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The Weekly Static (9/8/17): A Look Back At This Week In TV Land

Some serious business to get to first: love and healthy vibes go out to everyone who's been impacted or are about to be impacted by Hurricane Irma. Please get the hell out if you haven't done so already, and make sure to use social media to check in with your family and friends. You're all part of this great big messy geek community and we don't want to lose a single one of you. Cool? Okay, back to my one-man ego stroke…

So welcome back to  The Weekly Static, my humbly sincere attempt at comedy (fingers, toes, and every other available and crossable body part crossed) thinly disguised as look-back at the week that was in the land of television. The goal of The Weekly Static? Why, let me lay that out to you with my handy-dandy, simple three-point answer:

● To offer a blunt, honest perspective on a handful of random TV news posts from the past week that also highlights your relentless team of news-thirsty Bleeding Cool writers and the quality work they do.

● To spotlight a news item we might've missed that you might find interesting.

● To feed my ego with waves of praise, adulation, social media shares, pizza, Superman Funkos, and a plethora of Eisner Award nominations.

But just to be clear? Even though I'm not internationally known, I've been known to rock the microphone…so let's get started!

Arrow Star Stephen Amell Takes Aim At The Fairgrounds

Arrow is one of those shows that I respect and appreciate, even though it didn't make the cut of shows I actually have time to watch on a regular basis. Show aside, I've become a bigger fan of Amell for the work he does off the set, the fact that he wears his pro-wrestling pride proudly. And now… this. I mean, c'mon! I've always wanted the opportunity to just walk up and drop mic on a lot of these carnival games — that damn coin-on-plate one in particular. So props to Amell for living my dream…and getting his little one a very cool playmate.

True Detective Season 3 Gets The Go-Ahead From HBO

I'd be the first one to step up and say that the second season of True Detective was a little weak in comparison to the Harrelson/McConaughey first season…but look at that first season! If that first season didn't exist, Season 2 would've been praised through the roof. Again, not to the levels of Season 1, but do you realize even now how many networks and streaming services would kill an intern to have a show on the caliber of Season 2?

WWE's John Bradshaw Layfield Retires From Smackdown To Work With At Risk Kids [UPDATED]

At the end of the day, I'm never going to really know what happened between JBL and Mauro Ranallo regarding the bullying accusations behind the scenes at WWE Smackdown. But the fact that HHH brought Ranallo back for NXT makes me believe that there was at least a little something to the story. Having said that, I commend JBL for giving up weekly national television exposure to go where his heart tells him to go. I was bowled over when I first read the news, but I hope things work out for him. Besides, it's pro-wrestling. If Bret Hart can shake hands with Vince McMahon on live TV after all of the bad blood between them, then anyone can return; and with JBL, it's a PR win-win for the WWE.

Six Million Dollar Man Actor Richard Anderson Passes Away At 91

I was an Oscar Goldman fan because I was a hardcore Six Million Dollar Man fan. I had the action figure with the binocular eye, roll-up arm skin to show off the bionics and engine block to lift; had all of the sets and accessories (including, yes, an Oscar Goldman action figure); and was one of the first members of the Six Million Dollar Man Fan Club, with stickers, certificate photos, and authentic membership card (I'll give you a few minutes to be impressed). Then he served as the bridge with The Bionic Woman, which expanded the (non-Stone Cold) Steve Austin universe, and I was psyched more than a kid my age should've been. RIP, Oscar.

The Internet Asks: Does Brenton Thwaites Have The Butt To Be Nightwing?

I'm going to keep this commentary a little brief, because if I don't, I'll end up writing for hours. In fact, you know what? Let me see if you can figure out what it is about the righteous hypocrisy of this that I'm trying to demonstrate:

"It's 2017, people! Actors need to be judged on their craft, not on their looks! It's wrong, people! Aren't we better than this? Now you'll have to excuse me, I need to see if this Thwaites cutie has a hot enough ass to play Nightwing."

Playing With Fire: Join Bleeding Cool's 'Twin Peaks' Finale LIVE-BLOG!

Cheap Plug Alert: I'll be posting my recap video of Twin Peaks' Parts 17 and 18 on Sunday, but I'll tease you with these two points:

(1) If you're going to commit to a TV series with established characters, storylines, etc., then you have some obligation to the fans to move things forward. That doesn't mean everything has to be nice and fluffy…but it also shouldn't look like you're sacrificing the loyal fan base for your artistic masturbation.

(2) At this point, I wish Mark Frost had control over Twin Peaks and David Lynch would step away. Yup, I said it.

See ya on Sunday!

Corey Graves To Replace JBL On SmackDown Live Announce Team

WWE knows they have something in Graves, though he would've been huge as a wrestler if he wasn't forced by health issues to step away from the squared circle. Still, on the mic the guy is money…which is why I'm glad he's doing double-duty between Raw and Smackdown. He plays the role of the "tweener" announcer really well, and a damn good sense of humor. The only reason I'm mad that Enzo an Cass broke up as a tag team is that I don't get to listen to Graves rag on them every time they come down the ramp.

Tim Curry Was The Original Joker On Batman: The Animated Series

I know that Batman: The Animated Series could get "dark" sometimes, but I'm still not giving up on the idea that Curry was let go because his Joker was too scary — not after having watched It again on Spike last night. I keep forgetting how great he was as Pennywise, and he didn't have the levels of effects and costuming that the new It has to work with. This Pennywise needed to 110% Curry, and he delivered in tons. Though it would be really cool to hear how Curry would voice his scenes with Harley Quinn.

Ryan Murphy/Sarah Paulson Shop 'Nest' Prequel Series Ratched To Netflix

I'm not a big prequel fan (the Star Wars prequels didn't help) because I can't really connect with a storyline when I know (big picture) how it's all going to end. I do have exceptions to that rule, however. Shows like Bates Motel give me background on characters that I know very little about, and Rogue One took a small moment and gave it a beautifully tragic backstory that actually added to how I now view that original scene of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) with R2-D2. That's how I'm feeling about Ratched, and with Murphy/Paulson involved, my interest has tripled.

Supernatural Season 13 Starts With Castiel Being More Dead Than Usual

What's impressing me the most about this show is not that it's going on its 13th season, but just how much all of the major players seem to be enjoying the show. Though a number of factors come into play when you think about how the show has been able to last for so long, I think it starts and ends with leads Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. The brotherly love and bond between them on and off set is extremely rare, and the love they show to their fans is impressive. A lot of shows brag about how "they're a family," but Supernatural really seems to demonstrate it. I wonder if they'll hit the Season 15 mark —would Season 20 be too much to ask?

Here's a news item from the past week that all of us may have missed:

'Real Time With Bill Maher' Renewed For Two More Seasons Through 2020 On HBO

"HBO has renewed Real Time with Bill Maher for two more seasons. The deal will take the show through Season 17 and 18, scheduled for 2019 and 2020. It also includes Maher's 11th stand-up special on the premium network and a retrospective special highlighting memorable moments from Real Time's previous seasons."

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