Lord of the Flies is the first-ever television adaptation of William Golding's landmark 1954 novel, written by Jack Thorne and directed by Marc Munden. A co-production that aired first on the BBC before reaching Netflix, it brings fresh scale and psychological depth to a story that has haunted readers for generations.
After a plane crash strands a group of British schoolboys on a remote Pacific island in the early 1950s, the boys attempt to govern themselves. Ralph (Winston Sawyers) tries to hold the group together with the counsel of the clever, bullied Piggy (David McKenna), but the charismatic, power-hungry Jack (Lox Pratt) foments a rebellion that fractures their fragile society into fear, tribalism, and violence. The production cast a large ensemble of young newcomers, many making their professional debuts.
Released in 2026, the four-part series earned wide critical acclaim for its stunning direction and its unflinching portrait of how quickly civilization can unravel. Filmed on Malaysia's Langkawi archipelago, it stands as a definitive screen version of Golding's parable. It is streaming on Netflix.
The latest concept in reality television is Same Name which pairs up a "regular guy" with a celebrity who just happens to share the same first and last names. Of course a name like Betty White (at least five in the Boston area alone) is an easy one to match up but how does the well known comedienne compare with someone from the so called normal world? The idea could be interesting if the celeb trades places with the real person and spends some time in their shoes and vice versa. Can Floridian Justin Bieber (they found one in Jacksonville, Florida) sing? In the pilot episode we see a landscaper and electrician from Lake Jackson, Texas with the name of David Hasselhoff trade his life with THE David Hasselhoff, formerly of Baywatch and Knight Rider. Will the Hass electrocute himself? And is Mr. Hasselhoff from Texas better looking? Those who share names with celebrities seldom have anything else in common other than that name thing and it could be humorous observing how difficult it may be for the pampered set to actually work at real jobs.
A new addition to reality television programming is MTV's MADE. It's all about self improvement and the contestants are asking for help to become dancers, singers, athletes, or maybe expert skateboarders. There is a designated Made Coach who will provide the expertise to help them reach their goals within several weeks as their achievements are documented. Be on the lookout for casting calls put out by MTV most any time of the year. Whether it's for MADE or any of the other reality based competition shows put on by MTV you will have just as much a chance as any one else to become part of the show and win. Working your way toward becoming the best cheerleader, wrestler, opera singer, dancer, homecoming queen, or even triathlete you can possible be is only half the fun. These teens will show how competitive and dedicated they can be as they improve their talents each week and come back for more until they accomplish it all.
My Life as Liz star Liz Lee is a breath of fresh air to reality TV As with all reality based programming today My Life as Liz goes for the dramatized lifestyle and follows along in daily routines. Liz finds life tough at the Pratt Institute where she attends college classes with television cameras following her every move. My Life as Liz cannot simply be called a sitcom because it's not. It also cannot fit the "dramatic" shoes of others like Survivor or America's Got Talent because there is no actual competition involved here. Liz Lee finds life in college a challenge whenever she is around others her age like classmates but when she's alone the show gets "stylized" and down to the details of a young woman's lifestyle. Music from Faded Paper Figures is often in the spotlight, particularly at the ending credits and within various episodes. Burleson, Texas is home to Liz and it's her conservative suburban home that she feels most at home. Liz is a "geek" who's proud to be one and her friends actually like her for that. Tori Langley and Taylor Terry are her best friends, Cori Cooper is her arch nemesis and a young man named Bryson Gilreath is her main love (at this point) in her life.
Take a bit of dramatic comedy from TV show The Wonder Years from the late 80's then add in some Superbad from the 2007 movie and you may begin to see what The Hard Times of RJ Berger is about. Nearly everybody had a rough time in their high school years. Between puberty and peer pressure to excel in everything but scholarly efforts, we had to compete for every little bit of attention but Berger, who is an unpopular high school sophomore attending a fictional Ohio school called Pinkerton High School has a rather unusual problem. He has an enormous penis! Paul Stanley Iacono (Fame, Return to Sleepaway Camp) is RJ Berger, whose two best friends are Miles Jenner (Jareb Dauplaise from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) and Lily Marin (Kara Taitz of The Suite Life of Zack) each befriend him for different reasons. Miles feels competitive ambition and needs to one-up Berger at every turn and Lily has lusted after RJ for years now. RJ Berger is in love with Jenny (Amber Lancaster from Entourage and Community), school cheer leader. She however only has eyes for the school jock, Max Owens. The typical high school romantic comedy.
members from MTV reality programs like Fresh Meat, Fresh Meat II, The Real World, and Spring Break Challenge and you have a game show with that reality TV flair that MTV is so good at. Game show players who have been worst enemies and competitors in the past now must compete as pairs even if they've been known to have bitter feuds in the past. There are fourteen teams of pairs with the same gender being picked for each team. This may give the males an edge depending on what the particular challenge is. But don't rule out the brains and ingenuity of those females! They perform "missions" which are to be followed up with the elimination round known as "The Jungle". The losing team each week will face "The Jungle" and the winner of the elimination round has a good chance to win the grand prize of $300,000. The public does get the opportunity to cast their vote in the mix and help decide who has been the most successful team of the season.
This weekly teen comedy drama is run like a soap opera because it plays so often each week. Playing With Time, the production company that puts Degrassi on the air is owned and run by Linda Schuyler, a former school teacher who knows what kids like to see. This entertaining program as been around long enough now, and is in its (tenth season), so the audience interest has changed and moved down a generation. Now more comedy than ever is displayed in episodes that have at least two and usually three individual story lines or plots. The first one is the shows opener and usually also finishes that episode. A running plot that continues from one episode into the next is common, attempting to bring back viewers to see what will happen next. Music plays an important part of Degrassi: The Next Generation as it does in the real life of someone in those teenage years. Most episodes are actually named for particular songs, mostly from the 1980's.
An unusually dark comedy coming from MTV brings a whole new meaning to police protection as the residents of California's peaceful San Fernando Valley are now under siege from a vast assortment of vampires, werewolves, and zombies! So big is the threat to residents that a new Undead Task Force is formed from the LAPD. The UTF members are specially trained to battle the latest threat to the people of what is now called Death Valley and these intrepid task force members, both men and women, are dedicated to preserving the safety and security of their command. Horror abounds in this comedic yet scary mockumentary show that gives viewers a taste of bloody conflicts with zombies and other creatures of the night. Plenty of subtext here referencing today's world of insanity, extraordinary creatures, and brutally disgusting while menacing supernatural dwellers that attempt to take over. Ever since the undead have taken up residence in Death Valley they have had only one aim in mind and that is to eliminate those who dare to step outside"¦. the residents and the Undead Task Force.
With a wide assortment of talent including John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell, Alan Thicke, and Zach Galifianakis showing up as guests and plenty of satirical humor and special effects with editing tricks included this show is one to definitely catch whenever possible. The creators of Awesome Show, Eric Wareheim and Tim Heidecker also control the reins on this fun show, which is often surrealistic, satirical, and always entertaining. Watch for the faux-commercials for they are bizarre and often poke fun at the industry. It has been described as a nightmare version (as seen by us the audience) of the television industry itself. Wareheim and Heidecker's previous offering to television, Tom Goes to the Mayor, provides several of the comedy skits as well as repeat characters borrowed from their original show. A news channel correspondent, played by John C. Reilly, and "Weird Al" Yankovic, who's gravelly voice add humor to skits like the "Uncle Muscles Hour" and it's all done in fun"¦ truly hilarious!
Ahh! It's good to be young, sexy, beautiful, and "connected". What began as a small show about prejudice, sexuality, and substance abuse, typical issues to be dealt with in today's society, took a twist and began displaying the darker side such as irresponsible behavior and immaturity among a group of friends. Ben Lewis (Ryan Hansen from Superhero Movie, Housebroken) a bachelor who is carefree and constantly on the lookout for his kind of woman, one who meets the impossible standards he holds. Then we have famous "bromances" between Aaron and Ben that prove friendships can stand the test of time. Ben and his gal pal, Sara know how well a third party can shake up the mixture that romantic life can create. Friends with Benefits revolves around five friends with love issues. Seems they have set their standards so high they can't find the right mate so eventually have to settle for something somewhat less than they'd hoped for. But sometimes less is best and ultimately proves to be more.
Ever wonder how much an elephant is worth? Or how about massive pieces of diamond encrusted jewelry? Done in a game show format, It's Worth What? is a highly entertaining one hour show that gives us answers to just how much some pretty amazing items are valued at. Cedric the Entertainer, a highly successful, crowd pleasing, as well as award winning stand up comedian is the host and he seems to enjoy these discoveries as much as the participants, the studio audience, and us the TV viewers obviously do. American's typically love to compare costs as well as values on expensive items like that jewelry or even exotic animals and cars so being able to compare them, place a value on each, then see which is worth more is fun and educational at the same time. It's Worth What? is a product of the Merv Griffin Entertainment group which has a long list of television programming hits so it comes as no surprise that this new entry is becoming such a huge hit and is watched by millions each week. And it's fun to see contestants win big money when they successfully choose the more valuable trinket (or elephant).