I am strangely looking forward to the return. I was very critical of the series before it went on hiatus and was honestly considering dropping the show from my TiVo. I never really enjoyed the 'doomed' marriage storyline between the Benfords. At one point, I was advocating fast forwarding through any scene that involved Olivia Benford (played by Sonya Walger), as they were painful to sit through.
Still, I am intrigued by the unfulfilled potential of the show. I really like the John Cho's character Demetri (Benford's partner) and how he is dealing with his lack of a 'Flash Forward'. For me, he's the most interesting part of the show.
I am also looking forward to the expansion of the role of the scientists who (presumably) caused the blackout, particularly Simon Campos (Dominic Monaghan, better known as 'Charlie' from 'Lost'). The addition of James Callus (who was 'Baltar' on BSG) as someone who is "...going to be involved with Olivia's trajectory" gives me hope that they can salvage her character too. I think he'd be interesting reading the phone book, so it's hard to go wrong with his casting.
Potential aside, I think it is a long shot for the series to make it to a second season. It has already been on hiatus and the season finale is not scheduled to air until May 27th, which is a bit outside of the traditional sweeps period. Even so, I think it's going to be worth the time to stay with the show for the duration.
'Flash Forward' returns to ABC on March 18 at 8:00 PM EST with a two-hour episode. A recap show airs on March 16th at 10:00 PM.
]]>I'll admit - I had doubts that this show would make it to season two, much less season three. It's on FOX, for goodness sake! Doesn't that mean instant cancellation?
There were rumors that "Fringe" was on the bubble regarding renewal for the third season. The ratings have struggled after moving to the Thursday timeslot, averaging 7.6 million viewers. Now, that is a significant advantage over "Dollhouse" numbers...but it's not on Fridays, either. Evidently, the numbers were strong enough that FOX decided to invest in at least one more season of the drama. I hope its a trend for FOX!
However, now that the show has been renewed, I have a decision to make. I dropped "Fringe" from my regular viewing schedule last season. I could catch up via DVD and be ready for Season 3. Would it be worth it?
"Fringe" returns on Thursday, April 1st at 9 PM on FOX.
]]>io9.com had a good preview of the new shows that may make it to the airwaves this year. Here's the rundown by network, with my thoughts of quality and survival:
La Femme Nikita
The CW, strange as it sounds, is one of the bastions of Sci-Fi programming at the moment. They seem to be running with the idea, picking up this remake of the 1997 series of the same name (and a couple of movies prior to that). Maggie Q will be the lead spy. I can see this working out ratings-wise, although I am only moderately excited about the show.
Betwixt
Based on the novel by Tara Bray Smith, this show is about about three Oregon teenagers who find out that they are 'changelings'. It's being written by the "Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants" author Elizabeth Chandler, so it will be very....CW. Still, might be something to check out and watch with the wife.
Torchwood
Yup! They are going to make an American version of the acclaimed British "Doctor Who" spinoff. The original creator, Russell T. Davies, has moved to the US, so this has a great chance of being great. "Torchwood" will be one of my most anticipated new shows this season...if FOX allows it to prosper, which we know they probably won't.
Terra Nova
Spielberg is working for FOX too! This concept is about a family from the future who travels back in time to the era of the dinosaurs. I am sure the special effects will be awesome, but I am meh on the concept. When more news surfaces about the plot, I'll be better equipped to make a judgement on the show.
Undercovers
J.J. Abrams is back again with another spy show, this time about a team of married spies. The article is just guessing that this will have a Sci-Fi theme; however, with Abrams, it is a pretty good bet that there will be an underlying steath plot that will involve something supernatural. I typically enjoy Abrams work, so I will give it chance.
The Cape
The article notes that this show will have a "comic book sensibility," which is usually enough for me. Not a lot of information is available so far, however, the plot is reported to center on a former cop who becomes a superhero to clear his name. I am genetically predisposed to watch this...but I don't have high hopes.
The Walking Dead
I would not have expected AMC as a distributor of Sci-Fi TV. But, "The Walking Dead' sound very promising. It's based on the comic by from Robert Kirkman, in which a policeman leads a group of survivors to safety during a zombie apocalypse. I expect this to be very, very good.
Gates
"Gates" centers on a big-city cop who becomes the chief of police in a small planned community. Of course, there is a secret - and the secret is this town is full of vampires (or "vampire-like creatures", as the article states). I read it as a darker copy of SyFy's "Eureka", with vampires. I like "Eureka", so if this is done right, it could stick.
No Ordinary Family
ABC is getting derivative. "No Ordinary Family" is the story of a family that discovers that they have superpowers. It stars Michael Chiklis ("The Shield") and Autumn Reeser ("Entourage"). It sounds like "Heroes", but only focusing on one family. I have no idea how this will play out, but there is potential there with the good cast.
Being Human
SyFy is remaking the British drama "Being Human" (remaking the Brit dramas is a theme this year). The story centers around a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost that share a house. "Being Human" has garnered some very good reviews, so I will be interested in watching this one.
Haven
"Haven" is based on a Stephen King novella "The Colorado Kid". The story centers on a town where people with supernatural abilities have migrated for generations because it mutes their powers, allowing them to lead normal lives. However, their powers (or curses)start coming back, so an FBI agent is brought in to help rein them in again, while untangling the mysteries of Haven. Thirteen episodes have already been ordered, and SyFy seems very excited about it.
Riverworld
I remeber watching some of this miniseries a long, long time ago. However, this is not related to the 2003 mini-series, other than sharing the same source material (of Philip Jose Farmer's book). The first episode date has been announced (Sunday April 18), and this new mini-series may spawn a full thirteen episode series. Tahmoh Penikett ("Battlestar Galactica", "Dollhouse") and Laura Vandervoort ("Smallville", "V") star, so I like the cast.
A Game Of Thrones
I really, really want to see this one. HBO is adapting the classic George R.R. Martin novels into a new series, starring Sean Bean and Jennifer Ehle. The plan is for *seven seasons* (one for each planned book in the series, even though he hasn't written them all yet). The must be pretty confident if they are planning for a run that long! HBO has a great track record in creating long-running dramas - and I can't wait for this one.
Sci-Fi TV is not dead yet! There are some decent prospects out there for the 2010 season. I expecially like the fact that all of the major networks (except good old CBS, who hates us) have offerings.
I am most interested in FOX's adaptation of "Torchwood", AMC's "The Walking Dead", and, of course, HBO's "The Game of Thrones". It could be a revival year for Sci-Fi if a few of these shows can live up to the quality standards expected by Sci-Fi fans.
]]>There is a ton of evidence to support the theory that Sci-Fi TV is on life support. Airlock Alpha lists 16 shows that will not be returning next year (for the record, they are “Lost”, “Battlestar Galactica”, “Dollhouse”, “Defying Gravity”, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”, “Stargate: Atlantis”, “My Own Worst Enemy", “Reaper", “Kings,” “Kyle XY”, “Pushing Daisies”, “Eli Stone”, “Eastwick", “Life on Mars”, “Merlin”, and “Primeval”). Only "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica" ended on their own terms - everything else was cancelled or cut short.
The list is still likely to grow. It does not include the shows that have not technically been cancelled yet, but are in the "likely-to-be-cancelled-unless-something-special-happens" category. This includes some shows that I think will make it ("V", "Demons", "Saving Grace") and some that probably will not ("Heroes", "Flash Forward", "Torchwood"). However, if we count all six - that's a total of 22 shows that would not be back this fall.
If all of that carnage occurs, what's left? Per the article, the following Sci-Fi shows are still active:
It's a good quality list. "Supernatural" and "Doctor Who" are consistently among the highest quality programming on TV. "Eureka" is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. And, "True Blood" has exceeded my expectations by far. Even the compelling "Caprica" seem to have strong support from SyFy, despite pretty abysmal ratings.
The main problem that I see is that the major American networks (i.e. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX) are not well-represented on this list at all. I see "Fringe" and "Chuck" and...that's it. Without enough perceived viewership for new Sci-Fi shows, the major networks will not take a chance on a promising new genre show. The fallout from the lack of representation on those networks could be dire - Sci-Fi could fall back into the old geeky niche it used to occupy, rather than be part of the mainstream (like "Lost" or "Battlestar Galactica").
I obviously don't want to see Sci-Fi programming marginalized to solely the SyFy Channel and late night filler fodder. But, there is hope, and that hope comes in the form of new pilots for the fall season. I'll have a listing of shows that could be 'The Next Big Thing" up later this week - and, hopefully, a few of those will transform into the blockbusters that we all want to see. The calvary is coming...let's hope they can ride.
Supernatural has been renewed by The CW for a sixth season!
This was great news! "Supernatural" has been consistently my favorite show over the past few seasons, even though I really am not sure where they can go with the plot (Lucifer and Michael pretty much are at the top of the cosmic power scale). But, I have always trusted that Kripke and his team could come up with a new story...which brings me to the second piece of "Supernatural" news.
Show creator Eric Kripke is stepping down as show runner after this season.
Yikes! Thankfully, reports say that Kripke and his current co-showrunner, Robert Singer, will remain actively involved in the show, serving as "hands-on executive producers". I interpret "hands-on" as still having a strong input into the direction and content of the series.
Current producer and writer Sera Gamble, who has been with the show since the first season, will be the new show runner. A quick search on Ms. Gamble only shows a "Project Greenlight" credit in addition to her "Supernatural" work, so she has some big shoes to fill. She does seem to have the right attitude, though. In a recent interview, she said the following about creating a sixth season:
"None of us are the slacker type who would just get up that morning and do a season...We have been preparing for the possibility of season 6 pretty much this whole season, so we have a lot of ideas."
That's what I want to hear! I knew that Kripke had started to generate ideas for a new storyline. Gamble has verified that she was involved and was a part of that process. She's a strong writer (by her bio), so I am actually optimistic that "Supernatural" can continue its extremely high quality level throughout Season Six (and beyond).
There is one more positive that can be drawn from Kripke's departure. He's got to be working on something else, doesn't he?
]]>Michael Ausiello over at EW has put together a scorecard of all of the network shows and their prospects for another season. He's a little vague at times, with ratings like 'a long shot' and 'could go either way', but at least its some good information on the prevailing thoughts toward each show.
(Note: Ausiello did say that he would be updating the scorecard over time, so check back to his link for more up-to-date information.)
I've reorganized his scorecard by confidence and filtered the list so just the Sci-Fi shows are listed. Here are the results:
"Already Cancelled"
"A Long Shot"
"Could Go Either Way"
"A Safe Bet"
"A Sure Thing"
"Already Renewed"
I am excited to see "Supernatural" on the renewal list (at least, as a 'Sure Thing'). I was wondering at the start of the season where they could go next. After battling Lucifer, it would seem that they would have reached the extent of the powers that they could face. However, upon further reflection, the story is really about the Winchester brothers - I think Kripke can keep this series interesting for as long as he likes.
However, I am somewhat disappointed with the *amount* of Sci-Fi shows on the networks at the moment. If this list stands, and only the 'Safe' and 'Sure Thing' bets make it to the fall season, we will only have *six* Sci-Fi shows on the major networks..and half of those will be on The CW.
So, I am hoping on a strong showing by "V" and a few good new pilots next season - otherwise, our Sci-Fi viewing schedule may be decidedly slim.
]]>Entitled "Brave New World", the episode is intended to leave the viewers with a 'satisfying conclusion', presumably in case the series is not renewed for a fitfh season. The big news? Sylar goes hero!
I have not been shy with my disillusionment with "Heroes". I never thought they had a good plan structured for the show. I always thought they were just making stuff up on the fly - continuity be damned!
And now, when the end is near, I found another confirmation of my opinion in the SCI FI WIRE article, via a statement from Heroes executive producer Adam Amus. He said,
"We don't have to be saved from an island. We don't have to understand what the future fast-forward means. We don't have a central question to answer. What we have are people who have to live their lives and accept their lives and have to move on with their lives."
The italics above are mine. I think that was my entire problem with the show - they never had a central question, or a guiding principle, or set of rules they were bound to. They just randomly added characters, who had some power they needed for a particular plot point. Seeing that they control unbelievable powers in the series, it would have been good to see a standard enforced about the rules concerning those powers. It's ludicrous to compare "Heroes" to "Lost" (as Amus does in his statement) - "Lost", even when totally confusing, always has the central concept of the island to refocus the series. "Heroes", lacking that, wonders aimlessly.
I'll be watching the finale. But, to be honest, this show has been over for me for a long while.
]]>The 2010 Winter TV Schedule (via a google spreadsheet) can be found by following the link. You can export it to a PDF file by going to File-->Export-->.pdf.
I still use this sheet to set up all of my TiVo recordings. I hope you find it useful! I have one more update planned, to pick up the eventual return of "V" and "Flash Forward". But, until then - enjoy!
I have to admit, I almost forgot about it.
I have guardedly high hopes for the series, but it's been a long time since the announcement of the show. I know SyFy has been promoting the show, but I haven't seen the buzz that I expected for the debut. I was expecting to see billboards and TV ads and personal appearances, but I have really only seen a trickle of publicity.
Of course, I could just be expecting way too much. I'll give my impressions of the series next week.
Caprica premiere at 9:00 PM EST on SyFy.
]]>Check x 7!
However, the premiere also included some unexpected elements (spoilers incoming, if you haven't watched it yet). I didn't see Emmitt's fate coming, although I was pleased. Is it wrong to cheer when someone is shot in the head? Adios, BuyMoria - it was time for Emmitt to go. And, it gave an easy path to get Big Mike back...and I gotta have Big Mike.
Unlike Emmitt, I did expect some variation of the 'Awesome as a spy' storyline, but it was still enjoyable. I was happy to get some background on his relationship with Ellie. For a brief second, I really thought he was dead - and it actually made me sad! Thank goodness for previews (which showed Awesome very much alive) to ease my mind.
The early ratings for "Chuck" were pretty good, besting it's schedule-mate "Heroes". According to Airlock Alpha, "Chuck" earned a 4.3 rating/7 share in the Nielson Fast National ratings. They also noted that this was nearly 8 percent better than its season average last year.
The new "Chuck" is not without flaws. I keep thinking that writer's have to be careful not to let Chuck have the ability to do *everything* - for example, how would expert guitar playing be a part of the Intersect? It's similar to the scenario in "Dollhouse". Echo can do anything needed, whenever she needs to. I am waiting for the episode when Chuck (or Echo, for that matter), goes..."I've got nothin'".
Still, the news of improving ratings has me very happy. I enjoy "Chuck" - it's one of the few shows I still look forward to viewing every week. If you missed the premiere, it is available online at NBC's website.
]]>Their writer seems to lean toward "Iron Man 2" and the Leonardo DiCaprio led "Inception", but the poll tells a slightly different story.
Here's the top 5, as of Monday:
The also-rans included "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (3%), "Shrek Goes Fourth" (2%), "The Green Hornet" (3%), "Inception" (3%) and "Predators" (3%).
The list is not too surprising, even though I personally won't be going to see the "Twilight" film (and will, by virtue of three kids, definitely see both the new "Toy Story" and "Shrek" installments). However, there are still a few things that stand out about the poll.
First, I am surprised they included "Robin Hood" at all! I know it stars Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett...but I am less than enthused about seeing the film. I suppose I might get sucked in when the trailers start flowing closer to its May 14th release date - but I am not holding my breath.
On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by the strong performance of "The Last Airbender". Yup - the film that had to change its name because of "Avatar". I watched the cartoon with my oldest son - and I actually think I liked it more than he did. The story is pretty basic, but the characters are strong. I think this will be a sleeper hit, if the effects are up to par. This might just be M. Night Shyamalan's return to prominence, after a few misses.
Even so, Fandango's list of movies is seriously lacking. There are a ton of movies that will be better than 'Robin Hood" (or "Green Hornet", for that matter) that could have been included. For example, the end-of-the-year releases of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I", "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and "Tron" were not included. Mid-year releases, "Jonah Hex", "Karate Kid" and "Thor" all were ignored.
A few spring releases were also skipped. "Alice in Wonderland" (opening on March 5th and starring Johnny Depp) and "How to Train Your Dragon" (opening March 26th) are both on my short-term viewing list. But, the upcoming film that I want to see the most is "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief".
I saw the trailer this weekend, and I have a feeling that it will be the next "Harry Potter" franchise. Like Potter, it is based on a series of adventure and fantasy books. Also like Potter, the main character goes to a 'special' school. However, this story is not about wizards - it's about the offspring of the gods.
Author Rick Riordan has already penned five popular "Percy Jackson" installments. The plot of "The Lightning Thief", which was the first book, centers around a young man who learns he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon and then is accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt. It's directed by Chris Columbus, who coincidentally directed the first Harry Potter movie.
I foresee a few more "Percy Jackson" movies on the horizon. The movie opens February 12th - and I'll be there.
]]>Now, here's the problem - what to read first? I am currently halfway through a re-read of "The Golden Compass" trilogy, so I have to finish that. I also have an unread copy of "A New Spring" (Robert Jordan), which is a prequel to the Wheel of Time. I picked that one up at the Dollar Store!
Tentatively, I think I am going to jump into "The Gathering Storm" as soon as I complete my current novel. What would you do?
]]>Going in, I had some preconcieved notions. First, I was expecting eye-popping, jaw-dropping visual effects. Second, I was expecting a tree-hugging story, with the bad humans destroying the beautiful world of the natives.
The effects were indeed gorgeous. In fact, I think they were so good that I found myself trying to determine what was CGI (answer, almost everything) and what was really filmed. The best part of the movie was the immersion that the graphics enabled. When a helicopter landed on the screen, grass near the edges of the screen were buffeted in and out of your view. The computer displays within the base were curved screens of awesomeness. All of the data, displayed in perfect perspective, in 3D - and it seemed perfectly natural within the scene. I kept thinking "this is seamless".
Most reviewers seem to agree with me on that point - everyone thinks the movie looks great!
The story, however, has engendered differing viewpoints. The official FilmFodder review, by Brian Orndorf, states:
'Avatar' is a tremendous disappointment...Its tough to shake the thought that after 12 years of dormancy, this is the script James Cameron came up with? All the ornate animation and 3-D trickery can hardly hide that fact that Avatar is a hollow, coldly executed misfire."
On the other side of the coin is Harry Knowles of Aint It Cool News, who beams:
"AVATAR is unlike anything Ive seen before, it is a story of heroes, human greed, cultural discovery and a dream of human accomplishment that I have wished my whole life that we as a society would pursue."
I am not likely to fall to either of these extremes when reviewing a movie. I must admit that I am genetically predisposed to dislike plots that cast us humans as the bad guy. (We're really not that bad!) But, in this case, I have to side with Harry. I *liked* the story.
Sure, the villianous humans employed by the faceless corporation were very one dimensional. Giovanni Ribisi's character, in particular, seemed almost cartoonish. But, the simplicity of those characters was effective in creating dislike for them. Far more time was spent on developing the relationship between Jake Sully and the Na'vi natives. The ceremonies of the Na'Vi, in particular, were moving and appropriate (especially the simple ceremony where they welcome Jake as one of them - very powerful).
When the time came Jake to choose sides, it was already evident where he was going. And, since it was an evil corporation, rather than "Evil Americans" in the portrayal, somehow I was all on-board.
"Avatar" is a huge leap forward in movie creation technology. The story was strong enough to keep me interested, and to allow the CGI to keep me immersed in the story. One could say that the story and CGI worked together just as Pandora's ecosystem was interconnected.
But, that might be going too far. Let's just say that the movie is absolutely worth seeing at the cinema. I give it a solid "A".
]]>According to reports, New Line Cinema has shelved plans to films the second installment of "The Golden Compass".
Some of the film's actors, specifically Sam Elliot (the keeper of the world's greatest mustache and (my term for him)", Sam Elliot, is not taking the news well. Sam has accused the Catholic Church of pressuring the producers into scrapping the sequels because the source material is thought to promote Atheism.
And...I think Sam is right.
I wrote about the backlash to the Golden Compass when it first came out in 2007. I thought it was a silly argument back then, since most of the criticism was leveled by people who had not even seen the movie.
I still see "The Golden Compass" in the view of an epic adventure movie, rather than a subversive attempt by Satan to divert kids from the Church. Sure, it's well known that Philip Pullman, author of the books, is openly athiestic. And, the final book of the trilogy does portray God as weak and irrelevant.
But, the movie made money. The article states that the Golden Compass made over $380 million worldwide, on a budget of $180 million. If those numbers are correct, that looks like a pretty solid performance at the box office. Money is not the reason that they chose not to go forward.
Elliot said "...I would have loved to have gone after them. I would have liked to have sat down with Bill OReilly and talked it out. There are two sides to that coin. Its a shame as its a great trilogy."
I am with Sam - it's a well-written trilogy. Even if you don't completely agree with the belief system, it can be made into an enjoyable movie. Heck, I may not agree with the 'save the planet, we bad humans are destroying it' themes in many Sci-Fi movies (such as the upcoming "Avatar"), but that doesn't mean that I won't go and enjoy the film.
People are taking things too seriously these days.
However, that is not necessarily a bad thing! Aintitcoolnews is reporting that tonight's two episodes are as good as we have seen in Season 2.
I am inclined to agree with their assessment. With the addition of the always-awesome Summer Glau as the techie from D.C. (think, another Dollhouse's Topher) and Ray Wise, who was so good as the Devil in "Reaper", the building blocks are there for some compelling episodes.
For some interesting reading, check out Mo Ryan's interview with series creator Joss Whedon. Joss gives a very honest assessment of the show's performance and what could have been done differently. He doesn't exactly sound bitter about the handling of the show - it's more like he feels FOX missed opportunities to let him push the boundaries of network TV. It is an excellent interview and provides some insight into the plan behind the show.
"Dollhouse" will complete it's run on January 22nd, 2010.
]]>