First Trailer for New, "Adult" Muppet Show!

They're back! They're back! The Muppets are back on TV! Everybody flail!

Ok, now that we've gotten that out of the way, here's the deal: As we previously reported, the Muppets are going to be making a return to prime time TV this fall with a more "adult" oriented series. This does not, thankfully, mean they're going full Avenue Q. Based on the trailer below, what it does mean is that the Muppets will be making a Parks and Req/The Office style comedy about the behind the scenes drama that goes into making The Muppet Show. This could be fantastic. It could be really awkward. Thankfully, the trailer is on point, capturing all the characters in a way that doesn't feel at all out of place. Check it out after the jump, and let us know what you think!

Star Trek in Discussions to Return to TV

If you thought the silver screen would be your only source of new material in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe, it turns out you could be wonderfully, delightfully wrong.

A new report from Latino Review suggests that not only is CBS in discussions to produce a new Trek television show, but that director Bryan Singer has been mentioned as potential executive.

When contacted, CBS employees who preferred to remain unnamed said, “All we know is that talks are being had in good faith. We don't know how much longer it will remain talks.”

Though various attempts to return Trek to the small screen have come and gone, the Latino Review article points out that the strength of recent fan productions, like Star Trek: Phase II or the upcoming Star Trek Axanar fan film (of which the existing “Prelude to Axanar” apparently includes Singer as a fan) will provide an excellent baseline to existing executives as a benchmark of what the show and storyline are capable of with fan-originated budgets and modern technology.

As a long-time fan of this fantastic franchise, I’m very curious to see what a modern take on the Star Trek universe might look like on the small screen. If nothing else, though, with any luck we’ll have Idris Elba and Star Trek 3 to tide us over in 2016.

Ben Fried-Lee is a blogger, podcaster, dancer, and lifelong Star Trek fan living in the Bay Area. There are at least three phasers lying somewhere around his house, as soon as he also finds the tricorder to search for them.

Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion Launch Campaign for Convention-based Comedy

Do you miss Firefly? Well, join the rest of the galaxy in continuing to wait. But if you miss the actors from Firefly, wait no longer! (Or rather, wait a little longer.) The hilarious Alan Tudyk and his sidekick, Nathan Fillion, have teamed up to produce Con Man, a comedy about what it's like to be an actor from a cancelled-too-soon science fiction series working the convention circuit. It's a real stretch for them, let me tell you.

The promotional video on their IndieGoGo Page promises appearances from Felicia Day, Gina Torres, James Gunn and Seth Green, with more surprises to come as they raise more money, I'd imagine. Right now, the total they're looking for is only to produce the first three, ten minute episodes, but if they smash their funding goals they'll produce the whole series, and build a spaceship.

If that sounds like something you'd be interested in seeing, go forth! Click the link above, and give them your money!

UPDATE: As of 12:07 pm PST, they've already funded the first three episodes. But keep giving them your money so they can make the whole series!

Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue DeConnick to Adapt Sex Criminals for TV!

Man, just writing that title probably got me put on a list somewhere.

Kelly Sue DeConnick and Matt Fraction, two of the most popular writers in comic books today (Matt is responsible for the aforementioned Sex Criminals, as well as AvX, Five Fists of Science, and the currently amazing Hawkeye, while DeConnick rebooted Captain Marvel to incredible success and writes the fantastic Bitch Planet), are teaming up with Universal TV to bring some of their independent projects and some original ideas to television. The first announced project is Sex Criminals, which has been a critical darling on the comic circuit for months now.

The book follows the story of Jon and Suzie, two people who have the power to stop time when they orgasm. What sounds like a setup for a bad porn goes on wild twists and turns and becomes an incredible comic book that you should really be reading right now.

No word on when or on what network we'll see the show (I can't imagine it'll be NBC), but watch this space for more details.

We Already Have a Great Wonder Woman Show - It's Called Agent Carter.

Agent Carter promotional television show poster

During Maggie Gyllenhaal's acceptance speech at the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards last Sunday, she mentioned how proud she was to see that women were gaining a voice and being represented, multi-dimensionally, in entertainment. On a recent commercial, ABC made claims to being a leader in representing women by showing a span of a few of their television shows over the last decade, including ALIAS, Scandal, and now, Agent Carter. To me, (and many others out there) one character comes to mind with whom most identify women's equality, and that's Wonder Woman. Agent Carter, now three episodes in, has surprised me. Because Marvel comics has accomplished something that the owners of Wonder Woman haven't been able to do in almost 40 years. They've brought Wonder Woman's essence back, and done it better than the company that owns the rights to the character.

The Best Everything of 2014

This is it, folks. The last day of 2014. A day when we sit back and reflect on all of the awesome things we saw and did this year. We hope it was as awesome for you as it was for us, and thanks for tuning in each and every day to the Ace of Geeks. We couldn't be doing this without you, and we appreciate every since one of you guys. Next year, look for brand new content, new shows, more articles, and more coverage of conventions around the world. But for now, let's look back and reflect on the best of this year. Here, by popular vote, are our staff's picks for the best of 2014:

Five Things to Binge On for the Rest of the Holiday

Christmas is over. Hanukkah's over. Your obligations to your family, hopefully, are over. And now you're sitting in the house, wondering what you're going to do until New Years. Now's the perfect time to start binging on your favorite geek entertainment. But there's so much to choose from these days - what should you watch or play or read, and what's a waste of your time? Here's our top five recommendations, as put together by the Ace of Geeks Staff.

THE STRAIN's Pedro Miguel Arce injects diversity into Hollywood - By Brian J. Patterson

Pedro Miguel Arce - Photo by PeaceAlpha 9

When you look at Pedro Miguel Arce's IMDb page, not only do you see a decade and a half of great work, but you also see a variety of job titles: Actor, producer, editor, director, writer, cinematographer, and stuntman. It's no wonder he has seen consistent work in this business. His many hats prove how motivated, committed, and talented he truly is. Because that's exactly what it takes to stay working in Hollywood.

Recently, he finished a handful of episodes on FX's THE STRAIN, and I was able to catch him for a brief chat where he told me about his career, the show, and diversity in Hollywood. This interview, along with many others, will all be apart of my campaign to highlight some of the vast array of diverse talent from which Hollywood has to choose.

Geek Philosophy 101: Ethical Escapism by Justin Rhodes

We are well aware that consumerism is rampant in our society. There is a constant pressure to buy this, watch this, eat that, do this, do that, and try not to have your head spin while doing so. Most people get by just fine feeding into that machine minimally, but we, the few, the proud, the geeks, we buy into it whole hog. We consume media at an alarming rate, where binge watching is the norm. We are the orphan boy who says "Please, Sir, may I have some more?" and instead of the gruff Orphan Master's incredulous "MORE!?", we are greeted with something more akin to "Sure. Go ahead kid, knock yourself out." I'm not saying this is entirely a bad thing, but the question is, how can we make sure that we are not overloading ourselves and yet still enjoy all of our wonderful geekery? Is there a way to still devour the things we love, without having it take over our entire lives? Here are some thoughts for a more conscious kind of consumption:

Outlander - as told by a Sassenach.

                    Some of you may not understand the title, so allow me to clarify and let you in on the joke. The word Sassenach is a Scot word used in the Outlander universe to mean, well, Outlander. Sassenach is basically slang for anyone not of Scottish origin. For those of you that don't know, Outlander is the first book in a multiple book series by author Diana Gabaldon. These books were so well received that Starz Network partnered with Gabaldon to turn her books into a television series.

            I, like most who had not read the books, didn't understand what the hype was about. It wasn't until the first episode that I got it. It has mother beeping Time Travel. The book and series introduce you to a world of amazing characters.  You have Claire Randall, an ex combat nurse, who is on a second honeymoon with her husband in 1945. She is at an ancient stone circle one day and innocently touches a standing stone. This simple act of touching a stone propels her back  to the year 1743.  So now she is a British woman in war torn Scotland, where that isn't a good thing to be. You have Jamie Fraser, Claire's protector. Ferociously loyal and in love with Claire. The odds of anything hurting her are slim to none when this red headed tombstone's around, and if his romance-novel-cover-boy status wasn't already set, he also has breaks horses, which shows you the depth of his patients and ability for love and compassion. Stick all of that in the body of a 6'4 Scottish mountain, who looks like he bends horse shoes by hand, and you have Jamie Fraser.

            Using real events in Scottish history as her backdrop,  Ms Gabaldon weaves a wonder of a Chrono Love story. The books are so popular, that the TV series pre-released its pilot a week before it premiered for its on demand customers. In one week before its official release it racked up nine hundred thousand views. Following the official releases the number jumped to 3.7 million. The response was so great, Starz has been rumored to have green lit season two after one episode.


            This is one of the most odd articles for me to have to write. I didn't really know anything about it before I suggested to my editor that I write about the show. I thought since it was everywhere, why not do a bit or research and write a current story. Luckily, I had an inside scoop - it's my wife's favorite series. The joy my wife shared in showing me this thing that is Outlander was frankly contagious. I can't explain it other then to say if the one I love,  loves anything like that it is worth it to me. It was a level of fandom I could only compare to my love of Transformers. So I might be a Sassenach right now, but I got my Claire to bandage me up after me brawls where ever they may be.