Spring premieres you don't want to miss

Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

Game of Thrones (HBO, Sundays at 9 p.m.): The fifth season of HBO’s fantasy series continues the show’s winning streak, despite containing some of the unevenness of prior seasons.  The series focuses on several royal families trying to secure power in the fictional world of Westeros.  The show is strongest during changes in the status quo, and the newest episode is no exception.  Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) is being forced to build new alliances in a foreign land, and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) must deal with the fallout of last season’s explosive finale.  The performances, as usual, are phenomenal, and the show is great at giving characters interesting ways to reveal different parts of themselves.  This isn’t even to mention the show’s increasingly astonishing special effects, which are featured prominently in the new episode.

The sheer number of plots in the show means that some story threads were left out of the first episode, and not all of the characters are equally entertaining.  The plot of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), for example, seems to simply be stalling until it can reach the conflict it has been promising for seasons. It is too early to judge the season based on one episode, and it is still unclear if all of the show’s plotting and scheming is really leading to a satisfying end, but for now the show is as confident and fun as ever. 

Recommended if you like: The Lord of the Rings, Breaking Bad, Spartacus

Twin Peaks return in doubt as creator pulls out

Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

The cancellation of Twin Peaks in 1991 left many fans of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s surreal show hungry for more.  The show, which revolved around the disappearance of a local girl in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, captured the public conscience in a way that few shows before or after have.  It was a cultural phenomenon, with people spending large parts of their day discussing the show’s many mysteries and twists.  It helped start the careers of Kyle MacLachlan and Heather Graham, and the stars of the show graced the cover of entertainment magazines all across the country. 

Then, after the end of its second season, the show was cancelled.  It disappeared as soon as it arrived, and anyone who watched the show to its cliffhanger ending felt as if they had been cheated.  The finale created more questions than it answered.  A continuation felt natural, but any attempts to bring the show back were unsuccessful until last year when Showtime announced that it would revive the series for a nine-episode continuation of the story. 

Glee, Parks and Recreation among shows to bid farewell

Sarah Kebea
Arts and Entertainment Editor

Out with the old and in with the new; the start of 2015 offers bright beginnings and final goodbyes for some of our favorite television characters. 

Bright Beginnings:

January 21-Backstrom, a comedy drama, will premiere on Fox at 9 p.m.  The Office’s Rainn Wilson, known for his role as Dwight Schrute, will star as Detective Everett Backstrom. 

February 8&9: The prequel series to the famed show Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, will feature a two night premiere on AMC, both halves starting at 10 p.m.  The drama will follow the lawyer of the original series, Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), six years before Walter White was in the picture. 

February 19- The Odd Couple, a remake of the 1970 television version, starring Jack Klugman (Oscar) and Tony Randall (Felix) will premiere on CBS at 8:30 p.m.  Matthew Perry (Oscar) and Thomas Lennon (Felix) will play best friends-turned roommates in the new comedy.  Both shows originally derived from the Neil Simon play, The Odd Couple. 

Selma, Birdman among top Golden Globe nominees

Mae Turney
Staff Writer

The 72nd Golden Globes will air on January 11, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. , hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. There are 25 categories with five nominees for each award, Below are some of the most popular categories:

Best Motion Picture (Drama)

Nominees: Boyhood, Fox Catcher, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)

Nominees: Julianne Moore, Still Alice; Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl;  Reese Witherspoon, Wild;  Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything; Jennifer Aniston, Cake.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)

Nominees: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything; Steve Carell, Fox Catcher; Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game; David Oyelowo, Selma; Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler.