Sci-Fi News and Reviews

Upcoming SCI FI Channel Pilots

Since I just went through all of the major network pilots, I thought I would summarize the pilots green-lit for the SCI FI Channel for completeness. SCI FI has been on a roll lately, so some of these will probably be pretty good.

SCI FI Channel
Avery House
This is about a family that moves into a large house that seems to have a supernatural effect over the people that are in it. It is being called a "mysterious dramedy about wish fulfillment". Sounds pretty original to me!

Untitled Darren Star/ Mike Werb Project
This still untitled project is about a covert government group of technologically enhanced crime fighters. It sounds a bit like a cross between the Six Million Dollar Man and Jake 2.0, with convicts. I am not so sure about this idea, so I am in the wait-and-see mode for this one.

Revolution
This sounds interesting. 'Revolution' is about a U.S. space colony under siege from Earth. The show focuses on the members of the colony and how they deal with this invasion. The official quote states:"...Without being able to clearly distinguish friend from foe, these extraordinary citizens face daring challenges and must rely on their values of service and community to persevere". If the budget is there, I can envision this becoming something along the lines of the classic "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress". And, that would be excellent!

Middletown
This sounds like the comedy portion of the lineup. It is described as "...A unique small town in Middle America, filled with eccentric characters, becomes the last battlefield for planet Earth in this sly action adventure. When a nefarious – if humorless – race of aliens decide to make Middletown their Ellis Island, a group of homespun, unexpected heroes-in-the-making must band together to stop them". If it is funny, it will work. If not, six episodes max.

Johnny Midnight
This show is about a slacker who discovers he has powers. Of course, since he is a slacker, he's wondering if they are more trouble than they are worth. I don't have high hopes for this show.

Starcrossed
So, I can just see the pitch for this show. "OK...you see, it's like 'Studio 60', except we are behind the scenes at a sci-fi soap opera. Hilarity will ensue." I should be totally against this show - except, David Hewlett (from 'Stargate Atlantis') is reportedly will drawing on his own experiences as a part of the basis for the show. Now, *that* makes it a bit more interesting!

Flash Gordon
Whoa - almost forgot about the biggie. 22 episodes have been ordered for this show, so it's not really a pilot per se. But, 'Flash' should be campy and fun. I'm in.

SCI FI also has a miniseries based on Neal Stephenson's book "Diamond Age: Or a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" (which will be produced by George Clooney) and two 'Alternate Reality' shows. I frown on Sci-Fi reality shows, since the purpose of Sci-Fi is to get *away* from reality, isn't it? But, 'Witch School' sounds fairly interesting. It's about a real school of young witches. Now, 'Destination Truth' sounds rather mundane to me. It is a reality show about a guy who searches for the truth behind unexplained phenomena. Meh.

So, in the final analysis, I am most interested in 'Revolution', the Stephenson miniseries (because SCI FI's miniseries' are generally pretty decent) and 'Flash Gordon'. That said, I'll probably watch most of these, just like I will probably watch a few episodes 'Painkiller Jane' before needing vicodin myself.

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Posted by Fred on January 31, 2007 4:55 PM
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