Winter TV Season

With the writer’s strike behind us, I can finally get back to what I love to do best – watch good TV. It was a long dark period where I literally had to scramble to feed my TV habit. I did yet another re-watch of Farscape and the Peacekeeper Wars (more on this to come eventually), finally finished my summer re-watch of Buffy, re-watched Angel (Angel “Season 6″ comics!), re-watched BSG, started watching Stargate Atlantis, finally finished the last two Babylon 5 movies, caught up with Doctor Who, and watched Season 1 of Torchwood. Whew! Seems like a lot, but let me tell you, when you start recording old episodes of Sex and the City and Seinfeld, you know you have problem. Well, the sun is shining and as spring quickly approaches it’s business as usual on all the major networks. Ironically, most of the shows that I was really excited about returning weren’t supposed to air until the winter anyway, so, Heroes and the Bionic Woman will have to wait until next fall. Let’s take a look at what to expect for the post-writer’s strike/winter TV season:

Lost – Getting back into “detective” mode seems all but inevitable with the highly anticipated return of Lost. Season 4 promises to be the best season yet. When we last left our Losties, Charlie sacrificed himself to save the others, but managed to relay a disturbing message to Desmond before he drowned. Jack et al. made there way to the radio tower where Danielle (or as I prefer to think of her – Delenn) left her distress message 16 years previous. They managed to turn if off and make contact with “Penny’s” boat, with Ben being only a mild irritation, but as per usual Locke hindered the rescue by literally stabbing Naomi in the back. The thing I look forward to the most this season is new blood in the water. I’m so sick of Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Locke, ect. More Sayid and Desmond, please. They are the most compelling characters on the show and not bad to look at. Lost airs Thursdays @ 9pm on ABC.

Battlestar Galactica – My obsession with Lost can only be matched (or in this case, surpassed) by my obsession with Battlestar Galactica. As the fourth and final season approaches, I’m quivering with anticipation. It will be a year since the Season 3 finale aired and playing the waiting game is driving me crazy. I’m really looking forward to re-watching Season 3 when the DVDs are released on March 18th. Exodus Part 1 and 2 were some of the most compelling, expertly written, and beautifully directed episodes I’ve ever seen on television. Not to mention the fact that the special effects were completely on point – lest we forget how sweet it looked for Galactica to jump into New Caprica atmosphere, nearly hit the ground, then shoot back up leaving only a trail of atmospheric debris behind. Major props to Felix Alcala who did an excellent job with those episodes and Razor. Another season favorite was Lee Adama’s monologue while on the stand during Gaius Baltar’s trial. I get goose bumps every time I see it and I really gained a new found respect for Lee. I think the most poignant line, “We’re not a civilization anymore, we’re a gang.”, pretty much sums up the state of the fleet at this point. According to Ronald D. Moore in an interview on the Razor DVD, this season the colonials will finally find Earth and we’ll discover who the identity of the final Cylon. The new season premieres April 4th @ 10pm on the Scifi Channel.

Check out this link to an insanely beautiful photograph published in Entertainment Weekly last month of the principle cast recreating the Last Supper. The picture apparently gives clues for what to expect in Season 4, if you can decipher its meaning: BSG – Last Supper

Torchwood – I watched all 13 episodes of Torchwood in less than a month. I love this show! It’s an adult version of Doctor Who and deals with the acquisition of alien technology. I have the biggest crush on John Barrowman who plays the charming and completely bisexual Capt. Jack Harkness. From the first moment I saw him in the Doctor Who episode,The Empty Child, flirting and waltzing with Rose – and then the Doctor – I knew there was something alluring about this character. Barrowman brings that same charm and bravado to Torchwood and I can’t wait to start watching new episodes. This season, not only do we get a three episode arc with the lovely Freema Agyman AKA Martha Jones, but we also get a guest appearance from James Marsters which promises to be quite steamy. Oi! Torchwood airs Saturdays @ 9pm on BBC America.

 

Peacekeeper Wars

I finally finished collecting the Farscape Starburst editions. I rounded out my collection with the amazing Peacekeeper Wars.

 

Fall TV Season

I love fall. I love it for the simple fact that the new TV season begins. This year, in addition to a couple of new series coming down the pike, many of my old favorites are returning (some not until 2008). Here’s a break down of what to except this fall on your TV set:

Heroes – Heroes returns with its much anticipated Season 2 premiere. I missed the boat on Heroes last year, but after purchasing the Season 1 DVD set, I watched all 23 episodes in about a week. It was that compelling. This season should pick up right where we left off with the fate of the Petrelli brothers in limbo and Hiro stuck in ancient Japan. Also, look for some new characters, including the addition of Veronica Mars alum, Kristen Bell. Heroes airs Monday nights @ 9pm on NBC.

Bionic Woman – I wasn’t even born when the original Bionic Woman was on air, however, I’m somewhat intrigued by this new re-imagined version. With Executive Producer David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) helming the project, it’s sure to be far less formulaic and much more modern. Look for the recurring role of Sarah Corvus, played by Katee Sackoff(AKA Kara “Starbuck” Thrace from Battlestar Galactica). Bionic Woman airs Wednesday nights @ 9pm on NBC.

Battlestar Galactica: Razor – Speaking of BSG, we still have to wait several months before the new season begins, so Scifi is throwing us a bone with a Thanksgiving weekend Battlestar Galactica “movie”. Razor, which is technically episodes 1 and 2 of Season 4, centers on Kendra Shaw’s time on the Battlestar Pegasus after the initial attack by the Cylons on the 12 colonies. What I’m most excited about is seeing all that Admiral Cain, played by Michelle Forbes, went through before her first appearance in the Season 2 episode, Pegasus. According to Ronald D. Moore, Razor will not only fill in the gaps for what occurred on Pegasus before it reunited with the fleet, but also, give clues for what to expect in Season 4. Razor airs Saturday, November 24th @ 9pm on Scifi Channel.

Tin Man – Seems like there’s a lot of re-imagining going on these days, so why not a re-imagined family classic with a dark twist? Tin Man is the Scifi Channels’ three-part mega-miniseries modernization of L. Frank Baum’s classic, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. Honestly, I’ve never been a big fan of The Wizard of Oz, but for some reason I’m really looking forward to watching this miniseries. Say what you will about Scifi – they do have a tendency to air really bad original B movies – but when it comes an epic miniseries, they still know how to do it right (remember Frank Herbert’s Dune?). With an all-star cast and stunning visuals, Tin Man is sure to be a hit. Tin Man airs Sunday, December 2nd @ 9pm on Scifi Channel.

 

I Worship His Shadow

If only I could get my hands on a copy of Lexx Series 1.

 

Farscape Webisodes – Update

Check out the TV Guide interview with Brian Henson. He talks about the webisode series and a possible Farscape series sequel. That would be way cool as long as Ben Browder and Claudia Black are involved.

 

Farscape Webisodes!

The Sci-fi Channel has ordered 10 webisodes for my beloved Farscape! This is quite possibly the greatest thing to ever happen in the history of television. At last, the network has finally done something right. I have such a love/hate relationship with the Sci-fi Channel which seems to find it necessary to kill evey good science fiction show to ever cross its path and replace it with a plethora of campy television dribble and B-movies that even Roger Corman wouldn’t touch. But I digress…

The good thing about the webisodes is that it can generate interest in the series and by extension grab the attention of the suits at the network, who could funnel money into possible episodes and more movies. I would like to take a moment and thank Joe for giving me the lowdown on the best news I’ve heard all year. This small piece of information has renewed my faith in the system and given me hope that maybe good things come to those who wait.

In honor of the happy news, here’s a short clip from Season 3, Episode 8: Green Eyed Monster (one of my favorite episodes). John and Aeryn share a romantic moment.

 

Lovers

 

Oscar Noms 2007: Pan’s Labyrinth Leads The Pact For Scifi/Fantasy

Congrats to one of Mexico’s best director’s, Guillermo Del Toro

The Oscar nominations were announced today and as usual the number of sci-fi/fantasy nods are extremely lacking. Some notable nominations are: Pan’s Labyrinth (art direction, cinematography, foreign language, make-up, musical score, original screenplay), Children Of Men (cinematography, editing, adapted screenplay), Pirate’s of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (art direction, sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects), Superman Returns (visual effects). Otherwise, it’s business as usual.

Yummy! Brittish hottie Clive Owen.

I’m disappointed that the The Fountain was not nominated. It was my favorite film of 2006.

Hugh Jackman in his best perfromance.