<![CDATA[IGN.com - TV Articles]]> Follow IGN.com - TV Articles, filter it, and define how you want to receive the news (via Email, RSS, Telegram, WhatsApp etc.) https://follow.it/ign-com-d-tv-articles Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:46:31 +0200 <![CDATA[Ahsoka Episode 7 Leaves Us With Massive Questions (and a Couple of Revelations) Before the Finale]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtzJTstBDnqGSlmFkX7M1Jw

Warning! This piece contains spoilers for Ahsoka Episode 7.

With only one episode left before the series is over, the penultimate chapter of Ahsoka, "Dreams and Madness," delivered heartfelt moments, some unbelievable action, and another long-awaited reunion. It was another stellar outing for Dave Filoni's live-action Rebels followup that featured some killer cameos — we'll get into those a bit later — but also left us with some massive questions. As we head towards next week's finale, let's break down those burning plot threads and chat about some of the delightful revelations that we were treated to.

What Is Thrawn Transporting From the Catacombs of Peridea?

Though we know Thrawn's (Lars Mikkelsen) ultimate goal is to escape Peridea and take control of the main Star Wars galaxy, his current plans are still incredibly vague. Sure, he loves to play 3D Chiss chess and keep his scheming close to the chest but we would love to know just what he's been scheming on this whole time. His close partnership with the Nightsisters of Dathomir implies that his plotting is likely going to involve Force Magick and his actions this episode imply that he might also be taking some of Peridea back with him to the galaxy far, far away.

As the Grand Admiral's Night Troopers hunted down Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson), Ezra (Eman Esfandi) and Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), the blue-skinned villain was more concerned with his fate than theirs. In a reveal that shocked Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), Thrawn hadn't really been too worried about killing or catching his prey but instead was distracting them and running down the galactic clock so that he could finish loading some vital — and mysterious — cargo to his Star Destroyer, Chimera. But what could the precious freight be and how is it connected to his future plans?

If you recall, we've heard Thrawn and the Great Mothers talking about the catacombs on the planet, which in ancient times used to be known as the Witch Kingdom of Dathomir. That makes us think that, whatever it is, it’s something exceptionally spooky. Could Thrawn be transporting the skeletons or remains of the ancient Dathormirians? It seems unlikely, but seeing as we know that the Nightsisters can reanimate corpses, we just had to put it out there. And having a Force Magick-wielding army of witch skeletons would put him on a quick track to galactic conquering. Plus, it would give us a great reason as to why the Nightsisters aligned with him at all: resurrection of their depleted numbers.

The other, more reasonable, option is that the catacombs could have been transformed into a mine system and Thrawn has been extracting a precious substance from within their walls. What could that be? Well, as Peridea is an entirely new location we don't have canon to pull from. But, perhaps as it was a Force Magick hotspot — and Kyber is more common on celestial bodies that are strong with the Force like Jedha — there are Kyber Crystals to be mined? If it is there then potentially it's Kyber that works best for Force Magick users? This seems both awesome and believable. There's also a chance that we could learn about a completely new substance or natural resource native to Peridea.

Why Does Baylan Skoll Want to Stay on Peridea?

Speaking of older men with enigmatic plans, we need to talk about Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and why he's so obsessed with Peridea. While it seemed like he and his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) were only headed to the planet as mercenaries hired by Morgan Elsbeth, since his arrival on the planet it's become clear that he has another reason for being there. But, as the finale approaches, we still don't know what his mission is.

If you were unsure that Baylan wasn't bothered by Thrawn, the fact that he told his apprentice to prepare to become part of the "rising Empire" alone because their paths were diverging confirms that he has no plan to return with Thrawn and Shin. As a former Jedi, his connection to the Force is still strong, and it seems like being on Peridea has sparked something deep within him. Baylan has spoken about something greater calling to him. Could he be hearing the song of the Kyber? If that's the case, then he may try to take down Thrawn to stop the Kyber leaving the planet. After all, he's desperate to stop the constant Jedi/Sith cycle that has plagued the galaxy, and a new powerful Kyber appearing in the galaxy would cause an explosion of Jedi/Sith activity.

Will Shin Turn on Thrawn and Team Up With the Rebels Crew?

In early episodes, Shin seemed like a new and fearsome antagonist for our ragtag group of heroes. But, as the season has moved on we've seen a shift in the young apprentice. It's clear that her loyalty to Baylan is waning, especially as she's seen him go back on his word — she was surprisingly horrified by that — and has now been abandoned by him just as they're about to catch up with Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka, leaving her to fight them alone. With that in mind, there does seem to be a solid chance that Shin might turn or at least briefly ally herself with Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka if it's as a matter of survival. The fact that the crew spared her this episode too seems to hint that there could be an alliance in the finale or more likely in a potential later season.

What’s Up With Ezra's New Powers?

In a truly classic Ezra moment, the now hunky and bearded hero refused to take his lightsaber from Sabine as the pair prepared to take on the Night Troopers. At first it seemed like he was nervous — he has been without it for around a decade after all — but there was actually a far cooler reason than saber-insecurity. Instead, we were treated to a new skill for the fan-favorite character: a neat showcase of hand-to-hand Force combat that he'd clearly honed while on Peridea. This is such a cool use of Force powers, especially when we see Ezra essentially Force-control Shin's lightsaber, and once again expands what we know of the mystical art.

The use of Force martial arts also draws a nice comparison to another iconic Star Wars character, Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen), who debuted in Rogue One. While he used a staff in the film, in the official novelization and later tie-in novels we learned that Chirrut had trained in the art of Zama-shiwo. Native to Jedha, the martial art gave practitioners control over their heart and breathing, granting them immense power and near supernatural skills. While we can't definitely say that Ezra has trained in that specific fighting style — especially as he's in a different galaxy — there is precedent for a Force-connected fighting style, and we hope we see more of it!!

Was That C-3PO Cameo Really About Princess Leia?

We got two great cameos in this episode: a heart-warming moment with Anakin training Ahsoka via hologram, and the appearance of a legendary droid. As Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) was facing down the New Republic court, it seemed like she was about to be court-martialed for her unsanctioned mission. But the day was saved when everyone's favorite golden boy C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) arrived just in the nick of time. Of course, it was wonderful to see the translation droid, but his appearance is really a homage to and reminder of the power of Princess Leia. Threepio can't save Hera himself but he delivers some "proof" that Leia sanctioned Hera's mission.

It's not only a smart save to get Hera out of trouble, but also one that positions Leia as a true leader in the galaxy. Not a single person dares to question Leia's decree and even Mon Mothma begins to believe the threat of Thrawn returning now that the rebel leader and Princess of Alderaan has deigned to get involved. It's a classy and affecting way to remind us of Leia's immense impact as well as her connection with the Rebels crew.

Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:04:30 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtzJTstBDnqGSlmFkX7M1Jw <![CDATA[Star Wars Fans Celebrate Long-Awaited Reunion in Ahsoka Episode 7]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8duPeWxYgO-mhOzdsCmHakzH

Warning: The below contains full spoilers for Ahsoka Episode 7, which is now streaming on Disney+.

The penultimate episode of Ahsoka proved emotional for Star Wars fans who have been waiting all season to see Rosario Dawson's titular hero reunite with her friends.

Episode 7 of Ahsoka, "Dreams and Madness," was a dream come true for Star Wars fans, as Ahsoka finally met up with Ezra Bridger and, of course, Sabine Wren (again) after a long space whale ride to planet Peridea. She arrives just in time to rescue her pals from a final attack by Shin Hati and a faction of Thrawn's troopers.

The eagerly anticipated moment elicited an emotional response from fans as they took to social media to celebrate the joyful and touching reunion, particularly Ahsoka and Ezra's heartwarming exchange because it meant that Ahsoka had finally made good on the promise she made to Ezra in Season 4 of Star Wars Rebels.

This is the first time people have seen Ahsoka and Ezra together since Rebels, where Ezra witnessed Ahsoka's fateful duel with Darth Vader and pulled her to safety in the World Between Worlds. The two eventually departed the otherwordly realm through separate portals, with Ahsoka promising to find Ezra again.

The seventh episode of Ahsoka was brimming with fan service and signficant moments, including a surprise cameo from a fan-favourite Star Wars character, an exciting name-drop of a Clone Wars antagonist, and another interesting development in the Baylan Skoll plot, prompting speculation about his master plan.

The season finale of Ahsoka will arrive on Disney+ on October 3, while Episodes 1-7 are available now. IGN's review of Ahsoka Episode 7 called it a "largely a piece-moving affair" that puts the show's three lead characters "back in action for a fast-paced adventure" and "a necessary bit of fun" before the series ends.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 19:20:44 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8duPeWxYgO-mhOzdsCmHakzH <![CDATA[Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Animated Series Gets a First Look from Netflix]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8duPeWxYgO-mhHn9ye8UNv30

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Netflix's upcoming animated adaptation of the legendary video game franchise, has received a first-look teaser trailer and a release window of 2024.

This new animated series, which was first announced back in 2021, is set after the events of Crystal Dynamics' video game reboot trilogy and is being brought to life by Legendary, Crystal Dynamics, and Castlevania's Powerhouse Animation. Additionally, The Witcher: Blood Origin's Tasha Huo will be writing and executive producing the show.

It was also officially confirmed that Lara Croft will be voiced by Agent Carter's Haley Atwell.

The teaser features Lara breathing heavily as she gets ready to attack something with her bow and arrow. As she does, we flash to other moments in the series, including her jumping into a giant dark hole, examining art on a wall, standing in front of a raging fire, looking at something that can only be described as magical wings, and more. The teaser ends with her composing herself and taking the shot.

Sonic the Hedgehog movie's dj2 Entertainment was said to be working on the series, but it appears Powerhouse Animation has stepped in to get it to the finish line.

While we don't yet know exactly what Lara's next main adventure will be in the world of video games, Crystal Dynamics did tease in 2021 that it was "working to unify" the timelines of Core Design's original games and its own reboot trilogy.

It will obviously be some time before we play this new game or watch this series, but in the meantime you can look forward to Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft, which will be released on modern consoles and PC on February 14, 2024.

For more from Netflix Drop 01, check out a clip from Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, the teaser trailer for Blue Eye Samurai, the release date, trailer, and cast announcements for Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, and the reveal of Netflix's Devil May Cry anime.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 19:07:16 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8duPeWxYgO-mhHn9ye8UNv30 <![CDATA[Scott Pilgrim Takes Off First Clip Shows Scott Renting a Netflix DVD to See Ramona Flowers]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8duPeWxYgO-mhClmFkX7M1Jw

Netflix's Scott Pilgrim Takes Off anime series has received a new clip that shows Scott renting a Netflix DVD in hopes of running into Ramona Flowers as she is the one delivering the discs.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and all of its eight episodes will be released on Netflix on November 17, 2023, and this clip features many of the characters who are returning to this franchise after first starring in Edgar Wright's 2010 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

You can check out a glimpse of the clip below with other footage from the series or watch the entire clip here on YouTube!

First up we see Michael Cera's Scott talking to Aubrey's Plaza's Julie Powers, who reveals Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Ramona Flowers is currently working as a delivery person for Netflix. He then goes online using the "World Wide Web" to order a DVD from Netflix with the help of Kieran Culkin's Wallace Wells.

He ends up searching for a video starring Chris Evans' Lucas Lee and waits day and night for Ramona to deliver his DVD, which she finally does.

While it's great seeing all these characters again, it's also a wonderful nostalgic treat to see the earlier days of Netflix and a time when we didn't have endless hours of content at our fingertips and actually had to wait for things to happen. Imagine that!

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is being developed by Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski for Netflix. It is based on the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels which were written and drawn by O'Malley himself.

Also starring in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off are Satya Bhabha (Matthew Patel), Anna Kendrick (Stacey Pilgrim), Brie Larson (Envy Adams), Alison Pill (Kim Pine), Brandon Routh (Todd Ingram), Jason Schwartzman (Gideon), Johnny Simmons (Young Neil), Mark Webber (Stephen Stills), Mae Whitman (Roxie Richter), and Ellen Wong (Knives Chau).

If the wait for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is too much to bear, be sure to check out our Scott Pilgrim vs. the World review and its game adaptation to see if they are worth jumping into for the first or hundredth time!

For more from Netflix Drop 01, check out the first look at Netflix's Tomb Raider series, the teaser trailer for Blue Eye Samurai, the release date, trailer, and cast announcements for Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, and the reveal of Netflix's Devil May Cry anime.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 19:02:30 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8duPeWxYgO-mhClmFkX7M1Jw <![CDATA[Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix Gets Official Release Date, New Cast Members]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtlJdf06U6qn11cWWor9YPv

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix will officially be released on Netflix on October 19, 2023. Furthermore, Netflix has revealed many of the cast members that will help bring this series to life.

This new series that is inspired by Far Cry 3's beloved Blood Dragon DLC was announced back in 2021 and comes from Netflix's Castlevania showrunner Adi Shankar. While we've already received a teaser for the series, Netflix has finally released a full trailer that gives us our best look yet at this new story.

As for the new cast members, they include Caroline Ford as The Warden, David Menkin as Rayman, Courtney Mae-Briggs as Jade, Glenn Wrage as Pay’J, and Daniel York Loh as Pagan Min. You'll definitely recognize some of those names, including Rayman from the video game series of the same name, Beyond Good and Evil's Jade and Pay'J (it was spelled Pey'J in the game), and Far Cry 4 villain Pagan Min.

As for what Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is about, Netflix previously released its official synopsis and you can check out below;

"The year is 1992. The country formerly known as the USA is now called Eden, a technocracy ruled by propaganda and corruption," the official description reads. "Super-soldier Dolph Laserhawk has just been betrayed by the love of his life, his boyfriend Alex Taylor, and locked up in Eden’s off-the-grid maximum security prison, Supermaxx.

"Dolph is forced to lead a team of rebel outcasts on risky undercover missions under the order of the prison's shadowy Warden. CAPTAIN LASERHAWK: A BLOOD DRAGON REMIX is an original animated series mixing alternative Ubisoft characters from beloved franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Rayman, and Far Cry in a highly referenced homage to the early 90s."

Far Cry 3's Blood Dragon DLC was released back in 2013 and, in our review, we said its "playful focus on humor, nostalgia, and self-aware absurdity allows it to delve into a subject far more important than African arms races or tropical sociopaths: Video games are really, really fun."

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 18:34:09 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtlJdf06U6qn11cWWor9YPv <![CDATA[Gen V Episodes 1-3 Review]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtlJdf06U6qn5VjH6qdYdAk

This is a spoiler-free review of Gen V, the first three episodes of which debut Friday, September 29 on Prime Video.

The first three episodes of Prime Video’s sensationally obscene The Boys spin-off Gen V boldly assure one thing: the kids aren’t alright. The depravity showcased by Homelander’s and Butcher’s teams carries over to this collegiate addition to The Boys cinematic universe. Godolkin University houses the next generation’s superheroes as they hone their newfound abilities, fornicate frequently, and try to come of age under intense Vought scrutiny. It’s a powder keg of dysfunction and big-state conspiracies that makes for electric television, one-upping every sick, twisted highlight of The Boys.

The series stars Jaz Sinclair as bloodbender Marie Moreau, an orphan fueled by a desire to control her deadly powers. Marie’s perspective heavily influences our opinion of Godolkin in the first three episodes, as she pursues studies at Lamplighter’s school for crime fighting – not the alternative Crimson Countess school for performing arts where she’s assigned. Godolkin becomes a microcosm of relevant issues depicted in The Boys, from supe hubris to shady Vought manipulation, and Marie finds herself immediately at odds with renowned professor Richard Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown, who plays a mean company stooge). Cheery Vought-scripted Godolkin advertisements leading into Marie’s markedly less uplifting experiences make for smashing satire, hitting a tone of salacious storytelling that’d make Riverdale blush.

Gen V does a tremendous job expanding on themes from The Boys that beg for deeper analysis, like the disgusting reality of Compound V injections. Through Starlight’s confessionals and other context clues uncovered by Butcher’s investigation, The Boys establishes how parents robbed their infantile children of normalcy by turning them into supes. Gen V confronts the issue head-on by depicting Marie and her classmates in vulnerable stages of young adulthood, processing Compound V traumas through parent-teacher conferences and dorm-room venting sessions. In a rich dissection of the kids’ lack of consent to their superpowered fates, we see superstrong gender-shifter Jordan Li (Derek Luh and London Thor in a tag-team performance) paraded around a gala event like a show pony. Gen V might roast the youth of today with its tongue-in-cheek “woke” comedy, but also sees the Godolkin student body as unwitting pawns with important stories to tell about being exploited by loved ones, corporations, and the government.

The campus is filled with strong personalities and unique powers, which translates into engrossing performances from a dazzling cast. It’s impossible not to fall in love with Lizze Broadway as Marie’s quirky and compassionate roommate Emma who can shrink and grow on command – the perkier Enid to Marie’s Wednesday. Chance Perdomo commands our attention as metal bender Andre Anderson, a reluctant hero living in the shadow of a famous supe father. As mind empath Cate Dunlap and top-of-his-class Luke Riordan, respectively, Maddie Phillips and Patrick Schwarzenegger expose the turmoil beneath their characters' standard-issue college-movie appearances. Gen V uses archetypes like “The Bookworm” or “The All American” as facades that shatter with tragic results in true The Boys fashion, and while there are plenty of gross, jaw-dropping visual highlights in these first three episodes, I’m more impressed with how the writers are able to handle these almighty characters with bracingly human relatability.

That said, Gen V deserves every out-loud gasp and riotous howl as juvenile depravity reaches its many maximums. It’s super horny, super bloodthirsty, and super inappropriate in all the best ways. Adding hormone-driven bad decisions into the mix leads to stupidly entertaining sequences urged along by cocaine and arousal. There are outlandish depictions of full-frontal nudity that match the perverse hilarity of Herogasm – one might stand as the funniest bit in The Boys history (shout out to Emma’s lewd encounter with a fan of her YouTube channel) – as well as gushing violence that makes Translucent’s death-by-butt-bomb seem tame. Hardly any of Gen V is in good taste, nor should it be.

Right out the gate, Gen V blows the bloody doors off and charges forward like the Juggernaut on a mission. Episodes 1 through 3 are all gas, no brakes: The mysteries of Godolkin don’t waste time poisoning storytelling with more Vought despicableness. The writers take advantage of the audience’s familiarity with The Boys and launch right into all the nastiest aspects of Godolkin (an off-limits zone dubbed “The Woods”), making a mockery of the superhero racket while spitting that vile cynic’s tone that’s made the original series such a success – tempered hereby a few more dashes of hope. Characters haven’t lost themselves to Vought’s manipulation or chosen darker sides of superherodom. Marie and her squad are still impressionable, still brim with rebellious spirits, and still haven’t decided their ultimate placement in a world that views them differently. That in itself makes for an attention-grabbing angle and integral thematic throughline.

Gen V deserves every out-loud gasp and riotous howl

Best of all, Gen V feels uniquely mapped as a spin-off that doesn’t rely on cameos from The Boys to assure relevance or importance. Godolkin’s campus reads organic in its composition, with different schools where superheroes can choose their majors and gladiatorial arenas are attended like football stadiums. By establishing a competitive ranking system across classes that’s treated as a fast track to The Seven, there are grander stakes that have us rooting for our favorite characters to earn their promotions (especially since Gen V supposedly runs concurrent to The Boys Season 4). Few television shows of late have been as instantly engaging and strikingly imaginative from top to bottom, hitting the ground running like a juiced-up A-Train.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtlJdf06U6qn5VjH6qdYdAk <![CDATA[Ahsoka Episode 7 Ignites Intrigue About Baylan Skoll and How the Series Will Wrap Up]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dsjEbKLrhmr5l1cWWor9YPv

Warning: The below contains full spoilers for Ahsoka Episode 7, which is now streaming on Disney+.

Ahsoka Episode 7 adds another layer of intrigue to Baylan Skoll's story, prompting speculation about his master plan heading into the season finale.

The penultimate episode of Ahsoka, "Dreams and Madness", dropped another Baylan breadcrumb for fans to devour as the mysterious mercenary parted ways with his apprentice, Shin Hati, leaving her to carry out the Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren kill mission without him, ready to take her place in the coming Empire.

"Your ambition drives you in one direction… my path lies in another", Baylan tells her. Shin looks slightly bewildered by her master's abandonment, and it seems like she is not the only one feeling that way, as people on social media have been questioning Baylan's motives and considering his next moves ahead of the final episode.

Generally, people think Baylan's actions could lead to a twist in the finale that will see him "turn good" and help Ahsoka in the fight against Grand Admiral Thrawn. Some even believe Baylan was called to the planet Peridea by Bendu, a powerful Force-sensitive entity from Star Wars Rebels who represents the centre of the force.

Baylan has been on viewers radars for a long while, with his name frequently coming up in post-episode discussions. One fan recently discovered a list of names in Aurebesh on Baylan's wrist device: Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Ben, prompting even more theories about his allegiances and intentions.

The season finale of Ahsoka will hopefully deliver some long sought-after answers when it drops on October 3. Episodes 1-7 are available now and well worth your time. IGN's review of Ahsoka Episode 7 called it a "largely a piece-moving affair" that puts the show's three lead characters "back in action for a fast-paced adventure".

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:55:23 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dsjEbKLrhmr5l1cWWor9YPv <![CDATA[The Cartoon That Helped Save Star Trek]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8du8IBztUatwpKCY3L745TL_

When Star Trek was cancelled in 1969, it was a dark time not just for fans, but for creator Gene Roddenberry himself. Unable to get another TV series off the ground, Roddenberry was reduced to selling Trek merch and doing the lecture circuit in order to support himself. Meanwhile, William Shatner was living in a camper home and taking any gig he could to get by.

But along the way, something amazing happened: The crew of the USS Enterprise refused to stay cancelled.

“Bringing Star Trek back from what was initially thought to be a failed three-season TV show was a little bit of a miracle, and The Animated Series I think was a big part of that,” John Van Citters, VP, Star Trek Brand Development, tells IGN. “It's got a really cool look. It's got a really odd little history to it, but it's another 22 episodes of Star Trek that I think most Star Trek fans haven't seen.”

Today, we take the long life and, well, prospering of Star Trek for granted, but back in the early ’70s that was far from the case. And while a variety of factors would combine to eventually beam Captain Kirk and company back onto our screens, it was a low-budget animated series that helped to save the franchise, while also reminding fans of what Star Trek was all about.

This is how a cartoon ensured Star Trek’s survival, with a little help from some fans. And why that animated legacy continues to live on today.

Star Trek, or TOS as we call it these days (“It stands for those old scientists,” you know), was famously almost cancelled after its second season. But a letter-writing campaign by fans got network NBC to blink and bring the show back for a third year of boldly going. Unfortunately, the budget was slashed and Star Trek was consigned to the dreaded Friday night time slot, that dark corner of the TV galaxy where many a sci-fi show has gone to die in the years since. Marc Cushman, author of the behind-the-scenes chronicle of the show These Are the Voyages, speculates that NBC had set the show up for failure in that slot knowing the ratings wouldn’t improve, and therefore a fourth season would never happen. And in fact, it didn’t.

Well, not in the way NBC was thinking, anyway.

Less than five years after it was cancelled, Star Trek was back with most of its original cast and several members of the behind-the-scenes team for Star Trek: The Animated Series.

“I do know that a lot of people consider it like the fourth and fifth seasons of Star Trek because it had all the same writers,” says Casper Kelly, creator of Star Trek: Very Short Treks.

A lot of people consider it like the fourth and fifth seasons of Star Trek because it had all the same writers.

But Star Trek: The Animated Series didn’t just happen in a vacuum. There were other things heating up on the Trek front that would lead to Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest reuniting on the small screen.

Star Trek Is Dead, Long Live Star Trek

These days we take fan campaigns with a grain of space-vampire salt, but they were a pretty new concept back when Star Trek was rescued for its third season. The letter-writing campaign was also key to keeping Trek in the mainstream in the dark years that followed its cancellation, as the addition of Season 3’s 24 episodes brought the show’s run up to a total of 79 hours, which was enough for it to enter into nationwide syndication.

Far from that Friday night at 10pm timeslot that Season 3 had been left to wither away in, syndication meant that stations could run the show whenever they wanted. That included counter-programming against the local news, and after school where many a new young fan discovered the exploits of the USS Enterprise for the first time.

“We were, in the early ’70s, really starting to see the power of fandom and the demand from latchkey kids like me coming home after school and watching Star Trek in syndication,” says Van Citters.

By 1972, three years after it ended, the show was playing in 125 stations in the U.S. as well as 60 foreign countries. And then there were the conventions. Everyone kinda knows what a Comic-Con is these days, but back then these fan gatherings were more of a rarity. The birth of the Star Trek convention was a key component in not just the growth of cons overall in the 1970s, but also in keeping the franchise alive in the years after TOS ended.

“We had already started to see the power of Star Trek fandom in those early years after we had the first fan conventions,” explains Van Citters. “And I think there was a little bit of a move of, ‘Oh, perhaps we made a mistake and perhaps we were a little too hasty in getting rid of Star Trek.’”

But with the sets, props, and costumes for The Original Series long since scrapped or otherwise unavailable, simply launching another live-action TV show wasn’t that easy – or cheap. NBC wanted a new pilot episode before committing to a full show, and Roddenberry claimed in interviews that it would’ve cost three-quarters of a million dollars just to rebuild those assets. That was a no-go for something that might never go to series. But there was a relatively low-cost alternative to test the appetite for new Trek material: Saturday morning animation.

Saturday Morning: The Final Frontier

“The easiest way to get everyone back together and make something happen quickly and easily is certainly not to rebuild sets and pull all the whole cast together for days and days of filming,” says Van Citters. “I think [animation] was a very simple way to bring Star Trek back to the airwaves.”

Roddenberry was able to strike a deal with Paramount, NBC, and animation studio Filmation that allowed him to retain creative control over the proposed animated series. His concern was that the show not devolve into mere kiddie humor and action stories. To that end, he brought in Original Series writer and story editor D.C. Fontana to serve as essentially showrunner, and the pair also hired a variety of scripters from the live-action show.

“I think for them, they all looked at this as a backdoor to continue something that was successful for them and that was beloved by them,” Van Citters says of the writers, a group which included familiar names to fans including Samuel A. Peeples, David Gerrold, Marc Daniels, and Margaret Armen. “And the intent really seems to have been to get the gang back together and continue doing Star Trek in the same mold of what they had done before.”

In 1973, most of the cast reunited for the first time since TOS had gone off the air to record the first batch of episodes of The Animated Series. That included William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, James Doohan, and Majel Barrett. Walter Koenig unfortunately did not return as Chekov due to budget restraints, but he did write an episode of the show. And Doohan and Barrett did double, triple, and quadruple duty voicing many of the show’s secondary characters week to week, though listen closely and you’ll hear Nichols and Takei subbing in here or there as well.

The Animated Series, which was just called Star Trek at the time, debuted on September 8, 1973, coincidentally seven years to the day after The Original Series first aired. With episodes that were roughly half the length of the live-action stories, and with an at least theoretical target audience of children, the animated episodes would prove to be their own particular brand of Star Trek which stood next to, if didn’t quite occupy the same space as the 1960s show.

“Maybe it looks dated,” says Star Trek: Lower Decks supervising director Barry Kelly. “You can tell it's something that's old, but those are good likenesses. As an artist, I think it looks fantastic.”

Of course, the restrictions of the Saturday morning animation of the era is obvious, with lots of reused shots and production flubs.

“It is a very different creature and there are some aspects of it that are decidedly not what you would consider to be typical Star Trek and a little bit more out there,” says Van Citters. “But it really provided that core creative team the ability to do some things they couldn't on the TV show. You were able to take some adventures underwater. You were able to do things with bigger, vaster space vistas, and do creatures in a way that you couldn't with a live-action show in the ’60s. And I think they took that seriously and tried to stretch a lot of boundaries with that.”

Indeed, it’s an interesting approach that the team took in that they were very careful to match the design of the old show – the ship looks the same, as do the costumes, props, and so on. But they also used the freedom of animation, where drawing an alien Caitian character took the same effort as drawing a regular human. And yes, that’s what new bridge officer M’Ress is – a member of the cat-like race called Caitians.

“The monster design is also more elaborate,” says Casper Kelly. “Something with a bunch of tentacles, that'd be harder to do in a live-action practical way.”

You were able to do things with bigger, vaster space vistas, and do creatures in a way that you couldn't with a live-action show in the ’60s.

New navigator Arex had three arms and three legs, we got a variety of new starship designs, a Tribble predator showed up, the crew were all shrunk to tiny size, Kirk and Spock became fish-people… the list goes on and on as far as how The Animated Series was able to expand the world of Star Trek.

But perhaps most importantly, the show also had heart.

Spock Goes Home

The highlight of The Animated Series comes in the only episode Fontana actually scripted, “Yesteryear.” The writer had played a key role in Spock’s development on the live-action series with episodes like “This Side of Paradise” and “Journey to Babel,” and in fact “Yesteryear” serves as something of a sequel to that latter story. In it, Spock travels back in time to his home planet Vulcan, where he meets his younger self and some of the seeds of his future relationship with his parents are planted. The segment is a terrific example of telling a story for kids without talking down to them, as it depicts young Spock having to make the sad decision to euthanize his pet sehlat after it’s mortally injured protecting the boy. “It is fitting he dies with peace and dignity,” says the boy, simultaneously not leaving a dry eye in the house.

The show went in lots of different directions in its 22-episode run. Ask a fan and you never know what they might claim to be their favorite episode or character.

“I do really have a soft spot for ‘The Magicks of Megas-tu’ because in many ways that's the polar opposite of The Animated Series where you have the Salem Witch trials and the devil personified and our crew all coming together in a really bizarre set of circumstances,” laughs Van Citters. “And that one's just out there, but it's a lot of fun to watch.”

Barry Kelly recalls renting VHS tapes that had three Animated Series episodes on each.

“I always like the Edosians,” he recalls. “So weird to me. … You're like, ‘These are two different worlds of design clashing right now with this guy, just with an arbitrary arm just coming out of his chest.’”

“I do love ‘The Practical Joker,’ because that one had the holodeck,” says Casper Kelly. “And that just really blew my mind. And when I watched live-action Star Trek, I was like, ‘Where's the holodeck?’ And it was so cool that they brought it out in Next Generation.”

That holodeck-like rec room wasn’t the only Trek concept seen here that would eventually show up again: There’s a huge living cloud like V'ger; another Starfleet crew would meet a creature that appears to be the devil; the Spock/Chapel romance that we’re currently seeing in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds plays out here some; the Enterprise’s first captain, Robert April, is introduced; and we even get a dude who has facial hair and wears glasses, predicting both Commander Riker’s beard and Retinax V from Wrath of Khan! (That guy must’ve been allergic to Retinax too.)

There are several sequel episodes to TOS, and guest stars from the old show also returned, including Mark Lenard as Sarek, Roger C. Carmel as Harry Mudd, and Stanley Adams as Cyrano Jones. Other characters and races also recurred, even if the budget precluded bringing back all the original actors who played them. But the attempts to maintain a continuity between The Original Series and what was, after all, a Saturday morning cartoon are pretty remarkable.

In another highpoint for the show, when Kirk and the men are out of commission in “The Lorelei Signal,” Uhura takes command of the Enterprise and Chapel steps in as her second-in-command as the two lead an away team of all-female security officers to save the day.

Are there some stinkers in the 22 animated episodes? Absolutely, but the smarter stories feel like pure Star Trek, as Captain Kirk and his crew’s mission of peace and scientific exploration continues, often with some fun and thrills, and occasionally with a bit of an emotional punch as well.

“I think a basic tenet of Star Trek is … about the value of intelligence and problem-solving, and that problems are fixable,” says Casper Kelly. “And it's ultimately … a very hopeful show.”

TAS won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Children's Series, the only time that a Star Trek show has won a non-technical Emmy.

The Animated Series received a short second season of just six episodes, but by October, 1974, it had completed its mission and ceased production. The show would go on to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Children's Series, the only time to date that a Star Trek show has won a non-technical Emmy.

The goal of serving up new Star Trek had been accomplished, and it gave Roddenberry exactly what he needed: proof that a live-action version of the show should be next.

Star Trek… Beyond

In his book Star Trek Movie Memories, William Shatner looked back at the effect of the series like this:

“[The Animated Series] kept [Roddenberry’s] most durable brand name alive, and it served as a lightning rod, rallying the forces to cry, ‘Bring back Star Trek!’ In their minds, and this was carefully groomed by Gene at countless conventions, they won their first battle. The animated Star Trek should be seen not as a reward in and of itself, but as the first step back toward new and improved live-action Treks.”

It’s impossible today to know what really was going on in those conventions in the 1970s, but if we understand anything about fandom, it’s that they’re never satisfied. And Roddenberry certainly knew how to leverage Trekkie influence in a way that would make Zack Snyder proud, so Shatner’s take on things makes a certain amount of sense.

“It was a very important step to getting Star Trek back first through movies and then through more TV shows,” says Van Citters. “I think the earliest James Blish novelizations of the episodes and Alan Dean Foster's log books of The Animated Series episodes, the first original novels, the making of Star Trek books that were there, the technical manuals... All of those things trickling out over the decade of the ’70s wound up being hugely instrumental to keeping that drumbeat alive.”

Star Trek was most certainly alive. By the spring of 1975, about six months after the last Animated Series episode aired, Roddenberry had signed a deal with Paramount to make a live-action Star Trek movie. That project would have many ups and downs over the years – it even became a new show at one point called Star Trek: Phase II which would’ve been the cornerstone of a brand-new Paramount TV network. But ultimately, Phase II morphed again into Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which truly did bring the crew back to live-action on the big screen in 1979. Of course, the rest is history, as new incarnations of the franchise have continued to be produced in the decades since.

And in recent years, that includes new animation projects too. Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Short Treks, and most recently, the Very Short Treks have all followed in the grand tradition of The Animated Series, now 50 years after it debuted. The Very Short Treks are just that – shorts that riff on the look of The Animated Series, but in a distinctly off-the-wall way.

“Think of these almost as if Star Trek had its own SNL and just did Saturday Night Live-type sketches about Star Trek,” laughs Casper Kelly.

Lower Decks, which is now in its fourth season, has become known for its amazing attention to Trek detail, cramming as many Easter eggs in each episode as possible. That frequently includes references to The Animated Series. Creator Mike McMahan is clearly a huge fan of the old show.

“Mike brings a lot of The Animated Series to bear in Lower Decks,” says Van Citters. “Sometimes it's through very subtle things where its influence pops up. Sometimes it's much, much more direct when you see certain characters straight out of The Animated Series show up on screen.”

Cartoons are also a way to attract new and younger viewers to what is, after all, an almost 60-year-old franchise.

“You talk about the fact that there's over 850 episodes of Star Trek and most people are like, I don't even know where to start with that,” says Van Citters. “I think Lower Decks is a great way for people to learn about Star Trek because in 22 minutes, 25 minutes, there's so much Star Trek that hits you and you don't have to get all of it. It'd be unusual if you got all of it, but it's so much fun and it's such a great way to experience Star Trek.”

And after you’re done with Lower Decks, you can always put on Star Trek: The Animated Series. It’s been around for 50 years, so why not give it a try?

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:06:00 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8du8IBztUatwpKCY3L745TL_ <![CDATA[Ahsoka Episode 7 Name-Drops Major Star Wars Character, and Fans Are Very Excited About It]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dvyqpJWfnQBJJVjH6qdYdAk

Warning: The below contains full spoilers for Ahsoka Episode 7, which is now streaming on Disney+.

Ahsoka Episode 7 featured a Star Wars character name-drop that fans of the animated Clone Wars series were thrilled to hear mentioned on the show.

The penultimate episode of Ahsoka upheld the latter half of its title, "Dreams and Madness", as it sent Star Wars fans into a frenzy with a mere mention of a character from The Clone Wars. The thrilling line of dialogue came from Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker on a historic hologram recording that Ahsoka Tano plays.

In the scene, Anakin attempts to prepare his one-time Padawan for the then-upcoming Clone Wars. He warns Ahsoka that she will "face more than just droids" on the battlefield, then proceeds to reel off the names of three lightsaber-wielding villains she could encounter: General Grievous, Count Dooku, and Asajj Ventress.

The mention of Asajj Ventress, in particular, caught the attention of viewers who celebrated hearing her name in "live-action Star Wars". Ventress developed a fan following after appearing in the 2008 animated film The Clone Wars and becoming a recurring antagonist in the subsequent series of the same name.

In the Star Wars universe, Ventress is a former member of the Nightsisters of Dathomir, a coven of witches who have already made the jump to live-action. Her path led her to be trained in the ways of the dark side by Count Dooku, and she repeatedly clashed with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano.

Ventress was a central character in the first five seasons of The Clone Wars but didn't appear in any episodes after that. However, a 2015 novel called Star Wars: Dark Disciple adapted an eight-episode arc intended for the final season, offering some closure to her story, though many had hoped to see her on-screen again.

The season finale of Ahsoka arrives on Disney+ on October 3, so now would be a good time to catch up on the story so far. IGN's review of Ahsoka Episode 7 called it a "largely a piece-moving affair" that puts the show's three lead characters "back in action for a fast-paced adventure" and "a necessary bit of fun" towards the end.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 15:32:22 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dvyqpJWfnQBJJVjH6qdYdAk <![CDATA[Star Wars Fans React to Surprise Cameo in Ahsoka Episode 7]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8ducxhjh8Qfy6eT5HJgy6HUf

Warning: The below contains full spoilers for Ahsoka Episode 7, which is now streaming on Disney+.

Ahsoka Episode 7 featured an unexpected cameo from a classic Star Wars character in a fleeting moment that surprised and delighted fans in equal measure.

The penultimate episode of Ahsoka, "Dreams and Madness", sees Hera Syndulla having to answer to the New Republic for disobeying an order and heading to the planet Seatos to help Ahsoka Tano, but a tense exchange between Hera and Senator Xiono is quickly interrupted by the arrival of a surprise guest at the hearing.

Proceed with caution! You're about to enter major spoiler territory.

In walks none other than C-3PO with a message from Senator Leia Organa. The gold-plated droid saves the day and settles the matter that is in dispute by presenting a data transcript to the Defense Council committee, showing that "Senator Organa personally sanctioned General Syndulla's reconnaissance mission to Seatos".

The Ahsoka cast has featured plenty of familiar faces for Star Wars fans, including the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, and even a brief appearance from Captain Rex, but fans were both shocked and overjoyed to see Anthony Daniels' C-3PO join the mix.

C-3PO's presence in the Star Wars universe dates back to the original 1977 film A New Hope. Daniels' fan-favourite droid starred in all nine Skywalker Saga feature films, plus Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He also appeared in several spin-offs, including animated series, video games, and a minor cameo in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Daniels, who has now portrayed the galaxy's beloved protocol droid for more than 45 years, said in 2020 that he has no plans to retire his Star Wars role because he is "so happy and grateful and proud" to be part of the ever-growing franchise and with many more projects in the pipeline there's every chance he could return again.

The season finale of Ahsoka arrives on Disney+ on October 3, so you will want to get caught up on the story so far before then. IGN's review of Ahsoka Episode 7 called it a "largely a piece-moving affair" that puts the show's three lead characters "back in action for a fast-paced adventure" and "a necessary bit of fun".

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:44:35 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8ducxhjh8Qfy6eT5HJgy6HUf <![CDATA[Ahsoka: Episode Review 7]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8ds7YVaOvbvoYJVjH6qdYdAk

This review contains full spoilers for episode seven of Ahsoka, now available to watch on Disney+.

For the first time in a few weeks, Ahsoka’s trio of leading characters all have significant screen time in a single episode, during “Dreams and Madness,” the somewhat inscrutably titled Episode 7 of the series. What’s more, Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), and Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) all have something major to do, although Hera is confined mainly to the cold open, where she faces reprimand from the senate – specifically Senator Xiono, who wants to court-martial her.

When Hera tries to justify her disobedience, Xiono’s skepticism picks up on a thread from last week’s installment: While Ahsoka and Huyang (David Tennant) expressed some meta-textual wonder over the power of “long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” storytelling in Episode 6, Xiono notes with disdain that Hera’s report about the various goings-on of the series so far “reads like a child’s fairy tale.” In other words, all the galactic lore that Ahsoka (both the character and the series) are steeped in sounds a bit woo-woo and implausible to him. It’s hard to tell whether series creator Dave Filoni is then finding further dramatic irony in immediately saving Hera from a worse fate via a literal deus ex machina: None other than C3PO himself arrives at Hera’s hearing, letting everyone know that Princess Leia actually approved Hera’s mission, legitimizing it (somewhat after the fact, Hera later admits privately).

Rosario Dawson’s physical performance in Episode 7 looks more like the animated version of Ahsoka than ever.

These winking elements seem to signal a settling of Hera, Ahsoka, and Sabine into their more familiar grooves – especially Ahsoka, who’s feeling retro enough to watch one of the holo-videos Anakin recorded for her during the Clone Wars as she practices her lightsaber moves. Something about Rosario Dawson’s physical performance in Episode 7 looks more like the animated version of Ahsoka than ever; the more reserved bearing that she carried earlier in the season (and that isn’t always a great match for Dawson’s skills as an actor) has loosened a bit, and become more energized. Her banter with Huyang, too, has a little more of that ol’ Snips zip.

She needs it, because this episode is largely about moving the Ahsoka piece around the board: Into the mysterious other galaxy, through a space battle, hiding in a debris field, and then locating her apprentice Sabine, who has in turn succeeded in finding Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). Despite the moment with virtual Anakin early on, Ahsoka isn’t really going on an emotional journey here; she’s back to help her friends, reinvigorated and less conflicted than she was earlier in the season. Sabine, too, is on the move and not really making any big revelations. (She fills Ezra in on the events of the past five years–though not really the most recent threats to the New Republic–offscreen, in between episodes.) The extended sequence with Sabine, Ezra, and the Noti (the little snail/turtle guys Ezra has been hanging out with) getting attacked by Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) and her makeshift crew of bandits is an amusing reminder that Star Wars is, after all, a space western; it’s basically a scene where enemies literally circle the wagons on the prairie.

The fun Filoni has layering this sequence, initially cross-cut with Ahsoka dueling Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) before Ahsoka and Huyang team up for deus ex machina action of their own, is a reminder that he’s the guy who seems most committed to making George Lucas-style Star Wars. That’s often a stranger and more difficult task than it appears, and the bits of business with the Noti firing slingshots and throwing spare parts at their attackers show mastery of the silly stuff a lot of filmmakers would probably feel sheepish about including.

If most of the primary action of the episode is pure action-adventure stuff that gets the characters in the right place for a more unified finale, the real intrigue in “Dreams and Madness” comes from whatever is being saved for next week. Grand Admiral Thrawn is ultimately unfazed by Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra notching a temporary victory against his intervening troops, because it’s bought him the time he needs to load some mysterious cargo from the Nightsisters’ catacombs onto his Star Destroyer. What is he hoping to bring back from his exile? (There is a Clone Wars storyline that might provide a hint for the less spoiler-averse.)

Whatever stories we’ve been told about the dark side of master-apprentice relationships in the past seem primed for a rewrite.

Perhaps more interesting, though, is a smaller gesture from Baylan, a character who has started to feel underutilized, given how great the late Ray Stevenson is in the role, and how prominent Thrawn has become in the narrative. Baylan’s ex-Jedi background, reddish lightsaber, and Maul-like near-silent apprentice give him the broad contours of a Sith, even if he doesn’t quite qualify. This draws particular attention to his points of departure from Sith orthodoxy. For example, while most Sith/apprentice relationships we’ve seen end in bloodshed of some sort or another, Baylan calmly dismisses a confused Shin from his command, leaving her to battle Ahsoka and company, and claim whatever glory she can.

Baylan may not be planning a pivot back to Regular Jedi status or anything, but he’s clearly more contemplative than purely power-hungry. Ahsoka, meanwhile, perhaps with her old master Anakin in mind, extends an offer of help to Shin, who looks rattled by the very idea of a Jedi attempting to make peace. She wordlessly rejects Ahsoka, but the impression of a dark master and an apprentice lost in a bigger villainous plan that may have use for them still lingers; in a neat reversal, they feel like fallen Sith as much as fallen Jedi, leaving them as potentially adrift as Ahsoka at the beginning of the series. Whatever stories we’ve been told about the dark side of master-apprentice relationships in the past seem primed for a rewrite.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:48:05 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8ds7YVaOvbvoYJVjH6qdYdAk <![CDATA[The 15 Best Shonen Anime Series of All Time]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dsQMnf8fuv7Dl1cWWor9YPv

There’s something about shonen anime that just resonates with viewers. Perhaps it is because the medium offers the widest range of narrative styles; whether it's action, drama, sci-fi/fantasy/supernatural, sports/school, horror/mystery, historical, or comedy, there’s a shonen anime just waiting for you. The most well known may be action and coming-of-age stories, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This style of anime targeting a younger audience makes space for a variety of themes; so its popularity turned out several massive crowd pleasers.

Despite the countless number of good shows available, there are some extremely well-made shonen anime that stand out from the pack. The best-of-the best hit all the highlights: likable characters, engaging action scenes, rich and compelling themes rooted in adventure, friendship, learning right from wrong, and overcoming obstacles. They offer a variety of animation styles with relatable character design and engaging color schemes at their core.

It’s not enough to simply follow the formula; the best shonen offers something extra that keeps you coming back again and again. So, which ones stand out the most? With all of this in mind, and understanding this is a constantly, and hotly debated list, here are my top 15 picks for shonen anime.

15. Black Clover

Black Clover leans on the traditional shonen tropes to anchor its story about two orphans each intent on becoming the Wizard King. Although the character archetypes and story setup are pretty straightforward and the animation occasionally inconsistent, Black Clover is driven by solid writing and highly relatable themes like trust, strength and perseverance. The action sequences are dynamic, the characters memorable, and the battles worth the build up. It’s a reminder that a wicked smart use of magic systems and engaging worldbuilding can still set a battle anime apart from the pack.

14. Assassination Classroom

Assassination Classroom aims right for the feels, and your funny bone. Set in an elite middle school with a strict hierarchy, this action comedy shonen is a quick-witted, emotion-laden tale of a group of underperformers, Class 3-E, who must assassinate their teacher before he destroys the world. The catch is, he may be an off-kilter monster but he’s also the best teacher they’ve ever had. For a show with such a fatalistic endgame, Assassination Classroom is surprisingly upbeat and makes full use of the absurdness of its premise. Plus, the streamline story-style and even pacing make this one of the least bloated plots around it leaves an impactful, and lasting, impression.

13. Attack on Titan

One of the genre’s consistently top-rated series, Attack on Titan is edgy, violent and constantly levels up with exciting twists and turns. Eren Yeager joins the Survey Corps, an elite military unit, after a horrific loss to fight against the titular Titans and search for a way to defeat them before the walls protecting the last of mankind. What makes Attack great is its fearless commitment to the story, regardless of how dark a turn things take. The story jumps directly into the action and then continues its high octane viciousness while weaving together an ensemble jam-packed with great characters all held together by engaging development. Don’t let its tag as a mainstream anime fool you, Attack on Titan deserves its standing as one of the best.

12. Call of the Night

Romance is often an element of shonen storylines but not often the central motivation of the lead protagonist. In the visually stylish Call of the Night, middle schooler Kou Yamori gives up going to school. In his aimlessness, he wanders the streets at night. He encounters a Nazuna, a vampire and survives an attack. In the aftermath, Kou decides he wants to fall in love with Nazuna in order to complete his transition to vampire. Not the typical storyline or worldbuilding for a coming-of-age tale but its relatable exploration of struggling to relate, feeling directionless. Call of the Night is funny, whimsical and strangely freeing. It’s also a prime example of how a supernatural anime can weave the core elements of a shonen into a unique perspective and stretch what the genre has to offer. Don't miss the watch lists for best romance anime and vampire anime if you're into more of these storylines.

11. Naruto

Naruto is a thematically rich story known for its martial-arts inspired action and commentary about friendship, forgiveness and redemption. This highly beloved anime may not have the most edgy animation but the relatable character design and use of an eclectic ensemble add to the enjoyment and adventure. Following young ninja Naruto Uzumaki as he works to become the leader (Hokage) of Leaf Village is a well-written journey about power and the value of hard work. The storytelling and character development keep it accessible to new fans and popular among diehards cementing its standing as one of the best.

See our guide to the Naruto movies in order for the full series.

10. One Piece

One Piece is a long-running shonen about Monkey D. Luffy sailing with his globetrotting crew of Straw Hat Pirates on their hunt for the treasure. Based on Eiichiro Oda’s manga, this adaptation is full of high action and laughs. With an eclectic group of male and female characters, One Piece uses camaraderie and adventure to keep the storytelling engaging season after season. Considered one of the “big three” alongside Naruto and Bleach, One Piece houses some of the greatest anime characters of all time, including Roronoa Zoro. Now a Netflix live-action series already renewed for a second season, there's still more to come from the Straw Hat Pirates. Also see: how to watch One Piece in order.

9. Demon Slayer

After a demon attack leaves most of his family slaughtered and his sister turned, Tanjiro Kamado swears to save her and avenge his family. He joins a mysterious group called the Demon Slayer Corps, whose intent is on doing anything to exact revenge. Demon Slayer takes time to get all its set pieces in place narratively, allowing for quick but complex story development. Once it starts moving between the action sequences and consistently exciting visuals, the reasons it’s an extremely popular battle anime are readily apparent. So, if you like your fight scenes crisp and your storylines rooted in vengeance, then you already understand why Demon Slayer is the reigning, modern entry-level must watch.

See our guide to anime like Demon Slayer for more like this.

8. Dragon Ball Z

This popular anime series centers Goku and his friends as they defend Earth in a battle of good versus evil. It keeps its storylines simple, with Dragon Ball Z characters lightly developed; and relies on epic battles with a variety of villains to drive its action (and plot) forward. It’s a classic anime that stands the test of time as a great gateway into the genre for young initiates, and also a nostalgic rewatch full of heart and humor. Dragon Ball Z is the franchise's high point and may be the most culturally influential anime in the shonen category.

7. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a rare multigenerational dynasty in the genre (which IGN gave a 10/10 for). It follows members of the Joestar family, each with the same titular nickname. Its sly wit and homages to popular Western trends add just the right amount of hilarity to this adventure-driven fantasy. With heroes endowed with powers and immense psychic strength, to some interesting villains, JoJo’s is certain to offer ever-changing adventures spanning a vast world. There’s always something new to draw you in, making JoJo's Bizarre Adventure one of the best-selling shonen series of all time. Its exploration of fate and free-will is one that just doesn’t get old.

6. Hunter x Hunter

Centering one of, if not the best, power system, Yoshihiro Togashi second adaptation on the list Hunter x Hunter is an thrilling adventure-filled about a teenage boy intent on following in his father’s footsteps. Widely respected for the narratives built around complex characters facing challenges in a well-built world. Hunter x Hunter comes by its status as well-regarded anime by offering great fight scenes, relatable characters, and thought-provoking themes. When it comes to battle anime adaptations, it’s difficult to find a series that levels up the blue-print laid out by Yu Yu Hakusho by relying on adapting and blending in the darker themes in its manga better than this Togashi follow up.

5. Death Note

No list makes sense without director Tetsurō Araki’s engrossing exploration of morality, justice, loyalty, honor, and friendship. Death Note follows Light Yagami, a teen who comes into possession of a magical notebook that allows him to kill anyone he wants just by writing their name inside. It's narrative, a captivating cat-and-mouse game unafraid to lean into the dark side of fantasy while reminding you that there’s always a choice in life. Its hand drawn animation and layered character design never go out of style, Death Note is an unparalleled classic. It's some of the best horror anime you'll ever see.

4. Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files

Widely regarded as one of the best examples of battle shonen anime, Yu Yu Hakusho balances the core story elements, intense action and character depth, in a way that highlights what’s best about shonen anime. It’s got engaging dialogue, romance, and an exploration of the idea that sometimes the best hero is an atypical one. Despite being underrated in some circles, Yu Yu helped create the adaptation roadmap many anime followed. Teenage delinquent, Yusuke Urameshi gave his life while saving a young boy. Impressed by this out-of-character sacrifice Koenma, heir to the spirit realm, offers Yusuke a chance to become a Spirit Detective and complete a series of tasks in order to regain his life. The adventures that follow are humorous and offer the kind of arc originality that holds up over time. Built on a fluid animation style and great voice performances, Yu Yu Hakusho’s originality and drama make it a classic that shouldn’t be ignored.

3. Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen is meticulously paced, smartly animated, and an exciting blend of comedy and action. It’s witty storytelling and creatively designed villains aided by edgy and gripping darkness turn it into a top-tier battle animation. High schooler Yuji Itadori’s dabbling in the occult leads him to encounter a cursed item. After being plunged into the world of curses and witnessing the dangers to humanity, and discovering his newfound abilities, he steps onto the path of becoming a Jujutsu sorcerer. There’s a self-awareness and character development that results in an anime unafraid to off its characters, tackle genre tropes, and be grim and violent. Jujutsu Kaisen proves when done right, it only takes the first season to become one of the most memorable and exciting action anime around.

2. Gintama

Given the popularity of battle/action stories, it's easy to miss some of the best writing in the genre because it comes via a sci-fi comedy anime, Gintama. Its seamless storytelling gets better over its 350+ episodes. Set in an alternate Edo-era timeline, this eccentric tale follows silver-haired samurai Gintoki Sakata and his often reckless attempts to tackle life's challenges. Gintama intentionally parodies some of the most classic anime and manga tropes in a world where aliens have invaded Japan. The result is a chaotic and hilarious journey that tackles its more serious elements and social commentary with a deceiving lightness and compelling grace.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

It’s hard to quibble that the Elric Brother's search for the Philosopher's Stone in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a smashing adaptation that resulted in an absolutely addictive journey. Its outstanding character design and dynamic storytelling reset the bar for what to expect from anime worldbuilding. Brotherhood is funny, action-packed and leverages its unique alchemical magic system into imminent rewatchable series. The fight scenes are impressive and the thematically rich story arcs at turns heartwarming and intriguing. How this dangerous journey of brotherly love plays out is likely to move you against your will. That’s why Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is almost always near the top of lists counting down the best shonen anime.

There you have it! What are your favorite picks? Let me know in the comments. For further reading, check out the best Slice of Life Anime, best Sad Anime, and top Magical Girl Anime to watch.

Ro is a freelance film and television critic who’s definitely going to suggest you read Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga because she needs that television adaptation. You can always find her talking about anime, villain agendas, invasive species, costume dramas, or with her nose in a book.

]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 02:31:57 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dsQMnf8fuv7Dl1cWWor9YPv <![CDATA[Golden Globes Adds Two New Categories, Including One for Blockbusters]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtijNOAtsYpKZs0ohxaO6Yr

The Golden Globes has added two new categories for the 2024 awards ceremony: Best Blockbuster and Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy.

As first reported on Variety, eight films will be eligible for the Best Blockbuster award regardless of whether they premiered in theaters or on streaming platforms. The Golden Globes deems movies eligible for a nomination in the blockbuster category if they grossed at least $150 million during release, $100 million of which should have come from the domestic box office. As for films that premiered on Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services, data gathered from "recognized industry sources" will be considered when determining their eligibility, especially for movies that garnered vast viewership.

For this year's ceremony, we're sure that'll include films like Barbie, currently the highest-grossing movie of 2023; The Super Mario Bros. Movie; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; and Oppenheimer.

For Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy, which recognizes the work of comics in the traditional stand-up format, the awards team will consider comedy specials that have aired on cable (broadcast, basic, premium, or pay-per-view) or streaming. Only six comedians will be nominated in this category. Stand-up comedy programs must be released on a recognized media platform, and individual social media accounts will not be considered. (Apologies in advance to every comedy content creator on TikTok.)

"The Golden Globes has a rich history of supporting and celebrating the work of comedians, and we’re thrilled to honor their brilliance alongside outstanding motion picture and television performances of the year," said Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne. "Additionally, we are proud to recognize the hard work and innovation that goes into making a film that is both a blockbuster and artistically exceptional."

The Golden Globes' blockbuster category is similar to the one the Academy Awards introduced in 2018, only it was called "Outstanding Popular Film." This category would have honored films that have made a cultural impact, like that year's Black Panther. However, the Academy nixed the category before the 2019 Oscars ceremony aired due to immense backlash from critics who deemed it a desperate attempt to acknowledge popular movies that don't get nominated for Best Picture.

The Golden Globes will air Jan. 7, 2024.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

]]> Tue, 26 Sep 2023 21:40:59 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtijNOAtsYpKZs0ohxaO6Yr <![CDATA[Face-Off: What Is the Best TV Show of All Time?]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtWwUkdTwRQ2SejEQ2Mq9rY

IGN’s State of Streaming has returned for 2023 and one of our biggest undertakings was deciding, with a few of our critic friends from the entertainment industry, what the 100 best TV shows of all time are. While you can go check that out at the previous link or in the slideshow below, we wanted to involve you and give IGN’s audience a chance to have their voice heard. To do so, we’re putting all of our choices for the best TV shows against each other in a Face-Off and want you to help your favorites get the spots they deserve!

Do you think The Office should be above Parks and Recreation? Lost over Game of Thrones? You’ll have the chance to vote on these shows and many more, while maybe also stumbling upon some series you need to add to your watch list. Does The Golden Girls deserve a spot over Seinfeld? Better Call Saul over Breaking Bad? The choice is yours…

(And don't forget, you can pass on a Face-Off round if you don't know a movie or TV show by just hitting "skip" at the bottom of the page.)

Click here to start voting in the top 100 best TV shows Face-Off!

What Is a Face-Off?

Like the name suggests, a Face-Off pits two things against one another and you decide which one is the superior of the two. In this case, you are voting to determine what the best TV show of all time is. It's possible to see certain shows multiple times while voting, so you can keep voting for your favorites to ensure they get ranked higher than the rest. IGN's resident team of TV experts and some of our friends from across the entertainment industry pre-selected the 100 shows for you to choose from. These get randomly paired up and each time you pick a winner, it's tracked.

How Is the Winner Determined?

When voting ends on Thursday night, September 28, at 11:59 p.m., we will tally up the total number of "wins" and "losses" each TV show has, and create a ranked list based on your choices that will be revealed the next day. The series that won the most matchups will be crowned the "winner," and in the event of a tied number of "wins," the show with the least “losses" will take the top spot. If you continue to keep voting for your favorites, they'll have a better chance of ranking high on the list. You can vote as many times as you want until the Face-Off closes.

How Do I Know When I’ve Clicked Through Everything?

It's difficult to know when you've seen every TV show included because they are matched randomly and there are so many possible match-ups. Playing until you vote for all your favorites or ensuring that certain shows don't get in the winner's circle are different options you can take with a Face-Off. By deciding the winner throughout all these match-ups, you're ensuring that your picks for the best TV show of all time will have a fighting chance to reach the top of the list.

Which TV Shows Have Been Included in This Face-Off?

This Face-Off is based on our list of the top 100 TV shows of all time, and you can read exactly how we came up with the shows and their rankings by clicking here. To make a long story short, however, IGN staff and freelancers alongside entertainment staffers from various publications ranked their own lists and we averaged them all out to come up with one defining list. For a show to make the cut, it also had to have either finished its run or been on the air for at least 10 years.

Click here to start voting in the top 100 best TV shows Face-Off!

For more, check out everything we have planned for State of Streaming 2023, including an exclusive look at Invincible’s Season 2 villain, an updated review of Netflix and other streaming services, and much more.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

]]> Tue, 26 Sep 2023 21:00:42 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtWwUkdTwRQ2SejEQ2Mq9rY <![CDATA[Loki Deleted Scene Shows Chris Hemsworth's Throg Leaping Into Action]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dvkV6iKM3sCaaCY3L745TL_

A newly released deleted scene from Loki Season 1 shows Chris Hemsworth's Throg leaping into action with a miniature Mjolnir, heading straight for Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief.

The short clip, presumably taken from the recent physical release of Loki, was shared online by Culture Crave for everyone to Marvel at. The rough cut shows the much bigger cameo that Frog Thor was supposed to have in the series, outside of his blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance in Episode 5.

The 11-second video sees Frog Thor crashing Loki's coronation and stealing the spotlight. Hemsworth, who provides the voice of the Mjölnir-wielding amphibian, yells in anger and disbelief, "You turned me into a frog!" before launching himself at the God of Mischief and giving him a heavy crack across the face.

"Why did they delete this?" one fan quizzed directly beneath the video, to which Culture Crave offered a little more context, explaining in response: "Seems to be during the part where he was being shown scenes from his life which were all pretty depressing, maybe woulda been odd having a funny scene in it."

While it is unfortunate Frog Thor was deemed unfit for the sacred timeline, Loki producer Eric Martin previously explained why the moment didn't make it into the final version of the series. He told his followers on X that the team had to cut the character's cameo down "to keep things moving" despite the hilarity.

Marvel fans caught sight of Throg in Episode 5 of Loki, which saw Hiddleston's titular trickster traversing the Void - a strange place at the end of time filled to the brim with danger, mystery, and, as it turned out, a Throg-inhabited jar labelled "T365" (likely referencing the Frog of Thunder's adventures in Thor #365).

Loki returns on October 5 with a second season that will thrust "the infamous God of Mischief into a new set of adventures with the TVA". Fans can catch up on the story so far by popping the Loki Blu-ray or 4K UHD in their disc drive or watching Marvel Studios' new 'Loki Through the Years' featurette.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

]]> Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:57:40 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dvkV6iKM3sCaaCY3L745TL_ <![CDATA[Every Cancelled and Ending TV Show Announced in 2023]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtejPJbucHd4ilmFkX7M1Jw

This list contains shows whose networks made their cancellation announcements in 2023, even if a show won't air its final season until 2024.

We're keeping track of all of the TV shows that have been cancelled, or ended, or announced to be ending here in 2023.

You'll find shows like Succession, Barry, Star Trek: Picard, and Reservation Dogs which ended things on their own terms, as far as we know, mixed with -- well -- the utter annihilation of The CW's Arrowverse and YA programming. The Flash and Riverdale wrapped up while newbies Gotham Knights and The Winchesters never stood a chance.

Also, as the streaming bubble bursts big time, combined with the AMPTP's refusal to meet the demands of striking actors and writers, all new phenomenons have poppped up. The first is the "unrenewal," which is a show that was picked up for more but then - psych! - the studio changes its mind. GLOW never getting its Season 4 still stings but this year you can find A League of Their Own and Snowpiercer joining the list.

Add to this now "deplatforming," which is when a show not only gets cancelled but erased. Taken down from the streaming site. Disney+ and Hulu were recent perpetrators of this with The Mysterious Benedict Society, Alaska Daily, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, and more.

For a look at all of the cancelled or ending shows announced in 2023, check out the gallery below:

For those longing to look at a long-ass list, here you go!

TV Shows Cancelled and Ending TV Show Announced in 2023

  • Alaska Daily cancelled after one season (ABC)
  • American Auto cancelled after two seasons (NBC)
  • American Gigolo cancelled after two seasons (Showtime)
  • Star Wars: Andor will end with its upcoming Season 2 (Disney+)
  • Archer will end after fourteen seasons (FX)
  • Avenue 5 was cancelled after two seasons (HBO)
  • Barry ended with its fourth season (HBO)
  • Big Mouth was picked up for an eighth and final season (Netflix)
  • Big Sky was cancelled after three seasons (ABC)
  • Billions is ending with its seventh season (Showtime)
  • A Black Lady Sketch Show was cancelled after four seasons (HBO)
  • The Blacklist came to a close with Season 10 (NBC)
  • Blood & Treasure was cancelled after two seasons (CBS)
  • Breeders ended with Season 4 (FX)
  • Britannia was cancelled after three seasons (MGM+)
  • Cobra Kai will conclude with its upcoming sixth season (Netflix)
  • Call Me Kat was cancelled after three seasons (Fox)
  • The Company You Keep was cancelled after one season (ABC)
  • The Crown will end with its upcoming sixth season (Netflix)
  • 1899 was cancelled after one season (Netflix)
  • Dear Edward was cancelled after one season (Apple TV+)
  • Dead End: Paranormal Park was cancelled after two seasons (Netflix)
  • Doom Patrol will end with its fouth season (Max)
  • Dr. Phil is ending his daytime series after 21 seasons (Syndication)
  • East New York was cancelled after one season (CBS)
  • Fantasy Island's reboot was cancelled after two seasons (Fox)
  • Fear the Walking Dead will end with Season 8 (AMC)
  • The Flash ended after nine seasons (The CW)
  • Freeridge was cancelled after one season (Freeform)
  • The Game's revival was cancelled after two seasons (Paramount+)
  • The Goldbergs ended after ten seasons (ABC)
  • Gossip Girl's revival was cancelled after two seasons (Max)
  • Gotham Knights was cancelled after one season (The CW)
  • Grand Crew was cancelled after two seasons (NBC)
  • Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies was cancelled after one season and taken off Paramount+
  • The Great was cancelled after three seasons (Hulu)
  • Grown-ish ended with Season 6 (Freeform)
  • The Handmaid's Tale was renewed for a sixth and final season (Hulu
  • Happy Valley aired its third and final seaason (AMC)
  • The Hardy Boys ended third and final season (Hulu)
  • High Desert was cancelled after one season (Apple TV+)
  • High School Musical: The Musical: The Series was cancelled after four seasons (Disney+)
  • How To with John Wilson wrapped up with its third season (HBO)
  • Human Resources was cancelled after two seasons (Netflix)
  • Hunters was cancelled after two seasons (Prime Video)
  • I Love That For You was cancelled after one season (Showtime)
  • The Idol was cancelled after one season (HBO)
  • Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan ended with a fourth and final season (Prime Video)
  • Kung Fu was cancelled after three seasons (The CW)
  • The L Word: Generation Q was cancelled after three season and taken off Showtime platforms
  • A League of Their Own was cancelled despite having been renewed for a shortened second and final season (Prime Video)
  • Let the Right One In was cancelled after one season (Showtime)
  • Lockwood and Co. was cancelled after one season (Netflix)
  • Magnum P.I. will end with its fifth season (CBS, NBC)
  • The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ended with a fifth and final season (Prime Video)
  • Mayans M.C. ended after five seasons (FX)
  • The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers was cancelled after two seasons and removed from Disney+
  • A Million Little Things concluded after five seasons (ABC)
  • Mindhunter won't retrun for a third season, confirmed by David Fincher (Netflix)
  • The Mosquito Coast was cancelled after two seasons (Apple TV+)
  • MO was renewed for a second, final season (Netflix)
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society was cancelled after two seasons and removed from Disney+
  • Nancy Drew was cancelled after four seasons (The CW)
  • National Treasure: Edge of History was cancelled after one season (Disney+)
  • New Amsterdam ended after five seasons (NBC)
  • NCIS: Los Angeles wrapped up after 14 seasons (CBS)
  • Never Have I Ever ended with its fourth season (Netflix)
  • The Other Two ended with Season 3 (Max)
  • One of Us is Lying was cancelled after one season (Peacock)
  • Outlander will end with the upcoming second half of Season 8 (Starz)
  • Pennyworth was cancelled after three seasons (Epix, Max)
  • Perry Mason was cancelled after two seasons (HBO)
  • Physical was cancelled after three seasons (Apple TV+)
  • Reboot was cancelled after one season (Hulu)
  • The Resident ended with Season 6 (Fox)
  • Reservation Dogs concluded with Season 3 (Hulu)
  • Riverdale ended after seven seasons (The CW)
  • The Winchesters was cancelled after one season (The CW)
  • Walker Independence was cancelled after one season (The CW)
  • Succession finished its run with a fourth season (HBO)
  • Back in 2022, Stranger Things was picked up for a fifth and final season, which still has yet to air, or even enter full production (Netflix)
  • Servant lasted four seasons (Apple TV+)
  • Sex Education ended with its fourth season (Netflix)
  • Star Trek: Discovery's fifth and final season will arrive in 2024 (Paramount+)
  • Star Trek: Picard ended after three seasons (Paramount+)
  • Star Trek: Prodigy was cancelled after two seasons (Paramount+)
  • South Side was cancelled after three seasons (Comedy Central, Max)
  • Snowpiercer ended after three seasons despite being picked up for a fourth (TNT)
  • Snowfall ended its story after six seasons (FX)
  • Single Drunk Female was cancelled after two seasons (Freeform)
  • Sex/Life was cancelled after two seasons (Netflix)
  • Truth Be Told was cancelled after three seasons (Apple TV+)
  • Titans was cancelled after four seasons (Max)
  • Three Pines was cancelled after one season (Prime Video)
  • True Lies was cancelled after one season (CBS)
  • The Umbrella Academy was renewed for a shortened fourth and final season (Netflix)
  • Vampire Academy was cancelled after one season (Peacock)
  • Willow was cancelled after one season (Disney+)
  • The Watchful Eye was cancelled after one season (Freeform)
  • Yellowstone is ending, though it's unclear now when the second half of Season 5 will air (Paramount Network)
  • Young Rock was cancelled after three seasons (NBC)
  • You was renewed for a fifth and final season (Netflix)
  • Your Honor was cancelled after two seasons (Showtime)
  • Ziwe was cancelled after two seasons (Showtime)

]]> Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtejPJbucHd4ilmFkX7M1Jw <![CDATA[Star Wars Fans Think Ahsoka May Share a Connection With Jedi: Fallen Order]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8ds4z9N58rM3w-zdsCmHakzH

Warning: The below contains full spoilers for Ahsoka, now streaming on Disney+.

Star Wars fans think Ahsoka may share a connection with the 2019 video game Jedi: Fallen Order after spotting a curious detail in the background of a scene in the latest episode of the Disney+ series.

The sixth episode of Ahsoka, titled "Far, Far Away", journeyed to an entirely new distant galaxy on the pathway to planet Peridea, aka the ancient homeworld of the Dathomiri Nightsisters occupied by vast, barren wastelands and a colossal stone temple that features some interesting inscriptions on its exterior walls.

Some eagle-eyed viewers noticed the symbols in the background of a scene with Grand Admiral Thrawn, Morgan Elsbeth, Shin Hati, and Baylan Skoll, and they quickly established a link between the hieroglyphs in the episode and similar markings that featured in Respawn's Jedi: Fallen Order - as pictured in screengrabs shared on X.

Reddit users also pondered the discovery, with one person asking: "Are the hieroglyphics on the Nightsister's fortress Zeffo markings?" The question is valid, considering the ancient Zeffo species (residing on Zeffo in the Outer Rim) were responsible for the etchings Cal Kestis stumbled upon in Jedi: Fallen Order.

Naturally, the inclusion of this apparent Easter egg in Ahsoka prompted fans to do some further digging. X user @Tommyjwall rotated the runes by 180 degrees and translated them from ur-Kittât, an ancient language adopted by the Sith, aka The Old Tongue, into English to unlock the writing on the wall (literally).

The translated message from Ahsoka apparently reads: "(P)RAISE KUJET RULER OF ALL MAY HIS REIGN LAST FOR AL..." Kujet was a Zeffo Sage who fell to the dark side and sat in a secluded seat of power in The Tomb of Kujet, a Zeffonian palace on Dathomir, known simply as Kujet's Tomb in Jedi: Fallen Order.

As a result of this discovery, fans started to speculate over the possibility of seeing some "Zeffo action" in Ahsoka. Some people think the Easter egg could have broader implications for the story and future events, while others believe it might open the door for Jedi: Fallen Order characters to make their live-action debuts.

The Star Wars franchise is known for including secret tidbits and teases linking back to the galaxy far, far away (including a recent one found on Baylan Skoll's wrist device), though it is often up for debate whether they have any significance to the stories or are simply fun little Easter eggs for viewers to discover.

If you would like to weigh in on the debate, you might need to watch last week's installment again (and it's certainly worthy of repeat viewings). IGN called Ahsoka Episode 6 an "amazing" chapter, noting that it offers "villainous plots with a side of cute critters" as "the action moves to a new galaxy far, far away".

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

]]> Tue, 26 Sep 2023 17:10:19 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8ds4z9N58rM3w-zdsCmHakzH <![CDATA[Now Is the Time For Streaming To Evolve Or Die]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8ds4z9N58rM3w8b1naedg1wr

The streaming world? It’s a mess. (Yes, that’s meant to be read in Sebastian from The Little Mermaid’s voice.) Labor disputes largely revolving around the shift to streaming from traditional cable, and an increased desire to use AI in ways that would replace writers and actors, have wracked Hollywood for months; consumers are showing growing frustration with lower quality programming; and no one from Wall Street to Main Street actually knows how any of these platforms are performing (but they sure as heck keep charging us more). Back in July, I wrote that streaming is broken and the strikes could save it. Or at least part of it. And now, in the wake of a tentative deal between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), that sentiment feels truer than ever.

While the AMPTP still needs to return to the bargaining table with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), it’s impossible not to feel at least a little hope that the tentative WGA agreement may be the first sign that real change is about to start happening.

Streaming as a medium is at a crossroads, largely thanks to the ongoing strikes. It's currently faced with the choice of evolve or die, but meaningful change takes time and neither process is going to happen quickly. Still, five months of striking certainly seems to have started to get the wheels in motion.

Here’s what the WGA said to its members on Sunday after the tentative agreement was met:

“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.” (You can read the full message on the WGA website.)

But let’s talk about what this means for film and television, the creators who make them, and us, the fans moving forward.

AI in Hollywood

Artificial intelligence has been a huge sticking point in the negotiations for both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. While AI can be a tool to help improve our lives, it’s become clear that Hollywood executives mean to use it for labor replacement rather than the quality of life improvement tool that can be. (The proposed process is that scripts are produced by AI and then meant to be detangled by a writer rather than just using humans throughout the process — something any professional can tell you is a completely untenable workflow that also happens to be a tremendous waste of time, not to mention creatively dubious to say the very least.)

For SAG-AFTRA, it means having their likeness reused ad nauseum, in some cases without prior approval. Many background actors have already reported having their likenesses scanned without the awareness that it would be used again later. Meanwhile, voice actors are hearing their voices pop up in projects they did not participate in.

This might not be a uniquely streaming issue, but the pursuit of unlimited Content™ in the streaming era is largely to blame for this push.

If you haven’t enjoyed the weird, uncanny looking de-aged folks in things like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, lemme tell ya — you’re going to have a bad time when they’re complete digital replacements. WGA and SAG-AFTRA drawing hard lines in the sand on this key issue isn’t just critical for their livelihoods, it’s also critical for the quality of the art that we enjoy as viewers.

This might not be a uniquely streaming issue, but the pursuit of unlimited Content™ in the streaming era is largely to blame for this push. Filling roles for a thousand different churn-and-burn series that the viewer will never think about again is expensive work. Why pay for that work when you can scan someone’s face and place a thousand proverbial monkeys at typewriters and churn out something that someone will watch? (Ethics. The answer is ethics. And that we don’t need to be chasing 50 shows about nothing when we could have, like, one show about nothing — we all need pointless distractions — and four series that actually put in the effort to be good.)

We don’t yet know the specifics for the WGA’s AI clause in its new contract, but we know that it’s most certainly a part of it. Here’s hoping it’s as good as the WGA negotiating committee is making it seem, and that it sets the groundwork for a similarly solid deal for SAG-AFTRA.

Minimum Staff Sizes in Writers’ Rooms

As the demand for more and more shows grew in order to accommodate the voracious appetite of the many streaming services, writers' rooms started getting smaller and smaller until they shrunk to the dreaded mini-room. The shortest way to explain why they’re bad is to say that all of your favorite creators hate them. The longer way to describe it has been expertly outlined by our news team.

The bottom line for you? Television in particular is a collaborative medium. Mike Flanagan may be the creator of The Fall of the House of Usher, but his writers’ room consisted of himself, Justina Ireland, Dani Parker, Jamie Flanagan, Emmy Grinwis, Matt Johnson, Rebecca Klingel and Kiele Sanchez. According to IMdB, twenty-five writers helped create the now-Netflix phenomenon Suits throughout its tenure. Eight writers helped bring Firefly to life during its single season. Twenty-two kept The Sopranos at the table during its long run.

With the exception of The Fall of the House of Usher — a series created by Flanagan, someone with enough clout to demand whatever sized writers’ room he wants thanks to the success of previous films and numerous series like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass — all of these are older series. So let’s take a look at something current with immediate examples: AMC’s impeccable Interview With the Vampire series was created with a full staff. Meanwhile, the lesser-received Mayfair Witches operated with the dreaded mini-room.

There are a whole host of reasons why mini-rooms are bad for the writers who work in them. But the impact on viewers is there as well. Longform storytelling as told in television only benefits from full writers’ rooms (up to and including keeping the teams involved throughout the season to ensure any changes fit with the overall narrative of the show as it unfolds).

If you want less Content™ and more art, minimum staff sizes for writers’ rooms and the removal of AI as an art replacement is a big step towards getting it. (Which, again, while we don’t know deal specifics, it seems that at least something along these lines has been hashed out between the negotiating committees.)

The Numbers Game

I’ll be honest. This is more of a selfish desire as a Streaming Editor rather than an overarching “this will help you as a general consumer,” but we’ve got to get to a point where we have real-time and transparent streaming data. For the WGA, knowing these numbers means that they can chase performance-based residuals (as should have always been the case, and was back in the time of traditional cable’s heyday). For me, it means I have a better idea about what y’all want to hear about, what stories I should be chasing as an editor, and where the surprise sleeper hits are hiding.

So, I guess that does ultimately help us all. If, that is, whatever agreement they reach means those numbers will be public. Previous AMPTP offers have included clauses that would allow a couple of guild representatives access. WGA turned that offer down, but it’s unclear how much headway was made in this regard. If they made major headway and those numbers do end up transparent like we all hope, it could also help folks decide whether or not all these dang price hikes are actually worth the money. (Which is most certainly a contributing factor in the streaming networks desire to keep them private.)

Either way, we’re also creatures of empathy so we’re happy that people are getting paid what they deserve when they make something great no matter what!

The Strikes Can’t Possibly Solve Everything?

You’re right. They can’t and won’t solve all of the issues facing the streaming world. Some of these issues will still be topics of conversation during next year’s IGN State of Streaming event, too. Change takes time on the best of days, and issues will slip through the cracks.

Right now, marginalized screenwriters are worried they’ll fall to the wayside as streaming starts to contract in the wake of these new deals and as the great streaming bubble finally pops. That contraction is a good thing overall, because it means there will be less of “let’s throw something against the wall and see what sticks,” but it will also mean fewer chances for new writers.

“Writers from historically marginalized communities are the first ones who suffer when the belt tightens,” Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, vice president of the WGA East and co-chair of its Committee for Inclusion & Equity told The Hollywood Reporter.

These concerns are reasonable given Hollywood’s history, and mean that we have to be more vigilant than ever in our calls for diversity both in front of and behind the camera. What we can’t do is just let marginalized creators pay the price as streaming figures out how to be a viable business model. Our control may be limited, but that’s why voting with our dollars and our views is always so, so important.

The lack of physical media and overarching threat to film and television preservation issue still stands, and isn’t really something that a WGA or SAG-AFTRA strike could resolve even if they wanted to (many creators want to). That is and will always be a studio and distributor discussion that boils down to licensing rights. The only way we as consumers can help here is by continuing to purchase the physical media we love when we can, and to support preservation efforts like TCM.

What’s the Deal?

There’s also ultimately a chance that the deal isn’t as glowing as folks want to believe in these moments before full details are released. No one wants that to be the case, but it’s not set in stone, either. WGA membership still has to ratify the contract (read: vote on it), and given how long they’ve fought, it seems unlikely that they’re going to take anything less than they deserve.

Proverbial lines in the sand on these issues highlight the core problem streaming is facing right now: it has to evolve or die. 

What the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are fighting for is intricately tied to the streaming world not because AI, writers rooms, and lack of transparency are the only issues facing the medium, but because their proverbial lines in the sand on these issues highlight the core problem streaming is facing right now: it has to evolve or die.

The workers are sick of not being paid for their labor; the viewers are sick of disjointed 6-episode seasons that take their intelligence for granted; and the idea of unlimited growth is (hopefully) gone forever, causing the streaming bubble to officially pop. If things don’t change, streaming will die.

WGA could release the terms immediately after this column publishes, highlighting a deal that’s ok-but-less-than-everyone-hoped for. But they could also release the terms immediately after this column goes live and change the lives of their guild, SAG-AFTRA, and the rest of the industry forever. (Or until someone else introduces a new medium that sounds great but also kind of breaks everything.)

I’m choosing hope. I hear rebellions are built on that, after all.

]]> Tue, 26 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8ds4z9N58rM3w8b1naedg1wr <![CDATA[Gen V Wants You to Practice Safe Supe Sex With This Exclusive PSA]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtR-U0j-HNSMaCY3L745TL_

Practicing safe sex is critical, but it becomes more important than ever for young Supes still learning to control their powers. You wouldn’t want arousal to result in injury or death, after all. As they navigate their sexuality and their budding power sets, the students of Godolkin University (God U) have come together to deliver this very important safe sex PSA, complete with an ad for the full range of The Seven branded sex toys.

Everything we’ve seen of Prime Video’s Gen V so far has confirmed that it will be just as gory and unhinged as The Boys. Adding in the young adult drama in what basically looks like Sky High with murder teens? Pretty safe to say that we cannot wait to see what these little weirdos have cooked up for the spinoff. You’ve got a bunch of teens (and probably some folks in their early twenties) in a Supe-filled world who will undoubtedly learn sooner rather than later that the majority of their heroes are the worst of the worst – in conjunction with all those hormones? Things are about to go off the rails.

Also, can we talk about the fact that — outside of the abstinence only bit — this is actually a pretty solid public service announcement? Featuring Jaz Sinclair’s Marie Moreau, Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Golden Boy, Derek Luh and London Thor’s Jordan Li, Chance Perdomo’s Andre Anderson, and Maddie Phillips’ Cate Dunlap, the welcoming but warning PSA has it all. Verbal safe words! Consent! Protection! Hell yeah, God U! It is absolutely certain that there are some deeply shady shenanigans happening at this school. But hey, at least they got those bits right.

(We’re not sure how the 6 foot social distancing thing would work out either, and frankly we’re afraid to ask. There’s probably a squid though.)

]]> Tue, 26 Sep 2023 16:00:00 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtR-U0j-HNSMaCY3L745TL_ <![CDATA[David McCallum, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and NCIS Actor, Dies Aged 90]]> https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtgSVJyMjRrA5s0ohxaO6Yr

David McCallum, the actor who starred as a secret agent in the 1960s spy drama The Man From U.N.C.L.E. before later playing a police pathologist on NCIS, has died at 90.

As reported by Variety, the Scottish-born star died on Monday, September 25, of natural causes in New York City, less than a week after he turned 90 on September 19. His son Peter McCallum described him as "the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father" in a statement released shortly after his passing.

"He always put family before self," he further said. "He looked forward to any chance to connect with his grandchildren, and had a unique bond with each of them. He and his youngest grandson, Whit, 9, could often be found in the corner of a room at family parties having deep philosophical conversations.

"He was a true renaissance man — he was fascinated by science and culture and would turn those passions into knowledge. For example, he was capable of conducting a symphony orchestra and (if needed) could actually perform an autopsy, based on his decades-long studies for his role on NCIS.

"After returning from the hospital to their apartment, I asked my mother if she was OK before she went to sleep. Her answer was simply, 'Yes. But I do wish we had had a chance to grow old together.' She is 79, and dad just turned 90. The honesty in that emotion shows how vibrant their beautiful relationship and daily lives were, and that somehow, even at 90, Daddy never grew old."

McCallum became a household name in the mid-60s when he starred as the enigmatic Illya Kuryakin alongside Robert Vaughn's Napoleon Solo in the popular television series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The show concluded in 1968, but McCallum reprised his role alongside Vaughn for a TV movie spin-off 15 years later.

Another of the actor's most beloved and memorable roles came in his later years, playing Chief Medical Examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard on the CBS television series NCIS. The character appeared from the show's launch in 2003 right the way through to the 20th season finale, which aired in May of this year.

CBS said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of David McCallum and privileged that CBS was his home for so many years. David was a gifted actor and author, and beloved by many around the world. He led an incredible life, and his legacy will forever live on through his family and the countless hours on film and television that will never go away. We will miss his warmth and endearing sense of humor that lit up any room or soundstage he stepped onto, as well as the brilliant stories he often shared from a life well-lived. Our hearts go out to his wife Katherine and his entire family, and all those who knew and loved David."

On the film side of his career, McCallum starred in the likes of The Great Escape, A Night to Remember, and The Greatest Story Ever Told. He also lent his voice to multiple animated movies, playing Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: Gotham Knight, Son of Batman, and Batman vs. Robin, as well as Zeus in Wonder Woman.

Image credit: Bill Inoshita/CBS via Getty Images

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

]]> Tue, 26 Sep 2023 13:46:46 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/wkA4G0Tq8dtgSVJyMjRrA5s0ohxaO6Yr