Ash vs. Evil Dead

Lawless' presence on Ash vs Evil Dead couldn't have generated more excitement, and not just among Starz viewers. Lucy and Bruce Campbell's long-running acting relationship has been enticing since the days of Xena. There’s so much to be happy about here: the whole old Renaissance Pictures team is back together, Joe LoDuca is doing the music, Michael Hurst is directing, with Tapert and Raimi producing. However, the format is tricky, and having ten half-hour episodes in a series isn't quite right. So instead of waiting, I recommend three marathons and your final experience will only be better. (2015.12.18)

Renaissance Pictures was founded in 1979 by Raimi, Tapert and Campbell. Evil Dead became the flagship and the rest is history. The cult classic has become a trilogy, a musical, and now a TV series. Later came Darkman, Hercules, Xena and Legend of the Seeker. And even if you didn't know all of this, you would subconsciously pick up on the similarities from these shows. A fan would for sure. The one thing that was missing in Evil Dead, i.e., a naked Lucy rising from the ashes and reciting from the Necronomicon, happens in the show. Finally. (2019.02.07)

Among the old friends, Ted Raimi, Joel Tobeck and Stephen Lovatt join Ash's adventures. Lucy hasn't managed to become the godfather of the underworld yet, but what isn't can be ;). Season 2 is fast, funny, and full of ideas you won't find anywhere else. There's time travel, a madhouse, and in the end, there's not just one Lucy, but two. That's really all you can ask of this show. (2019.02.07)

Then the fairy tale was over. Among the old faces, the famous Greek Jason, a.k.a. Jeffrey Thomas joined, but that was really about all. Ash found his lost family and instead of a team-up (which I loved so much in Season 2), it was all about little solos for him, Kelly, and Pablo separately. Ruby also joined the local high school stories, and Pablo was annoyed by the Brujo spell (which made life so complicated for both humans and vampires in True Blood). However, none of that matters, because Season 3 provided many unexpected qualities and ideas. First of all Ruby and her motherhood, her childbirth, her repeatedly protruding intestines, and the wonderful gladiator-style duel she had with Kelly face to face. Who would have guessed that there would be time to explore the romantic tension between Kelly and Pablo? And that was far from all. Thanks for all three seasons because, for people who loved the tales of the woods around Elk Grove, it must be an absolute blessing. For those of us who didn't discover the magic of RenPics until the 1990s, it's a different story. (2019.02.10)