The new wave of science fiction TV
POSTED BY: patsrule
UPDATED: Thursday, May 19, 2005 17:50
VIEWED: 5881
PAGE 3 of 3
Quote:
Originally posted by grendelsbayne:
Fox does have one coming out, called Darkside, about astronauts that disappear while tracking a strange signal coming from the dark side of the moon.
It appears that Fox passed on Darkside a while ago. Last week, they strangely released a list of the 22 "semi-finalist" series for their Fall/Winter 2005-6 schedule. Darkside was not listed. David Boreanez's pilot "Bones" is on the list and is rumored to be a probable for this fall (formal announcement Thursday morning). Sadly, rumors say that Briar & Graves will not make the cut (Miracles/Millennium type show with Elizabeth Rohm).
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/newswire.cgi?id=6897
The full list of Fall 2005 network shows can be found here:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/charts.cgi?id=primetime_grid
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mid season replacements include CBS "the Unit" Has Amy Acker!
yeah.
Visit WWW.Marillion.Com for a better way to live
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Zaptoit.com's from what we have seen summaries:
Invasion:
Anyone who's read Carl Hiaasen or Elmore Leonard knows that weird things tend to happen in Florida. Instead of playing that idea for laughs, though, "Invasion" goes for chills, and at first glance the show comes off as more intriguing than "Fathom," NBC's take on aliens (maybe) among us. Creator Shaun Cassidy is mining similar territory, at least in tone, to his underrated "American Gothic," and provided the execution is up to the level of the pilot clips, "Invasion" could pair well with "Lost." On the down side, the preview seemed to telegraph the identity of the villain, which isn't always the best idea in a mystery show.
Fathom:
Several people separately discover a new form of life living in the ocean. What is it, what's it doing there, and what are its intentions? The clips we saw don't really answer those questions, but in a way that makes us more intrigued, as does the fact that the creators of the underrated "G vs. E" are behind it. That said, though, "Fathom" doesn't immediately grab you by the collar the way that "Lost" did, and it's fuzzy as to how the main characters -- presented as being quite removed from one another -- will ever unify the plotline. We're hoping that watching the full pilot will answer some of those questions, but until we do that we'll reserve judgment.
Threshold:
This being the third aliens-are-coming preview we've seen this week (what hath "Lost" wrought?), "Threshold" feels less fresh than predecessors "Fathom" and "Invasion" -- but really, all three are somewhat diminished by their similarities. To sum up: Something weird has been discovered, it's affecting people in strange ways, and we're not sure what to do about it. The plus side for "Threshold," in addition to some good visual-effect work, is a very good cast that includes Carla Gugino, Charles S. Dutton and Peter Dinklage (at least in the pilot).
Supernatural:
Although the tag line for this pilot was "'The X-Files' meets 'Route 66,'" it's clear that writer David Kripke and executive producer McG are going less for spooky ambiance and more for out-and-out horror. The trailer did feature a couple of genuine chills, but it also featured the dark, dank lighting and jittery camera work that are becoming horror-movie cliches -- will people want to watch that every week, especially coming out of the decidedly more sunny "Gilmore Girls"? That will likely depend on the two leads, and Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, both WB veterans, acquit themselves pretty well.
The Night Stalker:
The original "Night Stalker," which starred Darren McGavin, is beloved by sci-fi fans, who will no doubt have a lot to say about the new version from "X-Files" veteran Frank Spotnitz. There seems to be a decidedly more sinister undercurrent to the new version, with reporter Frank Kolchak (Stuart Townsend) searching for clues to his wife's murder -- in which he's a prime suspect -- and uncovering ever-more bizarre things along the way. We were initially skeptical of the casting of Townsend, but it appears to be a decent choice after all, and Gabrielle Union is usually fun to watch.
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