TV Bits: 'Knightfall', 'Talent', 'Jupiter's Legacy', 'Into The Badlands', 'The Son', 'Luther', 'Project Blue Book', 'The Crown'

In this edition of TV Bits:

The second season of Knightfall, History Channel's answer to Game of Thrones, now has a trailer (which you can watch above), and a premiere date: March 25. The series "goes inside the medieval politics and warfare of the Knights Templar, the most powerful, wealthy and mysterious military order of the Middle Ages. The series goes deep into the clandestine world of this legendary brotherhood of warrior monks to learn who these knights were, how they lived, and what they died believing. With the historical and ruthless downfall of the Templar Order on the horizon, season two focuses on themes such as power, redemption, revenge, betrayal, family, and ultimately an epic war between church and state." This season will feature a familiar face: Mark Hamill, who joins the cast as "new character Talus, a battle-hardened Knight Templar veteran and initiate master who is tasked with preparing the next generation of men to proudly wear the iconic red cross on their chests and become 'God's Executioners.'"

I've never seen Justified, but I've heard it's great. One day I'll get around to sitting down and watching it. Meanwhile, that show's creator, Graham Yost, has a new show in the works. Fox wants Yost to develop Talent, based on the graphic novel series by Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski. The show follows a woman named Nicole who wakes up in a hospital and "learns she is the sole survivor of a tragic accident that claimed the lives of 148 people. As rumors around her 'miraculous' survival begin to swirl, Nicole discovers she has inherited the talents of those who perished. Armed with these new abilities, she must use her second chance to bring closure to their unfinished stories and solve the mystery of the accident, all while trying to escape a past that continues to haunt her." Sort of sounds like Unbreakable, but with a supernatural bent.

Jupiter's Legacy, the new superhero series from Steven S. DeKnight based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, has announced its cast. Here's a breakdown of who is playing who:

JOSH DUHAMEL is Sheldon Sampson.

Sheldon Sampson (The Utopian) is the storied leader of the superhero team The Union.  But times have changed, and he doesn't understand the world we live in anymore. Or his own family.

BEN DANIELS is Walter Sampson.

Walter Sampson (Brain-Wave) is Sheldon's older brother. A man of vast intellect and cunning who, unlike Sheldon, isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Or bloody.

LESLIE BIBB is Grace Sampson.

Grace Sampson (Lady Liberty) is Sheldon's wife and one of the most powerful heroes on the planet. She doesn't always agree with Sheldon, but strives to balance his ideals with the reality of  the modern, often violent, world they live in.

ELENA KAMPOURIS is Chloe Sampson.

Chloe Sampson is Grace and Sheldon's daughter. Rejecting everything her parents stand for, Chloe has forged her own hedonistic path far away from them. A path that threatens to go against everything her parents have sworn to protect.

ANDREW HORTON is Brandon Sampson.

Brandon Sampson is Grace and Sheldon's son. In training to assume the mantle of The Utopian and become the new leader of The Union, he struggles to live up to his father's mythic legend.

MIKE WADE is Fitz Small.

Fitz Small (The Flare) is the heart and soul of The Union. Despite suffering injuries that ended his career as a superhero, he continues to be one of the most valued members of the team. And is often the only thing holding them together in the face of an increasingly hostile world.

MATT LANTER is George Hutchence.

George Hutchence (Skyfox) was Sheldon Sampson's closest friend and ally before turning against him and the rest of his teammates in The Union. Now considered the greatest supervillain in the world, George plots his revenge on the teammates he believes betrayed him.

The series "follows the world's first generation of superheroes who received their powers in the 1930s. Now, in present day, they are the revered elder guard, but their superpowered children struggle to live up to the legendary feats of their parents." Superhero shows are breaking out all over. In addition to Netflix's Umbrella Academy, we also have HBO's Watchmen, arriving this year.

AMC has pulled the plug on two shows: Into the Badlands, which I've heard good things about, and The Son, which I've never heard of at all. In Into the Badlands, "A mighty warrior and a young boy search for enlightenment in a ruthless territory controlled by feudal barons." While The Son is "a multi-generational epic telling of the story of America's birth as a superpower through the bloody rise and fall of one Texas oil empire." The final Into the Badlands episode will begin March 2, while the final The Son episodes start April 27.

Luther season 5 now has a premiere date. BBC America will debut the latest entry in the Idris Elba series Sunday, June 2. In the latest season (or series, as they say in the UK), "A new spate of nightmarish murders brings DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) to once again face the depths of human depravity on the streets of London. While the monstrous and seemingly indiscriminate killings become ever more audacious and public, Luther and new recruit D.S. Catherine Halliday (Wunmi Mosaku) are confounded by a complex tangle of leads and misdirection that seems designed to protect an untouchable corruption. As the body count rises, and gangster George Cornelius (Patrick Malahide) applies his own pressure, can Luther catch a killer and save his own neck?"

Project Blue Book, the History Channel show about UFOs, just scored itself a second season. The series, which stars Aidan Gillen, has had very strong ratings, which is why History is giving it another go. "We are believers in Project Blue Book and so is our audience who has sparked a conversation about the hundreds of unsolved cases and our nation's military response to UFOs that have remained relatively secret until now," said Eli Lehrer, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming at the History Channel (via Deadline).

Netflix drew some sharp criticism when it was revealed that Claire Foy was paid significantly less than co-star Matt Smith on The Crown, even though Foy was the star. According to Ted Sarandos, Netflix content chief, the attention drawn to this disparity served as a wake-up call to the streaming service. "The show turned out to be an enormous show for Netflix and it was an incredible launching pad for Claire Foy's career," Sarandos said (via Deadline). "I can't comment on her salary, I wasn't in charge of it. But there was a disparity. What it did for us is, it had us go back and look at all of our productions and all of our productions that were being run by third parties, to make sure none of those disparities existed." Which is good to hear.