Also This Week: Blu UNDER THE DOME, EXTANT, DEFIANCE, DOMINION & GENTLY!! IZOMBIE, LUTHER, LAWYERS, SHAMELESS, GRIMM, FRESH OFF THE BOAT, BONES, VIRGIN, MAXIE’S & PONY!!
Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry
New This Week
The universe of the CW’s excellent “iZombie” is a slightly complex one.
During a boat party, hot twentysomething med student Liv Moore (get it? get it?) somehow got infected by a zombie, and now she is one.
But “iZombie” isn’t “The Walking Dead.” She’s not a component of a zombie apocalypse; nobody she knows has any idea zombies exist.
And Liv (Rose McIver) can speak and joke and hold down a job as a medical examiner – as long as she eats the brains of her cadavers. If she stops eating brains she begins to turn into a mindless grrrrr/arrggh-type zombie.
But there’s a side effect to all this brain eating. When Liv snacks on a fellow’s grey matter she temporarily gets his memory, personality and talents mixed in with her own.
Liv is kind of like the X-Men’s Rogue, only with more chewing.
And Liv’s ability to inherit the memories of the dead proves exceedingly useful to the local homicide detectives (who assume she’s merely psychic.
The series comes to us from writer-producers Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright, who also masterminded the CW’s “Veronica Mars” -- and there’s a lot of “Mars” DNA in this tale of a comely, quippy blonde crimesolver.
Once upon a time “Mars” was identified by fans as “The New Buffy,” but “iZombie” hits even closer to the “Buffy” mark by overlaying the supernatural element.
“iZombie” gets even better when it introduces the more evil male zombie (David Anders), whose sharp wit and plantinum locks make him a sort-of Spike to Liv’s Buffy.
... This ridiculously likable show is called “iZombie,” and it carves out a space in the crowded landscape of Undead Entertainment by lightening up. … generally pretty smart, witty and well acted, and not afraid to turn dark on occasion. If it delves deeper into the stresses of being a law-abiding zombie as it goes along, while keeping its sense of humor, the ride will be pretty enjoyable. …
... Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero are behind this snappy supernatural detective series, made as much in the model of Thomas' "Veronica Mars" as any show about zombies possibly could be; and you are to take that as an endorsement. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... There’s a cleverness to “iZombie” – a scene of Liv buying bottle after bottle of bronzer offers just one example – that makes it hard to dislike the show, even when it spends too much time on the lame crime-of-the-week story or Liv’s Ally McZombie-style narration …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... entertaining, mostly because of the appeal of the three leads. …
… superbly cast and displays wit and surprises you don’t often find in the comics-to-TV genre …
saves itself from cliché-mageddon with an atmosphere of levity and a script that never takes itself too seriously. ... a friendly, easy-going hour, and one that will definitely not put you in the mood for chewy snacks. …
... injects fresh life into the increasingly staid genre of supernatural TV. …
... As deadpan as it is high-concept, iZombie is genre-bending and beguiling hoot. …
... Despite the brain eating, producers have imbued the opening episodes with a sly sense of humor, a blend of sarcasm and bemusement, that McIver sells well. And they've avoided the sense of hopelessness the concept could have provoked by dangling the promise of a cure and by allowing Liv to find a new purpose for her life. May it be a long and entertaining one. …
... quickly starts to stumble from promising toward stale, basically turning its undead heroine into a youthful crime-solver — “Veronica Mars” with an inordinately pale complexion. …
TV-on-Disc Calendar
Last Week
Arrow 3.x (Blu-ray)
CPO Sharkey 2.x
The Cosby Show: The Complete Series
DC Comics Starter Pack (Blu-ray)
Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven 3D (Blu-ray)
The Flash 1.x (Blu-ray)
King of the Hill 12.x
The Last Man on Earth 1.x
Modern Family 6.x
The Nanny 4.x
The Red Road 2.x
The Sentinel: The Complete Collection
The Slap: The Complete Australian Miniseries
SpongeBob SquarePants The Adventures of
Vera Vol. 5
This Week
The Great American Dream Machine
My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Games Ponies Play
Outlander 1.x Vol. 2 (Blu-ray)
Next Week
American Horror Story 4.x (Blu-ray)
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Complete Series
Bewitched: The Complete Series
Brickleberry 3.x
Big Bang Theory 8.x (Blu-ray)
Castle 7.x
The Code 1.x
The Don Rickles TV Specials Vol. 1
Grace Under Fire: The Complete Collection
Happyish 1.x
He’s A Bully, Charlie Brown
I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Series
The Leftovers 1.x (Blu-ray)
Little House on the Prairie 7.x
Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Series
Marple: The Julia McKenzie Collection
Maxie's World: The Complete Series NEW!!
Mission: Impossible: The Complete Original Series
Party Down: The Complete Series
Penny Dreadful 2.x (Blu-ray)
Reign 2.x
South Park 18.x (Blu-ray)
TMNT 2012 1.x/2.x
Tut: The Complete Series
Vikings 3.x
Vikings 3.x (Blu-ray)
The Wonder Years: The Complete Series
October 13
Ascension: The Complete Miniseries
The Bionic Woman: The Complete Series
The Civil War: The Complete Miniseries (Blu-ray)
Dexter: The Complete Series
The Following 3.x (Blu-ray)
The Following: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce 1.x
Heroes: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Impractical Jokers 3.x
Indian Summers: The Complete Miniseries (Blu-ray)
Justified: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Mad Men: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
The Magic School Bus 4.x
Maison Close 2.x (Blu-ray)
Matador: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Mom 2.x
The 100 2.x
Regular Show: The Movie
The Six Million Dollar Man: The Complete Series
Wayward Pines 1.x
When Calls The Heart: Follow Your Heart
October 20
Back to the Future: The Complete Adventures
Back to the Future: The Complete Animated Series
Curse of Oak Island 2.x
Facts of Life 7.x
Hotel: The Complete Collection
Mike Tyson Mysteries 1.x
Mr. Warmth: The Ultimate Don Rickles TV Collection
Nurse Jackie 7.x (Blu-ray)
Olympus 1.x (Blu-ray)
Therese Raquin: The Complete Miniseries
October 27
Downton Abbey 1.x-5.x (Blu-ray)
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries 3.x
Transformers: Robots in Disguise
November 3
AD: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Batman 3.x
Black Sails 2.x (Blu-ray)
Californication: The Complete Series
Doctor Who 9.x Vol. 1 (Blu-ray)
Game of Thrones 1.x (Steelbook Blu-ray)
Game of Thrones 2.x (Steelbook Blu-ray)
Getting On 2.x
I Love Lucy: The Complete Series
Star Trek: The Complete Series
That '70s Show: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
November 10
Automan: The Complete Series
Better Call Saul 1.x (Blu-ray)
The Dick Van Dyke Show: The Complete Remastered Series
Gosei Sentai Dairanger: The Complete Series
Manimal: The Complete Series
Maude 4.x
Nathan For You 1.x/2.x
WKRP in Cincinnati 3.x
November 17
Cristela 1.x
McHale's Navy: The Complete Series
The Rebel 2.x
Sgt. Bilko 4.x
November 24
Doctor Who Christmas Specials Giftset (Blu-ray)
Inside Amy Schumer 3.x
December 1
The Bold Ones: The Lawyers NEW!!
Mystery Science Theater 3000 XXXIV NEW!!
TMNT 2012 Vol. 8
The Walking Dead 5.x (Limited Edition)
Zoo 1.x (Blu-ray)
December 8
Under The Dome 3.x NEW!!
December 15
Extant 2.x NEW!!
Luther 4.x NEW!!
December 22
Defiance 3.x (Blu-ray)) NEW!!
Dominion 2.x (Blu-ray) NEW!!
December 29
Ray Donovan 3.x (Blu-ray)
January 26
Downton Abbey 6.x (Blu-ray)
March 1
Death in Paradise 4.x
Game Of Thrones 5.x (Blu-ray) NEW!!
March 29
Humans 1.x (Blu-ray) NEW!!
Shameless 5.x NEW!!