The TV Column

Escape reality, reruns by visiting The Outpost

Jessica Green gets her big TV break as the star of The Outpost on The CW. The sci-fi/fantasy series should appeal to those who enjoyed Xena: Warrior Princess.
Jessica Green gets her big TV break as the star of The Outpost on The CW. The sci-fi/fantasy series should appeal to those who enjoyed Xena: Warrior Princess.

The Outpost debuts at 8 p.m. today on The CW. Are you up for the fantasy adventure? Why not? It's hot outside and this new series sure beats Love Connection, which is on at the same time over on Fox.

Never fear. Our heroine is beautiful and our heroes are handsome -- just like the folks on Love Connection.

The 10 episodes of The Outpost tell the tale of Talon (Jessica Green), the last survivor of her Blackblood race who journeys to a lawless fortress -- the Outpost -- that lies on the edge of the civilized world.

For filming purposes, Utah subs for the end of civilization.

Think of the series as a sort of sci-fi/fantasy hybrid set in some distant medieval-esque place in the distant past.

In an interview with Deadline Hollywood, producer Dean Devlin said, "The Outpost is an exciting fantasy with a strong female lead that will capture the imagination of fans of both Game of Thrones and Wonder Woman."

That's wishful thinking, but come to think of it, Green does bear a passing resemblance to Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot.

Here's the background for The Outpost.

Years before, young Talon witnessed the brutal destruction of her entire village and the deaths of her family at the cruel, cruel hands of a gang of vicious missionaries. And now she seeks sanguinary revenge upon those responsible.

Don't underestimate Talon's ability by her comely appearance. She is no delicate fair maiden relying on the kindness of strangers. Don't forget, Xena was a statuesque beauty, too.

At one point Talon tells some guy that she has come to the fortress looking for work as a barmaid. "Nobody comes to the Outpost looking for work," he says. "They come here because they're running from something."

Or maybe running toward something. In fact, while Talon was on her journey, she discovered that she possessed a mysterious supernatural power. Of course, she still must learn to control it, not merely to save herself, but to defend the world against the cold, cruel tyranny of a fanatical religious dictator and his murderous minions, lethal lackeys and terrifying toadies.

Action and adventure ensue.

The Outpost will allow Green to show off her mixed martial arts skills, weapon training and athletic prowess. This is the first big American TV break for the 26-year-old Australian actress/model. Of course, if you're into obscure stuff, you may have seen her in the Australian teen drama Lightning Point or adventure/horror Red Billabong.

Green also played Townswoman (uncredited) in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

The series will also star Jake Stormoen (Extinct), Andrew Howard (Hatfields and McCoys), Anand Desai-Barochia(Skins) and Robyn Malcolm (Top of the Lake).

No Passport Required, 8 p.m. today on AETN. If cooking shows are more to your taste, here's a new one from PBS.

In No Passport Required, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson hosts "a culinary and anthropological exploration of the people, rituals and food of multicultural America."

Tonight's premiere takes viewers to Detroit and "deep into the culture and flavor" of the city's Middle Eastern community.

Highlights include a meal with a Syrian refugee family, falafel, making Iraqi bread and a 700-person Lebanese wedding.

Drug Lords. Season 2 is available for streaming at 2:01 a.m. today. The Netflix documentary series is true-crime bloody stuff.

Married at First Sight. Season 7 of the Lifetime series returns with a two-hour premiere at 8 p.m. today. It's hard to believe that this silliness has been around this long. This season is set in Dallas where six singles agree to the provocative premise of getting hitched to a total stranger.

These are arranged marriages by a panel of experts -- psychologist Dr. Jessica Griffin, sociologist/sexologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz and marriage counselor, Pastor Calvin Roberson. The pairings are allegedly scientifically done, but would you trust someone named Dr. Pepper?

The experts have created what they believe will be three compatible couples and continue to counsel them on their newlywed journey during the season. After several weeks, each couple must decide to remain together or divorce.

TKO: Total Knock Out, debuts at 8 p.m. Wednesday on CBS following Big Brother, then switches to 7 p.m. July 18.

Kevin Hart is the host of the 10-episode obstacle course series that features a lot of bells, whistles, yelling and pratfalls.

The premise is that one contestant attempts to race through the obstacles while four others fire things at him trying to knock him off. Last two standing face off for a cash prize.

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Style on 07/10/2018

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