or the sixth year in a row, we're taking a look at what lies ahead this year for speculative-fiction television. A quick look through our lists shows a lot of canceled shows and very few new shows, but fear not. Speculative-fiction television doesn't have to follow the rules anymore. New arenas have opened up that will insure the survival of this once-rare species, thanks to cable, syndication and young upstart networks. Because of these new marketplaces, speculative fiction television is likely to pop up at just about any time during the year, feeding fans a steady diet of fresh material.
We are indeed a small group, but we have developed a powerful lobby with the help of the Internet and conventions that galvanize our television addictions. And certain factions of Hollywood have been paying attention. Nearly all the returning syndicated action hours are speculative fiction (Andromeda, Earth: Final Conflict and others). Cable often taps into the genre, because they know if a show is properly marketed it will do well (TNT's Witchblade). Also, a large percentage of new kids' shows are speculative fiction, thanks to the continuing efforts of The Cartoon
Network, Kids' WB! and Fox Kids.
No, we can't deliver ER or Survivor ratings. But we can deliver 3 or 4 or 5 million consistent viewers on a dime who live and breath and care about what happens to their show. And that's power that fans have begun to use, even to the point of demanding that storylines be adjusted (Earth: Final Conflict). While these tactics may not always work, they work often enough that fans have a right to be encouraged.
However, that small, dedicated audience isn't enough for the big three networks (ABC, NBC and CBS), which realize that speculative fiction rarely provides the numbers they need. In the last two years, only CBS's Wolf Lake this fall has made it to the schedule. Beyond that, the sole survivor is the aging Touched by an Angel. While Fox, The WB and UPN still hold the best hope for a genre show to make it to the networks, they too often treat the shows badly (UPN's All Souls). Shows that do the best are still the ones that can cross over to grab some of the mainstream audience (Fox's Dark Angel and The X-Files).
Other factors have also played a part. Hollywood dodged several bullets by avoiding three major strikes that threatened to cripple this year's fall TV season. When that didn't happen, two long-awaited shows that were being held in case the fall season was affected were casually tossed off into the summer wasteland like yesterday's garbage (Fox's Night Visions and The WB's Dead Last). Neither show has been officially canceled, but it looks highly unlikely that they will return after their runs end.
Certainly, a look at the long list of canceled shows might make a fan nervous. The long-running Xena, Voyager and 3rd Rock from the Sun said goodbye, if not as gracefully as they could have. And some promising shows never had a chance (UPN's All Souls, Fox's The Lone Gunmen). But a whole new group of shows did pop up that didn't happen to start during last year's fall TV season (TNT's Witchblade, SCI FI's The Chronicle and UPN's Special Unit 2).
So even if the list of new shows below isn't long, it's only the beginning of a very long season. The shows that made it to the schedule are funny (The Tick), familiar (Smallville, Mutant X) and promising (Enterprise, Wolf Lake and Tracker). Indeed, there's something for everyone on this short list. But that list won't stay short for long, and we have an entire year of new shows headed our way.
Check next week's Fall TV Preview: Part 2 to find out the scoop on all the returning shows, midseason replacements, movies and miniseries.
While Enterprise may not have the words Star Trek in front of it, there's little doubt in what universe this series lives. The Enterprise NX-01 starts its journey in 2151 as the human race ventures into interstellar space for the first time, a full 100 years before Kirk roamed the galaxy. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) leads his human and alien crew through a universe where the Federation hasn't yet come about, and at a time when humans are the new kids on the block. In the two-hour premiere, "Broken Bow," the crew's mission is to take an injured Klingon to his people. However, when villainous aliens called the Suliban kidnap their alien guest, it's up to Archer and his crew to save the Klingon and avoid a diplomatic crisis.
The Outlook: When it was first announced that the producers were planning to go backward for the new Trek, it seemed like a bad idea. After all, why would we want to go back to the beginning? But as more info leaked out about the series, the idea sounded better and better. Imagine a show where space travel was exciting and new, and where the crew didn't necessarily get along. It certainly has potential. Well, regardless of what the producers have developed, there never has been much doubt about the show's future. This may be the fifth Star Trek series, but fans never tire
of the franchise. In fact, they love arguing about which Trek is their favorite. That's probably because each series is limited to a seven-year run to insure the show leaves the air before its welcome is worn out. Bakula is an appealing actor and looks to be an excellent choice as the new captain. There's also a logical female Vulcan hottie (Jolene Blalock) in a skin-tight suit to insure the Seven of Nine appeal. The earlier Wednesday timeslot is a good move by UPN, and that should help the show that follows it, Special Unit 2. Hopefully, the producers will make better use of the show's characters and create some better stories than they did for Voyager. Time will tell, but look for this one to go all the way.
Mutant X
Syndicated Premieres the week of Oct. 1
In what sounds like a cross between The X-Men and Dark Angel, Mutant X opens with the revelation that a covert branch of the government has secretly been performing genetic experiments on humans. Now hundreds of people have discovered that they've been subjected to genetic mutations that will change them so profoundly they will develop amazing and dangerous powers. As the genetically altered Children of Genomex begin to discover the nature of their powers, they find themselves hunted by the Genetic Security Agency (GSA), who are dedicated to tracking down these new mutants in order to "remove them from society." The only hope for these people is an organization called Mutant X, a team of powerful mutants whose leader is a brilliant and enigmatic multimillionaire nonmutant named Adam (John Shea). Their mission is to help these new mutants discover their potential and protect them from the GSA's "product recall."
The Outlook:Mutant X looks more than a little familiar, and the timing is good considering the series hits the air not much more than a year since the movie The X-Men cleaned up at the box office. While there was a little snafu over the name, which was more than a little too close to The X-Men for Twentieth Century Fox's comfort, that seems to have done nothing but give the show publicity. No preview was available, but with the smart casting of Emmy winner Shea and a bright young cast to play the mutants, Mutant X looks like it might do very well in syndication.
Smallville
The WB, Tuesdays, 9 p.m. Premieres Oct. 16
The town of Smallville just hasn't been the same since a spectacular meteor shower shook things up years before. Since then, weird things have been happening, not the least of which is that a teen-age Clark Kent (Tom Welling) has begun to realize he isn't like the other kids at school. In fact, he's
so different that he can't take a chance on joining the football team because he might hurt someone. He also can't seem to get near the lovely-but-spoken-for Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) without becoming a klutz. His father (John Schneider) finally has "the talk" with him. He tells Clark that he's actually an
alien from another planet who came to Earth during the big meteor storm. Clark suddenly believes that all the bad things that have happened in Smallville since the meteor shower are his fault. Lana lost her parents to the meteors, and now someone's going around putting ex-football players into comas. But discovering you're an alien is nothing compared to trying to talk to Lana, especially with her jealous boyfriend around. And then there's this bald guy Clark saves from drowning, a guy by the name of Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have made some adjustments in the Superman mythology, so don't expect to see red tights, a cape or flying.
The Outlook: No wonder The WB wasn't worried about losing Roswell. They've nearly recreated it here. Let's see. An alien child crash-lands on earth, is raised by human parents who live in or near a small town, and grows up to be worried about dealing with his super-powers and
going to high school. Oh, and there's also this girl he really likes. OK, Roswell has three aliens. Still, you have to give credit to The WB for continuing to do a good job at creating appealing shows with bright young stars. If the teenage alien angst wasn't so close to "that other show," you might not even notice the similarities. The big problem is that Smallville is also going head to head with Roswell in the same timeslot. I like this show, but I have to give the edge to Roswell, which has an established fan base and Buffy as the lead-in. If the ratings tank, look for The WB to move the show before they cancel it. After all, how many good shows do they want to hand UPN on a silver platter?
The Tick
Fox, Thursday, 8:30 p.m. Premieres Nov. 1
A non-caped big blue crusader stands on a roof overlooking the city known as The City, waiting to leap into action the moment he's needed. But until then, The Tick (Patrick Warburton) hangs out with the other superheroes and his sidekick, Arthur (David Burke), doing the things superheroes do when they're not fighting evil. So mostly they hang out at restaurants, argue and admire the pursuits of other superheroes. All right, there is the occasional killer robot or Russian bad guy to deal with, but the bigger problem seems to be that The Tick won't put the cap back on the Arthur's toothpaste after he's
done. This half-hour live-action comedy series is based on Ben Edlund's cult comic book and the Comedy Central cartoon. Fox, with the help of Warburton, has done a great job bringing The Tick to life. Weird, goofy, silly and often very funny, this twisted look at superheroes is directed by Men In Black's Barry Sonnenfeld.
The Outlook: Talk about a long-awaited show. The idea for a live-action The Tick has been kicking around since 1996, and it looked like it actually was going to make it onto the schedule during midseason until the network started worrying about how several potential strikes might affect their schedule. The buzz on this was positive right from the beginning, but will anyone still care after all this time has passed? They just might, although let's hope Fox will try it out on another night if Thursdays against Survivor prove difficult. The good news is that it's paired with another funny show called The Family Guy, and it's not up against Friends.
Tracker
Syndicated Premieres the week of Oct. 15
After the ultimate prison break from the interplanetary prison Sar-Top in the Migar system, 218 of the nastiest fugitives in the universe escape through a wormhole that ends in Chicago. The alien criminals take over human bodies and blend into society, maintaining some of their alien powers. They are led by a brilliant scientist named Zin, who creates a mafia-like criminal empire with evil plans that may extend well beyond Earth. An extraterrestrial named Cole (Adrian Paul) is sent to track down every one of the fugitives, and stop the villainous Zin. But Cole has a problem. Tracking down criminals is nothing compared to negotiating the complexities of human society. Luckily, he has Mel Porter (Amy Price-Francis), a Chicago bar owner, and her British barmaid, Jess (Leanne Wilson), to help him through the tough spots. Called a romantic action comedy, this series is executive produced by Adrian Paul and Gil Grant.
The Outlook:Tracker wasn't available for preview and there's very little buzz on it, so it's difficult to know what its odds are. Paul is a proven performer with six seasons of Highlander under his belt, and he has the ability to do romantic comedy if the script is right. Besides that, he has a pretty strong fan base, which can't hurt. How it will do is anyone's guess, but what Tracker does have is a 22-episode commitment, so it will make it through the first year.
Wolf Lake
CBS, Wednesday, 10 p.m. Premieres Sept. 12
Seattle police detective John Kanin (Lou Diamond Phillips) has it all. A great job and a beautiful woman named Ruby (Mia Kirshner) who wants to marry him. That is, until Ruby goes out late one night and vanishes after a strange attack that leaves the disembodied hand of a man behind in her car. John quickly discovers that the Ruby he thought he knew never existed. As he digs deeper, his investigation leads him to Wolf Lake, a Pacific Northwest town that has secrets to hide. Everyone's friendly enough, but John starts to realize that something strange is going on, something involving wolves and the eerie woods that surround the town. Wolf Lake has a spooky feel to it with an engaging mystery to drive the story. The trick will be how long the mystery will keep viewers interested. Phillips is just right as the determined but clueless cop, and he's backed up by a very strong supporting cast that features Graham Greene, Tim Matheson, Sharon Lawrence and Scott Bairstow.
The Outlook: Every year at least one show seems to be in trouble before it ever hits the small screen. However, despite a change in the creative direction of the show, the producers managed to pull together a pretty good pilot. With the first hurdle over, the second obstacle might seem to be coming up with a few good episodes to draw the viewers into the story. Not so. The strongest challenge Wolf Lake will have is getting CBS to give it the time and backing it needs to develop an audience. There's a reason why speculative fiction TV shows have so much trouble surviving on the big three networks. The good news for Wolf Lake is that, while it's going up against two very good shows (Law & Order and NYPD Blue), they should do more damage to each other than to this freshman series. So, even though the odds are stacked against it, Wolf Lake is just good and creepy enough that I'd like to think it has a chance.
Based on the summer movie. Four unlikely heroes must save the world when a meteor crashes in the Arizona desert carrying an extraterrestrial organism. As the organism begins to evolve and spread at a breakneck pace, it threatens to wipe out life on Earth as we know it. Now it's up to a college professor, a representative from the Center for Impending Disaster, a geology teacher and a teen fireman-in-training to stop the organism's evolution before it's too late. This animated series promises Men In Black-type humor and attitude.
Aqua Teen Hunger ForceCartoon Network, Sunday and Thursday, During Adult Swim, which begins at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
An animated comedy about three human-sized food product detectives who like to hang out in their neighbor's pool. However, when duty calls, Master Shake, Frylock and Meatwad reluctantly leap into action to attempt to solve the mysteries that happen in New Jersey. Written and produced by David R. Willis and Matt Maiellaro, veterans of the network's Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
The Brak Show Cartoon Network, Sundays and Thursdays, During Adult Swim, which begins at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Being a teen is tough, even for the demented space pirate Brak as he negotiates the trials and tribulations of growing up in a twisted outer-space version of American suburbia. While his space-monster mom and tiny human dad are supportive, Brak can't seem to stay out of trouble, especially with
his best friend Zorak around. This animated comedy is written and produced by Jim Fortier and Pete Smith, writer-producers of Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
Running during the midnight hour, this anime space adventure features the exploits of the ship Bebop and its bounty hunter crew. In the future, the population of Earth has ventured out into space, where intergalactic bounty hunters Spike and Jet roam the galaxy with their crew to hunt down criminals and capture their next paycheck. This series was originally aired in Japan in 1998.
CubixKids' WB!, Premiered Aug. 11, Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. (ET)
From the people who brought Pokemon to Kids' WB!, this 3D-CGI animated series takes place in a world called Bubble Town, where there is "a robot for everyone." Connor is a 13-year-old boy who is new to Bubble Town, but has a talent for fixing robots. When Connor fixes the ultimate robot, Cubix, he suddenly has a new best friend who can turn into a plane, a flying motorcycle or almost anything. Together with their friends, Connor and Cubix battle the evil Dr. K, who is attempting to create the most powerful robots of all.
Proving that the viewers do have a say in what shows get developed, the Cartoon Network has brought the winner of last year's The Big Pick into their lineup as part of this new animated series, Grim & Evil. The winning short, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy,
was an overwhelming favorite of the Pick and follows the adventures of happy-go-lucky Billy, cynical Mandy and their best friend, the Grim Reaper. The other half of Grim & Evil is Evil Con Carne, about a criminally insane brain, the bear he's attached to and his disembodied
stomach. Both toons were created by Maxwell Atoms, and the show has an order for 13 episodes.
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Cartoon Network, Sunday and Thursday, Adult Swim, beginning at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Harvey Birdman is the token superhero at a prestigious law firm, who just happens to be stuck doing all the cartoon litigation in this very funny adult animated series. First up, Race Bannon threatens to take the Jonny and Hadji away from Benton Quest for being a bad father. And, of course, Quest has the pesky problem of forgetting the kid's names. But that's only the beginning. Next up, Shaggy and Scooby get busted for possession. There's an endless amount of cartoon litigation out there and Harvey Birdman, superhero, is just the birdman to handle it. Created, written and executive produced by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter.
This much-anticipated animated series will bring together an all-star cast of DC Comics superheroes to save the day for the first time since ABC's series Super Friends (1973-85). The Justice League will battle the forces of evil and all manner of villains and supernatural creatures to keep the world a safe place. The League includes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter. Producer Bruce Timm promises realistic backgrounds to contrast against the bigger-than-life heroes. Also, look for a tweaked Batman and Superman. The premiere will be a 90-minute episode called "Secret Origins," with most stories running in two or three episodes.
Disney's The Legend Of TarzanUPN, Premiered Sept. 3, Syndicated
Picking up where the film left off, Tarzan (voiced by Pretender's Michael T. Weiss) reunites with his animal family. Along with a few of his friends (including Olivia d'Ablo as Jane), Tarzan must go up against the evil bad guys who threaten to take over his jungle. The Legend of Tarzan is the first original animated series from Toon Disney.
"Great warriors aren't born, they're built!" In the year 2122, Ikki and his super-robot, Metabee, want to become the robattle champions of the world. To do that they must compete in the robot championships, against high-powered transforming robots, Medabots.
The MummyKids' WB!, Premieres Saturday, Sept. 15, 9:30 a.m. (ET)
Eleven-year-old Alex O'Connell races around the world in the 1930s with his parents Rick and Evy, to find a set of powerful scrolls before the evil Mummy can get them. Animated series based on the blockbuster movie.
The first ever live-action anthology series for Kids' WB! has plenty of recognizable stars in these spooky tales about teens who enter a Twilight Zone all their own. Based on the stories of R.L. Stine, as well as original stories written for the show, the series isn't afraid to take kids to some vary dark places. Not for the little ones.
Pokémon: Johto League ChamptonsKids' WB!, Premiered Aug. 18, 8:00 a.m. and 10 a.m.(ET)
Apparently, you just can never have enough Pokémon. This is the third Pokémon animated series, and they've ordered 52 episodes of Johto League Champions, which the network calls "the next evolution." Continuing where Pokémon: The Johto Journeys left off, Champions takes Ash and his friends to an unknown land and with new Pokémon. Can the Pokémon Channel be far behind?
These four brawny crime-fighters are on a mission—to rip and destroy anything that gets in the way of freedom, goodness and justice. They spend their days preparing to do battle, ready to trounce the bad guys when they're challenged. Helping them out is their manservant, Jimmy, and their
foster mom, He-Mom.
Samauri JackCartoon Network, Premiered Aug. 13, Mondays, 8 p.m. (ET)
This highly stylized mix of the past and the present offers a true fish-out-of-water tale. Long ago in a distant land, an evil wizard named Aku, who once brought darkness to the world, escapes his prison and descends upon the land to terrorize the people again. A young samurai tries to vanquish him, only to be thrown into a future that is dominated by the terrible wizard. The locals call the young samurai "Jack," and so Samurai Jack sets out on a quest to return to his own time so Aku will never have the chance to take over the world. But first he has to help out some talking dogs. From Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter's Laboratory.
Even more robots! For thousands of years, the Autobots (good car robots), have been battling the evil Predacons. But now the Predacons have kidnapped the world's greatest minds, including the brilliant scientist Dr. Onishi, and it's up to Onishi's son, Koji, and the Autobots to save the good
doctor and the others. Can these car heroes save the Earth's greatest minds from the Predacons and their leader, Megatron, or is the Earth doomed?
This Japanese anime hit is based on the comic book series and follows the adventures of Yugi, whose life takes a turn when he solves an ancient Egyptian riddle called the "Millennium Puzzle." When Yugi becomes the powerful "Game King," he must play to defeat his monster rivals.
Don't miss Part II of our Fall SF TV Preview, which will cover returning
shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Andromeda and more, in next week's
issue. See you then!
or the sixth year in a row, we're taking a look at what lies ahead this year for speculative-fiction television. A quick look through our lists shows a lot of canceled shows and very few new shows, but fear not. Speculative-fiction television doesn't have to follow the rules anymore. New arenas have opened up that will insure the survival of this once-rare species, thanks to cable, syndication and young upstart networks. Because of these new marketplaces, speculative fiction television is likely to pop up at just about any time during the year, feeding fans a steady diet of fresh material.
