Two shows. That’s all you really need to know. Starting at 7 PM on Sci-Fi Channel…
Doctor Who — the BBC refit of the classic series. The first season was utterly spank. This season’s been good so far too. The show retains its exuberance and strangeness, but has received a massive upgrade in FX quality; fortunately the writing seems to be fairly high-standard as well.
Battlestar Galactica, seasion premiere. The “2.5″ split left cliffhangers galore. Now we get to see what happens to two undermanned battlestars when they have to figure out how to deal with a Cylon-occupied planetful of humans who’ve had a year to grow soft and lazy. Like Doctor Who, this is a total refit of an older series, and while the sets and settings include some highly questionable details — such as terrestrial foodstuffs and 12-hour clocks — the caliber of the writing is superb.
As for rentals this week, I’m afraid you’re on your own. I spent the earlier part of this week re-watching BSG 2.5 to make sure I was up to speed for tonight’s opener. I won’t be as committed next week, and should be able to take on a sweetly-made American classic based on a Pulitzer Prize winning novel from the early 1960s.
11:01 on October 18th, 2006
[...] * So were Battlestar: Galactica and Doctor Who, both of which have received significant — and I think worthy — facelifts [...]
4:16 on March 8th, 2007
I wasn’t as anamored with the second season…well, second season of the continuation of the ‘65? to ‘89 series and TV movie (forgettible, but mostly cannon, despite the blasphemous “half-human” revelation)…I like the sexy, edgy darkness that doctor #9 Christopher Eccelston had…but I do indeed like David Tennant (Doctor #10), and despite some stories that I think were less than par (”New Earth”) I *STILL* think it’s better that pretty almost anything else on tv…
And the 2nd X-Mass special “The Runaway Bride” was a hoot - it even made me *like* Catherine Tate!
And there are two Doctor Who spin-off’s - *if* you can see them…the late-night “Torchwood” following Captian Jack Harkness and Who’s above-the law (and *supposedly supersecret - ha!)Torchwood organization (Torchwwod Hub 3, Cardiff, right on top of the rift - Hub 1 was destroyed in the battle of Canary Warf, Hub 2 is run by a strange little man, and Hub 3’s gone missing, but “we’ll find it eventually”)..it has cursing, violence, gore, all sorts of sex - gay, bi, straight, whatever…but I think the series could use some improvement, there we’re great episodes like “Small Worlds” and the Fight Club-esq episode (I forgot the title) written by Doctor Who’s own Noel Clark (”Mickey”)…but tehre were some real stinkers like “Cyberwoman”…
I just think the show has so much potential, but often we get childish monster stories with “adult” cursing and sex addded on. And Capt. Jack has gone from the fun-loving rouge that I knew and loved in season 1 of Who, to a way-to dark brooding guy. Maybe his experiences with…well, just watch Who season 3…will change that.
And the other is on te opposite end of the spectrum, it’s the kid’s show “Sarah Jane Adventures”, with Doctor # 3 & 4 (and briefly 10’s again) Sarah Jane Smith (wow, I’m still hot for her, and she old enough to be my mother!)…oddly, I found that to be more Who-like than “Torchwood”… My kids absolutely the piolt (full series is comming this spring) the only thing that they and I wished it had was K-9…he only got a brief token apperance due to right’s issues…
As for nuBSG - don’t let the “goofy mname” or the cheesy (but cool when I was 9!) original turn you off! This new “re-imagined” version is a wholy adult show, and HIGHLY criticially acclaimed. It is “The best show on television”…although, I found some of the later part of this season to be way to soap-opea-rish and some episodes were obviously just filler. (But still better than most of what’s on the boob tube.) I hear they may par back down to just 13 episodes next season, and I hope that will bring back some of the tighter and better paced Galactica that we saw in season one.
(And yes, I have all the Battlestar Galactica Die-Cast Titanium Micromachines!!!)
I also really enjoy “Heroes”…and it’s just gotten better, and in addition to the awesome cast and characters - who can NOT love spacetime bending (Trekkie) Hiro (great name, right out of “Snow Crash”) aka “Sulu”, his side-kick Ando - who has the power of AWESOME! - Horned-Rimmed Glasses Guy (a bit X-Files-ish, I know, but he rocks) & the uber creepy & evil Silar ([sincerely] “Give me their names…so I can *help* them…so I can SINK MY TEETH IN!!!”)? And who could forget The Cheerleader!!! *drool* But this show also has George Takei (Mr. Sulu) as, ironically, Hiro’s dad, Malcom McDowell, & Doctor Who’s Christopher Eccelston (as “Claude”, the invisible guy - 100 points if you get the reference in his name!) and even the TVM Doctor Who’s “The Master”…
And unlilke “Lost” (which I *lost* interest in 3 episodes into season 2) the producers of this promise, and deliever, *ANSWERS*!
“Save The Cheerleader, Save The World” - I want that in a t-shirt!!!
I loved it when sci-fi had Who, BSG & Heroes all on back-to-back!
Oh, and I also watch “Jericho”…but that’s my “guilty pleasure”, so…(hey, who knew the mass nuking of the USA would be not much harder to deal with than a snowy day? LOL!!!)
12:19 on November 1st, 2007
[...] * So were Battlestar: Galactica and Doctor Who, both of which have received significant — and I think worthy — facelifts [...]