Sci-Fi TV is back after a week off and this week’s edition features premiere date news for Lost, Chuck, and David Tennant’s final Doctor Who special. There are also two cancellations to report on this week with the news of Fox canceling Dollhouse and ABC letting go of Eastwick. Plus J.J. Abrams talks about Fringe and we have our first look at Michael Shanks as Hawkman on Smallville. All that and more, including the latest television ratings, casting bites, images and videos.
GENRE TV NEWS
ABC Announces Premiere Date for Sixth and Final Season of Lost
ABC has announced that "Lost" will premiere its sixth and final season on Tuesday, February 2, 2010. A recap special will kick-off the all-night event at 8:00 p.m. followed by the two-hour season premiere from 9:00-11:00 p.m. The show will then air weekly on Tuesday nights from 9:00-10:00 p.m. beginning on February 9th. While promoting the "Star Trek" DVD/Blu-ray, executive producer/showrunner Damon Lindelof talked about the upcoming season [via SCI FI Wire]:
"We’re kind of returning back to the same kind of storytelling that put us on the map in the first place and resolving some of these mysteries," Lindelof said. "I think this had got to be a record for how much patience people have, but the idea that we’re actually getting to answer some of these questions creates this incredible nostalgia, especially when you’re doing it through the characters and the actors who were there in the very beginning, so it’s pretty cool, theoretically."
Lindelof also discussed the show in an exclusive interview with TrekMovie, which you can watch here. Here’s some more "Lost" news in ‘bite’ form:
- Rebecca Mader (Charlotte) is returning to the island. [@CarltonCuse]
- Ian Somerhalder (Boone) can’t say much about the season premiere, but he noted that the script was extremely detailed and that his character wears the same clothes that he did five years ago. [ABC News]
- Sheila Kelley will play the recurring role of Kendall, "an intellectual beauty with a sharp edge to her wit who is caught committing corporate espionage and has to lie her way out." [EW]
- Episode eight will be called "Recon". [SpoilersLost]
- Casting calls have gone out for episodes eight and nine. In all, producers are looking for actors/actresses to fill the roles of six characters. [DarkUFO and DarkUFO]
Season six poster [DocArzt]
Smallville Justice Society Episodes Will Air As Two-Hour Movie + First Look at Michael Shanks as Hawkman
The CW has announced that they are merging the two Justice Society episodes "Society" and "Legends" — penned by comic book writer Geoff Johns — and airing the episodes as a two-hour movie called "Smallville: Absolute Justice". The movie, featuring DC Comics characters Stargirl, Dr. Fete and Hawkman (played by Michael Shanks and featured in the photo above–click to enlarge) will air on Friday, February 5th from 8:00-10:00 p.m. In other news, EW is reporting that Pam Grier is joining the show for multiple episodes. The actress will be playing the DC Comics villain Agent Amanda Waller and will appear in the second hour of the TV movie ‘Absolute Justice’. Rounding out the casting news, TV Guide Magazine is reporting that Serinda Swan will be reprising her role as Zatanna later this season. And finally, here are some excerpts from an interview with Michael Shanks courtesy TV Guide Magazine:
What’s Hawkman’s story?
"When we first meet Carter Hall he’s in his museum. We’ll learn he’s a reincarnated prince from a thousand years ago. There is a reference to The Justice Society’s time in the ‘70s, but we have since disbanded."What advice does he give Clark?
"There’s a reference given to him flying, but it’s more of a metaphor to his own personal growth. Clark and his friends are figuring out what their destinies will be, so there is a ripe opportunity for the Justice Society who had been there done that to offer some tough love teaching."Have the regular Smallville characters heard about the Society members?
"No. That’s a big plot point to find out how come they’ve never heard of these people."What is his relationship like with fellow heroes Dr. Fate, Stargirl and Martian Manhunter?
"Dr. Fate and Hawkman have a long history. Dr. Fate’s helmet is possessed by an Egyptian deity, which allows his to see into people’s possible futures. He also teleports. Stargirl is brand new to them and I’m not exactly sure what she does. She wasn’t part of the Society with them. And there are some trust issues with Martian Manhunter that are going to need to be dealt with."What’s the chances of us seeing Hawkman return?
"The way things land at the end of it all, there’s an open door for Carter Hall to be revisited and possibly be part of further mentoring Clark down the road."
"Smallville" airs Friday’s at 8:00 p.m. on The CW, but is on hiatus until January 22, 2010. Watch the promo for episode 10 below.
Promo for episode 10 – "Disciple"
J.J. Abrams Addresses Fringe Cancellation Rumors
"Fringe" hasn’t adjusted all that well to the move to Thursday nights — with a recent episode falling to a series low of less than 5 million viewers — but co-creator executive producer says that Fox remains committed to the show and it’s not in any immediate danger of being canceled:
“The mood on set and in the writer’s room is as good as the ratings are bad, which is to say, wonderful,” Abrams tells me. “Luckily, Fox has been insanely supportive, for which we are deeply grateful.”
Abrams is encouraged by the show’s “strong” DVR numbers as well as the glowing reviews from critics. “But given that we’re on one of the hardest [nights] on television, we’re just focusing on making the best show we possibly can,” he says. “What else can we do?”
"Fringe" is off next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but will return with a new episode — "Snakehead" — on December 3rd. Here’s the synopsis:
After a cargo ship runs aground, the shoreline becomes littered with bodies hosting a giant squid-like creature. The Fringe team descends upon the scene to examine the bodies and discovers that the mysterious organisms are actually giant parasites. As the investigation unfolds, Walter heads back to the lab while Olivia, Peter and Broyles race against time when they realize the case has ties to a threatening organization in the all-new "Snakehead" episode of FRINGE airing Thursday, Dec. 3 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Rounding out the week’s "Fringe" news, SpoilerTV has two casting calls for episode 15 — which will feature an appearance by Walter’s wife — which you can check out here and here. "Fringe" airs Thursday nights at 9:00 p.m. on FOX.
Stills from episode nine "Snakehead" [more at FringeSpoilers and SpoilerTV]
Promo for episode nine – "Snakehead"
Interview with Anna Torv (Olivia)
Watch another interview with Anna Torv here
Interview with John Noble (Walter)
V Ratings Slip + Details on 2010 Episodes
After a very promising start, "V" dipped again in its third week, drawing 9.32 million viewers (-13%) and a 3.1 A18-49 rating (-18%). The show is off a steep 35 and 40 percent, respectively, from its series premiere among viewers (14.30 million) and adults 18-49 (5.2 rating). In show news, new showrunner Scott Rosenbaum was interviewed by SciFi TV Zone and offered some thoughts on his approach to the series and where he intends to take it:
SCIFI TV ZONE: So there will be more revelations?
SCOTT ROSENBAUM: Listen, my goal is that in every single episode there will be an “Oh my God, I can’t believe that happened” moment, or a “Wow” moment – at least one – in every single episode. And I think that would not only be a mythology plot reveal, but also a character reveal. I want the characters to be able to make mistakes, to make the wrong choices sometimes, and that’s where you get the most amount of drama. I would prefer that the stories come from them making mistakes, and the snowball effect of those mistakes, or, rather than mistakes, choices made for the right reason, but then there are consequences of that. I don’t want people to watch this show and ever be able to guess what’s going to happen next, because that’s the problem with some of the TV I watch. Maybe this is because I watch so much TV, but you have this vast number of stories you’ve seen because you’ve been watching TV since you were a kid. So I think I have to be ahead of that curve, and have it be completely organic, and to have it make sense, but to just surprise people, in a good way, and challenge them as well.
SCIFI TV ZONE: But not mire us down like Lost…
SCOTT ROSENBAUM: That’s a good point – the one thing “V” will definitely not have is it will not be steeped in mythology so that you can’t just watch an episode or you’ll be confused. The complexity will be in the thematics of the storytelling. And when I say complex storytelling, I mean the main characters don’t always make the right choices, it’s not always a happy ending. A lot of times in TV, all the leads have to be heroes and make the right choice and every episode has to have a happy ending, and I don’t want to go down that road. But one thing that I do think I can add to the show is to make it more fun. I don’t want it to be a dark, fugitive, purely resistance story. I want there to be the dark elements, and I want there to be incredibly high stakes, but I also want the show to be fun. At it’s core conceit, it’s probably one of the most fascinating ideas ever presented. It’s the first time that aliens have come to Earth and when I was a kid, I could identity with where Tyler is coming from, I would want to be the first one to sign up; to say, “Hey, let me on that ship!” And I want more of the show to be seen through the eyes of the characters, the wonder and the joy of how incredible it is, so it doesn’t just feel like it’s our people against the world, against the Vs and constantly running.
Head on over to SciFi TV Zone to read the rest of the interview. Meanwhile, TV Guide visited the set and sat down with star Morena Baccarin (Anna). Here are some excerpts from the interview:
TVGuide.com: What can we look forward to in future episodes?
Baccarin: We get to see more about how the Vs live. There are more hints at how they do certain things and there’s some really great plot twists. [There are] characters’ worlds that collide that you wouldn’t expect.TVGuide.com: What can we expect in the cliff-hanger of Episode 4?
Baccarin: Some relationships get explored, and you’ll want to come back to find out. We’ve laid some groundwork for some V things, and you’ll want to come back to find out what exactly they were.TVGuide.com: Will deaths be a natural occurrence on this show?
Baccarin: As in life, there’s death, so probably. There’s not an intense amount of it, but nobody is safe. Everybody on the show — things can happen. We live in a very dangerous area with Vs and humans. At any moment something can happen.
Read the rest of the interview at TV Guide. "V" concludes its first "pod" of episodes next Thursday, November 24th at 8:00 p.m. on ABC (click here to read the press release). The show will return with new episodes in March, 2010.
Stills from episode four "It’s Only Just Beginning" [more at VisitorSite]
Promo for episode four – "It’s Only The Beginning"
Morris Chestnut and Laura Vandervoort talk about their characters [Zap2It]
Chuck Return Announced: Sunday, January 10, 2010
Set your calendars, NBC has announced that "Chuck" will return in January, 2010 for a three-episode/two-night third season premiere. The third season will kick-off on Sunday, January 10th with two back-to-back episodes from 9:00-11:00 p.m. before settling into its old timeslot — Monday’s at 8:00 p.m. — the following night. So far, NBC has committed to 19 episodes for the third season (the initial 13-episode order plus an additional 6-episode order they made last month). In other news, the producers have tapped yet another high-profile actor to guest star. EW reports that Robert Patrick ("Terminator 2: Judgment Day") is slated to appear midway through the third season. Patrick will play Col. Keller, "a mysterious figure from Casey’s past" in the episode "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac", which is expected to focus on Adam Baldwin. Look below for a brand new season three poster, special preview video and on-set interviews with star Zack Levi and guest star Brandon Routh.
Season three keyart [via ChuckTV.net]
Chuck Season Three Preview
On-set interviews with Zachary Levi and Brandon Routh [via ChuckTV.net]
Final David Tennant Doctor Who Special, "The End Of Time", Gets U.S. Premiere Date
BBC America has announced that an airdate for the last of David Tennant’s "Doctor Who" specials. "The End Of Time, Part One" will air on Saturday, December 26th at 9:00 p.m., just a day after it premieres in the UK. The premiere date for part two will be announced soon. In the meantime, BBC has released a sneak peek video from the special which you can watch below along with stills and videos from the special and the penultimate David Tennant special "The Waters of Mars" (which airs in the U.S. on December 19th). And lastly outgoing showrunner Russell T. Davies debunked rumors suggesting he would be making a movie based on the property.
Stills from "The Waters of Wars" [more at Blogtor Who: here & here and at Den of Geek]
Still of David Tennant from "The End Of Time" [io9]
Behind-the-scenes featurette for "The Waters of Mars"
Trailer for "The End Of Time"
"The End Of Time" Sneak Peek
Audio clip from "The End Of Time"
Featurette: "What Is Doctor Who"
Dollhouse Canceled; Fox Expected To Air All Remaining Episodes
Sorry fans, but it’s now official: Fox has canceled "Dollhouse". Given the weak ratings, the cancellation shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to most. As promised, Fox maintains that they will air all produced episodes — 13 — and the show will return with original episodes on December 4th as planned (back-to-back episodes from 8:00-10:00 p.m.). Creator/executive producer Joss Whedon wrote the following message on Whedonesque about the show’s cancellation:
Hmm. Apparently my news is not news.
I don’t have a lot to say. I’m extremely proud of the people I’ve worked with: my star, my staff, my cast, my crew. I feel the show is getting better pretty much every week, and I think you’ll agree in the coming months. I’m grateful that we got to put it on, and then come back and put it on again.
I’m off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that relaxation thing I’ve read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you’ll know what my next project is. But for now there’s a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear.
Thank you all for your support, your patience, your excellent adverts. See you again. -j.
So what exactly does Joss have planned for the end of the show? Here are some details from a recent interview with TV Guide Magazine:
Are you writing episode 13 to be a finale, just in case? Hedging your bets?
You know what, we hedged the last time and we got renewed, so we’re definitely hedging them again. People forget but I did this every year with Buffy. That’s just insurance. I didn’t do it with Firefly and look what happened. I went mad as a March hare and made a movie. So we’re doing that this time. Hopefully we’ll have nine more to do it after. We always wrap everything up and then unravel it again, if we’re told to.Where is the Dollhouse storyline heading?
This whole season has been about, and is getting more and more about, the larger conflict, not between Echo and the Dollhouse but between Echo and Rossum. When Echo first decided she wanted to deal with the Dollhouse, she didn’t realize how global it was going to be. What we’re heading for is bigger. We’re going to start getting to the top where the real power is and it’s going to get very, very twisted. That’s not strange coming from me, but even we’re thrown by it.
And finally, this probably isn’t the best timing to launch a new viral marketing campaign, but that’s basically what they’ve done. For a quick rundown on the new ARG, check out SCI FI Wire and io9.
Stills from episode six "The Left Hand" [one more at SpoilerTV]
NEW IMAGES
FlashForward
Stills from episode 10 "A561984" [more at SpoilerTV]
Heroes
Stills from episode 11 "Thanksgiving" [more at SpoilerTV]
The Sarah Jane Adventures
Stills from the two-part season finale, "The Gift, Parts 1 and 2" [more at Den of Geek]
CASTING BITES
- Ted Raimi, brother of "Legend of the Seeker" executive producer Sam Raimi, will guest star in an upcoming episode of the sci-fi/fantasy syndicated series "Legend of the Seeker". He’ll reprise his role as Sebastian, "the fast-talking, shady mapmaker and magic peddler who teams up with Zedd’s brother Thaddicus to sell a magical cure for Banelings — evil souls returned from the underworld." [SCI FI Wire]
- Kate Vernon ("Battlestar Galactica") has joined the cast of Heroes. Details of her role on the show are not known. [Greg Grunberg]
- Contrary to Internet rumors, Rudy Reyes ("Generation Kill") has not been cast as Alcide on "True Blood"… [EW]
- …However, "True Blood" producers are looking to cast for Caroline Compton, Bill’s (Stephen Moyer) first wife. [E! Online]
- …and here’s a casting call for the third episode of season three. [SpoilerTV]
- Producers of ABC’s "FlashForward" are looking to cast the roles of six characters for the show’s upcoming 14th episode. [SpoilerTV]
- Amanda Tapping has confirmed her return to "Stargate Universe", revealing that she has already filmed her scenes, which will appear in an episode at the end of the season: "…I’m at the very end of their season…But I didn’t get to play with anyone. If they were ever to have me come back, I’d want to be with people. I’m kind of off on my ship, which I think is awesome." [GateWorld]
- Looks like we’ll be seeing a young version of HRG later this season on "Heroes". Producers are looking to cast Young HRG: "Free spirit. Hippie turned used car salesman in the late 70s. Newlywed naively invites a stranger into his home and tragedy ensues. We are looking for someone to play the young version of the actor Jack Coleman." [SpoilerTV]
NEW VIDEOS
Alice
Behind-the-scenes featurette
Eastwick
Promo for episode eight – "Paint and Pleasure"
FlashForward
Promo for episode 10 – "A561984"
Heroes
Promo for episode 11 – "Thanksgiving"
Clips from "Thanksgiving" [via The ODI]
Four more clips: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Behind-the-scenes footage from "Thanksgiving"
Premiere episode – "Diplomatic Hat"
Sanctuary
Promo for episode eight – "Next Tuesday"
Stargate Universe
Promo for episode 10 – "Justice"
Amanda Tapping & The Women of Stargate Universe, Part 3
Supernatural
Promo for episode 11 – "Sam, Interrupted
TV BITES
- "Heroes" is moving back to Mondays at 9:00 p.m. starting on January 11, 2010. NBC has also set a two-hour event for Monday, January 4th (8:00-10:00 p.m.)… [NBC]
- …and here’s a brief synopsis for "The Fifth Stage", the 12th episode of "Heroes": "Unexpected visitors greet H.R.G.; Samuel’s plan starts to come to fruition; struggling to accept the truth, Peter takes extreme measures to get what he wants; Claire’s journey leads her to an unexpected destination." [SpoilerTV]
- The working title for the next "Stargate SG-1" direct-to-video movie has been revealed: "Stargate: Revolution". [Joseph Mallozzi]
- The 100th episode of "Supernatural" (slated to air in March or April) will have a heavy focus on Jensen Ackles character Dean Winchester. [EW]
- Here are the titles for episodes 12 and 13 of "FlashForward": 1×12 – "Kairos", 1×13 – "Better Angels"… [SpoilerTV]
- …Speaking of which, the show is off next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but ABC has released the synopsis for the next episode (1×10 – "A561984") which airs on December 3rd. [SpoilerTV]
- A series of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" motion-comic webisodes are expected to be released. The new series will be based on Whedon’s "Season Eight" comics. [SCI FI Wire]
- Syfy is launching a new animated comedy series called "Outer Space Astronauts". The series premieres on Syfy on December 8th at 9:30 p.m., but you can watch the premiere episode ("Diplomatic Hat") in the videos section below (click to watch now). [SCI FI Wire]
- Work on the sequel to "Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog" will probably get underway as soon as Joss Whedon wraps his work on the just-canceled Fox series "Dollhouse", according to Whedon’s brother and co-writer Zack Whedon: "…hopefully when that’s done, we’ll all be able to get together more frequently and grind it out," he explained. "There are a couple of songs written. It’s very promising. We’re all very excited about where it goes." [MTV]
- "Torchwood" creator Russell T. Davies remain optimistic about the chances of more episodes of the "Doctor Who" spinoff series: "The recession has hit British television, but fingers crossed, it will be a go. We expect things to start to move in January. We’ve got great ideas for the show. I think there’s a further lease on life for many years to come, but certainly for a [fourth season]," Davies says. [TV Guide Magazine]
- Kevin Murphy has been tapped to serve as showrunner on "Caprica". He was hired as an executive producer in October to work alongside Ron Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson, but his role has now expanded to overseeing the writers’ room. "Caprica" premieres on Syfy on January 22, 2010. Check out a new poster featuring actress Alessandra Torresani (who plays the character Zoe Graystone) below. [THR and Chicago Tribune]
- ABC has canceled the low-rated Wednesday drama "Eastwick". The show is expected to finish production on the 13 episodes ordered and ABC plans to run them all. Not surprisingly, executive producer Maggie Friedman expressed her disappointment in the cancellation: "I’m pretty furious, too…We’re smack in the middle of several insanely juicy stories" Friedman said. "And so we do not get a chance to wrap things up in a bow. Which is killing me.". [THR and EW]
- Producer Gil Grant spoke about his plans for the recently announced "Gattaca" TV series: "I came up with a world which is populated with Valids and Invalids, the same premise [as the movie], but taken into a police department where we’re… integrating, using the analogy of the ‘60s Civil Rights struggle," Grant explained. [MTV]
- Steven Spielberg is teaming with Stephen King to develop a limited series — likely for cable — based on King’s just-released supernatural thriller "Under the Dome". [Variety]
- SCI FI Wire takes a look at four pilots that didn’t make the cut this fall season, including Fox’s comedy "Boldy Going Nowhere" and ABC’s remake of the British comedy "No Heroics". [SCI FI Wire]
- "Legend of the Seeker" opened its second season with a solid 2.58 million viewers. The gross audience figure — measuring all airings of the show over the weekend — was 3.53 million viewers. [TV by the Numbers]
- Meanwhile, AMC’s "The Prisoner" had a respectable bow with its premiere on Sunday — 2.22 million viewers and a 0.8 A18-49 rating — but the show fell apart over the course of its remaining two nights: 948,000 viewers and a 0.3 A18-49 rating for part two and 947,000 and a 0.3 A18-49 rating for part three. Overall, the six-hour/three-part miniseries drew a disappointing 1.37 million viewers and a 0.5 A18-49 rating. [TravisYanan]
- "Stargate Universe" executive producer Brad Wright took issue with negative comments Chicago Tribune columnist Maureen Ryan made about the show in her review of "V", resulting in Ryan writing another piece. Follow the fun at SCI FI Wire.
- Here’s a brief synopsis for "Justice", the 10th and final episode of 2009 for Syfy’s "Stargate Universe": "Colonel Young cedes command to Camile Wray after a crew member is found dead from a gunshot wound and the gun is recovered from Young’s quarters. Meanwhile, a planet harbors a secret that threatens the Destiny." [TV Guide via GateWorld]
- Kattee Sackhoff ("Battlestar Galactica") guest stars on the CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" on November 23rd at 9:30 p.m. [via SCI FI Wire]
SCI FI TV RATINGS [Based on final national numbers]
Monday
"Heroes" hit new series lows this past week, drawing 5.08 million viewers (-3%) and a 2.2 A18-49 rating (-10%). It’ll be interesting to see if the timeslot switch to 9:00 p.m. will help it in the ratings (given that the 8:00 p.m. timeslot is generally viewed as one of the lowest-watched timeslots in primetime).
Tuesday
As noted above, week three of "V" drew 9.32 million viewers (-13%) and a 3.1 A18-49 rating (-18%).
Thursday
More disappointing for ABC, however, is the performance of "FlashForward". The show has already received a full-season order but unless things turn turn around it could be in danger of not being picked up for a second season. It hit series lows this week with 7.98 million viewers (-4%) and a 2.4 A18-49 rating (-8%). "The Vampire Diaries" came back a bit from its recent upswing — perhaps the audience was away helping "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" break box office records? — and drew 3.57 million viewers (-13%) and a 1.6 A18-49 rating (-16%). Lead-out "Supernatural" underperformed its season average with 2.51 million viewers (-7%) and a 1.2 A18-49 rating (-8%). Rounding out Thursday night was Fox’s "Fringe", which was relatively unchanged from the week prior with 5.90 million viewers (-0%) and a 2.0 A18-49 rating (-9%). The competition remains brutal on Thursday nights.
Friday [Nov. 20th episode numbers are based on preliminary fast affiliate data]
"Ghost Whisperer" held steady as the night’s most-watched program, drawing 8.43 million viewers (+5%) and a 2.0 A18-49 rating (n/c). "Medium" took a small hit but was still strong with 7.80 million viewers (-7%) and a 1.9 A18-49 rating (-5%). After weeks of hitting season-highs, "Smallville" took a small step backward, but still drew a respectable — for a program on The CW — 2.45 million viewers (-9%) and a 1.1 A18-49 rating (-8%).
Select Sci-Fi/Fantasy shows on cable [SGU and Sanctuary numbers are for the November 13th episodes. Numbers for the 11/20 episodes will be known next week]
On the cable front, last Friday’s episode of "Stargate Universe" drew 1.80 million (+10%), 0.7 A18-49 rating (n/c). That’s important because the week prior the show hit a series low of 1.63 million viewers and a 0.7 A18-49 rating (the A18-49 rating ties a series low). Lead-out "Sanctuary" also improved week-to-week — and like "Stargate Universe" rebounded from season low’s — drawing 1.66 million (+17%) and a 0.6 A18-49 rating (+20%).
Meanwhile, "Ghost Hunters" this past Wednesday drew 2.60 million viewers (-11%) and a 1.1 A18-49 rating (-21%), while lead-out "Ghost Hunters Academy" fared poorly in its second week with 1.70 million viewers (-18%) and a 0.7 A18-49 rating (-22%). The series premiered the week prior (November 11th) with 2.07 million viewers and a 0.9 A18-49 rating.
CHART (11/2/2009 to 11/8/2009)
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CHART (11/9/2009 to 11/15/2009)
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Follow Russ on his blog: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow.
an i the only one who saw the green lantern ring?
It really disappoints me that TV SF seems unable to sustain itself. I’ve seen about a half dozen episodes of ‘FlashForward,’ and like it very much and I hope it will continue. It seems a promising concept and deserving of a long run!
I have also seen five episodes of ‘Stargate: Universe.’ I like it but I do prefer ‘SG-1.’
I’d sure like to see TV SF prosper, but I fear for the genre when I read such discourage news of failing ratings and cancellations.
Not gonna lie, I wish Fox had pulled the plug on Fringe instead of Dollhouse. I’m still pissed at that show getting cancelled. I know it had low ratings, so maybe I’m just more mad at how much Americans on average watch lame, pointless TV, instead of shows that make them think a bit.
I watched 5 minutes of Eastwick and knew immediately it wasn’t going to last long, no surprise there at all!
I love Fringe and Chuck.
I’m liking FlashForward, but I’m not sure it’s going to hang around past the first season. I’d like to think it will.
I’m also enjoying “V”, but again…not sure it’s going to go past one season. We’ll see.
I still think Smallville is getting better, even if they are taking a few small creative leaps to make that happen.
FlashForward and Fringe both continue to be great.
I haven’t seen the latest V episode yet, but I am hoping it is great as well!
never saw the original the prisoner but im liking the new
verion
#2) While I cringe at blaming things on the recession, we’ve been seeing pretty much ALL the networks behave similarly. I think what’s threatening genre shows all around is that they tend to be more expensive to produce (original props, sets, FX, location shooting etc). Networks are increasingly wary of their bottom line costs, thus they order fewer episodes, develop relatively cheap promotional strategies, and consequently pull the plug stupid fast if they don’t see near-immediate ROI.
Maybe if more of these sci-fi showrunners took some cost-cutting tips from Dr. Who or Legend of the Seeker, new sci-fi shows might be less of a crap-shoot than they seem to be right now!
– 24thCRS
@ #1
I saw what looked like a green ring in that video too, but to me it looked like something someone would find in a cracker jack box.
Man that Caprica poster is incredibly seductive. This show is going to be wicked! And it’s it’s filmed where I live, all too cool!
@ #9
it is the first green lanterns ring (alan scott)
I hope “Eastwick” gets picked up by another network, such as the CW. It’s a good show. “Desperate Housewives” with a bit of magic.
#10) Have you caught the pilot yet? Pretty steamy stuff – there’s just no telling where THAT show is going at all. I don’t think I’ve been so interested, yet mystified, by a series premiere like that since DS9.
– 24thCRS!
Is it any wonder all these SCI FI shows lose viewers.
The way u.s networks mess around with viewing times then the shows are on “holiday” for a couple of weeks. (look at smallville for example) not on now til January. it’s a joke. that’s why the shows that make it are all standalone series requiring no memory of what’s gone on before.
I’ve tried many times to watch some of these shows and unless you go out of your way to either record,buy dvds or whatever, you may as well give up.
Anyone remember Now and again. What a show, what happened? cancelled.
It’s no wonder people are going off broadcast t.v
Don’t even get me started on the commercials
Crap!! Heroes should stay at 8:00, I don’t care about Chuck, I want to watch Heroes and 24.
Seems to me all the good shows are gettng ruined by Schedule messing.
Loved Defying Gravity, and off it goes.
Love Flash Forward.. and now it’s flagging.
Love Dolls House, it’s also gone.
Seems intelligent story telling with a bit of depth, is lost on folks these days.
Thank gawd for the BBC and it’s commitment to WHO!!
What the hell? V is going on hiatus or something… after only four episodes? Is ABC trying to kill it?
Outer Space Astronauts looks cute.
Can’t wait for my Who fix — I’m such an Angolphile nerd. And it’s on Boxing Day.
Kate Vernon is one of my favorite sci-fi milfs, but I doubt anything can save Heroes.
Thanks for the wrap-up!
I think the problem with sci-fi/fantasy shows is that they tend to attract people who want to watch the lot in one go. I’ve never watched Fringe on TV, for example: I’m going to watch the final two episodes on Blu-ray tonight. I can’t stand watching shows once a week and skipping through ads.
I’ve never once watched Buffy, Angel, Alias, Lost, or Fringe on broadcast television. I like to watch a couple of episodes late-night on the TV in my bedroom when I feel like it! I’m not going to help ratings, but I’m here, I’m watching and I’m a fan. I also know I’m not unusual in being a home video-only viewer!
Stargate: Universe is a show I came to with little knowledge of the other shows. I saw the Dvelin/Emmerich movie a when it first came out on VHS, watched and enjoyed the occasional SG1 in a kind of light-hearted way and my flatmate (and best friend) is an SGA fanatic, so I bought her the complete SGA DVD set for her birthday.
What I’ve seen of SGU so far is really good. I certainly don’t feel it is sexist. Maureen Ryan’s remark about the scene where Eli and another officer are eyeing up a buxom lieutenant as sexist is somewhat misguided. The voyeur aspect reflects more badly on Eli and made me as the viewer feel guilty as well (Eli does, at times, unfortunately seem to have been shipped in from a completely different TV show!)
That said, the actress in question is a beautiful woman (who has done screen nudity before) playing a strong character so perhaps the critic is just jealous! ;p More funny is that the critic got upset at the producer responding to her remarks. I think people, both professional critics or ‘average Joe’ talkbackers, get the idea that they can say anything on the web, attacking those in charge of shows or movies and not expect a response. Ms Ryan seems outraged that someone in charge would dare to respond to a blatantly provocative remark. More fool her. Then again, the moment critics start using buzzwords like ”racist’, ‘sexist’ or ‘homophobic’ to describe shows put out on heavily-regulated and -censored networks, I tune out anyway!
Also, there ***are*** clingy, vacuous, scaredy cat women out there, just as there are clingy, vacuous, scaredy cat men. In Universe, most of the men we see are professional soldiers who were serving off-world. Many of the women are from civilian SG-related jobs or, in Tamara Johansen’s case a military paramedic. I know plenty of ‘strong’ very intelligent women, but I also know wimpy, scaredy-cat ones, vacuous rich girls and others who are plain dippy.
The women on SGU are OK in my opinion. I don’t want or expect every female character to be making a statement by their presence in a show and the point of SGU is that most of the people on the Destiny aren’t meant to be there and have no training to be there!
My biggest gripe is those damned communication stones the characters use. They spoil it for me: how can I really feel any sympathy for the characters’ plight when they can swap bodies with people on Earth whenever they feel like it? Ditch the stones, guys and make them truly isolated!
Anyway, Robert Carlyle can make reading a shopping list worthwhile!
Maureen Ryan is right. SGU is terrible. It’s predictable SCI FI television. And Brad Wright’s comments made him look unprofessional. He turned me off to the show even more then his show turns me off to the show.
Doll House, also terrible. I watched the entire first season–I really gave it a chance. More than it deserved.
Flash Forward, I kind of like. It’s not the characters that make me watch. It’s the set up. So, I guess, Maureen Ryan is right there, too. It’s more about its concept then its characters. And for now, the concept is interesting me but I foresee that not being enough of a reason for me to continue watching as the season progresses.
I’m not sold on V. I’m waiting for it to “do” something that really makes me look forward to watching the next episode.
I disagree with #18, I liked Dollhouse. I really wanted to see where it was going – but right from the start it seemed like it was in trouble… I watched it, sometimes weeks after the broadcast, but I was never eager to get really into it because it seemed like it was doomed to the Fox fat chance disease, and it would go unsatisfied. It was NBC’s cancellation of Bionic Woman that kept me from watching Sarah Conner, and then both of those combined that pretty much convinced me that Dollhouse was done before it started.
I also didn’t watch Lost initially, instead I waited until recently and just watched the DVDs. I am going to start doing that more.
Chuck, I just don’t understand. There is so much potential there, and there is a talented cast, and the eye candy is just so fantastic, that really just needs some more talent in writing and it could be really good. But even in the current state, I hope it continues. It is, other than 24, and now Lost, one of only 3 current shows I am watching.
BTW- Caprica I think will be short lived – I am probably going to wait for the whole season DVD before watching.
Mistake in the article, V is on TUESDAY. We are not having Visitors for Thanksgiving, though Visitors would enjoy having us.
19. BaltarStar Galactica: ‘Maureen Ryan is right. SGU is terrible. It’s predictable SCI FI television.’
It’s not exceptional, but it’s far from terrible. There’s much worse out there and little better!
‘And Brad Wright’s comments made him look unprofessional. He turned me off to the show even more then his show turns me off to the show.’
Why exactly?
Ryan stated: ‘Syfy’s “Stargate Universe,” is a boring, poorly plotted, lamentably sexist mess’ and failed to elaborate beyond that. That’s lazy, petty reviewing for a show that had been on for less than five episodes and she hadn’t seen locked versions of the next two.
He was quite straightforward about it: ‘Maureen, I find people who write ‘I have no axe to grind’ are often the ones most likely to grind axes. Taking the time to slam ‘SGU’ in your review for ‘V’ is not politically tinged, it’s just petty. I really wish you hadn’t given up on our show so quickly. I was surprised, considering your past (occasional) support of the franchise. You can’t have seen a finished version of ‘Darkness’ or ‘Light’ because the weren’t even closed to being finished at the time of your review. I don’t know what the network sent you. ‘SGU’ seems to be a love it or hate it sort of show. You obviously fall in the latter camp, but fortunately there are enough viewers and reviewers who think ‘SGU’ is neither boring, poorly plotted, or sexist to keep us on the air long after ‘V’ is just a letter in the alphabet again.’
Ryan’s reply was pissy along the lines of ‘How dare you critique my critique!’ It was also monumentally nasty in the context of a review of something utterly unrelated! Maybe some people who eagerly awaited SGU are disappointed. i wasn’t eagerly awaiting it and I really did have no axe to grind. But as a show, it’s far more consistent already than any of the Star Trek spinoffs were after this number of episodes. Yes it has weaknesses, but I’d rate it far and above TNG, DS9 and Voyager at this stage in their broadcasting lives.
What it boils down to is some strange jealousy in the sci-fi/fantasy world. People are angry because they think the Stargate franchise is a load of cheesy old tat and can’t understand why it’s so long-lived. Truth is, it’s easy viewing. Yes, I love shows that challenge and thrill me, but I also like shows that I can put my feet up with and drink a couple of beers. That’s why Stargate survives!
#19, 21
Have to agree with Dom that in general, I’ve found SGU more interesting than ENT when I first watched it (I was too young to remember the early DS9/VOY eps except when I rewatched, so I can’t really compare.) I hope the series gets better; right now it just seems like they aren’t leavening all the slow-paced character moments with enough action or adventure.
On a side note; I still don’t get Doctor Who. Admittedly I’ve only watched two episodes (with Tennant), but it seems like all they make him do is look absolutely stunned/horrified/worried (I mean, watch the trailer, and in 45 seconds they cram in five or six of them.)
22. davidfuchs
Yeah, I can’t understand the acclaim of nu-Who. I love large amounts of the old (Hartnell era, Troughton era, Tom Baker and Colin Baker) plus a lot of the 1990s books featuring the seventh Doctor, but nu-Who has done nothing for me. I find it badly-paced, overly manic and the humour too childish (in the 70s it was more undergraduate!)
Still, I’ll see what the new production team and cast give us next year!
I’m still baffled that “Dollhouse” ever got on the air at all. Terrible concept, terrible lead actress, terrible show. Even “Terminator: Sarah Conner” was better, and I thought “Terminator” was pretty bad. “Fringe” is orders of magnitude better than either by any measure.
“Eastwick” I watched a couple of times. I called it “Desperate Housewitches”. Nice eye candy, but not much else to see there. Maybe Jamie Ray Newman can go back to “Eureka” next season.
“Stargate Universe” wants very much to be the next “Battlestar Galactica”, with its dark and dreary sets and gloomy storytelling. I didn’t care all that much for BSG (and have zero interest in “Caprica”.). I like Eli, Chloe, and Lt. Scott, but don’t care much for Col. Young, Dr. Rush, or Sgt Greer at all. Despite the gloom and doom, two episodes back, “Time” was sensational.
#24
It seems pretty much universal among people I’ve talked to that “Time” is their best episode yet–interesting in that it’s still fairly slow-paced, but the narrative unfolds in an interesting manner and there’s a little more gunplay :P. I understand slower-paced shows, and SGU keeps me interested, but I think it’s suffering from BSG idol-worship. It seems to me the show was something lots of critics loved, but ultimately it was a niche cable show in the end. Trying to replicate and capture the audiences from such shows seems like a risky proposition.
Caprica? Kevin Murphy? As in MST3K?
The Prisoner remake SUUUUUUKED!!!!! It was an insult to the original in every way. What a waste of good actors.
Dollhouse: Buh-bye!
26. davidfuchs
Yeah, SGU’s ‘Time’ was really good, but . . .
spoiler
. . . suffered from the old problem of interesting character development and revelations being lost on account of the time period resets.
28. Dom
Hey, if you ever watched Voyager, I guess you get used to it :P I don’t think too much was reset; it wasn’t like any of the characters went through this big change, rather we saw reactions we wouldn’t otherwise see. No matter what, Eli and co. are still going to see Rush’s Butch Cassidy routine (from the Kinos). So it’s less of a reset than most–plus, we don’t actually see the time they actually succeed, so it’s up to our imagination how it plays out. That’s orders of magnitude better than the usual hard reset.
@Dom –
Manic emotions, bombastic cheesy music, production values that England should be ashamed of, and bad writing is the norm for most of the nuWho.
There are occasional exceptions though — all of Eccleston’s episodes, and the Billy Piper & David Tennant episodes from Tennant’s reign.
I just watched the Easter special (the bus on the desert planet) last night, and Tennant was sleepwalking through his role. Obviously bored. And who wouldn’t have been, with such a lame story to perform.
Apparently the next season will be under entirely new leadership, so there’s a chance the show may improve or be a different beast altogether.
IMO they need to raise their production values, in every area, to American levels. Doctor Who should look at least as good as Dollhouse — and should have a full writing staff, not just one writer thinking he’s being clever. No more overacting. And most of all they need to decide if they are making a children’s show or not, because while the dumb/manic/bombastic/cheesy elements may be fine for children, it is irritating to adults. I vote for “not”.
#30) While a full-blown, big-budget Dr. Who would be the stuff of legends, I think its those cheaper production costs that keep the show on the air (check out my #8 post).
Here’s what I see going on in general.
With each new American genre show pushing the production value\cost envelope out further and further, and networks scaling back their air-time margins further and further, is it really any wonder that networks are dropping them left and right? From the networks’ standpoint, they’re just trying to make quick ROI from their air-time to justify the steep purchasing costs associated with genre shows. That’s why they have no problem screwing with program scheduling to jockey for optimum exposure at the SLIGHTEST deviation in their forecasting for a show. And if said tinkering should kill the show in the process? Well, the show wasn’t performing as projected – and in the networks’ eyes – no big whoop. It was just business.
I don’t see all of this as an issue of blame, but rather as signs of change in the industry that up and coming genre showrunners need to be aware of. The MORE you depend on the sleeker, shinier, more bombastic, Michael Bay-ish spectacle for your audience draw, the LESSER margin for error you have with the big networks.
The days when a major network could shoulder the extra expense to develop an audience are over – you either NAIL IT out the gate (Heroes, Lost, etc…), or get shipped to the glue factory (Sarah Connor, Dollhouse, Kings).
I think that it’s an interesting time to be in the business, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw genre showrunners in the near future adapt leaner production models to coincide with the changing times.
Crap shows stay on the air as long as they do because crap is cheap – and on the air is where there going to stay until creative people can LITERALLY give them a run for their money.
-24thCRS!!
XD!
To those who are claiming sci-fi shows are failing because the “public” doesn’t appreciate stories with depth… come on. The shows in question may be trying to play with bigger themes, but they haven’t succeeded and are overall mediocre. There’s tons of mediocre TV shows on the air, but the difference is that these aren’t performing for their networks. Sci-fi will always be a niche unless it successfully taps into universal human themes. This requires, at its foundation, talented writers, actors, and directors, moreso than a real-world show, because each of them has to find the real within the fantastic. It’s hard to do sci-fi well, but when it is… it’s the best kind of storytelling. Keep trying, Hollywood!
LOST is going to air on Tuesdays, right after V! Sweet!
Great programming block! Thank you ABC!!
Dollhouse? Gone.
Sarah Connor? Gone.
Supernatural? On its last season.
Fringe? On the rocks.
And yet… Smallville lumbers on. It’s criminal, I tells ya.
I had this great rant about Dollhouse and TSCC and various other things all ready in my mind…
…then I saw Howard in the tub with Kattee Sackhoff, and my brain leaked out my right ear.
ROFL!!!
God I love Big Bang Theory!
#13
Yep, got the DVD of it next to all my other Galactica box sets. :)
I know its a moot point because ratings are the only thing that matter, but I think the genre is at a disadvantag because its viewers are often tech savvy and thus will find their shows through different mediums. I mean, take one look at a torrent site and the top searches are always sci-fi shows like SGU, flash forward, etc.
Its a bummer, but the fact is that these viewers use the internet to watch TV, and until the networks start using it, they wont have successful shows.
(Waiting for everyone to roll their eyes)
I’m gonna miss Eastwick, Its silly, funny and much less depressing than most of the stuff on TV. . . At the very least it made great Weekend TV.
Also, it just started here, so do overseas sales matter at all to TV production?
#38
From what I know, while film production now has to factor in global tastes and performance as a good deal of grosses come from overseas, television production is still much more American-centered. Sales to international markets are generally made after or concurrently with the initial run, if they bother at all… a lot of times other languages only get the episodes once there’s enough to sell to syndication (essentially that precludes the nonpopular shows that can’t get to around 100 eps.)
#34 Me thinks there are some powerful Hollywood charactors who love Superman & Smallville, and this helps keep it alive. Look at the producer credits on Smallville : Joe Devola: Who was a charactor in an old episode of Seinfeld, Joe Devola. Who loves Superman & I bet loves Smallville. Jerry Seinfeld. Just a theory.
I think these sci fi shows have to take a leaf out of Buffy’s book and wrap each season up in an arc so that if the show gets cancelled, while there are plot threads that could be carried over, fans don’t feel cheated. I’ll admit, some cliffhangers are awesome (Millennium series 2 – WOW; TNG series 3 – yowser) but most networks don’t care about intelligent shows – it’s all a numbers game – and too many shows get cancelled up in the air.
I love SGU, Dollhouse is intriguing, Defying Gravity is great fun (it’s problem is mixing chick-flick relationship stuff in with cerebral science stuff, and complex flashbacks so that it’s audience has to be pretty sophisticated) but tehy’re just not dumb enough for the masses. Warehouse 13 is bubble gum sci fi but I suppose it appeals to a broad audience.
I also find modern Dr Who too manic and self-congratulatory but the better episodes have been awesome. I prefer longer stories (2 parters but longer like Torchwood Children of Earth even better). I’ll be happy if they alternate the format with one year of 13 episodes followed by a year of four longer specials.
I’ve been loving Fringe. Not only have the sci-fi concepts been done well, but the humanity written into the characters is outstanding.
For me, one of the best nu-Who episodes is one of the cheapest: Blink! It has the added bonus that David Tennant’s Doctor is barely in it (and when he is he’s awful!) It was a simple idea very well executed. The same goes for The Girl in the Fireplace!
If anything, what’s made nu-Who so crassly, campily OTT is that they’re throwing ***too much*** money at it!
Very happy that Chuck is up to 19 episodes now.