Category: TV Sci-Fi (Page 39 of 81)

Fox: The Fall Schedule

May 18, 2009 /

Fox has officially announced its schedule for the fall, but let’s lead with a bit of bad news: “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” is not on it. The network officially canceled the series, and while I’m still dumbfounded by that decision, you know they’ll double-back and find a way to get it back onto the schedule if “Terminator: Salvation” is a hit. Or maybe they’ll release a straight-to-DVD movie which picks up where the series ends. Either way, I just cannot imagine that this will be the complete and total end of Sarah Connor’s TV adventures.

Okay, onto what is on the schedule, along with a few editorial comments…

MONDAY

8:00 PM – House
9:00 PM – LIE TO ME

Looks like another year of having to watch “House” and “Lie To Me” as full-season sets when they come out on DVD, because I’m still going to be watching “The Big Bang Theory,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Heroes.”

TUESDAY

8:00 PM – So You Think You Can Dance

WEDNESDAY

8:00 PM – So You Think You Can Dance Results Show

9:00 PM – Glee

The distinctive new comedy from Ryan Murphy (“Nip/Tuck”) starring Jane Lynch (“The 40 Year Old Virgin”) and newcomers Matthew Morrison (Broadway’s “Hairspray”), Lea Michele (“Spring Awakening”) and Cory Monteith (“Kyle XY”). Combining biting humor with a soundtrack of hit music from past to present, the inventive series follows an optimistic high school teacher who – against all odds – attempts to restore McKinley High’s fading Glee Club to its former glory, while helping a group of underdogs realize their true star potential.

THURSDAY

8:00 PM – Bones
9:00 PM – Fringe

When my wife finds out that “Fringe” is going to be competing against her beloved “Office,” she’s gonna be so pissed…

FRIDAY

8:00 PM – Brothers

A new half-hour comedy about a former big-city NFL hot shot who returns home to his family – and his mother’s house – to get his life back on track. Starring Michael Strahan (“FOX NFL Sunday”) and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (“Ed,” “Veronica’s Closet”).

8:30 PM – ‘Til Death

9:00 PM – Dollhouse

Really? They canceled “Sarah Connor” for this? And do they really think this coupling is going to help the “Dollhouse” numbers?

SATURDAY

8:00 PM – Cops

8:30 PM – Cops

9:00 PM – America’s Most Wanted

11:00 PM – The Wanda Sykes Show – The irreverent Saturday late-night series will feature Sykes’ outspoken comedic perspective on current events along with topical, high-energy roundtable discussions.

12:00 AM – Animation Domination encores

SUNDAY

7:00 PM – The OT (NFL Post-Game Show)

8:00 PM – The Simpsons

8:30 PM – The Cleveland Show – Everyone’s favorite soft-spoken FAMILY GUY neighbor, Cleveland Brown, moves with his son back to his hometown in Virginia and settles down with his high school sweetheart and her unruly kids.

9:00 PM – Family Guy

9:30 PM – American Dad

MIDSEASON

MONDAY

8:00 PM – House
9:00 PM – 24

TUESDAY

8:00 PM – American Idol

9:00 PM – Past Life

A fast-paced emotional thriller inspired by the book “The Reincarnationist.” The series stars Kelli Giddish (“All My Children”) as a gifted psychologist and Nicholas Bishop (“Home and Away”) as a former NYPD detective who work together to explore and unravel mysteries that must be solved in both the past and the present.

Wow, that doesn’t sound at all like “Life on Mars.”

WEDNESDAY

8:00 PM – American Idol Results Show

9:00 PM – Human Target

A full-throttle, action-packed thrill ride from executive producers McG (“Terminator Salvation”) and Simon West (“Con Air,” “Tomb Raider”). Based on the popular DC Comics graphic novel and starring Mark Valley (FRINGE), Chi McBride (“Pushing Daisies”) and Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley (“Watchmen”), the series follows CHRISTOPHER CHANCE (Valley), a unique private contractor who will stop at nothing – even if it means becoming a human target – to keep his clients alive.

Anyone else noting the irony that the director of the new “Terminator” movie is getting a show just as the “Terminator” TV series is getting canceled?

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM BONES

9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE

FRIDAY

8:00-8:30 PM BROTHERS

8:30-9:00 PM ‘TIL DEATH

9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM COPS

8:30-9:00 PM COPS

9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED

11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)

Midnight-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES

SUNDAY

7:00 PM – Animation Domination encores

7:30 PM – American Dad

8:00 PM – The Simpsons

8:30 PM – Sons of Tucson

From three-time Emmy Award winner Todd Holland (“Malcolm in the Middle”), the non-traditional family comedy stars Tyler Labine (“Reaper”) as a charming but wayward schemer hired by three young brothers whose father is in prison.

9:00 PM – Family Guy

9:30 PM – The Cleveland Show

24, American Idol, External Entertainment, External TV, Fall TV Preview, News, Reality TV, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, TV, TV Action, TV Cartoons, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Reality, TV Sci-Fi

The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series / The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation

May 13, 2009 /

As my colleague Will Harris pointed out, these two discs are nothing more than a shameless attempt to “wring a few more bucks off the old series in the wake of the new movie.” Well, of course they are, and Paramount has never been above repackaging this series ad infinitum. But it’s worth mentioning that, for some people, a little “Trek” can go a long way, and if you fall into such a category, then you’re the consumer Paramount is reaching for. With only 4 episodes per disc, these are an affordably-priced and time efficient alternative to the rather expensive and lengthy season box sets.

Further, perhaps you’re new to the “Trek” fold thanks to J.J. Abrams’ movie? If so, two of the episodes featured here were supposed inspirations for the new flick: “Balance of Terror” from the Original Series disc, which introduced the Romulans, and “Yesterday’s Enterprise” from the Next Generation disc, which features an alternate timeline scenario. Both are fine examples of great “Trek.” Of course they’d better be, given the “Best of” label.

Rounding things out on the TOS disc are “The City on the Edge of Forever,” a time travel story long considered a sparkling jewel in the “Trek” crown; the humorous classic “The Trouble with Tribbles”; and “Amok Time,” which sees Kirk and Spock beating the crap out of one another. Also on the TNG disc are “The Best of Both Worlds (Part 1 & 2),” which features a dazzlingly intense encounter with the creepy Borg, and “The Measure of a Man,” a Data-centric story that wouldn’t have been my first choice to represent the TNG series in this context.

Click to buy “The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series”

Click to buy “The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation”

External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs, TV Sci-Fi

First impressions of “Caprica”

May 12, 2009 /

The two-hour pilot of “Caprica” debuted on DVD and digital download late last month and I finally found the time to watch it. Regular readers might be wondering why a huge “Battlestar Galactica” fan like myself would wait so long. Well, I’m not really sure. Maybe the “BG” finale was still a little to raw in my mind. Maybe there was too much other good television grabbing my attention. Or maybe I just couldn’t find the right time to watch it.

While I’m certainly excited about Ronald D. Moore’s next project, I can’t help but be a little leery of a prequel. “Caprica” has the same challenge that the “Star Wars” prequels had: Everyone knows how it turns out. The question is whether or not the history is compelling enough to outweigh the certainty of the story’s outcome. In the world of “Star Wars,” fans were clamoring for a better understanding of how Anakin Skywalker actually became Darth Vader. The transition was mentioned several times over the course of Episodes Four, Five and Six, and it became almost inevitable that there would eventually be a series of prequels to explain just how Anakin turned to the dark side.

Were there any “Battlestar Galactica” fans clamoring for a prequel? I’m sure there were a few, but I hadn’t even considered the prospect until I heard that “Caprica” was already in development. How interested are we in seeing how Cylons were developed? Personally, I’d rather get a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes scheming that led up to the Cylon invasion.

That said, there’s no doubt that “Caprica” is two strong hours of television.

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Battlestar Galactica, External Entertainment, External Movies, External TV, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

5 non-“Khan” alternatives for the “Star Trek” sequel (and 5 to avoid)

May 11, 2009 /

That J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the “Star Trek” franchise did $76.5 million in its opening weekend should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been reading the reviews of the film and seeing the near-universal praise it’s been receiving. Also no shock: a sequel is already in the works…though, quite frankly, it received the green light several weeks prior to the debut of “Trek.” (That’s how much confidence Paramount had in the film.) It would be all too easy, however, to offer up a new “Star Trek II” and have the villain be the genetically engineered superman known as Khan Noonian Singh. That, and it would also be tempting fate. After all, Abrams just succeeded in the impossible by making a “Trek” film that pleased both the masses and the Trekkies. Why alienate them so quickly by attempting to reconceive the most iconic baddie in all of Trek-dom? Instead, here are a few alternative ideas for the sequel that can be found within the original “Star Trek” television series, as well as a few non-Khan concepts to steer clear of.

1. Trelane (“The Squire of Gothos”). A brash and impetuous being in possession of incredible power…like, on the level where he can pop onto an uninhabitable planet and create not only a bubble of breathable atmosphere but his very own mansion. So, y’know, he’s basically a proto-Q for the original Enterprise crew. After toying with Kirk and company and using them to play his own spin on “The Most Dangerous Game,” it’s revealed that, amongst his race of beings, he’s but a child, and his parents swing by to chastise their kid for acting out of turn.

This would actually be the perfect opportunity to tie in the original universe of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” since it’s long been suggested amongst the various aspects of “Trek” fiction – most notably in Peter David’s novel, “Q-Squared,” that Trelane was actually a member of the Q Continuum. Given how much fun John de Lancie always seemed to have when he was playing Q, it’s hard to imagine that he wouldn’t want to join in the fun and play in Abrams’ new universe, especially since the character’s powers are so limitless that he could still be the same Q, thereby allowing him suggest that he’s just checking out this new parallel universe while still making reference to Picard and company.

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External Entertainment, External Movies, External TV, Movies, Sci-Fi Movies, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

A few updates from Ausiello’s cheat sheet

May 8, 2009 /

Michael Ausiello is keeping track of all the cancellation and renewal news. Here are a few updates:

Castle: Could go either way. Now a safe bet.
The Unit: A long shot. Now hearing it’s a goner. Back to being a long shot.
Dollhouse: Could go either way. Now hearing it’s a long shot.
Fringe: Sure thing. Now officially renewed.
Chuck: Could go either way. Now a safe bet. (Yay!)
Life: A long shot. Now hearing it’s a goner. Now officially canceled.
Medium: Safe bet. Reportedly renewed for 13-16 episodes.
Southland: Sure thing. Officially renewed for 13 episodes.

I gave up “Life” last season when it failed to stand out, and I gave up on “Chuck” this season as it got too repetitive and silly. I know that there are a lot of “Chuck” fans out there that will be happy to see that it will likely return in the fall. “Medium” has been good this season and deserves renewal, as does “The Unit,” though it’s worrisome to hear that it’s a long shot.

External Entertainment, External TV, Fall TV Preview, News, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Reality, TV Sci-Fi

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