The new?television series is upon us, but that doesn’t mean you’re caught up on all of your favorite shows. In this week’s ‘TV guide,’ we highlight several shows that may be up your alley, from the dramatic (Jane the Virgin) to the exciting (The Flash), with several options in between.
Jane the Virgin The Complete First Season – Seriously, They Went There?
Jane Gloriana Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez) is a young, devout Latina artificially inseminated… by accident. While pregnancy before marriage was hardly her chosen path, Jane’s problems become even more complicated by the identity of her child’s father. One might say that the young woman’s family situation was already tough enough with her mother, XO (Andrea Navedo), watching over her, and Grandma Alba (Ivonne Coll), providing guidance.
It’s Alba who first instills the sensitivity to Jane’s virginity: in a flashback to set things in motion, we see Jane forced to hold a white flower and to crumple it, with the reminder that she can’t uncrumple the flower. Ironically, it seems that the two things work together and against each other: I’m of the opinion that waiting for marriage is the best option, but for those who haven’t followed that, where’s the grace? Is pregnancy really Jane’s fault? Of course not!?The law and grace have to be balanced, right?
Special features include Jane the Virgin: Immaculate Creation and Getting to Know the Cast of Jane the Virgin.
iZombie The Complete First Season – Not Quite Dead
Rob Thomas is the man (not the Matchbox Twenty lead singer but the creator of such excellent entertainment as?Veronica Mars). With his latest television creation, he has taken the work of Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, and transformed the comic books into live-action drama. Thirteen episodes follow medical resident-turned-zombie Liv Moore (Rose McIver) – ‘Liv’ like?live – as she is forced to eat the brains of cadavers to satisfy her hunger for human flesh… and learns the way in which the people died.
While several shows have found some kind of ‘precognitive’ character working with the police, this is most like John Layman’s?Chew, and definitely takes zombieism to a crazy, new level. What is?most interesting though?is it asks us to consider what makes us human and why our humanity matters. Sure, you can come for the zombies or crime solving, but you’ll stay for?the Thomasian banter.
Special features include the 2014 Comic-Con Panel and deleted scenes. It’s only thirteen episodes so you can catch up before the second season is too far along!
The Flash The Complete First Season – Racing To Correct The Past
While the 1990s television of?The Flash?was cheesy, it was ahead of its time for superheroes on television. Now, superheroes are everywhere – at the cineplex, on the small screen, in animation, everywhere. Geoff Berlanti and Andrew Kriesberg have nailed the formula with?Arrow?but they aimed for a little lighter with this one. This version starts with Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, the forensic scientist whose biochemistry is changed by an accident at S.T.A.R. Labs. Iris West (Candice Patton) also attaches the new mythos to the old stories, but Berlanti, Kriesberg, and Geoff Johns aren’t afraid to shake things up a little.
This is the superhero show that seems most capable of being family friendly (some of them are so dark) but they still provide a depth of character development and action to keep the adults engaged. It could?be?the comedy, or the romance, but this one has a feel that ties us into ‘old school’ superhero mythos, where good guys were good and bad guys were bad.
Special features include a look behind the story in “The Trickster Returns!” and?several aspects of Flash himself. Fans of the show will enjoy a look at how it all came together – in a show that builds on the mythos of Arrow with Firestorm and others as well.
The Code Season 1 – Whoever Controls The Politics Controls Your Freedom (October 5)
Lucy Lawless (Battlestar Galactica,?Xena: Princess Warrior), stars in this award-winning thriller from Australia. When two teenagers go joyriding in the outback, they set in motion a series of events that lead?internet journalist Ned Banks (Dan Spielman, The Secret Life of Us) and his hacker brother, Jesse (Ashley Zukerman, Rush),?to?become targets of powerful forces. Fighting for their lives as they have them, the two brothers will have to work together to unpack the layers of the conspiracy and succeed against all odds.?Sometimes, these Acorn Media releases surprise – this could be one you should check out in between your latest network television show.
LEGO Star Wars The New Yoda Chronicles – Can We Ever Get Enough?
In the latest four adventures from the?Star Wars LEGO?universe, Yoda takes center stage as he searches for the Holocrons – the last few secrets of the Jedi that are needed to complete Luke’s training. But Darth Vader is also out to find them, and the race is on! You’ll also get a shot at Jek-14, a “Force-sensitive” clone, that our kids know but we might have to be reintroduced to. This is perfect for fans wanting to tide themselves over until?The Force Awakens?or those wanting to introduce the young ones to the universe. The disc includes “Escape From The Jedi Temple,” “Race For The Holocrons,” “Raid On Coruscant,” and “Clash Of The Skywalkers” (with an alternate ending option).
