All the new and returning programs are on The CW for the next couple of days, and the one new series means something old is new again. Let's start with that.
Dynasty will reboot at 8 p.m. Wednesday with a saucy new cast and tweaks designed for a new generation.
Kids, ask your parents (or even grandparents) about how much of a hit the prime-time soaper was back in the day. The series ran from 1981 to 1989 on ABC.
The series, seen as a rival to the CBS juggernaut Dallas, really took off in the second season with the arrival of the incomparable Joan Collins as Alexis, the scheming ex-wife of oil magnate Blake Carrington (John Forsythe).
For the 2.0 version (tagline: "Vicious. Ambitious. Delicious"), The CW has updated the formerly nearly all-white cast to reflect lots of diversity, spiced things up (a lot), and let the gay characters actually be out-and-proud with sex scenes all their own.
Depending on your viewpoint, all of that is either steamy, sexy and refreshing, or vile, disgusting and further evidence of the cesspool into which TV has sunk.
My opinion: The new version is no more shocking today than the original was for the '80s.
The new version stars Grant Show (Melrose Place) as billionaire global energy mogul Blake Carrington, and Nathalie Kelley (The Vampire Diaries) as his savvy, ambitious young fiancee, Cristal Flores.
Elizabeth Gillies (Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll) plays Blake's power hungry, promiscuous (to use a kind term) daughter, Fallon, and James Mackay is his gay son, Steven, an environmental advocate who passes as the show's moral center.
Diversity? The action has shifted from Denver to Atlanta. Cristal (the old Linda Evans role) is Hispanic. Gold digger Sammy Jo (played by Heather Locklear) is now a gay guy (Rafael de La Fuente) with his eyes on Steven. He's also Cristal's nephew.
The rival Colby family is now black, with charming billionaire tech guru Jeff Colby played by Sam Adegoke (Murder in the First). The wonderfully cast Alan Dale (The O.C., NCIS) plays Blake's omniscient and somewhat menacing majordomo, Joseph Anders.
Initially, there is no ex-wife Alexis in the reboot, but she's a possibility down the road. Instead, the cat fights for now will be between Fallon and Cristal, and there's a fight in the pilot (see photo) as both battle for power in the family company.
The series opens with the family gathering at the obscenely huge mansion (formerly owned by Tyler Perry in real life) with Fallon assuming she's about to be named the company's chief operating officer. Surprise! It's all about the looming nuptials between daddy and the hot young publicity maven at Carrington Atlantic.
As the first episode progresses, we learn that Cristal is hiding a gaggle of secrets too. Drama ensues.
RETURNING CW SHOWS
• The Flash, 7 p.m. today. Regular fans know that Iris West (Candice Patton) didn't die after all in last season's finale. Instead, it was H.R. (Tom Cavanagh) who cashed in his chips after switching faces with her.
Season 4 has the promo tagline, "Reborn; recharged," and will begin with a six-month jump into the future with Team Flash (Iris, Kid Flash, Joe and Vibe) protecting Central City in Barry Allen's (Grant Gustin) absence.
In addition, Tom Felton (Julian Albert) has left the series, but four new cast members join the crew.
• DC'S Legends of Tomorrow, 8 p.m. today. Season 3 opens with the Legends having broken the timeline resulting in Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) arriving to relieve them of duty. But then Julius Caesar is spotted in Aruba and the team must devise a plan to stop him from conquering the modern world.
Note: New villain Kuasa (Tracy Ifeachor) comes aboard. She is a water witch.
• Riverdale, 7 p.m. Wednesday. Last season, the murder of town golden boy Jason Blossom uncovered the underbelly of "secrets, mysteries and scandals" in the seemingly idyllic Riverdale. In Season 2, the shooting of Archie's dad, Fred Andrews (Luke Perry), threatens to plunge the entire town into darkness.
Show executives say there will be a sense that something horrible is going to happen this season, as opposed to just investigating a murder that already took place.
In case you haven't figured this one out, The CW's dark, dark Riverdale is not your grandpappy's Archie Comics.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 10/10/2017