New York Post, Monday, August 19, 2019nypost.com54
TV M onday
I SHIP IT
Monday, 9:30 p.m.,
The CW
Season premiere: Fangirl and
aspiring writer Ella (Helen
Highfield) chases her dream of
writing for her favorite TV
show, “Superstition,” but finds
out it’s different than what she
expected. Riley Neldam and
Yasmine Al-Bustami
co-star.BH90210
Wednesday, 9 p.m., Fox
Tori starts to feel the
pressure of balancing the
cast’s requirements for
the reboot while trying
to keep the project going
— and she goes to
extremes to get Shannen
(Shannen Doherty) on
board in time for a photo
shoot.HOLEY MOLEY
Thursday, 9 p.m., ABC
The Season One finale
features back-to-back
episodes of the miniature
golf competition
series as pro golfer
Michelle Wie guest
stars in the opener
and Rob Riggle
provides
commentary.Race is on to fill the huge
fantasy series void left by
‘Game of Thrones’
By LAUREN SARNERT
HE post-“Game of Thrones”
TV boom is here.
The sun has hardly set on the
fantasy behemoth — which
ended in May with a record-
breaking 19.3 million viewers and 32
Emmy nods — but other networks are
already jockeying to replace HBO’s huge
hit with their own big-budget epics.
Whether or not the public wants more
fantasy is beside the point, since net-
works now look at the genre with dollar
signs in their eyes — even if these series
are only half as successful as “GoT.”
Many of these impending shows —
including “Lord of the
Rings” (Amazon),
“Chronicles of Nar-
nia” (Netflix) and
“Kingkiller Chron-
icles” (Showtime)
— have yet to re-
veal details.
Here’s a look at
those series we do
know something
about.
“Carnival Row”
(Amazon)
Premiering Aug. 30, this is
one of the only “Game of
Thrones” successors not based on a
popular novel. It’s an original work
from the writer of “Pacific Rim,” set in a
steampunk London filled with magical
creatures and murder — with stars Or-
lando Bloom, supermodel Cara Delev-
ingne and Jared Harris (“Chernobyl”).
Chances of a hit: Unlikely, but Ama-
zon gave the series a vote of confi-
dence in the form of a second-season
order ahead of the first’s debut.“His Dark Materials” (HBO/BBC)
Coming this fall (date to be deter-
mined), “Materials” is based on author
Philip Pullman’s 1990s eponymous
trilogy and has an all star cast: James
McAvoy in a rare TV role, “Hamilton”
creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ruth
Wilson (“The Affair”). It’s a coming-
of-age adventure set in an alternate
Victorian-era Oxford where other
worlds exist and zeppelins are the
main transportation. The books are
aimed at kids and teens, but adults
read them too.
Chances of a hit: High, since it will
appeal to all ages.
“The Witcher” (Netflix)
Premiering later this fall, it’s
based on a franchise of novels
and video games of the
same name and is similar
to “GoT” in that it’s set
in a “Lord of The
Rings”-type world
brimming with more
sex and violence than
the original. It also
marks star Henry Cav-
ill’s (“The Tudors”) re-
turn to TV after playing
Superman on the big
screen.
Chances of a hit: Mixed. It has
popular source material and a big star,
but could be hurt by the Netflix model
of releasing every episode simultane-
ously, stifling watercooler buzz.
“The Stand” (CBS All Access)
There’s no premiere date yet, but
Stephen King’s 1978 novel is getting a
miniseries starring James Marsden
(“Westworld”), Whoopi Goldberg,
Greg Kinnear (“House of Cards”)
and Amber Heard in a story about asociety falling apart after a pandemic.
It’s the second adaptation after a 1994
miniseries starring Rob Lowe.
Chances of a hit: High. King’s work
has seen a recent renaissance (“Castle
Rock,” “It”) and “Stranger Things,”
with which he’s not involved but
wouldn’t exist without his influence.
“See” (Apple TV)
Premiering this fall, “See” is similar
to “Carnival Row” — it’s an original
story with no source material. It’s set
in a future where humans have lost
their sense of sight and is written by
“Peaky Blinders” creator Steven
Knight with star Jason Momoa.
Chances of a hit: Hard to say,
since Apple TV has yet to unveil
any of its programming. Momoa
is a bankable movie star (“Aqua-
man”) and supporting player
but hasn’t proven he can carry
a hit show.WHAT'S
ON THE
WATCH
LIST
“I’ve recently gone back and watched all of ‘Deadwood.’ I didn’t watch it before because I heard they
cancelled it too early and everything didn’t wrap up. So I got to watch the rest [of the series] after
the [‘Deadwood’] movie came out.”
—Devine stars in “The Righteous Gemstones,” airing Sunday at 10 p.m. on HBO.ADAM
DEVINE
WHAT I'M
WATCHINGAN EPIC BATTLE
From far
left: “His Dark
Materials” (HBO),
“Carnival Row”
(Amazon) and “The
Witcher” (Netflix)
will be vying for
viewers.