TV Round Up - November 2009

Of the new shows that made their debut in the last couple of months, the quality so far is solid:-

V
This is a remake of the 80's mini series which had Independence Day style flying saucers visit Earth. The occupants claimed to come in peace but they were secretly evil Lizards in disguise, harvesting humans for food. The premise is nearly identical, although the order in which the story is revealed and the introduction of new characters dynamics has shaken things up a bit. At this point, just a few episodes in the pace seems sluggish and the cast a little non-discript. At least there's the boing factor of Morena Bacarrin, as alien leader Anna, to ensure this is vital viewing, for now at least.

Flashforward
Like V, this is another new show with a great premise that is let down by slow pacing and uninspired casting. I think for both shows, the writing is letting them down. This one is the brainchild of Brana Braga (He who created the frustrating time paradox episodes of the Star Trek spin-off shows) and his signature stiffness is present in Flashforward's characters. This is this years Lost wannabe, with an ensemble cast and a slowly unraveling mystery. While the plot is still intriguing, it doesn't have an ounce of the class off JJ Abram's hit show. There is promise here, at least.

The Cleveland Show
The second spin off from Family Guy is the best new show of the season. It's not as formally structured as American Dad, choosing the more surreal path of it's parent show. The new depth they've given to Cleveland himself is wise (his prudish nature and anger management issues) and the supporting characters are mostly genius. Seth McFarlane's contribution as Tim, the born-again, Russian bear (apparantly a really bad Steve Martin impression)is the stand out new cast member, along with hip man-child Rollo. This one should run and run.

Stargate Universe
Although I'm fond of the original Roland Emmerich movie, I've never watched a Stargate TV series before...for 3 reasons. The quality of the writing looked cheesey. The quality of the production looked cheap. But mostly because they featured Richard Dean Anderson...a man whose arrogant swagger was not only misjudged but completely off-putting.

This second spin off works so far for a couple of reasons.
1/ It's set on a giant bloody space ship (they got me at space ship...hey, what can I say, I'm a space ship geek-whore).
2/ It stars Robert Carlyle (Begbie himself) as an untrustworthy scientist. Like Patrick Stewart in The Next Generation, this raises the game of the whole cast.
3/ The writing is sqewed towards character rather than silly sci-fi monsters and so the integrity of the universe the writers have created is intact, for now.
4/ The production values are strong, with big sets and moody photography each week.
5/ The premise is great being what Star Trek Voyager should have been, but wasn't. A survival show of people, who don't get along, trying to get home. The science/rules of the show are well thought out and it's cool seeing the writers explore the parameters.

It's obviously wanting to be Battlestar Galactica, but it'll never have the pedigree to pull it off. Still this is good entertainment, made all the more surprising that it's a Stargate show.