Killing must feel good to God, too... He does it all the time, and are we not created in His image? – Dr Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal)

Something that I have found of particular interest lately is the new cycle of TV series that has emerged. I am of course talking about movies that have turned into TV series, Agents of Shield (The avengers), Smallville (Superman), Bates Motel (Psycho) and Hannibal (most notably Silence of the Lambs). Granted, this could just be Hollywood’s attempt at another moneymaking scheme, which it probably is…but so far from what I’ve seen of Hannibal and Bates Motel, I’m not complaining. Basing a TV series on what I would argue are two of the greatest movies of their time, what could possibly go wrong?! (Incase you haven’t noticed already this piece is based on Bates Motel and Hannibal).

Bates Motel is due to start airing in the UK at the end of September. It is based upon the back-story of Norman Bates (Psycho) and focuses on the idea of why he ends up as (well lets face it) fucked up as he is in the film. The story follows him and his mother moving to a new town and opening (surprise surprise) a motel. As we all know how this story ends, I suspected this show was going to be dull and predictable. I hold my hands up, I was completely wrong. It is because we know the end to this story it is made all the more terrifying- you know it doesn’t end well so you are sat in anticipation on the edge of your seat anxious for the inevitable ending. It’s a brilliant idea for a show, an intriguing watch and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Similarly knowing the story is a benefit when it comes to viewing Hannibal, as your anxiety levels will be at an all time high when watching this series. Admittedly I have so far only viewed two episodes, mainly because I’m too scared to watch it alone, however those two episodes blew me away (you will know what I mean by scary when you watch episode two). The hour seemed to go by in a flash and I was captivated the whole time. The camera work is genius and just adds to the anxiety created by the character of Dr Lecter (close ups on meat and his jaw as he is chewing are particularly chilling). I can’t wait to see where this show goes- as long as I’m at home, in the day, with another person, and my front door is locked.

I can only hope that the excellence found in this cycle of TV shows continues with the Avengers series Agents of Shield. Its usually TV shows turning into films for nostalgic purposes and aimed specifically at the series cults fans, think Bewitched, Sex and the City, Veronica Mars, and Arrested Development. This however is something very different, its acknowledging some of cinemas greatest triumphs and educating a whole new generation. I first watched Psycho with my granddad (curled up on a sofa with a pillow in front of my face), and although I can’t quite imagine him watching Bates Motel, the younger generations of my family are keen to watch the series (and they haven’t even seen Psycho). However I can’t help but wonder would these TV series be quite as effective without their highly successful predecessors, will those who have never seen Silence of the Lambs and Psycho enjoy or even understand the sheer brilliance behind Hannibal and Bates Motel?

'We're on our own' - Joe McAlister (Under the Dome)

Its been a long time since I have written anything on this page, for that I would like to apologise…I could make excuses such as moving the country, having little internet access, and moving house (which is all true). But to be quite honest I hadn’t seen anything new and exciting enough that made me want to pick up a pen and write about it, that is until now.

This week I started to watch the new TV series ‘Under the Dome’, the new TV series airing on Channel 5 based on the Stephen King book of the same name. This show was recommended to me by my cousin, who by the way compared the show to ‘The Simpsons Movie’…you know the part where they all live under a dome? Already not the most appealing of ideas, especially when the premise of it sounds like a social experiment concocted by the people who brought us ‘Big Brother’- not something that appeals to me at all (in fact I can’t imagine anything more painful that a new version of Big Brother). So it wasn’t until my sister called me to say that she really enjoyed it that I got to thinking, maybe this show isn’t so bad. Don’t get me wrong my sister and cousin watch some great shows (most of which are recommended by me), but they would also both freely admit that they would watch some utter crap…but then again so do I, so I though maybe I should give this ‘Under the Dome’ a try…

Unfortunately I was too late to catch the show on TV, so was forced to resort to 5OD for the first two episodes, an excruciatingly painful ordeal as it kept freezing, pausing and streaming. 5OD in my experience just isn’t up to the standard of its main competitors BBC Iplayer and 4OD (I have no experience with ITV as they never air anything I find even remotely interesting). Anyway I struggled through the first two episodes, not that they were a struggle to watch, the episodes themselves were completely gripping, it was 5OD that was the biggest let down. I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of the show that I saw…it is like a social experiment gone wrong, but somehow the show is presented as a fresh idea. With big names like Stephen Spielberg and Stephen King as producers, and familiar faces in the cast the show was built to be a success; usually this translates to appealing to critics (not the average Joe). However, I can safely say this show should appeal to everyone…I would even go as far to say its on a par with ‘Lost’, lets just hope the ending is better!

Actually this would be a prime opportunity to talk about the ending, I should note I haven’t read the book that the series is based on. In the show they have already admitted that the dome has nothing to do with the government, yet some of the characters appear to know what is going on…the mayor and the priest for example. I just hope that this becomes clear as the show goes on, because it needs to continue with these flairs of brilliance to keep an audience engaged. Lets all hope that it doesn’t ruin itself with its ending much like ‘Prison Break’ and ‘Lost’. However for now the show is great, and has an even greater potential, I can’t wait to see where they go with it.