Johnny Jay’s 2007-08 Season Final Wrap-Up

Another season of Prime Time television has come to a close, and what a season it has been. We had a record number of Science Fiction and Fantasy shows bow during the season, but all had their seasons truncated by a writer’s strike that both interrupted the season and cut short every series. So now that the last of the shows has wrapped (with last night’s Lost two-hour, thrill-a-minute finale), I will take the opportunity to reflect back on the season and what it brought us.

Must Watch TV

Not only did we see a record number of entries in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre during the 2007-08 season, we also received quite a number of quality options to choose from. I know that my DVR ran full speed during the height of the season because I just could not catch each episode of each series as it aired (not a bad thing because then I get to fast-forward through the commercials). Through the season, I had seven series that remained on my must-watch list:

Lost – Feeding off the shocker of the third season cliffhanger finale, Lost really hit its stride during its fourth season. The writing was tight and each episode kept the viewers engaged and wanting to come back for more. Unless this series tanks over its last two seasons (with 2010 scheduled for its wrap-up), this show will definitely make it into my top 5 list of best Science Fiction and Fantasy shows.

Pushing Daisies – This show came out of left field and breathed new life into the Prime Time landscape with its Tim Burton-like, picaresque, dark fairy tale take on a man who can bring people back from the dead for just one minute. Its time on the schedule was brief as the writer’s strike cut it down to nine episodes, but we can only hope that series continues its trademark demented whimsy into its second season.

Jericho – Rescued from oblivion after last year’s fan campaign, Jericho was given only seven episodes this season to continue its story. This definitely effected the quality of the stories as the writers tried sometimes to cram too much into one hour’s time. Still, the series continued to deliver compelling drama and the show really raised the level of intensity from its first season. Unfortunately, though, not enough viewers tuned in and CBS gave it the axe for good. Series producer Carol Barbee quickly hit the streets after the cancellation announcement in an attempt to shop the series to other venues, so hopefully there are more episodes of Jericho yet to come.

Moonlight – This series started strong, but it encountered a few bumps along the way and then really stepped down a rung in quality over its post-strike episodes. Still, when it comes to crime fighters with a twist (and we’ve had more than our share of those), Mick St. John is tops on my list. Here’s hoping that another network decides to pounce on it after CBS unceremoniously decided put the nail in the coffin.

Heroes – During its first season, this series was second only to Lost (and in a tie with Jericho) on my must-watch list. But then it concluded that season’s story arc in a rather abrupt and unsatisfying wrap up followed up by a less than spectacular start to its second season. The series really seemed to stumble about during its early second season episodes and revisited many of the ideas already covered during its freshman year. However, the show really managed to redeem itself over its last four or five episodes and ended on a high point, which bodes well for the upcoming third season (which NBC plans to kick off with a major promotion).

Battlestar Galactica – This Sci Fi Channel entry got off to a late start in April and is only just now hitting its stride as it works through the front ten episodes of its final season. BSG has never been easy to watch as its intensity level often leaves you exhausted after watching each episode, and the fourth season has not let up a bit on this. It is probably a good thing that the creative team will wrap up the story after this season, otherwise viewership would probably drop off dramatically because of burn-out (and its ratings have slipped considerably). Still, the series appears to be setting the stage for an earth-shocking finale (literally), so there’s plenty of reason to stick around to the end (which will come in 2009 when it airs the back ten episodes of the fourth season).

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – I really did not expect to like this one. It seemed like the movies had already exhausted the concept and I figured that the series would give us nothing but mindless action/adventure. I was proved wrong as the series focused on two people faced with a grim task along with the moral struggles they wrestled with as they carried it out. It shared some of the relentless intensity of BSG that made it at times exhausting to watch, but it still managed to present some engaging stories. And amazingly FOX (aka the Sci Fi TV series Terminator) renewed it for a second season despite the fact that it only pulled only moderate ratings. Hopefully it will get the chance to continue to delve into the storylines it started to explore during its initial, short nine episode run.

A Notch Above the Rest

Just below my must watch list were three new shows that managed to generate enough interest for me to tune in on a regular basis, if not every week:

Reaper – The pilot episode was actually one of the funniest things I have seen on television in a long time, but unfortunately after that the series quickly descended into formulaic damned-soul-of-the-week stories. And worse yet, the laughs started to fade as well. I could deal with the formulaic approach as long as they kept us in stitches, but that was not the case. The series found its way again after the writer’s strike, though. It started to expand on its basic premise and build up a mythology for the show. And the laughs came back. Its strong finish almost became a moot point when the CW Network nearly pulled the plug on the show, but the Devil had some tricks up his sleeve and the series received a last-minute renewal as a mid-season replacement for 2008-09.

Journeyman – I was really non-plussed with this series early on. Burdened by contrived, unnecessary conflicts, each episode just left me annoyed. However, for some reason I kept coming back. I’m not certain what exactly drew me back each week, but in the end I was glad. In the final episode, the series pulled everything together and actually provided a satisfying explanation to why Dan Vasser had to experience these conflicts. It also set the stage for the next story arc, but by that time few people were watching and NBC decided to let the series journey into oblivion.

New Amsterdam – This series seemed like nothing more than a conglomeration of clichés thrown together to justify filling up an hour on the weekly schedule. And because of that I almost gave up on the show halfway through the first episode. I stuck with it, though, and was glad I did. True, there was little new about its premise which mixed elements of The Highlander, NYPD Blue, and Beauty and the Beast, but somehow the writers managed to find a way to get a fresh spin on a stale stock of ideas and in turn produce a rather watchable show. Still, FOX never seemed to have faith in the show and pulled the plug after its short run despite the fact that it pulled respectable ratings.

Worth Tuning in for

Along with the standouts on the schedule, quite a number of the other Science Fiction and Fantasy shows provided reliable, watchable episodes on a weekly basis. Among these were staples such as Stargate: Atlantis, Ghost Whisperer, Medium, Smallville, and Supernatural. I have to confess that I did not tune into any of these on a regular basis, but when I did stop by for a look-see, each series met expectations. And all of these series maintained their ratings well enough to receive renewals for the 2008-09 season.

Along with these returning series, NBC’s Chuck was worth a look from time to time. It focused on a computer nerd turned into an unwilling spy and was good for a laugh or two. It also managed to deliver sufficient ratings returns to receive a pickup for a second season.

Had a Promising Start but . . .

One new series got off to a strong start but quickly faded:

Bionic Woman – This series left the gates with high expectations from fans of the original show as well as fans of executive producer David Eick’s other show, Battlestar Galactica. The first couple of episodes delivered on these expectations (with the help of Katee Sackhoff’s portrayal a wayward bionic woman), but the quality quickly slipped and the ratings followed suit. The series bogged down with unnecessary, contrived conflicts (mostly involving Jaime Somers younger sister) and seemed to lose its way (Sackhoff disappeared as well). Ongoing, behind the scenes conflicts didn’t help the matter and finally NBC decided it had enough and it axed the series.

And Then, the Dregs

Every year you have them. Series that make you scratch your head and say what the heck were they thinking . . .

Caveman – This series had the potential to be the worst show and biggest miscalculation ever on Prime Time television. To its credit, it was neither. However, it still wasn’t very good. How ABC thought that they could take a series of mildly funny 60 second commercials and turn them into a weekly sitcom, we may never know. That fact is that the series was just not very funny (remember that is was a sitcom), and viewers tuned out in droves. ABC quickly made it extinct after only a handful of episodes aired.

Flash Gordon – How do you take one of the most colorful Science Fiction and Fantasy characters of all time and make him just plain boring? This series answers that question. I realize that the creative team had a limited budget and that they wanted to re-invent the character. But all that they gave us was hackneyed stories with familiar names tacked on to provide some connection to the original character. The series never found an audience and the Sci Fi Channel zapped it after it completed its 22 episode run.

Looking Ahead to Next Season

This past season brought us a record number of Science Fiction and Fantasy series, but based on recent schedule announcements, it appears that the 2008-09 season will trump that. Currently, there are in the neighborhood of 30(!!) shows (based on the current schedule) set to air at some point during the season with a handful more waiting in the wings. Based on the early returns, there are only a few of the new offerings that really seem like standouts, but then I thought the same thing about the 2007-08 season about this time last year, so who knows? What I do know is that I will need to get my DVR ready and plan on cutting back to about four hours a sleep at night if I have any chance of following all the Science Fiction and Fantasy shows next year. Well, there could be worse problems to contend with . . .

-JJJ

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Off Network Science Fiction Television Preview

The five broadcast networks are not the only ones who have been busy lately working on bringing more Science Fiction and Fantasy television offerings to the small screen. Several of the cable channels currently have series in the works or waiting in the wings.

Sci Fi Channel

Sci Fi looks to be busy in the upcoming season as they have quite a number of shows in various stages of development as well as the return on Stargate Atlantis in late Summer and the back half of Battlestar Galactica season four in early 2009. In addition to that, at least three new shows are currently in the casting / pre-production stage.

Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica, is probably the most anticipated of the new shows as it will continue to expand on concepts introduced in BSG. Set fifty years prior to the events of Galactica, it will center around the lives of two families, the Adamas and the Graystones, on opposing sides of the debate to create the Cylons. Esai Morales (Jericho) has been tagged to play Joseph Adama and David Eick will executive produce. I look forward to this series which should continue the tradition of the excellent and engaging story-telling of its predecessor (successor?).

Also moving forward on Sci Fi is the dramedy Warehouse 13 which chronicles the adventures of two FBI agents assigned to monitor a warehouse where various extraterrestrial and supernatural artifacts are stored. This one sounds like it could be a good companion to the excellent Eureka which returns for its third season this summer. The Sci Fi Channel has also started casting Revolution, a series about a colonial planet struggling for its independence from Earth. Among those cast are Oscar nominee Peter Fonda.

Along with these, the Sci Fi Channel has at least six other projects in the works which include The Awesomes, Deputized, Sanctuary (a small screen version of the web series), The Stranded, True Believer, and the mini-series Alice (the Halmi clan returns yet again to ravage classic literature). On top of this, word is that as many as three Battlestar Galactica movies could air in the upcoming season. Plus, fans are currently barraging the channel with requests to pickup recently cancelled series Jericho and Moonlight, so the Sci Fi schedule looks to get pretty crowded. They did make some room, though, by choosing not to bring back Painkiller Jane or Flash Gordon (haven’t heard too much buzz from the Save Flash campaign; they must have fallen asleep two episodes in to the first season marathon).

HBO

The pay channel’s long delayed vampire series, True Blood, will finally make it to the schedule in September. This series is based Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire novel series and will be produced by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under). It had been set to bow in Spring 2008, but the writer’s strike pushed it back.

Cartoon Network

Star Wars: Clone Wars returns to the Cartoon Network, this time as a weekly thirty minute series. It will pick up where the two previous animated mini-series left off and continue to expand on the saga of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi taking place between the events that occurred in the movies Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Currently George Lucas plans to produce around 100 episodes of the series. However, if it pulls in the ratings and sells more products, expect him to keep it on the air longer.
AMC

David Seltzer (The Omen) is developing the science fiction/horror series 99 Stories for AMC. It is about a group of people trapped in a high-tech building trying to find their way out. According to Seltzer, each story will present a different challenge for the group. Sounds like a re-worked version of the Cube movies and its premise seems somewhat limited. However, if they get one episode for each story in the building, then that will take them past four seasons.

Syndication

Sam Raimi (Brisco County Jr., Hercules, Xena, Spider Man movies) returns to the small screen to executive produce Wizard’s First Rule. Based on Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" books, the series has already begun production on its 22 episode first season and is expected to show up in September 2008.

In addition to the shows mention above, George Lucas has started production on his live action Star Wars series which will take place between the events in Episodes III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. He plans on shopping the series around after he has completed several episodes. Also, producers of the supernatural series The Oaks are shopping that property around after FOX recently kicked it to the curb.

There are plenty of shows in the works and on the drawing board, so stay tuned to the Axiom’s Edge website for news on all upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy television series.

-JJJ

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Fall 2008 Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Preview: FOX

The fourth member of the Big Networks (the CW’s not allowed in this club) has announced its upcoming schedule which includes two new Science Fiction and Fantasy series (one slated for mid-season) and one returning series. Life does not go on for New Amsterdam, though, as FOX chose not to bring it back.

New Series:

Highly anticipated is the upcoming offering from genre heavy-hitter J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, 11th Star Trek movie). Fringe is about a team of paranormal investigators that has drawn comparisons to The X-Files. Like The X-Files and Lost, the series will have an overarching mythology. Sounds like familiar territory, but I’m onboard as long as J.J. Abrams’ name is attached. Of course I said the same thing about David Eick’s Bionic Woman . . .

The second new series comes from another heavy hitter from the genre, Josh Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly). Dollhouse is about covert agents who are re-programmed for different missions with no knowledge of their previous missions. I’m guessing that Whedon secured some promises on the series from FOX in advance considering the inglorious treatment they gave to his last series, Firefly. Still, the fact that this series has already been shuffled to mid-season is less than encouraging.

David Eick’s series Them, about a sleeper cell of aliens living in Los Angeles, was expected to have a slot on FOX’s upcoming schedule, but no announcement has been made at this point.

Returning Series:

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles got off to a strong start in its first season and secured a renewal despite only pulling moderate ratings (especially surprising considering the extreme lack of patience the network has demonstrated toward the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre, re Firefly above). Hopefully, FOX will give the series some growing space because it definitely showed promise during its initial run.

Cancelled series:

Turns out John Amsterdam is not so immortal as FOX sent the Grim Reaper to visit his series, New Amsterdam. It seemed that FOX had it in for this series from the start. It was delayed from a Fall 2007 bow then put on indefinite hiatus before a single episode had aired. In fact, it only made it to the airwaves because the writer’s strike left a dearth of original programming available to the networks. It actually pulled comparable ratings to The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but the network decided it didn’t fit into the schedule.

-JJJ

Full List of Science Fiction and Fantasy Shows on the Schedule for the Upcoming Season


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Fall 2008 Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Preview: ABC

The alphabet network has announced its shows for the Fall 2008 season which include one new Science Fiction and Fantasy offering plus two returning genre shows.

New Shows:

The one new show is an Americanized version of the British series Life on Mars. It follows a present day police officer who, after a car accident, is transported back to 1973 where he finds himself working in that era on the force. It is executive produced by TV mogul
David E. Kelley who also wrote the pilot for the remake. I never caught the British version of the series (though I believe it aired on BBC America), but I have to admit that this one does not excite me too much. It really sounds like just another cop show with a twist and we have already seen our fair share of those on the television landscape. David E. Kelley’s involvement intrigues me, though, as he has a good track record which includes one of my all time favorite series, Picket Fences (although there are rumors that he will be bowing out from the series after the pilot). Word is that in an early episode, Dan Vasser from Journeyman will travel forward in time to stop the lead character from this series traveling back in time in hopes that it will change the time continuum and Journeyman will not get the axe from NBC . . .

Returning Shows:

I definitely am looking forward to ABC’s two returning Science Fiction and Fantasy series: Lost and Pushing Daisies. Lost is in the process of wrapping up its outstanding fourth season and looks to continue its strong performance into its fifth season which will set the stage for the series’ sixth and final season. The original plan was to have sixteen episodes next season, but seeing as the episode count was cut short this year because of the writer’s strike, the last two seasons will expand their episode count to seventeen each.

Pushing Daisies looks to build on its strong first (albeit truncated) season as one of the most inspired shows to hit network television in some time. The fantasy/comedy managed to take an intriguing premise and avoid descending into formulaic redundancy. This of course was helped by the fact that the series only made it through nine episodes before the writer’s strike cut it short. I’m hoping that the series will delve further into its premise in its second season and continue to breathe some fresh air into the stale landscape of Prime Time television.

Cancelled Shows:

It’s no surprise that the misguided attempt to turn a commercial into a TV series, Cavemen, was yanked from the schedule early last fall. True it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been, but it wasn’t all that memorable either. Seven episodes went unaired, and I do not believe that too many people are raising a fuss about seeing the remaining chapters of this saga. Though I have heard that a “Save Cavemen” campaign has asked people to send loincloths to ABC to show their support for the series. Both fans participated and their efforts went mostly unnoticed . . .

-JJJ

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Fall 2008 Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Preview: CBS

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.

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.

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.

-JJJ

Full List of Science Fiction and Fantasy Shows on the Schedule for the Upcoming Season


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Fall 2008 Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Preview: NBC

The peacock network jumped the gun on its competition and announced its Fall schedule at the beginning of April. This includes two new Science Fiction and Fantasy series, with two additional offerings waiting in the wings and two returning series. Bionic Woman and Journeyman both got kicked to the curb.

New Shows:

First on the list is My Own Worst Enemy with Christian Slater debuting on the small screen in a Jekyll-and-Hyde meets spy-series offering. This series will take Journeyman’s slot at 10 PM following returning series Chuck and Heroes to round out NBC’s Monday night Science Fiction and Fantasy block. Heroes veteran David Semel will executive produce the series which appears to show some promise.

Second on the list is one which I find much less promising. NBC’s remake of Knight Rider has secured a spot on the upcoming Fall schedule after its backdoor pilot pulled good ratings in February of this year. I was never a big fan of the original series and I passed on the pilot which had the modernized version of K.I.T.T. the talking car facing off against evil automobiles. Maybe this whole thing is just for laughs, but I’m thinking the joke is on us as NBC rakes in the dollars on a recycled idea.

A reworking of the Robinson Crusoe story titled, simply enough, Crusoe also has a slot on the Fall schedule and may generate some genre interest. I have not heard enough about the show yet to make a judgment on it, though.

Waiting in the wings with a tentative Spring bow planned are two additional shows with genre interest. Kings presents a modern-day retelling of the biblical King David story with Heroes veteran Michael Green at the helm. The second offering, Merlin, sounds like Smallville meets King Arthur. These two will bow on Sunday nights in January once Sunday Night Football has finished.

Returning Shows:

I am looking forward to the return of Heroes in hopes that it will prove that its second season was an aberration. The series definitely hit a sophomore slump, though it did pull things together toward the end and finish up pretty strong. NBC has promised a heavy promotional campaign for the series (and its lead-in Chuck) prior to the start of the Fall season. Still, no matter how many adds they run, if the quality of the writing is not there, chances are the viewers will not be there either.

The spy series Chuck will also return to continue its blend of light-hearted action and comedy. Its numbers were not too strong in its inaugural season, though, so expect NBC to keep it on a short leash.

Also, Medium is again scheduled for a mid-season return on Sundays as part of a three hour Fantasy block (along with new series Kings and Merlin) that will take over once Sunday Night Football is over.

Cancelled Shows:

Bionic Woman hit the air last Fall riding high expectations with fans of the original series checking in on the remake and with the reputation of David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) as its executive producer. Maybe we expected too much, but the fact is that the series never soared except when Katee Sackhoff (also from Battlestar Galactica) showed up as Jaime Somers’ devious counterpart. The ratings declined fast from its initial premiere and NBC decided to chalk it up as a failure.

Journeyman also failed to register with viewers and went on a journey into TV oblivion. The series started out slow with episodes burdened by multiple contrivances which seemed to leave the viewers non-plussed. However, it ended quite strong and provided a rather satisfying set of explanations for what originally seemed like an endless stream of obstacles and contrivances thrown at the series’ central character. Unfortunately, by this time not too many people were watching and NBC pulled the plug.

-JJJ

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Fall 2008 Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Preview: CW

The part-time network has no new Science Fiction and Fantasy shows on its Fall 2008 schedule, and, because of a last minute change of heart, has no cancellations of their genre shows to announce either.

The Fantasy block of Smallville and Supernatural will return in Fall to their regular Thursday night slots as the former returns for its eighth season and the latter returns for its fourth season. Rumors are floating around that this will be the final season for Smallville and it seems like there is only so much mileage you can get from the Superman character (though all forms of media have pushed that to the limit) so packing it in is not such a bad idea.

The Grim Reaper knocked on the door of the CW’s other genre entry, but ended up deciding to go to CBS and FOX instead to cut down Moonlight and New Amsterdam. This means that Reaper will return with new episodes, albeit as a mid-season replacement. The CW Network has placed an order for thirteen episodes of the series which wowed critics but never drew substantial ratings (even by that network’s diminished standards). So Reaper (by far the best of CW’s three genre entries) will make it to the schedule as soon as one of the network’s other shows falters.

There are also rumors circulating that CW could be interested in removing the stake from CBS’s cancelled Moonlight and adding it to the their schedule. Though the eye network scoffed at Moonlight’s ratings, it pulled higher numbers than most if not all of the CW’s shows and therefore makes for a tempting acquisition. This is only a rumor at this point, but check back with us soon as a decision is expected in the short term.

-JJJ

Full List of Science Fiction and Fantasy Shows on the Schedule for the Upcoming Season


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Cancellation Watch: Reaper avoids Grim Fate; New Amsterdam and Moonlight not so Lucky

Just last week the future looked grim for the CW Network’s Reaper, but now they have decided not to axe to the Devil just yet. The network has renewed the supernatural comedy which stars Ray Wise as the lounge-lizard Devil and Bret Harrison as his slacker bounty hunter. The Faustian catch to the deal? It’s only coming back as a mid-season replacement. The series scored poorly during its initial run but did manage to win favor with critics and develop a devoted following. This (plus probably some under the table deals with the Dark One) was enough to win the series a tentative slot on the schedule after next season’s first round of cancellations.

This means that the Grim Reaper is now apparently headed to FOX with New Amsterdam tops on its list. Word is that the apparently jinxed immortal crime drama will not return with new episodes. It seems that FOX has had it in for this series from the start. It was delayed from a Fall 2007 bow then put on indefinite hiatus before a single episode had aired. In fact, it only made it to the airwaves because the writer’s strike left a dearth of original programming available to the networks. During its short run, it pulled decent ratings and actually outperformed FOX’s other genre entry Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles which recently did receive a second season pickup (though arguably the latter series is the better of the two). The cancellation is not official yet, but seems quite likely considering the ongoing contempt that FOX has demonstrated toward Science Fiction and Fantasy shows during its tenure on the air.

In addition, the Grim Reaper will visit another immortal crime fighter as he heads over to CBS to prove that vampires are not as indestructible as they seem. While announcing their upcoming 2008-09 schedule, the eye network has indicated that Mick St. John and clan from Moonlight will not return for a second season. Although the series regularly won its timeslot on Friday evenings, it lost a considerable amount of viewers from its lead-in, Ghost Whisperer. CBS has to be wary of this announcement in light of the barrage of peanuts they received from Jericho fans about this time last year. Moonlight fans already staged a blood drive across the nation over the last couple of months in support of the show, so no telling what the retribution will be in response to the cancellation announcement.


Watch Episodes Moonlight and New Amsterdam on Amazon.com Unbox

Cancellation Watch: Reaper Star Implores Fans to Send Socks

Though the CW Network has yet to make any announcements, the Los Angeles Times has recently declared the fantasy/comedy series Reaper to be “on the bubble”. The series has been a favorite among critics, but has received disappointing ratings this season. This has prompted series star Bret Harrison to beseech fans to send socks to the network (a reference to his best friend in the series, Bert "Sock" Wysocki played by Tyler Labine). Harrison is directing the campaign from his website and this may be the first time that the star of a series has launched an effort to save his own show.

He has provided the address for fans to use when sending socks to the CW Network:

CW Network
ATTN: Executive in charge of Reaper
3300 W. Olive Ave
Burbank, California 91505

Episodes of Reaper can be viewed online at the CW Network Website

Slim Sci Fi / Fantasy Offerings for the Summer Season

Last year, Science Fiction and Fantasy fans had quite a number of shows to choose from during the Summer season, ranging from The 4400 and The Dead Zone on USA to Eureka, Painkiller Jane, and Flash Gordon (late summer) on Sci Fi to Masters of Science Fiction on ABC. The same is not true for the upcoming Summer 2008 season, though, driven largely by cancellations and the ripple effect of production delays from the writer’s strike. Despite a record number of genre offerings available during the Fall/Spring 2007-08 season and the potential to break that record in the upcoming Fall/Spring 2008-09 season, original series with new episodes will be scarce over the next few months.

Gone from the schedule are the summer staples The 4400 and The Dead Zone, both of which the USA Channel pulled the plug on earlier this year. The Sci Fi Channel chose not to bring Painkiller Jane back for a second season and ABC decided not to go beyond the six episode order of Masters of Science Fiction (no loss there). Production on the other summer staple, Eureka, has suffered delays because of the writers strike and it will likely have to compete with the Fall programming when it returns to the air for its third season (though a recent article on Sci Fi Wire suggested a Summer retun). Currently, that leaves only two new shows for summer broadcasts that we are aware of with no returning shows on the schedule.

The first of the two new shows, Fear Itself, debuts on May 29th on NBC. This is a network reworking of The Masters of Horror series which has had a successful run on Showtime. The producers have promised that prominent writers and directors from the Horror genre will participate in its thirteen episode run and have already touted names like John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) and Darren Bousman (Saw). They will have to tone down the sex and violence to appease the show’s network prime time slot, but hopefully this will mean a greater focus on story-telling. With the amount of talent already attached to the series, this one does look promising.

The other genre entry, Middleman, will show up on the cable ABC Family channel in June. Written and produced by Lost / Medium veteran Javier Grillo-Marxuach and based on his comic book of the same name, this series tells the story of a young female artist recruited to assist a super hero in his crime-fighting activities. This dramedy has some potential based on the pedigree of its creator and should be worth a look during the bleak Summer season.

Apart from these two shows, there is little else of interest available on the tube for the next few months for fans of the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre. The networks will announce their schedules for the Fall/Spring 2008-09 season in the upcoming weeks (with NBC getting an early jump last month) and they may throw a few scraps to the Summer schedule. Otherwise, it’s time to fill up your Netflix queue and/or revisit the last season’s offerings at Amazon.com Unbox.

-PSW

Addendum (5/9/08): An article on the Sci Fi Wire dated May 9th has announced a late summer bow for the third season of Eureka. The date given for the series return is July 29th, which will provide genre fans with one more viewing option for the summer.

Addendum (5/14/08): Early word was that repercussions from the writer's strike would delay the upcoming seasons of Kyle XY and Stargate: Atlantis. However, the former is now on the schedule to return to ABC Family on June 16th and the latter is expected to return to the Sci Fi Channel's lineup in late July or early August giving Science Fiction and Fantasy fans two more options for summer viewing.

Addendum (6/4/08): Kyle XY is actually set to return with its third season in January 2009. The June 16th date applies to the debut of Middleman.

Watch episodes of this past season's Science Fiction and Fantasy shows at Amazon.com Unbox

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