On the Small Screen: TV This Week. The newest on Homeland, Downton Abbey, True Blood, and more.
Attention “Doctor Who” fanatics and enthusiasts: the big day is finally approaching! BBC America’s popular sci-fi series “Doctor Who” will air its television special, titled “The Day of the Doctor” to celebrate the 50th anniversary. This is a highly anticipated installment as the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) join together in action.
John Hurt will star as a past incarnation of the Doctor, introduced from the Series 7 finale. Billie Piper, Joanna Page, and Jemma Redgrave will also be returning to their roles, along with appearances of the fictional mutants called Daleks and shape shifting aliens known as Zygons.
This anniversary is a highly anticipated event for devoted fans which is set to air on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2:50 p.m. EST. The new trailer for the television special has only been recently released. “Whovians” can also find the 50th anniversary special released in select theaters on Nov. 25.
The brilliant Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, who had starred in the late legal drama “Harry’s Law,” has been making appearances on “American Horror Story: Coven” as the cold-blooded Madame LaLaurie, based on a real-life 18th century slave-owner who tortured and murdered her slaves. Her character is introduced to the audience through flashbacks. “American Horror Story: Coven” airs Wednesdays at 10pm EST on FX.
“True Blood” will begin production on their seventh and final season starting in January. Stephen Moyer, who plays the main lead, Bill Compton, will be making a return behind the camera to direct at least the seventh season premiere. Moyer has directed a couple of episodes from the fifth and sixth season.
When the sixth season finale left off, it was teased about the return of Eric Northman, portrayed by Alexander Skarsgard. The final season will take place over 10 episodes, two fewer than the other seasons of the series. According to ScreenCrush, there will be more focus drawn on the vampire and human relationships after the reveal of the virus threat. The final season is scheduled to air starting June 2014.
PBS has announced that their most-watched period drama series “Downtown Abbey” will be returning for least a fifth season after the fourth one airs in January. According to TV Guide, more than 24 million people watched the third season of the series in the United States.
Showtime has renewed thriller series, “Homeland,” and freshman period drama, “Masters of Sex,” for more seasons. Both shows have proven to score high in viewership and ratings. They will each return next year to the small screen with 12 episodes each. “Homeland”, on its way to installing its fourth season, has attracted more audience by each of its previous three seasons, according to Showtime entertainment president David Nevins. Meanwhile “Masters of Sex” has quickly become the most popular series on Showtime after “Dexter,” averaging around 6.5 million in viewers across all mediums.
According to Entertainment Weekly, The CW has announced they will be renewing each of their new fall television shows for a full season. Amongst these are “The Originals”—the spinoff of The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries”—“The Tomorrow People,” and “Reign.” The CW gave the green light after seeing solid performances from their limited inventory of original lineup of primetime television, which are all consistent in viewership among adults 18 to 49.
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