Entertainmental

By Ygal Kaufman

Dead Again

In news that has fanboys all over the world reacting with cautious shrugs, Starz announced this week that they will be bringing cult comedy/horror’s commander-in-chief, Ash Williams (though only enthusiasts really know he has a last name), back to the screen for a TV series continuation of the Evil Dead trilogy.

Evil Dead (1981) got a young ‘n’ sexy remake last year that pumped only a moderate amount of vitality back into the franchise. And since the third installment, Army of Darkness, blew minds and stole hearts back in 1992, the series has been kept afloat mainly by video games, comic books, and a never-ending barrage of video re-releases.

The bad news? Starz, the oft-ignored premium movie channel, doesn’t exactly have a sterling record with TV shows, and TV show continuations of movies are a risky proposition to say the least.

The good news? Bruce Campbell will reprise his role as Ash, and original director Sam Raimi is on board to produce.

Highway to Hell

In what millennials would obnoxiously refer to as an OMG moment, if only they even knew who he was, Phil Rudd, the legendary drummer of the greatest rock band of all time, AC/DC (that’s right, I just put that as an undisputed fact, not an opinion), has been arrested in New Zealand, and the original charges, which included an unsurprising drug possession beef, were centered around a jaw-dropping murder-for-hire plot. Police initially arrested Rudd for attempting to hire a hit man to off two people, but after prosecutors in the small country got ahold of the case, it was decided that there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue the disturbing charge. 

Rudd still faces up to seven years in prison for the drug charge and for threatening to kill someone. When contacted for comment, AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson angrily shouted, “I haven’t thought of a dated idiom to describe this situation yet! Wait, have we already used ‘Shoot to Thrill?’”

Cancelled, Renewed & TBA

The current crop of new shows this year has included some hits (Gotham, Fargo) some flops (A to Z) and some super flops (Mulaney). But now after just enough time for people to lock in their opinions on the new crop, some actual decisions are coming down.

In the renewed category: Gotham, The Flash, Extant, Fargo, Halt and Catch Fire, Manhattan, Penny Dreadful, The Leftover, The Knick, The Last Ship, The Strain, Tyrant, and You’re the Worst.

Mercifully cancelled: Mulaney, A to Z, Selfie, Utopia Manhattan Love Story, Bad Judge, Gang Related, Rush, St. George, and Reckless.

In the TBA department, we have Constantine, which is based on one of the best comics ever made, Hellblazer, and is just not very good. I predict swift cancellation in the near future.

Am I the only one who noticed that the cancellations were mostly romantic comedies, and the renewals were mostly sci-fi thrillers? Welcome to the new normal, people—the nerds have inherited the earth.