If you aren’t watching Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, then you really should be! Since last year’s (spoiler alert) fall of SHIELD in Captain America: Winter Soldier, the show has been firing on all cylinders both creatively- and literally (the story movement has been nonstop). The team’s recent addition of Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki) has been fantastic as has the mystery of Director Coulson’s alien writings. Is it Kree? Could it tie into the Inhumans? Are we seeing seeds planted for Age of Ultron or Captain America: Civil War? As many great questions that you can ask, here is hoping some of them pan out!

Tonight’s all new episode airs at 9pm on ABC. Here is the official description from ABC:

Marvel’s Agents of Shield, “The Writing on the Wall”
The team discovers murder victims who have on their bodies the same alien glyphs on them that Coulson’s been etching, and all of Coulson’s secrets and lies come to a head.

You can watch previews and past clips that tie into the episode on ABC GO.

8PM
CBS: NCIS (crime drama)
ABC: Selfie (comedy)
NBC: The Voice (competition)
FOX: MasterChef Junior (kid competition)
CW: The Flash (superhero drama)
OXYGEN: Bad Girls Club (reality)
TVLAND: Family Feud (gameshow)

9PM
CW: Supernatural (supernatural drama)
NBC: The Voice (competition)
CBS: NCIS: New Orleans (crime drama)
FOX: New Girl/The Mindy Project (comedies)
A&E: Storage Wars (reality)
OXYGEN: Nail’d It! (docu)
BRAVO: The Real Housewives of New Jersey (reality)

10PM
FX: Sons of Anarchy (drama)
NBC: Chicago Fire (drama)
CBS: Person of Interest (thriller/drama)
ABC: Forever (supernatural cop drama)
FOOD: Chopped (cooking competition)
CNBC: The Profit (reality)
MTV: Awkward/Faking It/Happyland (comedy)

Hot off the news that FOX has picked up Gotham, a Batman prequel focusing on young Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon before he became the police commissioner, comes the news that we’ll be seeing a lot of comic inspired shows next season! So many show sin fact that we’ll be splitting this article into multiple parts.

Marvel’s Agent Carter (ABC)
Spinning directly out of Captain America: The First Avenger and the Agent Carter short film, Hayley Atwell returns to the role in a action series that takes place in the 1940s and recounts the origin of SHIELD.  As we reported on earlier (SEE: TV News: Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter), Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas have been tapped as showrunners, with Steve McFeely, Christopher Marcus, and Jeph Loeb executive producing. ABC’s official description: The story is set in 1946 and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life – Steve Rogers.

It should be really interesting to see how they shape the series moving forward. There are other heroes and villains from the 40s that could be interesting to see (the original robotic Human Torch or Namor for example). I wonder if they’ll tie the series into Agents of SHIELD at all. Peggy Carter stops a bad guy and finds a powerful weapon, then in the future that weapon is stolen from SHIELD and Agent Coulson’s team must find it. (possible spoiler for Captain America: The Winter Soldier). It would also be pretty cool to see the seeds of HYDRA planted in SHIELD from the beginning. Also, it’d be great to see folks like Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough), Jim Morita (Kenneth Choi), and the Howling Commandos again. Plus, could we see a young Nick Fury in action? Sure, Sam Jackson wasn’t born until 1948, but in the comics Nick Fury is nearly a century old and uses the Infinity Formula to slow his aging and stay strong. Would be cool to see this element of Fury added into the mix along with seeing him rise the ranks from Agent of SHIELD to Director of the spy agency.

The Flash (The CW)
Lets change pace from Marvel Comics to DC Comics for a moment as DC is bringing one of their big guns to the small screen. Justice League member and speedster Barry Allen, the Flash, is spinning directly out of DC’s other successful CW series Arrow. Barry, as portrayed by Grant Gustin, was established in a couple episodes of Arrow as a young CSI who has a keen interest in meta crimes. The CW’s official description: The Flash focuses on scientist Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), who’s given powers that transform him into the Fastest Man Alive. 

On one hand I’m surprised they cast Barry so young, I always picture him as being at least in his thirties. But on the other hand it makes sense to cast him young and let Gustin grow into the role. This could also differentiate the series from a possible Flash film series, where they can make him a bit older. I’d love to see them cross villains over between The Flash and Arrow, and it could lead to a lot of other possible DC spinoffs (Green Lantern? Wonder Woman?). In addition to Gustin, the cast includes Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Panabaker, Rick Cosnett, Candice Patton, Tom Cavanagh, Carlos Valdes, and John Wesley Shipp, the Flash of the 90s television series.

Constantine (NBC)
Three heroes. Three networks. Constantine is an anti-hero from DC Comic’s dark (and magical) corner of their universe. Forget the Keanu Reeves movie, because Matt Ryan is the striking image of a young John Constantine. Maybe they will also get the rest right. The show is executive produced by David Goyer (Writer of Nolan’s Batman flicks) and directed by Neil Marshall (who helmed such movies as The Descent and Doomsday). The Wiki description of the DC Comic character: Constantine is a working-class magician, occult detective, and con man stationed in London. He is known for his endless cynicism, deadpan snarking, ruthless cunning, and constant chain smoking, but is also a passionate humanist driven by a heartfelt desire to do some good in his life.

This show needs to be dark, gritty, and with a touch of noir. A mix between Angel and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Constantine is one of those heroes that is at his best when he is beat down and on the edge of his sanity. NBC, please do not sugar coat the series or try to make it appeal to kiddies. And I hope I’m not asking too much when I say that I need Zatanna to be part of the cast; fishnets, top hat, and all. (It might be cool to also see characters like the Swamp Thing. Just saying.)

In Part 2 we will be looking at some more Comics that are being turned into television series in the 2014 – 2015 season. Which of these three shows are you excited about?

Okay, we are five episodes into Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and I have to say, I dig it. Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson genuinely looks like he is having a blast as he chews through the scenery. I love the nods to the movies and seeing both Maria Hill and Nick Fury earlier in the season was shocking (I figured we’d get one, both both? Awesome.). The show feels like it is firmly set in the Marvel movie universe and I love that we’re getting to see more of the said universe. What will happen when the new Thor movie is released? Will we see any of the supporting characters? How about the big guy himself?

My only complaint so far is that the rest of the team needs to be fleshed out a bit more. I want to know more about them. Fitz and Simmons are a lot of fun, Agent May has shown shades of her dark past, but why should we root for Agent Ward or Skye? Neither have drawn me in the way past Whedon leads have. They don’t have the Buffy and Angel chemistry, Captain Mal’s wit, or Echo’s mysterious past and circumstances. Than again, we have plenty of time to learn more about the team and I’ll be along for the ride.

Official Description, “Girl in the Flower Dress”: Coulson and the team travel to Asia to rescue a young man with an unusual and dangerous power. Meanwhile, Skye has a secret that jeopardizes her relationship with the team.

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD airs tonight at 8pm on ABC. What else is on tonight?

8PM
CBS: NCIS (crime drama)
CW: The Originals (supernatural drama)
NBC: The Biggest Loser (competition)
ABCFAM: Pretty little Liars (teen drama)
FOX: Dads/Brooklyn Nine Nine (comedies)
CNN: Anderson Cooper 360 (news showcase)
DIS: Wolfblood (info)

9PM
CW: Supernatural (supernatural drama)
ABCFAM: Ravenswood (teen drama)
NBC: The Voice (competition)
CBS: NCIS Los Angeles (crime drama)
ABC: The Goldbergs/Trophy Wife (comedies)
SYFY: Face Off (competition)
FOX: New Girl/The Mindy Project (comedies)

10PM
FX: Sons of Anarchy (drama)
NBC: Chicago Fire (drama)
CBS: Person of Interest (thriller/drama)
TNT: Cold Justice
LIFE: Chasing Nashville (reality)
MTV: (10:30) Awkward (teen)
CNBC: Car Chasers (reality)

The San Diego Comic Con has begun and with it we are being flooded with awesome geek news- from both the actual con and the lead up to it. Lets start with one of the biggest comic book movies that is currently in production…

Bishop (Omar Sy- pictured to the left in costume) has been confirmed to appear in X-Men: Days of Future Past! The time traveling mutant has been rumored to be part of the cast, but we did not get confirmation until this past week. With Day of Future Past‘s story involving time travel, he was a good candidate for a role, especially when you consider the other notable time traveling mutant and fan favorite Cable, has had his parents killed off before he could be born (Scott Summers is his father and a clone of Jean Grey is his mother- but the real Jean Grey raised him in the future in someone else’s body… yeah, we don’t have to get into the specifics. Maybe it is a good thing that Bryan Singer choose Bishop instead of Cable). I just hope Bishop’s role is not a cameo.

Lets stay on topic with some more Marvel Comics adaptation news. (SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!) Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD just keeps sounding better and better. First they got Joss Whedon on board to write and direct it. They put together an awesome writing/producing team of  Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon (Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible). Brought Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson back to life after his tragic Avengers death. Put together a damn good cast with Ming-Na Wen, J. August Richards, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, and Elizabeth Henstridge. And now from the floor of the San Diego Comic Con and the show’s first public screening we have confirmation of the return of Agent Maria Hill (played by the wonderful Cobie Smulders). I am so excited for this show (premieres on September 24th). I just can not wait for the further adventures of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

The Walking Dead premiered a first look trailer for season 4 and my jaw is still on the floor. The footage might be spoiler-y or it could just be misleading. We’ll have to wait for the show to return on October 13th to really find out. You can watch it here. The trailer gives us a first look at Lawrence Gilliard Jr as a very (and I mean very) different Bob Stookey than the one we met in the comics, along with Tyreese in a scene that looks like it is ripped from the comics but in a different location, Michonne on a horse, Rick and Tyreese ready to trade blows, and a bunch of new faces (both alive and getting eaten). We can’t be sure if this was footage from the first episode back or the first few episodes, but it looks like when The Walking Dead returns, it will waste no time in jumping back into the action and racing forward. For better or worse, there was no sign of the Governor in the trailer… We’ll have to wait and see what he might be planning.

Keep checking back as we try to round of the most exciting news coming out of San Diego and we’ll be giving away another DVD this week. What movie? You’ll have to keep checking back to see!

Girl Meets World has cast the role of Riley, Corey and Topanga’s daughter, with Rowan Blanchard.  Sabrina Carpenter has been also cast as Riley’s best friend Maya. Girl Meets World is still looking for someone to play Elliott, Cory and Topanga’s son. The casting call says “His parents worry that he has inherited [his uncle’s] ‘Eric Matthews Algernon’ gene and will lose intelligence as time goes by.” Blanchard co-starred in Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D, while Carpenter will appear in The Goodwin Games opposite Scott Foley and Becki Newton. What about Shawn, Eric, Feeny and the other cast members of the original? Will anyone else return for the new series? Show creator Michael Jacobs has stated “Whoever wants to be part of this show will be and whoever wants to move on will,” leaving the door open for anyone and everyone to come back in some capacity in the future.

Will Cobie Smulders reprise her role as Maria Hill in the new S.H.E.I.L.D. TV series? How I Met Your Mother was picked up for a ninth season, but in an interview with iamrogue.com Smulders said; “The commitments to [How I Met Your Mother] don’t affect it” and “I can’t really say, but there are definite talks about it.” Smulders will play Maria Hill again in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the sequel to 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. The S.H.E.I.L.D. pilot is currently being filmed with The Avengers director Joss Whedon behind the camera and fan favorite Clark Gregg reprising the role of Phil Coulson to headline the new series. Whedon wrote the pilot along with Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon, his writing partners on Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

Now that we know that Marvel Studios will be moving forward with a SHIELD television series set in the movie universe we can start to speculate on characters that will be featured in the series. Who is better to start with than the villains?

Red Skull. This pick is likely the most obvious. He was the main villain in Captain America: The First Avenger and his fate was left a bit undetermined (no body means that anything is possible). With his connections to the terrorist organizations such as HYDRA and AIM, Joss Whedon and company would have a lot of possibilities for stories all around the world. The Red Skull could be guiding the other bad guys from the shadows while plotting to get the Cosmic Cube or another device that will help him take over the world and/or get revenge. After his reveal as the big bad, it could lead to an epic season finale that could feature SHIELD turning to Captain America for help (ratings gold!). Another great thing about the Red Skull is that if Marvel can’t get Hugo Weaving to reprise the role for television (or just want to save money) they can easily hire another actor and put him in the make up. Other possibilities are to use one of the Red Skulls that followed Johann Schmidt, such as Albert Malik, or they could even feature Sinthea Schmidt, the daughter and newest version of the Red Skull in the comics.

MODOK or the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing could be SHIELD’s version of Doctor Who’s incredible race of villains, the Dalek. On first glance MODOK looks a bit goofy (rather, he IS a bit goofy) and would need a redesign to work better on TV. He has the right level of intelligence to keep SHIELD on the defense and he could keep things interesting by being a gate way to other villains, such as the Hulk villain Abomination and Black Lama. Just like the Red Skull, MODOK has connections to AIM and the Cosmic Cube.

Ultron. Okay, I know what you are thinking… Ultron is the ultimate Avengers villain, why in the world would you waste him on a SHIELD television series? As seen in the credits (spoiler alert, talking about the end of The Avengers, stop reading or you could be spoiled!) of The Avngers, Thanos was revealed as the big bad behind Loki’s grab for power on Earth and has likely set up him being the main villain for the sequel. That would mean we likely would not see Ultron until a third or forth movie which would bring us to 2019 at the earliest. What a waste of an awesome bad guy. Imagine a pre Ant-Man Henry Pym as a SHIELD scientist who develops Ultron as a weapon for SHIELD to use against the growing thread of supervilalins, but something goes wrong and he inadvertently creates their worst enemy. It could be a great way to introduce the future Avenger while giving SHIELD a villain that they created and need to hunt down and stop before he kills millions of people and starts a war.

What villains would you like to see featured in the possible SHIELD series from Joss Whedon and ABC?

Welcome to an all new edition of The Pit. I hope you like our new format. As always, feel free to send suggestions and news to us through our contact form.

We have some good news and bad news for you in regards to the upcoming Robocop reboot from director José Padilha of the Elite Squad series. The very talented Hugh Laurie has sadly left the project. He was set to portray the villainous CEO of OCP.

On the up side though is that the underused and just as talented Michael Keaton is stepping into the role. The former Batman just isn’t in nearly as many movies as he should be these days. He was last seen on the big screen in The Other Guys and a guest spot on the NBC comedy 30 Rock, both of which he stole the scenes he was in. Other recent cast additions to RoboCop include Jackie Earle Haley and Jay Baruchel.

It is official! The movie and television rights to Daredevil, “man without fear”, are heading back to Marvel Studios and their parent company Disney. This is especially good news with the announcement of a Joss Whedon led SHIELD television series [SEE: Marvel’s SHIELD to Save TV!].

What better way to distance Daredevil from the forgettable Mark Steven Johnson directed 2003 flick than to reintroduce him as his alter ego, the blind lawyer Matt Murdock, in a multiple episode arc that establishes him as part of the overall universe. Maybe he is defending a villain against SHIELD in court before he teams up with the agency to take out a bigger threat? Or agents recruit him for an assignment that only he can handle because of his unique senses?

Finally, someone somewhere has come to their senses and after its sixth season (that is six too many), MTV’s Jersey Shore is coming to an end. I’m sure the network will continue to find ways to make New Jersey and fake Italians look bad. They already have too many spinoffs, including Snooki & JWoww and The Pauly D Project (for the record, any amount of spinoffs from this trash is too many).

The sixth season begins on October 4th with a special marathon and retrospective/preview for the final season on September 6th before the MTV Video Music Awards. I would have preferred it if the series had been cancelled before the sixth season, but beggars can’t be choosers.