Should Heroes Get a 4th Season, or Should it Get the Axe? Cast Your Vote
February 28, 2009 at 7:35 am | In Polls | Leave a CommentTags: Heroes
The show continues to get negative buzz around the internet and its ratings are on a downward spiral. In our Cancellation Watch column, we have listed it as officially in trouble now. Does Volume 4 represent a turnaround and a promise for better days, or is it time to move on to the next thing? Cast your vote:
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What’s on DVD – Sci Fi TV Sets You Didn’t Know You Needed
February 28, 2009 at 7:32 am | In John J. Joex, What's on DVD | Leave a CommentTags: Science Fiction DVDs, Science Fiction Television
By John J. Joex
Sure we all know about such Science Fiction television warhorses as Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, and so on, and we see the DVDs for these shows everywhere. But there are some other really good Science Fiction shows out there that have flown under the radar which also deserve your attention. Here are five shows that you may or may not have heard about, but that you should check out.
The Omega Factor – This exceptional late 70’s British series foreshadows both The X-Files and Millenium. It is ripe with paranormal occurences and sinister conspiracies, but its driving force comes from its well-written, thought-provoking scripts and excellent performances (including Louise Jameson fresh off her stint as Leela on Doctor Who). Definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of the Chris Carter shows above or if you just like good science fiction. (Also see my entry on this in my Best of Science Fiction and Fantasy section.)
Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere – A man helps a derelict girl then suddenly finds himself drawn into a bizarre alternate reality that exists in the underworld of London. This excellent British series, based on Neil Gaiman’s novel, has a hint of “been there, done that” and suffers a bit from the micro-budge typical of that country’s output, but it stands out because of its exceptional performances (most notably Paterson Joseph as the Marquis De Carabas and Hywel Bennett and Clive Russell as Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemaar).
Jeremiah – This series from Bablyon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski had a two season run on Showtime, but never really received the credit it deserved. Based very loosely on the Belgian comic book of the same name, it tells the story of a devastated Earth after the “Big Death” has wiped out the entire adult population. Now the children that witnessed this holocaust are coming of age and trying to rebuild society. The series started out kind of slow, but quickly picked up steam and provided some engaging, though-provoking episodes in line with some of the best of B5.
Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers – This 80’s animated series failed to gain much popularity during its initial run, mostly because it never produced an accompanying line of toys. It combined Science Fiction and Western elements and focused on a group of “Rangers” tasked with keeping peace in the galaxy. Mostly comprised of stand-alone episodes, the series delivered excellent animation that compared favorably with the Japanese Anime output of the time. Not be a ground-breaking series by any means, but still it was good fun.
Armored Trooper Votoms – This excellent Anime series presented a “hard science” look at a galaxy-wide war. It focused on one man who discovers that he has been designed as a super-soldier and who tries to discover the truth about the project that created himself and others like him. Its 52 episodes were intricately plotted and broken into four separate story arcs all leading to a final conclusion. The series was dark and quite violent at times, but ultimately presented a rather strong anti-war message.
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Quick Hits – Incredible Hercules #126, Hulk #10, Star Trek: Countdown #2, and More
February 27, 2009 at 7:23 am | In Comic Book Reviews, Hulu Awards, Quick Hits, Sam Christopher | 1 CommentTags: Comics
By Sam Chrisopher
Before getting to comics, let’s start with the final Hulu Award choices. This has been a sometimes arduous process for me, as I just don’t watch much tv for a reason, but all in all it has been fun. And I have discovered shows like SpaceRip through this awards program that I probably never would have seen otherwise. I know I’ve referred to it as “the tyranny of the Hulu Column” from time to time but to tell the truth I’m actually looking forward in some ways to the next <smack!>… what the?!?… I’m sorry, one of my hands just slapped the other one. Weird! Anyway, what was I saying? Oh, yeah, (we’ll just skip that last part) here are the final two Finalists:
Best Comedy Clip: Only one real choice here for me-
Shaun of the Dead: Throwing Records
Best Non-comedy Clip: This category really comes down to two choices for me. I’ve said before and I repeat here that I will not vote for a politician lying to me, no matter his skin color. MLK’s speech would be a nice choice except that we—and I mean especially those who so vociferously proclaim their love for him and his ideas—don’t follow what he said. And I’m not getting into a full-blown thing here on this so that’s all I’m going to say right now. Now for the two: The Field of Dreams clip is a tear-jerker, and from one of the two or three best baseball pictures ever; the Psycho Shower Scene is a true watershed in American filmmaking—the younger horror film watchers today, with their virtual immersion in sex and gore, simply have no true idea of the impact this scene had when it was first released. They’re both deserving, but only one changed the face of graphic storytelling-
On to the comics:
First we a have A Tale of Two Comics. These comics are tied together by a storyline, the fact that they both stem from the same character, and their price (this month). Incredible Hercules #126, a title which used to be Incredible Hulk before the Planet Hulk storyline, is a double-sized Origin of Hercules Issue (double-sized… for $3.99. Remember that.) “Prince of Power”, written by Fred Van Lente (Action Philosophers, Amazing Fantasy) and Greg Pak (Marvel Nemesis, Skaar: Son of the Hulk) and penciled by Rodney Buchemi (Marvel Adventures, Super Heroes, Marvel Adventures: Avengers), is an excellent look at the early life of Heracles, the hard-drinking hedonistic opportunist who led Mankind away from the superstitious worship of gods and into the Age of Reason. No, really! There’s also a prose “story so far” segment showing the history of Hercules in the Marvel Universe. And an Amadeus Cho backup feature, “The Search for Kirby”, by Pak and Van Lente with Takeshi Miyazawa (Spiderman Loves Mary Jane, Runaways) art. All in all, a good jumping on point for new readers and good character development for us old hands.
Then we have the Jade Giant’s new title, Hulk, with its 10th issue, a regular sized comic with sold ads that they charge $3.99 for (and I won’t embarrass marvel by asking why this price disparity between this two comics; they’ve shown a distinct inablilty to answer that question of late). If you remember the miniseries Contest of Champions or the original Secret Wars you know the basic story here. All I will say is: Offense wins games, Defense wins Championships.
Star Trek: Countdown #2 also hit the stands this week. God, I want to like this book. I really, really, really do. <shakes head sadly> But the writing is just so bad. I mean, on Vulcan we now have a Praetor, a Senate, and a Science Council? And the Science Council is dominant? So… why do they need the same government already in place on Romulas (that’s how they spell it here) and the same one in place on Krypton? And do you think they’ll change those after Romulas (when in Rome—and, yes, I fully understand what a sad pun that is) suffers the same fate as Krypton? Now, in all fairness, other than the “Friends, Romulans, countrymen…” garbage from the first ish, and the fact that I still don’t really understand why Nero is more angry with Spock and Kirk—who’s already dead here—than the Romulan Senate, I don’t want to lay this all at the feet of writers Mike Johnson (Superman/Batman, DCU Halloween Special) and Tim Jones (Judge Dredd: The Megazine) here, as they were handed a story plotted by the writers of the new film, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, so I don’t know which team to blame here. Let’s just hope the new film is better worked out than this prequel.
Other comics:
Angel #18- How does a vampire who has very publicly rescued an entire city from Hell—literally—relax and continue his “normal” life? We don’t know if he can yet. But novelist Kelley Armstrong (novels Bitten, Personal Demon) and Dave Ross (Alpha Flight, Birds of Prey) are attempting to show us.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2- Matt Wayne (Static, Icon) and Phil Moy (World of Warcraft, Prime) bring us “Attack of the Virtual Villains”, in which Bats and Blue Beetle (a character that writers in this venue seem to looooove) enter the video game “Craft of War” to battle a man who only exists in virtual reality. Kinda makes you wonder why he wants to steal money. In the prologue, Superman makes his first appearance in the B:TBATB-verse.
Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil #2- I have no idea what’s going on here but it’s funny.
Fantastic Four #564- The FF family goes to visit Reed’s cousin in Scotland for Christmas. Unfortunately, the cousin apparently lives in a cross between the towns from the films Dagon and Hot Fuzz. Every time I saw a cop in the story I heard the chant “The Greater Good” in my head. At least there was no mention this month of “Doom’s Masters” (does seem an odd time for the family to take a vacation, doesn’t it?).
Green Lantern #38- Part Four of “Rage of the Red Lanterns” finds Hal Jordan being “recruited”—“recruited”, “hijacked”, “possessed” what’s in a word?—by the Red and Blue Lantern Corps at the same time, while Carol Ferris becomes a Violet… well, we’ve seen this before , they just had a different name for it.
Justice Society of America #24- Billy returns to The Rock of Eternity with the JSA in tow only to find Black Adam, Isis, and… Mary Marvel (who really needs to change her hair stylist <shudder>). And the “return” of a character we never thought we’d see in the first place. (But we have seen him before)
Mighty Avengers #22- Poor Quicksilver! Can this guy ever catch a break?
New Avengers #50- I never thought I would say this but: I LOVE CLINT BARTON!!! With the rash of bad writing—only way to explain Norman Osborne’s rise to “respectability” (he does work for the government, let’s not go overboard)—I doubt Barton’s plea will make much difference but it was appreciated. (Still don’t understand how Osborne’s stolen Stark Tech works… but then I did mention something about bad writing, right?)
Orson Scott Card: Ender’s Shadow: Battleschool #3- continuing the adaptation of the books all sf fans should read.
Skaar: Son of the Hulk #8- First the Silver Surfer, and now…? And poor Axeman… well, not really.
Superman #685- Supes leaves Earth to live on his homeworld’s last known remnant. Mon-El hangs around to protect Metropolis while the Big Red “S” is away. No word who has dibs on Lois. Also, the UN shows us all once again why no one should listen to them: How the hell do they plan to enforce a ban on Kryptonians?!? Now I wish Kandor had stayed on Earth.
Wonder Woman #29- Part Four of “Rise of the Olympian” is virtually Genocide-free. There is, however, an act of war and a wanton murder, a warning, a threat, and a betrayal. All of this as prelude to a birth coming next month.
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Television Review – Medium Season 5
February 26, 2009 at 7:39 am | In Sam Christopher, Television Reviews | 2 CommentsTags: Medium
By Sam Christopher
Rating (after four episodes): 5 out of 5 Stars (Highest Rating)
I began watching this season of Medium with trepidation. I had watched the show from the beginning, held on for a couple seasons, and just kind of drifted off. It’s only on for half a season every year and I don’t watch very much television anyway so it was easy to let it go. But something still nagged at me whenever I saw that it was on. There something about it that tugged at me, pulled me to it. Whenever I saw the seasons on sale on DVD there was something about them that called to me. There’s nothing really groundbreaking about the show, nothing “edgy”. It’s just a show about a suburban family with a good father who works hard for the money to support his wife and three daughters, a mother who works for the District Attorney’s Office, and three beautiful children who argue and laugh and fight and cry like all children do. The fact that the mother has psychic abilities sometimes seems almost secondary. And that’s the key to the show.
Lost in all the glitz and press of cool characters like Buffy and Angel—just to use a couple of names—is the fact that the true essence of their shows, the people that give the heroes their moral center, is the “normal” characters (Xander and Gunn, respectively, in the above case). Good sf (speculative fiction) is never really about the “Oh my God! Lookit the cool ray gun!” or “Lookit that cool dragon that scantily-clad, large-breasted woman is riding!” No—good sf is always about the way a paranormal or futuristic situation impacts normal people. It’s about the way regular folk react to inexplicable or just irregular situations. Think about it: The first half-dozen or so episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were awful but then the show got better. Why? Were the situations suddenly that much better later on? No, the characters were made to be more human, more like us. Rod Serling was a master at taking everyday situations and giving them a little twist, then showing the reactions of everyday people. It’s this sensibility that made the original Twilight Zone one of the hallmarks of all sf on tv.
But back to the show at hand. Medium has this self-same sensibility. Yes, Allison Dubois (played by the marvelous Patricia Arquette) has psychic abilities far beyond those of a mortal woman. And, yes, her two oldest daughters, Ariel and Bridgette (Sofia Vassileiva and Maria Lark, respectively), are also exhibiting the same powers; not sure yet about the youngest, Marie (Miranda Carabello). And, yes, these abilities help them solve crimes, find lost keys, and heal disease. But what they do mostly is impact the lives of these girls and the husband/father on the show, normal everyday Joe Dubois (Jake Weber). Poor Joe is forever being awakened by Allison in the middle of the night because she had a dream of someone being murdered, or having to deal with Bridgette’s having drawn a naked picture of one of her teachers for reasons unknown, or Ariel reading his mind while he’s trying to teach her how to drive. Joe is the heart of this show, the one indispensable character. He is all of us, staring into the face of the unknown and trying to make it fit into a logical worldview.
Allison and the girls are also realistic characters despite their apparent “talents”. Allison has visions that usually come to her in dreams, and are virtually always filtered through her own subconscious. She frequently sees murders and other crimes in the first person, either as victim or killer, then has to backtrack and piece together what really happened from clues she saw in her dream. And sometimes it turns out that she really did personally have something to do with the crime, that she was possessed or lead by a spirit. Watching her struggle with these dilemmas in the realistic way she does is very endearing to the character. The girls are secondary characters and their problems are usually shown as subplot. Ariel’s “life partner” in Wellness class is a stoner so every time she takes custody of their “baby” doll she suddenly acts wasted (at least she’ll never fail a urinalysis); Bridgette draws picture after picture of her art teacher in the nude, crying as she does so because she’s been told not to but can’t stop herself, only to find that the strange mole she keeps drawing on his chest is skin cancer. These stories add flavor to the show and the realistic way in which they are portrayed adds substance.
DA Manuel Devalos (Miguel Sandoval) and Police Detective Lee Scanlon (David Cubitt) were more important characters on the show in seasons past than they seem to be for this season thus far. At one time they were more of the “regular Joe” characters but now seem to have been scaled back in their involvement—possibly due to Joe’s more prominent role. At times this season, these two seem mere ciphers, almost mechanical aspects of the show, devices to get us where the writers want us to go. This may change later on. From what I’ve seen and read Devalos was a major player last season so we may just be being given a break form the character for a little bit.
As stated above, I think that Medium is a hallmark of all that is right with tv sf at the moment. The plots are tight and generally well thought out and the characters are spot-on and eccentric enough—especially the amazing Bridgette—to always keep things fresh and unpredictable. Just like life itself. I look forward to seeing what happens next each week while at the same time worrying about the friends I feel I have on the show and their children. Just like life itself.
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Cancellation Watch – Smallville, Supernatural Renewed; Heroes Officially in Trouble
February 25, 2009 at 9:02 am | In Cancellation Watch, John J. Joex | Leave a CommentTags: Chuck, Cupid, Dollhouse, Heroes, Knight Rider, Life on Mars, Medium, Smallville, Supernatural, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
By John J. Joex
The Good News: The CW has announced pickups for a ninth season of Smallville and a fifth season of Supernatural. Rumors before the season began had the current season as Smallvile’s last, but apparently they have decided to extend it at least one more. The pickup announcement comes as no surprise as I have predicted that these two have been safe all season long. I have to admit that I am glad to hear that Sam and Dean will continue their adventures, as Supernatural has made it to my weekly must-watch list. Now let’s just hope the CW doesn’t close its doors before we can see the next seasons. No word on a Reaper renewal yet, but its second season won’t even start until March 3rd.
The Not-So-Good News: The ratings for Heroes have been slipping all season, and this past Monday night they hit an all time low. The fourth episode of Volume 4 pulled only a 3.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic and under seven million total viewers. What’s worse, a repeat of Two and a Half Men on CBS pulled almost twice as many viewers during the first half of the 9 PM EST hour. I have resisted raising the Cancellation Alert on this in our Network Ratings Tracker all season, but for upcoming column I will be bumping it up one from a low to moderate threat. That may not seem too bad, but take note of the fact that, with one exception, every show I have raised the Cancellation Alert on this season has either been cancelled or currently stands on the brink of getting the axe (the one exception was Fringe which started the season with pretty iffy numbers).
Bill Gorman at TV By The Numbers thinks that both Heroes and its lead-in Chuck are still safe because NBC currently resides in fourth place among the broadcast networks, and has few successes to brag about this season. Point well taken, but there’s another factor to consider here. Next year, Jay Leno gets five hours of Prime Time real estate weeknights in the 10 PM timeslot, thus NBC will have less room on its schedule for other programming. Since the network is struggling anyway, do they take the leap and dump the shows not performing up to snuff and go with a clean slate to act as a lead-in to their new Prime Time flagship? Too early to tell, but consider it a possibility.
The fact is that the entire Monday night lineup continues to struggle with Chuck taking a drop this week and Medium still performing well below the numbers it saw last season. If NBC were to pick only one of those three shows to continue into next season, I would bet on Chuck. Sure, it doesn’t pull great numbers, but it has a lot of positive buzz from fans and critics alike. Heroes, on the other hand, continues to get slammed even though Volume 4 really looks promising. I see people railing on the show all over the internet and over 30% of the search engine terms used to drive people to the Axiom’s Edge site contain some combination of “Heroes” and “Sucks”. NBC may decide the show has already passed its prime and dump it as dead weight. And as for Medium, that one always seems like an afterthought for the network , so they may decided to let it fade as well. Anyway, at this point, I am not saying that any of these shows are definitely targeted for cancellation, but they can’t feel too comfortable right now.
Another show with grim prospects ahead is ABC’s Cupid, which hasn’t even made it to the air yet. When ABC greenlighted the remake of the cult series last year, they gave it a thirteen episode order and put it on the schedule for mid-season. But word is that they did not like what they saw early on and cut back the episode order to eight. They have further trimmed that now to just seven episodes, and have moved its premiere date yet again (now targeted for March 31st). You can’t like the odds for this show. It could very well arrive DOA or possibly get booted off to the Summer Prime Time wasteland.
On FOX, Dollhouse’s second episode saw a drop in viewers from the already meager numbers that the premiere pulled. However, the series did make it to number one on the iTunes television download list. That’s at least some good news for the series, but it’s still too early to determine the fate of this one.
Three shows that should start packing their bags are Knight Rider, Life on Mars, and The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Knight Rider airs its last episode tonight and likely will head into television oblivion after that. This makes it the second failed franchise reboot from the peacock network in two years following last year’s re-imagining of the Bionic Woman. Mars and Sarah Connor continue their downward spiral in the ratings, and if their numbers get much worse, they could get yanked from the schedule without completing their runs.
Check our Cancellation Watch page for the status of all the shows currently running, and check back on a regular basis for renewal/cancellation announcements as the networks start the initial phases of hammering out their upcoming schedules. Also, keep an eye on the weekly ratings with our Network Ratings Tracker.
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Feb 18th – What are the Chances for Dollhouse and Sarah Connor?
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Sci Fi TV Briefs – Heroes back on Track?
February 24, 2009 at 8:57 am | In John J. Joex, Sci Fi Briefs, Television Reviews | 3 CommentsTags: Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse, Heroes, Legend of the Seeker, Life on Mars, Lost, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
By John J. Joex
(THESE REVIEWS CONTAINS SPOILERS)
Heroes (“Cold Wars”) – Well, I would almost say this episode represented a return to the quality levels of Season 1. Matt, Suresh, and Peter capture HRG and Matt takes a look into his mind to see why the government has decided to capture and detain people with abilities. The episode was slightly reminiscent of Season 1’s “Company Man” as it showed flashbacks relating to HRG’s involvement in the plan and how he is working things to his own ends. This was a good, focused episode that did not get derailed with too many diverging plotlines. We did find out that Daphne is still alive, but not because of some tomfoolery like time travel. The bullet wounds just didn’t kill her, though she is currently in critical condition. Now the reason I said this episode almost represented a return to form is that they had to end it with Matt drawing an apocalyptic vision using his prophetic abilities. This makes Volume 4 the fourth story arc in a row involved with averting dire future events and it’s just not needed. The current story line already has enough intrigue to keep us coming back, why do they have to revert to that worn-out device once again? Still, apart from that, this was an excellent episode and shows promise for the future.
Lost (“316”) – Back in the saddle again! The Oceanic Six are back on the island (minus one child, plus one Ben). I have to admit that I was a bit annoyed that Jack didn’t show much concern over the fate of the other passengers on flight 316. However, if you think about it from a logistics standpoint, imagine what would happen if he did try to warn the authorities (or anybody for that matter) about the potential fate of flight 316 (but perhaps they could have called in a bomb threat to cancel the flight and charted another flight to follow the exact same route). At least Hurley made a valiant attempt to keep as many people off the plane as possible. And I assume that they got caught up in the time travel affect, thus the reason we did not see the crashed plane on the island (maybe it and the rest of the passengers made it through okay). Now that they are back, I assume that we will return to the flashback sequences to fill us in on some of the gaps in the events leading up to that point (what exactly happened with Locke, why was Sayid in custody, etc.). All in all a great episode, Lost is really showing its strengths this season.
Dollhouse (“The Target”) – This episode was not quite as good as the first and I found my head spinning trying to keep up with what was going on and whether we were seeing flashbacks or current events. I found Langton’s derisive attitude toward Echo when he first came onboard as her handler a bit curious and annoying. But then perhaps the handlers have to adopt such a stance so that they do not get too emotionally attached to their actives. I hope they explore this more in upcoming episodes. Also, Agent Ballard’s presence adds little to the show. I have to wonder if his inclusion might have come from the notorious tinkering that FOX did with the show.
Life on Mars (“Home is Where You Hang Your Holster”) – Yet another episode teasing us with a possible a explanation to Sam’s predicament but leaving us at the end with no real answers. Still, it left Sam with a little more information to move forward with. I have to admit that I enjoy the procedural aspects of the show as much as the sci fi elements. Such morally ambiguous characters as Lt. Hunt and Detective Carling present some interesting story possibilities in the direction of The Sopranos on the other side of the law. Unfortunately, with the show’s dismal ratings, it will likely not get this opportunity.
Legend of the Seeker (“Home”) – A clips flashback show at this point? This might have made sense as the first episode of Season 2 (the renewal was announced a few weeks ago) to get new viewers up to speed, but it seems out of place this early in the first season. I’m guessing they were facing budget overruns and used this as a cheap way to pad out their full commitment of episodes. If you haven’t been watching the series, you can catch this episode on Hulu.com as a good jumping on point.
Battlestar Galactica (“Deadlock”) – What’s going on here guys? This episode hardly moved anything forward. And with only five more hours to go, they still have plenty of questions needing answers.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (“Desert Cantos”) – Does anybody know what’s going on in the show? Anyone at all? It seems completely off course as it diverges into multiple mysteries and conundrums. My interest is waning quickly, and so are the show’s ratings.
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Feb 17th – Dollhouse Premiere Delivers the Goods
Hulu Awards: Johnny Jay’s Final Wrap Up and Best of Hulu
February 24, 2009 at 8:55 am | In Hulu Awards, John J. Joex | Leave a Comment
Well, we have finally come to the end of this year’s Hulu Awards. It has been a long, and at times tedious, process, but in the end it was definitely worth the effort. I definitely want to thank Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling from the Hulu Review for giving myself and Sam Christopher the opportunity to participate on the panel. Sure, it wasn’t always a picnic having to sample offerings like Living Lohan and The Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show, but for every turkey like those that I watched I also discovered gems like Spacerip and The Devil’s Trade. My time as a panelist over the last few months has definitely been a rewarding experience (okay, I couldn’t resist the pun).
For my final column from this year’s awards I will first run quickly through the last two categories awaiting their final nods, then I will reflect on some of the best television shows available at Hulu.com and some of the discoveries I made during the nominations process.
First, my final two nominations:
Unfortunately, none of the ones that I had in my top five in the semi-finals round made it to the finals. Sure, most all of the final selections have their merit, but almost none of them make me laugh out loud like the two SNL clips I picked or Comedy Gumbo. Still, the one I’m going with was pretty darn funny so it’s worthy of the nod: Shaun of the Dead: Throwing Records
Many of us have only read about pivotal moments in history like John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address or Martin Luther King’s march on Washington and did not have the opportunity to witness them in person or at least live on television. Years from now, President Obama’s inaugural address will rank among these pivotal moments and we will say that we witnessed as it happened. And this doesn’t mean that I am gloating over the victory of the Democratic Party in the 2008 elections. I am not a Democrat (or a Republican either). This moment transcends party politics and shows that a people who for many years accepted inequality and discrimination based on irrational prejudices can overcome their biases and move forward with a person as their leader who never would have been accepted previously simply because of the color of his skin. This moment represents the culmination of a step forward in the maturity of the people of this nation: Presidential Inaugurations: Obama’s Inaugural Speech
Now on to some of my select highlights from Hulu.com
Top 10 Television Shows on Hulu.com:
I did not get the chance to vote on Babylon 5 and Picket Fences in the top slot during the awards since they were both snubbed in the finals, so I’m presenting my own Top 10 list here. Note that I have left Battlestar Galactica (the new version) off this list because Hulu only offers the most recent three episodes. So I went with entries that provided a more extensive sampling of episodes:
1. Babylon 5 – J. Michael Stracynzski’s epic television series represents a high point for Science Fiction and Fantasy television as it gives us an over-arching storyline that unfolds across five seasons, highlighted by some of the best science fiction and dramatic stories ever seen on the small screen. Unfortunately, Hulu only has the first two seasons available at the current time, but that still represents some of the show’s best moments (especially Season 2). Highlighted episodes: “Deathwalker”, “Babylon Squared”, “The Coming of Shadows”, “Confessions and Lamentations” (the latter being one the best episodes of any television series).
2. Picket Fences – This early David Kelley series flew under the radar, but really pushed the boundaries of Prime Time television when it aired. It ranged from police procedural to courtroom drama to riveting social commentary. It did descend into melodrama during its final season, but still provided plenty of engaging viewing during its four year run. If you are looking for proof, watch the Season 2 episode “Cross Examination“. A powerful question of faith episode that provides a true challenge to the viewers by presenting multiple perspectives instead of simply skewing to one side. An all-time high point for television.
3. Firefly – Joss Whedon’s space western only made it through fourteen episodes (and a subsequent big-screen sequel), but what an amazing handful of episodes he gave us! FOX’s cancellation of this show is one of the greatest injustices in the history of television and it truncated what could have been the next major Science Fiction franchise. Even if you’ve seen the entire series already, it’s worth watching it all over again.
4. Hill Street Blues – For better or worse, this show changed the cop show genre and moved it away from action-oriented shows to drama. And Hill Street Blues presented some pretty riveting drama throughout its run (while also adding a healthy dose of black humor). This show set the template for many of the crime dramas that would follow in the years to come.
5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – I’ve been slammed by a few for not including Joss Whedon’s seminal work on my Best-of Science Fiction and Fantasy list, and I admit to the deficiency. Mostly its because I stopped following the series after its first season (no particular reason really) and I never encountered some of its better episodes. Hulu has Season 2, so it has given me the chance to pick up where I left off, so expect to see this one find its way to my Best-of list before too long.
6. Barney Miller – An intelligent comedy that managed to be funny as well. How come they can’t figure out how to do shows like this anymore?
7. Alfred Hitchcock Presents / Alfred Hitchcock Hour – Presented well crafted stories with unexpected twist endings framed by Hitchcock’s sardonic quips as series host. A good representation of the lost art of the anthology show.
8. The White Shadow – A unique series that took a rather real look at urban life among predominately minority teen-agers. It wasn’t afraid to address the issues faced by young people and to sometimes provide realistic if unsatisfying conclusions.
9. WKRP in Cincinnati – This irreverent and often chaotic series ranks as one of the all-time best sitcoms and managed to stay funny throughout its run.
10. The Tick – This short-lived series provided a great skewering of the superhero genre and delivered more laughs during its nine episodes than some series do over multiple seasons.
Best Discoveries of the Hulu Awards:
I was a Hulu regular before joining the panel for the Hulu Awards, but the nomination process, which took me on a in depth tour of the site’s content, led me to discover some gems I had not previously known about. Following is a list of the best of those finds:
Television Series:
Raines – I glimpsed this one during its brief network run, but the Hulu Awards presented the opportunity to revisit it in depth. Yeah, yeah, I know it’s another of those “talk to the dead” shows, but it gives an interesting spin on the well-worn device. I’m a huge fan of Jeff Goldblum and this odd little series seemed like the perfect vehicle for his talents. Unfortunately almost no one tuned in and it disappeared after seven episodes. The good news is that Hulu has the full run of the show available.
The Crow: Stairway to Heaven – I caught bits of this during its initial run, then rediscovered it during the Hulu Awards. Probably not too many people remember this rather well done one-season wonder. Imagine if you will that Kurt Cobain did not commit suicide but instead became goth/grunge superhero and you will get a good idea of what to expect.
Uncorked – Comedian Billy Merritt is an average Joe who knows nothing about wine so he decides to go on a tour to educate himself on the subject. Presents a good rundown on wine for the non-connoisseur and you will learn a thing or two along the way.
Kitchen Nightmares – If you ever thought about opening a [beep]ing restaurant, watch this first. It will [beep]ing scare you the [beep] away from the [beep]ing idea. Oh, and be prepared for half the [beep]ing dialogue to be beeped the [beep] out. Pure guilty pleasure and actually quite addictive.
Anime:
Death Note – A teenager finds a notebook that will kill anybody whose name is written in it and decides to use it to kill evil people. The episodes I have seen so far present some compelling moral ambiguities along with the dilemmas that follow from them. I would have considered putting this one in my Top 10 above, but I have not seen enough episodes yet to know if the series maintains its quality throughout.
Mushi-shi – This is an interesting and beautifully illustrated tale about a man who seeks out the supernatural creatures known as Mushi and helps people who they have brought misfortune to.
Web Originals:
Devil’s Trade – This seven part mini from FearNet.com really hits the mark. It presents a scary and engaging story that does not have to rely on gore or violence. It outdid any of the episodes from last summer’s failed horror anthology Fear Itself on NBC and I would love to see more in this vein.
Spacerip – This fascinating series of clips and shorts takes us on a tour of the universe brought to life with stellar (pun intended) computer animation.
Comedy Gumbo – Like any sketch show, it has its hits and misses, but averaging around 4 – 6 minutes per episode means that it moves along a quick pace. At times this show had me laughing out loud, and I don’t understand why it did not get any respect from the other awards panelists.
Beyond Human – I stumbled upon this series while browsing through available clips for the Best Clip nomination. It is a really interesting look at the potential of cyborg technology; science fiction meets science fact.
Carpet Bros – I can’t find his name attached to it anywhere, but I would swear that Quentin Tarantino had a hand in this one with its sharp, droll dialogue and retro look.
Short Clips:
Shaolin Delivery Boy – A Chinese Canadian actor gets lessons on how to be more Asian. A great parody on the entertainment industry.
Non Fat – For those who did not die laughing at this short one-minute film, we know how often you go to Starbucks and what you order!
Poor God – There are several world leaders who should be locked up in a room and forced to watch this repeatedly until they finally get it.
Nun Fight Club – The name says it all.
Given more time, I’ll bet I could find twice as many gems on the site if not more. But that’s all for now. For more information on the Hulu Awards and the upcoming ceremony and to cast your own votes for the winners, go to the Hulu Review site.
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Weekly Update – Final 3 Eps of Pushing Daisies; Middleman Finale; BSG Movie: Boxey and Dr. Zee to the Big Screen?
February 23, 2009 at 7:06 am | In News and Updates, Paul S. White | Leave a CommentTags: Battlestar Galactica, Pushing Daisies, The Middleman
BSG Redux: According to the Hollywood reporter, plans are in place to move forward with a big-screen version of Battlestar Galactica. However, this cinematic entry would not continue the re-imagined version currently wrapping up on the Sci Fi Channel, but would serve as a reboot of the original 1978 series. Universal has approached the show’s original creator, schlock-TV mogul Glen A. Larson (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Knight Rider), to pen a script for the project. This seems like a strange course of action as the proposed movie franchise would diverge significantly from the intense, darkly-dramatic tone of the popular remake (which heads into a spinoff series, Caprica, in 2010), but who knows how to interpret the thinking of the entertainment industry? This would act as good news to fans of the original series who were less than thrilled by Sci Fi’s remake and who supported the attempts by original series star Richard Hatch to launch a continuation of the 1978 version. No word on whether this would be a complete remake of the original (most likely) or a continuation that would bring back some of the show’s principals. Also no word at this point on whether Boxey, Muffit the Daggit, or Dr. Zee will make an appearance.
Final 3 Episodes of Pushing Daisies: The final three episodes of fan favorite Pushing Daisies, cancelled earlier this season by ABC, will finally see the light of day, but not too many fans will get a chance to see them. The episodes will run on April 19th at the Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles at Hollywood’s ArcLight Cinema. In addition, series creator Bryan Fuller will be in attendance to introduce the episodes. Fans wanting to attend can get more information at the event’s website: www.paleycenter.org/paley-festival-2009. The rest of us will most likely have to wait for the eventual DVD release of Season 2 to see the final three episodes.
Middleman Cancelled but will get a Finale of Sorts: The fate of last Summer’s fun little entry on ABC Family, The Middleman, has been in limbo for months, but the cable network has finally announced that it will not continue into a second season. The fan-favorite show will, however, receive a finale of sorts. Series (and original comic book) creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach has penned the graphic novel The Middleman: The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse (based on the script of the unproduced 13th episode) which will hit the stands in July of this year.
Captain Kirk as Prime Minister? Is Captain Kirk beeming into politics? Word is that the 78 year old actor has his eyes on the Canadian Prime Minister position. William Shatner is a native of that country and would be eligible for the post. If he does actually ascend to the position, expect any Prime Directives that the country has to get thrown out the window (and at some point while he is in charge he will get into a fist-fight and get his shirt ripped off). (Vote on which Shatner character would make the best Prime Minister at Life, the Universe, and Sci Fi.)
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Weekly Update – Whedon May Focus on Internet; Clone Wars gets 2nd Season; More Sci Fi Pilots
Quick Hits – Farewell Birds of Prey, Brave and the Bold
February 22, 2009 at 10:16 am | In Comic Book Reviews, Quick Hits, Sam Christopher | Leave a CommentTags: Comics
By Sam Christopher
Leading off this week is the farewell (sort of) to two DC series I had grown to love. First we say goodbye to the long-running Birds of Prey, which ends with number 127. “Barbara’s Angels” gave us a great run, giving a place for Black Canary, Power Girl, the new Batgirl, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, along with many others, to show their stuff. The comic even spawned a short-lived tv series. Oracle, the wheelchair-bound former Batgirl, will now move on to her own “Battle for the Cowl” subset, and the Canary, of course, is already shown in the monthly series she shares with her husband, the Green Arrow. Power Girl has the JSA and Huntress and Batgirl have the Bat-books for refuge, along with Charlie, but we can only hope they find a place for Zinda—Lady Blackhawk—ASAP. She’s just too good a character to leave on the table.
The next one to end—sort of—is the latest incarnation of The Brave and the Bold. Number 22 brings us the final act of “Without Sin”, and what I can only view as a personal apology to me from The Phantom Stranger, as he admits—as I said last month—that sending Green Arrow to halt the fire at the children’s hospital was a bad call. No problem, PS, none of us is perfect—except Wonder Woman when Adam Hughes draws her. Or maybe just any woman when Adam Hughes draws her. Anyway, at least there was a reason the Stranger chose GA: If The Purge possessed GA what difference would it really make? As I said, though, this looks to be the last ish of this series for awhile as we now wait for Joe Straczynski (Supreme Power, Midnight Nation) to find the time to put to paper his shot at a DC teamup (had JMS worked for DC before?). All in all, a very good last chap with an excellent uplifting ending.
One other comic I read ended this week, as Dark Horse brought us issue #5 of the five part Solomon Kane series. Look for a full review of this great series in an upcoming edition.
Other comics:
Amber Atoms #1- This is an Image Comic written and drawn by Kelly Yates (Doctor Who: The Forgotten). From this first issue, Amber is kind of like Luke Skywalker with larger breasts. I tend to like science fiction comics so it’s no surprise that I kind of liked this, but it did seem rather formulaic. Reminded me a lot of Star Wars, actually, but I’ll still give the second ish a shot—even though I’m not a SW geek. (I’m a Star Trek geek, which is totally different.)
Angel: Smile Time #2- Proving once again that puppets—not vampires—are the natural enemy of the werewolves.
Black Lightning: Year One #4- Talia shows up to explain the connection between the 100 and her father. And, yeah, it’s that Talia.
Justice League of America #30- JLA and Shadow Cabinet vs. the radically upgraded Shadow Thief, until Dr. Light shows up with her newly regained power. Much better this month—at least I could look at it.
Mysterius the Unfathomable #2- Eccentricity of character, as Rod Serling spent so much time showing us, adds so much to fantasy story-telling it’s effects can be incalculable. Mysterius and Delfi—who’s short and black and can’t drive—tackle a man’s witch problem and run into stormy weather in NYC.
Red Sonja Annual #2- Writer Christos Gage (The Authority, The Man with No Name) and artist Pablo Marcos (Justice League Europe, The Defenders) bring us “Dragons”, in which Sonja is hired as bodyguard to a wizard searching for the spawning ground of the last remaining dragons on Earth. A good Savage Sword-type one-shot.
Squadron Supreme #8- This book is rapidly becoming my favorite thing Howard Chaykin (Hawkgirl, Firearm) has ever written, and the Marco Checchetto (Marvel Comics Presents, X-Men: Legacy) art is outstanding. Hyperion’s plan to take over the world continues as he attempts to gather his old allies and make new ones. Fury is working hard to stop it all but how much chance can he have when the best he can get from his former Squadron allies is “maybe”? Except, of course, for Emil Burbank, who has taken this opportunity to go his own way. Also, Arcanna and Kingsley are swept off their feet by Hyperion and Dr. Spectrum, respectively, for very different reasons.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Last Generation #4- In this issue we are witness to the passing of a hero and a hottie, and Picard’s plan to fix history goes forward. And Wesley’s still dead. Oh, and Guinan speaks in riddles by not speaking in riddles while she’s speaking in riddles after Picard specifically asked her not to speak in riddles.
Supergirl #38- Think Superwoman’s a Daxamite? Or maybe a clone of Supergirl? Or even a female clone of Superman? It doesn’t look like she’s a figment of Supergirl’s imagination—although she still could be a manifestation of Kara’s subconscious in some way or another. We’ll see. They’ve got me guessing, which is their job. At least I care enough about their story to find out.
Vigilante #3- Our new Vig fights Nightwing and visits an old friend… in the cemetery.
Previous/Related Columns:
Axiom’s Edge Blog- Comic Book Reviews: Three Firsts by DC December 5, 2009
- Gifts from the Edge: 21 Days of Sci Fi Christmas (Day 2) December 5, 2009
- Dollhouse Returns Tonight with 2 Hour Blocks of All-New Episodes December 4, 2009
- Gifts from the Edge: 21 Days of Sci Fi Christmas (Day 1) December 4, 2009
- Interview with Dan Shotz & Cody DeMatteis about the Jericho Season 3 Comic Book December 4, 2009
- Television Review: Outer Space Astronauts December 3, 2009
- Comic Book Review: Jericho Season 3 #1 December 2, 2009
- New in Comics This Week: A Very Zombie Christmas December 2, 2009
- Television Review: Legend of the Seeker Season 2 December 1, 2009
- Weekly Box Office Results: New Moon Gives Thanks Over Holiday Weekend December 1, 2009
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