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Back to the past: Hit drama 'Outlander' traverses time again

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan star in "Outlander"

Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan star in "Outlander"

Back to the past: Time travel is certainly not a new thing in Hollywood, but there's a good reason TV and movie studios keep going back to the idea: it makes for great stories. When the current popularity of period pieces, such as the recently concluded "Downton Abbey," is added to the mix, it can sometimes feel like everything old is big again.

"Outlander" is a time-traveling drama with a huge following, critical praise and a host of awards and nominations -- all after just one season. Well, fans old and new of this show, set mainly during the Jacobite risings in the 1700s, should tighten up the seatbelts in their DeLoreans: the second season of "Outlander" premieres Saturday, April 9, on Starz.

This season, the action shifts to Paris, where 20th-century time traveler Claire (Caitriona Balfe, "Super 8," 2011) and her lover, Jamie (Sam Heughan, "Doctors"), continue on their mission to alter the past. The new setting is rife with new characters, and that means that a number of new faces are showing up on screen.

Joining the cast for "Outlander's" second season are Andrew Gower ("Being Human"), Margaux Châtelier ("Aurore," 2006), Robert Cavanah ("Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life," 2003), Rosie Day ("The Seasoning House," 2012), Dominique Pinon ("Alien: Resurrection," 1997) and French actor Lionel Lingelser ("Daddy Cool," 2008), who plays King Louis XV of France.

"Outlander" is based on the series of novels by Diana Gabaldon that follow Claire, a 20th-century nurse who winds up in 18th-century Scotland, right in the middle of a Scottish uprising against the British monarch.

It's a time-traveling period piece, and the stakes are only getting higher for Claire and Jamie. "Outlander's" second season premieres Saturday, April 9, on Starz.

 

Fish on!: There are a lot of fish in the sea, as they say, but also in rivers and lakes. Big fish. Scary fish. Monsters, even. For seven seasons, biologist and "extreme angler" Jeremy Wade has been hunting for the most legendary, dangerous and monstrous freshwater fish in the world, but for the eighth season of "River Monsters," premiering Thursday, April 7, on Animal Planet, the fisherman is leaving his comfort zone.

The deep waters of the world's oceans hold many deadly mysteries and legends, and Wade is investigating the truth behind the monsters of the deep.

There's a reason that "River Monsters" has become one of the most popular shows in Animal Planet's history. Episodes typically begin with Wade looking through newspaper clippings, retelling news reports or thumbing through books of legends and myth. To Wade the biologist, though, behind each of these "monsters" is a real animal that's just following its instincts.

Wade the globetrotter then meets with the people who know these "monsters" the best: locals whose cultures have been shaped by it, swimmers who have been attacked and sometimes fishermen who have had a fantastic encounter. As he puts together the pieces of the puzzle, he determines which local fish might be responsible -- and then Wade the angler takes over and he tries to catch one of the "monsters."

In the end, whether he succeeds or fails in his goal of catching a "monster," Wade's goal is an educational one: to show that these creatures are usually no threat to humans, and that they're just fascinating creatures living out their lives the only way they know how.

This season, though, Wade will also be getting an education in sea monsters. Join the freshwater angler as he takes on the open ocean in the eighth season of "River Monsters," premiering Thursday, April 7, on Animal Planet.

 

The power of Davis compels: Geena Davis has heard the siren call of the small screen. With the huge success of shows such as FX's "Fargo" and A&E's "Bates Motel," it's no surprise that a number of classic films are suddenly finding a second home on television. Fox is certainly not missing this bandwagon, and it's ordered a pilot for a show based on 1973's "The Exorcist."

Perhaps feeling the draw of forces beyond mortal understanding, Davis has signed on to star. The actress won an Academy Award for her role in "The Accidental Tourist" (1988) and was nominated for another one for "Thelma & Louise" (1991), and her other film credits include "Beetlejuice" (1988), "The Fly" (1996) and "The Long Kiss Goodnight" (1996).

She's no stranger to television, though. In 2006, she won a Golden Globe for her performance in "Commander in Chief," and she's also been in "Grey's Anatomy" and, of course, "The Geena Davis Show."

"The Exorcist," which will be using the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty for source material, will be a psychological thriller about a family confronting a terrifying case of demonic possession and staring into the nature of true evil.