TV with MeeVee

"Caprica" and "Eureka" Casting Nuggets

It's the time of year when all the casting news starts trickling out of our favorite scifi shows and scifi shows to be. Today, two tidbits from The Scifi Channel:

"Eureka" will be picking up the lovely and talented Frances Fisher. Fisher ("In The Valley Of Elah") will be playing Samantha Thorne, a Global Dynamics "fixer" who will appear for an eight-episode plot arc. No doubt she'll be on hand to sweep up the many, many complicated messes that the residents of Eureka manage to make. I bet she and the sheriff will get along just fine.

"Battlestar Galactica" fans are waiting with bated breath for any news on the upcoming "Caprica" prequel. Will it be awesome? Will it suck? Will it have Eric Stoltz? The last question, at least, can finally be answered. Stoltz will play Daniel Graystone, a filthy rich computer engineer with a terrible tragedy in his history. I'm sure that rosy, happy things will happen to him, and he definitely won't help to build a robot race that will eventually obliterate humanity.

BSG Scorecard: The Hybrid Speaks

Wow. After a slightly lackluster episode last week, "BSG" has bounced back in a serious way. This episode was quite the emotional rollercoaster, I'll admit it even had me a little teary-eyed at a couple of points. Speaking of which, can we get Mary McDonnell an Emmy please? Despite the fact that Roslin's cancer treatments are undeniably the B-plot in this episode, she brings a pathos to the process that's absolutely irresistable. The whole "dying of cancer" schtick is such a painfully tired cliché that it's a tightrope walk to keep it from tipping into melodrama or parody, but somehow, she manages.

I have to award points to my husband, who successfully identified Emily as a Star Trek cameo; the improbably named Nana Visitor of "Deep Space Nine." I thought the plot with Emily was, truthfully, a little heavy-handed, and it was pretty obvious where it was going from the start. Nonetheless, it'll be interesting to see if Roslin ends up a convert to Gaius' ego-fueled pseudo-Christianity. Wouldn't that blow his tiny mind.

"Heroes" Nabs Speedy "FNL" Cutie

It must be summer, because it's time for an endless stream of "Heroes" casting news. Blonder-than-blonde Brea Grant of "Friday Night Lights" is the latest to join the increasingly mammoth cast, word is she'll be playing a super-fast superhero who is described as the Joker to Hiro's Batman. The new character's name is Daphne, and she runs afoul of Hiro when she tries to rip off the Nakamura family.

"I'm stealing a secret that's been kept in Hiro's family for a long time that he's just now found," Brea Grant told The Associated Press during a break in filming in downtown Los Angeles. "He stops time right as I grab it, but in that second it took him to grab it, I almost make it out of the office."

It's going to be fun to see Hiro with an arch nemesis, especially a cute, female one. Daphne will be appearing in Season 3, which picks up where the truncated Season 2 left off. Since the title of the next volume of "Heroes" is "Villains," I'm guessing this won't be the last bad-guy casting we see.

"Lost" Scorecard: Destiny Is A Fickle Bitch

Okay, it took me about ten minutes to get my eyes uncrossed after that ending. That was a full-tilt boogie, "Lost" style. I think I'm looking forward to seeing the half-baked theories that the internet comes up with almost as much as I'm looking forward to seeing the next episode. Given what we've learned, and what's been hinted at, there are many billions of crackpot theories now available to the obsessive fans. Not that I would have any idea about that kind of thing.

Given what we know about his history, "destiny is a fickle bitch" seems like the perfect motto for Benjamin Linus. I'm surprised he doesn't have it tattooed across his butt. Ben is a man who knows about the winds of fate, and which way they blow, and they are most definitely, err, blowing Locke. Clearly Ben's not exactly excited about losing his slot as the golden boy, but then again he's also probably going to stop getting slapped around by lady luck quite so much. It's a mixed bag. Speaking of mixed bags, what's the score?

Scifi Channel Nabs Deal To Air Ghost Whisperer

Fans of Jennifer Love Hewitt and ghosts rejoice, the show made just for you will be in reruns on The Scifi Channel. Scifi has inked a big juicy deal with CBS to rerun "Ghost Whisperer" along with some other favorites from the CBS catalogue including; "Star Trek: TNG," "Charmed," "Early Edition," "Highlander," "Mork & Mindy," and "Friday the 13th: The Series." "Ghost Whisperer" will begin airing in four-hour primetime chunks in the Fall of 2009; this year, "TNG" will re-premiere on Monday, June 2nd. No word on when or if any of the other properties will make it to the airwaves.

It may be wrong, but I'm tickled pink about the potential return of "Friday the 13th." "Ghost Whisperer" is fine and dandy, but "Friday the 13th" is the flavor of a youth misspent watching too much scifi and horror. Did anyone else love this series? Maybe "Mork & Mindy" is more your speed, or the cult favorite "Highlander?" What are you hoping Scifi will bring back?

"Battlestar Galactica" Scorecard: Mutiny On The Bounty

It's nice to be reminded that while Saul and Tyrol are competing for who can go crazier, they're just wading in the kiddie pool while Starbuck is jumping off the Olympic high rise diving board straight down into 12 feet of the craziest crazy around.

We've finally gotten a chance to see what's been doing on the Demetrius, and it's more or less exactly what you'd expect; Starbuck is using feng shui to find her way to earth and it's making the crew just the tiniest bit antsy. None of this is helped by the arrival of Leoben, who is now somehow Starbuck's best pal. Even knowing that creators Eick and Moore have said that the show is, ultimately, about getting to Earth, and knowing that the craziest people on "BSG" tend to be the ones who are correct, it's still hard to believe that Kara isn't just on the most foolish of fool's errands.

Back aboard Galactica, Baltar sure seems to be getting comfortable with his role as messiah. Unsurprisingly he's gone from disbelief at the idea that people might worship him to spewing vaguely Christian-ish sounding religious dogma in a few short weeks. It probably has something to do with the fact that his worshipers are mostly hot chicks and secret Cylons (sometimes both). Apparently the Cylons are just wired to be monotheistic, since Tory seems half-way to buying his schtick and even Tyrol is starting to weaken under the schmaltzy assault of bland goodwill and hope. Oh Tyrol, couldn't you go back to hallucinating and screaming at people in bars?

"Smallville": Lex Out, New Villains In

After seven seasons of bald, handsome villainy, Michael Rosenbaum is ready to take a break from playing the Junior Miss edition of one of the most famous supervillains. In a press release Thursday, Michael announced his plans to leave "Smallville" and the character of Lex Luthor behind him, which might be good for his career but leaves the poor boy of steel in a bit of a lurch. Will Superman without Lex be like Sonny without Cher, or will the show soldier gamely on without him? I've never been a religious follower of "Smallville," but it always seemed to be that Luthor was one of the best elements of the show. The producers seem willing to hint that he'll at least be back around for guest spots, however, so at least there's some hope.

Along with the bad news, we get a bit of the good. A few new villains are slated for the possibly final season of the show, including Doomsday who's famous for killing Superman and being really, really silly looking. Also waiting in the wings, a female villain who is described - presumably with a straight face - as "intelligent, brilliantly manipulative and dangerously sinister" whose "attraction with Clark may prove to be as deadly as kryptonite for him."

"Lost" Scorecard: Jack And Kate, Sittin' In A Tree

Tonight's episode must have really tickled the fancies of the Jack/Kate shippers of the world, but for the rest of us it left a bit to be desired. There's some good action in there, and a hell of a classic "Lost" cliffhanger, but you have to wade through a bunch of Jack and Kate cracking up in flashbacks and the least tense surgery ever. After telegraphing Jack's illness so thoroughly, it's disappointing that they went with the most cliché illness ever, and it's hard to build up much concern about the health of a character who is verifiably alive several years later.

That aside, the added flavor that the Kahana crew brings to the mix makes for some interesting action. It's a curious revelation that Charlotte speaks Korean, but there's no way that's just an interesting coincidence. Perhaps now that the exigency of Jack's illness is passed, Bernard will be able to go back to focusing on just why Charlotte and Daniel are jerking them around. I, for one, would like to get to the bottom of the no good they are clearly up to. Now, let's see how this episode did on points.

"BSG" Scorecard: Putting The Fun In Funeral

I'd be hard pressed to say whether Saul or the Chief is cracking up more spectacularly at this point on "Battlestar Galactica." Tory seems to have jumped on board with the zeal of a convert - with bonus creepy S&M action - and god only knows what's going on with Anders but I'm betting he can't keep up with Saul or the Chief for sheer crazy good times. Even Baltar is starting to look comparatively balanced, and he's getting tossed around the room by a hallucinatory sex robot.

Yet another week goes by that we get nothing much more than an obligatory "by the way, Starbuck still exists and is still crazy" shot, although the preview for next week suggests that we will finally get some payoff on the big tease. Maybe that will give Anders a good chance to storm around, melodramatically talking about how he's nothing but a machine and having some wacky funtime hallucinations. For this week though, we'll just have to count points for 75% of our secret Cylon team.

"Lost" Scorecard: You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

Benjamin Linus is rapidly moving from "pretty excellent villain" to "perhaps one of the best TV villains of all time." Make no mistake, he is a guy with whom you would not want to frak. It probably bodes well for no one that the events of this most recent episode have stripped Ben of one of the last remnants of his humanity, but as bad as it is for the survivors of Oceanic 815, it's pretty much awesome for us.

Our latest "Lost" episode is titled "The Shape Of Things To Come," and we definitely get a taste of what is coming up. Lots of dead bodies, lots of villainy and - of course - lots more questions. Along with new questions, we get a nice dose of an old favorite. Namely, what the hell is up with the smoke monster? Yes, old smoky is back again, and he is not in a good mood. So, what's the score?

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***

"Doctor Who" A Ratings Winner For Scifi

Between the hardcore Whovians and all my beloved mother-frakkers, things are looking rosy for The Sci Fi Channel. Season 4 of "Doctor Who" had its American premiere last Friday with the 90-minute "Voyage of the Damned" special, a Titanic-themed episode that teamed the good Doctor with pop princess Kylie Minogue, and it proved to be a ratings hit for Sci Fi. The episode aired with the highest ratings for a season premiere since the first season ran on Sci Fi in 2006. Add to that the fact that "Battlestar Galactica" hit a ratings high with its final-season premiere, and it's champagne time over at the channel.

"Doctor Who" will be back with regular episodes this Friday, staring the ever charming David Tennant as The Doctor and bringing back Catherine Tate as the whiny, slightly annoying Donna. I hope that she'll grow on me, but I miss Martha already.

"Torchwood": And On Towards The End

Torchwood
Title: "Exit Wounds"
First Aired (US): 4/19/08

So another season of "Torchwood" comes to a close, not with a bang but with a whole series of bangs and a lot of whimpering. "Torchwood" season 2 was an improvement on season 1, and the finale was no exception. There was nary a rampaging demon in sight; havoc was wreaked, chests were pounded and mayhem ensued, but at least it was 100% rampaging-demon-free.

James Marsters was back to deliver his particular brand of swaggering insanity as Captain John Hart, Jack's obsessive stalker, but his story ended up being more interesting than just another jilted Jack-fan. After leading the team a merry chase, blowing up huge chunks of Cardiff and stealing Jack away to 27 AD, he reveals that he's merely a pawn in a time-traveling game of chess, sent to mess with Jack by someone who wants very, very badly to hurt our hero.

"BSG" Scorecard: In Space, No One Can Hear You Flip Out

A difficulty in juggling a big ensemble cast and multiple plotlines as "Battlestar Galactica" does is that, some of the time, a few will fall short. With the Cylon civil war getting into full swing, and the hidden Cylons clinging desperately to survival while trying to figure out what they're supposed to do and be, it's hard to care  very much about Adama vs. Roslin vs. Adama. This is surprising because Pappy Adama and Roslin are arguably two of the most interesting characters in the show, but at the moment I just can't get worked up about their political bickering. Let's be generous and say that's because the other stories are way too cool.

We only get a snippet of what's up with Starbuck and the crew of the Demetrius, who have apparently been on the road for a few weeks. It's not very interesting, but it's also not really long enough to do anything but remind us that Starbuck is crazy (but still hot) and show the crew chafing under her nutty, nutty command. Still, it feels superfluous, which is a shame because the main plot threads are so jaw-droppingly awesome. But this is a numbers game! Let's see how it stacks up.

"Dollhouse" Doles Out Spoilers, Picks Up Fred

It was inevitable, given the amount of fan interest behind a Joss Whedon project, that every detail of of "Dollhouse" would be leaked, reported and poured over by restless Whedonites who are sick of watching "Once More With Feeling" on DVD over and over. I mean... I assume that's what they're doing. I certainly wouldn't have any first hand knowledge.

Luckily for us, I mean you, E! Online has gotten some juicy details on what will be going on in the pilot episode -- be assured, it's spoilery -- and the details look delicious. Without divulging too much for you spoiler avoiding types, I will say that it looks fantastic and dark. It also seems to have plenty of room for the trademark "tiny, slightly crazy girl who can totally kick your ass" character.

Also in the win column, the stunningly gorgeous Amy Acker AKA Fred from "Angel" will be joining the cast in a regular role. Cue the exciting squeeing from the fans.

Moore Develops Show For Fox; Fans Hold Breath

It looks like "Battlestar Galactica's" Ron Moore (right) is jumping on board the FoxWagon. Moore is reportedly developing a series called "Virtuality," and can I be the first to lodge a "that's a stupid name" complaint? It's about a dozen deep space astronauts who are stuck in space for ten years and turn to virtual reality to keep themselves entertained. So basically it's "Star Trek: Holodecks Gone Wild."

They've got a word for scifi shows on Fox that aren't "The X-Files," and it's not a nice one. No fan hears the words scifi and Fox in the same sentence without starting to twitch and mumble about "Firefly" under their breath. It looks like this fall Fox is turning its attention to scifi in a big way, so we can look forward to at least a couple of brilliant shows that we pick up the "complete series box set" for a couple months later. "Lost's" JJ Abrams is working on "Fringe," which at least sounds enough like "The X-Files" to have a fighting chance, and of course Joss Whedon, who apparently is enough of an optimist to try it again despite being the index case for Fox's mishandling of genre shows, is putting together the decidedly creepy and awesome sounding "Dollhouse." I'm going to start a pool to see if any of them survive a first season, who's got a bet?

Torchwood: Back To The Beginning

Torchwood
Title: "Fragments"
First Aired (US): 4/12/08

I'd like to say something better about this episode than to call it necessary, but unfortunately that's about the best I can do. "Fragments" is a classic plotline, it's the "how did we get here" episode where we follow the characters down the murky path that led them into the grips of Torchwood. This gives us some interesting backstory, but I have to admit it feels a little perfunctory here. It's like they needed to occupy the hour from the first thing that happens to the big finish that sets up for the season finale next week, and so they figured they'd give us a flashback. On a sitcom, this episode was in real danger of just being a clip show.

BSG Scorecard: Drink, Scream, Rinse, Repeat

Oh Starbuck, nobody has a freakout like you do. Oh sure, Gaius might be hallucinating a slicker, greasier version of himself and Roslin may be quietly self-destructing, but nobody has an old-fashioned, laying on the floor, screaming at the top of your lungs freakout like Kara Thrace.

After the wind-up in the first episode, here comes the pitch. Everyone's nerves are turned up to 11 and the situation is changing too fast to have any chance of finding a balance point. Of course, since it's BSG, it's only going to get spectacularly, horribly worse. My biggest problem with this show is it's just so unrelentingly cheerful and twee, it's like watching an episode of the "Care Bears" for Crissake. Let's see how we did on points, shall we?

The Lost "Lost" Opening

J.J. Abrams is a TV maverick, you can tell by the way he eschews such tired ideas as plot resolution and coherent answers to questions, and perhaps most importantly, by the edgy, minimalist opening on "Lost." As it happens, I like the absence of opening credits. Particularly if, like me, you enjoy marathoning a show on DVD, listening to the same credit sequence again and again can get boring. Not everyone agrees with me, however, and there's a whole cottage industry (if something that no one gets paid for, or wants, can be called an "industry") building imagined opening credits out of scavenged clips from the show. They range in quality from good to bad, but Slash Film has found what has to be the very best of the bunch, "Lost" as a kind of low-rent 90s "Baywatch" style drama. The theme song really is the very best part.

"BSG" Writers Drop Hints About Cylon Eyes

Comic Mix has begun a recurring Q&A with "Battlestar Galatica" producer Mark Verheiden that gets into details that might even be too obsessive for me. It's a good read for fans though, and the fine folks over at TV Squad picked out an interesting little detail: there seems to be something going on with eyes.

CMix: In Tigh's hallucination, he shoots Adama in the same eye that Tigh lost. Intentional?

MV: Per one of the writers of that episode, Mr. David Weddle:

"I was waiting for someone to pick up on that telling detail. Congratulations. But I am disappointed you have not figured out its significance within the larger mythology of the show. It's all laid out for you. All you have to do is run the episode over again in slow motion, and the deeper truth will be revealed."

Hmmm... Makes me want to run it slow motion!

As the TV Squad people note, when Anders gets zapped by the flying toaster, it's his right eye that responds. Maybe the right eye is the brainwashing plug? It's a mystery, indeed, although I'd say it's even money that Mr. Weddle is just having a little fun at our expense.

"Torchwood": Gone But Not Forgotten

Torchwood
Title: "Adrift"
First Aired (US): 4/05/08

As a fan of "Torchwood," I'm enamored of the show's tendency to keep changing things up; from a critical standpoint it's like shooting at a moving target. Most of the time "Torchwood" is a frothy parfait of faintly silly scifi, melodrama and hot bisexuals, but then it delivers an episode like "Adrift," a sober, thoughtful exploration of hope, heroism and loss. It's not that it's bad, it's just a little perplexing. If I didn't recognize the characters I'd think I was watching a different show. This week's episode isn't the guilty pleasure that "Torchwood" fans have come to know and love, but it's one of the best, probably the best when it comes to standalone episodes that aren't really focused on the larger arc.

BSG Scorecard: Paranoia Will Destroy Ya

Welcome back, "Battlestar Galactica," you've been missed. Never has the "previously on" been more necessary - it seemed like season 3 ended somewhere back in the Reagan presidency. Were it not for the miracle of the DVD I'd be forced to resort to Wikipedia to remember the names of all the characters. With all that waiting, does BSG live up to all our expectations?

In a word, yes. Even though we spend a good chunk of the episode playing through the fairly expected consequences of the big cliffhanger from last season, it remains interesting and tense, and in true BSG style the last few minutes leave you staring at the screen like some kind of slack-jawed yokel. Having pioneered the Extremely Scientific Scorecard(tm) for "Lost," I will use it to measure the approximate awesome-osity of "Battlestar Galactica." How do things stack up?

Empire Magazine Publishes Not-So-Great "Great" List

The people over at Empire Magazine have published a list of what they identify as the 50 greatest TV shows of all time, or possibly just the first 50 TV shows their interns could name. You can't please everyone with these lists, in fact starting arguments is part of the idea, and "great" couldn't be more subjective, so I always cut these kinds of lists a little slack. This time, however, there is not enough slack in the world. I can't even tell what Empire Magazine is trying to say with this list, except perhaps that popularity is more important than good writing and there was no good television before 1989 (unless it was British television, where we at least have "Black Adder," "Fawlty Towers" and "Doctor Who").

Sure, some of their picks are widely held as great television. They give a nod to the fantastic cult-classic "Arrested Development," and wisely give the #13 spot to "Battlestar Galactica," but in what universe does "Prison Break" belong on a Top 50 list? It's clear the writers of this list and I share some tastes, but even as a huge fangirl for all things Whedonesque I have to wonder if it's legit to put all three of Joss's shows in the top 50 while ignoring, say, "The Twilight Zone" or "The Prisoner." In the handful of sitcoms that are acknowledged, we're gonna give the nod to "Scrubs" and not "The Dick Van Dyke Show?" Really? Lists like this are ultimately a forgettable curiosity, something to flip through while you're waiting in a doctor's office, but I don't think I've ever seen one that was trying so hard for irrelevancy.

"Smallville" Creators Not So Super Anymore

In a surprise move, the creators and executive producers of "Smallville" announced that they were calling it quits. In a letter released to the press, Al Gough and Miles Millar announced that this season would be their last, saying that, "After much heartache and debate we have decided it is time for us to move on." If you were hoping for some juicy dirt from the letter, you're out of luck. Gough and Miles thank their staff and the fans for all their support, but aside from a slightly passive-aggressive note about "never compromising their vision," they don't give a window into why they're suddenly departing what they themselves point out is the #1 scripted show on the CW.

As any fan of "The Gilmore Girls" will tell you, losing the masterminds at the center of a show can deal it a death blow. The final season of Rory and Lorelei Gilmore's adventures was painful to watch in parts, and I'm sure many fans would have preferred it had ended when the Sherman-Palladino team left the building. Such change might be even more painful for a "mythology" show, too - who wants to see "Buffy" without Joss Whedon's guiding hand? What do you think, "Smallville" fans, will the show be worth watching after regime change?

Want to know just what was said? For those curious souls, we have included the full text of the letter after the jump.

A Sneak Peak At The Battlestar Galactica Premiere

In preparation for the triumphant return of "Battlestar Galactica," the fine folks at the SciFi channel have sent us over the first episode of the new season to preview. The episode came wrapped in a brown paper parcel, which seemed appropriate given how excited I was about a chance to preview it. It also came with dire warnings about ninjas clad in NBC logo masks who would come to my house and silence me permanently were I to so much as breathe a hint of what happens in the fourth act.

However! If you, like me, cannot resist sneaking a glimpse at what lies ahead, there is more on the premiere after the jump. Be assured, within the bounds of what NBC will allow us, it is extremely spoilery.

Katee Sackhoff Talks BSG Season 4

One of the most compelling figures in "Battlestar Galactica" is easily Kara Thrace, A.K.A. Starbuck. Originally treated by fans with some suspicion - mostly surrounding the idea that their beloved Starbuck could work as a chick - actress Katee Sackhoff successfully transformed the hard-drinking, seriously crazy fighter pilot into a fan favorite. She followed this success up with a turn as Sarah Corvus, the evil sex-bomb villain on David Eick's "Bionic Woman," and while that show might have been a loser, there's no question that she stole every scene she was in. In preparation for the anticipated return of "Battlestar Galactica," Sackhoff sat down with journalists to discuss her status as a sci-fi icon, and what's in store for Starbuck in the final season. (Couple spoilers ahead, but probably none that you haven't heard already.)

Torchwood: "Send In The Clowns"

Torchwood
Title: "From Out Of The Rain"
First Aired (US): 3/29/08

An old standard of sci-fi action shows is the "monster of the week" plot. Some shows - "The X-Files" springs to mind - are at their best when focused on the good old "see the monster, research the monster, kill the monster" plots, and some - anything by Joss Whedon, for example - are at their best when embroiled in the drama of the characters and ongoing season or series plots. "Torchwood" is undeniably a guilty pleasure, and it's at its guiltiest and most pleasurable when the characters are doing what they do best, shagging and fighting with each other. As a result, the quotidian spot-catch-kill episodes leave a little bit to be desired.

Battlestar Galactica Specials Air Tonight

The ramp up to the long, long, long, long awaited 4th season of "Battlestar Galactica" has begun in force, and to start your motors running Scifi will be airing two behind-the-scenes specials tonight. We'll get "Battlestar Galactica: Revealed" at 10pm and "Battlestar Galactica: Phenomenon" at 10:30.

"Revealed" is a trip behind the scenes that promises many clips and cuts to talking heads of writers and directors. Whereas "Phenomenon" will be a trip behind the fandom that promises many clips and cuts to talking heads of fans (some of whom are famous!). It promises to be an hour jam-packed with the kind of minutia and trivia you'll be repeating at science-fiction conventions for years to come. Not that you go to those things, of course.

Do you watch behind-the-scenes specials, sports fans? Do the extras on your DVDs sit gathering dusts or do you gobble up every bit of media that you can? Come back tonight and tell us what you thought of the revealed phenomenon of "Battlestar Galactica."

"Jericho": Don't Mess With Texas

Jericho
Title: Patriots and Tyrants
First Aired: 3/25/08

Thus ends the strange career of "Jericho," not with a bang, but a civil war. The show defied cancellation once, but lightning failed to strike a second time and the trial-run second season will be its last. It's gone off to that big TV set in the sky, to live on in our DVDs forever. Presumably on the DVD: the other season finale that was filmed, which left the story open for continuation. Which is different from this episode... which left the story open for continuation.

BSG Creator Takes On "Children Of Men"

Far be it from us to call David Eick a master of really depressing television, except wait, that's exactly what we're going to call him. The master himself is reportedly working on a pilot script for "Children of Men," an adaptation of the P.D. James novel about a world in which all of the women become suddenly infertile. There was a 2006 big screen adaptation of the story, staring an extremely stubbly Clive Owen, but Eick says his TV show will take more inspiration from the book than the movie.

"It's really taking root more in the origins of the novels in that it will focus on the cultural movement in which young people become the society's utter focus, much like our culture, whenever Lindsay Lohan does something [and] it becomes the headline of every news show, it's about how, when you don't have a responsibility to the next generation and you're free to do whatever you want, where do you draw the line?"

Sounds cheery, no? Despite the depress-o-fest, there's a lot of great material in P.D. James' novel, and Eick has shown us what he can do with a bleak future (and Katee Sackhoff) in "Battlestar Galactica." Unfortunately, he's also shown us what he can do with a bland present (and Katee Sackhoff) in the aptly canceled "Bionic Woman." So color us hopeful but cautious at this stage in the game. We're waiting to hear more.

 

"Torchwood": There Goes The Bride

Torchwood
Title: "Something Borrowed"
First Aired (US): 3/22/08

There's an inherent problem with an episode that centers around a character acting like a completely irrational idiot. It's frustrating for fans, and if the character isn't typically a complete moron, it's jarring. You can see exactly how it came together, Gwen is getting married to Rhys and the thing that the writers wanted (indeed, the thing that many fans wanted) is to see Jack running in right when the pastor asks if anyone knows a reason why they can't be married. In order to get the characters to that point, however, Gwen has to be the biggest moron in the history of mankind. It's all romantic and melodramatic, but the amount of plot jury-rigging required really isn't worth it.

Two Arquettes For The Price Of One On "Medium"

The first thing anyone involved with NBC's "Medium" will tell you is that it's a family show. Sure it's about a woman using her psychic powers to hunt down horrible axe-murderers, but the important thing is the tender family drama. On April 7th, the show will become a family show in another way, when star Patricia Arquette's sister Rosanna does a guest turn as a cougary man-eater.  

In a phone conference, the Arquette girls sat down with journalists to talk about the upcoming episode and what it was like to grow up in their unusual, talented family.(Pictured: Patricia, left, and Roseanna.)

• Rosanna found her role as a villain tough work. A scene involving the violent strangulation of a young man was particularly rough, but she said she enjoyed the chance to get into a baddie for the first time. Returning to the rigors of television was challenging all around, especially since writer/creator Glenn Caron rarely has a full script at the start of shooting.
• Patricia had so much fun with her sister guest-starring that sometimes it was hard to bring the tension that the scene required, "I was enjoying her so much that I would find myself smiling." A particularly ridiculous line about a "middle-aged mouseburger" eventually had to be cut from a scene because Patricia couldn't get through it without laughing. Yeah Patricia, we don't blame you.

"Lost" Scorecard: You Don't Die Till We Say You Die

Often, when watching an episode of "Lost" that centers around a character I don't like (cough Kate cough cough Jack), I find my patience for the storyline significantly reduced. Conversely I'm more inclined to be favorable about a weak Sayid, Sun or (sniff) Charlie episode. Every fan of a show is like this, and I try to take it into account when I write my reviews. So it's saying something that the fact that this week's episode is all about the morally flexible and whiny Michael didn't put a damper on my interest.

Having finally gotten the painfully obvious reveal of Michael out of the way, we're free to find out what the heck he's been doing since he sailed off into the sunset lo these many episodes ago. It's a sign that I've gotten too accustomed to "Lost"-style storytelling that I was finding the flashback sort of disorienting. Michael's flashback is bracketed by him telling Sayid his story, and follows a more or less linear path from beginning to end. In other words, it's like a perfectly normal flashback on any other show. Weird, right? Enough of that, let's talk score.

SciFi Channel Plans "Caprica," Less Interesting Stuff

This week, the people over at The SciFi Channel are hard at work cementing their position as your premiere source for "Doctor Who" reruns, "Battlestar Galactica," and some of the most spectacularly bad made for TV movies known to man. They're rolling out their fall line-up, along with other scintillating news, and we, your loyal friends at Meevee.com, want to be sure that you don't miss a thing.

• Rejoice, all ye BSG fans, for the coming of a prequel is at hand. SciFi has greenlit a two-hour pilot for "Caprica," a story set on Caprica (duh) about 50 years before the start of BSG. As a BSG fan, I'm excited about this, however Io9 would like you to know why prequels are killing your loved ones and pouring sugar in your gas tank.
• In other deeply exciting news, Richard Branson of Virgin Everything is joining the SciFi Channel "Visions of Tomorrow" advisory board. Before getting this information I had no idea that the SciFi Channel had a "Visions of Tomorrow" board, but it sounds suspiciously like something that's pioneered by someone who shortly afterwards declares himself President For Life.

"Jericho": It Gets Real Up In This Piece

Jericho
Title: Sedition
First Aired: 3/18/08

With the penultimate episode of "Jericho," the scramble to wrap up storylines is beginning in a serious way. It seems unlikely, given the numbers, that the citizens of Jericho will be returning to the small screen in the fall, which gives the writers just one more episode to give us a satisfying ending. It's unlikely that the hardcore fans will be satisfied with any resolution that means the show ends, and it's unlikely casual watchers will be very impressed by a sudden, desperate wrap-up, so things don't look so promising for next week's episode. This week's episode isn't bad, though it has the feeling of the pieces being positioned on the chess board in readiness for the big finale.

What Will Whedon's "Dollhouse" Look Like?

Fanboys and geeks of all stripes across the nation are waiting with bated breath to see what "Dollhouse," the latest offering from Master Of All Geeks Joss Whedon, will be like. We know that Buffy's Eliza Dushku will star, which many people consider a pro (I always found her a little wooden, honestly, but that may have been colored by my dislike of Faith as a character), and we know that it will be on Fox, which Whedon fans like to refer to as They Who Killed Firefly (alright, that might just be me).

The lovely ladies (and gentlemen) of Io9 have gotten their mitts on some script pages from the new show, and they are more than happy to share the wealth in the form of spoiler-ish info on what will be coming our way. Beware, "Lost" fans, scrolling down the page will give you a few fairly mildly spoilers for what's upcoming on that show as well, so click at your own risk!

"Torchwood": Life Stinks

Torchwood
Title: "A Day In The Death"
First Aired (US): 3/15/08

Boy, Owen just keeps inching closer to being some kind of demented Batman villain. He could be called The Corpse, and his minions could be midgets with scythes and shovels. Just one wrong push, and he could be cackling in his lair and planning ways to turn all of Gotham into a zombie paradise.

This week's episode has a certain odd similarity to "Random Shoes," the other major episode narrated by a dead guy in the "Torchwood" oeuvre. Fortunately, it does not end with a beam of pure love, though it is a bit fluffy. The situation with Owen seems to beg for resolution, but it seems unlikely that any is in the offing. He's not getting any deader, but he's not getting any more alive either.

It's not hard to empathize with Owen, of course, Jack may whine a lot but in many ways, being immortal is a pretty sweet deal. Being dead and simply not lying down, on the other hand, is pretty awful. Owen can't drink, eat, sleep, feel pain or pleasure - can't do much other than persist. His body is still vulnerable to damage though, so eventually he's going to be duct-taping himself back together like The Crow.

"Lost" Scorecard: All's Well That Ends Tragically

After all the mega-intensity of the last few episodes, "Ji Yeon" seems remarkably sedate. Not that sedate is necessarily a bad thing; the slow, almost dreamy crawl to the big gotcha at the end is remarkably emotionally effective. The plucking of the heart-strings usually takes a back seat to the big spooky mysteries, but this week the big spooky mysteries are sort of a yawner and the melodrama gets you right on the edge of your seat.

Remember how last week we were feeling all sad for Juliet? Boy, I am seriously over that. It's easy to forget that Juliet spent a whole bunch of time with Ben, learning how to be sinister and manipulative, but she sure busted out the "otherness" this week. See if we say nice things about her dead boyfriend now! But enough about Ms. No-Fun-Bad-Times-Burke, let's get on to the score.

"Jericho": The Uppance Finally Comes

Jericho
Title: Temination For Cause
First Aired: 3/11/08

Ah, to live in Jericho, where the good are easily recognized by their broad-shouldered blondness and deaf little sisters, and the evil equally readily defined by their black uniforms, smirking wickedness and sinister-sounding names. Alright, it's not as simple as all that, but really, could Ravenswood be more cartoonishly evil if they tied various pretty girls to railroad tracks? Could Goetz be any more one-dimensionally villainous and avaricious? At least it makes it easy and uncomplicated to root for the good guys. You have to appreciate the simplicity of it.

"Torchwood": Death Takes A Holiday

Torchwood
Title: "Dead Man Walking"
First Aired (US): 3/08/08

There's no doubt about it, "Torchwood" has hit its stride. After delivering a nice, high-tension entry last week, they give us a follow-up that's nothing like a letdown. The story is intense, the characters manage to keep their freak-outs to a fairly reasonable level (and when they do freak, it's with good reason), and there's some very genuine creepy delivered. Aside from a slightly unfortunate bit of unintentional comedy with an animated glove (too much like Addams Family, sorry) the episode is serious as a heart attack. It would be easy to credit the upswing in quality to the addition of Freema Agyeman to the cast, but so far she's largely taking a back seat. She's definitely a welcome addition, but this story is absolutely about Owen, Jack, Tosh and Gwen. Seriously BBC, you can't be thinking of getting rid of those characters.

"Lost" Scorecard: You Belong To Me

Between last week's episode and this one, I think I'd be hard-pressed to decide whether Desmond or Juliet has gotten the shaft worse on the island. A little more Juliet backstory (yes, backstory, we're back to flashbacks and not flashforwards), and it's hard not to feel for her, even if she does have the bad taste to be mooning over Jack. Along with pity-inducing Juliet action, we get another big part of the puzzle, more interpersonal drama and one very incredulous Sawyer. All the ingredients required for another fine, solid episode.

It's hard for any episode to follow up "The Constant," easily one of the strongest episodes of the series, but even in comparison this week is pretty good. I recently re-watched the lackluster season 2 on DVD, and season 4 seems more and more like a payoff for all that waiting; finally loyal "Lost" fans are validated. Now, on to the points!

"Doctor Who" And "Torchwood" Lose Cool Points, Actors

Rumors are flying fast and furious about the fate of "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood," two of the BBCs most popular scripted programs. There have been persistent unconfirmed rumors that the fabulously weird David Tennant would be leaving his role as The Doctor, which would be disappointing but can be considered an inevitability of sorts. Like James Bond, the role experiences a lot of turnover. David Tennant is beloved by  fans, but some of the other options sound pretty good. Sadly the rumor that it might be David Carlyle of "The Full Monty" fame has proven false.

On the other hand, the news that "Torchwood" may lose Jack, Owen and Tosh in the next season makes one wonder why they'd bother keeping the show. "Torchwood" without Captain Jack Harkness seems a little like "MacGyver" without MacGyver, or "Stargate: SG-1" without MacGyver. It's hard to imagine the show surviving a radical Jack-ectomy without folding like a house of cards. This rumor (coming to us by way of SyFy Portal) comes from the same source as the David Carlyle story, so we can hope that both are equally wrong. What do you think, "Torchwood" fans? Is there any point in the show with Captain Jack?

"New Amsterdam" Premieres Amidst Centuries Of Cop-Show Cliche

There's been a distinct lack of buzz for Fox's new supernatural detective show "New Amsterdam," so I didn't go in expecting much. It's also a concept that's been more or less done before, a few times, but I'm willing to allow that there are new things that could be done with the immortal guy in a nice trenchcoat. Unfortunately, "New Amsterdam" does exactly none of them. Aside from a rather charming throwaway about our hero taking a photograph of Times Square every year, I didn't see a scene or hear a line of dialogue that I haven't more or less heard before.

In classic cop cliché, we meet John Amsterdam as he's being hooked up with his new partner, Eva. She's a tough lady cop who didn't want this assignment, but is bound and determined not to get pushed away or killed as all Amsterdam's partners seem to. Amsterdam wants to get rid of her, but he's more interested in solving the murder of a young woman who he identifies as not a prostitute by her expensive perfume. It is at roughly this point that the friend who I roped into watching this premiere with me starts giving me pointed looks. Her righteous indignation is understandable, I made her watch the "Painkiller Jane" premiere with me too.

"Jericho": Contronyms And Contraband

Jericho
Title: Oversight
First Aired: 3/04/08

I've said before that "Jericho" has a problem when it can't decide what kind of show it is. This week it sets its sights directly on being a military thriller, which is the show it does best, and manages to leave you wanting more. The story is heating up, and the focus pays off for viewers. The future of "Jericho" may not be the brightest, but at least it will give the fans something worthwhile to go out on.

Mimi, who is what my grandfather would call "too smart for her own damn good," has been doing her work for J&R and in the process discovered that 10,000 dollars worth of the newly minted ASA's currency has gone missing. Trish at J&R is more than ready to help get to the bottom of this, but in a turn that surprises no one, Goetz is acting like he's got something to hide. Shocker.

"Torchwood": The Only Good Bug Is A Dead Bug

Torchwood
Title: "Reset"
First Aired (US): 3/01/08

"Torchwood" may be a show with some spotty performance, but when it delivers, it delivers. This week's episode is tight, taut and full of drama, easily the best of the season and certainly one of the best of the series as a whole. It also marks the first appearance of Freema Agyeman as the fabulously sexy and brilliant Martha Jones, former "Doctor Who" companion and UNIT doc. We already know that Freema will be a regular member of the cast, and she's a welcome addition. It seems The Doctor's loss is Jack's gain.

"Heroes" Releases Album, Courts Hipsters

The excessively multi-media scifi show "Heroes" is all set to release a CD of your favorite music from the show. Like... that eerie sound effect, and Sylar laughing maniacally. I like "Heroes," but I have never once remarked, "ooo, great music" while watching an episode. Apparently it's not bad though, the soundtrack will include Wilco, Bob Dylan, Imogen Heap, and for people who like the pointlessly over-rated, there's even a Panic! At The Disco song. The album will also include The Jesus And Mary Chain's first new studio recording in more than a decade, "All Things Must Pass."

The CD releases March 18th, and is available for pre-order at