The new wave of science fiction TV by patsrule

OTHER SCIENCE FICTION SERIES

The new wave of science fiction TV

POSTED BY: PATSRULE
UPDATED: Thursday, May 19, 2005 07:50
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VIEWED: 4728
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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 7:53 AM

This coming fall, it looks like there will be a ton of new science fiction TV on the networks, in the wake of the success of Lost.

Invasion on ABC at 10:00 Wednesdays:
Following a violent tropical storm, a U.S. park ranger's (Eddie Cibrian) missing ex-wife is found naked and with no memory of how she got that way. Couple that withhis young daughter seeing some mysterious floating lights. The ranger starts to investigate and begins to uncover an alien conspiracy that has been spreading across the world for centuries.

Fathom on NBC at 8:00 Mondays:
A new form of sea life is popping up all over the world, from the South Antarctic Sea to San Diego to the Gulf of Mexico. The aquatic creatures look cute and innocent and kids love to play with them, but is something freakier afoot? An assortment of scientists and fishermen begin an investigation to find out if things are really better under the sea.

Threshold on CBS (I don't know the time yet):
about a team of scientists and military personnel communicating with an alien life-form.

Supernatural on WB at 9:00 Tuesdays:
Two brothers (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) travel the country in a '67 Ford Impala fighting supernatural forces and trying to find their missing father. (I think this may be a spinoff from Smallville but I am not sure)

I haven't seen anything yet from Fox or UPN, but they wouldn't shock me if they have a new alien show either.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 8:10 AM

STARPILOTGRAINGER

Huh. Threshhold could potentially be cool, have to see more about it. I'll probably watch Invasion just cause it'll be the same night as Lost and Alias.

The others don't grab me.

Star Pilot Grainger
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down."
LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/newnumber6 (real)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/alternaljournal (fictional, travelling through another world)
Unreachable Star: http://www.unreachablestar.net - Comics & SF News/Reviews/Opinions

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 8:27 AM

CHRISISALL

Supernatural sound interesting. And it has Jensen Ackles from DARK ANGEL!!!
I'm there.
I might check out Fathom, too.

More to cancel Chrisisall

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 8:34 AM

PATSRULE

Quote:
Originally posted by StarPilotGrainger:
I'll probably watch Invasion just cause it'll be the same night as Lost and Alias.

Actually, Lost is moving to 9:00 Wednesdays, and Alias is moving to 8:00 Thursdays.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 8:36 AM

STARPILOTGRAINGER

Quote:
Originally posted by patsrule:
Quote:
Originally posted by StarPilotGrainger:
I'll probably watch Invasion just cause it'll be the same night as Lost and Alias.

Actually, Lost is moving to 9:00 Wednesdays, and Alias is moving to 8:00 Thursdays.

Yeah, I found that out shortly after I posted when I went to go look up more info on the shows.

Oh well, works for me. I'll have something to watch on Thursdays to keep me from rotting my brain with Survivor.

Star Pilot Grainger
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down."
LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/newnumber6 (real)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/alternaljournal (fictional, travelling through another world)
Unreachable Star: http://www.unreachablestar.net - Comics & SF News/Reviews/Opinions

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 8:38 AM

the movie is not the Series. Only the facts have been changed, to irritate the innocent; the names of the actors and characters remain the same

Quote:
Originally posted by patsrule:
Two brothers travel the country in a '67 Ford Impala fighting supernatural forces

I'm afraid they've already Lost. In this universe the Impala was a Chevy.

Keep the Shiny Side Up . . . (wutzon) the Band, "When I Paint My Masterpiece", from "Bob Dylan: 30th Anniversary Concert"

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 11:56 AM

CHRISISALL

In Sliders didn't they go to a world where Ford made all of Chevy's cars?

Huh? Chrisisall

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 12:23 PM

SICKDUDE

Quote:
Originally posted by patsrule:
Actually, Lost is moving to 9:00 Wednesdays, and Alias is moving to 8:00 Thursdays.

I thought I read somewhere that that was just for the summer.

Also, as a proud owner of a '66 Buick Falcon, please don't pick on the under-appreciated Ford Impala...

"Don't say 'ka' until you've tried it." Daniel Jackson

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 12:45 PM

STARPILOTGRAINGER

Oh, and another thing I discovered was apparently that one of the main people behind 'Threshold' is Star Trek hackmeister Brannon Braga. So that's a little more liable to suck. Ah well, maybe the other writers on the series will be decent and he'll just provide some overall ideas.

Star Pilot Grainger
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down."
LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/newnumber6 (real)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/alternaljournal (fictional, travelling through another world)
Unreachable Star: http://www.unreachablestar.net - Comics & SF News/Reviews/Opinions

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 12:45 PM

RIVERGIRL

Threshold on CBS (I don't know the time yet):
about a team of scientists and military personnel communicating with an alien life-form.

is the from the movie THRESHOLD---can not see this being a series unless of course they hired Nick Lea (the satr of the film) to be in the series

Also, I can kill you with my brain.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 1:14 PM

STARPILOTGRAINGER

Quote:
Originally posted by rivergirl:

Threshold on CBS (I don't know the time yet):
about a team of scientists and military personnel communicating with an alien life-form.

is the from the movie THRESHOLD---can not see this being a series unless of course they hired Nick Lea (the satr of the film) to be in the series

Also, I can kill you with my brain.

Never heard the movie, but are you sure it's based on it? Could easily be just using the same name with a similarly-SF-but-different premise, as the descriptions for the series don't seem to resemble the descriptions for the movie.

Star Pilot Grainger
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down."
LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/newnumber6 (real)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/alternaljournal (fictional, travelling through another world)
Unreachable Star: http://www.unreachablestar.net - Comics & SF News/Reviews/Opinions

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 3:35 AM

CYBERSNARK

They look interesting, if light. It'll be interesting to see if any of 'em lasts the season.

Now that Star Trek and Star Wars (and Andromeda, FWIW) are over, everyone's looking for the next big SF franchise. Little do they know.

I suspect 2006 will be choked with knockoff space-westerns, trying desperately to grab some Serenity love.

Quote:
Originally posted by rivergirl:
(the satr of the film)

*chuckle*
Nice typo.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 4:22 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
I suspect 2006 will be choked with knockoff space-westerns, trying desperately to grab some Serenity love.

Wow, I hadn't even thought of that!

"The Starpiker Serendipity leading a rag tag fugitive (Star)fleet including Cylonicdroids and Cobbdaggits!"

It could work!

I may be too close to the truth Chrisisall

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 4:46 AM

PATSRULE

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:

I suspect 2006 will be choked with knockoff space-westerns, trying desperately to grab some Serenity love.

I would just like to see the original come back! WHo needs the knockoffs!

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 4:57 AM

RIVERGIRL

[

Quote:
Originally posted by rivergirl:
(the satr of the film)

*chuckle*
Nice typo.

>>

Mmmm I must have been thinking of that pilot Nick did where he played THE DEVIL
yeah thats it--- >

Also, I can kill you with my brain.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 5:15 AM

DUG

Apparently ABC is bringing back "Kolchak: the Night Stalker" as well. Makes my wife happy, seeing as she loves that show.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 5:20 AM

PATSRULE

CBS released their schedule today, so there is slightly more info on Threshold:

CBS: 9:00 Fridays. Choice timeslot! (not)

An extra terrestrial craft has landed in the Atlantic Ocean and a team of experts is assembled to deal with all possible contingencies. Will the aliens be cute and friendly or ugly and scary?
Stars:
Carla Gugino ("Sin City," "Karen Sisco"), Charles S. Dutton ("Something the Lord Made"), Brian Van Holt ("House of Wax"), Robert Patrick Benedict ("Felicity"), Brent Spiner ("Star Trek: The Next Generation")

By the way, there is a direct rip off of medium on at 8:00 on Fridays on CBS:
Ghost Whisperer
Premise:
A young wife (Jennifer Love Hewitt) can talk to dead people. And -- wouldn't you know it? -- the dead people want her help. Sometimes she gets simple directives from her ghostly friends, but other times the messages are confusing. Based on the work of James Van Praagh.

Seriously, can they at least try to make the premise a tiny bit different?

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 8:30 AM

STARPILOTGRAINGER

Quote:
Originally posted by patsrule:

Ghost Whisperer
Premise:
A young wife (Jennifer Love Hewitt) can talk to dead people. And -- wouldn't you know it? -- the dead people want her help. Sometimes she gets simple directives from her ghostly friends, but other times the messages are confusing. Based on the work of James Van Praagh.

Seriously, can they at least try to make the premise a tiny bit different?

They thought people would be too distracted by the horrible, horrible, almost comically stupid name to notice. ;)

Star Pilot Grainger
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down."
LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/newnumber6 (real)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/alternaljournal (fictional, travelling through another world)
Unreachable Star: http://www.unreachablestar.net - Comics & SF News/Reviews/Opinions

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 11:07 AM

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.

Here's a good site with a LOT more listings, too. A few of them are old and most likely not going anywhere, and not all of them have been picked up officially, but it's an interesting landscape.

http://www.geocities.com/scifi_411/upcomingtv.html

WWRD

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 12:05 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Quote:
... is found naked and with no memory of how she got that way.

Kinda like John Doe, huh?

Seems everyone wants ALIENS, instead of Alliance.

Sorry, that was bad, even for me.

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 1:26 PM

QIXOTL

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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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 5:22 PM

JADEHAND

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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Thursday, May 19, 2005 7:50 AM

PATSRULE

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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