When people look back on this era of entertainment, they will wonder why we are so obsessed with super heroes. As if two Marvel movies a year weren’t enough, the superhero studio is working on four new shows and a miniseries, to accompany their recent show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

According to Deadline, the shows are in the very early stages of development, as they are still looking for a network to take a 60 show deal. Ambitious as this goal is, it could be an enticing offer for struggling networks. Potential networks are Netflix, Amazon, and WGN America.

Anything with Marvel’s name on it tends to be a sure thing, these days, so confirmation of these rumors should be out shortly. Marvel’s unrelenting march towards global domination shows no sign of slowing down.

Oliver Stone, former auteur responsible for Platoon and, of late, political hack responsible for Alexander, World Trade Center, W., Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Savages , felt that he needed to speak up against the much-heralded final episode of Breaking Bad. Now taken out of context, Stone’s accusations of unrealistic, aggrandizing violence may have some credence but he admits to not “watch[ing] the show very tune” and that he “tune[d] in and saw…15 minutes”. That’s like sporadically tuning in and out of The Sopranos for six seasons and catching the last scene and calling it a masterpiece. In short, it makes the commenter sound uneducated and, well, like a bit of an idiot.

Not only does Stone’s denouncement of Breaking Bad hint at a touch of jealousy (creator Vince Gilligan’s star is on the rise as Stone’s career has been plummeting for years) but it’s very much a case of the pot calling the kettle black. 1994’s Natural Born Killers is one of the most sadistic and twisted films I’ve ever seen and in no way is less aggrandizing of violence than Breaking Bad. In a lot of ways, Stone’s comment kind of sounds like the desperate plea of an aged talent who wants to make his way back into the public eye, even if it is for these type of misinformed comments.

Take into account that the following quotation from Stone contains major spoilers for the finale of Breaking Bad so only read on if you’ve finished the series:

“There’s too much violence in our movies – and it’s all unreal to me. I don’t know if you saw the denouncement [of ‘Breaking Bad’], I happen to not watch the series very much, but I happened to tune in and I saw the most ridiculous 15 minutes of a movie – it would be laughed off the screen. Nobody could park his car right then and there and could have a machine gun that could go off perfectly and kill all of the bad guys! It would be a joke.

“It’s only in the movies that you find this kind of fantasy violence. And that’s infected the American culture; you young people believe all of this sh*t! Batman and Superman, you’ve lost your minds, and you don ‘t even know it! At least respect violence. I’m not saying don’t show violence, but show it with authenticity…

“If people think that bringing a machine gun to your last meeting is a solution to a television series that’s very popular, I think they’re insane. Something’s wrong. It’s not the world we know.”

It seems that ol’ Mr. Stone is suffering a bit of late-term amnesia, forgetting about the violent films that made his career what it is today. Honestly, I think that starting an intelligent debate about violence in pop culture is all well and good but to do it from an uninformed standpoint is a major waste of words. My words to Stone: Go back, watch the series in its entirety, and then make some public comments.

After a gripping cliffhanger of a season finale, AMC has gone ahead and axed The Killing for a second time. Originally snuffed out after season two and then revitalized thanks to a partnership with Netflix, The Killing had always struggled to find its footing in a market over-saturated with police drama. But those who watched it faithfully will tell you that there was something deeper and darker about this show that made it stand out from the crowd, not to mention pith perfect chemistry between leads Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman. 

AMC originally canceled the series last year after season two. Although the show started off a success, many viewers left after leaving betrayed by the conclusion to the first season which didn’t wrap things up like they expected. Personally, I thought it was a great, inventive move but ultimately, the series did itself in. Although season three was heralded by fans and critics, the numbers just weren’t there and consistent low ratings led to the decision to pull the plug to allow them to produce new material. In light of AMC’s recent decision to move ahead on Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul, it seems that the wake of Walter White can now add The Killing to his body count.

In a statement addressing their decision to not renew the much-loved show for a fourth season, AMC released the follow: “We have made the difficult decision not to move forward with a fourth season of The Killing. We want to thank our great partners at Fox Television Studios, creator Veena Sud, an extraordinary cast and the dedicated fans who watched.”

I will certainly be amongst those mourning the loss of The Killing. This fact is certainly not aided by the fact that season three ended with a major character turn that would have made for a fantastic next season. I guess this is the issue of getting too invested in tv shows. Like Deadwood and countless others before it, we will now never know the fate of Linden and Holder.

For months, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has been spouting the idea of a spinoff for one of the show’s most beloved characters Saul Goodman. Today, it seems that that notion has become reality.

Better Call Saul will center on Bob Odenkirk‘s conniving, pun-ladden lawyer Saul Goodman and will run on AMC. Following a licensing agreement between AMC and Breaking Bad producer Sony Pictures TV, Better Call Saul is now officially green-lit. The show will run as an one-hour prequel to “focus on the evolution of the Goodman character before he ever became Walter White’s lawyer.”

Considering that Saul is much more of a light-hearted character (especially before his acquainting with Walter “Heisenberg” White), don’t expect the show to be the same trip down the rabbit hole that Breaking Bad was. While it won’t quite fill the massive gap that Breaking Bad will leave upon its departure in a mere three weeks time, it will be interesting to see Odenkirk’s back story and may just cushion the blow a touch.

At this point, it’s unknown if Saul will even live through the events of Breaking Bad. Wouldn’t it be interesting if he did indeed perish? Surely would give this prequel show a certain twist. While Walter White and Jesse most definitely wouldn’t be showing up for this spinoff, I would be willing to put my money on the fact that Jonathan Bank‘s Mike would be returning at some point.

 Watch the following round up of some of Saul’s best one-liners to get you pumped for the spinoff.

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Although reactions to the fourth season of Arrested Development were admittedly mixed, many people, myself included, found fault in the new format which saw characters taking on their own episodes, doing a “Where are they now? routine rather than the ensemble comedy we all knew and loved. Well it looks like we haven’t seen the last of the Bluths and, even better, they will most likely be returning in the old ensemble format.

Creator Mitch Hurwitz has expressed interest in doing a fifth season with Netflix headrunner Reed Hastings claiming that that decision was in the hands of the talent. Screen Rant now reports that Hurwitz has now confirmed that it’s “definitely” happening, one way or another.

“I keep thinking about it, and why don’t we do the movie version of this and then do the series, because this series kinda peaks with the story? I kinda go back and forth between that and a series. But here’s the most important thing, whatever we do, I want to get the cast all together and not do another anthology thing, and that’s why I keep thinking about kicking off with a special or a three-part show and then going into a series.”

So, take this news with a grain of salt, and don’t forget that it was nine years between the last seasons, but who knows, maybe we will get at actually see more Arrested Development back in its prime.

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Over in San Diego, Comic Con is in full siege and has lead to a blogtastrophe. After earning a whopping 16 Emmy nominations a mere three days ago, beloved HBO series Game of Thrones has showed up to footnote the last season as well as tease what is to come in George R.R. Martin‘s Westeros epic.

In attendance were Michelle Fairley, Richard Madden, Peter Dinklage, John Bradley, Kit Harington, Rose Leslie, Richard Madden, Emilia Clarke, author George R.R. Martin, alongwith showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. However, to introduce their roundtable appearances was this amusing but somber video that recounts the death of the characters in GoT.

From the minor characters to the host of Baratheon soldiers who lost their lives on the battle of Blackwater to the truly tragic losses of great, major characters, this three minute video has got it all. If you’re a fan of the series, and up to date with the show, give it a watch. Otherwise, avoid at all costs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo8L1TTVKqU

For those of us who’ve followed the journey of Dexter Morgan, the light at the end of the tunnel is finally visible as this will be the last go around with our favorite serial killer. Dexter has had quite a bit of up and down with a stellar first, third and fourth season, a middling second season, a lukewarm sixth and seventh season and a god-awful Julia Stiles-ridden fifth season.

Hopefully these final moments spend with Michael C. Hall‘s Mr. Morgan will wrap up the series in a satisfactory way. Whether that means the death of Dexter or his finally being captured and tried for his many crimes, we cannot say.

Check out the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZfsx04ZNSQ

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Lately, I’ve been watching Arrested Development (for about the tenth time) to get my insider bits up to snuff as I’m priming for the fated day of May 26 when AD makes it’s glorious return. The show functions so well as a house of jokes riffing on itself and constantly building towards more and more complex gags. Ultimately, the better you know the show, the funnier it gets.

When I hopped on Netflix today, the home screen was flooded with Arrested Development mockups, including a “funniest clip” voted on by Facebook users. It seems that the Netflix marketing camp knows what they’re doing here and they’re using the exclusivity as advertisers on their platform to promote their upcoming show. It’s brilliant. That and they’re blowing up the internet with a slew of character posters, teaser peeks and this final poster that totes the clever little tagline– “We’ve Unmade a Huge Mistake”

Arrested Development stars Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Portia De Rossi, Michael Cera, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jessica Walter and David Crossand will air exclusively on Netflix with all 15 episodes on Sunday, May 26.

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In five seasons, True Blood has seen vampires, shifters, plain clothed murders, werewolves, fairies, witches, werepanthers and, er, Maenads. Many believe the show to have jumped the proverbial shark and cling to simpler times when True Blood just involved Southern society adapting to the public knowledge that vampires are indeed real.

With so much going on, the show has gotten a smidge diluted and often it’s hard to keep track of what’s what and who’s who. This has not discouraged the powers that be though as True Blood is pending a sixth season and you can catch a first watch of that trailer right here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnCI-M6Eqfc

Series regulars Anna Paquin, Alexander Skarsgård, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Chris Bauer, Nelsan Ellis, Jim Parrack, Todd Lowe, Jessica Hamby and Joe Manganiello are all expected to return. The new season premieres on HBO on June 16 at 9PM.

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