11 Shows You Don't Want To Miss...Unless You're On Deadline

I’ve been in revision hell, as I like to call it, for the past three weeks. Three sets of edits, two revisions, and a manuscript due by the 31st. Loads of fun for 2014. Ack. It doesn’t help that I’ve been distracted by some killer television. Since this is a blog devoted to magic and the paranormal, I thought I’d list some of my televised distractions. They don’t all involve the paranormal, but they sure are magical. You should check them out if you haven’t already. In no particular order, here they are...

1. Grimm (NBC)—a new twist on fairytales, with a cop, who's also a supernatural cop--a Grimm--dealing with the creatures that go bump in the night…in Portland! Fun and always neat to see how they incorporate new fairytales.
2. Bitten (SyFy)—based on the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelly Armstrong. I never read the books, but the premise of the only female werewolf working with her pack and dealing with the whole man vs. animal issue is great. I’m not a fan of the many, many, many commercials though. The show clocks in at an hour long, but feels about 20 minutes long with all the friggin’ advertisements. I want to love this, but I don’t know that I’ll have the patience to hang around.
3. Helix (SyFy)—Billy Campbell. Check. Isolated genetics lab in the arctic with secret research. Check. People with secrets. Awesome. The threat of zombies...and I’m in.
4. Hemlock Grove (Netflix)—A terrific series about supernaturals in Hemlock Grove. Lots of gratuitous sex and violence. No, you will not be disappointed. *grin*
5. Almost Human (Fox)—Karl Urban. Need I say more? A police procedural set in the future where cops work side by side with androids. Urban plays John Kennex, a guy with attitude, whose partner is a quirky droid named Dorian—who also happens to be hot. Great chemistry between the leads, and it makes you think about what it means to be human. Love this show. (Do not confuse it with Being Human, which is about three paranormals living together.)
6. Sleepy Hollow (Fox)—Ichabod Crane, you debonair spy! That accent, that look…those clothes. Ew. If they’d get him some new pant and a shirt made in this century, I’d be very thankful. That said, the play on the headless horsemen, good vs. evil, and fun with history make this a quirky show that entertains. I love that one of the lead characters is a smart woman with no sexual designs on the hero. She’s terrific. Oh, and have I mentioned Ichabod’s dashing accent?
7. Blacklist (NBC)—LOVE me some James Spader. He plays a wanted criminal who turns himself into the CIA with some ulterior motive. He will only work with the cute young agent who may or may not be his daughter. Conspiracies abound, but Spader is so amazing in the role of Reddington you find yourself cheering when he kills people. Bad people of course. Except for… Well, watch it. It’s amazing.
8. Intelligence (CBS)—Sawyer from Lost. Hurray! Now he’s a snarky government agent with a computer chip in his brain that allows him to access anything he needs. And he’s after a conspiracy involving his wife. It’s got promise if they don’t drag out the wife plot-line.
9. Elementary (CBS)—Sherlock and Watson, where Watson is a woman! I love this show for its smart dialogue and snappy cases. And Jonny Lee Miller kills as Sherlock.
10. The 100 (Fox)—coming out in March. In the future, after a nuclear apocalypse on Earth, 100 petty criminals, considered expendable test subjects, are sent back to the planet to see if they can survive. It’s Lord of the Flies meets The Toxic Avenger with Young/New Adult angst. Wowzers.
11. Resurrection (ABC)—coming out in March. Based on the novel The Returned by Jason Mott. Looks promising. The dead return to life out of the blue. Not a take on zombies, but how to handle the return of your loved ones long after you’ve accepted their loss and moved on. Should have some real emotional pull and has a cast of great actors.