Toob Talk

Fox just ran a two-hour TV movie that’s obviously a set up for a series. I think it would be a pretty good one.

Virtuality is set on board the first deep-space exploration vessel Phaeton. The crew has been picked for their various areas of expertise… and how interesting they’ll be on camera. See, part of the plan for their 10 year trip in search of a new place for humans to move to is to broadcast the day to day goings on of life aboard the ship.

Kind of like The Real World: Deep Space.

And that’s pretty much how the story plays out.

All the conflicts and interpersonal drama framed like your typical reality show. At first, I found it a bit annoying. But by the halfway point, I was kind of caught up in the actual sci-fi aspects of the story. See, the real hook is the virutal reality gear that the crew uses to alleviate the boredom of long-term close-quarters living. Of course, there’s also the ubiquitous ship computer (named Jean) with the erily calm demeanor, no matter what’s going on.

Oh, and then there’s the strange guy who keeps showing up in the crew’s VR sessions. He tends to do things like shoot them and push them off mountains during otherwise peaceful and relaxing happenings.

By the end–which really wasn’t a sutiable end for a stand-alone movie–there’s a whole lot of mystery and the crew is locked in to their long trip to another star.

The cast is pretty good: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (New Amsterdam), Clea DuVall (Carnivale), Sienna Guillory (Eragon) all raise the quality far enough above “reality TV” level that the show is watchable. The mystery, though, is what makes it interesting.

That mystery is co-written by Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore.

Here’s the official Fox Preview of the show:

One of my all-time favorite “mini-series events” was the original V–a story about aliens showing up, offering the hand of friendship, and enriching the lives of all on Earth.

Well, almost all. All except the ones they were planning on eating, manipulating or enslaving (to eat later).

After that first mini-series, there was a second one and a short lived (and infinitely inferior) regular series. There was even a comic book and toys. It was a pretty big deal and I’m pretty sure anyone my age or older will remember it quite well.

ABC, apparently at a loss for new ideas yet again, is now doing it again. This time as a 13 episode arc to air in the winter season (what some places are still calling mid-season, but lets be honest, we’re into four TV seasons now no matter how you want to pretend). Needless to say, I’m skeptical of the quality of writing we’ll see.

But, there were just recently released some promo clips and I’m a little less skeptical now. Here, take a look:

These are acceptably creepy and full of subtle menace. This could be very, very good. I’m willing to give it a chance… especially with the cast that’s involved.

I could spend hours poking and picking at the things they changed from the comic book continuity I grew up on and loved. I could lament the lack of some of my favorite story bits and the light touch they gave others.

I could do all that, but, when it comes to X-Men Origins: Wolverine I don’t have to dig that deep to dislike the film.

Stepping away from my fanboy roots, forgetting how much I love the Wolverine from the 80s and early 90s (before Marvel really went wild with their continuity switching), this film is still quite flawed.

First and foremost, the pacing is all wrong. There are good parts in this film–the fight scenes are generally OK and the relationship between Logan and Silverfox plays very well and John Wraith is a good supporting character–but as a whole it’s all stops and starts, jarring transitions that interrupt the flow of what story there is and just don’t hold together.

Part of this, I’m sure, is due to a lack of coherent story to begin with. Writers David Benioff and Skip Woods don’t seem to have meshed well as a team on this project. Looking at their credits, I’m betting I could pick the bits that each wrote (Benioff, coming off The Kite Runner, I’m sure is responsible for some of the deeper stuff I liked in the film; Woods, with Swordfish under his belt, I’m sure I can clearly blame for the lack of depth in a number of characters).

The plot comes across as disjointed vignettes, the only common thread being the main character. Oh, they try to fill it up with “very important information” but fail at nearly every turn by shoving that information at us in the most bland, heavy-handed and over-used ways possible. How do we know this character is the bad guy? Mostly because of his sneer, and the standard “bad guy” camera angles chosen, and the tacky (and over-used) dialog he spouts. And that can be said about most of the “bad guy” characters in this film.

There is no shortage of material to pick from in the Wolverine stable of comic book history. Instead of mining that rich field, the writers instead opted to pull in the most generic of plot bits and haphazardly place them together with little attention to detail and little thought as to the coherence of the whole. “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if…?” seems to be the main driving force behind most of the scenes as they made it into the final film.

Getting past the poor pacing and sub-par writing, the next most notable thing is the bad effects. Not all of the effects are bad–Wolverine’s healing ability is wonderfully illustrated in a semi-subtle way, the explosions look good and, more than a couple of times, there’s some neat illustrations of powers (Gambit’s charged cards, Wraith’s teleportation)–but perhaps the most important effects in the film look unfinished and out of place. Those most important effects? Wolverine’s claws. They don’t match the lighting in the scenes, they don’t sit properly on his hands half the time and they just look plain fake. The presentation in the X-Men movies were infinitely better done. And there’s just no excuse for that.

Some of the plot and effects issues I’ll blame on the film’s PG-13 rating. Wolverine isn’t really a PG-13 character when you get right down to it. The simple fact that no matter how deep his claws have been sunk into someone there’s never any blood on them is just another poke int he eye of suspension of disbelief. Also of note: for as often as Wolverine has that cigar between his teeth, it’s never, ever, lit. Why? Because for some reason you can’t have your hero smoking and still get a PG-13 rating.

This film was full of missed opportunities and wasted characters. It threw away a fantastic lead in from the third X-Men film and instead gave us a mis-matched bunch of uneven scenes that, on their own, could sometimes be good. That just added to the frustration and disappointment of the finished product.

Now, there are people who will enjoy this film. More power to them. With more action, it could be great popcorn flick. As it stands now, it is, at best, mediocre in that category due to the action being interrupted too often by poor attempts at story.

I say skip it until it hits video and cable. But if you do go, stay until after the end credits roll–while the “extra” bit I saw was quite anti-climactic and disappointing, I hear there’s at least one better showing in some theaters and maybe as many as four variations total.

Not too terribly long ago, I was singing the praises of Kings, by far one of the most literary things to hit network TV in a while.

After running four relatively unpromoted episodes on Sunday nights, NBC let the show skip a week before showling this past week’s episode on Saturday at 8 p.m. Not that they mentioned much loudly about the move. Now, after that one Saturday airing, the show’s been moved again, this time to June (but still on Saturdays).

So, for all intents and purposes, this already fully filmed series that only has seven episodes left in its arc is dead. The network will claim it’s because no one watched it. I’d contend that it’s more a case of no one knowing it was there to watch and then a case of those of us who did know about it, not knowing we had to follow it somewhere else to see more.

I see this sort of thing happen with a disturbing level of frequency among shows I like. Some manage to survive a little bit longer, most don’t.

The good news is, you can pre-order the first season right now (Kings - Season One), and that’s something I’d highly recommend as it may be the only way you’ll be able to see all of it.

This past Sunday, NBC aired the first episode of their new series Kings. It tells the tale of the kingdom of Gilboa, pulled together from beaten and broken territories after the Unification War and built over the course of a generation into one of the most powerful and prosperous kingdoms in the land.

But all is not well–there are tensions escalating to the north and dissent within the halls of government. Even the royal family has agendas and secrets that may threaten the kingdom. Among the rustlings of change, a new face emerges, fresh from the front lines with a nearly unbelievable faith in his king. Will this new David become the leader of the people? Or will his mere presence seal the fate of King Silas?

Sounds like a good period piece, doesn’t it? It is–except that the “period” in question is more or less right now. This is the modern world we’re dealing with, complete with tanks, HDTV and a world-wide news network watching the move of everyone around any royal family.

Don’t let the modern trappings fool you, this show is full of all the classic intrigue, myth, and heroics that you’d expect from any classical story of a king and his kingdom. The show creators have spared no expense in making this world lush, both visually and culturally. It has a depth and an historic sweep that few shows I’ve ever seen have been able to touch.

Perhaps most importantly, the writing and acting are top notch. Ian McShane as King Silas delivers what would almost be corny dialog with a panache and regality that’s easy to buy into. Chris Egan as David Shepherd glides though the battlefield and halls of government with a genuine honesty and naivite that, in less capable hands, would be downright unbelievable. Every bit of the cast is just as talented.

Without a doubt, this premire is the best two hours of television I’ve seen in a while. If the quality sticks, the story it tells in its first season will be epic and on par with any of the literary classics on similar subjects–part King Arthur, part MacBeth, and, perhaps, part Bonfire of the Vanities, Kings is something special that should be seen. (Watch a Clip)

Got back a little while ago from seeing Push. Not a bad film, but definitely not as advertised.

If you’ve seen the ads, it’s being billed as “the first real action film of the year” or some such. Let me be the first to tell you, Push is not an action film. It’s got a few very well done action sequences, but they are few and far between. Everything else–most of the film–is relatively complex plot.

What Push is, is a heist/caper film. It’s got more in common with Ocean’s Eleven than it does with Die Hard (or X-Men, for that matter).

Also, this film is obviously supposed to be the first in a series. It tells its own story pretty well–a group of characters coming together to get their hands on some very important stuff that the big bad government organization wants–but the entire point of their actions in this film is so they can be ready for the next challenge: taking down the big bad government organization.

There is a lot of very neat stuff in this movie–the illustration and application of the different classes of abilities are very creative. The telekinetics (Movers) use their powers on par with the Jedi in the newer Star Wars films and video games; the precogs (Watchers) have games and limitations all their own; Sniffers, who can track tune in to the past and present of someone based on their scent, are hard to hide from; Shadows help hide people from Sniffers and, to a lesser extent, Watchers; Shifters, who can transmute objects (for a limited period of time); Bleeders, sonic attacks that just plain melt people’s brains (and break lots of glass); Wipers who can remove memories; Stitches, those with the ability to heal–or harm–with a mere touch of their hands; and, the title character type–Pushers, who can just make you do things.

It’s that titular ability that gets used more effectively in this film than most other places I’ve seen it (Heroes did a good job with Parkman’s father and the X-Files episode Pusher may be the first use of the term in general pop-culture). The subtely and cunning that the two main Pushers in the film wield their wills is both beautiful and terrifying. There is no question how dangerous people with abilities like this could be.

For all the plusses of the film, the negatives are a little difficult to overcome. The main negative being that this is being marketed as an action film. If you go in expecting action, Action, ACTION! you’re going to very, very, very disappointed. That alone could kill the chance for any income after opening weekend.

The second hurdle is that this is obviously the lead in for a series… a risky gamble. If it goes over well, you can get at least two more films out that will maybe break even. If it tanks, you end up with two types of unhappy people–those who feel they wasted their money and those who loved it and are now pissed they won’t be able to get the rest of the story.

The third “minus” is the intricate plotting. Personally, I love it when something has an intricate plot. The rest of the population? Not so much. Even more importantly, an intricate plot that actually works in a frist movie sets the bar kind of high for any sequals. If the the setup done in this film falls apart in the second one (again, if there is a second one), people get very vocally annoyed.

I’d love to have seen this as the pilot to a TV series. Not a viable option with Heroes on the air–the comparissons would be inevitable and detrimental to a TV version of Push, no matter how actually different the worlds are. A weekly series would, by far, be the best way to keep the story going.

With the marketing “bait and switch” in full play, I have my doubts about the chances for follow-up films (let alone good follow-up films), but I’d love to see them made… if for no other reason than to see more of Dakota Fanning’s tween Watcher. The brother/sister dynamic between her and our main Mover, Chris Evans (who’s playing his second super powered character, the first being The Fantastic Four’s Human Torch), is really some of the best non-special effects stuff in the film.

So I say see it, but you don’t have to rush out to see it on the big screen. The action just isn’t there enough to make a full on theater experience necessary.

Either Fox has given up on 24 or it’s been decided that The Golden Globe Awards are irrelevant to other networks.

Usually, the big awards shows–Oscars, Grammys, Golden Globes–and big sporting events clear the schedules of ever network that isn’t broadcasting them, relegating the prime time slots to reruns and movies.

Not the case tonight as Fox premiers the new season of 24 (which as been a long time coming due to last year’s writers’ strike and Kiefer’s legal troubles) directly against the Globes.

ABC doesn’t even seem to care about the Globes as they’ve got new episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Desperate Housewives on tonight.

CBS tunes in 60 Minutes and Cold Case freshness in those first two hours, too.

Guess all signs point to the Globes being irrelevant to network programming concerns.

Like many of the more savvy and dedicated (or just busy) television watchers out there, I tend to time shift a good half to two thirds of what I watch.

That’s mostly because bunches of it is on major networks during prime time.

As anyone who knows me is surely aware, I love my TV shows. Watching TV with my brain turned on has been a hobby of mine for at least two and half decades now.

Lately, though, I’ve noticed that some of those time shifted shows have been lingering on the DVR longer and longer. Some never get watched before they get erased to make room for something else. Right now I’ve got nearly a whole season of three different shows awaiting me in time shifted, digitial format. These are shows I was all about watching, really… some of the better ones from last season that I just couldn’t catch for one reason or another this season.

So why do they sit unwatched? Mostly because there’s no imperitive to watch them. Since the writer’s strike the viewing habits of a whole lot of people around me have changed considerably. (And most people I know didn’t watch all that much TV to begin with.) They either catch things sporadically, have been sucked into reality shows or time shift most of their own viewing.

It’s that last caveat that really gets me.

Once upon a time, a show would be on and, if you wanted to see it, you had to watch it right then. Chances are if the show was a big enough deal, by the next time you ran into friends with similar tastes, they’d have all seen it at the same time.

This simply isn’t the case any more.

Now it can be anywhere from that night to when the season comes out on DVD that people watch that one episode you so want to talk about. Now there’s always the fear of spoilers and leaked “secrets” and surprises.

Thankfully, there are still a few “go to” shows that are still event TV. Battlestar Galactica, Heroes and a few others have managed to hold on to their status as water cooler chat fodder. Chances are good that if you talk about them the next day, people will have seen them.

But half the stuff on my DVR right now? Nope. Not event TV. Even worse, in my circle of friends, there aren’t a whole lot of people watching those particular shows. If I bring them up in conversation, forget being able to talk about a recent episode, I’m lucky if people have even heard of them.

By far this is the biggest problem that time shifting and the introduction of new viewing venues (online and DVD among others) has caused. There’s no doubt that the networks have been veyr slow to adapt to this change. So far, their main course of action has been to attempt to promote everything as “event TV”… and we all know that most of it simply isn’t. Well, that and adding more cheap reality shows to the schedule.

People like me, who devour TV shows, are left a bit adrift unless we want to put in the legwork to pop into very specific fan communities to discuss our latest viewings–and that can even run into trouble when you’ve let a few episode back up and really want to discuss the first of the bunch while eveyrone else is on the last.

So this is the time shifting dillemma: how do you do it and still make it feel worthwhile? That’s what I’ve been struggling with for months now.

Because if I don’t talk about these shows–if I don’t exercise my brain–they feel like the waste of time other people purport them to be.

(Of course, if you watch TV with your brain turned off like most people out there, this isn’t a problem at all.)

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be attempting to solve this problem and others by writing more here.

Hopefully, you’ll be along for the ride and work your brains, too.

Hot on the heels of Forrest J. Ackerman’s death, I’ve come across a couple of much more positive horror goodies.

First, the flick that my friend Kelley was in, Women’s Studies, has been picked up for distribution. That means that all y’all will be able to see it. That’s good news for everyone.

Then, another friend of mine pointed me to a new zombie movie. It’s a foreign zombie film, but was a Sundance Film Festival selection (so it’s obviously got something going for it). What is that something? How about Nazi Snow Zombies? Yeah, that’s right. Nazi zombies coming out of the snow. Don’t believe me? Check out the trailer. See. Told you. Doesn’t that look kind of awesome? It’s called Dead Snow and it’s Norwegian. Here’s hoping it comes around here.

Finally, everyone’s favorite sports equipment-wearing slasher is back in action come February 13. The new trailer for Friday the 13th just hit the web the other day and I have to say I’m impressed. From what I see in that trailer and what I’ve read about the project as a whole, it sounds like this is going to be a good reboot of the series, staying true to the original character ideas and not going too campy too quickly. Plus, it’s got Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki in it. That’ll be good for at least a few jokes in the television series after the movie comes out, right?

Here’s hoping, that as the world crawls out of real horror, we find some good fake stuff on the screen in 2009.

Over the last two nights, The SciFi Channel has debuted two new reality shows.

Why The Science Fiction Channel feels the need to fill its schedule with the same reality show tripe (and professional wrestling) that other networks do, I don’t know. (Well, other than greed.) But they continue to insist on producing these shows. Past gems include Mad, Mad House (which was mildly annoying, but overall not bad at all), Who Wants to Be a Superhero (which could have been so much better than it was), GhostHunters (which is a real reality show, and, therefore, OK in my book), and Scare Tactics (which is just mean spirited).

The two newest additions are Cha$e and Estate of Panic. Neither has impressed me much.

In fact, they disgust me more than a bit. Just like most of the competition-based reality shows out there. There’s no question that the worst in people is brought out on purpose. There’s no encouragement to actual team-work, no reason to not screw everyone else over. (Mad, Mad House and Who Wants to Be a Superhero thankfully avoided those two major pitfalls most of the time.)

Here’s the thing, people are mean enough on their own–they don’t need any “help” to be any worse and the viewing public most certainly doesn’t need any more bad examples. Survivior has given us more than enough of those.

Cha$e is, basically, a big game of tag. Contestants get set loose in an area (the first episode was an industrial waterfront, the second looks like it’s going to be an arboretum of some sort), the money they win increases the longer they stay in, up to an hour. Before the end of that hour, they have to be the first to the exit in order to win. Oh, and while they’re running around, they’re being chased by “Hunters” and if they get tagged they’re eliminated from the game. There are gimmicks to avoid being caught and things to give them bonuses.

There’s also a camera crew and over-played Hunter characters. You want to make me a little more happy with the show? Wire the area with cameras and give everyone their own. Get rid of the camera crews. Really isolate the contestants and then maybe you’ll have something more interesting.

Estate of Panic is just about as bad. The ingredients are: 1 Creepy mansion, 1 over acting host, and a handful of easily scared and bravado-filled contestants. The challenge? Get in and out of different locations in and around the mansion, finding as much hidden money as possible. The catch? Don’t be the last one in the room and don’t be the one who gets out with the least money–those will both get you eliminated. Oh, and there’s going to be things like snakes, water, smoke and collapsing ceilings in these locations.

This game is pretty much straight on smash and grab. Not much skill needed. No time to form alliances or really backstab. No strategy in between rooms. Just pure adreanaline and stupidity.

Again there are a whole lot of little things that could make this show better. First, encourage teamwork, at least to a point. Then add in some actual strategy–let people bargin with the money they have collected in between rooms instead of counting it for all to know and instant elimination. Come up with some way for those eliminated early on to come back at the end.

Reality competition shows don’t have to be bad. They don’t have to bring out the worst in people. The Amazing Race and Kid Nation have shown that to be true. And yet, most of the shows out there sink to the lowest level possible.

So, while The SciFi Channel cancels more of their scripted shows more and more quickly, they keep proudcing sub-par reality television. I can’t say I’m at all happy about that.

Feel free to skip both of these shows.

This past week saw the premiere of a handful of U.S. remakes of shows originally done for other channels in other countries. Life on Mars, Eleventh Hour and Kath & Kim seem to be the three big ones currently being pushed. I caught all three. I also haven’t seen the original versions of any of them.

Life on Mars seems worth watching for three things: The Soundtrack, Harvey Keitel and Gretchen Mol. Not necessarily in that order. After the first episode, it feels an awful lot like Journeyman (or any of the other numerous Quantum Leap style shows that’ve been done since QL did it best) mashed up with TJ Hooker. Some of it is kind of like how I’d imagine CSI: The Past would be. The actor in the lead, Jason O’Mara, just doesn’t do it for me. Neither does the non-too-subtle bleed through of the present (especially the hospital sounds) into the past (or the future into the show’s present, as the case may be). I was hoping for a little more ambiguity than I’ve gotten so far. I don’t see it lasting, mostly because it’s so close in theme and execution as most of the shows that got canceled last season. Maybe in the next few episodes, it’ll do something to impress me. I’m not going to hold my breath.

Eleventh Hour was OK. I like the female lead, Marley Shelton, better than I like her counterpart in Fringe. The plot we have so far, though, leaves a bit to be desired. I’m OK with the big science mystery line, but Fringe beat them to the punch and has a crazier scientist character. If I could scramble the two shows together, I think we’d have a real winner. Until then, I’m on the fence with this one as much as I am with Fringe–it has potential, but I don’t know if it’ll get the chance to find it’s stride before it tanks.

Kath & Kim is utter and complete trash. Selma Blair, I love you dearly, but, damn girl, this show… why? You did your turn as trash in a John Waters movie, no need to revisit that as an inferior interpretation on the small screen. The really sad thing is that this show is even a waste of Molly Shannon’s talents. There isn’t a single likable character. They’re all dull and loud and oblivious. If I want that, all I have to do is hit the mall on any given day. Or, you know, watch news about the Republican vice presidential ticket. At most, this show’s getting one more half hour of my time to make me laugh and not groan. (And that’s only if I can fit it in between reruns of the original Addams Family.)

Of course, of these three shows, Kath & Kim will probably be the biggest hit.

As of this season of Smallville we have:

• Most of the stories taking place in Metropolis
• Clark working at The Daily Planet
• With Lois
• and an obvious romantic interest in him on her part

Is it just me, or does that make it Lois and Clark more than Smallville?

Also, no Lex or Lionel Luther to be had so far.

Makes me wonder why I still bother watching the show…

Continuing on with the look at the fall season, we slip quietly into October. (If you’re playing along with the home game, all this is coming from this TV Guide.com calendar which is exceptionally useful.)

Pushing Daisies (ABC, 8 p.m., Wednesdays)

This show really hit the spot last season. It was whimsical, quirky, uplifting and, at times, downright touching. It also carried through a perverse sense of humor and amazing visual style that left me really wanting more when it’s too-short season came to close. Who would have thought the tale of a pie maker and his once dead girlfriend could be so good for family entertainment? (Premieres Oct. 1)

Private Practice (ABC, 9 p.m., Wednesdays)

As much as I like Grey’s Anatomy, it’s spinoff just didn’t do it for me. At all. I’m actually almost surprised that it’s back for a second season. I say “almost” because it’s a show about pretty people having petty problems while screwing around with one another. It’s got “popular hit” written all over it. Well, you can have it. I’m sure I can find something better to do with this hour. (Premieres Oct. 1)

Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, 10 p.m. , Wednesdays)

Big egos, big spenders, dark secrets and a murder mystery, Dirty Sexy Money has it all. Plus Donald Sutherland. This show actually surprised me last season by being as enjoyable and engaging as it was. I’ve been eagerly awaiting its return–as much to see what the mega-rich Darling family will do next as to find out where the next set of clues in the underlying murder plot lead. (Premieres Oct. 1)

The Ghost Whisperer (CBS, 8 p.m., Fridays)

During its first season, The Ghost Whisperer left me in kind of a diabetic coma. Jennifer Love Hewitt was too cute and sunny for someone who had spent her life dealing with dead people. It wasn’t until a couple of seasons in when the show took a little bit of a darker turn that I came back to it. I haven’t been able to let it go since. Last season, with the discovery of the town beneath the town and impending doom around every corner, I think the show hit a high point. Now I’m curious as to whether they can keep the suspense and momentum going. It’s no Supernatural, but, thankfully, it’s also not Touched By An Angel. (Premieres Oct. 3)

Kath & Kim (NBC, 8:30 p.m., Thursdays)

Chalk up another notch in the “American version of a hit foreign show” column. This one looks to be a “revisioning” of an Aussie show (one of, what, three or four shows that whole continent produces?) The only thing bringing me to this with any hope is Selma Blair. She was one of the key ingredients in making Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane fun and watchable, I’m hoping she does the same for this show. And she’s got a lot to overcome, because none of the characters look that interesting (let alone sympathetic). (Premieres Oct. 9)

Life On Mars (ABC, 10 p.m., Thursdays)

Speaking of American versions of shows that there don’t need to be American versions of… Life on Mars (U.S. version) reportedly changes just about all the details of the BBC show it’s borrowing it’s title from. I’ve been told again and again that I should check out the original (and I will, I promise… it’s on my list!). That tells me the American version is going to have to work pretty hard to either a) dull itself down enough to get a prime-time following here in the states or b) die a quick death like every other time travel flavored show from last season (Journeyman, New Amsterdam). Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. (Premieres Oct. 9)

Eleventh Hour (CBS, 10 p.m., Thursdays)

Competing for the “strange hour of TV on Thursday” slot against Life on Mars is yet another re-tooling of a foreign show. Again it “borrows” plot and characters from the British. This time around Rufus Sewell replaces Patrick Stuart as a guy investigating strange goings on. A plot that sounds oddly like Fringe, which beat this show to air by a few weeks. It’s bound to be another CSI meets Twilight Zone, X-Files wannabe. But I’ll give Sewell a chance. It could be better than Fringe (which I still haven’t decided if I like or not). (Premieres Oct. 9)

Samantha Who? (ABC, 9:30 p.m., Mondays)

I stand firmly behind the idea that you just can’t go wrong with Christina Applegate. Ever since she broke out of the dumb blond role that made her famous, she’s done one good thing after another. The inaugural season of Samantha Who? took a tired concept (character gets amnesia) and brought a new life to it. A strong supporting cast certainly helped, but Applegate is the heart of the show. I’m curious as to whether her real-life battle with breast cancer will get worked into the plot. It wouldn’t surprise me and I don’t doubt it would fit well with the blend of humor and introspection the show has cultivated. (Premieres Oct. 13)

My Own Worst Enemy (NBC, 10 p.m., Mondays)

Speaking of characters who don’t know who they are, here we have Christian Slater playing a hit man and a family man. Two very different lives crammed into the same body due to some deep-cover, sleeper agent brain tweaking. I don’t know if it’s going to be good, but it will be entertaining. At least for a few episodes. I have my doubts if it can be sustained for a while, but I had doubts about Chuck, too, and that just kicked off its second season in a good way. (Premieres Oct. 13)

Eli Stone (ABC, 10 p.m., Tuesdays)

Just in case you don’t have enough quirky lawyers in your diet, Eli Stone apparently returns to life from his first season cliffhanger ending. Either that or this will be the shortest second season ever. The show never really grabbed me, but it was always entertaining. Most of the time, though, it felt like a low-rent David E. Kelley riff. There’s just something missing, which is a shame because Victor Garber is fantastic in his supporting role. Maybe this season will have more song and dance numbers… not sure how much that would help, but, again: entertaining! (Premieres Oct. 14)

Crusoe (NBC, 10 p.m., Fridays)

Hey! It’s the original Lost! come back in the form of an hour long drama. I really haven’t seen a whole lot on this show, but I’ll tune in just to see how far they’ll go to mash as many shows together as possible in the attempt to make a new hit. But it’s on Friday nights at 10 p.m., not much lasts there for long. I give it four episodes tops before it’s gone. (Premieres Oct. 17)

And there you go–your new fall season… or at least the things I’ll be watching or actively avoiding. Everything else, you’re on your own for.

Genetically engineered terrorists, superscience and heavy doses of corporate sponsorship from Microsoft, Cisco and Intel.

That’s what you get from Gemini Division, an online/On Demand series from NBC and Electric Farm Entertainment. Well that and a pretty good story starring Rosario Dawson as a NYC cop who gets drawn into an international conspiracy of secret organizations after discovering that her fiance may be keeping secrets from her.

I won’t go into deep details of the plot, but it’s at least slightly above average. It’s done using mostly virtual sets and the compositing varies from nearly imperceptible to “Do you seriously expect me to buy that?” Same with the rest of the effects in the show.

The format is good–told mostly from the perspective of Dawson’s character’s souped up smart phone in diary-like clips–and works perfectly for a show that is designed to be shown online. I’ve been watching it through On Demand on Comcast. They have week-batches tied together… which leads to three or four rounds of going through the credits.

Product placement and name dropping runs kind of rampant, but that’s to be expected. At least in the high-tech context of the plot it doesn’t seem too out of place.

It’s worth checking out, either online or On Demand. I’m interested in seeing where it’s going.

Tonight’s one of those nights my digital recorders will be doing overtime.

NBC is doing a three hour Heroes extravaganza starting with a catchup lead-in at 8 p.m. and then two hours of new episode. After faltering a bit last season, I still have high hopes for Heroes to wow me in those two new hours.

Of course, while I’m watching all of that, I’ll be recording (or otherwise time-shifting) four other hours of TV shows.

Season premiers of two of my favorite sitcoms drop at 8 and 8:30 p.m. on CBS–The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. And over on Fox there’s a new episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which has consistently kicked ass this season.

The 9 o’clock hour isn’t bad as I can take or leave Two and a Half Men (which was infinitely funnier in its first few seasons than it has been the last few times I watched it) and have very little interest in Worst Week.

At 10 p.m. the DVR will kick back in to see what Shatner and Spader are up to on the new season of Boston Legal. There’s some question as to if the show will continue to slide deeper into self-parody and lose what charm it has left, but I know it’ll still be worth it for those David E. Kelley character tirades on current issues. Having Denny and Alan argue during an election year should be interesting.

As we move into October (the “official” start of the new season), there are going to be more nights like this–with multiple hours accruing on the DVR and in my online viewing queues. It’s all part of the challenge of keeping up with what very well be my most time-consuming (and alternately inspiring and frustrating) hobby.

The season premier of the new HBO series True Blood quite pleasantly surprised me.

After last season’s less than spectacular experience with Moonlight, I was really wary of another vampire series. Even if it was from the same guy who gave us Six Feet Under and starred Anna Paquin. Was it going to be a sappy love story? Yet another angsty bunch of worthless vamps? So campy it would make the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie look good?

Before the premiere, HBO ran two half-hour documentary/promo bits on vampires. Those were interesting. Not a whole lot of new info for me, but at least it proved that someone had done their research and knew what had piqued public interest in bloodsuckers before. That gave me a small bit of hope. Especially the interview snippets with Charline Harris, the author of the book series the show is based on.

And so, after an hour of indulging in vampire nostalgia (which, oddly, only had one reference to Buffy in it… during a montage of pretty much every vampire thing ever made), I was ready to sink my teeth into the new show.

It did not leave a bad taste in my mouth at all. In fact, it seems like it will be quite the breath of fresh air.

What makes it different? First and foremost, vampires aren’t hiding any more. They’re right out there in the open–”out of the coffin”, in the show’s vernacular–thanks to the invention of a synthetic blood that removes their need to feed on humans. Now they’re struggling for equal rights and being subjected to that awful novelty that any recently unveiled minority/fringe group experiences. Being set in the south, the tension between the species may run a little too close to mirroring the tension between races for some… but I think it’s just the right distance and difference to allow some interesting exploration of the subject.

Sociological analysis aside, the show is populated with characters that should prove to be quite interesting. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is a waitress in the Louisiana town of Bon Temps. She’s more than open minded about the whole vampire thing–she’s downright exuberant about it in the cutest/most annoyingly naive way possible. The combination actually works out to be kind of endearing with Paquin in the part. But if the tone of the show plays through like Alan Ball’s other big deal HBO show, there will be some big and tragic changes ahead for pure little Sookie.

Her apparent lack of understanding of just how dangerous people can be (let alone vampires) allows her over-active sense of justice (fueled by her ability to listen in to people’s thoughts–yes, she’s a psychic) to bring her to the rescue of new vampire in town Bill (Stephen Moyer) when he’s picked out at the diner and targeted to be drained of his blood (which has some powerful effects on humans, making it quite the lucrative drug to trade in).

Since half the fun is watching it all play out, I won’t spoil anything more than that. Just know that the supporting cast is is full of quirky characters that are bound to stir up trouble and interesting situations as the series goes on. Oh, and I’m betting we already have at least one werewolf in town.

Needless to say, I highly recommend checking out the show. For a pilot episode, this one was pretty solid. Some of the characters may have been a little  too cartoonish, but I’m expecting that they’ll flesh out and develop now that we know their broad strokes.

The show’s got teeth, that’s for sure. And it bites just the way a vampire show should–with style and intensity.

Along with what I would suspect was millions of people much younger than I am, I tuned in to catch the series premier of 90210 on The CW.

I have to say, it was a lot better than I expected.

Granted, I’ve got this huge nostalgia bank saved up from the first few years of the parent series. I was there on the Walshes first day at West Beverly High back in October of 1990 and stuck with them until a couple years after they graduated (unlike some other people, I didn’t stick with that show for all ten years… and I didn’t make the jump to Melrose Place). Even without that background, I think the new show was considerably better than I expected.

While it was good to see Kelly (Jennie Garth) show up and reference things that happened when she and new high school principal Harry (Rob Estes… who wasn’t actually on the original 90210… but was on Melrose as a different character than he’s playing now… trippy, man…) were in high school together, the real joy came from watching the new fish out of water get the feel for the good ol’ currents of the school.

Granted, this being the 21st century and all, they catch on a lot quicker than Brenda and Brandon ever did. Heck, they’re lying, cheating and zipping away on private jets. Yeah, this most certainly isn’t my 90210.

But that’s what I liked about it. It didn’t rely on the nostalgia. Instead, it did what any show should do: it made its own way. The characters, while easy to spot the correlation and commonalities with other “hip” new shows are individual enough to not get totally lost in the teen-drama shuffle that The CW caters to so well. And even with the Kansas-born Wilson kids successfully stooping to the shallow level of their West Beverly peers, they still manage to maintain the special mid-west wholesomeness that adds the necessary contrast and perspective that made the original show worth-while.

There’s even a bit of snark in the teen characters. Some of the action and dialog had the vague echoes of Veronica Mars to it. (And those of you who know me, know that echoing VM or Gilmore Girls is a sure-fire way to at least get me interested.)

For a pilot, it was a bit packed. A lot of blatant introductions. A lot of odd timing and seemingly contrived situations. (Like why was the new principal starting a week into the school year?) Maybe these things will be explored more in the episodes that come. I know we’ll be seeing more alumni of the original show. I predict a visit from Ian Ziering before the mid-way point this season. And I would almost pay for Luke Perry to show up, preferably while Doherty’s all grown up Brenda is still in town.

If you missed the premier, find a way to catch it. Dollars to donuts it’ll be up online somewhere… and probably rebroadcast anther time or two over the next week.

Don’t get me wrong, just because you grew up watching the original doesn’t mean you’ll love this one. But you may find it interesting how much has changed… and how much has stayed the same.

You know, just like any high school.

There are a lot of new and old shows on their way back. A lot of them, I’ve watched or am looking forward to watching. There’s also a bunch I’m dreading or that I’ve given up on. You can make your own plans using this handy dandy calendar of premieres over at TV Guide.com.

NCIS (Tuesdays, 8 pm, CBS)

As spin-offs go, NCIS has done quite well for itself. I’d be tempted to say it’s gotten even better than JAG, it’s parent show. As with every previous season, last season’s finale left me wondering how, exactly, the team would continue pushing on. Granted, over the years, a bit more humor and self parody have crept in. Hopefully the balance will hold and this season will be a good one. But, hey, as long as I get me some Pauley Perrette, all is good. (Premiers 8/23)

The Mentalist (Tuesdays, 9 pm, CBS)

The new show stuck in the middle of CBS’s crime-time Tuesdays looks an awful lot like the cable gem Psych, except with a little more class. Then again, Simon Baker always brings a little class to the shows he’s in. While that wasn’t enough to save Smith a couple seasons ago, he did manage to make The Guardian a pretty decent series (even if the premise was flimsy to begin with). Maybe The Mentalist will click, maybe it won’t. I’m not sure how I feel about it. But I’m willing to give it a chance. (Premieres 8/23)

Knight Rider (Wednesdays, 8 pm, NBC)

OK, so some parts of the recent TV movie that revived the Night Rider franchise weren’t totally horrible. But enough of them were to make me seriously concerned that this iteration of the idea will be as bad as those that have come before–like, as bad as the original, except without the fun. I’ve been of the opinion that they should have just gone for a total reboot of the series instead of tying it in to the original. And, y’know, stuck with the Trans Am. I’ve seen some possible leaks of script bits and the ads that have been running lately and neither of them do anything to increase my confidence in this doing anything other than tarnishing my golden memories of The Hoff and his sweet ride. (Premieres 8/24)

Lipstick Jungle (Wednesdays, 10 pm, NBC)

This show I tuned in to mainly for Brooke Shields. I’m a fan from way back… like when she showed up on the original Muppet show and stuff. I was suitably impressed by the rest of the cast to keep coming back. Last season progressed well through the lives of all the key characters. Yes, it’s got a bit of a Sex in the City vibe, but it’s also a little more grown up. And I, for one, will proudly keep watching to see where it goes this season. (At least I’ll keep watching until it starts to really suck… then it’s all on its own.) (Premieres 8/25)

Grey’s Anatomy (Thursdays, 9 pm, ABC)

Despite the fact that I keep wishing death on the title character, I keep watching. (Please! Can’t she just stay dead the next time it happens… there’s another Grey on the show now… I like her a lot better.) Overall, the show is pretty solid and a tremendous amount of fun most of the time. Last season was really a time for many of the supporting cast to shine. And all the guest bits over the years have been spectacular. The show has been generally well-written, so as long as the continues, I’ll probably keep watching. (Premieres 8/26)

ER (Thursdays, 10 pm, NBC)

This show is entering its 15th season. I stopped watching regularly at least five seasons ago. They’ve done every story they could do. In fact, they did that about ten years ago. All they’ve done now is stretch the bounds of reality to ridiculous lengths and swapped out old characters from the old plots. I say all this because it seems the network is finally putting this lame horse down. I will watch the last episode of ER with as much excitement as I watched the first episode back in September of 1994. If only to make sure it’s over.

Chuck (Mondays, 8 pm, NBC)

OK, I’ll admit, I consider this show a guilty pleasure. It’s generally light, fun and full of action and sexy sexy women. It was just announced that NBC has picked up another nine episodes of Chuck, giving it a lock on a full season before the first bit of ratings are even in. If this show is to really thrive, though, it’s got to get more creative and things need to expand in scope. Having two main jokes (”haha look at the geeky guy and the hot girl together, isn’t that cute and awkward?” and “Ooo! He’s got all sorts of stuff in his head but he doesn’t always read it right.”) is good for one short season. Much more than that and you need to grow your operating paradigm before it gets really silly. After all, Chuck’s not getting any new super secret information in that database he’s got in his head–that stuff’s getting old quick.

Life (Mondays, 10 pm, NBC)

Life is another one of the few shows that caught me off guard with just how good it was. The plot is interesting but the presentation by Damian Lewis of quirky cop Crews is what really seals the deal. One part zen master, one part vindictive, sadistic vengeance-seeker, one part damn fine cop… that’s a character I can get behind and be endlessly fascinated by. My biggest fear is that too many people won’t “get” the show and it’ll be bounced around the schedule a few times before being unceremoniously and quietly canceled.

And that more or less wraps up the new/returning stuff that I give a damn about in September. But, as seasons continue to become more amorphous, a good handful of show premieres have crept into October. More on those later…

There are a lot of new and old shows on their way back. A lot of them, I’ve watched or am looking forward to watching. There’s also a bunch I’m dreading or that I’ve given up on. You can make your own plans using this handy dandy calendar of premieres over at TV Guide.com.

House (Tuesdays, 9 pm, FOX)

From the first episode, I’ve loved this show. Last season, they shook things up a bit adding in a bunch of new cast members and moving most of the familiar supporting cast to the background. The final two hours of the season were mind-blowing and unusually emotional for the show. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terribly curious to see how those events effect our favorite heartless healer and his only real friend. (Premieres 9/16)

Smallville (Thursdays, 8 pm, CW)

I don’t know why I still bother with this show. It has proved again and again to be one of the most unevenly scripted, acted and directed things on TV. They’ve diverged far from the “normal” Superman cannon and introduced so many quirks and conspiracies that it gives The X-Files a run for its money. But the good episodes are incredibly good. And so I keep watching, suffering through the crap to catch those ever-fewer nuggets of gold (like last seasons Luther on Luther confrontations–those were fantastic). (Premieres 9/18)

Supernatural (Thursdays, 9 pm, CW)

Of course, Supernatural may be the reason I sit through Smallville. This show has consistently nailed the horror genre. There have been episodes that were more terrifying than half the R-rated horror films I’ve seen over the years. The Winchester brothers play wonderful off of one another, which is going to make this season particularly interesting seeing how last season (inevitably) ended. (Premieres 9/18)

The Big Bang Theory (Mondays, 8 pm, CBS)

I almost didn’t watch this show again after its premiere episode. I’m glad I did. It quickly became my favorite new sitcom… and one of my favorite sitcoms of all time (so far). Maybe I relate a little too much to the characters, but the dialog and situations are hilarious regardless of how much one can directly relate. If you haven’t seen it, tune in and watch it. (Premieres 9/22)

How I Met Your Mother (Mondays, 8:30 pm, CBS)

This show is one of the rare cases where a show I really liked has not only survived, but thrived. When it premiered, I tuned in mostly to see what Allison Hannigan would do not playing a Joss Whedon character. I stayed because of the rest of the cast. Again we have a very consistent series where the show runners and the actors know their characters well enough to keep the writers in line (or, at least, smartly pick the right writers for their show… a lesson that could be learned by a good number of higher-budget shows). HIMYM has the perfect mix of ridiculous situations, nostalgia, romance and Niel Patrick Harris. I just hope they end it before they run out of funny. I’d really hate to have to hate this show. (Premiers 9/22)

Heroes (Mondays, 9 pm, NBC)

The first season of Heroes caught me a little off guard by how tightly plotted and solid it was… and how seriously it took itself. Things floundered a little in the second season–some poor scripting decisions and character introductions cluttered things up and then the writers’ strike cut things short. Being cut short, in fact, is probably the best thing that happened to season two. It makes it more of a transition than anything else. The upcoming third season looks like it’s going to be a total blockbuster. The first season gave us a big-deal threat to worry about–now we’re getting something more. We’re getting the real conflict, internal and external, between heroes and villains. I’m kind of excited about it. (Premieres 9/22)

Worst Week (Mondays, 9:30 pm, CBS)

Yet another in a series of what I like to call “lowest common denominator” sitcoms. Everything about this show looks trashy and insulting. No need for wit, just debasing insult humor. It’ll probably be a big hit for a little while, then the novelty will wear off and, before the end of the season, it will be gone. When that happens, TV will be a better place. (Premieres 9/22)

Boston Legal (Mondays, 10 pm, ABC)

I love me some quirky lawyers–especially when they’re written by David E. Kelley. I do, however, worry that this show has gone about as far as it can without devolving into total self-parody (and it was already pretty far into “wink, wink, nudge, nudge, look we’re a TV show” territory). Hopefully, this season will continue to walk that fine line between comedy-parody and biting social commentary. And more Shatner actually acting would be nice… the serious episodes with Denny as the focus were some of the best last season.

Still more next time…

It’s that time again!

A handful of returners and a smattering of new shows begin showing up this week. TV Guide has a very useful little calendar, so you can plan your viewing (or time shifting) accordingly. As usual, I’ll be watching a whole lot of what shows up. But before that, I think there’s already some clear winners and losers out there.

Prison Break (Mondays, 8 pm, Fox)

When this show kicked off the early debuts a few years back, it surprised me greatly. Last season, after I had cheered the tense planning and execution of the escape (season 1) and sat on the edge of my seat while the escapees eluded capture and exposed the conspiracy that started the whole thing (season 2), it just got a little silly and I lost interest. Now that we’re heading into the fourth year of this, the show has long-outlived it’s basic premise and, coincidentally, it’s title. I’m far from caught up and I don’t plan on being. By all means, watch it for the eye candy (heck, maybe we’ll even see some more of that tattoo that’s spent most of the last two seasons covered up), but this is one of those shows that should have had a set story arc and then just let it all go. (Premiers 9/1)

90210 (Tuesdays, 8 pm, CW)

I grew up with the original Beverly Hills, 90210. I’m digging the fact that we’re going to get to see some old characters all grown up and a new batch of students at good ol’ West Beverly High. What I’m not digging is that the powers that be have decided to go the ultra-lame route of recycling the exact same basic plot idea of two new students–a brother and a sister (though obviously not twins)–from a non-hip and trendy middle-of-nowhere town who get thrown into the social web of the 90210-ers. But, the CW crew seems to know it’s target audience (which, admittedly, I’m not… having grown up on the original 90210 and all), and they’ve done a good job with other shows, so I’ll be tuning in and giving it a chance. (Premieres 9/2)

True Blood (Sundays, 9 pm, HBO)

This one looks interesting. It’s a vampire show, so it’s got some big shoes to fill but, well, I’m a sucker for vampires and I’ll give it a chance. The viral marketing/alternate reality game campaign they did was kind of neat. And it’s got Anna Paquin. Here’s hoping it’s worth the time. (Premieres 9/7)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Mondays, 8 pm, FOX)

The short first season of this show rocked my socks. Yes, there was some unevenness and yes, it did take some work to get used to the new Sarah Connor, but overall, I think the show has a lot of potential and I’m eager to see where it’s going to go. Especially with a new Terminator movie on the way. (Premieres 9/8)

Fringe (Tuesdays, 8 pm, FOX)

One half of the highly anticipated new “spooky” shows that Fox will be rolling out (Dollhouse being the other). Some are setting this one up for a fall by saying it’ll be “the next X-files!” From what I’ve seen so far (which isn’t much), it has potential to be good and most definitely interesting. It all really depends on how the cast gels and how the writing quality pans out. There has been many a show in the past (including the X-Files) that managed to stab itself in the eye because it’s writing was uneven. (Premieres 9/9)

Do Not Disturb (Wednesdays, 9:30 pm, FOX)

Oh, look, Jerry O’Connell in another sit come. Because, you know, his last one (the awful Carpoolers worked so well last year). I’ll watch it, but I’m not expecting much. Especially since it sounds a bit like yet another import and change of a classic Brit-com. (Premieres 9/10)

Hole in the Wall (Thursdays, 8 pm, FOX)

Go read the description. Then join me in the chorus of “Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?”

More of these later…