his is the year we can point to and say—SF television will never be the same. With the loss of Joss Whedon's Angel and the overwhelming stampede of reality television and crime shows, the times they are a-changing.
Thanks to the success of the Emmy-nominated Joan of Arcadia last year, some of the networks have dipped their toes into the marginally SF or fantasy pool. The WB is offering up a future president with Jack & Bobby, and ABC, which for years has been the most daring of the big three networks when it comes to programming, explores a dead housewife's life in Desperate Housewives and a bunch of plane crash survivors a la Cast Away in Lost.
Fall usually brings a spate of unimpressive SF shows with one or two keepers, and this year's Jack & Bobby and Lost are outstanding. With Lost being J.J. Abrams' (Alias) second show on the air, he's making excellent progress into Chris Carter and Joss Whedon territory as someone who has very original, creative programming to offer and lots of it. Luckily ABC is footing the bill.
Most significantly, much of the new SF television has been relegated to cable. Once the bastion of good adventure shows, syndication is now completely dead (save Andromeda, which doesn't really count since it's on SCI FI, too). Adult animation is healthy, thanks mainly to the Cartoon Network, which appears to offer the only clear-cut sci-fi series programming in our future that doesn't come from SCI FI or USA Network. And even SCI FI has caught the reality bug bigtime, offering two new reality shows this fall (Ghost Hunters, Proof Positive) that will help kick off its new Wednesday night of original programming.
As for the biggest trend, Fox announced this summer that it was moving to year-round programming, something the networks and cable stations had been moving toward for years. While September, January and June will remain primary targets for new shows, it's become apparent that programmers have stopped being shy when it comes to pushing out a new series, especially if they feel it will face less competition and get a better chance at survival. This may all lead to a different way television ad rates are determined, with sweeps week, which now hits in November, February and May, changing or being eliminated.
So there it is. The good, the bad and the ugly. While I have to admit I wish there were at least one new series with a spaceship or a vampire, I'll take what I can get. Television may never be the same, but thanks to TiVo, I'll be able to check out every bit of it.
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.
Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) is the perfect housewife who lives in the perfect house in the perfect suburb. By all accounts, her life is perfect. She even has a perfect group of friends. But one day, Mary Alice ends her life. In most tales, that would be the completion of her story. However, Mary Alice still has a lot on her mind as she watches over her neighbors from the afterlife. We meet her friends through her perspective and begin to understand the mysteries that surround her death. Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) is a divorced, single mom looking for love; Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) is the ex-career woman who traded a high-powered career for motherhood and housework; Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross) is the Martha Stewart extraordinaire who does everything perfectly except make her family happy; and Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) is an ex-model who has the rich husband and big house she always wanted, along with the 17-year-old gardener on the side. And then there's Mary Alice's husband, Paul (Mark Moses), who begins to act suspiciously after her death. Why exactly is he digging up the pool in the backyard in the middle of the night? The mysteries deepen when Mary Alice's friends discover a note that just might have something to do with her death.
The Outlook: ABC is giving this new series a shot by letting Desperate Housewives take over the Alias timeslot until January. Critics have fallen all over themselves to praise this prime-time darkly comic soap opera, offering it up as a mix of Knots Landing and American Beauty. While I certainly like the onscreen talent involved, it's slow-paced and just not very funny.
Desperate Housewives butts heads with The WB's Jack & Bobby and NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent. That's not strong enough competition to kill it, so the series will most likely live or die on its merits. It also should appeal to the female audience, which might help. It's certainly getting support from the network. If Desperate Housewives strikes the same chord among viewers that it's managed to hit with the critics, look for a big hit. However, the series doesn't premiere until October. In the meantime, hop over to The WB and check out the far superior Jack & Bobby.
Father of the Pride
NBC, Tuesdays, 9 p.m. Premiered Aug. 31
From the producers of Shrek, this half-hour animated series takes us to the jungles of Las Vegas, which seems to be a popular place to set a series these days. Larry the lion is a John Goodman-type dad (voiced, luckily, by John Goodman) to a family of white lions. While he may be one of the stars of the Siegfried & Roy show, when the lights go down he has plenty of family issues. His sarcastic father-in-law, Sarmoti (voiced by Carl Reiner) gives him a hard time and doesn't approve of the way he's raising his two cubs, his rebellious 15-year-old daughter Sierra (voiced by Danielle Andrea Harris) and his awkward 9-year-old son Hunter (voiced by Daryl Sabara). Orlando Jones chimes in as Larry's scheming best friend, Snack the gopher. Lisa Kudrow and Danny DeVito lend their voices as a guest characters, and Eddie Murphy reprises his Shrek role as Donkey.
The Outlook: While there's no doubting the Shrek-like animation is well deserving of a prime-time sitcom, this tired and minimally funny effort isn't worthy of the behind-the-scenes or voice talent. Even though Father of the Pride continues to place first in its timeslot, the series lost 17 percent of its audience in week two. That's not a good sign. While there's always room for another good family sitcom, it's a shame this series isn't funnier. Expect some sitcom shuffling as NBC tries to salvage both Tuesday and Thursday nights. No doubt they are really missing Friends and Frasier. I just don't think this series is going to survive, despite the big-name stunt voice casting.
Don't call them Ghostbusters. Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson are just normal guys who happen to see extraordinary things. Ghost Hunters is a new reality show that follows the adventures of these plumbers by day, ghost hunters by night as they investigate paranormal phenomena. The founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society, or TAPS, consider themselves paranormal researchers. Their job is to disprove a haunting, which they manage to do more than 80 percent of the time. They use state-of-the-art equipment and good old-fashioned detective work to help people in need. Be it the voice of a murdered sea captain, moving furniture or the person who put speakers in the wall to try and fool them, Hawes and Wilson have had some powerful experiences while doing their work with TAPS over the last 10 years. "They're the best at what they do," said executive producer Craig Piligian. "They use modern-day technology. They go back to see the history of the house. So they use both ends of the spectrum to show whether or not what the people are hearing or seeing or feeling is real. And they do this as a passion." For Piligian, Hawes and Wilson are ordinary guys involved in an extraordinary activity, which makes them fascinating people to be at the heart of Ghost Hunters.
The Outlook: SCI FI's two new reality shows, Ghost Hunters and Proof Positive, kick off a new night of original programming for the channel, with a new season of Scare Tactics joining the mix on Wednesdays. The most interesting thing about Ghost Hunters is that after spending a little time with Jason and Grant, you may just start to believe in ghosts and other things that go bump in the night. They are unique characters who care passionately about their night job, and that should translate into a nice hit for SCI FI and a nice fan following for these two "ordinary guys."
Jack & Bobby
The WB, Sundays, 9 p.m. Premiered Sept. 12
Forget the Kennedys. It's not about that Jack and Bobby. However, the names do hint at things to come for two brothers, one of whom will one day become the president of the United States. In the future world of 2049, during the making of a documentary, White House staffers reminisce about President McCallister. In the present, Bobby McCallister (Logan Lerman) can't seem to make friends at his new school, especially when he tries to start a new space club. His older brother, Jack (Matt Long), is happy to inform him it's because he just isn't cool. Their brilliant and unconventional mother, Grace (Christine Lahti), is having more than a little trouble letting Bobby find his own way. She tells the asthmatic Bobby he is exceptional, but that doesn't seem to help him make new friends. What Bobby really wants is to hang out with his big brother. However, what Jack wants is to get his little brother out from underfoot so he can get to know the pretty new girl in school. As we travel back and forth from the present to the future, we get a glimpse into the making of a president through life's events, both small and large.
The Outlook: Here's one of the two best reasons not to be depressed about what's going on on network television. OK, it's only slightly sci-fi, but it's a great family drama with an amazing performance by Christine Lahti and actors Long and Lerman. It's poignant and beautifully done, and most notably it's not like anything else on television right now. Jack & Bobby goes heads up against Desperate Housewives and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, two shows that won't compete for the family audience. Whether Jack & Bobby can survive in the timeslot after Charmed on Sunday nights when so many others have failed remains to be seen. However, if this exceptional show can't survive, then maybe we don't deserve great television.
Lost
ABC, Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Premieres Sept. 22
J.J. Abrams (Alias) and Damon Lindelof have come up with the ultimate non-reality Survivor-type show, only if any of these 48 plane-crash survivors get voted off the island they just might get eaten by the enormous creature stalking them. The only thing the producers will confirm is that no, it's not a dinosaur. The story starts as surgeon Jack (Matthew Fox) wakes up on an island. He has survived a plane crash, but as he and the other survivors soon learn, rescue isn't going to come right away. During a dangerous trek through the jungle, a few of the survivors find the airplane's front section and discover that the plane was off course. They also have their first run-in with that mysterious beast. As the group begin to take stock of their situation, other mysteries begin to surface about the island and some of its new inhabitants. In fact, just about everybody will have a secret. Each episode will cover only a day or two, meaning the first season will be the first 40 days on the island. And with 11 regulars and 37 others stumbling about, there will be plenty of fresh meat around for that man-eating "whatever."
The Outlook: Here's the other reason not to be depressed about what's going on on network television. This is a thrilling new adventure show, and from the first moment we know that Lost, just like Jack & Bobby, is something we haven't seen before. With Desperate Housewives and Lost, ABC is taking plenty of chances with fresh programming. Unfortunately, the two-hour premiere, which works wonderfully in that format, is being split up into two one-hour episodes. Considering that this is the most expensive pilot ever made, it's a shame ABC didn't have the faith of its convictions. Hopefully that won't discourage viewers from checking out Lost. One unfortunate note is its biggest competition, Smallville. Both series premiere on the same night, leaving Smallville fans without any chance to sample this riveting new series. I've got my fingers crossed that both shows survive and that the networks someday will stop programming good shows opposite each other.
Proof Positive: Evidence of the Paranormal
SCI FI, Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Premieres Oct. 6
Taking a page out of C.S.I., SCI FI's second new reality series puts unexplained phenomena to the test. From the mysterious sea creature of Lake Champlain to the Roswell UFO crash to reincarnation, the series investigates some of our greatest mysteries with cutting-edge forensics. Filmed documentary style, Proof Positive will dig into three mysteries in each episode, examining the physical evidence and eyewitness testimony in an effort to uncover the truth. At the end of the episode the results will be revealed, proving that one mystery is "positive," while the other two are not. Due to the nature of the paranormal, Proof Positive will have a very fertile mix of stories to examine, said executive producer Terry Meurer (Unsolved Mysteries). "We're surprised that there are as many paranormal stories out there that have actual physical evidence." Stargate's Amanda Tapping will host the new series.
The Outlook: SCI FI's other new Wednesday reality show offers an intriguing new look into unexplained phenomena, using Forensic Files-type tactics to investigate the facts. Setting the show up as a mystery—we don't know which of the three mysteries will prove positive—should capture interest, and Amanda Tapping is a good choice to host. While I don't know if this will have the same following as Ghost Hunters, they are good companion shows. And Meurer and her team did the popular Unsolved Mysteries, so they knew how to put together a reality show before anyone called them reality shows. Look for SCI FI to be happy with the results of its new reality Wendesday lineup.
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane takes another shot at warped family life with American Dad. This family's dad is a trigger-happy CIA agent named Smith. While his day job may be exciting, there's plenty of action at home. The talking goldfish is trying to seduce Mrs. Smith, and the sarcastic space alien in hiding is reminiscent of Stewie, Family Guy's evil baby genius. Look for Adam West and Death to pop by for a visit with Agent Smith.
Atomic Betty, Cartoon Network, Friday, Sept. 17
It's not easy secretly being the Galactic Guardian and Defender of the Cosmos, especially when you have to go to school, do house chores and find time to hang out with friends. By all accounts Betty is a normal girl who attends Moose Jaw Heights Junior High and likes to hang out with Noah. However, at any moment, Adm. DeGill might summon Betty to stop a threat to the universe, especially when the Supreme Overlord Maximus I.Q. has hatched up some evil plot. Balancing it all is a challenge for Betty. And if her parents find out, that's it. She'll be grounded for life! Twenty-six episodes have been produced by Breakthrough Animation, Atomic Cartoons and Teleimages Kids. After the special Friday premiere, Betty takes up residence in its regular timeslot on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.
The BatmanKids' WB! and Cartoon Network, Premiered Sat. Sept. 11
Taking on the Batman legend in year three, this series finds a young caped crusader meeting his classic rogue's gallery of villains for the first time. The Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze and the Riddler are some of the baddies that will drop by to give Batman a hard time. Billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne is still trying to figure out how to find a balance between his day job and his night job. And the police aren't sympathetic to this new vigilante on their streets. Luckily, he has the remote-control invention called the "Bat-Wave" to help him out when he gets in a tight spot. Grammy winners U2 perform the theme song. The Batman is produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Kids' WB! and the Cartoon Network.
Da Boom Crew, Kids' WB!, Premiered Saturday, Sept. 11
When four kids living in an orphanage dream up a hip-hop-flavored video game, the lines between reality and fantasy become blurred and the kids mysteriously get transported into a parallel universe filled with aliens and an intergalactic adventure that oddly resembles the video-game world they created. They find themselves being pursued by a trio of villains, Scortch, Hedlok and Jerome, and they must collect every lost game cartridge to avoid capture. Boom Crew is produced by Jambalaya Studio/BFC Berliner Film Companie.
Dragon Booster, ABC Family and Toon Disney
In a timeless world where humans and dragons co-exist, Artha Penn is chosen to ride a legendary dragon named Beaucephalis, and together they must fight the forces of evil in this animated series from Alliance Atlantis Entertainment Group.
Drawn Together, Comedy Central, Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 10:30 p.m. ET
This strictly adult show bills itself as the first animated reality series. This is the "true" story of what happens when eight different cartoon characters from various genres are brought together to live under one roof. The personality clashes, the backstabbing, the musical numbers ... it all leads up to an explosive mix that could blow at any moment. The housemates, all different iconic archetypes from the world of animation, include Captain Hero, fairy-tale princess Clara, Toot Braunstein, Foxxy Love, Spanky Ham, Ling-Ling, Wooldoor-Sockbat and Xandir. Comedy Central has ordered eight episodes of Drawn Together, which was created by Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser.
F-Zero GP Legend, FOX BOX, Saturday, Sept. 18
Rick Wheeler was a cop and a racer until he was killed in a fatal car accident. One hundred and fifty years later, in the year 2201, Rick is brought back to life to join the Elite Mobile Task Force, a team of high-risk racers who hope to win the F-Zero races. They are determined to defeat the Black Shadow and keep the prize money out of evil hands, and bring peace to the galaxy.
Ham-Ham Halloween, Cartoon Network, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m.
It's all-new adventures for Hamtaro and the Ham-Hams, but this time they're dressed in costumes to celebrate Halloween.
Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi, Cartoon Network, Friday, Nov. 19
Two real-life Japanese pop stars, Ami and Yumi, voice themselves in this animated half-hour comedy about their fictional adventures, which feature live-action segments starring the real Puffy AmiYumi and some of their J-pop tunes. Their cartoon counterparts travel around in their customized Puffy bus and find plenty of out-of-this-world adventures.
One Piece, FOX BOX, Saturday, Sept. 18
This Japanese anime series gets its American debut on FOX BOX. Like a lot of little boys, Monkey D. Luffy wanted to grow up to be a pirate like his childhood hero "Red-Haired" Shanks. When he ate cursed Gum-Gum Fruit, he gained the power to stretch like rubber and lost the chance ever to be able to swim again. Vowing to grow up to become king of the pirates, Luffy determines to find the greatest pirate treasure ever, the Gold Roger's legendary "One Piece."
Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy, Fox, Sunday, Dec. 19
Popeye lives! This half-hour special resurrects our favorite sailor man through the magic of computer animation. An unsold pilot, Popeye manages to have plenty of top-drawer talent behind it. The episode was co-written by comedian Paul Reiser, and the new theme song is by Devo veteran Mark Mothersbaugh. Acclaimed voice actor Billy West takes on the character of Popeye, and Oscar winner Kathy Bates voices the Sea Hag.
Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktakular, Cartoon Network, Friday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. ET
Hannah Marie is being baby-sat by her older, meaner cousin on Halloween night. The cousin plots to scare Hannah, only to have the scheme backfire with a little help from her Scary Godmother and some quirky monster friends.
Squidbillies, Cartoon Network, 2005
What happens when a family of squids misses 5 million years of evolution after getting stranded in the North Georgia mountains? Well, they get influenced by the redneck locals and adapt to a brand-new way of life that involves fighting, feuding and fornicating. Seven episodes have been ordered of this Adult Swim series.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars II, Cartoon Network, March 21, 2005
Just after Star Wars: Episode III arrives at theaters, the Cartoon Network will premiere Part 2 of its animated micro-series, but in a slightly different format from Part 1. Five episodes will air over consecutive nights, with each episode lasting 12 minutes. Look for an expanded role for Gen. Grievous, the villainous military leader of the all-Separatist armies, who was originally introduced in the first Clone Wars. That character will also play a pivotal role in the film.
Stroker & Hoop, Cartoon Network, 2005
John Stroker is a private eye who hasn't quite mastered his job. He can't pick a lock, slide off the hood of a car or even keep his gun from falling out of his waistband when he bends over at the grocery store. Luckily, he has his partner, Hoop, a self-proclaimed master of disguise, and CARR, his talking hatchback. While they love their work and the money they get paid, these detectives are happy to take on any job to help people ... if Stroker isn't hung over, and if CARR doesn't get them lost. They may not solve the case, but at least they'll get to sleep late, drive fast and shoot guns for a living. An Adult Swim series.
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, ABC Family and Toon Disney
A 13-year-old boy name Chiro leads a band of high-tech monkey warriors in this futuristic anime-style series. Plenty of well-known actors have lent their voices to the show's characters, including Mark Hamill, Wil Wheaton, Clancy Brown, Tom Kenny and Corey Feldman.
Tom Goes to the Mayor, Cartoon Network, November
Tom Peters is a crackpot. Unfortunately, the Mayor of the small town of Jefferton inevitably ends up endorsing the strange ideas of the would-be entrepreneur and civic do-gooder. This Adult Swim series was written and produced by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, who voice the leads. Guest voices of the various assortment of oddballs and bureaucrats include David Cross, Jack Black and Kyle Gass.
Don't miss Part II of our 2004 Fall SF TV Preview, which will cover returning shows like Enterprise and Smallville and more, in next week's issue. See you then!
his is the year we can point to and say—SF television will never be the same. With the loss of Joss Whedon's 
