Hasta La Gadget!

The flood of season finales continues, and this week it even includes some notable series coming to an end. Doctor Who, Castle, and Arrow are among those taking off for the summer, but they will be back. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

The Office
After nine seasons, this US adaptation of a British comedy is finally coming to an end. Some might say it’s hung out for (at least) a season too long, but still we’re sad to see it go. There’s a retrospective running before the finale on Thursday, just in case you want to relive all that’s happened since its debut in 2005.
(May 16th, NBC, 9PM)

Ghostbusters
Not that we need an excuse to watch this 80s flick, but this week’s release is one of Sony’s “Mastered in 4K” Blu-ray discs so there’s an all-new high quality transfer and Ultraviolet digital copy. You probably don’t have one of Sony’s new 4K TVs and xvYCC-capable player to take advantage of the expanded color, but at $14.29, even if you’re double dipping for the new release or just future proofing it won’t cost much.
($14.29 on Amazon)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

This week the NHL joins the NBA in celebrating its postseason, with plenty of games on the schedule for each. There are a number of premieres and finales this week, as well as the debut of individual seasons of Friends on Blu-ray. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Star Trek: TNG S3 / The Best of Both Worlds
The third season of Star Trek The Next Generation comes home this week remastered in HD, and it should be a good for fans. If you can’t live with its cliffhanger ending until the fourth season arrives, The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 & 2 are also being released, edited together as a single episode. either way you get it, judging by the first two seasons, the adjustments should be well-received.
($59.99 and $14.99 on Amazon)

The Americans
FX’s cold war spy drama closes out its first season this week. While it hasn’t grabbed the mindshare of other popular cable series yet, the quality of the writing and acting is still there.
(May 1st, FX, 10PM)

Parks & Recreation
It appears that NBC’s best remaining comedy will be renewed after this season, so this week’s season finale will represent only the start of a vacation for the residents of Pawnee, IN. The Office finally getting yanked from the stage, 30 Rock calling it a series recently and Community… well. Let’s just hope we have more PnR to look forward to this fall.
(May 2nd, NBC, 9:30PM)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

There aren’t many premieres this week, but Syfy’s new show Defiance is bringing a new approach, and our old favorite Awkward has returned. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Defiance
Syfy’s TV show / game hybrid makes its broadcast debut tonight. The multiplayer game had experienced some server issues after its debut a couple of weeks ago, but those are apparently being addressed via patches. Now we’ll see if the TV show’s narrative can hold up its end, or even get more viewers interested in its unique approach. Taking place in a future St. Louis after years of human vs. alien warfare, a small town sheriff and his adopted alien daughter try to keep all sides at peace. If you’re into second screen apps, the Syfy Sync iPad app is also promising a few new features for the show. Check out a trailer for the TV show after the break.
(April 15th, Syfy, 9PM)

Django Unchained
The latest flick from Quentin Tarantino comes home this week, starring Jamie Foxx and Oscar winner Christoph Waltz. Set in the Antebellum South, this revenge fantasy is as violent and shocking as you may have heard, but should align well with what QT fans have come to expect.
($22.99 on Amazon)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Baseball is officially back and March Madness is just about to wrap up as we officially move into the “spring” segment of programming, marked by the return of Mad Men on AMC. That’s not all, with one half of Syfy’s videogame / TV show combo making its debut and our favorite show, Justified, airing its finale. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Mad Men
AMC’s main showpiece is ready to return. Now in its sixth season, you should be familiar with Don, Betty and the rest of the crew, but if not you can check out the trailer embedded after the break.
(April 7th, 9PM, AMC)

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled
Now set in a new case (shown above) the boxed set of the first round of Marvel / Disney films is finally ready for release. If you’re a collector / fan that just has to have it, the price on Amazon has dipped even lower, and it packs an exclusive look at the next set of flicks.
($149 on Amazon)

Defiance
The game end of Syfy’s ambitious MMO shooter / TV show combo launches this week on consoles and PCs. Taking place on Earth as aliens and humans both try to recover after years of war, it’s certainly something new, but we can’t tell yet how well the two halves will come together before the show starts airing in a couple of weeks.
($59 on Amazon)

Filed under: HD

Comments

March Madness is dominating the TV schedule, but a number of shows are back with new episodes or premieres. The Hobbit comes to Blu-ray (in 3D, but not 48fps… yet) this week, and Continuum has its season finale. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
The seedings are set and hopefully your brackets are all filled in. March Madness is upon us and over the next three weekends we’ll see who emerges victorious from the field of 68 teams. This year you’ll be able to catch all the action on PCs and mobile devices with free apps, however if you don’t have a cable or satellite subscription, your selection of games will be very limited. Check out the full game schedule here.
(All week, CBS / TBS / TNT / TruTV)

Gizmodo: The Gadget Testers
Fellow tech blog Gizmodo will be premiering an episode of its show after the season finale of Top Gear tonight, which happens to feature our friend Veronica Belmont as one of the hosts. Check out a trailer after the break to see what the show is about, but it’s probably like whatever you’re already thinking.
(March 18th, BBC America. 10:20PM

Chupacabra vs. the Alamo
’nuff said.
(March 23rd, Syfy, 9PM)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments