trange things are happening. If last year tells us anything, it's that television is fluid. It's a thing that changes with whatever current happens to be going by. Some series have been hopping from one network to another, other shows have been canceled for no apparent reason, and even the big three networks are seriously considering adding speculative fiction programming if they haven't done so already.
Some network shows got a second viewing on cable a week after they aired (Charmed). TNT canceled Witchblade even though the ratings were quite good, and then ABC decided to get back into genre in a big way (Dinotopia, That Was Then). Showtime dumped Stargate SG-1 in favor of two new untried series (Jeremiah, Odyssey 5). For its new season this year, the SCI FI Channel dropped all its original dramas except for Farscape, and then picked up Stargate SG-1, which went on to earn the highest ratings ever for an original series on the channel. USA Network, which owns the SCI FI Channel, decided to keep The Dead Zone for itself before eventually letting SCI FI share in the ratings bliss by adding the series to its Friday nights. The Dead Zone on USA Network has become the highest-rated cable drama ever. Roswell and Wolf Lake found new homes, only to be canceled yet again. And, thank God, The X-Files was finally put to rest, at least until the next movie comes out.
And the big news, Farscape executive producer David Kemper has come out publicly to say that the SCI FI Channel has canceled the series. The news has spread like wildfire over the Internet and stunned fans can't believe its real. According to Kemper, even though the series had an order for a fifth season, SCI FI decided against a new season. Because this happened as the fourth season was wrapping this most likely will mean the series will be left without any real ending considering the nature of its season finale cliffhangers.
It's been hard to keep track of it all without a scorecard or at least a database. And things don't look to calm down any time soon. Networks continue to schedule series opposite other genre shows (Angel/Alias, John Doe/That Was Then, Haunted/Smallville, Twilight Zone/Birds of Prey, and Do Over/Dinotopia), insuring some series will fail. Steven Spielberg Presents Taken is a 20-hour miniseries that's going to run over 10 nights on SCI FI. Then early next year, SCI FI has plans to add two reality shows (The Dream Team, Scare Tactics). And even though Andromeda and Mutant X did very well last year, syndicated shows have been dropping like flies. Earth: Final Conflict, Tracker, Sheena, Relic Hunter and Beastmaster were canceled, only to be replaced by old shows (Starhunter, John Woo's Once a Thief) that originally ran outside the United States country.
So the big question has to be—should we be worried? Well, yes and no. First, there were more speculative-fiction shows canceled this year than ever before. There's been so much upheaval on the cable networks and in syndication that these once-reliable markets have become anything but. Also, fewer series are on the air than this time last year. So, should we go screaming into the night terrified that genre television will go back to what it was before Star Trek: The Next Generation and The X-Files turned science fiction into something cool? Not unless you really want to wake the neighbors.
Indeed, there are fewer shows on the air right now. But take a glance at the series that were canceled. With the exception of Farscape and a couple of other, it's not a loss. Sure, there are one or two we'll miss, but most were mediocre at best and some were downright awful.
The new crop of shows looks great. This is one of the best new seasons ever for speculative-fiction television. Out of the pilots available for viewing, there wasn't a stinker in the bunch. The ones that haven't been available look promising and some have great potential. Firefly and Birds of
Prey look poised to be the next Farscape and Smallville. Of course, time will tell and, no doubt, at least a couple of the shows will lie in the dust before Christmas.
But really, has there ever been a more exciting time for speculative-fiction television? Certainly any show could be canceled and our little hearts would be broken (Farscape). It could happen, it has happened and it will happen again. But the next day that series might get picked up by another network that apparently realizes the true worth of that show we love and believes it might be just what they're looking for. And yes, they might even cancel a week later once again. But at least when that final cancellation comes, that genre show will someday find a place somewhere on cable in reruns. Remember, old genre shows never die, they just fade away and end up on the SCI FI Channel.
Check next week's Fall SF TV Preview: Part II to find out the scoop on all the returning shows, midseason replacements, movies and miniseries.
Adventure Inc.
Syndicated Premieres the week of Sept. 30
Explorer Judson Cross (Michael Biehn) has a reputation for being "the man who can find anything." He's become a legend after a string of amazing discoveries, including finding Arizona's Lost Dutchman Mine and a secret Nazi treasure trove. Aboard his expedition yacht, The Vast Explorer, Judson
travels the Earth searching for treasure, mystery and the unexplained. Along with his crew, the beautiful and mysterious Mackenzie Previn (Karen Cliche) and the adventure-seeking Gabriel Patterson (Jesse Nilsson), he's ready to search for the answer to any puzzle, explore the unknown and occasionally bring the bad guys to justice. Based on the real-life adventures of Barry Clifford, Adventure Inc. is from executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, the producer of Aliens, Terminator and Armageddon.
The Outlook: One of the few new syndicated dramatic entries, Adventure Inc. was originally called The Ultimate Adventure Company. While there are no specific sci-fi elements, Adventures Inc. promises enough mystery and exploration of the unknown to pique the interest of sci-fi fans. With exec producer Hurd at the helm and fan favorite Biehn starring, and considering so many syndicated shows have been canceled, fans hungry for new shows will at least give this show a chance. However, Adventures Inc. has a pretty low profile at this point and it will be hard to garner an audience if no one knows the show exists. Look for Adventures Inc. to sink or swim pretty quickly.
Beyond with James Van Praagh
Syndicated Premieres the week of Sept. 16
James Van Praagh is crossing over to get his own daily half-hour talk show. The spiritual medium and best-selling author (Talking to Heaven), who for more than 20 years has been astonishing people with his ability to communicate with the spirit world, will bring his own special insight, humor
and compassion to daytime television. From family dramas to criminal and missing persons cases, Van Praagh will focus on everyday people who have exceptional stories to share. Each show will include spontaneous audience readings and in-depth one-on-one segments. Special features will include celebrity readings, on-location investigations and guest appearances by psychic specialists. Lisa Canning (Entertainment Tonight) joins Van Praagh to introduce segments and facilitate audience feedback.
The Outlook: With a new book just out (Heaven and Earth) and his life's events inspiring last spring's CBS miniseries Living With the Dead, James Van Praagh couldn't be better positioned to launch his own talk show. In most markets, two episodes will run back to back, giving viewers a full hour of Beyond. As a real alternative to much daytime fare, Beyond looks like a strong possibility to break out from the pack.
Birds of Prey
The WB, Wednesdays, 9 p.m. Premieres Oct. 9
On one fateful night during the final battle between Batman and the Joker, Batman allows the Joker to escape. Hell-bent on revenge, the Joker sets about a chain of events that lead to Catwoman's death, Batgirl being shot and Batman leaving town. Seven years later, while Barbara Gordon (Dina Meyer) may have lost the use of her legs and had to give being up Batgirl, she hasn't given up being a superhero. Her partner in crime fighting is none other then Helena (Ashley Scott), the daughter of Catwoman and Batman. Barbara has become Oracle and Helena kicks butt as the Huntress. Together, they fight the villains in a New Gotham where people don't believe in superheroes anymore. Into their lives walks a young runaway named Dinah (Rachel Skarsten) who seems to know all about them. She had a dream about them as a young girl and wants to join them in their crime-fighting pursuits. While Barbara and Helena aren't sure what to do with the enthusiastic Dinah, her special gift soon becomes vital to their survival. As Oracle, the Huntress and Dinah, their new superhero in training who will one day become the Black Canary, they are the Birds of Prey. This series, which mines the coolest lady crimefighters from the DC comic-book universe, is executive produced by Laeta Kalogridis and the producers of Smallville.
The Outlook: Much like the series Smallville, Birds of Prey takes the basic concept of the comic-book characters and their story and changes things around to suit its needs. Also much like Smallville, this series has an unexpected depth to it, along with outstanding writing,
excellent production values and a wonderful cast. While the producers were still fiddling with the show's look and feel a bit, what I've seen so far is fresh and engaging. Birds of Prey is a terrific addition to the schedule. While it's in a pretty tough timeslot, opposite UPN's Twilight
Zone and NBC's The West Wing, I like its chances. So look for Birds of Prey to take flight and make it through the first season.
Picking right up where the hit miniseries left off, half-brothers Karl (Erik von Detten) and David (Shiloh Strong) and their father, Frank (Michael Brandon), continue to adapt to life among the Dinotopians. Based on the best-selling books by James Gurney, the miniseries focused on how the brothers
came to Dinotopia and learned to live in the strange world where dinosaurs and people work and live together in harmony. The series will deal with their day-to-day life, exploring the wonders and dangers of life in Dinotopia. Lisa Zane's Le Sage, leader of the Outsiders, will provide one of the key foils for the boys. Mixing live action and animation, Dinotopia will feature several key characters that are completely digitally created. Executive produced by Robert Halmi Sr., chairman of the board of Hallmark Entertainment.
The Outlook: Yes, the series looks great and the dinosaurs are amazing. Not to mention Lisa Zane promises to add some sex appeal to this otherwise wholesome series. In the toughest timeslot possible, Dinotopia will face off against those dinosaurs, Friends and Survivor. How there could possibly be any remaining viewers after those two monsters hit the air is anybody's guess. While counter-programming with a show aimed at families with kids isn't necessarily a bad idea, it's a wonder why ABC would want to test out the theory on a show this expensive to make. My best guess is that Dinotopia will be moved to another timeslot and eventually go the way of the dinosaurs. However, the reason this show may have trouble has less to do with the quality of the series than with the expense and time it takes to make an episode. Thirteen episodes have been ordered and the production is so far in advance to accommodate the animation, most likely all 13 will air somewhere on the schedule if Thursdays at 8 doesn't work out. But additional episodes or a second season may be a stretch.
Do Over
The WB, Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Premieres Sept. 19
Joel Larsen is a single, unhappy, 34-year-old paper salesman with a dysfunctional family and bad hair. On one particularly bad day, Joel arrives home to discover firefighters putting out a fire his father unintentionally set. When his druggy sister jokingly zaps Joel on the head with a pair of live
defibrillator paddles, Joel finds himself in the past and it's 1981. His 34-year-old self is now in his 14-year-old body and Joel (Penn Badgley) discovers he's going to have to live the events of the past all over again until he can figure out how to get back. Unfortunately, one of the first things he has to do is give the big speech, the one that ruined his life the first time round. Suddenly, Joel realizes that this might just be his chance to change things. After all, it's a whole new life and with 20 years of reruns on television to look forward to, what else does he have to do with his time anyway? Perhaps he can keep his parents from divorcing. Possibly he can help his sister make better choices and stay away from drugs. Maybe he can keep himself from turning into such a big loser. He might even be able to find a way to keep from losing his hair. Or not. Well, who says you only live once? This half-hour comedy comes from executive producer Warren Littlefield.
The Outlook: Comedy genre shows don't work very often and I was expecting this retro comedy to be bad. Plus it was getting more attention for having exactly the same storyline as the ABC drama That Was Then, than hype that it might actually be a worthy show. However, Do Over surprised me by being a funny and smart comedy with an appealing cast. That was the good news. The bad news, however, has to do with being stuck in the same timeslot that killed Fox's The Tick last year. Do Over has to deal with Scrubs, Survivor and even Dinotopia. So what's a timeslot-challenged series to do? Well, hopefully continue to do good episodes and maybe the WB will consider another timeslot if this one doesn't work out. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Funny shows don't come along very often.
Firefly
Fox, Fridays, 8 p.m. Premieres Sept. 20
A new science-fiction western from Buffy creator Joss Whedon, Firefly revolves around nine people who live on the Serenity, a small transport spaceship that isn't too proud to take on just about any job regardless of legalities. Five hundred years in the future, after a universal civil war, the Serenity travels between the frontier border planets and the Alliance-governed planets. Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds and his crew struggle to survive the constant challenges of living in space. And, oh yeah, there's a whore, too. Executive producer Whedon promises that life in Firefly is messy and that his series won't have any aliens or latexy monsters. In fact, the true monsters of the series are the Reavers, humans that have gone mad and have become cannibalistic marauding savages. Firefly stars Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin.
The Outlook: This is without a doubt the most anticipated genre series of the fall season and for good reason. It's obvious Whedon is no mere mortal. After all, how could he be with four series in production at the same time? But beyond that, his fantasy shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Angel are the best TV has to offer. His shows are funny, scary and very entertaining. But more importantly, they're consistent, with a true depth of character and story that is rare. For him to delve into the world of science fiction holds a natural appeal. Whether or not Whedon and his crew can pull
off another great series is difficult to know at this stage. No pilot has been available for preview and only brief glimpses have been seen. But it sounds and looks fantastic, and more importantly, I trust Whedon to do a good job. As far as the timeslot, there's no serious competition for the series, which will air early on Friday night. The biggest problem will most likely be Fox, considering they don't have much patience these days with new shows. They canceled Dark Angel after all, and that had pretty decent ratings. Fox is looking for a hit to replace The X-Files, and if Firefly
doesn't perform quickly, it will flicker out quicker than you can say, "Will Buffy have an eighth season?" So, instead, let's all watch it and see if we like it. After all, with the Farscape cancellation, we need a really great science-fiction show to take its place.
Haunted
UPN, Tuesday, 9 p.m. Premieres Sept. 24
Two boys are missing and Frank Taylor (Matthew Fox) is the private detective on the case. His own son was kidnapped two years earlier and he was never found, so Frank has a special connection to this new case. Following up a lead, Frank finds one of the boys as he's dying only to have the killer get
the best of him. Simon, the killer, stabs Frank and is about to push him off the roof of a building, when Frank sends Simon to his death instead. At the hospital, Frank dies for a few minutes and has a near-death experience where he thinks he sees his son. When he wakes up, he finds he has a special
connection to the dead and they seem to be able to communicate with him. Just out of the hospital, Frank finds himself drawn back into the case to help search for the other missing boy. Frank thinks he's going nuts, but the dead won't let him rest. He quickly discovers that while some spirits want to help him, others are evil and seek to harm him. Now caught between the living and the dead, Frank is Haunted in more ways than one. From creators Rick Ramage and Andrew Cosby.
The Outlook: Ramage and Cosby want their series to be the scariest show on television, and it has the potential to be that. Haunted is dark and edgy, featuring a main character who is devastated by the loss of his son. At least initially, there's been little room for humor, with the focus staying on the intensity of the situation. Matthew Fox as Frank does an outstanding job of playing this complex, fallen character. While this series will be too dark for some, the real question is, how will it do paired up with Buffy? Probably better than Roswell did last year. Yes, the competition is just as tough with 24 and Smallville and a number of other good shows to draw viewers away. However, it's actually a better pairing than Roswell, considering that Buffy has become a more adult show in the past couple of years. Best guess is that the increasingly popular Smallville steals the viewers once again and Haunted will be spooked into another timeslot or off the air.
John Doe
Fox, Fridays, 9 p.m. Premieres Sept. 20
John Doe (Dominic Purcell) is a mystery even to himself. He woke up on a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Seattle with no knowledge of who he is or where he comes from. However, he does seem to know everything else. Everything else in the world that is. He's a human encyclopedia who knows how
many bones are in the human body, how many dimples are on a golf ball and how to speak any language. But when it comes to his identity, he's clueless, literally. Is he an alien, or an android, or a government experiment gone wrong? Even he doesn't know. What John does know is that sometimes he's
compelled to help people, so he becomes an unofficial private detective who helps the police when they have an impossible case to solve. From executive producers Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson.
The Outlook: This immensely likable and interesting show is led by the excellent actor Dominic Purcell, an Australian who manages the role without a hint of an accent. It's not like anything else on TV, although viewers may sense a touch of The Pretender in it. John Doe follows Firefly and is going head to head with other new shows, including ABC's That Was Then and CBS's Hack. I like John Doe's chances, but mainly if Firefly takes off as the lead-in. If Firefly burns out, John Doe may have a difficult time making it alone.
Starhunter
Syndicated Premieres the week of Sept. 9
It's the year 2275 and while Earth has colonized the solar system it's become the Wild, Wild West of Outer Space. Starhunter bounty hunters are hired to pursue fugitives through the lawless frontiers of space. One of those Starhunters is Dante Montana (Michael Pare), whose wife was killed and son was
taken by the evil Raiders. So Dante searches for his son, while bringing criminals to justice with the help of his niece Percy (Tanya Allen) and a mysterious munitions expert named Lucrectia (Claudette Roche) in their aging hunter ship, the Tulip. However, one Starhunter is a covert operative for a secret organization called The Orchard that is looking for information on four specific genes called the Divinity Cluster, which they believe has been hidden in the human genome by aliens. The Divinity Cluster holds the key to great power for those who discover its secret.
The Outlook:Starhunter originally aired outside the United States a couple years ago and only 22 episodes were filmed. That's enough for a full season in syndication. Additionally, two more seasons have been ordered, with production on season two beginning this month. While there are some vague-sounding similarities to Firefly, these two shows are a universe apart in quality.
That Was Then
ABC, Fridays, 9 p.m. Premieres Sept. 27
Travis Glass (James Bulliard) is about to turn 30, but he's disappointed with his lack of a love life, his boring job and the difficult relationships he has with his family. On the eve of his birthday, Travis makes a fateful wish that he would like to go back and make smarter choices in his life. When a lightning bolt zaps Travis back to 1988, he discovers he's 16 again, but with his 30-year-old memories. He seizes the opportunity to make changes, but when he finds himself back in the present, things have changed in a way he hadn't anticipated and he's lost someone precious to him. Travis soon discovers that, while he can go back, it's only to the point he left in the past. Even worse, making the smallest change in the past can have an enormous impact on the present. Written by Jeremy Miller and Dan Cohn and executive produced by Jeff Kline.
The Outlook:That Was Then is based on the same idea as the half-hour comedy Do Over; however, the two are drastically different. That Was Then is an hour-long drama that has bookends about Travis's life in the present wrapped around what happens to him in 1988. While the
pilot wasn't available for preview, this family drama certainly sounds like it has potential. The series is pitted against two other new dramas, Fox's John Doe and CBS's Hack. While I like the chances of John Doe for the timeslot, it's because of the strong Firefly lead-in. One thing is for certain, all three of them won't make it. That Was Then gets America's Funniest Home Videos as a lead-in. That show may well pull in viewers, but whether or not it's compatible with That Was Then is another story.
The Twilight Zone
UPN, Wednesdays, 9 p.m. Premieres Sept. 18
In 1959, Rod Serling came on the air with a little series called The Twilight Zone. However, even five years later when it wound up its run, it's doubtful anyone could have realized The Twilight Zone would go down in history as the standard up to which all other genre shows will always held. UPN's new version of The Twilight Zone will feature noted actor Forest Whitaker as the show's host and a bevy of well-known actors to take on the starring roles, including Jason Alexander and Jeremy Piven. From executive producers Pen Densham and Ira Steven Behr.
The Outlook: It's good to see The Twilight Zone back again and with the wonderful Whittaker as host. An initial look at clips from the series promises a well-made show with enough star power to draw viewers in for an initial look. Still, this isn't going to be an easy road for this incarnation of The Twilight Zone, even with Enterprise as a lead-in and with the heavy name recognition. Anthology shows have a notoriously difficult time of it because they don't have regular characters to get involved with who will draw the viewer back week after week. The Outer Limits did well, but it was on cable. Beyond that, the timeslot is a tough one opposite Birds of Prey and The West Wing. Sadly, I don't see a future for this new TZ beyond this season, but if this series is as strong as it looks, I hope I'm wrong.
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Nickelodeon, Premiered Friday, Sept. 6
Jimmy Neutron is Retroville's resident boy genius, whose inventions are amazing when they work right, and can cause big trouble when they don't. One thing is for sure, from the girl-eating plant to the invisible hamsters, Jimmy, his robot dog Goddard and his friend Carl Wheezer will have lots of adventures ahead of them. This animated series is based on the Oscar-nominated movie.
Baby Looney TunesCartoon Network, Premieres Monday, Sept. 16, and will air weekdays at 9 a.m. ET/PT
Before they were stars of their own cartoons, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Tasmanian Devil, Sylvester, Daffy, Tweety and the rest of the gang were toddlers and they lived in a big house with Granny. Filled with innocence and curiosity, these baby toons find new challenges to conquer each episode. Each half-hour episode features two 11-minute shorts and a one-minute music video.
Codename: Kids Next DoorCartoon Network, Premieres Friday, Dec. 6
Five eager, bumbling 10-year-olds join forces on various missions on behalf of all of the neighborhood kids. Created by Tom Warburton.
Fighting FoodonsFox Box, Premieres Saturday, Sept. 14, at 11:30 a.m. ET
First food talks and plays detective in Aqua Teen Hunger Force and now it turns into monsters and does battle when the secret art of culinary combat is unleashed. It's rude food with an attitude. However, when the evil Don Cook kidnaps the greatest chefs in the world, it's up to a young apprentice to save his father by mixing up his own culinary ammunition. Twenty-six episodes are set to air.
Fillmore!ABC, Premieres Saturday, Sept. 14
Cornelius Fillmore used to be a troublemaker, but now he's the star Safety Patroller at X Middle School. So what would the people at a school with caring teachers, motivated students and even award-winning sloppy joes have to worry about? Well, beneath its perfect surface lie cheaters, baseball-card counterfeiters and even mascot-nappers. When something goes wrong, it's up to Fillmore and his brilliant partner Ingrid to solve the mystery and find the culprit.
InuYashaCartoon Network, Premiered August 31 and airs on Saturdays
This new anime addition to the network's Adult Swim Action programming block tells the story of Kagome, a modern-day girl who is transported to feudal Japan. There she encounters demons and goblins and Inuyasha, a boy who is half demon and half human. She soon discovers she possesses the "Jewel of Four Souls" and that the demons want it. When Kagome accidentally shatters the jewel, it's up to her and her new friends to find the fragments before the evil Naraku does. This 52-episode series comes from Rumiko Takahashi.
The GrooveniansCartoon Network, Premieres Sunday, Nov. 24, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT
Two misfits from a bland planet make their escape to Groovenia, a bohemian utopia. The Groovenians use colorful CGI animation to tell the story in this half-hour special from artist Kenny Scharf, which is set to air during the Adult Swim.
He-Man and the Masters of the UniverseCartoon Network, Premiered August 30 and airs Fridays at 6 p.m. ET/PT
In the land of Eternia, a place where myth, sorcery and advanced technology come together, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe must defend Castle Grayskull from the tyrannical Skeletor and his Evil Warriors. This all-new series from the Cartoon Network has joined their Toonami lineup.
Kirby: Right Back at Ya!Fox Box, Premieres Saturday, Sept. 14, Saturdays, 9 a.m. ET
Kirby, one of Nintendo's most popular characters, makes his U.S. debut in this new animated series. When that Warpstar Knight-in-training Kirby crash-lands on the Planet Popstar, he finds himself going up against King Dedede's maniacal monsters. As the pink protector of the villagers, Kirby must
inhale the monster's powers to win the battle. Fifty-two episodes have been ordered.
Liberty's KidsPBS, Premiered Monday, Sept. 2
What would it be like to actually see the beginnings of the Revolutionary War? Two teenagers, James and Sarah, and 8-year-old Henri find out through their work as apprentices in Ben Franklin's Philadelphia print shop in the mid-1770s. They get a chance to report firsthand on America's struggle to break free of England. Walter Cronkite voices Benjamin Franklin in this animated series. Other guest voices include Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Sylvester Stallone and Dustin Hoffman.
¡Mucha Lucha!Kids' WB!, Premiered August 17 and airs on Saturdays
This over-the-top comedy embraces the Latin culture, family and wrestling as it explores the Mexican phenomenon known as "Lucha Libre." In the series, three mascaritas hope for nothing more than to become great masked wrestlers someday. But first they've got to go to school, remembering never to
remove their masks and hoping to develop a "signature move." Each episode contains two 11-minute stories in this all-Flash animated series, which is the first of its kind.
Those animated characters from the film Osmosis Jones are back, this time with their own series. White blood cell cop Ozzy and his partner Drix, an over-the-counter cold pill, must defend the City of Hector from the inside. However, protecting the City of Hector, the body of a 13-year-old boy, will have its challenges when they have to deal with zits, body odor, allergies and even a "phlegm-alanche." Thirteen episodes of this comedy from Warner Brothers Animation have been ordered.
Stargate InfinityFox Box, Premieres Saturday, Sept. 14, at 8
a.m. ET
This new animated series takes place in the Stargate universe, but develops it own unique story. When a mysterious creature named Draga uses the Stargate to escape a sinister alien race, Stargate Command decides to help the beguiling Draga avoid capture and get her back to her home planet.
Unfortunately, sinister alien soldieries and bounty hunters from Earth have other plans. Scientific facts and lessons have been woven into each storyline and Fox Box will supplement the series with an in-school study guide. Thirteen episodes have been ordered of Stargate Infinity and the series is fully compliant with the FCC Children's Television Act.
Tokyo PigABC Family Channel, Premieres Saturday, Sept. 14, at 10
a.m. ET/PT
A nine-year-old boy named Spencer discovers that anything he imagines can come true. Along with his magical pet pig, Sunny, the two explore Spencer's vivid imagination. This anime series was jointly produced by Miramax and SME Visual Works Inc. and is Miramax's first venture into kids' television.
Transformers ArmadaCartoon Network, Premiered August 30 and
airs Fridays at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT
Three children discover a Pandora's box from the World of Cyberton, the home of the Transformers robots. They unearth an ancient battle between the Autobot and the Decepticon robots who battle for control of the Transformers. This dormant race of Mini-Con robots are the key to a crucial source of power. The 52-episode series will feature all-new adventures from one of the most popular cartoons from the '80s.
Ultimate MUSCLE: The Kinnikuman LegacyFox Box, Premieres Saturday, Sept. 14, 9:30 a.m. ET
When the Earth is threatened by a nasty muscular crew of space baddies, a cry goes out for a hero to step up against the bad guys. It's suddenly up to Kid Muscle, a powerful-if-cowardly reluctant hero who must find the courage to compete in an intergalactic wrestling tournament. To rescue Earth, Kid Muscle finds himself going toe-to-toe with hundreds of the most powerful wrestlers in the galaxy. Fifty-two episodes have been ordered.
Ultraman Tiga Fox Box, Premieres Saturday, Sept. 14, 8:30 a.m. (ET)
Sometimes a superhero isn't enough. That's when the Earth needs an ultrahero to save the day. In these new adventures of Japan's popular action hero, Ultraman, the giant-sized hero and the Global Unlimited Task Squad (GUTS) face off against a new breed of mega-monsters that threatens to destroy mankind. However, when GUTS finds their advanced technology useless against the monsters, it's up to Ultraman to defeat the creatures. Fifty-two episodes have been ordered.
What's New, Scooby-Doo?WB, Premieres on Sept. 14
This latest incarnation of the enduring 1969's Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? promises to stay true to the classic elements, including bringing back Casey Kasem to voice Shaggy and Frank Welker to voice Freddy. However, there's also a promise to increase the level of suspense, comedy and animation. After more than 30 years on the air in a number of different versions of the series and a hit live-action summer movie, it looks like this Great Dane and his Scooby gang have a continuing supply of comic mysteries in their future.
Don't miss Part II of our 2002 Fall SF TV Preview, which will cover returning
shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Enterprise and more, in next week's
issue. See you then!
trange things are happening. If last year tells us anything, it's that television is fluid. It's a thing that changes with whatever current happens to be going by. Some series have been hopping from one network to another, other shows have been canceled for no apparent reason, and even the big three networks are seriously considering adding speculative fiction programming if they haven't done so already.
