Between the CW’s new ownership and HBO merging with Discovery, many good shows are getting the axe (Paper Girls anyone?). Not to mention all the projects that will never see the light of day; RIP BatGirl. It’s a bloodbath!
Speaking of blood, bloodsuckers are once again popular. Reginald The Vampire and Interview with a Vampire both have their merits, but the best of the new Vampiric shows is Vampire Academy, based on the book series by Richelle Meade.
Vampire Academy follows best friends Royal Morio Princess Vasilissa and Dhampir Guardian Rose as they navigate the politics of vampire society. While many vampire shows are set in the human world, Vampire Academy is exclusively in vampire society.
Iconic Vampire shows of the past and present have centered on romance, and there is plenty of love and lust on Vampire Academy, and Rose fulfills the traditional love triangle requirement expertly.
Somehow, Mason became the love interest to root for with Rose because he was elaborated on and shown to be a genuinely good guy who loves Rose. However, the steam of Rose and Dimitri cannot be denied (book fans won’t let it).
The best ship is Christian and Lissa; they are the cutest on-again-off-again couple.
These star-crossed lovers are technically royal, but he’s an outcast due to his parents choosing to become strigoi.
Despite circumstances, they find little moments to be sweet together. They’re married! And he’s a monk? Stay tuned, we hope.
Even Sonya Karp, Mia Dashkov, and Jesse Zeklos get love interests in this version.
However, the love between these two friends genuinely makes the show iconic. Female friendships are few and far between in media though there has been a rise in recent years.
Rose would die for Lissa. In fact, she did, and Lissa resurrected her, as best friends do. They protect each other and sacrifice each other.
Fans of the books will enjoy it, but there are many surprises.
Villians that came off two dimensional in the books, such as Victor Dashkoff and Sonya Karp, get compelling backstories leading fans to understand and even sympathize with them.
Even Jesse Zeklos, who is genuinely terrible, has a potential redemption arc in the offing, and we need a renewal to see it.
After all, the characters people hate the most in the beginning often have the best redemption arcs. Klaus Mikelson, anyone?
Forgettable characters like Mason become the character to root for!
Things that were unclear in the books are cleared up. Updates have been made, including LGBTQ relationships and a less toxic dynamic between Rose and Dimitri.
The books were from Rose’s perspective, but the show has given Lissa a chance to shine, grow, and show what a badass she is.
As it stands, she’s set up for Rose’s arc of saving a Strigoi, her brother Andre. That’s right, in this version, it is Andre, not Dimitri, who becomes a Strigoi.
The changes from book to screen are brilliant and leave fans questioning what will happen next. The ending of Vampire Academy Season 1 was a massive cliffhanger.
Lissa and Rose are on the run because Tatiana framed Lissa for the Queen’s murder. Andre is alive and undead, and Victor may soon follow him. Christian and Dimitri stayed behind to try and fix the broken system that is the dominion. And Mason might be dead!
Mason can’t be dead! We love him too much! We need to know if he is okay. We need to know if Victor is okay too, and Mia and everybody else!
As fans, we cannot allow this fantastic show to be canceled.
As of yet, there is no word of its renewal, and Peacock is still a relatively new streaming platform with limited viewership.
It’s hard to say what will happen, but if we have any power to keep this show going, we must wield it, as Rose and Lissa would.
Right now, everyone is separate, and there are too many questions.
Plus, our girls are heading out into the world without knowing what awaits them. No idea, except Rose’s father!
Rose’s father was intriguing in the books, but he’s sure to be even more so in the show because the show has expanded on this already rich world.
We still have to see the communes and get to know Adrian, who was barely in Season 1.
Adrian had such a significant role in the books; when we get to know him in the show, he’ll be fantastic!
And what of Meredith and her secret passageways? Again, so many questions are left unanswered, and only another season can answer them.
This show deserves the time to grow into the genuinely iconic cult classic it is destined to be.
Like The Vampire Diaries before it, Julie Plec has a hit on her hands. We need to support it! So let’s do just that.
Watch it. Tweet about it. Start a petition to renew it.
We live in an age where fans’ voices can be heard, so let’s scream like Sonya and make our opinions clear. WE WANT SEASON TWO!!!
Do you agree with us?
Let us know in the comments section.
Vampire Academy is currently streaming on Peacock.
One of the most memorable names from Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise is saying goodbye.
Ramona Singer, who appeared in 13 seasons of The Real Housewives of New York, has revealed she is done with the reality series.
“I do not want to do the show any longer. It’s not for me at this time,” the Bravolebrity told Page Six over the weekend.
While we knew none of the original cast members would be a part of the revamped 14th season, there was a possibility that she would appear on The Real Housewives of New York Legacy.
That show was revealed at the same time Bravo confirmed that the entire Season 13 cast would not return to the main show as the cabler said it wanted a new cast to reflect the big apple more accurately.
Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Dana Lichy, Lizzy Savetsky, Jessel Taank, Jenna Lyons, and Brynn Whitfield will be the new cast members for the 14th season.
Page Six reports that Singer didn’t make the list for an appearance in the Legacy edition.
The outlet further added that Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan could be the sole holdovers from Season 13, being joined by Kelly Bensimon, Jill Zarin, and Dorinda Medley.
Given that the filming is not underway, there’s no telling what the cast will look like when the show arrives.
Singer hasn’t spoken positively about Legacy.
“I’ve been there for a long time. I mean, never say no, never say never,” she said on “Reality with the King” podcast last month.
“But I also feel like the ‘Legacy’ [show], how could it be really good? The people they are gonna bring back are the people they didn’t want to renew anyways.”
“So now what? Are you gonna call it ‘The Loser Show,’ the ‘Loser Legacy’?”
It is certainly a big swing completely to overhaul a franchise, but it seems Bravo is ready to walk away from some of the stars.
What are your thoughts on Singer’s exit?
Do you think Legacy will be worthwhile?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
The Reagans are a close-knit family, but what happens when they get in each other’s way on the job?
Erin often butts heads with Frank, especially now that she wants to run for Manhattan DA, and Danny and Jamie often complain that her office keeps releasing violent offenders that they worked hard to arrest.
Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 6 spoilers point to a conflict that doesn’t have to do with Erin. This time, Danny and Jamie get in each other’s way, and it’s about to get ugly!
The conflict involves Jamie’s new job duties interfering with Danny’s old ones.
Danny feels Jamie overstepped after Jamie interferes in Danny’s investigation of a gang-related shooting, but was the youngest Reagan only doing his job?
This conflict turns ugly at the crime scene. A clip in the spoiler video has Danny calling Jamie an embarrassment.
Ouch! Those are fighting words, especially from the older brother Jamie admires.
One thing is for sure: neither Frank nor Henry will tolerate that behavior at the Sunday dinner table. Will the guys resolve this before then, or will they need some help from their elders?
Jamie often turns to Henry for advice. If Danny goes to Frank, that will put the older generation squarely in the middle of the conflict, and Frank isn’t going to accept that.
While Jamie might have overstepped, Danny may be too close to this case. According to spoilers, Danny over-empathizes with the victim this time.
Danny has a sensitive side, but he’s usually able to focus on proving the perp’s guilt so he can throw them in jail. He didn’t lose it when his friend Maggie was attacked, so what gives this time?
Could this case remind him of Joe Sr.’s death? That’s the only thing that makes sense in this scenario.
Although the Reagan family likes to solve its own problems, Danny might need some help from an outside source: Baez.
Baez is close enough to be “work family,” but she’s not a Reagan. That puts her in the perfect position to get through to Danny if he’s being a blockhead.
She’s pulled him back when he’s gone too far in the past, so there’s no reason she won’t be able to this time.
Meanwhile, Erin and Anthony have a case involving Joe Hill!
Joe has been working undercover for a while, which explains his frequent absences. This time, someone in Erin’s office makes a move that endangers him.
This puts Erin in an interesting position, especially considering her political ambitions. Investigating and calling out bad actors in the DA’s office could be good for her campaign. Still, it also leaves an opening for her enemies to claim that she uses her position to give special treatment to her family.
It’s a line Frank’s walked for years. His kids are often upset with him because staying neutral often looks identical to taking their opponents’ sides. There is no neutrality when a family member is accused of police misconduct.
Now Erin will discover something similar about reaching for power in the DA’s office. She can’t be neutral and a Reagan without upsetting one side or the other.
Frank resolves the conflict via his commitment to integrity. He does what he believes is right and in accordance with the law, even if it makes him unpopular with the cops, his family, the press, or the people who work for him.
Will Erin be able to do the same?
She and Frank are often alike in their rigid embrace of rules and refusal to give their family special treatment. That’s why they keep clashing during the race for the DA’s office.
But this situation is a bit different. Erin must weed out bad lawyers regardless of her relationship with their victims. If a lawyer is willing to make trouble for Joe, they will likely do it to other undercover officers.
That’s what Erin needs to concentrate on; hopefully, she’ll cut out any noise about “favoritism” made by people who dislike the idea of her being disloyal by calling out bad actors in her office.
Frank’s commitment to his values doesn’t always win him friends. Could that be why he’s not asked to speak at a police forum?
It seems bizarre to cut out the police commissioner from an event like this; speaking about policing seems like one of his primary job duties!
Frank will likely be upset, even if he doesn’t show it. If he’s not, Sid will undoubtedly be. Sid is an old-school cop who believes strongly in the importance of respect, and he won’t want to stand for his boss being disrespected!
That might not be the reason that Frank isn’t invited, though.
Spoiler photos show Henry speaking to a crowded audience. Henry was the police commissioner once upon a time; maybe this group wants to honor him for his years of service.
Henry worries about his mortality a lot and doesn’t like being pushed into the position of being the wise old elder instead of being able to be out on the streets. An honor such as speaking in front of a bunch of officers could help him feel better about his life stage.
Frank would support that if he found out that was what was going on. Will he devote time and energy to this slight, though?
It seems he should have more important things to do, but his non-invitation wouldn’t be mentioned in spoilers if it wasn’t a big deal to him.
What do you think, Blue Bloods fanatics? Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTSbutton and let us know!
There’s a reason why Sarah Drew and Justin Bruening continue to do projects together. They simply never miss.
Their chemistry is out of this world and always so endearing to watch that it draws you in whenever they’re onscreen together. Reindeer Games Homecoming is a prime example of this.
And Sarah Drew was as lovely as always, starring in, executive producing, and penning this heartfelt story of grief, love, and finding oneself.
Reindeer Games had many of the common staples for a classic Christmas film. We had the small-town heroine reconnecting with the hot-shot high school crush who went off and became famous.
We had those fun festivities and a great sense of community that was prominent thanks to the supporting characters. And some conflict and other things almost interfered with our couple finding their way back to one another and having their happily ever after.
A lot of the film took some slightly different approaches too. Refreshingly, while the attraction and love between Mac and Chase were apparent, they balanced nicely with their respective individual stories and challenges.
Mac’s grief, showing that not only is it far from linear, but it never lets up no matter how long ago a death was — it was very prominent in the story.
It made Mac a very rounded character, and her love story with Chase was only a tiny fraction of what she needed to face, address, and overcome in the film.
Mac was a woman who felt stuck, and it was such a relatable sentiment that the amount of time they spent exploring that aspect of things for her was a breath of fresh air.
Grief has a way of freezing a person in a moment. And Mac’s entire life stood at a standstill when she lost her father. She was too afraid to move on, finding some comfort in her hometown, the sense of community there, her father’s friends, and more.
But she also felt stagnant and had yet to pursue her dream of finishing her residency.
I got a nice chuckle at the fact that Mac is a doctor, too. April Kepner will always live on; it felt like a nice treat and nod at her fans.
There’s nothing more realistic than someone not ending up where they intended to be or taking a long, windy path to reach their goal.
The death of Mac’s father derailed her a bit, but she still found something meaningful to do in teaching AP Sciences at her alma mater and serving as a volunteer EMT, too.
And while it’s likely that she’ll pick up her residency again, the time she spent teaching still counts for something and felt like a necessary pitstop.
Seeing someone as promising as Mac still take an unexpected route to become a doctor was comforting and nice.
We’ve fostered a society that consistently sells the notion that if you don’t immediately reach your goal in a particular way or during a specific timeline, then it’s too late.
We got to see via Mac how that isn’t the case.
In that sense, her primary goal in this story wasn’t specifically about getting the guy in the end. Sure, part of her lesson to learn was not running away from love, trusting it and Chase, and not ruining this good thing.
But it felt like it took a backseat to her reaching the next level of her grieving process and healing by opening her father’s letter to her and learning to live again rather than exist.
It was a straightforward story that didn’t have the usual hokey, zany, festive goals like saving an annual Christmas event, a B&B, or something.
Even Christmas felt like a backdrop more than a prominent theme of this film.
Mac’s primary story was about reconnecting with herself and desires, which was beautiful.
It removed some of the usual cheese in the film while still bringing all the emotion and heart, a shift from what has become the standard formula for holiday flicks and ironically taking us back to the more classic Christmas films of yesteryear.
Chase had a similar journey he had to take during this movie, too.
He was facing his own crossroads as an action star too close to the wrong side of “washed up.”
He was passionate about acting, but he also felt stalled in his career and life. Hollywood is a fickle industry, which was taking a toll on him.
When a person feels a bit untethered in their life, sometimes the best thing they can do is return home. Sure, he came to support his pregnant sister and nephew, but you could tell that home visit was something he desperately needed, too.
At home, he got the ego boost and adoration from his community that he must’ve been lacking in the big city as he was fighting for roles.
Everyone was beside themselves with his return, which provided more than a few amusing moments. And it was also cute to see him slowly shedding that Hollywood persona and remembering who he was.
He was still very Hollywood, from the very attractive albeit at times unsuitable leather-clad, bad boy aesthetic to his reluctance to do things like engaging in the Reindeer Games until his hands were tied.
But even when he seemed most out of touch, Chase was always a down-to-earth, fun-loving character. Even when he and Mac spoke about their past, you got the impression that while he was a popular, attractive jock, he wasn’t the stereotypical sort.
He was a bit of a lovable dork, too, and they had a mutual appreciation for each other and attraction since they had shared a kiss as teens.
They both were guarding their hearts back then and even in the present, but as adults, Chase was the most willing and happy to take the leap.
Mac’s reservations were valid, though. For one, they had that history where she felt like he left her in the cold and friend-zoned her as if he was embarrassed to be with the science nerd after their school trip.
It’s not the type of thing you quickly get over or don’t think about, even as an adult. But now, she was very aware of their different statuses and how it seemed they were on different paths.
In her mind, it didn’t make sense that a Hollywood star would end up with this small-town girl from Vermont, whether she was a teacher or a doctor.
It made her feel like a fleeting fling rather than something sustainable and tangible with longevity. Mac’s feelings were understandable, but everyone with eyes, whether it was Mac’s hilarious scene-stealing best friend Simon and father’s buddies or Chase’s sister, could see how smitten Chase was with her.
Chase constantly looked at Mac like she held all the secrets to the universe and was his last lifeline. It was evident to everyone but her that he was serious and committed to what they could be as a couple.
Mac was too much in her head about what could get in between them that she wasn’t respecting what Chase wanted, what he was saying, trusting that his feelings were deep and that he wasn’t the same guy he was when he made that mistake in high school.
It didn’t stop them from enjoying themselves, though. Whether it was the fun antics of polar plunge challenges and their competitive shenanigans or the intimate moments where they bonded over secret hiding places and confided in each other, they truly completed one another.
Again, Drew and Bruening and the chemistry between them is the life force of this movie and how it thrived.
There is a natural comfort and ease between them because of their history of working together, which translates beautifully onscreen.
You can buy into the characters as old friends, former flames, and soul mates. The familiarity between Chase and Mac wasn’t forced in the least.
And Bruening nails all the aspects that make a fantastic leading man. Chase was a man in love, and he didn’t hide it in any way. But what was so fulfilling about his relationship with Mac is that despite their years apart, he knew her incredibly well.
He could see right through her, very attuned to her needs and desires. He matched her energy, balancing the things she needed most and knowing when she required them.
Chase was Mac’s biggest cheerleader and motivator. He held her in such high regard and cherished her without necessarily placing her on some impossible pedestal.
And when he supported her, it was because he genuinely cared about her and wanted to, and it was without ulterior motives.
This pairing was lovely because even if they didn’t end up romantically linked, you could believe they’d be one another’s “person” anyway.
All of this made you crave the romantic payout even more, though. The film didn’t disappoint when it came to delivering on that.
Their first kiss was perfect, especially it coming on the heels of Chase encouraging and hyping Mac up. It was steamy and hot, and a height difference is one of the best romantic tropes in existence and freaking catnip for the genre.
Clearly, someone understood the assignment with this because there wasn’t a single time when they weren’t playing into their height difference to deliver on the feels.
Chase already gave the best type of hug, where he embraces a person with his full body and even lifts them.
But that first kiss took it to another level. One of the hottest makeout sessions, and when Chase lifted Mac off her feet in the process, it was impossible not to swoon.
Simon was probably living his best life watching that from his window. He was the perfect audience stand-in, if there was one.
And that was just the first kiss! How great was it to have one of these films where they don’t save the first kiss for the epic conclusion?
It hits differently when you can watch the couple you’re falling in love with share multiple kisses throughout a film. It also puts more of the romance and physical expression of it back into play. The chaste takes on romance can quite literally take the steam and momentum out of a love story, and that’s become too commonplace.
Reindeer Games Homecoming delivered on that sensuality and romance tenfold. Each of their kisses was uniquely special and only solidified how Mac and Chase were made for one another.
And their first and second in no way detracted from the sweet conclusion when Chase used the crossword puzzle to send her on a scavenger hunt to find him at the station.
He made sure his feelings for her and how real he considered the relationship known and undeniable as he won her over once and for all.
And that final kiss was just as swoon-worthy as the first, and good grief did they earn it.
As a conclusion, it felt right that neither of them had to deny their goals or sacrifice something to be with one another. They were nothing but wholly supportive of each other.
Chase got the three-movie deal that was taking him to Prague, and while we didn’t have any confirmation, Mac would either be in Boston finishing her residency or in Vermont teaching still.
It could be challenging because filming movies and residency programs are time-consuming, and long-distance can be difficult, but they’re committed to making it work. It hasn’t even crossed their minds that they can’t do this, which bodes well for them.
Reindeer Games Homecoming felt like an all-encompassing film that cut to the heart of the holidays without necessarily making them a priority. It was less camp, cheese, and fluff.
It did its best to capture everyday human and life experiences beyond the season. It didn’t limit itself to its genre and could be one to watch all year round.
And Drew and Bruening can definitely go on the list of one of the hottest pairings worth rooting for in the genre. While it’s doubtful that the request even needs to be put into words, given their extensive, repeat history of working together, I’d love to see them tackle the genre again.
Seriously, more please! And I would like to see Drew’s next foray into writing another story and bringing it to life.
Over to you, TV Fanatics.
How did you like this film? Did you appreciate the understated focus on Christmas and fewer hokey takes? Are you a fan of the dynamic duo of Sarah Drew and Justin Bruening? Sound off below.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
