a byte of sci fi

James Hibberd at The Hollywood Reporter’s The Live Feed yesterday posted his assessment on the shows currently “on the bubble” with their networks which included several Science Fiction and Fantasy entries.  He considers FlashForward to currently be in serious trouble (as do we) and he thinks V will only stick around if it can manage to keep its ratings from dropping off.  Heroes has really struggled this past year, but he says that NBC is currently giving serious consideration to a final season order for the show.  He also thinks that Chuck has a good chance of surviving into a fourth season, even though its numbers have really plummeted lately.  He notes that FOX really likes Human Target and that its numbers have mostly stabilized, so its prospects seem decent.  And on CBS he says that the future of Ghost Whisperer and Medium will depend on how strongly CBS feels about the pilots it sees this year.  You can read his full assessment of the current bubble shows at this link.

At WonderCon in San Francisco this past weekend, executive producer of FOX’s Human Target, Jonathan Steinberg, was asked about what he is hearing on the show’s chances of renewal and “Good Things” was his response.  He elaborated on the show’s future prospects:

I feel like FOX, they’ve been a fan of the show from early on. I think they got it. I think they like where the show is. I think that even they are aware of the fact that this was such a difficult launch for us, just being all over the schedule. On some level, I think it’s about, ‘Let’s make a great show and then let’s figure out how to get people watching it.’ I think that that’s kinda how Kevin Reilly thinks and how the network thinks. So I’m hopeful. The show has a lot of room to grow, but I’m hopeful we’ll have a chance to do it and make a bunch more of them.

He did admit that the show had some scheduling challenges early on:

You know what’s the weird thing? The temptation early on is that somebody screwed up, but they kinda didn’t.  It was just a series of really bad breaks — the State of the Union, the Chargers winning — the odds of all of those things happening are so slim and the odds of us surviving them all are even slimmer, so I think for us, the show seems to be doing pretty well creatively and it seems to be received well and we’re still alive. We should have been dead after those first four weeks. So I think those things together are enough to give you an opportunity at a second swing at it.

You can read the full conversation with Jonathan Steinberg at Hitfix.com

Blood Ties: The Complete Series

Due out April 6th

Before True Blood and even before Moonlight there was Blood Ties, a Canadian made vampire series which starred Christina Cox (Defying Gravity) and Kyle Schmid (Odyssey 5, Smallville).  Cox plays Vicki Nelson, an ex-cop turned private investigator, who gets involved with a case that results in her forming a partnership, and relationship of sort, with a 480 year old vampire (Schmid).  The series aired on Lifetime in 2007 and had a pretty rabid following and now all 22 episodes are available in one DVD set!

See more of this week’s new releases at Amazon.com at this link

Did that count down clock on Tuesday’s episode of Lost, counting down to the return of V, just annoy the hell out of you?  Especially when it covered up some of the things that Sun wrote and showed to Jack?  Well then you will enjoy Stephen Colbert’s little bit on it:

The 2009-10 television season is winding down and we will shortly be facing the Summer months which usually have a dearth of offerings on the tube for Science Fiction and Fantasy fans.  Syfy, though, will at least have a few choices to sift through which includes their Summer staple Eureka.  That show will return with new episodes for its fourth season starting on 9 PM EST Friday, July 9th when James Callis (Baltar from Battlestar Galactica) will jump on board as former town resident Dr. Grant who stirs up some bad feelings among the other townspeople.  Warehouse 13, a huge success for Syfy last year, returns for its second season at 9 PM Tuesday, July 6th and continues the paranormal investigations of Myka, Pere, and Artie.  New series Haven will pair up with Eureka and debut at 10 PM Friday, July 9th.  This one is based on the Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid and gives us a supernatural spin on its lead-in.  Syfy also has its slate of “reality” shows returning in Summer which includes Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International and with two new entries Mary Knows Best and Paranormal Investigators.  Click on the link above for more info on those shows.  Also, the cable network has a slate of original movies set for the Summer which includes titles like Lake Placid 3, Stonehenge Apocalypse, Jack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit, and Goblin.  Well . . . at least we can look forward to the return of Eureka and hope that this year will improve on that show’s tepid third season.  And Haven looks mildly interesting as well. -JJJ

Buy Eureka and Warehouse 13 on DVD from Amazon.com:

ABC’s V returned from its long hiatus Tuesday night (the last time we saw the show was at the end of November) and the ratings, while not terrible, didn’t break any records.  The show averaged a 2.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic with just under 7.3 million viewers.  That’s down slightly from the 3.1 rating the show landed in it last two episodes in November.  Those aren’t bad numbers for the 10 PM EST timeslot and the show did win the hour by a pretty decent margin.  But is it enough to keep an expensive show like V on the air?  Hard to say at this point.  If it drops much at all in the coming weeks, count it gone.  ABC rarely sticks with shows that don’t have much ratings traction, especially those in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre.  If it improves over the next few weeks, that might be just enough to get the show at least a 13 episode order for next season.  If it stays at this level, then look for the “will they or won’t they” debate as the show airs out the remaining episodes of its inaugural season.  This could lead to a real nail-biter for fans of the show and I’m sure they will find some sort of gimmick to show the network they are supporting the show.  Stay tuned for the next couple of weeks because that will provide the leading indicator.  If the ratings start to drop, they will likely continue in that direction.  If they start to improve, expect more of the same.  If they stay level, then hold onto your hats for a wild ride to the end of the season! -JJJ

SPOILER WARNING!

When ABC’s FlashForward wrapped up the first half of its season last Fall, I have to admit that I had just about given up on it. What seemed like a really promising concept, the entire world experiences a blackout during which time they see visions of what they will be doing six months in the future, fizzled as they never really ran with (see my review from last Fall). Instead of delving into the implications of this planet-changing event, the show bogged down with procedural storylines and soap opera asides. But now that it has returned after an extended hiatus, it looks like FlashForward may have made a course-correction for the better. There were all sorts of stories about behind the scenes shake-ups during the hiatus, and I’m not certain how much that impacted the three episodes we have seen so far, but at least the show has shown some spark of life. The two-part episode that kicked off the show’s return focused pretty heavily on the core story arc while also delivering answers fast and furious. I have to admit, though, that I was disappointed that they killed off the Ted Flosso character so quickly because Ricky Jay (Deadwood) gave a splendid performance as the delightfully villainous “uncle” of Simon Campos (Dominic Monaghan). Now this last week’s episode did not quite keep up the momentum as it started to betray some of the missteps (including the clunky directing) that hampered the show last Fall, but the show has not derailed yet and I have some hope for the coming episodes if they can just stay focused on the main story. Unfortunately, these will almost certainly act as a wrap-up for the series because the downward trend in the ratings that the inflicted the show prior to its hiatus returned as it has barely registered in the Nielsens these past two weeks. Basically, it needs to improve its numbers right away otherwise it will get cast into the Summer months to burn-off its remaining episodes. -JJJ

Continuing our look at Lost’s impact on network television.  Read Part 1 here.

Part 2 – Lost for Years, the Networks Find Sci Fi: The period from 1959 to 1970 I classify as the Golden Age of Science Fiction and Fantasy on television.  During these years, the genre matured as it moved from the kiddie-space operas that defined the 1950’s to shows that appealed to a more adult audience, though they still continued to draw the younger crowd as well.  Several of the defining entries for the genre aired during this period including The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Star Trek, and The Prisoner (along with several of the infamously bad examples like Lost in Space and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea).  And many more entries with Science Fiction and Fantasy elements dotted the Prime Time landscape giving the genre significant exposure.  And what’s more, there were many successful shows in the genre during this period, i.e., they ran two seasons or more.  All of this would change after 1970, though, as the networks shifted their focus and began to embrace “fluff” television like The Love Boat, Charlie’s Angels, and Laverne and Shirley.

Science Fiction and Fantasy as a successful genre nearly disappeared from the broadcast networks after 1970.  Despite the fact that Star Trek had become a phenomenal success in syndication, the networks could not replicate its appeal in Prime Time, nor did they put much effort into trying.  Then, after several expensive flops that rode the wave of Star Wars-fever onto the small screen later in the 70’s, Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the networks all but abandoned the genre.  In fact, from the early 70’s to the early 90’s the only shows with Science Fiction and Fantasy elements that had any lasting success on Prime Time were those of the superhero / action-adventure / high-tech hardware variety like The Six Million Dollar Man, The Incredible Hulk, Knight Rider, and MacGyver.  And many of these just barely counted as genre shows. (Read the Full Article)

V returns with new episodes tonight and Sci Fi Wire recently talked with Elizabeth Mitchell who plays FBI agent Erica Evans on the show (and previously appeared as Juliet on Lost).  Following is an excerpt from that conversation and you can read the full interview at this link:

How will this show be different when it comes back?

Mitchell: Well I loved the first four episodes; I thought Scott Peters did a fantastic job. I think that, if anything, it’s a little rougher, definitely a little sexier. And I think that we get a chance to get on our feet and explore the characters more. Whereas before, it was kind of a template for what could be to come, and then we get to get in there. So both Scotts [exiting executive producer Scott Peters and new show runner Scott Rosenbaum] did a pretty amazing job of setting that up. It was a nice and easy transition made so by both of them, so it was good.

What’s Scott Rosenbaum bringing that’s a different point of view? We know him from FX’s The Shield.

Mitchell: The Shield, and he did a little bit of Chuck as well. I, I enjoy him, because I really love the way that he writes. He’s incredibly fluid. And the thing about a TV show is we have to let people know what happened before. … You see a little bit of that in there as us telling the story, but as things keep going, that happens less and less and less, and you actually just get to see how kind of fluid and vicious and kind of sexy his writing is, which it is. And it’s fun to play. I love the stuff he comes up with. He has a very warped and kind of lovely imagination. And I’m all for that.

Read the Full Interview

AMC’s television adaptation of The Walking Dead comic book is a go!  The cable network has greenlighted the series for six episodes and Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone) has been mentioned for the lead role of cop Rick Grimes . . . NBC may be struggled as the fourth place network, but at least it still has a since of humor about the struggles of poorly rated cult shows.  The network is currently working on a pilot called Our Show which is about a group of sci fi fanboy’s who decide to film their own version of their favorite show which was cancelled.  Word is that a write-in campaign and online petition have already been started to keep this show from getting cancelled . . . The producers of Smallville, recently renewed for a tenth season, are suing Warner Bros. and the CW.  They claim that the two have sold the show below market rate, thus short-changing the producers of the show . . . Christine Woods, who plays FBI agent Janis Hawk on ABC’s FlashForward, has signed on to play the lead in a comedy pilot for NBC.  Does this indicate that she has little faith in the future of her ABC show which is currently struggling in the ratings?  The NBC deal is in “second position”, meaning if FlashForward gets renewed she will stick with it, but then she may know something we don’t.

FlashFoward sunk for a second week in a row, dropping to a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic and is almost certainly on life support at this point. Chuck failed to improve from the dive it took last week as it posted a 1.9 rating for a second week in a row. Human Target took a hit as it dropped to a 2.0, though at least that show can point the finger at a special airing of Survivor that it had to contend with this week. (See the full Ratings Results for the week here)

If FlashForward sees one more week with numbers like this, I expect ABC to take immediate action. They could kick it to Fridays or Saturdays or they could just pull it altogether like they did last season with Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone. Then it could get cast into the Summer months as a burn-off show. No matter what, I do not see any scenario in which FlashForward gets a second season renewal short of a miraculous ratings turn which I don’t see happening.  As for Chuck and Human Target, both are delivering less than overwhelming numbers and you have to consider them seriously on the bubble at this point. I still believe that the odds are in the favor of these shows, but I have to raise the Cancellation Alert on both of them to Moderate.  (Click here to see this week’s full Cancellation Watch Column).

The Season 5 premiere of Doctor Who, with Matt Smith taking over in the lead role, is this Saturday on BBC followed by its premiere in the States two weeks later on April 17th.  Following is the synopsis of this first episode written by new producer Stephen Moffat along with the one minute trailer which shows glimpsed of the Daleks along with the Doctor firing a gun:

The Doctor has regenerated into a brand new man, but danger strikes before he can even recover. With the TARDIS wrecked, and the sonic screwdriver destroyed, the new Doctor has just twenty minutes to save the whole world – and only Amy Pond to help him.

Get more info on the upcoming season and see more clips at BBCAmerica.com.

Robert Knepper just finished up as carnival owner Samuel Sullivan on Heroes and he already has another gig in the works.  He will join the cast of Syfy’s Stargate: Universe in that show’s second season as an ex-con and member of the Lucian Alliance named Simeon . . . Two actors with some genre experience will be joining the cast of Syfy’s upcoming pilot Haven.  Lucas Bryant (Odyssey 5, Dollhouse) will play the partner to the series lead and Eric Balfour (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Six Feet Under) will play a “mysterious jack-of-all-trades” . . . Carrie Fisher, formerly Princess Leia of Star Wars, will join the cast of the ABC Comedy pilot Wright vs. Wrong where she will play the manager of a conservative, right-wing political personality.

I’ve heard a lot of rumblings across the Internet about Lost’s final season which even prompted one of the show’s creators to respond and tell fans to be patient with the show. I’m not sure what the fuss is, though, because I’m actually loving the current season as I indicated in my review from a few weeks ago. Actually, I am liking the current season more than I have enjoyed the show since the second or maybe even the first season. This series re-invents itself each year and it has done that yet again with the sideways world which I believe has added a whole new element to the overall story (along with the “pop-ins” from characters we’ve seen previously). Each week, we get a look at one of the main characters in this “What If?” world and see another possibility of how their lives could have tracked. It adds yet another dimension to each character and meshes well with what’s going on in the “real” world. How these two worlds come together, if at all, remains to be seen, but I do believe there is some sort of plan behind it all (unlike, say, Battlestar Galactica). In addition to that, we are finally starting to get some answers, which actually came fast and furious in the most recent episode (“Ab Aeterno”). We now know what the smoke monster is, we understand more of the purpose of the island along with the roles of Jacob and his nemesis, we know why Richard Alpert does not age, and we understand a bit more about those mysterious numbers. It has actually been quite a mind-blowing season so far and it’s only at the halfway mark! If you dropped out on Lost over the last few seasons, now’s the time to tune back in because it looks like they are building up to a pretty spectacular ending. -JJJ

I ran my review of Caprica a few weeks ago where I indicated that I liked this show, but was not completely hooked yet, and I’d say that’s about where I am with it still. I want to like this show, I really do. But it’s so slow paced that it can just be absolutely sleep-inducing at times. I see where they are going with the development of the Cylons, and I like it. I just wish they would pick up the tempo. And I understand that they want to do this more like a soap opera, but that format suggests some tantalizing elements which this show just lacks. So many of the story threads just seem to fall flat and just fill up space instead of advancing the over-arching narrative. They need to focus more on the core story about the Cylons coming into existence and let some of the other storylines go. And no offense to talented actress Alessandra Torresani, but they have to do something to make Zoe interesting and not just annoying. This series has the talent and the potential and it is flirting with a great story. So now it needs to dive into telling it.

The show will go on hiatus after tomorrow night’s episode, returning with new episodes this summer, and I have to say I am looking forward to taking a break from it. I just hope that when it returns that it will do a better job of engaging my interest (last week’s episode did pick up the pace a bit which was a promising sign). And the show is definitely no lock for a second season as it has pulled disappointing ratings so far. Still, I’m thinking that Syfy will hold onto this one for at least one more year. I just hope that they can also give it the kick in the backside that it needs to more actively engage our interest. -JJJ

The Guardian recently interviewed Steven Moffat, the man who has taken the reigns as producer of Doctor Who from Russel T. Davies.  Following is an excerpt from that conversation and you can read the full interview at this link.

Moffat says he doesn’t have an agenda for how his Doctor Who will differ from Davies’s but “these things happen as a matter of instinct” and his instinct led him towards a more “storybook quality”. “For me, Doctor Who literally is a fairy tale. It’s not really science fiction. It’s not set in space, it’s set under your bed. It’s at its best when it’s related to you, no matter what planet it’s set on.”

Moffat is reluctant to plunder Who’s history without good reason – “The more you back-reference, the more it feels like a sequel and the sequel is never as good as the original” – but that isn’t to say that the past is another galaxy. “Old favourites can return, provided you can do something new and exciting with them. There are no past characters coming back in this series, but I imagine that kids would love to see Captain Jack meet the new Doctor.”

“Every time it cleaves towards that, it’s very strong. Although it is watched by far more adults than children, there’s something fundamental in its DNA that makes it a children’s programme and it makes children of everyone who watches it. If you’re still a grown up by the end of that opening music, you’ve not been paying attention.”

Read the Full Interview

The Fifth Season of Doctor Who Begins April 3rd on the BBC and April 17th on BBC America.

Next month, Syfy brings us a four hour mini-series based on Philip Jose Farmer’s Riverworld series of books.  It stars Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse), Laura Vandervoort (Smallville) and also has Penikett’s fellow BSG co-star Alessandro Juliani dropping in.  It will focus on a mysterious “afterworld” that collects together all of the people who have ever died on Earth onto one planet covered with rivers.  The mini-series, which will air in a four hour block on April 18th, will act as a “backdoor pilot” for a potential series.  Syfy previously made a stab at this concept in 2003 (when it was known as the Sci Fi Channel) with a television movie that also adapted Farmer’s books.  That attempt never made it past the pilot stage, though.  Following is a trailer for the new version of Riverworld:

Part 1 – A Change is Coming: Lost is truly a phenomenon for television and the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre.   It attracted a wide audience and devoted following that extended beyond just sci fi fans and it changed the attitude that the networks previously had toward scheduling shows from the genre.  It also helped define its era and set a new standard for quality in genre shows and on television in general.  But it did not do all of this by itself.  The groundwork was laid in the years that preceded its debut on ABC in 2004 by other shows that demonstrated a similar focus on quality and desire to expand their appeal beyond just sci fi fans.

The year 1999 kicked off an era that I refer to as “The Second Golden Age” of Science Fiction and Fantasy television with the debut of the much-loved Farscape on the Sci Fi Channel (these days known as Syfy).  This era would see the genre reach new heights and would deliver multiple examples of defining and/or game-c hanging shows and that had wide appeal.  However, the onset of this exciting new epoch was not as apparent during its first few years as it’s always hard to see the era before it has had its true defining moment.  Still, the stand-out shows that sprang up from 1999 to 2003 help set the stage for this period as they pushed the boundaries of the genre and helped it grow and reach new levels.  (Read the Full Article)

Matt Groening’s sci fi spoof Futurama returns to Comedy Central in June with new episodes (with the original voice cast intact).  Here is a first, quick look at what to expect:

According to Robert Bianco at USA TODAY’s Critic’s Corner, tonight’s episode of Lost will run long.  The episode, titled “Ab Aeterno”, will provide some backstory on the mysterious Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell) who has been lurking around the show for several seasons now and who never seems to age.  It will run long by approximately six minutes, so be sure to adjust your DVR.  If you do miss the ending, you can always catch the full episode tomorrow at Hulu.