Watch With Us: May 2014

May is a magical time in TV-land. Will you spend it with us as we cover a bunch of finales and debuts?

Let’s bitch it out…

May…a month of nearly all brand new television (thanks sweeps!). We’ve got shows at the top of their game because it’s finale/cliffhanger season and this year there’s a whole batch of brand new shows debuting! Read on to see what our May looks like…

Regular, on-going coverage includes:

• Continuum S3: Posts every Friday night
• Orphan Black S2: Posts every Sunday morning
• Game Of Thrones S4: Posts every Monday morning

Then there are the favourites finishing up for the year (organized chronologically by finale date):

• Revenge S3: Sunday, May 11
• The Originals S1: Tuesday, May 13
• Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. S1: Tuesday, May 13
• Arrow S2: Wednesday, May 14
• The Vampire Diaries S5: Thursday, May 15
• Grimm S3: Friday, May 16
• Hannibal S2: Friday, May 23

And then there is the rash of new shows that mark the start of our Spring/Summer coverage:

24: Live Another Day

Courtesy of FOX

• What’s it about? Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland), unkillable American patriot and all around badass, is back after a few years off the air. This “limited series” event is reduced down to 12 hours as Jack – hunted by his own people – tries to prevent an attack on the American president in London.
• Why should I care? Because Jack Bauer kicks ass? The return of Bauer is pretty awesome after all the failed attempts to kick-start a film franchise and even if later seasons of the FOX hit didn’t quite hit the mark, the return of Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub (as tech-head Chloe O’Brien) is worthy of celebration. Add in newbies like Benjamin Bratt, Yvonne Strahovski and Game Of Thrones‘ Michelle Fairley and we’re talking appointment TV.
• Debuts: The two-hour debut kicks off Monday, May 5 at 8pm EST on FOX

In The Flesh S2

Courtesy of BBC America

• What’s it about? Four years after the Rising, when zombies took over the UK, Kieren Walker (Luke Newberry) – a reformed, medicated “rotter” – is released back into the small UK hamlet his family lives. Unfortunately his return is less than welcome as many humans are angry and fearful, leading to tension and violence.
• Why should I care? Because international approaches to zombies have been just as good, if not better than North American attempts (*cough The Walking Dead cough*). This series is less interested in scaring or grossing viewers out; its focus is using zombies as a metaphor to address uncomfortable issues like homophobia, fear of “Otherness” and, by the sounds of early S2 reviews, a religious uprising on both the human and zombie side. If you needed extra incentive, In The Flesh also clocked in at #4 on last year’s “Best Of TV” Bitch Awards.
• Who’s covering it? cinephilactic
• Returns: Saturday, May 10 at 10pm EST on BBC America

Penny Dreadful S1

Courtesy of Showtime

• What’s it about? A Victorian monster mash is in the cards for this Showtime original series as all of the classics – including Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, Mina Harker – interact in some kind of cohesive storyline. Features an all-star cast, including Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton and former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper.
• Why should I care? Because Penny Dreadful has all of the hallmarks of a hot mess like the big screen adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but it could also be creepy, atmospheric and surprisingly mature. If nothing else, tune in for the corsets, gore and the talent.
• Who’s covering it? cinephilactic
• Debuts: Sunday, May 11 at 10pm EST on Showtime

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That’s it for us. What’s caught your eye in May? And, most importantly, will you watch with us?