Nerd News - Page 14 - British Comedy Guide

Nil Putters

Sunday 1st February 2009 6:03pm [Edited]

A galaxy far, far away or

28,693 posts

Laughing out loud

Cool, Heroes is back tomorrow. Roll on Tuesday!

Curt

Monday 2nd February 2009 2:03am

Ottawa

6,604 posts

Thanks for the previews guys.
Dragonball looks horrendous.
GI JOE could have promise.
And that clip from Venture Bros = hilarious

sootyj

Monday 2nd February 2009 2:19am

51,287 posts

Quote: David Bussell @ January 28 2009, 5:39 PM GMT
Thought this might excite some people:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/v-coming-back-hide-the-guinea-pigs,23088/

View original

Having read a huge SFX article about the original plans for the 80s V I'm pretty damn exited.
It'll rock.

Nil Putters

Monday 2nd February 2009 2:24am

A galaxy far, far away or

28,693 posts

Quote: sootyj @ February 1 2009, 9:19 PM GMT
Having read a huge SFX article about the original plans for the 80s V I'm pretty damn exited.
It'll rock.

View original

From syfyportal.com;

The remake of the 1980s classic is one step closer to reality as ABC has ordered a pilot for "V" from Warner Bros. Television.

ABC first announced its intention to remake "V" last October, making it clear they were going to go in a different direction than what original creator Kenneth Johnson had hoped to do. Instead, the network was interested in a take on "V" from "The 4400" co-creator Scott Peters. Among the changes include the removal of the Holocaust and Nazi allegories from the original, and more of a focus on the character of Erica Evans, a Homeland Security agent whose life is turned upside down once the aliens arrive.

ABC plans to create an interactive experience for viewers using technology that wasn't available when the original "V" aired in the 1980s, including a gaming platform that is being developed by Jason Hall from HDFilms.

ABC has made it clear that one aspect of the show will remain the same from the original: the opening dramatic shot of spaceships hovering over major cities, a style of shot that was later used in the film "Independence Day."

A pilot order does not necessarily mean a series pickup, so it's unclear how far "V" will get in the process of joining ABC's fall lineup. Casting for the pilot should begin immediately.

The original "V" aired as two miniseries on NBC before becoming a short-lived series in the 1980s. It starred Marc Singer, Jane Badler and featured Robert Englund, who would go on to his own fame in a string of Nightmare on Elm Street movies as Freddie Kreuger.

Moonstone

Monday 2nd February 2009 2:41am

11,542 posts

I hope it gets a series, I can't f**king wait!
They should make the aliens and ships look awesome now - they were a bit pants in the original but still impressive back in the day.
I wanted them to keep the original story line and atmosphere though. I hope they don't change it too drastically.

Ooooh, imagine if Red Dwarf and V come out at the same time! TV heaven!

Gavin

Monday 2nd February 2009 2:42am

22,778 posts

Dont hold your breathes it'll be all sexed up and dumbed down like the new Knight Rider.

Nil Putters

Monday 2nd February 2009 2:46am [Edited]

A galaxy far, far away or

28,693 posts

Quote: Gavin @ February 1 2009, 9:42 PM GMT
Dont hold your breathes it'll be all sexed up and dumbed down like the new Knight Rider.

View original

Which has been cancelled.

Also from syfyportal.com;

Fringe (Fox)
STATUS: Staying

Fox has had nothing but praise for the latest outing from J.J. Abrams and the other masterminds behind the upcoming "Star Trek XI," and while ratings haven't been homerun-ish like "House," they've been enough to celebrate.

There was some fear about what might happen to the show when "House" was removed as its lead-in, but "American Idol" has been much better for the show, where overnight audiences have jumped 34 percent since the change.

And while "Fringe" did get its best rating following the season premiere of "House" before quickly falling back down to where it had been tracking, the second episode coming out of "American Idol" has done just as strong, losing less than 3 percent of its previous week's audience.

Heroes (NBC)
STATUS: Staying

It might be easy to write the obituary of "Heroes," but NBC still remains committed to the show. Network executives are hoping that some of the house cleaning they did late last year moving out some producers and making room for some familiar faces like Bryan Fuller will be just what's needed to help the show regain its spark.

Even if ratings don't improve too much on the upcoming volume that begins Monday, NBC isn't concerned. Most of their changes came late in the game on this season, and unless there is just a huge implosion, executives seem to be interested in giving "Heroes" at least 13 more episodes after that.

Knight Rider (NBC)
STATUS: Going

We are hearing a lot of chatter that NBC is just not happy with how "Knight Rider" turned out. Despite the objections of its executive producer, Gary Scott Thompson, the network cleaned house there and retooled the series.

On top of that, there seems to be a lot of heated communications between the show and the network, which could end up with a leadership change if the network decides to continue the series past the first season.

But that doesn't seem likely. "Knight Rider" is far more expensive to produce than "Bionic Woman" was, and it can't even come close to the audience that "Bionic Woman" drew.

NBC is already taking drastic steps to cut expenses and clean out its schedule -- like putting Jay Leno on five nights a week in the 10 p.m. slot -- so it seems highly unlikely they will make the room for "Knight Rider."

Life On Mars (ABC)
STATUS: Going

Sadly, life doesn't look good for "Life On Mars" either. Despite SyFy Portal's own pleas to bring viewers to this show, it doesn't seem to be happening.

ABC had hoped putting "Life On Mars" as the "Lost" lead-out would work, but for some reason, no show has ever been able to survive as a lead-out from "Lost."

And now it seems "Life On Mars" could be the next victim. The show lost a quarter of its audience in the move, and right now it needs to retain every single eyeball it can. If the ratings don't bounce back this coming week, then Sam Tyler is as good as dead.

The Middleman (ABC Family)
STATUS: Gone

ABC Family never seemed to be very keen about this show, and it's probably not a surprise. Trying to find something to excite the audience it drew with "Kyle XY," this quirky drama seemed like the best fit.

And while "The Middleman" is a hit with die-hard genre fans, it has not appealed to a wide audience.

Fans have been waiting months for a decision on whether or not there will be a second season, but that silence has spoke volumes. "The Middleman's" ride is over.

Pushing Daisies (ABC)
STATUS: Gone

No one knows what happened here. "Pushing Daisies" has remained a darling of critics across the board, and have done nothing but heap praise on the show, even in its second season. But for some reason, audiences didn't feel the same way, or were just too busy to show up.

It's hard to explain what audiences are going to do sometimes. Hell, many people thought putting "Life On Mars" after "Lost" was a great idea, but even that came back with a surprising result.

Bryan Fuller is a great television creator, and the world created with "Pushing Daisies" will be missed. But alas, not even Ned's magical touch can help this show.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox)
STATUS: Going

For some reason, whenever we talk about the demise of some series, fans who are not familiar with SyFy Portal think we just don't like a show. That couldn't be further from the truth with "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles."

In fact, many of us on staff love this show, and want the audience to love it, too. But they haven't been there, and the economy is not friendly enough with the studios right now to let them hold on to expensive productions that are not generating the returns they need.

Ironically, it was the economy that saved "Sarah Connor" at the last minute, as it would be more expensive to replace it mid-season than to simply let it run its course.

We're excited about this second chance, and hope that it will thrive paired up with Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse." But it has to do more than simply rebound ... it likely will have to double its audience to get off the cancellation radar of Fox, and we're worried that just won't happen.

Smallville (The CW)
STATUS: Staying

Last summer, if someone asked The CW if "Smallville" was going to see a ninth season, the unmistakable sound of laughter would fill the room. But ratings for the Superman show this season have been surprisingly strong despite the loss of the show's creators and its main villain.

In fact, it seems that the changes were the breath of fresh air this show needed, and if The CW can do anything about it, they want this show back.

Of course, it's all up to the stars, especially Tom Welling. Do they have the steel for another 22 episodes? Fans hope they do.

Supernatural (The CW)
STATUS: Staying

The audiences are slightly smaller, but come on, The CW has no other show besides "Smallville" -- and that includes "90210" -- that gets the buzz "Supernatural" does.

Hunky actors, strong stories, and loyal viewers all translate to what should be at least another year of life for this show.

Of course, who knows what the future will bring. Networks have a way of throwing logic out the window sometimes, and even changing their mind. While this is a bit of a snapshot on where those executives are right now on these different shows, we're just a little more than halfway through the season, and a lot can happen.

So buckle that seatbelt and enjoy the ride.