TV Bits: 'Vikings', 'Paradise Lost', 'Castle Rock', 'Supernatural', 'Black Monday', 'High School Musical', 'The Stand'
In this edition of TV Bits:
It's time to say goodbye to Vikings. The History Channel series is coming to an end with season 6, which will find our Viking heroes battling Russia (probably because Russia interfered with the Viking elections). Here's the synopsis:
After years of turmoil and tragedy, the series reaches its biggest climax yet with the Vikings traveling to never-before-seen locations thousands of miles from Kattegat, meeting vicious rivals worthy of their strategic combat and finally facing the consequences of Ragnar's death. The Seer's visions come to fruition as the final season answers important life-altering questions while making it clear, the war is far from over.
The 20-episode final season arrives December 4.
Josh Hartnett is sticking with TV. The actor had a lead role on the underrated Penny Dreadful, and now he's set to star in Paradise Lost, a new Southern gothic drama series. The series co-stars Bridget Regan, and, per Deadline, "is a mystery drama set in the south that follows Hartnett and Regan's characters as they move from California to a small town in Mississippi where they uncover a mystery that needs solving, in a slightly unusual fashion." The series was produced by Paramount Television, which indicates it'll probably end up on The Paramount Network. But Paramount is also in the midst of shopping the show around for a global buyer.
Castle Rock season 2 is gearing up to bring viewers back to Stephen King's haunted little town, and there's now a poster to get you hyped. This season brings in a major player from King's bibliography: Annie Wilkes, aka the crazy nurse from King's Misery. Kathy Bates played Annie (and won an Oscar for her work) in the Misery film adaptation, but Castle Rock has Lizzie Caplan taking on the role. In season 2 "a feud between warring clans comes to a boil when budding psychopath Annie Wilkes, Stephen King's nurse from hell, gets waylaid in Castle Rock." In addition to Caplan, season 2 features Tim Robbins, Paul Sparks, Yusra Warsama, Barkhad Abdi, Elsie Fisher, and Matthew Alan. Look for it on Hulu starting October 23.
Somehow, Supernatural has lasted for 15 seasons. That's both crazy and impressive. I'll confess I gave up on the show around season 5, having had enough of it all. But fans have stuck with the series, and those same fans are no doubt sad to see the show come to a close. But 15 seasons is no small feat, so Supernatural lovers should take solace in knowing the show stuck around for so long. In season 15, "The epic journey of the Winchester brothers come to a close as Supernatural enters its final season. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) have battled demons and angels, mythical creatures and monsters, in a seemingly unending quest to save the world. But in the final battle of the show's 14th season, they face off against God Himself (Rob Benedict), refusing to kill their surrogate nephilim son Jack (Alexander Calvert), and thus bringing about God's decision to end this reality once and for all..." Season 15 is now airing.
Black Monday, Showtime's 1980s Wall Street series, has added two new cast members. Dulé Hill and June Diane Raphael are both taking on recurring roles on the show (per Deadline), which "chronicles the 31st anniversary of the worst stock market crash in the history of Wall Street. To this day, no one knows exactly who caused the Oct. 19, 1987, stock market crash — until now. Join some outsiders as they take on the blue-blood club of Wall Street. Join them as they cause the crashing of the world's largest financial system, a Lamborghini limousine, the glass ceiling, and Don Henley's birthday party." The second season will air sometime in 2020.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which is a real thing, I swear, is destined for Disney+. But before it gets there, Disney is going to debut the first episode on ABC, the Disney Channel, and Freeform. These three Disney-owned networks will premiere the first episode on November 8 ahead of the November 12 launch of Disney+. The 10-episode is "set as the real-life East High, where the original movie was filmed, follows a group of students as they countdown to opening night of their school's first-ever production of High School Musical. With meta references and some docu-style elements, it's a modern take on the "classic" from 15 years ago. Show-mances blossom; friendships are tested, while new ones are made; rivalries flare; songs are sung; and lives are changed forever as these young people discover the transformative power that only high school theater can provide."
Stephen King's The Stand has a huge cast of characters, so it makes sense that the new CBS All Access adaptation is still adding actors. Per Variety, Eion Bailey, Katherine McNamara, and Hamish Linklater are the latest additions to a cast that includes James Marsden, Amber Heard, Whoopi Goldberg, and Alexander Skarsgård. Bailey will play Teddy Weizak, McNamara is Julie Lawry, and Linklater is Dr. Ellis. No release date has been set yet, but The Stand is likely to debut on CBS All Access next year.