The eye network has announced its shows for the Fall 2008 season which includes two new Science Fiction and Fantasy offerings plus two returning genre shows. In addition, two beloved series from this past season, Jericho and Moonlight, have unfortunately been handed their walking papers.New Shows:
The first of new shows is The Mentalist, a crime drama about a man with heightened mental powers who uses his abilities to help solve crimes. It stars Australian actor Simon Baker who previously appeared on CBS in the series The Guardian. This one sounds like yet another crimes series with a twist which we already have enough of. Word is that in an early episode, the lead character will try to recruit Mick St. John and John Amsterdam to help with his crime solving as they have recently found themselves in the unemployment line . . .
The second new CBS series is a remake of the British series The Eleventh Hour. The series follows a special government investigator looking into cases involving the misuse of science (shades of 1999 ABC series Strange World). The British version, which aired on ITV, starred Patrick Stewart and received good reviews for its four episode run (British series have short runs by design). The American remake comes to us from big screen action/adventure mogul Jerry Bruckheimer and one wonders what he will do with a series which originally had a “science based” premise. Rumor is that a proposed script for an early episode has our hero on a nail-biting car chase through the streets of Las Vegas as he tries to stop the bad guys from cloning Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsey Lohan . . .
I should probably also mention The Ex List which some reports are lumping into the Fantasy category. This is an Americanized version of an Israeli series which tells the story of a woman who learns from a psychic that she has already dated the man she will marry. Based on what I have heard so far, I lump this into the category of series with extremely marginal Science Fiction and Fantasy elements such as Eli Stone and Desperate Housewives.
The first of new shows is The Mentalist, a crime drama about a man with heightened mental powers who uses his abilities to help solve crimes. It stars Australian actor Simon Baker who previously appeared on CBS in the series The Guardian. This one sounds like yet another crimes series with a twist which we already have enough of. Word is that in an early episode, the lead character will try to recruit Mick St. John and John Amsterdam to help with his crime solving as they have recently found themselves in the unemployment line . . .
The second new CBS series is a remake of the British series The Eleventh Hour. The series follows a special government investigator looking into cases involving the misuse of science (shades of 1999 ABC series Strange World). The British version, which aired on ITV, starred Patrick Stewart and received good reviews for its four episode run (British series have short runs by design). The American remake comes to us from big screen action/adventure mogul Jerry Bruckheimer and one wonders what he will do with a series which originally had a “science based” premise. Rumor is that a proposed script for an early episode has our hero on a nail-biting car chase through the streets of Las Vegas as he tries to stop the bad guys from cloning Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsey Lohan . . .
I should probably also mention The Ex List which some reports are lumping into the Fantasy category. This is an Americanized version of an Israeli series which tells the story of a woman who learns from a psychic that she has already dated the man she will marry. Based on what I have heard so far, I lump this into the category of series with extremely marginal Science Fiction and Fantasy elements such as Eli Stone and Desperate Housewives.
Returning Shows:
CBS’s has only one returning genre show because it chose to cut ties with two fan favorites. Ghost Whisperer will return for a fourth season as the anchor to the network’s Friday night lineup.
CBS’s has only one returning genre show because it chose to cut ties with two fan favorites. Ghost Whisperer will return for a fourth season as the anchor to the network’s Friday night lineup.
Cancelled Shows:
Jericho rose from the ashes last year about this time when an inspired fan campaign convinced CBS to bring the series back for a shortened run. However, it could not repeat the last minute save as it got the axe just prior to completing its seven-episode second season in March. It didn’t help that the network ran it after the faltering Spring installment of Big Brother on Tuesdays at 10 PM in what has become known as the CBS death-slot. Still, the ratings for the second season never equaled even the lowest rated episode from Jericho’s first season, so the network pulled the plug.
Moonlight had been on the bubble as it finishes up its post-strike episodes, and actually the cast of the series had been optimistic toward renewal. However, the network lost faith in the series despite the strong output of support from its fans (which included a nationwide blood-drive). While the series pulled respectable ratings, it never equaled those of its lead-in, Ghost Whisperer, or follow-up, Numbers. I’m sure network executives were wary of axing this one, though, based on last year’s fan reaction to Jericho’s cancellation. If fans of that series sent in peanuts, will Moonlight fans assault the network with vials of blood?
Jericho still has a fighting chance to find a home on another network. Series producer Carol Barbee is currently shopping the show around to other networks and has talked with the cable provider Comcast about a deal similar to the one NBC made with Direct TV to continue Friday Night Lights. And fans have staged write-in campaigns to the Sci Fi Channel and TNT asking them to pickup up the show. Moonlight may also have a chance for resurrection seeing that it pulled respectable ratings in its timeslot. The numbers that it produced would make the CW Network salivate, so it may still have a chance of raising from the dead.
Jericho rose from the ashes last year about this time when an inspired fan campaign convinced CBS to bring the series back for a shortened run. However, it could not repeat the last minute save as it got the axe just prior to completing its seven-episode second season in March. It didn’t help that the network ran it after the faltering Spring installment of Big Brother on Tuesdays at 10 PM in what has become known as the CBS death-slot. Still, the ratings for the second season never equaled even the lowest rated episode from Jericho’s first season, so the network pulled the plug.
Moonlight had been on the bubble as it finishes up its post-strike episodes, and actually the cast of the series had been optimistic toward renewal. However, the network lost faith in the series despite the strong output of support from its fans (which included a nationwide blood-drive). While the series pulled respectable ratings, it never equaled those of its lead-in, Ghost Whisperer, or follow-up, Numbers. I’m sure network executives were wary of axing this one, though, based on last year’s fan reaction to Jericho’s cancellation. If fans of that series sent in peanuts, will Moonlight fans assault the network with vials of blood?
Jericho still has a fighting chance to find a home on another network. Series producer Carol Barbee is currently shopping the show around to other networks and has talked with the cable provider Comcast about a deal similar to the one NBC made with Direct TV to continue Friday Night Lights. And fans have staged write-in campaigns to the Sci Fi Channel and TNT asking them to pickup up the show. Moonlight may also have a chance for resurrection seeing that it pulled respectable ratings in its timeslot. The numbers that it produced would make the CW Network salivate, so it may still have a chance of raising from the dead.
-JJJ
Full List of Science Fiction and Fantasy Shows on the Schedule for the Upcoming Season
Buy Science Fiction and Fantasy television series on DVD at the Axiom's Edge Webstore or Rent the DVDs from Netflix.com
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