SFFWorld Best Of Review of 2015: Film and TV, Part 3

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It’s that time of year when, as we have done for the last decade or so, we have dragged ourselves from the revelries here at SFFWorld to try and put some sort of order to our favourite (and not so favourite!) stuff from 2015.

And so, as 2016 approaches, here’s the third and final part of our attempt to show what we liked (or didn’t) this year. (The first part, on Fantasy & Horror books, is HERE and the second, on SF Books, is HERE. )

In this last part we’ve written about what we’ve liked/not liked/noticed in Film and TV.

Taking part are Rob Bedford (Rob), Luke Brown (Luke), Mark Chitty (MarkC), our film reviewer David Paul Hellings (David) and Mark Yon (MarkY).

Part 3: Genre Film and TV.

Let’s start with film.

3a. Film

To start with, here are the Top 20 grossing films in the UK for 2015 at the time of typing in early December (not including Star Wars, which, of course, should go to the top of this list.) Like last year, though this is a UK list, I doubt the general list will change much for the US.

The list is dominated by genre movies (at least 12), as it was last year, making it a good year for the genre. Also prevalent, though perhaps not unexpected, is the number of sequels/series movies. This is, no doubt, going to continue for the next few years.

Mark Y’s comments: I enjoyed lots of movies this year. Some of them are on that list!

Luke’s comments: With young kids and a lack of a ready babysitter in supply, I don’t make it to the movies much, so my samplings from 2015 are pretty limited.

Mark C’s comments: I’ve watched a fair few films this year – as I don’t have a TV license I’ve got an unlimited card to the local cinema which is all of 5 minutes from the house, and the temptation to head on down is always there!

David’s comments: My top 5 films of 2015 don’t make the top 20 grossing films at all, which shows how little the mainstream is interesting me these days. My top 5 films of 2015 are:

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

Maggie

White God

Hard to be a God

What’s Left of Us.

Mark Y’s comments: Of the list, Mad Max: Fury Road was surprisingly good for me, though, like the originals, the plot was still slight. It is nice to see this movie being nominated for Golden Globes and the like. As I type there are also rumours of it being re-released in 2016 in a black-and-white version.

Luke’s comments:  Like most in the SF community I also really enjoyed Alex Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Though I agree with Mark’s comments about the thin plot, the attention to detail in the world building, the strong feminist sensibilities, and the spectacular action sequences were all very thrilling.

Mark C’s comments: Mad Max: Fury Road was a great spectacle, that’s for sure, and worth seeing on the big screen. Not quite sure how much I would have enjoyed it had I watched it at home though.

David’s comments: For me, Mad Max: Fury Road was my biggest disappointment of the year. When the supposed lead character is reduced to a supporting role in his own film, that’s a problem.

Rob’s Comments: I’m probably one of 7 people in the SFF community who hasn’t seen Mad Max: Fury Road.

David’s comments: Looking at the top 20 grossing films for the UK, Spectre was weak compared to Skyfall and suffered a poor version of a classic Bond villain with Blofeld and a mess of a third act for which I blame John Logan (the TV series Penny Dreadful also shows his problems as a writer).

Rob’s comments: I didn’t care to see Spectre. I’m sort of done with James Bond. Nor Kingsman, which is based on a Mark Millar comic book and I’m not really a fan of Millar’s work.

Luke’s comments:  I also wanted to catch Spectre, but will probably have to wait for the DVD release now.

Mark Y’s comments: I enjoyed Spectre, even if it wasn’t quite the unalloyed triumph some critics were claiming. The plot had lots of good ideas but failed to take them far. I think I know where the next film will go to, as well.

I’m also going to give a shout-out to the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, which did very well. Taking parts of The Avengers (1960’s TV series, not movie) and James Bond, it outdid them both in terms of violence and innuendo. Definitely not to be taken too seriously.

David’s comments: Agreed. Kingsman: The Secret Service was more fun.

Mark Y’s comments: I also liked Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak, which was a sumptuous-looking, if gloriously uneven, Gothic romance, with some very violent, horrifying moments. (There is a lot of red colour involved.) However, it was such a pleasure to watch something original, even if at times it lacked a sense of restraint. The cast – especially Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska – were excellent. I suspect that this may become a regular Halloween watch for me, alongside Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow.

Rob’s comments: I also loved Crimson Peak, Guillermo del Toro’s love letter to Gothic Romance. For me, it functioned more as a ghost story, it was dark, lovely, and (mostly) well acted. Tom Hiddleston was effective in his role as something of a fop, but Jessica Chastain stole the show as his unhinged older sister.

Mark Y’s comments: Ant-Man was better than I thought it would be, considering its troubled production history.

David’s comments: Ant-Man was good fun. Basically a heist film masquerading as a Marvel outing, but it was well made and well played. Michael Douglas was particularly good and it was also good to see the Yellowjacket character, one I loved in the comics.

Mark C’s comments: I enjoyed Ant-Man for the sheer fun of the film, though there were moments when I wasn’t entirely convinced about the throw-away lines to keep it so focused.

Rob’s comments: I enjoyed Ant-Man a great deal. Everything I’ve seen Paul Rudd in, I’ve enjoyed him so I’m not surprised. Would have like to see more of the Wasp, though.

Mark Y’s comments: Big Hero 6 finally got its UK release after being released in the US last year (it was one of Rob’s favourites last year) and was great, if surprisingly dark for a family movie.

Mark C’s comments: Big Hero 6 was great fun, definitely a highlight.

David’s comments: Taken 3 was one step closer to Liam Neeson taking himself next time around as multiple personalities within the character battle to keep the franchise alive.

Luke’s comments:  Another great movie I saw this year was a 2014 release in the Northern Hemisphere, but was delayed coming to cinemas in Australia. I’m talking about Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman which I thought was quite brilliant and deserving of the all the praise it has received.

Rob’s comments: Oh yes, Birdman was an excellent movie. A little too much drumming in the background for me, and a tad too full of itself, but on the whole a good film.

Mark Y’s comments: Although this year’s Pixar movie Inside Out caused an outcry from UK inhabitants by being a similar idea to The Numskulls (in UK comics since the 1960’s) it was a warm and likable movie. Almost a return to form for Pixar.

Luke’s comments:  I also want to sing the praises of Inside Out, which I saw with my kids. It entertained both them and me, and it was a very insightful and moving take on adolescence and growing up. It was the best family movie I saw last year.

Rob’s comments: Missed out on Inside Out, too.

Mark Y’s comments: Perhaps the biggest critical hit of the year was Ridley Scott’s The Martian, which surprised many by making a visually dazzling movie lasting over two hours from what was a relatively slight plot. In an age of improbable blockbusters this had many more probable science elements than most (though some liberties as well) – this year’s Gravity, methinks. It is Ridley’s highest-grossing movie of his career – take that, Blade Runner, Alien, Prometheus and Gladiator! A well deserved result – amongst a quality ensemble cast, Matt Damon is astonishing. Brilliant movie.

Mark C’s comments: Gotta agree there – one of the best of the year, no doubt. It also stuck relatively closely to the book (which I loved, though I was very disappointed that the Aquaman line wasn’t used!).

Luke’s comments:  The movie I haven’t seen that I most want to is The Martian. I haven’t read the book because it doesn’t sound like my kind of thing, but the movie looks great and I’ve heard good things.

Rob’s comments: I couldn’t convince my wife to see The Martian, although I loved the book. I’m looking forward to this one coming to cable television.

Mark Y’s comments: Though it performed very well at the box office (see list above) I was personally disappointed with Jurassic World – great look, but an awful plot, some dreadful characterization (Karl, I’m especially thinking of you, but I’m still aghast at how many idiots there can be in one film!) & some cringingly-bad dialogue (cue annoying children for most, but not all, of it. “Come on guys, I just work here!” has to be pretty close to the bottom…)

In the end I felt that, despite all the glossy details, there was nothing really new here and a lot that was wrong. Despite what I think, there’s a sequel due 2018.

David’s comments: Jurassic World was fun and could have been worse, but I lost interest in the series after the first film and, even then, I thought the best of the original book was left out.

Rob’s comments: I just couldn’t look past the main idea of the film: OK, so the last time we tried to revive dinosaurs all those people were killed so let’s make bigger and smarter dinosaurs! I love me some Chris Pratt, but even his charms couldn’t get me in the theatre for this one.

Mark Y’s comments: I also thought that Avengers:Age of Ultron was unnecessarily too long and more about each character getting its moment in the sun in a series of set pieces rather than actually tell an interesting story. Surprisingly (to me, anyway!), I thought last year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier was better.

David’s comments: Avengers: Age of Ultron I enjoyed and was surprised by how negative some of the critical reactions were. The additions of The Vision, The Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver moved the team forward and the story nicely towards what should be a fascinating Captain America: Civil War next year.

Rob’s comments: I enjoyed Age of Ultron for the superhero spectacle it was: fun, dumb superhero action.  I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as the first Avengers, let alone Winter Soldier. Bettany was great as the Vision and what a look for the character!  By now, we should all realize the true villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Tony Stark.

Luke’s comments:  I caught up with the latest Marvel superhero films, being The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man. While I found them both entertaining I also found them lacking compared to last year’s stronger efforts (Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier).

Mark C’s comments: Both Jurassic World and Age of Ultron were enjoyable popcorn films, but neither quite hit the mark. Expectations can be a bad thing.

Mark Y’s comments: Of the other disappointments, Terminator Genisys was bad, but not as bad as some reviews made it out to be. The Man from UNCLE looked great and started well, but sadly fizzled out mid-plot to underwhelm in the end. Ex Machina was enjoyable, with a stunning performance by Alicia Vikander (also in The Man from UNCLE) but a little too self-important for its own good.

Luke’s comments:  The Man from U.N.C.L.E was surprisingly charming, with its quirky sense of humour and stylistic flourishes. The plot, again, was thin and by-the-numbers, but I thought it was worth watching. Likewise, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation was better than expected, and it’s always fun to watch Tom Cruise put himself through great pain for my entertainment.

David’s comments: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation was a definite return to form and probably the second best of the series after De Palma’s original. I also like the fact that Cruise is happy to give screen time to other characters.

Mark C’s comments: The Man from U.N.C.L.E didn’t seem like my cup of tea at all, especially as I’d just watched Rogue Nation and realised that that genre of film isn’t always for me. (Kingsman, on the other hand, rocked for its sheer over-the-topness).

Mark Y’s comments: Tomorrowland looked great and had some nice ideas but was generally a wasted opportunity. So too was Neil Blomkamp’s Chappie (basically a reimaging of the 1980’s Short Circuit) which started well for me but deteriorated rapidly once Chappie appeared… and rapidly became a confused mess. Sharlito Copley is clearly someone who doesn’t work on screen for me.

Mark C’s comments: Ex Machina and Chappie were both okay too, the former more than the latter. However, I will give Chappie credit for introducing me to ‘Die Antwoord’ – an acquired taste in music for sure (I’m still not sure if I actually enjoy their music, but still listen away).

Mark Y’s comments: The Fantastic Four reboot was an abomination that should never have been made, and was every bit as bad as I had feared. A waste of money, creativity and talent. A sadly textbook example of how to totally misunderstand the potential of a series and trying to reinvent it into something ‘the kids will like’ rather than something that makes sense.

David’s comments: Major miss of the year for me too was the Fantastic Four reboot which was a folly in every way possible and an example of how wrong a studio can get things. There were no saving graces. It reminded me of the failed Lost in Space film (although that film was actually better than FF).

Mark C’s comments: Completely agree. That’s 2 hours of my life I’ll never get back.

There was also one film out this year that managed to breathe new life into a franchise despite all the signs that it could be a horrible sequel that re-trod old ground. Yes, that’s right – I’m talking about Tremors 5: Bloodlines. In fairness this was a surprisingly good film given the track record of the sequels, and as a Tremors fan it was one of my favourites of the year.

David’s comments: Numbers 4 to 10 in the top 20 grossers I haven’t seen, but I did get dragged along by young relatives to see Cinderella and the inclusion of Game of Thrones’  Robb Stark raised my hopes that the finale would be a tribute to the Red Wedding. Sadly that wasn’t the case.

Mark Y’s comments: Last from me on films. I’m determined to finish on a positive note, so I will say that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was as good as I hoped it would be. Though it played a little safe, it was generally wonderful. I sense great things with this vitalized new franchise.

Luke’s comments:  I had to wait until Boxing Day to find the time to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but it was worth the wait. It recaptured the spirit of the original films while rejuvenating the franchise. It’s the only movie I saw all year that I’d happily pay to see again at the cinema.

Rob’s comments: I absolutely loved The Force Awakens. I laughed, I cheered, I cried. (That damn robot made my eyes tear up!). Everything I hoped it would be and I love, LOVE the new trio of heroes and think Kylo Ren has some good villain potential.

Mark C’s comments: I managed to avoid any spoilers for The Force Awakens for a week before I got to see it. Though many won’t agree with me, I thought it was the best Star Wars film yet – it hit the right balance between story and spectacle.

Some other films I watched this year that I think are worth mentioning (for better or worse) are: Fast & Furious 7 (glad it tied things off after Paul Walker’s death, but this franchise is getting old now); San Andreas (all about the SFX, unfortunately); We Are Still Here (an enjoyable and interesting focused horror); Pixels (fun in that turn-your-brain-off kind of way, but pretty damned awful otherwise); American Ultra (better than a lot of people made out); The Visit (just plain awful). I still haven’t watched Minions, dammit!

Rob’s comments: A film I saw just a few weeks ago was Krampus, a holiday comedy/horror movie. Having German ancestry means that I’ve been aware of the Krampus nearly my entire life, my grandmother threatened me with a visit from the Krampus if I didn’t behave. The film was fun and dumb, nothing more than I expected.

3b. TV

Luke’s comments:  As with my 2015 experience with genre movies, there’s a lot of 2015 genre TV I haven’t seen.

Mark C’s comments: As I think I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have a TV license so my TV watching is woefully inadequate once again this year. In fact, looking at what everyone else has watched has made me realise that I haven’t really watched any genre TV this year. I’ll bow out here!

Mark Y’s comments: I’m going to start with good news, of sorts. I enjoyed Doctor Who more than I did last season. Above everything else this series showed that Peter Capaldi (as the Doctor) can act, even when the scripts were risible. On the negative side, most of the cringeworthy moments, as before, can be squarely laid at showrunner Steven Moffat’s feet, sadly.  It is time for change, in my opinion – and not with the cast.

Luke’s comments:  I also fell behind in Doctor Who this year (like MarkY, I’m a bit Moffated-out), but watched the Christmas special as always, and enjoyed it.

Rob’s comments: I sort of fell away from Doctor Who over the past few years. I loved Tennant, and although I do like Capaldi, I just don’t feel the compulsion to watch.

Mark Y’s comments: Of the ‘new stuff’, Channel 4 (UK)’s Humans was pretty good, even if it used ideas that have been standard SF tropes for.. oh,  over seventy years. But its tale of robots and AI in contemporary society did seem to introduce the concepts to a relatively new (and young) audience.

This year was the year of the dominance of uniquely streamed series. After the term ‘binge-watch’ was accepted for the Oxford English Dictionary in 2014, a reflection of its growing impact on society, 2015 saw a number of significant genre series appear online. Daredevil (Netflix) was widely praised, though personally I found some of the characterisation annoying.

In my opinion, Jessica Jones (Netflix) was better, though it took a while to get going for me, but was worth it in the end. Former Doctor Who David Tennant, as the villain, Killgrave, was as good as I had hoped he would be, even if he was yet another ‘Brit-as-baddie’.

Luke’s comments:  I’ve been watching both of Netflix’s Marvel TV shows, Daredevil and Jessica Jones and I liked them both. Daredevil impressed me with a Korean cinema influence, particularly noticeable in the fight scenes and choreography, whereas Jessica Jones was a surprisingly meaty noir exploring some very dark themes. I did feel that the villains in both shows overshadowed the heroes, though.

David’s comments: Jennifer Jones was very hit and miss for me. Great cast, well played, nicely shot, but had a script that was stop/start and lacked the strong forward motion that Daredevil had.  It all concluded with a Kill Bill size let down rather than something that could have been stronger. There never seemed any real threat. Hopefully Season 2 will be better.

Mark Y’s comments:  Sense8 (Netflix) was visually dazzling in high-definition and occasionally baffling in plot. I enjoyed most of it but am not entirely sure it’ll stand the scrutiny of a second series.

Luke’s comments: I have also been meaning to get to Sense8 which I’ve heard good things about. And I need to justify that Netflix subscription!

Mark Y’s comments: From Amazon Prime the rest of the series of The Man in the High Castle, vaguely based on Philip K. Dick’s novel, was released in October/November after an extremely successful Pilot in January. I’m not sure what PKD would have made of it, but its production values were high, the acting good and the plot relatively easy to follow. It was not bad at all, in my opinion.

Mister Robot (Amazon Prime) was a surprise. A tale of new-generation hackers and their attempt to create a revolution, it was dark and complex. Despite having no characters with redeeming features, it was worth watching until the end.

Rob’s comments: Mr. Robot was excellent. I dismissed it initially when it aired on the USA network here in the States, but binged on it when it was available On-Demand.  Excellent acting and great mood set by the music. I don’t have Netflix, but I might do the free trial just to watch Jessica Jones. Daredevil…. I just don’t care about the character and he’s always been one of my least favorites from Marvel.

Mark Y’s comments: Also good was the series of Midwinter of the Spirit, one of the very few UK supernatural television series in 2015. Based on Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins books, it had a stellar cast (Anna Maxwell-Martin, David Threlfall) and was generally well received. The verdict is out as to whether there will be another series, but for me, if it happened, this would be a welcome return.

My most pleasant surprise this year was the re-booting of the old 1960’s Supermarionation show, Thunderbirds. Now as Thunderbirds Are Go! and in animated form, with a combination of CGI and models (from Weta Workshops), it was a very entertaining 25 minutes or so and hopefully will inspire many children to engage more with SF, as the original did me.

Whilst we’re talking of (mainly) children’s series, Star Wars:Rebels, in its second season, continued to gain positive reviews and address some of the issues created by the prequel movies. Though it seemed to run out of steam a little by its end of year break, the signs are there for this series to be a worthy addition to the revised Star Wars canon.

Rob’s comments: I’m really enjoying Rebels. I was worried when Greg Weisman left after the first season (Weisman was responsible for the animated series Gargoyles and Young Justice), but the second season was pretty good.

Mark Y’s comments: Game of Thrones Season 5 finally caught up with the books, whilst blazing its own trail in some aspects, not all of which were welcomed by the fans. Like the books, the pace this year was more sedate and more measured, and whilst there was the occasional shock-moment this was a series with less overall impact perhaps than Season 4. For all its faults, it is now regarded as the most popular TV series in the world at the moment, still the most illegally downloaded, and certainly HBO’s most successful series ever.

Luke’s comments:  Games of Thrones Season 5 was still watchable, though I have to admit I’m becoming less interested in the show the more it deviates from the books. This isn’t because I demand a faithful adaptation of the books, but I don’t think the showrunners are as skilled storytellers as Martin. But I’ll keep watching next year.

David’s comments: Game of Thrones remains my favourite (it helps that I haven’t read the books) and Season 5 was unfairly criticised I think. The showrunners should wrap this up in another two seasons rather than let HBO turn it into a soap opera cash cow and keep going on and on and on.

Rob’s comments: I enjoy (the A) Game of Thrones (TV show) a lot, but there are few decision the show-runners have made that veer from the books which baffle me. (Jamie & Cersei, Barristan Selmy). On the whole, though, it is odd to be in a place not knowing what is going to happen on the show.

David’s comments: Fear the Walking Dead, after an awful pilot, actually surprised me and was enjoyable. Having the healthiest looking heroin addict in history doesn’t work for me, but it was a good use of LA and actually bodes well for a second season.

The Walking Dead has actually kept my attention again. I was happy to give up four episodes before the end of last season – I stopped reading the comics at issue 102 feeling so bored by the repetition of the narrative – but kept going and feel that the end of last season and all of this have been the best since season One. Location is key to this show as it’s a character in itself. The prison was dull and I never believed that they wouldn’t have checked more of it out in their time there.

Rob’s comments: I tapped out of Fear after the third week, I think. I thought outside of Kim Dickens as the female lead, the acting was borderline unwatchable. I’ve enjoyed the main show, but there were a few stumbles towards the end of the first half of the most recent season. The Walking Dead always starts VERY strong.

Mark Y’s comments: Flash and Arrow both had their fans and did well to build on their fan base this year. I personally preferred Supergirl, though not in the same league as my ‘must-watch’ series. Melissa Benoist, as Supergirl/Kara Danvers, is an engaging heroine. Agents of SHIELD allegedly continued to improve, though I abandoned that series a while back. Gotham underwhelmed me, similarly.

David’s comments: The Flash is a real favourite of mine and I’ve enjoyed Season Two so far. Zoom is a great villain and the return of the excellent Tom Cavanagh as Earth 2’s Dr Wells is another plus.

Likewise, Arrow is a vast improvement over last season. The magic element moves it into a more entertaining area that’s closer to The Flash and the Green Arrow identity is a real plus, as is the lighter Oliver. Is Felicity dead? Probably not, but this show keeps me watching.

Supergirl is proving surprisingly watchable due to the CW keeping the structure and approach they’ve adopted with The Flash and Arrow. It’s also another show that reveals what a mess Gotham is.

Rob’s Comments: I absolutely love The Flash. The fact that they’ve convincingly had two episodes featuring Gorilla Grodd, one look at King Shark and goddamned Gorilla City speaks to how well they do most everything on the show.  Arrow improved over last year with a much better villain in Damian Darhk.

Supergirl is just awesome, they couldn’t have cast a better Kara Zor-El. She is perky, optimistic, hopeful and superb. I love how deep they dive into DC Comics lore and logically integrate C- and D- Level characters naturally into every story. More, please.

I agree about the Gotham comparison. I just have such a problem with shoe-horning all of Batman’s villains into Gotham before Bruce even dons the cape and cowl. The whole point of the show is that Jim Gordon is going to fail, why else would there be a need for Batman, right?

David’s comments: Ash vs Evil Dead is great when the writers have sharp dialogue and character interaction and weak when the episodes are just set-pieces with filler dialogue. Bruce Campbell, as expected, makes this series and it’ll be interesting to see what the rest of Season 1 and then Season 2 bring. The pilot, written and directed by Sam Raimi, was the best, so why not get him to write every episode? Is he busy doing something else?

Rob’s comments: Ash vs Evil Dead is extremely fun, though I wonder how long they can make it last.

Mark Y’s comments: Agent Carter took a while to find a place on UK television networks, though when it was shown it was generally found to be good, if a little clichéd. Hayley Atwell in particular deserved praise for her portrayal of the titular character.

Similarly, Supernatural, Sleepy Hollow, The Originals and The 100 all continued to grind on. Of the new series, Dark Matter distinctly underwhelmed and I bailed fairly early myself, though, like many series, I understand it got better as it went along.

Rob’s comments: Agent Carter is excellent, love Hayley Atwell. It’s a sibling show, Agents of Shield still has some issues (the forced, awful romance angle for Coulson, the ever- annoying Daisy), but the other good elements outweigh the bad. I dropped out of Sleepy Hollow this year. The second half of the second season combined with Orlando Jones leaving left me with no investment in the show.

Orphan Black continues to be one of the smartest programs on television. I will admit that the potential for male clones revealed in the closing episode of season 2 made me nervous, but I think for the most part, it worked out fine. Tatiana Maslany finally received Emmy recognition by Emmy voters for her performance this season and it was well earned and deserved. I thought the actor Ari Millen did a decent job with the multiple clone roles even if one of the clones felt VERY much like a riff on the Joker.  Donnie and Alison stole a lot of the show this season with their Breaking Bad turn, but overall, Orphan Black maintained the quality; not quite as good as the first season but I thought better (in parts) than the second season.

Luke’s comments: I also returned for Season 3 of Orphan Black, which I think remains one of the most interesting SF shows on television. I did find the overarching story becoming even more convoluted this season, and I fear the showrunners are flying by the seat of their pants somewhat. But Tatiana Maslany remains mesmerising  and Ari Millen did an admirable job matching her, which was never going to be easy. There were some unexpected deaths and twists in this season, and the show keeps defying expectations and keeping me guessing.

Rob’s comments: I continue to enjoy Grimm, and was especially pleased at the demise of a certain character at the end of last season who came to be supremely annoying. Unfortunately, that demise seems to be not sticking. The writers continue to churn out fun monsters and in Monroe and Rosalee, have given viewers one of the healthiest and most positive romantic relationships on genre TV.

Mark Y’s comments: My favourite series of the year, though, and one of my biggest surprises, was the BBC production of Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which managed to produce a sumptuous looking series and an intelligible script from a complex doorstop of a novel. Well worth catching up with, if you haven’t done so already.

David comments: For me, Hannibal Season 3.  This year saw us say Goodbye to one of my favourite shows. At least there was a kind of resolution. It would have been great to see a fourth season and the introduction of Clarice Starling, but it’s sadly not to be. The Hannibal and Red Dragon storylines were excellent and the cancellation of the show is another example of where TV execs mess up. An expensive arthouse project it may have been, but Hannibal went out on a high and the final season was just as well done as the first two.

Mark Y’s comments: As I type this, Syfy are just starting to show a number of much-anticipated series to close the year. The first four episodes of The Expanse, based on James S.A. Corey’s SF series of novels, have been released online to general praise. Personally I think that it’s good, but taking a little while to get going. Childhood’s End, based on Arthur C Clarke’s 1950’s novel, was (understandably) brought up to date and given a major make-over. Whilst purists complained of the liberties taken with the novel, it was quite well liked by those without knowledge of the book. And, lastly, the adaptation of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians also looks as if it will be very popular as well. Though it is early in the season run, so far this is my favourite of the three new series.

Luke’s comments:   I remain frustrated that Syfy’s The Expanse is not yet legally available in Australia, especially after binging on the books this year.

Rob’s comments: Not to rub it in, Luke, but The Expanse is fantastic. Everything I’d hoped it would be and more. As for Childhood’s End, I haven’t yet read the book, but enjoyed the show, for the most part. Some stiff acting in places, but Charles Dance looked great as Karelan, even if he could barely move.

Mark Y’s comments: To summarise then, all in all, TV is looking as healthy as it has ever been for genre product. The sheer amount of programmes, with major budgets and publicity events, suggests that even if they are not all for everyone’s tastes, they have a certain popularity. Here’s to more in 2016.

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And that’s it for this year.

Once again, thank you for all your support this year. We look forward to 2016 and your contributions.

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