Don’t let the fact that Extinct is airing on BYUtv throw you off. Just because the station is owned by Brigham Young University, which in turn is operated by the Church of Latter Day Saints, doesn’t make this show “churchy” sci-fi; neither does the fact that noted author and LDS church member Orson Scott Card is attached to the project. Extinct has a premise that measures up to any science fiction show from more traditional outlets: what if humans went extinct and then were brought back artificially after centuries had passed on Earth?...

This episode outright addresses a lot of questions Star Wars fans have had over the last few years, including confirming the dual nature of the Force, clarifying that Anakin Skywalker does in fact remember what happened on the planet Mortis and that he at some point talked to Obi-Wan about it, and what the Jedi believe about an afterlife. Qui-Gon’s message to Yoda is new and shocking to the Jedi, while the fans have known about people speaking from beyond the grave since A New Hope – something which gave me a new perspective on the prequel universe....

Falling into place between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, The Clone Wars is four episodes of the upcoming Clone Wars TV series knitted together to form a vaguely big-screen adventure for Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and company. It was supposed to be a treat for the fans; I’m kind of leaning towards cheap cash grab, but there are a lot of people who want new Star Wars adventures, and are willing to take them however they can get them....

2.6 Blood Sisters Blood Sisters hinges on the titular sisterhood. Although the two aren’t literally from the same family, they do have a lot of history, and if that relationship wasn’t convincing, the episode would feel flat. Instead, it does work, thanks in part to some unsubtle but convincing references to the sisters’ bounty hunting partnership in the past. Sabine teaches Ketsu a valuable lesson that shows the writers understand one of the keys to writing the morality of the Star Wars universe – that friendship trumps violence, that “wars not make one great....

Supernatural Season 11 Episode 12 It looked like we were getting a rehashing of the shapeshifter monster. The shapeshifter has been used a little too much at this point, and I wouldn’t mind the writers retiring this trope for a while. At least this time it was slightly different: a Qareen. Similar idea, but with the added fun of a scavenger hunt for its disembodied heart to stab! I didn’t expect it, but the cheated-on wife Melissa ended up being a favorite in the episode....

The episode was bookended and sometimes broken up by Sam talking with an elderly woman named Julia. She recounted events from her past when she was in the local convent and she witnessed some demons infiltrating and stealing souls. The flashbacks to the Men of Letters could get tiresome, but I was quickly wrapped up in Henry and Josie’s story. Their characters were interesting, showing the insecurities they have before committing to the cause....

9.15 #Thinman “#Thinman” (yes, with the hashtag, which says something either about our century or how long Supernatural’s been on the air) sees the return of the Ghostfacers, who originally graced the screen in Supernatural’s first season. The beginning of this episode also goes back to the good old scary – there’s just something about a scene of being home alone, looking into the mirror, and realizing that there’s a creepy thing right behind you that’s horror done right....

It’s sad but true! We returned to the scene of the first episode, La Enrique y Julio Iglesia. But, unlike our first visit to this locale, there was no real sense of urgency — even though Kira had a moment of nearly dying, and even though the likelihood of Scott or any one of his friends dying was supposed to be all-too real. Instead, Scott freed himself (with some help from a pep-talk, courtesy of Liam, who apparently has a real future in Life Coaching) and immediately deduced that it wasn’t Kate Argent at fault, it was Peter....

There’s little doubt that over the last few weeks, Terra Nova has started to become the TV show it always wanted to be, mixing sci-fi ideas, CGI dinosaurs, and tepid romantic sub-plots. This week: a meteorite unleashes an EMP above the base, causing a variety of critical situations which the Terra Novans must handle without the help of their beloved electricity. As usual, the most interesting character was Taylor, whose “maybe good, maybe evil” schtick never gets old just because he plays it with more ham than a field of pigs....

On one level, this is precisely what The Adjustment Bureau is. It does, indeed, contain a male protagonist battling against a seldom seen, powerful organisation. But not, perhaps, in the way that its trailer, or its association with Philip K Dick, might suggest. The Adjustment Bureau is more like Dick’s work filtered through Michael Powell’s A Matter Of Life Or Death, or maybe Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life. If nothing else, it’s a reminder of just how varied the films inspired by Philip Dick’s work can be....

9.7 The Spock Resonance Say what you will about The Big Bang Theory, Lord knows I have over the last couple of seasons, but when it can deliver an episode like The Spock Resonance after nine years and a weaker than normal season, you have to give it some credit. Few television series and even fewer sitcoms can really do what this episode did, effortlessly cashing in on years and years of built-up emotion and compassion for its characters and, while all is not forgiven, it’s definitely earned a little grace period....

Well, maybe the stakes just weren’t high enough. Intercepting coded messages and selling them to the highest bidder is so very Cold War that it feels like we’ve seen this story a few times already. A surprisingly tension-free infiltration of the baddie’s subterranean lair never really gave any real indication of danger, and Elizabeth Keen just seemed, not only unconvincing in her undercover role as a rogue encryption expert, but neither competent enough to fool anybody or scared enough to worry us about her mistakes....

This unique concoction of drive and gluttony for punishment comes, no doubt, from his family life, which is equal parts colorful and hard-luck. This tale, of a man’s ability to transcend family problems and rise to great heights in his chosen profession is the centerpiece of David O Russell’s star-studded new sports drama, The Fighter. It’s not a new story, by any means. A fighter comes from a humble background and somehow scraps his way to success....

Though I’m exaggerating, “Betrayal” was like watching a friend handle a late-night summer bonfire when you have work the next morning: each time the flames settle, another log gets tossed into the pit, and you want to leave but it’s rude to not see the ordeal through to its end. Lately, it feels like the writers are just piling logs to burn by the finale. Tom Cavanagh plays Kingston Tanner, an evangelical pastor hell-bent on destroying Joe....

The Good Place Season 2 Episode 9 Welcome back, you dinks! The Good Place has returned just in time for everything to go to shit. The first “half” of season 2 was excellent by almost any metric. The next entry into the Michael Schurniverse* came in at 3 in our countdown of the best 2017 TV comedies, which was good enough to take the Best New Comedy crown (remember part of season 1 actually aired in 2017 if you can wrap your mind around that)....

But don’t be fooled. There’s always been a bit more smartness under the bonnet of The Inbetweeners at its best, as writers and creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley found different ways to inject pathos and vulnerability amidst all the dirty jokes, smut, and moments of joy in the company of Greg Davies. The statement of intent here, in fact, is to get most of the Australian cliches dealt with in a glorious introduction from Jay (it stops one step shy of bring in Paul Hogan and Harold from Neighbours), as James Buckley introduces his life in Australia, inviting the other three to come and visit....

Please note: this episode screens on Friday night on Channel 4. It is available already on 4oD online, but don’t read this if you don’t want the episode spoiled! Socially awkward moments are the bread and butter of any traditional sitcom, but few writers are as adept with coming up with new and bizarre comedy situations as Graham Linehan. After the caustic misanthropy of his brilliant Black Books, Linehan turned his distinctive wit to The IT Crowd, a more gentle, laid back comedy about three IT support workers working in the basement of a London corporation....

This year, your local cinema is likely to be showing the rom-com Four Christmases which sends Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn rushing around to see their disparate and deranged dear relatives for the holiday season. In 2007, Fred Claus – that man Vaughn in merry movie mode again – was released in the run-up to Christmas and the year before audiences were offered The Holiday (house-swapping hogwash that horrifically misuses Jack Black) as Hollywood’s annual yuletide blockbuster....

For some, the arrival of an all-singing, all-dancing event in an age where we’re inundated with competitive reality TV ‘talent’ shows is cause for angst. In contrast, die-hard dance nuts who adore Alan Parker’s original may worry that the new Fame film will be a soul-destroying, cynical stain on the legacy. Personally, I fear that the update will promote the same sort of anarchy encouraged in the old Fame. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when leg warmer-wearing radicals are obliterating all order and bringing cities to a standstill in beatbox-backed wildcat strikes....

One of the best scenes in The King’s Speech is the moment where Colin Firth’s frustrated Prince Bertie unleashes a torrent of swearwords and releases a river of crudities. As his new speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), so eloquently puts it, “Defecation flows trippingly from the tongue.” It’s also a great scene because of its narrative significance as the point in the plot where the reserved and reluctant royal starts to bond with the teacher who can aid him, accepting his terms and expertise....