San Diego Comic-Con has been Nerd Christmas, with trailer after trailer and major announcement after major announcement. Now we're left sorting through all of our new toys. In fact, there are so many of them that we need to just sort them into piles. So, below is a rundown of all the major TV show trailers. For a rundown of the film trailers, head here for the superhero ones and here for the non-superhero ones.
Agents of SHIELDReaction: Never seen the Nicholas Cage movies nor have I read any Ghost Rider comics. Not sure how exactly a flaming-skulled biker will fit into the Agents of SHIELD universe, but it could be cool.
Premiere Date: September 16, 2016
American GodsReaction: There is a copy of American Gods sitting on my night stand right now, and a bookmark indicating I've finished the first chapter. I am debating whether or not to dive back in and finish the book before the debut of the show, or to simply hold off and let the show surprise me. As it is, I barely know what the story is about, and this trailer didn't spoil too much, coming off a bit like a more surreal and imaginative Devil's Advocate if the devil was played by Ian McShane and called himself Mr. Wednesday. And right now I can sense those people who've read the book rushing to correct me because I'm probably way off base with that comparison.
What I do know is this is a Bryan Fuller show, and it certainly looks it, with many of the same stylistic choices which defined Hannibal but with a wider color palette this time. Starz, you just might have your first true breakout series since Outlander.
Premiere Date: 2017
ArrowReaction: Arrow's fourth season ended so poorly that the moderators of the show's Reddit thread revolted and turned the thread into a tribute to Daredevil. There is currently a YouTube parody series which re-purposes actual footage from the show and adds new dialogue to make it seem like Oliver, Diggle and Quentin are all increasingly upset that they're on "The Felicity Show" now. Fans at conventions around the country, not just Comic-Con, have demanded Katie Cassidy be added back to the show and the terrible death of Laurel done away with.
Well, first things first, Katie Cassidy is officially back, signed to a multi-show contract to appear on not just Arrow but also Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and maybe even Supergirl. That doesn't necessarily mean Laurel is coming back from the grave, not when this universe has time travel, alternate dimensions and flashbacks. Still, Cassidy will return, as evident in this new trailer which reveals the promise she made Oliver make before she died. Turns out she just wanted him to recruit a new crew and diversify the cast.
Stephen Amell has been making a lot of news on the convention circuit about season 5 being a return to the show's roots, and this trailer somewhat follows through on that talk, even if this is still nowhere the Daredevil-esque grittiness which characterized the show's earliest episodes. Still, look at all the people fighting and not worrying about some stupid immortal wizard with a practically novelty-sized magical totem. They've got that going for them, which is nice.
Ultimately, this is a snapshot of the season 5 premiere, which will see Oliver training a new crew while he flashes back to how he was initiated into the Russian mob. In the end, the season's masked big bad will pop up, and we'll check in on a sad Quentin, determined Diggle and conflicted Thea.
Premiere Date: October 5, 2016
Ash Vs. Evil DeadReaction: "That is horrible, and also awesome." Sums it up. "We gave peace a chance. Now it's time for war." Oh, Ash. Never change. Also, did I see that right? Is there a scene where he has a little puppet version of himself on his stump? That's going to be comedy gold.
For more information, check io9 in-depth interview with the cast from Comic-Con. We will meet Ash's father this season (played by Lee Majors, who you briefly glimpse in the trailer). Ted Raimi has also joined the cast. And they spilled 85 liters of fake blood in the first episode alone.
Premiere Date: September 23, 2016
The DefendersReaction: I suddenly want to listen to Nirvana's Nevermind.
Premiere Date: 2017
The FlashReaction: Well, there you go, full-on Flashpoint. Logically, this is how season 2 should have started, what with Eobard Thawne being erased from the timeline. However, they talked their way out of that, and put off Flashpoint for another season. The bad thing is they didn't really earn it, and Barry's moment of saving his mother came out of nowhere in the finale. The good news is they don't seem to be backing down from the ramifications of his decision, at least for the season premiere. I suspect everything will be reset sooner than we'd anticipate, or at least it will by the time of the big four-part cross-over between all of the Berlanti superhero shows on the CW. We'll have to enjoy insanely rich Cisco while we can, and delight in the other time travel shenanigans on display without questioning it too much.
Premiere Date: October 4, 2016
Iron FistReaction: Is this going to be like Doctor Strange just with less magic and Inception/M.C. Escher-esque imagery?
Premiere Date: Coming Soon
Justice League ActionReaction: Justice League Action is not Teen Titans Go! It will be on Cartoon Network, and the episodes will only run 11 minutes long. However, this does not appear to be the irreverent, kiddie take on a DC property that defines Teen Titans Go! Instead, Justice League Action looks like the spiritual successor to Justice League/Justice League: Unlimited just with cheaper, more kid-friendly animation and character designs.
For more information, check out SlashFilm 's interview with the producers. They say they've used 152 different DC characters across the 52 episodes they've produced thus far (what is it with DC and the number 52?). Also, although the individual episodes will only be 11-minutes long the show will air as a half-hour with 2 new 11-minute shorts per episode.
Premiere Date: August/September, 2016
Legends of TomorrowReaction: The big news out of Comic-Con is Legends will feature a Stephen Amell cameo in its second season premiere, they're currently casting Obsidian, Stargirl and Dr. Mid-Nite for later in the season and John Barrowman's Malcolm Merlyn, Neil McDonough's Damien Darhk, Wentworth Miller's Captain Cold and Matt Letscher's Reverse-Flash will form a Legion of Doom. But are you still watching this show? If so, why? It is such a colossal mess, sometimes made enjoyable only by how often you can joke about Rip Hunter's terrible decision-making skills.
Premiere Date: October 13, 2016
LegionReaction: It's an X-Men TV show about Professor Xavier's son, but it has nothing to do with the X-Men movies. Huh. Noah Hawley's behind it, meaning this is the reason there's going to be such a delay between Fargo 's second and third seasons. Okay. Aubrey Plaza's in it, but she's doesn't have a line of dialogue in the trailer. That's weird.
And I just don't care because this trailer hooked me the moment it slipped into a musical sequence and dropped right out of it, earning an honest laugh in the process. Similar to American Gods, I don't actually know much about the source material, but I am delighted to see what this talented showrunner does with it.
Premiere Date: 2017
LuciferReaction: Duh. Of course Maze is the one who let Lucifer's mom out of prison. Also, any day with a good one-liner from Tom Ellis' Lucifer is a blessed day.
Premiere: September 19, 2016
Luke CageReaction: Someone's gotta save Harlem.
Premiere: September 30, 2016
Star Trek: DiscoveryReaction: It's a new ship, which looks to my eye like a gold-plated Enterprise with flattened warp nacelles. It's based on old design they can't comment on until their lawyers clear it for them. The name of the ship and thus the name of the show, Discovery, is perhaps a tad too on-the-nose, like the result of someone saying, "We need a title that says we're getting back to Star Trek's core of naive optimism and boundless curiosity." I'd take that over Star Trek Beyond, where the Beyond part of the title in no way reflects the tone of the film or its plot.
We still don't know who will be manning the USS Discovery, but we at least know they sow will take place in the Prime timeline as opposed to the J.J. Abrams Kelvin timeline. Also, Fuller revealed the reason for the delay between Beyond and Discovery is contract-related, the result of a compromise brokered between Paramount (which has the film rights) and CBS (which has the TV rights). Lastly, the show won't so much have traditional episodes as it will have a "novel-like" format, reflecting the more serialized approach of modern TV.
Premiere Date: January 2017