Well, now that I've had the chance to watch all of the new Sci-Fi/Fantasy television Pilots for the 2005/2006 season, it's time I put in my two cents worth.
SURFACE (Timeslot: Mondays at 8PM on NBC)
Review: I only watched the Pilot episode of this show, but I must admit that it just didn't capture my attention. The premise is interesting enough in theory, but in execution, it was just too slow to invest me. It didn't help that the characters are not at at all engaging. I've decided to give this series a miss in favor of Arrested Development and Kitchen Confidential, two excellent comedies on in the same time slot on FOX.
Surface Grade: C-
THE GHOST WHISPERER (Timeslot: Fridays at 8PM on CBS)
Review: The two shows that this will be compared to the most are Joan of Arcadia, the show it has replaced, and Medium, the NBC show with a similar premise. Unfortunately this does not hold up well to either of those shows. It lacks the emotional complexity of Joan of Arcadia and is not grounded in realism the way Medium is. What we are left with is a sappy hour of overly optimistic drivel. Jennifer Love Hewitt is hot though.
The Ghost Whisperer Grade: D-
INVASION (Timeslot: Wednesday at 10PM on ABC)
Review: Yet another extra-terrestrial invasion series. This is only slightly more engaging than Surface. The characters are a little more interesting as well (especially William Fichtner who plays the morally ambiguous town sheriff, Tom Underlay). The Pilot was very exciting, but subsequent episodes have been rather dull. The mysteries are also not interesting enough to keep me coming back week after week. This is a poor companion show to Lost which keeps you coming back week after week with it's combination of excellent characterization and amazing cliff hangers.
Invasion Grade: C+
THRESHOLD (Timeslot: Fridays at 9PM on CBS)
Review: This show has been a real mixed bag. Like the other alien invasion shows, the mysteries that we are presented with week after week just aren't that exciting. On Lost and Veronica Mars, each week the audience is presented with mind blowing puzzles which grab the viewer by the throat and force them to return the next week. Threshold and Invasion just have half-assed Invasion of the Body Snatchers mysteries. Brent Spiner (as Dr. Nigel Fenway), Rob Benedict (as Dr. Lucas Pegg) and Peter Dinklage (as Dr. Arthur Ramsey) are all uniformly excellent and the show comes alive when they are on screen interacting with each other. On the other hand Carla Gugino (as Dr. Molly Caffrey), Charles S. Dutton (as J.T. Baylock) and Brian Van Holt (as Cavennaugh) all have pretty two dimensional, cookie-cutter characters who have failed to capture my interest. Perhaps, given time, they could become more engaging, but the alien invasion plot just isn't good enough for me to give it the time.
Threshold Grade: C+
SUPERNATURAL (Timeslot: Tuesdays at 9PM on The WB)
Review: This is a very fun, if somewhat formulaic, hour of television. Every week the Winchester boys (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) drive into a new town in their 1968 Chevy Impala, take on some new supernatural threat (usually with some kind of original twist), one of them gets to kiss a hot chick, and then, like a couple of young Lone Rangers, they drive off towards some new adventure. The acting and production values are very good, and if they could find a way to change up the "monster of the week" formula, it could go from being just good to great. But then, the first season of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer was just a "monster of the week" show, and it eventually evolved into something greater and more unique. This comes closer to the spirit of the 70s "monster of the week" extravaganza Kolchak: the Night Stalker, then the new Night Stalker television show does, but see the next review.
Supernatural Grade: B+
THE NIGHT STALKER (Timeslot: Thursdays at 9PM on ABC)
Review: The show reminds me much more of the X-Files than it does of the original Night Stalker series. This is not surprising considering the show runner is former X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz. Unfortunately, it is not as good as the X-Files was. Nor is it as fun as the original Night Stalker. Stuart Townsend just isn't as good a character actor as Darren McGavin was. But then, Stuart Townsend's Carl Kolchak is closer to the X-Files' Fox Mulder than to Darren McGavin's Kolchak. But at least Agent Mulder had a sense of humor. Townsend's dour Kolchak is so much of a downer, it's hard to get on his side. Still, the second episode was better than the pilot. Both episodes I've seen did have some genuinely spooky moments and if Townsend can lighten up a little to counter the darkness of the plots, this could be a very watchable show. I'm giving it a few more episodes before I decide weather or not I'm going to continue watching.
The Night Stalker Grade: C
Anyway, for my money the best shows to watch this season are Lost (ABC), Veronica Mars (UPN), (the new) Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi Network), Gilmore Girls (the WB) and Justice League Unlimited (Cartoon Network). That's all for now...
Decker out...
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Update time. As of this date (12/20/2005) Surface, The Ghost Whisperer, Invation, and Supernatural have been given full season commitments by their respective networks. Threshold and The Night Stalker have been canceled. I'm frankly amazing that The Ghost Whisperer is doing so well, but there's no accounting for taste.
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