Strike Back

The first series of Strike Back was a Sky UK production, consisting of three stories told across six episodes. Episode 1 and 2 told the first story set in Iraq, episodes 3 and 4 were a separate story set in Zimbabwe and the third story, episodes 5 and 6, were set in Afghanistan. All stories featured Richard Armitage in the lead role as John Porter. Each story was originally broadcast by Sky1 in one evening, so two episodes were shown back-to-back each week. The DVD however plays each story as a separate episode, so in fact there are just three episodes lasting 1.5 hours each on the DVD. Many countries around the world have subsequently broadcast it in that format, just 3 episodes. Strike Back was filmed in South Africa between September and December 2009. It is based on the book by ex-SAS soldier Chris Ryan and is produced by Left Bank Productions.

Strike Back series 2 and 3 were co-produced by Sky and HBO/Cinemax and released in the US and UK simultaneously. New lead actors have taken over from Richard Armitage, who appeared briefly in episode 1 of series 2 but left the show to start filming The Hobbit. When the series was taken over by Cinemax for series 2 and named 'Project Dawn', it was promoted in the US as the "first series" of Strike Back, however in the UK and other countries 'Project Dawn' is promoted as series 2. Strike Back series 1 with John Porter has not been shown on US television. Episode 1 introduction by Sky Press Office: STRIKE BACK is a story of deception, redemption and revenge, all played out in the interlinked lives of two former soldiers; Major Hugh Collinson and discharged veteran John Porter. Their paths last crossed seven years ago. Now, amidst a new hostage crisis in the Middle East, their lives are about to collide again. On the eve of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, John Porter leads a Special Forces unit on a daring hostage rescue into the heart of Basra, events overtake our hero with disastrous results. The decisions taken on that night inexorably unite the fate of both Porter and Collinson. Porter bares the burden of guilt and the repercussions haunt him for seven years, until an opportunity presents itself for him to return to Iraq and redeem himself. The series followed John Porter across the three separate storylines. Richard said: "It’s an ambitious project for television. We’ve made three feature films on a TV budget and schedule. But the advantage of that is that these three feature films are linked together so you get a really interesting character arc through all episodes. American television is being brave and doing that at the moment, and this is stepping into that area.”

Burn Notice

Burn Notice

Burn Notice—truly the show that, in this writer’s opinion, kicked off USA Network expanding their repertoire when it comes to shows. With the success the network had by airing this show during the summer, it seems as if there has been more and more original content being released during this time.

However, I digress… personally, I had very little hope for Burn Notice at the conclusion of season five. The show seemed to have fallen into the an old routine. Michael Weston—the show’s protagonist—beats the latest big, bad shadow man, only to find a bigger, badder man behind his previous foe. Frankly, after five seasons of that, the show felt tired, and one had to wonder what they could possibly do to mix it up?

Friends, season six, thus far, has been THE answer to that question. The current season began with a bang as the latest “Big Bad,” actually escaped, and Fiona ended up in jail after turning herself in despite Michael’s objections. And while Michael was back with the CIA, he hadn’t beaten the bad guy or saved the day entirely, and he was not free and in the clear. Plus, Michael is struggling to find ways to get Fiona out of jail, as Sam and Jesse do their best to help him.

What makes this season so different—and so exciting—is that the viewer actually gets to see a human side to Michael Weston. You see his stress and anxiety, which is something that had been sorely lacking for the past few seasons—it’s nice to see the hero lose his cool and do “whatever it takes.” For a while, it always seemed like the heroes kept their cool and found a way to win, but suddenly that’s not the case and Burn Notice has allowed for some moments of reality. At the end of the latest episode, with the reintroduction of Michael’s brother Nate, there came with it an incredibly human moment between brothers. It’s a shame it took several seasons to get back to this, but it’s not an unwelcome new direction.

Chuck

Chuck

Anyone who watched The O.C.  and liked it, will probably admit that what made the show appealing was it’s sly use of pop-culture references, geek comedy as well as beautiful locales and bikini clad cast members.  Indeed, The O.C. was at it’s best when it mixed sweetness, wit, and an unwillingness to take itself too seriously.  All of those ingredients mixed together to charm audiences.  Thankfully, The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz has taken all of those aforementioned ingredients and mixed it with an action-packed spy show to create Chuck.  

The premise to chuck is simple.  Bryce Larkin, a former college friend and roommate who happens to be a CIA agent, steals The Intersect; a combination of both the CIA and NSA’s intelligence files on virtually everything.  In danger, he sends these files to the only person he can trust, Chuck Bartowski(Zachary Levi). Chuck opens what he thinks is a birthday email to find a hypnotizing video encoded with millions of government secrets which all essentially upload directly into Chucks brain.  Thus begins the end of Chuck, just an employee at the Buy More (a Best Buy ripoff) and the start of  his journey into the dangerous and shadowy world of espionage, secrets and lies.

The problem is that Chuck’s head is now the most valuable and dangerous thing in the world.  Enter drop dead gorgeous CIA agent Sarah Walker(Yvonne Strahovski) and NSA killing machine John Casey(Firefly’s Adam Baldwin) who become tasked with keeping Chuck alive, and using his newfound knowledge to take down rogue agents, assassination attempts, bomb threats, etc.

Falling skies

Falling skies

Here is some cool looking art for Steven Spielberg's new epic alien invasion TV series Falling Skies. The series is set to premier in June and stars Noah Wyle as a former college professor who becomes the leader of a group of soldiers and civilians struggling against an occupying alien force. Moon Bloodgood co-stars as Anne Glass, a therapist who works with the surviving children to help them cope with the traumatic situation. The series also stars Drew Roy as Hal and Maxim Knight as Matt, Tom's two sons; and Seychelle Gabriel as Lourdes, an orphaned teenager who helps run the group's commissary. Will Patton plays a fierce leader of the resistance.

Rome

Rome

It’s been 5 years since the last showing of Rome and fans have been left in the dark ages ever since. Between 2008 and 2010 exciting rumors surfaced over a possible Rome film; yes film!  But the fire of anticipation around those rumors have burnt down to mere embers as of late. What made Rome stand out was its sheer scale, its attention to detail in costuming and architecture that were all visible in its grandeur.

In fact, it’s rumored that the period sets spanned a whopping 5 acres and that would make it one of the largest period sets ever. The joint BBC/HBO production had an estimated budget of $100,000,000, though the result of that was a new, innovative historical epic the likes of which had not been seen since of Band Of Brothers (and more recently, Game of Thrones). Bruno Heller was just one of the executive producers at the helm of the series and also was the man behind the the great writing.

The Unit

The Unit

The Department of the U.S. Army emblem occasionally thought to be the 303rd's Unit Insignia"The Unit" is the U.S. Army colloquial term for Delta Force. Its members come from the United States Army (primarily from the Ranger Regiment, U.S. Military Intelligence and Special Forces) and appear to be primarily tasked with counter-terrorism. In a TV interview, series creator Eric Haney—who is a former Delta Force operator—stated that the term Delta Force is never used in the spec ops (special operations) community. They are only referred to as "The Unit." The unit's official cover is the "303rd Logistical Studies Group." In the third season's premiere, an onscreen read-out specifically identifies the unit as "ALPHA Team 1st Special Actions Group". (One of the cover designations for Delta Force is the "Combat Applications Group" or CAG.)


The Unit is based at a fictional army post, "Fort Griffith". The location of Fort Griffith is never explicitly stated, but in Episode 103 a bank statement of the lead character clearly shows an address for Fort Griffith, MO 63021 which puts it a few miles west of St. Louis. Unit members also wear the shoulder sleeve insignia of the deactivated 24th Infantry Division (United States) on their Class A uniforms, as well as the shoulder crest of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, "Strike Hold", currently part of the 1st ABCT of the 82nd Airborne Division. Also, while the Unit members are Infantry they do not wear the blue infantry aiguillette around their right arm. In later episodes, The Unit members are shown as wearing the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) patch on their Class A uniforms.)


The unit's immediate chain of command goes to the commanding officer, Colonel Tom Ryan—and, presumably, straight to the President of the United States. It is unknown if this bypasses the Secretary of Defense.


The wives of the unit's ALPHA team personnel are given minimal mission or operational information. They are responsible to maintain the "303rd Logistical Studies Group" cover in all interactions with anyone who is not a Unit family member. Their husbands are, in fact, still performing highly dangerous missions, but they are not permitted to know specifics, such as where their husbands are deployed, what their training routines consist of, how long their assignments will last—or even if their husbands are safe.


If a member of the Unit is killed in action, the family is told that he or she has been killed on a training mission. The wives themselves are encouraged to form a close, cohesive military family based on the common knowledge and strife this inevitably leads to.


The Unit has an unconventional structure. With the size of a company—approximately 130 operators—it is commanded by a Colonel (companies are usually commanded by Captains; Colonels usually command elements like regiments). The CO, Colonel Ryan, normally wears a "sanitized" uniform (bearing absolutely no tapes, such as his name, or even U.S. Army, or rank insignia).



The Department of the U.S. Army emblem, occasionally thought to be the 303rd's insignia, is referenced by Colonel Tom Ryan.Whereas a Special Forces ODA (Operational Detachment—Alpha) is commanded by a Captain, the Unit sends five-man teams into the field under non-commissioned officers, such as the team lead by Sergeant Major Jonas Blane, the Unit's NCOIC of Alpha team. It is possible that their soldiers have the same Special Forces specialties as in Army Special Forces. An ODA, formerly known as an "A-Team", has weapons sergeants, engineering sergeants, medical sergeants, communications sergeants, etc.


The wives, if suspected of speaking about the Unit's existence, can cause their husbands to be expelled and returned to regular Army service. Colonel Ryan has stated, time and again, that this can ruin a soldier's career, as well as their marriage, and has also stated that he will not hesitate to destroy families in order to preserve the Unit's security. He has also threatened the wives with closing the Unit down, and restarting it somewhere else under another cover—forcing the uprooting of all families involved.


The Unit deploys throughout the world, and both the Army and United States government have the ability to deny the existence of the Unit and any of its members in order to prevent the onset of international incidents. Their uniforms are commonly not standard Army issue, which makes it easier to deny their connection with the US Army if they are killed or captured. They also carry weapons that are not always standard-issue, and the Unit's personnel are well-familiarized with weapons from around the world and can make themselves look like military personnel from other organizations.


The Unit's members will frequently use code names such as Mr. White, Mr. Black, Mr. Blue or Mr. Green. These are usually used when working directly with American civilians, other English speakers not trained for emergencies, or on counterterrorism missions. According to Jonas Blane, the order of precedence for his team after he is disabled, is, from top to bottom: Mack Gerhardt, Charles Grey, Hector Williams, and Bob Brown.

CSI NY

CSI: NY, a crime drama inspired by the drama series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is about forensic investigators who use high-tech science to follow the evidence and solve crimes in the Big Apple.

Det. Mack "Mac" Taylor, a dedicated and driven crime-scene investigator who believes that everything is connected and everyone has a story, is a decorated Marine who served in Desert Storm and dabbled in war photography. The job is his life; he focuses on cases until they are solved. He and his partner, Jo Danville, who comes from Virginia, where she worked for the FBI. Her field of expertise is DNA evidence, and her philosophical point of view is that everyone is innocent until the science proves otherwise. She also has background in criminal psychology. She has a college-age son, Tyler, from her previous marriage to a fellow FBI agent, and an adopted daughter, Ellie. They lead a team of experts through the gritty and kinetic city that never sleeps. The team includes Danny Messer, an investigator with an unflappable spirit and a troubled family history, which he uses on the job as he blends his own set of hybrid ethics. Messer was personally selected to join the team by Mac, and he attempts daily to live up to that honor and responsibility. Sheldon Hawkes is the crime lab's former coroner, a brilliant Ph.D. who transitioned to the field team. Joining them is Don Flack, an edgy, hardcore homicide detective with a quick wit, impressive forensic insight and a long family history in law enforcement and Lindsay Monroe Messer, a young, athletic CSI with a Midwestern work ethic who is willing to roll up her sleeves to tackle any job and rarely hints at the dark and devastating secret that originally motivated her to dedicate her life to being an investigator. Rounding out the team is lab rat Adam Ross and eccentric coroner Dr. Sid Hammerback.

The New York CSIs may have a different process from those in Las Vegas or Miami, but they are guided by the same steadfast determination. These skilled investigators follow the evidence as they piece together clues and eliminate doubt, to ultimately crack their cases.