, 1966-1971)
Dark Shadows (NBC, 1991)
Death Valley (MTV, 2011)
Demons (ITV, 2009)
Dracula (NBC, 2013-2014)
Dracula: The Series (syndicated, 1990-1991)
Forever Knight (CBS, USA Network; 1992-1996)
From Dusk till Dawn: The Series (El Rey, 2014-2016)
The Gates (ABC, 2010)
Kindred: The Embraced (Fox, 1996)
The Lair (Here TV, 2007-2009)
Moonlight (CBS, 2007-2008)
My Babysitter’s a Vampire (Disney Channel, 2011-2012)
The Originals (CW, 2013-2018)
The Passage (Fox, 2019-present)
Penny Dreadful (Showtime, 2014-2016)
Preacher (AMC, 2016-present)
The Strain (FX, 2014-2017)
True Blood (HBO, 2008-2014)
Ultraviolet (Channel 4, 1998)
The Vampire Diaries (CW, 2009-2017)
Vampire High (YTV, 2001-2002)
Van Helsing (Syfy, 2016-present)
Young Dracula (CBBC, 2006-2014)

Zombie TV shows:

Death Valley (MTV, 2011)
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC, 2015-present)
Helix (Syfy, 2014-2015)
In the Flesh (BBC, 2013-2014)
iZombie (CW, 2015-present)
Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix; 2017-present)
The Walking Dead (AMC, 2010-present)
Z Nation (Syfy, 2014-2018)

Photos: Promotional art for “The Passage” and “Van Helsing.”

Drowning in video in the age of ‘peak TV’

In this “peak TV” era, there are simply more TV shows I want to watch than I have time to watch.
Recently I binge-watched the first two seasons of “Travelers,” a time-travel, science-fiction series, on Netflix. I loved it and I’m happy that a third season is coming.
It’s not unusual for me to come into a TV series late. Such was the case with “Dark Matter.” I watched all three seasons of that space adventure show on Netflix instead of its original home, the Syfy channel. I suspect Syfy canceled the show after underestimating its viewership numbers. Netflix doesn’t share its viewer data.
Outside of streaming video channels, TV series still rely on third-party viewer ratings for their survival. TV measurement leader Nielsen uses “live plus 7” numbers for its ratings. It adds those who watch a show live with how many watched it as much as 7 days later on digital video recorders.
Ratings from people like me aren’t captured by Nielsen’s L7 metric. That’s because I often wait weeks to start watching a new season of a show on linear TV. I like to store up several episodes on my DVR and then binge-watch. Fast-forwarding through commercials is a time-saving bonus.
One Nielsen study showed that viewership for some shows can rise as much as 58% after the L7 window, depending on the genre of programming.
This year more than 500 English-language scripted TV shows are set for release, according to FX CEO John Landgraf, who coined the term “peak TV.” I pity professional TV critics who have to keep up with all this new content.
As a fan of the medium, I know I can’t keep up. My DVR still has the premiere season of “Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger” on Freeform and second season of “Westworld” on HBO.
I only recently finished the fourth and final season of “12 Monkeys,” which had been on my DVR since the series concluded on July 6.
To enjoy the embarrassment of riches brought by peak TV, I’ve had to quit subpar shows such as “The Walking Dead” on AMC.
On Netflix alone, I have 19 series that I have yet to watch that are in my queue. Plus, there are 15 more shows that I’ve watched and plan to watch new seasons.
I also have several series I’ve been meaning to watch on DVD from Netflix’s separate disc-by-mail service. And there are shows I could watch on Amazon Prime Video, but I just don’t have the time.
I recently read some glowing reviews for “Sharp Objects” on HBO. How am I going to squeeze that one in?
And the fall broadcast TV season is just getting started.

Photo: “Travelers” on Netflix.

Midseason TV premieres for sci-fi, fantasy, horror fans

The explosion of television shows known as “peak TV” has made keeping up with new programs difficult, even for people like me who largely gravitate to science-fiction, fantasy and horror genre shows.
While I’m caught up on my broadcast and cable TV favorites, I’ve still got a bunch of streaming shows I’d like to watch, including “Star Trek Discovery” on CBS All Access and “Altered Carbon” and “Dark” on Netflix.
What follows is a list of TV show premieres I’m looking forward to catching in the weeks and months ahead:

• Feb. 25: “The Walking Dead,” second half of season eight on AMC
• Feb. 26: “iZombie,” season four on the CW
• March 2: “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD,” second half of season five on ABC
• March 8: “Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” season two on Netflix
• March 26: “The Terror” on AMC
• April 2: “The Crossing” on ABC
• April 3: “Legion,” season two on FX
• April 22: “Westworld,” season two on HBO
• April 24: “The 100,” season five on the CW
• Spring: “The Rain” on Netflix
• Summer: “12 Monkeys,” fourth and final season on Syfy
• Mid-2018: “The Last Ship,” season five on TNT
• 2018: “Colony,” season three on USA Network

Photos: Promotional art for “Legion” and “12 Monkeys.”

‘The Exorcist’ kicks off returning TV favorites

The fall TV season has gotten off to an uneven start. “Star Trek: Discovery,” a quality sci-fi space adventure show, debuted on CBS, while “The Orville,” a lousy Star Trek-homage/dramedy, has stunk up Fox.
Unfortunately all of the remaining episodes of “Star Trek: Discovery” will air on subscription video-on-demand service CBS All Access, to which I don’t plan to subscribe.
There aren’t many new shows I’m interested in, but I have a bunch of returning favorites, starting with the season-two premiere of “The Exorcist” on Fox tonight.
Season one was surprisingly good and scary. It also served as a fine sequel to the classic 1973 movie “The Exorcist.”
Other shows on my watch list include season 13 of “Supernatural” on the CW, premiering Oct. 12; season eight of “The Walking Dead” on AMC, premiering Oct. 22; and season two of “Stranger Things” on Netflix, available Oct. 27.
Yes, I'm a fan of science-fiction, horror and fantasy shows.

Related reading:

Fall TV season 2017 thoughts; ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ most anticipated (Sept. 4, 2017)

Post-apocalyptic TV has ebbed; One new show this fall

American television reached peak post-apocalyptic TV last year when 16 such genre shows were airing.
This fall there will be 13 such shows airing or renewed for new seasons. Only one new post-apocalyptic-themed show is scheduled to premiere this season and it’s on a small network: “Extinct” on BYUtv.
The current lineup of post-apocalyptic TV series includes three zombie apocalypse shows: “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead” on AMC and “Z Nation” on Syfy.
Three shows take place after a viral pandemic: “The Last Ship” on TNT, “12 Monkeys” on Syfy and “The Last Man on Earth” on Fox.
Other shows picture our world destroyed by nuclear war, alien invasion, vampire outbreaks and other means. They are: “The 100” on the CW, “Colony” on USA, “Van Helsing” on Syfy, “Into the Badlands” on AMC, “The Shannara Chronicles” on MTV, and “Zoo” on CBS.
Post-apocalyptic TV shows that ended or are ending this year include “The Leftovers” on HBO and “The Strain” on FX. “Aftermath” on Syfy was canceled in January after one season.
“12 Monkeys” was renewed for a fourth and final season to premiere in 2018.
As for “Extinct,” it was created by “Ender’s Game” author Orson Scott Card. The 10-episode action series takes place 400 years after the extinction of the human race and follows a small group of humans who are revived by an alien civilization.
“Extinct” will premiere on Oct. 1.
More post-apocalyptic-themed shows are in the works.
I’ll cover those in my next post.

Photo: Still from “Extinct,” which premieres Oct. 1 on BYUtv.

My favorite TV shows on right now: The 100, iZombie and more

My list of favorite TV shows changes every season due to cancellations and my evolving tastes.
I gravitate to genre shows like science-fiction, fantasy and horror because I want to be surprised. I don’t get that from most police and lawyer shows.
I also prefer dramas to sitcoms. Even when sitcoms are good, I tend to get tired of them after one season. (Most recent example: “The Last Man on Earth.”)
Among the shows I dropped from my viewing list this year are “Fear the Walking Dead” (season one was mediocre; season two is unwatchable), “Lucifer” (I expect the devil to be more formidable than this guy) and “Mr. Robot” (I binge-watched season one on DVD. It was one of the best shows I’ve seen in recent years for the first 7 episodes then turns to complete crap with the big reveal that one key character is imaginary. What a tired plot twist.). I enjoyed season two of “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” but ABC canceled the show.
So with the 2015-16 TV season at its end, here are my favorite TV shows on right now.

The 100

After three seasons, this post-apocalyptic drama continues to excite, surprise and challenge me. “The 100” is brutal and uncompromising, much like HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” I can’t wait for season four on the CW.

iZombie

The most fun show on TV right now, thanks to the brilliant writing and terrific acting, especially by Rose McIver as zombie/medical examiner Liv Moore. Looking forward to season three of “iZombie” on the CW.

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD

This comic-book action show has gotten better with age. Season three featured the show’s most frightening villain yet in Hive. “Agents of SHIELD” has been renewed for a fourth season on ABC.

Adventure Time

The Cartoon Network’s “Adventure Time” is one of those shows that is written for adults but kids can enjoy on a simpler level. Seven seasons in, this animated adventure show about a human boy and his magical dog in the strange Land of Ooo is super entertaining.

The Walking Dead

AMC’s zombie apocalypse drama “The Walking Dead” just concluded its sixth season. And it was a nail-biter. Season seven will feature the villain Negan from the comic book as the big bad.

This summer I’m looking forward to the return of “The Last Ship” and “The Strain,” both in their third seasons.

A record 12 post-apocalyptic TV series currently airing

A record 12 post-apocalyptic themed TV series are currently airing on U.S. television networks. And it could soon be 13.
A good argument could be made that pop culture mirrors the present collective mindset of the populace. People have a pretty gloomy take on the world right now. The global economy is sputtering, the Middle East is war torn, Europe is being flooded with refugees, and the U.S. is mired in political conflict.
Since President Barack Obama took office in January 2009, 19 post-apocalyptic TV shows have premiered. (It’s 20 if you count “You, Me and the Apocalypse,” which premieres Thursday on NBC. That show begins with a pre-apocalyptic scenario that could go post-apocalyptic.)
During the two terms of his predecessor, President George W. Bush, two post-apocalyptic shows premiered in the U.S.
The popularity of such end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it type shows brings out the dime store psychiatrist in me.
Maybe it’s cathartic to watch characters surviving under the worst situations imaginable. Viewers can always tell themselves that at least they’re not THAT bad off.
Apocalyptic events in TV shows currently airing include zombie uprisings (“The Walking Dead,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Z Nation”), alien invasion (“Colony”), biblical rapture (“The Leftovers”), viral pandemics (“The Last Ship,” “The Last Man on Earth” and “12 Monkeys”), animal uprising (“Zoo”), and war (“The 100,” “Into the Badlands” and “The Shannara Chronicles.”)
“You, Me and the Apocalypse” will bring a seventh apocalyptic scenario. The comedy takes place in the last days of mankind as a comet is on a collision course with Earth.
Is that comet a metaphor for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton becoming the next president of the United States?

Photos: Promotional artwork for season three of “The 100,” the midseason premiere of season six of “The Walking Dead,” and the premiere of “You, Me and Apocalypse.” 

Entertainment predictions: Final season for ‘Walking Dead’ announced and more

Entertainment bloggers and journalists have weighed in with their predictions for 2016.
Here are some notable predictions covering movies, TV shows and music that caught my eye.

‘The Walking Dead’ final season will be announced

Joseph Lee, a writer for 411mania, thinks AMC will set an end date for its hit series “The Walking Dead,” currently in its sixth season, sometime in 2016.
“Regardless of what some people think, TV shows can’t go on forever,” he wrote. “‘The Walking Dead’ returned to lower ratings than we’re used to … and the lukewarm reception of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ tell me that maybe everyone’s getting a little tired of zombies.”
He doesn’t believe season seven will be the last, maybe not even season eight, but AMC will announce when the final season will be, he said. AMC is likely to announce the end of the show with a multi-season deal, Lee said.

‘Batman v Superman’ will beat ‘Captain America’

The website Moviepilot predicts that “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” will beat “Captain America: Civil War” at the box office.
“I think that ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ will be the real winner of the battle,” Moviepilot writer Luke Gordon Smith said in a post on Oct. 23, 2015. “Even though the Marvel Cinematic Universe has many movies to back it up and the DC Cinematic Universe only has one, ‘Batman v Superman’ pulls more weight in the superhero world, and will pull more fans at the end of the day.”

2016 will see a superhero movie bomb

Moviepilot’s Smith also thinks at least one of the big-budget superhero movies coming out in 2016 will be a box-office disaster.
“As there are seven superhero movies scheduled next year, I think that more than one of them will bomb,” he said. “In my opinion, seven is just too much. I know I will see them all, but your regular person will probably get tired of the constant comic book based genre. ‘Deadpool,’ ‘Gambit’ and ‘Doctor Strange’ all have things going against them. ‘Deadpool’ is rated R, and ‘Gambit’ and ‘Doctor Strange’ are relatively smaller superheroes. All of these things will lead to at least one superhero bomb.”

Frances, Jack Garratt and Nao are music artists to watch in 2016

The BBC and Google Play Music both announced their predictions for breakthrough music artists for 2016.
The BBC picked 15 artists and the Google Play Music list included 10 artists.
Three were on both lists: Frances, Jack Garratt and Nao.
Music discovery app Shazam also made its predictions for the breakout artists of 2016.
“According to its data, artists like Andra Day, who recently teamed up with Stevie Wonder for ‘Someday At Christmas,’ Tory Lanez and Post Malone are set for big things in 2016,” Revolt reported.

Disney buys a big video game publisher

Variety magazine’s writers and editors predict that Walt Disney will buy a big video game publisher like Electronic Arts in 2016.
“After spending big to buy Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm, Disney continues its trend of major acquisitions by purchasing a high-profile video-game company such as EA in order to exploit Disney’s wide-ranging library of costumed ‘Avengers’ and ‘Star Wars’ Jedis,” Variety says.

Summer Olympics in Rio will be a mess

“The Rio Olympics will be plagued by problems, in part a result of the political and economic turmoil plaguing the Brazilians. It will go down as the most poorly run and executed Olympics in history,” Andrew Klausner, founder and principal of AK Advisory Partners, a consultancy to the financial services industry, told Forbes.

Porn will invade virtual reality

With three major virtual reality systems set to hit the market, adult entertainment studios are making porn for the immersive experience.
Industry officials writing on XBiz.net predicted that the porn business will make waves the VR market in 2016.
Adult studio Naughty America will be at CES, aka the Consumer Electronics Show, next week to show off their VR porn.

Photo: Promotional art for “The Walking Dead” season six midseason premiere.

Fall TV season update: ‘iZombie’ shines, new shows fail to impress

Once again, the broadcast networks have delivered an uninspired lineup of new TV shows for the fall season.
I gave four new shows a try this fall after conducting due diligence.
This year’s one-and-done show for me was “Quantico.” The pilot episode was terrible and I couldn’t proceed. It was just too stupid for me to enjoy. And while series lead Priyanka Chopra is beautiful, she is unconvincing as an FBI agent.
“The Muppets” is OK, but needs to be edgier and funnier. After five episodes, I’m not committed to watching any more.
“Blindspot” puts the b in dumb, as I like to say, but it’s fairly entertaining. The acting is sub-par, but there is enough interesting plotting and good action to keep me watching for now. But I probably wouldn’t miss it if I quit.
And finally I gave “Heroes Reborn” a shot. It’s pretty good as a limited-run series. But I doubt I’d keep watching if it gets renewed.
That leaves me with returning shows on my watch list. They are “iZombie,” “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD,” “Supernatural” and “The Walking Dead.” (I quit watching “Z Nation,” which got tedious.)
Of those returning shows, the standout is “iZombie,” now in its second season on the CW. It’s a dynamite comic book show about a medical examiner who helps solve murders while investigating the tainted drug that turned her and others into brain-eating undead.
“iZombie” is consistently the funniest show on TV. Actress Rose McIver deserves Emmy consideration for her performance as M.E. Olivia “Liv” Moore.
To sustain herself, Moore must eat human brains, but when she does so she takes on the personality of those she consumes. This creates a lot of comic possibilities as Moore eats the brains of a college frat boy, a materialistic socialite, gung-ho basketball coach and others.
Trust me, it’s a hoot.

Post-apocalyptic TV shows continue to proliferate

The number of post-apocalyptic themed TV shows currently airing rose to 11 recently with the big revelation on “Wayward Pines.”
On episode five of the 10-episode first season of the Fox show, viewers learned that the residents of Wayward Pines, Idaho, are living in the year 4028 in humanity’s only sanctuary. The residents were brought out of cryosleep to rebuild the human race after climate change and the rise of genetically mutated human aberrations laid waste to the planet.
The other post-apocalyptic TV shows are “The Walking Dead” (AMC, zombie apocalypse), “Falling Skies” (TNT, alien invasion), “Defiance” (Syfy, alien invasion), “The 100” (The CW, nuclear war); “Dominion” (Syfy, angel-human war), “The Last Ship” (TNT, viral pandemic), “The Leftovers” (HBO, Biblical rapture), “Z Nation” (Syfy, zombie apocalypse), “12 Monkeys” (Syfy, viral pandemic), and “The Last Man on Earth” (Fox, viral pandemic).
Of those, “Falling Skies” is ending this summer after its fifth season concludes.
But more post-apocalyptic shows are coming.
This fall will bring AMC’s spin-off zombie apocalypse show “Fear the Walking Dead,” which is set in Los Angeles at the start of the outbreak. It will premiere on Aug. 23.
USA Network will launch “Colony,” which takes place in L.A. after an alien invasion, in mid-October.
MTV is prepping “The Shannara Chronicles,” a fantasy series set long after Earth was destroyed in a chemical and nuclear holocaust.
NBC is readying a mid-season replacement called “You, Me, and the End of the World.” Previously titled “Apocalypse,” the sci-fi comedy stars Rob Lowe, Jenna Fischer and Megan Mullaly.
Meanwhile, Demarest is working on a television adaptation of the graphic novel “Empire of the Dead” from horror movie director George A. Romero, who launched the zombie apocalypse category.
The boom in post-apocalyptic television started in the first term of President Barack Obama, who took office in January 2009. America was mired in recession and facing the ever-present threat of terrorist attacks by Islamic militants. Mass shootings and racial unrest in the cities have been frequent headlines in recent years, weighing on the psyche of the public and filmmakers.
This summer, Walt Disney Co. tried to offer the public an optimistic take on the future with the big-budget movie “Tomorrowland.” But it bombed.

Check out my comprehensive list of post-apocalyptic TV shows. 

Photos: Posters for “Wayward Pines” and “Fear the Walking Dead.” 

Will ‘Walking Dead’ companion show use the word ‘zombies’?

The creator of “The Walking Dead” comic book and TV show, Robert Kirkman, has made a point of not using the word “zombies” to describe his living dead ghouls.
The people in the “The Walking Dead” world apparently have never heard of the term zombie or seen a zombie movie like “Dawn of the Dead” or “Zombieland.” Instead, they use the term “walker,” which previously was only used to describe people getting exercise by walking (such as “mall walkers”) or a crutch frame for the disabled or elderly.
In “The Walking Dead,” set on the East Coast of the U.S., the main characters use the term “walkers” to describe zombies. Other people they have met have called the living dead “biters,” “rotters” and “roamers.”
This summer, AMC will air a companion series called “Fear the Walking Dead,” which is set in Los Angeles, home to Hollywood. It is an original series, with characters and stories not based on a comic book.
But Kirkman is likely to stick to his concept that the people in “The Walking Dead” live in an alternate universe where zombie movies, books and other fiction were never made, so the term “zombie” would be unknown to the characters.
In a time of post-modern horror movies and TV shows, where characters are familiar with all the concepts of vampires, werewolves and the like, characters in “The Walking Dead” are blissfully ignorant.
It will be interesting to see what characters in “Fear the Walking Dead” call zombies. Will they independently come up with the term “walkers”? (That’s a stretch.) Or will they use some other term?
We’ll find out this summer.

Photos: Scenes from the upcoming “Fear the Walking Dead.”