Friday, November 06, 2009

What's on TV? Part 1: New Shows

Fall TV as it's known in the states, debuted about 6/7 weeks ago and it's time to examine what's working or what should't be on at all if necessary.

V [ABC]

I'm going to start with something that has just appeared right now on screens accross the globe - [well it was on ABC in the US on Tuesday and was on TV3 here last night] - I speak of the remake of the classic 1983 TV series V. A post 9/11 ultra-paranoid world in the grip of an economic crisis is the perfect time for the Vs to visit us again spreading messages of peace and change and offering universal healthcare [I'm not joking, they actually say it]. It borrows from its progenator in that it's not a special effects laden extravaganza but a fightening warning against misplaced devotion and I'll certainly be paying visits to it's subsequent 3 episodes before it goes to full series.

Starring: Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Scott Wolf and Morena Baccarin as Anna.

US ABC - Tuesday @ 20:00; EIRE TV3 - Thursday @ 22:00; UK SyFy Jan 2010

****1/2



Flashforward [ABC]

An order for a full 25 episodes means ABC feels good enough about Brannon Star Trek: Voyager Braga and David S. Blade Goyer's unique vision of a world in the aftermath of the greatest disaster in history and has also witnessed it's own future; specifically 137 seconds of what they will be doing on April 29th 2010. In the past few weeks FBI agent Mark Benford has set about uncovering evidence of the cause of the disaster, evidence he knows he will find because he's already seen it in the future, and may even be killed for it.

Starring: Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Sonya Walger, Jack Davenport and Courtney B. Vance as FBI Assistant Director Stanford Wedeck

US ABC - Thursday's @ 20:00; UK/EIRE Channel 5 - Monday @ 21:00

****1/2

NCIS: Los Angeles [CBS]

Airing right after the stalwart NCIS is its new spin off NCIS: Los Angeles. The series centers on the NCIS OSP - Office of Special Projects who assume false identities and utilise the most advanced technology to go deep undercover to apprehend dangerous criminals that pose a threat to national security. Special Agent: G. Callen is the undercover expert who together with Navy S.E.A.L. Iraq vet Special Agent Sam Hanna and their team put their lives on the line in the field to bring down their targets.

starring: Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J, Peter Cambor, Daniela Ruah and Linda Hunt as Operations Manager Henrietta "Hetty" Lange.

***1/2

US CBS Tuesday @ 21:00; US UK/EIRE Sky One, Wednesday @ 21:00


SGU: Stargate Universe [Syfy]

The 3rd series in one of the most enduring science fiction franchises ever. SGU is radically different from previous shows in that it's more like the premise of Star Trek: Voyager with the grittiness, darkness and reality of Battlestar Galactica but it's the Stargate setting that makes this work - as unlike Trek or BSG - no one here knows what the fuck is going on or how they're going to get home. 4 weeks in and they've only met one alien, they've not even found a single planet that looks like British Columbia! Brilliant! Big hiatus until Spring 2010 after episode 10 but that's a common thing now with Syfy's shows.

Starring: Robert Carlyle, Louis Ferreira, Brian J. Smith, David Blue, Alaina Huffman and guest starring Lou Diamond Philips as Colonel David Telford.

US SyFy, Friday 21:00; UK/EIRE Sky One, Tuesday @ 20:00


****


The Vampire Dairies [The CW]

Angsty diary-obsessed high school girl falls in love with brooding diary-obsessed vampire. This is everything Twilight seems to be, just on TV and everything True Blood isn't. This is what I was thinking of when I said "shouldn't be on TV at all" above. Avoid.

Starring: Who cares

*


6 comments:

Bruce Russell said...

-My wife and I were really excited about V, but both fell asleep midway through the first episode. We'll give it another try, and what we saw was OK, but I've always thought of this as more of a miniseries or movie idea.

-I've never seen an episode of any version of NCIS. Not my bag. Also, I've never seen a full episode of CSI, but did enjoy the parody of "this type of show" on this week's Supernatural, which was excellent. Seeing Sam and Dean spoof Caruso, brilliant.

-SGU is finding it's legs, but I like it so far. Lots of possibilities. I wish they'd kill off the commander. He's no Bill Adama, and his loss would open up some intriguing possibilities. I'd love the see the "crew" break down into factions and occupy different parts of the ship, and see how different groups are forced to interact with each other to survive as the ship continues onwards to infinity . . . AND BEYOND!!!

-Vampire Diaries is the right show at the right time on the right network, but for teen girls only, particularly the ones who love the current rash of moony vegetarian vampire books. I tried to watch it a few weeks ago. My eyes recently stopped bleeding.

-I'm sure glad The Venture Brothers are back.

-Cheap DS9 on iTunes: As the great man said, "as of now, constable, there are no low security areas on this station." I downloaded seasons 2 and 3 of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 from iTunes today. Yes, I have them all on DVD, but loaned them to my old university roommate years ago, and haven't seen them since. I hope they survived his divorce. Maybe someday I'll get a straight answer. Anyway, man, was that show the best or what?

Constance said...

Part of the problem I have with SGU is the communication via the stones. Need new leaders? Use the stones. Somebody sick and dying? Just pop a doctor in. Need some pop culture reference? Pop Eli into a skinny dude and send him out on the town.

vaughan said...

V is being shown on tv 3 two days after it's U.S broadcast which has to be some kind of record.

I had this discussion with the Colonel last night ...this version V kinda makes me hanker for the glory days of Marc Singer and ridiculously posed celebrity shots simply because this version feels so rushed "Aliens arrive and suddenly it's three weeks later!?!?!?!"
BTW can anyone explain to me how the f 18 pilot was killed and how no one noticed , The Colonel said he would and then said no more? He did try to explain why the planes crashed ( any aircraft that flew too close to the ships lost power) but by the reasoning of the show Los Angeles should have been have been covered in the Carnage of aircraaft fronm LAX.?

NCIS LA makes NCIS look like the wire, but lets face it NCIS LA makes JAG look like the godfather.

SGU....It's full of angst we get it but I don't know if it is such a good idea, as it is one of SYFYS lowest rated shows and the worst performer of the Stargate Franchise.

Vampire Diaries ..I never have any intention of ever watching this or any show that makes Vampires Romantic..I leave this to the realm of teenage Girl fantasies of Romance....hang on why is the Colonel watching this????

Constance said...

I seem to recall that Mark likes the Vampire stuff. (did anyone see SNL with Taylor Swift? HILARIOUS!) Maybe the Whooper is reviewing it for him. I will not be tuning in. I'm not even sure I'll be able to open my copy of Twilight after all the hoopla. I certainly didn't make it past the fifth page of Cirque du Freak (sorry, DS).

The tivo has recorded Supernatural for me, but I've not yet bothered to watch it. It's as if I have my own Electric Monk (and I just finished "And Another Thing").

I continue to watch SGU to see when it will get good. Plus, homerun on the Eli character. That's the best part of the series. I've no idea where they are going with the Rush character.

The Venture Brothers are even better this year than last.

Ad for V: Take a 2x4 and smack us over the head already. It's all exposition and let me tell you about the characters by using stereotypes. "Knee's a classic. Can't go wrong with the knee" I'm waiting for the white haired priest to bust out with "faith and begorrah" and dance a jig.

Gotta love the tiny news snippet of the scifi geeks arguing about Independence Day. It's the little things.

Also, Morena Baccarin is waaaaaay spooky. And speaking of old Firefly actors... where's the review of "Castle?"

Constance said...

and I still love the colonel's typos. The idea of a vampire dairy makes me giggle :)

Bruce Russell said...

Vampire Dairy! Tee-hee!