Text 300, 142 rader
Skriven 2005-01-02 07:26:00 av Kevin Karmann (1:278/230)
Ärende: The Year of Sci-Fi?
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With a new year, new episodes and new series are on the way. Over the past
few years, we've seen a general decrease in the number of genre series on
TV. The popularity of sci-fi and fantasy brought on by series like TNG and
THE X-FILES has gone down quite a bit in general -- although there may be
signs of a new wave to come. However, while this season may not have nearly
the number of series available as five years ago, I think the general
quality of these series may actually may be better Lately, the Sci-Fi
Channel has been hyping their new Friday night lineup coming this month as
being the best night of sci-fi TV ever. Featuring their high rated STARGATE
series and the new version of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, they may or may not be
right about that. (Given all the positive things I've heard about the new
Galactica and how the mini-series played out, it wouldn't surprise me if it
helps deliver at least some of that promise. Plus, if you count ENTERPRISE
over on UPN, it might very well be the best night of space-based series
ever.) In any case, I thought I'd provide a little update on what could be
the best *year* of Sci-Fi on TV, if not ever, most certainly in a very long
while. I'm not going to necessarily delve into all the genre options
available, just the ones that I think make this season so great.
Let's start of with series that went into reruns earlier this season, but
will be back with new episodes very soon.
LOST (returns with new episodes January 5th) has perhaps become the
strongest of the genre shows, with an intriguing multi-layered mystery,
interesting characters, and a sense of direction. Add to that a certain
amount of psychological/metaphysical property laced with symbolism and this
could be THE PRISONER for the new century.
STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE (new episodes start January 14th) has made some
interesting and exciting choices in the fourth season. Some of the things
I've heard about upcoming episodes sound very promising. Although I remain
concerned that the desire to link everything in ENTERPRISE to something
elsewhere in Trek canon may go overboard at some point, I remain optimistic
about the outlook for this season.
JOAN OF ARCADIA (returns with new episodes January 7th) has gotten darker in
the second season, but remains one of the best combinations of quirky drama.
STARGATE SG-1 (the 8th season returns with new episodes January 28th) and
STARGATE: ATLANTIS (the 1st season continues January 21st) may not be up to
par with these other series or even live up to the SG-1 of a few seasons
back, but they remain more consistent -- in both quality and continuity --
than many other series we've seen in the past. Also, FARSCAPE fans will
certainly enjoy seeing Claudia Black appearing in SG-1 on the 28th. If that
isn't enough, recent news is that Ben Browder will be joining the series
when the ninth season begins this summer, as Richard Dean Anderson reduces
his role to that of a semi-regular, rather than a regular.
Several other series will return with their season premieres in January:
ALIAS (the 4th season begins with a two hour pemiere following LOST on
January 5th, then will run in the timeslot with new episodes for most of the
rest of the season) ended last year with a plot twist that seemed to be old
hat for the series, revealing yet again the Jack Bristow had kept some
important secrets from Sydney. However, ALIAS remains a pretty good spy
drama full of twists, as this season doens't appear to be any different.
This creation from LOST creator J.J. Abrams is certainly worth a second
look.
24 (the 4th season launches with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, January 9th
at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central, then another two episodes run on Monday,
January 10th at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central before it falls into the
regular Monday night 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central timeslot) went a bit too
far last year, with a bit too many unbelievable plot twists (Tony being shot
in the neck one hour, but being up and leading CTU within a few hours), an
early season that seemed to wander aimlessly with many subplots, and a
threat that even the producers admit probably couldn't exist in nature (a
biological weapon that kills so fast it would easily burn itself out before
spreading quickly). Still, 24 has been up to this point been the best
rollercoaster ride on television, although LOST threatens to change that in
an even more believable manner. Even last year, 24 managed to pull off one
of the most thrilling episodes of the year, as Jack Bauer had to deal with
the dilemma of a terrorist threatening to unleash a virus unless his CTU
boss Ryan Chappelle is killed.
MI-5 (the 3rd season begins Saturday, January 8th at 10 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m.
Central on A&E) presents a gritty, more realistic version of the spy world
through the British security agency. While perhaps not as thrilling a ride
as the other spy dramas, it manages to offer a more down-to-Earth
alternative with some of exciting cliffhangers.
CARNIVALE (the 2nd season starts Sunday, January 9th at 9 p.m. Eastern/8
p.m. Central on HBO) continues to play out the slow paced saga of good
versus evil set during the Great Depression. The coming season promises to
speed things up a bit, but the men representing good and evil still will not
meet. Also, the series will be going forward without creator Ron Moore, as
he focuses on the new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
Entirely new series are also on the horizon:
MEDIUM (premieres *tomorrow*, Monday January 3rd at 10 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m.
Central on NBC) could be a very interesting new spin on psychics, as
Patricia Arquette plays a mother and wife who sees dead people and uses her
psychic powers to help the police. I've heard some good things about this
show, but, not being psychic, I'll say the outlook is uncertain.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (the 1st season debuts with a two-hour premiere on
January 14th at 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central on Sci-Fi) continues to get
good reviews from countries where the first season has been running for some
time. Based on the mini-series and interviews with Ron Moore, I wouldn't be
surprised if it's as highly thought of here, too.
POINT PLEASANT (premieres January 19th at 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central on
FOX) sounds a bit like a supernatural soap opera, as a woman arrives in
small town to discover secrets of her late mother's past, unleashing all
sorts of devilish goings on. Of the new series, this is the one that I'm
least certain of, but it might be worth a look.
That's about it. The variety of strong shows this season should provide
something for almost everyone, I think.
Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up with my ENTERPRISE reviews -- January is
going to be a hard month, with a lot of extra hours at work and all this new
TV to watch, but I'll do my best to get something out, even if it isn't the
detail provided by my usual analysis. (To answer a questions I've had in
the past, I've been compiling this information by watching the episode once
for the experience, then going back and watching each scene individually to
sum it up, while utilizing such things as close captioning and online
resources to verify spellings and such. A time consuming process, but worth
it, as I'm less likely to miss commenting on something that might otherwise
slip through the crack and having an accurate record of the episode for the
season wrap-up.)
Kevin
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