In Sci-Fi TV this week we start off with a ‘report card’ on what genre shows are coming back, cancelled or ‘on the bubble’. We also have big casting news for both Lost and Fringe (Nimoy!) and more genre show updates. Plus lots of new images and video previews for your favorite shows, including a new Doctor Who Season sneak peek.
SCI-FI TV RENEWAL REPORT CARD
We’re just about three months away from the May upfronts, which are usually the final say with regards to whether or not a show will be renewed, so we thought it would be a great time to check in on the status of the various sci-fi/genre TV shows on broadcast, cable and syndication (Note: This report covers ONLY current programming). In addition to our own analysis, we’re using five additional sources: SCI FI Wire | THR | SpoilerTV | TV by the Numbers | EW.
Legend: Green = Renewed;
Blue = On the Bubble or Likely Renewed / Likely Canceled; Red = Canceled/Ending.
ABC
- Eastwick [Canceled]
- Lost [Ending]
Series finale airing Sunday, May 23rd. - FlashForward [Could go either way]
Had a strong start (12.5 million viewers and a 4.0 A18-49 rating), but went out on a low note (down nearly 50% to a 2.1 A18-49 rating for episode 10). Despite those weak ratings — and three separate episode cuts; from 25 to 23 to 22 plus a change of showrunner three times — if it can show some consistency when it returns from its extended hiatus this March 18th, it has a shot at being renewing. However, if it continues to fall, it won’t be back next season. I’d put its chances at about 50/50. Average Audience (10 episodes): 9.2M viewers and a 2.9 A18-49 rating. - V [Could go either way]
The situation for "V" is very similar to that of "FlashForward", in that it had a very strong start (14.3M viewers and a 5.2 A18-49 rating), but immediately saw an audience tune-out (episode 4 drew 9.3M viewers and a 3.1 A18-49 rating). But given its short "pod" season, you can basically throw away past performances. If it holds steady when it returns on March 18th, it has a good shot. Average Audience (4 episodes): 10.9M viewers and a 3.8 A18-49 rating. - Better Off Ted [Likely Canceled]
ABC gave it a surprising renewal last season, but ratings have not grown this season (in fact they’ve sank further). Add in lead stars Jay Harrington and Andrea Anders have both joined separate pilots and "Better Off Ted" has virtually zero chance at returning for a third season.
CBS
- Ghost Whisperer [Likely Renewed] & Medium [Could Go Either Way]
Both "Ghost Whisperer" & "Medium" continually to lead their respective Friday night time slots, but it’s hard to say whether CBS is totally satisfied with their performances (usually around the 2.0-2.5 A18-49 rating range) even on Friday night. At this moment I’d say "Ghost Whisperer" is probably a safer bet for renewal, whereas "Medium" (which if you recall CBS brought over from NBC after it was canceled) could go either way.
FOX
- Past Life [Canceled]
Poor ratings (including a 1.1 A18-49 rating for the most recent episode) has forced a quick cancellation. The remaining episodes are expected to run later in the season. - Fringe [Likely Renewed]
There’s no doubt ratings for "Fringe" have gone down significantly from last season, but after a recent push and strong lead-in support from "Bones", the show looks like a safe bet for renewal. After all you have to give it credit for not getting lost in its heavily competitive time slot which includes "Grey’s Anatomy", "CSI", "Supernatural", "The Office" and "30 Rock". Having recently hit a post-season premiere high not too long ago — with a 2.6 A18-49 rating — also helps its chances. - Human Target [Could Go Either Way]
Fox’s adaptation of the comic "Human Target" had a soft debut (10.1M and a 2.9 A18-49 rating), but has held relatively stable in the ratings (with the exception of last week’s episode which went up against Olympic coverage on NBC and drew just 7.2M viewers and a 2.1 A18-49 rating). Fox’s development status will play a large part in their decision making.
NBC
- Heroes [Could Go Either Way]
Based on ratings alone, it’s clearly evident that "Heroes" does not deserve to be renewed (the season finale drew just 4.4M viewers and a 2.0 A18-49 rating). However, because NBC is in such poor shape they could end up renewing it. It’s probably a safe bet that even if it does get renewed it would likely be for a shortened season. - Chuck [Likely Renewed]
"Chuck" has actually managed to out-rate "Heroes" recently, coming back after an extended hiatus with a strong season three premiere of 7.45 million viewers and a 2.9 A18-49 rating. There has been a slide in the weeks since (6.6M viewers and a 2.2 A18-49 rating for episode six), but I still give it a good shot at being renewed especially with NBC’s weakened status.
The CW
- The Vampire Diaries [Renewed]
Network’s highest-rated series. Ratings started strong (4.9M viewers and a 2.1 A18-49 rating) and have remained solid. - Supernatural [Renewed]
Does well enough in a tough time slot. - Smallville [Likely To Be Renewed]
Most expected this ninth season of "Smallville" to be its last, but now it appears likely it’ll be back for a 10th season. The show has managed to hold onto a core audience on what is a very hard night to attract viewers.
Syfy
- "Eureka" [Renewed] & "Warehouse 13" [Renewed]
Syfy’s highest rated dramas both return this summer with their respective fourth and second seasons. - Stargate SGU [Renewed]
The weakest of any of the "Stargate" series in terms of ratings, but it was solid enough to receive an early second season renewal. - Sanctuary [Renewed]
Ratings haven’t been high, but the show is presumably not very expensive and it has shown solid retention from lead-in "Stargate Universe" so a renewal by Syfy for a third season wasn’t too surprising. - Caprica [Could Go Either Way]
In all honesty, "Caprica" doesn’t deserve to be renewed. It started off weak with 1.6M viewers and a 0.5 A18-49 rating and hasn’t shown any improvement, dropping to a horrible 1.1M viewers and a 0.4 A18-49 rating for episode three. However, Syfy says they are committed to the show despite low ratings, no doubt hoping for increased exposure for the network from critics (ala "Battlestar Galactica"). The problem, however, is that "BSG" was considerably stronger than "Caprica" has shown to be and remained very consistent in its early seasons (managing to even grow its audience over its first season). Recently, Syfy told Airlock Alpha that they were "with Caprica for the long haul". It’s safe to say that in normal situations "Caprica" would be a goner. But these are not normal situations, which means "Caprica" has a better than 50/50 chance of being renewed and Syfy won’t put much emphasis on ratings when they make their decision.
FX
- Archer [Renewed]
FX recently renewed the half-hour animated spy series for a second season.
Cartoon Network
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars [Likely Renewed]
Now in its second season, ‘Clone Wars’ is a solid performer for Cartoon Network. The show debuted with 2.6M viewers and subsequent episodes have drawn within that range, all of which include strong deliveries in key demos (particularly kids 6-11). - Ben 10: Alien Force [Likely Renewed]
The same holds true for "Ben 10: Alien Force", which also averages strong deliveries for kids 6-11.
SYNDICATION
- Legend of the Seeker [Likely Renewed]
You don’t hear much about syndicated dramas these days, but looking strictly at its ratings — an average 2nd season audience of 2.4M viewers — "Legend of the Seeker’s" chances for renewal are very good.
GENRE TV NEWS
Maggie Grace (Shannon) returning to Lost + more updates
If you’ve seen last week’s episode of "Lost", you know that we learned more details about the numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42). Turns out the numbers correspond to a list of Jacob’s "candidates" that are next in line to "protect the island". Here’s a quick rundown of who each number belongs to:
No. 4: John Locke, claimed by Jacob after falling out of a window
No. 8: Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, claimed by Jacob in the backseat of a car
No. 15: James "Sawyer" Ford, claimed by Jacob at his father’s funeral
No. 16: Sayid Jarrah, claimed by Jacob right before Nadia was hit by a car
No. 23: Jack Shephard, claimed by Jacob at a vending machine
No. 42: "Kwon," claimed by Jacob at their wedding…but which one?! Is it Jin or Sun?!
With regards to what to expect in upcoming episodes, E! Online reports that the Flash-Sideways characters will start to regain memories of their time on the island. Meanwhile, Jorge Garcia (Hurley) and Michael Emerson (Ben) told E! Online that several characters will die by the end of the season:
In casting news, executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have confirmed that Maggie Grace is returning to reprise her role as Shannon:
“We’re really excited about having her back on the show,” says Cuse, “and we have a good story for her.” The producers would not specify how many episodes she would appear in.
In other casting news, Samm Levine recently revealed to TV Guide Magazine that he wrapped a guest spot on the final season, while Andrew Gabriel, who played Sayid’s (Naveen Andrews) dead wife Nadia, will also return. Lastly, ABC has issued press releases for the next two episodes which you can check out here (6×05 – "Lighthouse") and here ("6×06 – "Sundown"). "Lost" airs Tuesday night’s at 9:00 on ABC.
Episode 6×05 – "Lighthouse" [more at The ODI]
Promo for episode 6×05 – "Lighthouse" [YouTube]
Sneak peek at "Lighthouse" [YouTube]
Watch another clip here
Jorge Garcia talking about his character Hurley in the episode "Lighthouse" [YouTube]
Watch two more SoundBites with Terry O’Quinn (John Locke) here and Matthew Fox (Jack Shephard) here
Leonard Nimoy Returning to Fringe + Kristin Kreuk to guest star?
As previously announced, Leonard Nimoy will be returning to "Fringe" to reprise his role as William Bell, but now we have a few more details. According to CinemaSpy, Nimoy will return for either episode 21 or 22 (the season finale) to participate in the season finale storyline. Producers are hoping to film in New York and the script reportedly features a BMW 12 Series. That’s significant because the 12 series doesn’t exist in BMW’s line, so this episode will presumably take place again in the alt universe. In related casting news, CinemaSpy reports that Kristin Kreuk ("Smallville") who is currently guest-starring on NBC’s "Chuck" is reportedly in "late negotiations" to guest star on "Fringe". Kreuk would appear in the episode entitled "Northwest Passage".
Secrets of Fringe: The Observers [YouTube]
The CW Renews Vampire Diaries & Supernatural (but Kripke out)
The CW has given early renewals to its Thursday night dramas "Supernatural" and "The Vampire Diaries". The renewal for "The Vampire Diaries" isn’t surprising given the show is easily the network’s highest-rated, but a renewal for "Supernatural" was less certain. Ratings have been okay (slightly below last season save for a few key demos), but more importantly creator/showrunner Eric Kripke had previously said that his plan has always been for a 5-year show. With that in mind, Kripke will not be the showrunner next season. Instead, executive producer Sera Gamble (who has been with the show since its first season) will take on the daily showrunner status. But, Kripke will remain with the show and work "very closely" with Gamble and the rest of the show’s creative team. Fellow co-showrunner Robert Singer will also continue to function along with Kripke as a hands-on executive producer:
"We’re climaxing that story this season. We’ve been working on the Season 6 storyline for quite some time, and we’re very excited about it. We have lots of ideas, and are grateful for the chance to keep the show going," Gamble said.
In casting news, E! Online reports that it’s currently unknown if Misha Collins will return to reprise his role as Castiel in the sixth season:
Sources close to the CW Award-winning Best Supporting Actor are "hopeful" that Misha will be asked back for season six, but as of right now, folks close to the recurring player are in the same holding pattern as the rest of us.
News about whether or not we’ll get more Misha should come down over the coming weeks and months as the writing staff sorts out storylines for season six.
Meanwhile in other news, producers of the show are looking for a 40-50 year-old actor to play Pestilence. This latest Horsemen is described as "quirky, unassuming and highly intelligent".
Promo for Supernatural episode 5×15 – "Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid" [YouTube]
Behind the scenes with Jim Beaver (Bobby) [YouTube]
New web-based sci-fi series Trenches launches
"Trenches", a new web-based sci-fi series, has launched at Crackle.com. The show’s first four webisodes premiered last Tuesday and the fifth webisode will be released online tomorrow (February 22nd). Check out a trailer below and head on over to the site’s main page to watch the series.
NEW IMAGES
Doctor Who
Promotional stills [Digital Spy]
V
Cast promotional image [SpoilerTV]
NEW VIDEOS
Caprica
Interview with Alessandra Torresani [SCI FI Wire]
Promo: "The Caprica City Buccaneers" [SCI FI Wire]
Season five trailer [Blogtor Who]
FlashForward
Sneak peek at episode 1×11 – "Buddha in Ruins" [YouTube]
Smallville
Episode 9×15 – "Conspiracy" [YouTube]
Watch another promo here
TV BITES
- The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films announced the nominations for the "36th Annual Saturn Awards", and ABC’s "Lost" received the most nominations for a TV show with eight. HBO’s "True Blood" followed with five nominations, followed by "Fringe" and "Doctor Who" (3 each) and 2 each for "Chuck", "Heroes" and "The Ghost Whisperer". [Saturn Awards]
- NBC may resurrect Steven Spielberg’s "Nine Lives". Originally green lit by Syfy (then SCI FI Channel) four years ago as a 12-hour miniseries, the project "revolves around a group of people who find a way to reunite with their loved ones in the afterlife through near-death experiences, but those journeys unleash an evil force". Original writer Les Bohem will rework the script for a broader broadcast audience and NBC will make a decision after reading the latest draft… [THR]
- …Meanwhile Spielberg is in negotiations to join the Fox drama project "Terra Nova", a Dinosaur-based time travel series about a family from 100 years in the future traveling back in time 150 million years to prehistoric Earth. The proposed TV series hasn’t received a green light yet, but given its expensive nature due to elaborate sets and vfx, it’s expected to be green lit directly into series production rather than just a pilot because it would be too expensive to shut down and start up again. [Variety]
- The recently released "Doctor Who" season five trailer (watch it here) will be playing in 3D theaters in the UK attached to screenings of Tim Burton’s "Alice in Wonderland". [Digital Spy]
- "Chuck" writer Ali Adler revealed that episode 3×17 will be called "Chuck vs. the Living Dead"… [Ali Adler via ChuckTV.net]
- …In related news, NBC has released the official synopses for episode eight ("Chuck vs. the Fake Name") and nine ("Chuck vs. the Beard"). [ChuckTV.net & ChuckTV.net]
- Two characters on "Smallville" will discover each others’ secret identities this season… [EW]
- …meanwhile Allison Mack (Chole) says that even though her character will be back at the Daily Planet this season, she won’t be behind a desk: "I think the journalist in Chloe is something that she finds in her work at Watch Tower now," Mack says. [TV Guide]
- "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" will be available to Canadian fans on iTunes Canada starting on Monday, February 22nd. The store will have all 22 episodes of season one and the first 14 episodes of season two upon launch, with new episodes made available the day after their airing on Teletoon… [StarWars.com]
- …In other news, Hasbro revealed their action figure collection over the weekend at Toy Fair, and it includes 12 figures from the first two seasons. [via Star Wars Blog]
More figures at Star Wars Blog Flickr
CASTING BITES
- Maggie Q is in talks to play the title role in The CW’s "Nikita" reboot. [THR]
- "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star Wil Wheaton is reprising his role as Evil Wil Wheaton on the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory". [Wil Wheaton]
- Brandon Routh’s final appearance on "Chuck" this season will be in episode 13, his 8th episode. [SpoilerTV]
SCI-FI RATINGS (Based on final national numbers unless otherwise noted) [@TravisYanan]
CHART (2/8/2010 to 2/14/2010)
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Follow Russ on his blog: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow.
Not sure what they were thinking on that Doctor Who trailer. Yikes.
Aww man, I seriously don’t know if I’m ever gonna get over David Tennant’s replacement for the part of the Doctor. Eehh.. Well… S’pose I’ll get used to the new guy eventually.
Yay, Fringe! I’d love to see Fringe, Heroes (please, please, have to know the effects of Claire putting herself (and everyone else) out there!! and about Sylar!!), and maybe V and FlashForward get renewed. That would be awesome.
Why would anyone renew SG-U?
# 1 Agreed. It looks like it’s been retooled into an advertisement hocking toys to children! Eeesh! I miss Tennant already!
I’m glad SyFy is committed to Caprica. I hope that sticks and if it ends in a short run they give the crew time to do some kind of fitting finale to link it with BSG.
Yeah it doesn’t make much sense.
The DW trailer, I mean.
Looks like the TARDIS has locked onto the cheese dimension. Ah well.
I am really tired of Heroes. It’s just so aimless most of the time. Maybe they should do a FINAL chapter. I might watch that. I’m super glad Lost is wrapping up… plus, it’s really cool this season.
I’m a bit sad that Caprica isn’t performing as well. I find it a very very very good show ! Regardless, SGU is probably the worse of the stargate franchise spin-offs , but for some odd reason, they’ve been renewed for a 2nd season.
What the hell is that ?
Not to mention that SGU is such a copier of Lost/BSG/Voyager !!!! Not even original !!!!!!!
I think Caprica is a good show, but is it really a Syfy show? It seems better suited for HBO or FX. It has more in common with the Sopranos than it does with BSG
I absolutely think Caprica is sci fi. Not in the usual space opera sense of aliens and spaceships (which I love–huge B5 fan), but more in the realm of Gattaca or Blade Runner. At base sci fi is “what if” with a grounding in scientific reality. As for what Sy Fy is, only the f-heads at NBC-Uni have any idea of what that is (Yeah, I’m talkin’ at YOU Jeff *ucker).
I cannot imagine Caprica being renewed. Come on, people! The last episode was mostly about a talk show, and the biggest drama was that Zoe’s parents are starting a charity. OOOhhhhh…wow! What drama!
I really liked BSG, but Caprica has already lost me. I like Zoe, even as the Cylon, but the dancing scene felt like they were trying way too hard. The rest, not trying hard enough.
Seriously…a talk show and a charity. The subplot with Amanda (in danger? or not?) didn’t have any drama or depth.
It’s a boring show with great actors, interesting production designs, and lousy writing.
@ Anthony
Sure its “sci-fi”. It clearly explores sci-fi concepts. These sci-fi concepts don’t need to be wrapped up in typical stereotypical space ships and laser guns, like you would see in Star Trek or Galactica.
Your argument completely falls apart. The term “sci-fi” has been used soo irrationally nowdays.
In conclusion, Caprica is a sci-fi show. Its just a more down to earth version, completely grounded in reality. You’ll notice the producers use technology seen in our generation, like ground cars and cell phones, etc… Instead of high-tech stuff you would see from a civilization only 40 years away from light-speed space traveling. The idea of the show is to ground it in our reality. But IT IS a sci-fi show !
my argument? not sure what you are talking about. just noting that the show may not be the best fit for the demographics of the new ‘syfy’ network. I think it would work better on a more adult oriented network like hbo, FX, AMC, etc
jeez
I’m glad that “Chuck” and “Fringe” are “likely” to be renewed. I love those shows!
I hope that “V” and “FlashForward” make it. They are good and deserve a chance to gain an audience.
I’m sad about “Better Off Ted”. I really love that show! It’s a hoot!!
Your argument was that caprica isn’t completely sci-fi, thats why ppl aren’t watching it much on the sci-fi channel, therefor it should be on HBO or something.
thats actually a argument, with a claim, grounds and warrant
I’m not being an ass… I’m just trying to set the facts straight.
but… BattleStar galactica was a more adult-oriented show, but it wasn’t really on a adult oriented network.
Anyways… wtv.
read what i wrote again, i never said it wasn’t sci-fi, i was talking about the style of the show the themes, i said ‘syfy’ not ‘sci-fi’
relax, cupcake, i like the show
@ Anthony
I never knew you were referring to the tv channel. That was useless few posts, lol.
Canadians get the ‘Space’ Channel.
So glad that Fringe is now considered a fairly safe bet for renewal (I’ve read that on other sites as well), because I know it was kind of iffy at one point and it’s such a kick-ass awesome show.
Yeah, that Doctor Who trailer is… interesting. The bits at the beginning and end where we just see Matt Smith being fairly normal and Doctor-y are fine, though; I think he’ll be okay once we get used to him.
I like how Caprica “could go either way” because it had low ratings for the pilot. I think that the pilot got poor ratings for 2 reasons: 1) Syfy put it out on DVD months before it aired so anyone who seriously wanted to see it bought or rented it and watched it ahead of time and felt that they didn’t have to watch it when it first aired. AND they put it on Hulu and Syfy Rewind and made sure people knew they could watch it there. 2) It’s in one of those deadly Friday time slots where sci-fi shows go to get cancelled (Smallville is an exception, but remember Enterprise?).
The Doctor Who trailer’s odd visual style makes sense in context (since it’s designed to be seen in 3-D on a big screen, naturally it’s all things popping out of other things and little bits flying everywhere) but it does make for a heavily stylized promo …
That said, it makes me smile. Looking forward to this next stage for the show, and hoping for the best. Plus, Amy Pond’s a bit adorable.
I love Caprica, It is one of the best dramas i’ve seen in a long time, but they need to beef up the sci-fi a bit.
I liked Eastwick, it was fun, oh well . And Medium is way better than Ghost Whisperer IMHO.
But really, SGU is getting another season? Really?
I wonder how many shows will have come and gone by this time next year?
And I wonder how many of them will be fondly remembered? 2010 / 2011 looks bleak for tv.
#8 :: Yeah, I agree, I’d like a Final chapter. Just not a cancellation before a wrap-up! That would be really disappointing…
I think it is safe to assume that shows like “Stargate Universe”, “Heroes” and “Caprica” will all be renewed. Remember, the standards of success are a lot lower on Sy-Fy and NBC than most other networks. “Heroes” would have been pulled at the end of last season if it was airing on FOX, ABC or CBS. But since its on NBC, the low numbers its getting is considered good by NBC’s standards. Which isn’t saying much. “Fringe”, which is doing better in the ratings and is a better show, is facing cancellation because it isn’t meeting FOX’s bar in regards to what it considers a success. I think “Fringe” will be back, but you never know because money plays a part as well.
I think Caprica’s certainly got enough sci-fi.
Unless, by “sci-fi,” you mean spaceships and explosions, in which case I guess you have a point at the expense of sounding narrow-minded.
Yes, Warehouse 13!!! Best show next to trek of course!
Uhm, “Trenches” isn’t new. It’s been around for over a year. I first heard about it back in the beginning of 2008 when I spoke with the folks at Digital 9 about developing web series. (never went anywhere, but…)
It’s new to Crackle, which seems to be the new place for web shows to appear. It will be interesting to see what develops over there.
I love Fringe! Glad it’s considered a safe bet for renewal! I think that it just needs time to get an audience. There is a lot of potential for this show. As long as it doesn’t go the way of Heroes, it will be great! And speaking of Heroes… I hope that it gets a short season to wrap up the story-line that it started. Sad that it fell so far from grace.
Do Dr. Who and Bill Nye the Science Guy share wardrobes?
Thank god, no more Lost.
That series ‘lost’ me at the end of its first season, it was a total WTF fest. I’m all for series’ that play with my mind and make me think, but lost was too much.
The fact that I’m a huge Evangelion fan even though its been 15 years (It debuted in Japan in 1995 and I watched in my high school anime club as it was being aired with bootleg subtitled tapes of the broadcast recordings) and I still haven’t figured out what everything means should tell that (For those that like Mind Frack shows, watch Neon Genesis Evangelion, its THE anime that defined big robot anime, and love it or hate it, it will make you go WTF).
I seriously hope they renew Caprica, I like what I’ve seen, and I have always loved Moore’s work.
Why renew SGU when they could have received the exact same result by broadcasting an hour of static.
I think people are expecting too much out of Caprica due to BSG, which is expected and acceptable in my opinion, but as a series so far it is growing in story. First episode I was intrigued, second one was not so hot, but the third kicked it up a notch, especially the ending.
Season 2.0 of BSG, specifically a scene with Lee Adama and Pegasus, was what got me into the story. I had to go back and watch it up to season 3 once that aired. So with that said Caprica has a green light until Season 2 for me.
It does get a bit frustrating to relate to some school girls in the story though. I’m hoping the focus is shifted from the kids to the real culprits very soon, leaving Lacee and Zoe Avatar alone for their own stories together. Joseph Adama is proving to be quite the character depicted by Romo Lampkin in BSG.
The show has it’s moments of mediocrity but I’m hooked until the credibility ship sinks…
I could do for less shows like Medium and Fringe and other supernatural shows. To me they’re fantasy, not science fiction. Not that fantasy doesn’t have its place, i’d just like to see less of it on tv until society is better able to distinguish real science from pseudoscience.
Not that science fiction isn’t filled with pseudoscience already….
Caprica should build a bigger audience over time, I would think. I’m glad the network is committed to it.
Supernatural is tops in my book on The CW, although I like Vampire Diaries, too. Glad to hear that series creator Eric Kripke will still be involved with Supernatural.
I just wish Eastwick would return on a new network. The actress who played Kat is just so hot.
I agree with 21, put the Doctor Who trailer into context, 3D, and it works well. Thats said, I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the new series, with an excellant new show runner and an excellant new cast! Bring it on!
Guys who are finding it hard to get over David Tennant’s departure, you do now there were nine Doctors before him.
It’s been part of the tradition of Doctor Who that he keeps changing due to regeneration, which is a great concept to get around an actor change and to make each incarnation unique.
I loved David Tennant but I also did love the past actors as well. From what I have seen I feel I am going to like Matt Smith. I even heard a rumour his Doctor might harken back to Patrick Troughton, who was great Doctor.
I am a huge fan of Tom Baker as the Doctor, but love them all, even Paul McGann.
so fing sick of the nitpicking
Trenches may have been announced and even shot a long time ago, but it didn’t premiere until just a few days ago, so it is ‘new’
this article has more
http://newteevee.com/2010/02/12/trenchess-3-year-quest-toward-crackle-distribution/
My message about Caprica seems to have been deleted, it was not linked to my last message so a bit weird.
Anywho I was saying that I am a fan of BSG so have been giving Caprica a try but have to admit I don’t think it is as good. I will stay with it though as I am still a fan of Ron D Moore, was one of my fav writers on Trek.
I have to admit if they cancel FlashForward I won’t be shedding a tear, I have got fed up with the show as the premise and characters has now lost its appeal on me, none of the characters are likeable in my opinion.
Does anyone feel that sci fi dram has become too gritty these days that they are void of humour?
I am looking forward to seeing Season 2 of Warehouse 13, one show from last year I really loved. Chuck is great fun.
It’s always interesting how shows get cancelled and saved.
I’m of two minds… with shows like “SGU” they clearly haven’t delivered the quality of the previous shows, but then again… look at any Star Trek first season and then their seventh season. It’s pretty much across-the-board improvement to the point that I can understand why no one would have watched it when it premiered. I’m not sure if it’s just it takes the writers a while to figure out what’s going on, but where possible I prefer shows to be given a chance to grow, and hopefully that will happen with SGU (and it will take advantage of that opportunity.)
Hopefully Caprica will survive. To my mind it’s more ‘proper’ science fiction than a lot of shows: it’s speculative fiction looking at a race not dissimilar to ours that’s maybe 30-40 years more advanced (no counting the issue that they’ve got 12 habitable planets that logically would have to have been terraformed or heated by advanced solettas to have sufficient distance from one another to avoid collision!)
Caprica is meant to be a soap opera of sorts with the twist that it’s treating the likes of the Holoband as normally as characters in Dynasty or Dallas would treat a telephone or 4:3 television.
As for Doctor Who, I hated Tennant’s and Eccleston’s portrayals, although I also blame a certain former head writer, who was more interested in creating his own TV show and hijacked Doctor Who to do it, for that more than the actors. And before anyone starts talking about RTD’s ‘quirky, clever’ universe or whatever other ridiculous hyperbole they like to come up with, most of the clever, quirky aspects were already there from the previous 26 years of the show and 15 years of novels and audio plays. What else RTD added was mostly ‘in homage’ to (ie nicked wholesale from) Douglas Adams and the Grant Naylor team!
It’s also nice to hear Matt Smith speaking more normally and not sounding like a Salford dole-scum or an Estuary wideboy. The Doctor’s a Time LORD, after all, not a Time Chav! Looks like his companion’s got a bit of class too, after the guttersnipes and freaks who’ve polluted the TARDIS since the ‘nu’ show started!
Fringe is great. Looking forward to getting my season two Blu-rays: loved season one!
Never heard of Trenches and the link doesn’t work, so I looked up the home page on Yahoo. Thanks for the info. I’ll keep an eye out!
Rosario,
Just curious – is the new show “Past Life” not tallied as a “Sci Fi” show? Or did it simply fall too low to show on the list?
40
I was not a fan of a lot of the writing of Russell T Davies. He had some great moments but then he often layered loads of silliness in between.
I am looking forward to Stephen Moffett’s tenre, I am hoping some more old school Who is here this time.
Fox can’t possibly consider canceling Human Target! The ratings are consistently strong, and ALL of Fox’s one-hr dramas are getting a bit long in the tooth! 24 in its 9th! season??? Bones in its 5th? House? What is it?? 7th? Prison Break is gone, AND Dollhouse was finally euthanized…not to mention The Sarah Connor Chronicles fiasco!!!!! Between Fringe and Lie to Me…Fox doesn’t have much of a strong slate of hour-long dramas to brag about! My guess is Human Target is a shoe-in for a renewal!
Caprica blows! I can’t stay awake to watch a whole episode in one sitting! I DVR it, then split it in half! Ugh!!! “in for the long haul”??? Equates with WE SIGNED A PAY OR PLAY CONTRACT WITH RONALD D MOORE SO HE WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP SHOWS FOR UNIVERSAL/SYFY AND NOT SOME OTHER NETWORK IN HOPES THAT ONE DAY WE WILL CAPTURE LIGHTENING IN A BOTTLE AND HAVE ANOTHER HIT A’LA BSG!!!!
“No. 42: “Kwon,” claimed by Jacob at their wedding…but which one?! Is it Jin or Sun?!”
Neither — it’s the baby. We just haven’t seen Jacob “claim” her yet.
42. captain_neill
Agreed. While I was originally somewhat surprised to see someone so young cast, Matt Smith seems to have something far more Doctor-ish about him than his most recent predecessors.
It feels really weird that The Doctor is now played by someone younger than me: given that Daniel Craig is unlikely to play Bond again, given the endless contractual mess, a la post-Licence to Kill, that Bond will once again be mired in following the collapse and sell-off of MGM, I’m looking at all my childhood heroes like Kirk, Spock, The Doctor and James Bond being played by people younger than me!
If Steven Moffatt can keep the plotting strong (a particular weakness in Doctor Who since JNT took charge) the new show could go from strength to strength. I’ve still yet to see a TV Doctor equal Tom Baker, Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell (although the tenth, ninth, eighth, seventh, fifth and sixth all had potential and were let down behind the scenes rather than it being any fault of the rather good actors who played them!) but I wish Matt Smith luck.
I can be scathing of nu-Who, but I will always give a revamped show a shot. I gave Eccleston and Tennant a fair go before walking away in disgust and I acknowledge Blink and The Girl in the Fireplace (ignoring the contractually-required, irritating companions who were superfluous to the story) as two of the best Who stories of any era.
That said, I’ve never considered Doctor Who to be sci-fi. At best, it’s science fantasy, but really it’s a fantasy horror show with a sense of humour!
Smallville is great! I hope they renew it.
SGU is a waste of time. There won’t be any more SG-1 and SGA movies, so at least for me the Stargate franchise is dead.
It’s funny how people seem to forget that Doctor Who is first and foremost a kids’ show (originally, anyways). The trailer is silly beyond compare, but whatt did you expect? It’s supposed to be for kids!
@42: Since you’re big on traditional Who, have you listened to any of the audio plays by Big Finish? They’re pretty awesome.
#47: Agreed. I particularly like “Circular Time” (the last story especially) for the 5th Doctor.
I have no problems with Smith or regeneration, and the other trailer looked great. I just think this current one is a really big misstep, between the swirly tornado of evil and the goofy pseudo-new-age music.
Anthony if you’re so sick of nitpicking why do you have a comments section on a STAR TREK site?
For those who are trashing Dr Who’s last incarnations, I’m curious if you go back and watch the old episodes. I was a big fan of Tom Baker less a fan of Peter Davidson, but the plots were frequently weak and repetitive with actors walking about in cheap sets with quizical looks for 5 minutes at a time. I’m guessing with that long of a continuous run you do from time to time expect that. I think there are some wonderful episodes that age really well (especially Hartnell era), but I’m finding alot of the episodes not living up to my childhood memories.
Regarding Syfi and Caprica, I like the fact that it is bucking the trend and going toward a higher quality of show that is less of an action-er. So long as it doesn’t result in weak ratings and the show getting killed off I’m all for it. Regarding the comparisons to Soprano’s. I always saw Battlestar Galactica as being in the same league as Rome…