Series Profile:
Network: Sci Fi Channel
Start Year: 2006
Format: Live Action
Episodes: 25 (Through Season 2)
Episode Length: 60 min
Day and Time: Tuesday 9 PM EST
Category: Science Fiction
So many people wanted to see Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, that they brought the site to a halt. While we don’t have the official number of hits, it was enough to crash the site for several hours. The site is now operational again and Act 2 is available for viewing along with Act 1. Dr. Horrible is a web-only series that Whedon is experimenting with as an alternate to the network and cable outlets and stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. Act 3 will be available for free online viewing on July 19th then after July 20th the series will be available for download only at a nominal fee. A DVD is also currently in the works . . . Several Science Fiction and Fantasy series have received nominations for this year’s Emmy Awards. Lost received a nomination for best drama series. Battlestar Galactica received five technical nominations but was snubbed for best drama series. Stargate Atlantis received one nomination for special effects. Pushing Daisies received a nomination for best actor and best supporting actress but unbelievably snubbed Chi McBride in the best supporting actor category. A&E's The Andromeda Strain received a nomination for best mini-series. And the Sci Fi Channel’s Tin Man received nine nominations, eight of which were technical but the ninth was for best mini-series. I am assuming that Robert Halmi Jr. and Sr. pulled some strings on this one because I can’t believe that anyone who actually watched this bloated and tedious mini-series would consider it in this category (unless the competition was just that bad) . . . The British series Primeval will debut on American television on August 9th on the BBC America cable channel. The series follows a group of scientists who investigate temporal anomalies and who deal with creatures from the past and future who time travel to the present. The series has completed a six episode first season and a seven episode second season in 
The first installment of Joss Whedon's internet only musical comedy Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is now available for online viewing. I'ved watched and it is absolutely fantastic and a must-see for all fans of Whedon's work as well as all genre fans. The second installment streams on July 17th and the third and final streams on July 19th. All three will be available until midnight on July 20th after which they will be available for download at a nominal fee. A DVD release is also in the works.
Television Series, ABC Family, 10 PM EST MondaysRating (after four episodes): 3 out of 5 Stars
After finding success in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre with Kyle XY, ABC Family decided to take another stab at the field and has brought us the superhero/comedy The Middleman. Based on the comic books of the same name created by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (who also serves as executive producer of the show), the series follows the exploits of a super crime fighter who’s motto is “Fighting evil so you don't have to”. The current Middleman is just the most recent in a long line of crime fighters who have held the position throughout history (a la The Phantom). In the first episode, he recruits a young art student named Wendy Watson to aid in his ongoing war against menacing aliens, mad scientists, and evil Sino-Mexican wrestlers.
The series actually feels a lot like Men in Black, but with the heroes expanding their jurisdiction beyond just alien control. Still it rises above simply offering a pale imitation of that series as it bundles up an assortment of genre allusions (including a wonderful homage to The Avengers with its opening credits) yet still manages to establish itself on its own merits. So far, the series has offered fast-paced episodes with rapid-fire, witty dialogue and a sufficient helping of modern day youth-savvy heaped on for good measure. The lightning-fast interchanges between the characters carry so many genre and pop-culture references that you have to watch the episodes multiple times just to catch everything.
In addition, the series presents a cast perfectly suited to its action-packed yet light-hearted storylines. Matt Keesler plays the Middleman with the perfect balance of dead-pan and self-smirking. And Natalie Morales holds her own as Wendy Watson and provides the perfect foil to her mentor with her sarcastic repartee as she portrays the intellectual every-girl. And of course Mary Pat Gleason takes no flack from either of these two as she plays the acid-tongued Ida who runs the show from behind the scenes. Then there is Lacy Thornfield (Brit Morgan), Wendy’s ditzy, art-school, environmentalist roommate and the guiter-wielding, pop-philosophy spouting Noser (Jake Smollett) who always seems to be hanging around.
The stories have been clever and witty so far, but at times the writers misfire. There is a fine line between clever and not-so-clever, and the creative team walks right on that edge. The first two episodes were nothing short of brilliant, but the second two seemed to step down a notch or two. Or perhaps this sort of rapid-fire wit just wears thin really quickly. The progression in quality across the first four episodes reminds me somewhat of Reaper (and this series likely aims for the same audience). That show started out really good, but it lost momentum quickly and became formulaic. I don’t see The Middleman falling into the formula trap because it has a broader range of story possibilities, but it is hard to keep the droll banter funny on a consistent basis. Still, the drop-off in the last two episodes was not too bad and I still plan on keeping up with the show throughout the summer (it will make a good companion to
I have not been able to find any information on how the show is performing in the ratings, but the series has received pretty good feedback from critics so far and I would image that it is drawing respectable ratings for the ABC Family channel. As long as it can keep the laughs coming and the clever word play from getting stale (remember that Reaper came back strong towards the end of its first season), I can see this becoming another Science Fiction and Fantasy staple for the cable channel.
-JJJ
A report from Horizon Media is predicting that J.J. Abrams’ Fringe and Jerry Bruckheimer’s Eleventh Hour will be the top rated new shows for the upcoming season. I would say that this is not necessarily good news for either of the shows because it sets the bar of expectations pretty high. If either show performs even a little below these expectations, then the networks could be quick to pull the plug. FOX is especially notorious for having little patience with shows in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre (i.e. Firefly and last season’s New Amsterdam which pulled respectable ratings) . . . New Heroes webisodes will debut on that series’ website on July 14th. These short installments will introduce new characters who will show up during season three (which returns on September 22nd) . . . AMC is targeting 2009 for its remake of The Prisoner to make it to the air. The six part mini-series has recently landed Jim Caviezel (Passion of Christ) to play Number 6 and Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, X-Men) as Number 2. AMC see is also currently looking at other classic Science Fiction and Fantasy television series and movies as possible projects for reboots . . . Warner Brothers has begun work on a movie based on Wendy and Richard Pini’s Elfquest comic. Little information is available on this at the current time including whether it will be animated or live action. Multiple other attempts to translate this franchise to the big screen have sprung up over the past thirty years, but none have yet come to fruition.
Josh Whedon’s musical fantasy Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog will debut on the web in July and will stream for free for one week. The series is about a down-trodden super-villain played by Neil Patrick Harris who is in love with a woman played by Felicia Day and who is frequently pounded by his superhero arch-enemy played by Nathan Fillion. Whedon wrote the three part story during the writer’s strike and has produced the series for a web only broadcast, though a DVD will follow at some point. The series will stream for free starting on July 15th. After July 20th, the series will be available for paid download. . . . According to Grace Park who plays the character Boomer, the first of potentially three Battlestar Galactica television movies has received the greenlight. These movies will carry on the story of the Galactica crew after the series wraps up with its fourth season in early 2009. . . . 25 additional minutes of footage to the classic 1920’s movie Metropolis have been discovered in 
Posts
All Comments
