If non-starter franchise TV isn’t at a nadir, all one needs to do is look at the recent Marvel TV reckoning—the Studio finally coming to terms with the fact that they have to tell television in a TV format using experienced TV people and changing creative course—to understand that it’s in trouble creatively. Both Marvel and Lucasfilm (“Star Wars”) have fumbled around and squandered their I.P. on television, wasting an opportunity to tell stories about lesser but still-beloved characters and mainly crafting shallow episodic building blocks to other pieces of I.P.

Continue reading ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Review: A Mix Of Epic Scale & Human Drama Gets Franchise TV Right at The Playlist.

The debut season of “Outcast” was never a ratings juggernaut. However, over time, the series developed a large enough cult following that was large enough to inspire a season 2, albeit, one which premiered overseas before making its return to Cinemax this summer. A horror/drama hybrid that relies heavily on themes of possession and exorcism, all within the confines of an isolated small town, it swiftly establishes its eerie tone, a capable effort that further brings horror to television.

Continue reading ‘Outcast’s’ Patrick Fugit & Chris Black Talk Working With Robert Kirkman And Appeal Of Character-Driven Horror at The Playlist.