Today's interesting TV stories to read from TV with Thinus - 14 October 2015

■ New show Quantico on Vuzu AMP (DStv 114) gets a full season order.
There will now be 19 episodes in the first season of the new Priyanka Chopra drama and it could even be increased further to 22 to get to a traditional episode number for a season.

■ Dominion on M-Net Edge (DStv 102) cancelled.
Defiance's cancellation is likely next. Viewership dropped by almost half (47%) for the show that was filmed in South Africa by Film Afrika.

■ Beauty and the Beast on M-Net (DStv 101) cancelled.
Upcoming 4th season will be its last. It's never been much of a ratings performer.

■ The ANC has lost faith in Faith Muthambi.
The minister of communications further derailed the mess that was and is supposed to be digital terrestrial television (DTT). The ANC shows "the most public anger expressed at any serving minister since 1994".

■ You can now add ShowMax to your Mweb subscription
The video-on-demand (VOD) service of Naspers is getting bundled with its internet service provider service.

■ Trevor Noah of The Daily Show once again accused of stealing a joke.
The Comedy Central (DStv 122) star apparently again stole an exact replica of a decades-old joke of Dave Chapelle.

■ eNCA (DStv 403) anchor Joanne Joseph interview.
She talks to The Media about her new book, her short temper, human stories and shares advice for female journalists.

■ How the public broadcasting television system in the United Kingdom is under threat like never before.

■ The new 2 minute tralailer for upcoming fantasy series, The Shanarra Chronicles.
No response on a media enquiry from Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) on whether the new series it will be on MTV on MultiChoice's DStv from 2016 or on an M-Net channel like what happened with Teen Wolf and Vuzu AMP.

■ Why do we say someone is "on" TV, but "in" a movie?
The lexicon explained: TV is this ongoing thing, while a movie is a contained thing.

■ Russia Today (RT) is getting its budget slashed as Russia's economy falters.
The Russian TV news channel seen on MultiChoice's DStv (DStv 407) has gone into propaganda drive again over Russia's bombing of Syria. The channel's budget is being cut by 9% amid the faltering Russian economy.
- RT actually pays TV platforms like DStv to carry the news channel instead of being paid carriage fees as this Foxtel story from earlier in the year in Australia reveals.

BREAKING. 'Hart of Dixie, Beauty and the Beast, The 100 renewed; The Carrie Diaries, The Tomorrow People and Star-Crossed cancelled.

Hart of Dixie (4th season), Beauty and the Beast (third season) and The 100 (second season) has been renewed for further seasons in America, while the TV dramas The Carrie Diaries and new shows The Tomorrow People and Star-Crossed have been cancelled.

Meanwhile four new TV dramas were ordered by the CW network which will definitely make it to South Africa in due time: The Flash as a spin-off of Arrow, a medical student becoming a zombie in iZombie, an apocalyptic drama The Messengers and dramedy Jane the Virgin about a girl who accidentally becomes artificially inseminated.

RENEWED. Beauty and the Beast, Hart of Dixie both renewed for a second and a third season respectively.

Beauty and the Beast currently shown in South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) and Hart of Dixie seen on M-Net Series (DStv 114) have both been renewed in America for a second and a third season respectively.

First season key art released for the brand-new dramas, Arrow, Beauty and the Beast, and Emily Owens M.D.

The first season poster images - or as the TV biz refers to them, "key art" - has been released for three of the hottest and highly-anticipated brand-new TV dramas: Arrow, Beauty and the Beast and Emily Owens M.D.

All 3 dramas will start on the CW network in America in October when the new TV season gets underway there. It's basically a given that M-Net will or perhaps has already acquired all of them, depending on how they perform and if they make it, they should be, could be on the M-Net channel (DStv 101) or M-Net Series (DStv 110) eventually.

All 3 shows enjoy high buzz - Arrow the most of all - all 3 look excellent judging by their trailers and what is known so far regarding premise and plot. Let's hope South African TV viewers don't have to wait too long before getting to see them.

VIDEO. First TV trailer for the brand-new fantasy TV drama, Beauty and the Beast, with Kristin Kreuk.

Here is the very first, brand-new trailer for the upcoming new TV series, Beauty and the Beast, a reimagining of the 1980's cult classic TV series.

ALSO READ: Beauty and the Beast with Kristin Kreuk picked up as a new fantasy TV drama.
ALSO READ: All the brand-new American TV dramas coming, what they're about and what kind of familiar TV shows they're like.

The brand-new American TV dramas becoming new TV series: What they are about and what they'll be like.

Like new toys for Christmas they're all firmly wrapped under the tree. They will all be opened - but not all will make it: some will be discarded, some will quickly be broken, some will get scratched and dented and quickly lose their luster.

A precious few sturdy ones will remain - here's a quick look at the brand-new American TV dramas like The Last Resort above, which has all been picked up as new TV series this weekend:

Arrow
Arrow with Stephen Amell will become television's latest new superhero drama. Billionaire playboy Oliver Queen has a philantropic alter ego as the superhero Arrow in Starling City. Smallville lasted a decade; hopefully Arrow will too.
It will be like: Smallville meets The Flash


Beauty and the Beast
Kristin Kreuk is Catherine Chandler befriending a creature in modern-day New York - a "beast" Vincent Koslow in this new version of the fantasy classic 80s TV show.
It will be like: The Vampire Diaries meets Grimm

Elementary
A modern take on Sherlock Holmes with Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock in modern-day New York. Watson is a woman, played by Lucy Liu. Aidan Quinn is also in the mix as a character.
It will be like: Fairly Legal meets Eli Stone

Revolution (pictured above)
A new drama show by J.J. Abrams. The world wakes up and discovers that electricity no longer works. 15 years past and mankind adapts, but the people responsible for it, are ready to strike again.
It will be like: Jericho meets Terminator meets Lost meets The Event


Golden Boy
From 2019 a policeman looks back to the present and his rise as a police officer from detective to police commissioner. With Theo James as the policeman.
It will be like: Blue Bloods meets Jack & Bobby


Vegas (formerly known as Ralph Lamb)
Dennis Quaid is a rodeo cowboy turned sheriff in Las Vegas in this drama show set in the 1960's and telling the story of how a man, Ralph Lamb patrols America's so-called "sin city". With Carrie-Anne Moss and Michael Chiklis.
It will be like: Mad Men meets Crime Story


Made in Jersey (formerly known as Baby Big Shot)
A legal drama around a working-class woman (Janet Montgomery) who uses her street smarts to win cases as she competes with her colleagues at a New York law firm.
It will be like: Working Girl meets Boston Legal


Hannibal
A TV drama of the movie Silence of the Lambs. The show will begin shooting all at once in July without a pilot episode. The role of Hannibal Lecter has yet to be cast.

Chicago Fire
A new drama from the Law & Order producer, Dick Wolf set at the Chicago Firehouse 51 and its firefighters.
It will be like: Chicago Hope meets Rescue Me


Do No Harm
A Dr. Jekyll/Mister Hyde type drama about dr. Jason Cole (Steven Pasquale) a neurosurgeon who - every night at the same hour - turns into a wild partying sociopath.
It will be like: Nip/Tuck meets McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy

Infamous
Socialite and notorious party girl Vivian Bowers is found dead from an overdose. Detective Joanna Locasto (Meagan Good) "infiltrates" the family to get to the truth. Twenty years ago she was Vivian's best friend and is embraced by the family when she returns, but is secretly looking for a murderer while she discovers dark secrets.
It will be like: Revenge meets Gossip Girl


Zero Hour
A sceptic is drawn into a conspiracy theory. With Anthony Edwards.
It will be like: The X-Files meets FlashForward


Nashville
A drama about the drama taking place behind the scenes of the country music business with Connie Britton.
It will be like: Smash meets Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

666 Park Avenue
A haunted New York residential complex with various residents who have their own secrets, is filled with supernatural occurences and events. Of course it gets new owners who has no idea.
It will be like: Lost meets American Horror Story meets Central Park West


The Last Resort
A renegade nuclear submarine crew goes to an island to start the world's newest independent nation.
It will be like: Lost meets Alias meets Terra Nova


Red Widow
The widow (Radha Mitchell) of a murdered crime boss is forced to take over running the business and crime syndicate.
It will be like: The Good Wife meets Dallas



Crossbones
Tom Lowe is an undercover assassin sent to go and kill Blackbeard, the feared pirate in this pirate periode drama. The closer Lowe gets, the more he can't help but admire the ideals of the pirate whose thirst for knowledge knows no bounds and no law. Blackbeard is a man with many villaneous rivals and one great weakness - a woman.
It will be like: Horatio Hornblower meets Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Carribean

The Following
An FBI agent played by Kevin Bacon is pulled from retirement to help solve a string of murders committed by a serial killer.
It will be like: 24 meets Person of Interest

The Mob Doctor
A talented doctor played by Jordana Spiro has to deal with her family's mafia connections after she agrees to pay off her brother's debt.
It will be like: Grey's Anatomy meets Nurse Jackie meets White Collar

Emily Owens, M.D.

Emily Owens (Mamie Gummer) discovers the hospital is a lot like high school when she, as a first year intern, starts working at the Denver Memorial Hospital. Justin Hartley is another doctor, Will Collins.
It will be like: A younger Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy meets Doogie Howser, M.D.

BREAKING. Beauty and the Beast with Kristin Kreuk picked up as a new fantasy TV drama.

Smallville's Kristin Kreuk is returning to regular series television as the star in the new Beauty and the Beast fantasy drama series which will become a new TV show from later in the year.

This new Beauty and the Beast - one of two TV shows which produced pilot episodes simultaneously  for possible pick-up and with this one now getting the go-ahead - is based on the beloved cult classic 80's drama series set in New York with Linda Hamilton as Catherine and Ron Perlman as Vincent and which South African viewers saw on TV4.

This time Kristin Kreuk will plan Catherine Chandler and Jay Ryan the "Beast" Vincent Koslow in this updated modern-day romantic love story with a procedural twist.

This Beauty and the Beast is from America's CW network, but meanwhile there is another Beauty and the Beast - at the same time - developed by the ABC network in America. This Beauty and the Beast - which has not yet been either confirmed or confirmed as not going ahead, will now obviously get another title if it does get picked up as a regular new TV drama.

This other Beauty is from Jericho's Jonathan Steinberg, and has a more fantastical, classic fairy tale setting, similar to Once Upon a Time with Ruth Bradley as the beauty called Grace and Darius Campbell as Shiro, her beastly bodyguard with whom she forms an unlikely bond.

If it becomes a regular TV series, this second show will be set "in a mythical, dangerous world wherein a beautiful and tough Princess discovers an unlikely connection with a mysterious beast."