Up until the past 15 years or so, television series were firmly episodic.  Serialized TV (outside of mini-series) risked alienating viewers since it stopped anyone from coming in mid-season.  However, with the rise of DVDs, OnDemand, and digital downloads, serialized TV series have become firmly established.  Some shows still retain an episodic nature, but some series—particularly dramas—have been built around telling one long story over the course of an entire season.  Our new feature, Seasoned, will review a TV series by season rather than by episode.

Hit the jump for my review of the fifth season of The Wire.  Click on the corresponding links for my reviews of Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, and Season 4.

Up until the past 15 years or so, television series were firmly episodic.  Serialized TV (outside of mini-series) risked alienating viewers since it stopped anyone from coming in mid-season.  However, with the rise of DVDs, OnDemand, and digital downloads, serialized TV series have become firmly established.  Some shows still retain an episodic nature, but some series—particularly dramas—have been built around telling one long story over the course of an entire season.  Our new feature, Seasoned, will review a TV series by season rather than by episode.

Hit the jump for my review of the fourth season of The Wire.  Click on the corresponding links for my reviews of Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3.

HBO’s Game of Thrones comes at an interesting time in geekdom, and its success speaks to the barriers that have been broken. Though fantasy and science fiction have often been popular cinematically, on television it’s been stuck in a Stargate-esque ghetto. But now we’ve got one of the most thoughtful shows currently on air on one of the most prestigious networks that also happens to be about dragons and swordplay. Perhaps the better arbiter of what crosses over to the mainstream and what doesn’t is quality, and Game of Thrones is definitely an engrossing show even for those who’ve never picked up a twenty sided die. Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Mark Addy and Peter Dinklage lead a mostly British cast in a tale about warring families in a fantastical middle age. Our review of Game of Thrones on DVD follows after the jump.

We’ve got a few quick casting stories to report this morning.  First up, Stark Sands (Generation Kill) has joined the Coen Brothers‘ upcoming film Inside Llewyn Davis.  The movie takes place in 1961 Greenwich Village and centers on a young musician (Oscar Isaac) trying to make it in the folk scene.  The film co-stars Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, and John Goodman.  According to Deadline, Sands will play “Troy Nelson, a young soldier on leave who’s a forlorn and talented musician.”  Sands’ recently appeared in the Broadway adaptation of Green Day‘s Americna Idiot.

Hit the jump for casting news on I’ll Follow You Down and John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary.

The UK trailer for the upcoming action film Blitz has gone online.  The film stars Jason Statham as Jason Statham as he Jason Stathams a bunch of bad guys who have made the grave error of messing with Jason Statham.  If you’re looking for Generic Jason Statham Movie, then it looks like Blitz has you covered.  The film also stars Paddy Considine, Aiden Gillen, and Luke Evans.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer.