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TV Wasteland: Vivacious Visitors Eviscerate Very Viciously

The re-imagined sci-fi series touches down on ABC

By Rob Vaux     November 01, 2009


V returns to the TV Wasteland
© ABC/Bob Trate

 

The original V occupies a strange place in pop culture, a sort of camp-but-not-really 1980s standout fondly remembered by those who first saw it and all but forgotten by everyone else. It remains a product of its time (right down to the haircuts and jerky effects), but its overall concept is still solid, with reptilian aliens as occupying Nazis and Earth as a hodge-podge of collaborators, resisters and just plain folks caught in the middle.
 
The new version--which starts a 4-episode run this Tuesday before picking up again in January--aims for the same basic concept given a post-9/11 twist. The Visitors in this one prove much more adept at co-opting a thoroughly compromised human media machine, while the hapless humans are as apt to embrace the fear of the mob as fight to defend themselves. Paranoia takes a front seat, with the few folks aware of the aliens' true agenda (led by Lost castaway Elizabeth Mitchell) forced to convince their fellow citizens that the aliens aren't nearly as sweet as they pretend. The effects budget is quite high and the producers have promised plenty of riffs on the Visitors' reptilian visages (as well as an homage to the infamous hamster gobble), marking it as the genre show to watch in November. The first episode airs on the 4th on ABC at 8:00 PM.
 
Monday
Heroes (NBC, 8:00 PM EST)
Remember that sweet waitress who Hiro (Masi Oka) was sweet on but Sylar (Zachary Qunito) ended up butchering like a hog? He gets a chance to go back in time and save her tonight.
 
North by Northwest (TCM, 7:15 EST)
Though not technically genre programming, Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 masterpiece set the stage for every action film which came after it. James Bond, Indiana Jones, and a thousand lesser imitations all owe this one a big debt of gratitude.
 
Tuesday
V (ABC, 8:00 PM EST)
All together now: "IT'S A COOKBOOK!!!"See the top of the article for more.
 
The Universe (History, 9:00 PM EST)
The Universe checks out various bits of sci-fi hardware--including Star Trek transporters and faster than light speed--and examines how plausible they might be.
 
Batman (AMC, 8:00 PM EST)
Someone needs to tell Tim Burton that nobody cares about Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger)! Still, it's got Nicholson and Anton Furst's awesome sets. And it's a sight better than…
 
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (FX, 8:00 PM EST)
We're mentioning this just for decorum's sake. Better if we all just pretend it doesn't exist.
 
Wednesday
Eastwick (ABC, 10:00 PM EST)
Roxie (Rebecca Romjin) resolves to fulfill Chad's (Matt Dallas) last wish. The only snag is that she hasn't the first idea what it is.
 
Ghost Hunters (Syfy, 9:00 PM EST)
Buffalo Bill Cody: swell guy, master showman, and one of the few white people in the 1800s who thought that what happened to the Indians was really effed up. The team--along with Warehouse 13 star Eddie McClintock--goes looking for his spirit in Golden, Colorado.
 
Destination Truth (Syfy, 10:00 PM EST)
Is it weird that I like saying "yeti?" It's just a really cool word! Anyhow Josh and the gang go looking for one in the mountains of Nepal.
 
Nostradamus Effect (History, 9:00 PM EST)
In 1917, a little girl in Portugal reported seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary. Presumably, Nostradamus called it a few centuries earlier, which is why the show is examining it now.
 
MysteryQuest (History, 10:00 EST)
Nothing strictly genre related this week, but the mystery in question is pretty bad-ass: Frank Morris's 1962 escape from the inescapable Alcatraz prison.
 
Hero and Iron Monkey (IFC, 8:00 PM and 9:45 PM EST)
IFC's got a double bill of kung fu awesomeness on tap tonight. Set your TiVos to the Crane position.
 
Thursday
FlashForward (ABC, 8:00 PM EST)
We've got a bead on why Gough (Lee Thompson Young) goes over in London next April; apparently it's tied into those blue hand tattoos. Plus Dominc Monaghan will presumably pop up in a few more back seats to scare the crap out of us again.
 
The Vampire Diaries (The CW, 8:00 PM EST)
Why?! Why do you people keep watching this drivel?! *Ahem*, sorry. Lost my cool there for a sec. Stefan (Paul Wesley) gets a visit from an old friend… and since she's apparently in her mid-twenties, I'm guessing she's of the more-than-human variety.
 
Supernatural (The CW, 9:00 PM EST)
The Winchesters get stuck in a strange dimension where they become living characters in various TV shows. Why yes, the show's writing staff did bugger off early this week. Why do you ask?
 
Fringe (Fox, 9:00 PM EST)
"Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year…" Fringe returns after bowing out for the World Series with a case of people turning to ash.
 
Seven (IFC, 7:45 PM EST)
It's on, it's uncut, and it's still bad ass. That is all.
 
Friday
Smallville (The CW, 8:00 PM EST)
Jor-El shows up this week, except he's played by Julian Sands instead of Terence Stamp like all those Kryptonian recordings… which pretty much ruins the coolness of using Terence Stamp on all those Kryptonian recordings.
 
Ghost Whisperer (CBS, 8:00 PM EST)
Melinda (Jennifer Love-Hewitt) finds something new to fret about when young Aiden (Connor Gibbs) mentions "the shadows." Those creepy kids sure know how to put the whammy on you, don't they?
 
Medium (CBS, 9:00 PM EST)
An SUV's radio allows Allison (Patricia Arquette) to listen in on other people's conversations. No, it doesn't make much sense, but it's amazing what comes standard in rental cars these days.
 
Stargate Universe (Syfy, 9:00 PM EST)
A high-risk plan to get back to Earth emerges… leading, no doubt, to another round of bickering by various members of the crew.
 
Sanctuary (Syfy, 10:00 PM EST)
Dr. Magnus (Amanda Tapping) wakes up in a post-apocalyptic world, with standard-issue zombies running amok and various former colleagues apparently really pissed at her.
 
Star Wars: Clone Wars (Cartoon, 8:00 PM EST)
There may or may not be a new episode of Clone Wars tonight. The folks at Cartoon Network are being a little vague on that front.
 
Dollhouse is officially MIA: the repeat of House they ran last week did significantly better in the ratings. We'll try to keep you filled in on when the inevitable burn-off starts.
 
Iron Man: Armored Adventures is a rerun. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is off this week.
 
Saturday
Open Graves (Syfy, 7;00 PM EST)
Syfy reruns a bit of silliness from earlier this year about an evil board game which targets a group of American tourists. Eliza Dushku's in it, for those of you in need of a Dollhouse fix.
 
The Amityville Horror (Syfy, 9:00 PM EST)
The latest attempt to cash in on the massive haunted house fraud from the 1970s actually constitutes a step up from earlier versions. As a horror movie, it's sub-par, but as an Amityville movie, it takes all comers.
 
The Time Machine (Cinemax, 8:15 PM EST)
While it's not the equal the George Pal version, this 2002 update gets by on some nifty effects and the presence of Guy Pearce in the lead.
 
Underworld: Evolution (FX, 6:00 PM EST)
Kate Beckinsale flounces around in tight black latex. If you need another reason to tune in, you probably shouldn't.
 
Fantastic Four (FX, 8:30 PM EST)
It's a comic book adaptation so we're contractually obligated to tell you it's on. That is all.
 
Sunday
Dexter (Showtime, 9:00 PM EST)
There's a new killer in town, and as we all know, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) hates anyone not played by John Lithgow horning in on his action.
 
NYC: Tornado Terror (Syfy, 8:00 PM EST)
Another rerun of an earlier movie, this one about twisters wreaking havoc in the Big Apple. Nicole de Boer stars as the inevitable Pretty Girl They're Trying to Pass Off as Being Really Smart, but since she can actually play really smart, it works a little better than it should.
 
2012: Startling New Secrets (Syfy, 9:00 PM EST)
I know Syfy has no shame, but this new special--yet another attempt to capitalize on the Mayan end-of-the-world thing--is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.
 
King Kong (TNT, 8:00 PM EST)
When monkey die, everybody cry. Even in the Peter Jackson version.

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

Showing items 1 - 10 of 16
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karas1 11/1/2009 6:39:31 PM

I know you don't cover Numb3rs but I just wanted to point out that last week's episode was really terrific.  It featured UFOs.  Or maybe the ghosts of dead test pilots.  And a lot of Scooby Doo jokes.  Numb3rs doesn't usually go for funny, but this ep had some real zingers in it.  Heh heh heh.

Kara S

Darkknight2280 11/2/2009 4:39:16 AM

Cant wait for V loved it when i was a kid and the new show looks amazing!!

Have to say the article says it starts on the 4th but then when you do the weeks run downs you say it starts tuesday (tomorrow) and tomorrow is the 3rd. Just checked and V does start tomorrow (Nov. 3rd @ 8pm estern time)

Hobbs 11/2/2009 7:15:59 AM

Looks like Dollhouse might be over...yikes..repeat of House did better ratings than new episodes of this show does not bode well for the series.

I watched V on syfy Sunday night.  Yeah, its very dated but the story is still very sound.  The Final Battle part of it was horrible and seemed to stray from the original mini-series...watching that now you can understand why the oriiginal creator of the series wanted nothing to do with the 2nd part the way they butchered it.   I'm looking forward to the new V and see what they can do with it. 

I thought Fringe was still not airing this week because if the World Series goes 7 games it would be on Thursday night....I know its probably not going to go 7 games but with that prospect being up in the air Fox wasn't going to chance it.  Don't get me wrong I'm happy to see its back but I really thought it was next week.

Darkknight2280 11/2/2009 8:58:09 AM

FRINGE RULES!!! Best genre show on TV as of right now, Not a fan of Stargate though. I think they are ready trying to squeeze blood form a stone at this point with yet ANOTHER spin off. I think its time to end that show once and for all. I mean SYFY could then bring us more movies like: Megaladon, Iguana, BIGFOOT, Abomidable, and other low budget abortions they call movies. Not sure why they dont just take the money they spend on those small piles of crap and try to make a GOOD on going series like BSG and stop witht he Stargate ripoffs.

DaForce1 11/2/2009 9:38:01 AM

Hey, if you guys are going to post North By Northwest on Monday nights, you might as well post The Big Bang Theory (since they actually actually reference things like comic books, sci-fi, etc.).

DaForce1 11/2/2009 9:40:33 AM

Oh, and the Supernatural episode this week ties in with a Trickster that Sam and Dean dealt with in the past. It's not the one-off throwaway episode the shite reviewers of this site would have you believe.

thorin02 11/2/2009 10:00:59 AM

Hiro goes back to change the past?  Am I the only one who remembers the creators once saying that one of their big rules was that the past could NOT be changed?  Has that gone out the window?

As for V.  The original two minis varies widely between good story telling and serious cheese.  The Final Battle abandoned much of the Nazi flavor and scientists subbing for Jews that marked the original but there were some good moments.  Some of the action sequences were well put together.  Michael Ironside's badass Tyler was awesome.  What really dragged it down was whole 'star child' thing.  And the less said about the last 10 minutes the better. 

Hobbs 11/2/2009 10:41:18 AM

I agree thorin02....the only saving grace for me in the final battle was Michael Ironsides bada$$ character....as for the last 10 mins...what last 10 mins?

fenngibbon 11/2/2009 10:48:39 AM

 If I recall correctly, Open Graves isn't just Eliza Dushku.  It's Eliza Dusku in a bikini.  Those few minutes more than compensate for the lack of Dollhouse.  

My understanding was that Dollhouse would be back in December, and I seem to recall some Fox executive saying that, whatever else happens, they will broadcast all the episodes they have.

 

As for Julian Sands playing Jor-El, it seems as if the storyline is that the Kandorians were regenerated from some genetic samples taken at some point before the destruction of Krypton (hence Major Zod, not General).  So this would be a younger version of Jor-El. 

theHeadCase 11/2/2009 4:29:23 PM

Smallville: I actually don't mind the switch between Terrance Stamp and Julian Sands. To tell you the truth, Sands kinda looks like a young Stamp to me anyways.

Can't wait for V. And of course I'm gonna watch all the other shows religiously.

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