Awhile ago we looked at the current state of SF TV and I discussed what I thought of several different SF shows. The U.S. Spring television season has just come to an end (and what a vast wasteland of nothingness we are in right now) and with it, several of those SF shows gave us their last, best shot until next year (or never again).

A quick look at the earlier article shows us several shows that wither haven’t ended their current run yet (Stargate Universe) or haven’t started their ‘summer’ season, thanks to SyFy’s bizarre scheduling (Eureka, Warehouse 13). But all of the big network shows have ended, one way or another, and it’s those we will look at. One quick administrative note: Heroes has been canned and it’s about damn time and about three seasons too late. Still, when you’re NBC, you don’t have much else to fall back on.

Special word of warning: There will be spoilers below so proceed at your own risk.

In reverse order:

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Superhero flavored bits today! Mmmmm.

• In a move sure to shock and enrage John, NBC has given the green light to season 4 of Heroes! I guess NBC must not have anything else in the pipeline to replace this tired, worn out show that, sadly, peaked during its first season.
• Remember the good old days of Heroes, when the show was riding high and there was talk of a spin-off, Heroes: Origins, which would focus on six brand new characters? If you’ve been waiting for Origins, tough luck as NBC has canned (ok, ‘postponed till later’) the spin-off. I’d say why not give it a go, but with different writers…
• The cable channel FX is known for their gritty dramas, and now it looks like they are taking on the superhero genre as they are adapting the comic book Powers for the small screen. If you read the article, it sounds a lot like Heroes, but with superheros meet Homicide Life on the Streets vibe, it may be cool. Has anyone read the Powers comics? Look for this to go through if Watchmen is successful.
• The land of snow, reindeer and darkness is doing something really cool. The Norwegian public broadcaster is setting up their own Bittorrent tracker and making all of their programs available, free of charge, to the torrent nets at large. Additionally, they are releasing them DRM free and with Norwegian subtitle files provided. They also say if anyone wants to fansub, go for it. Totally awesome! Note to PBS: All of your programming is paid for, in large part, by forced taxpayer donations. Why not give some of that back to the people who help pay for it? If the Norwegians can do this, why won’t you?
• Of course, part of our taxpayer funding goes to NPR, which produces NPR 360. A few days ago they released their round table discussion with Keith R.A. DeCandido, David Mack and others as they discuss Watchmen and its impact on pop culture [via ComicMix]:

Apparently, Heroes creator Tim Kring is sending apology emails to some bloggers (not us) for his remarks last week. (See: Tim Kring Blames Audience for the Suckage That is Heroes).

Here’s the apology:

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Full Disclosure: I gave up watching Heroes shortly after the Season 3 premiere. You can read those links to see why. It’s not pretty.

But even so, I admire those fans that have stuck around through the hard times. Fan dedication is something not to be trifled with or belittled. Unfortunately, Heroes creator Tim Kring doesn’t feel the same way.

From an IGN interview, Tim Kring says:

“[Serialized storytelling] is a very flawed way of telling stories on network television right now, because of the advent of the DVR and online streaming. The engine that drove [serialized TV] was you had to be in front of the TV [when it aired]. Now you can watch it when you want, where you want, how you want to watch it, and almost all of those ways are superior to watching it on air. So [watching it] on air is related to the saps and the dipsh*ts who can’t figure out how to watch it in a superior way.”

Wow. Just…wow. This is the thanks his fans get for sticking it out. Nice job, Kring.

The article continues:

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Against my better judgment and and common sense, I let the wife talk me into watching the Heroes season 3 premiere. I figured it would at least confirm my decision to turn my back on the show when I (finally) realized that season 2 sucked.

Boy, was I right to quit. This episode is just the same suckage from season 2 under the season 3 label.

This time, the show didn’t even hold me for its entirety. I gave up (again) after the first 45 minutes or so, but here’s what I wish I could forget:

*** Spoilers Ahead! ***

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It was recently announced that William Katt was added to the cast of Heroes, which made me (and apparently Cynical-C) think of this:

Here’s a tip for the writers of Heroes: when you’re coming off a sucky season 2, don’t start your season 3 pep rally with Nikki – the single worst character ever to escape from your random, illogical script-generator. You’re supposed to lure viewers, not scare them away.

I’m just sayin’…

[via Topless Robot]

Short Answer: No.

Longer answer: Having been away from the show, I’ve had time to reflect. I realized that no show warrants the viewer frustration it put me through. I was weak and holding on to past glories. But no more. I was on the right track when I said that season 2 sucked. I have now decided what I could not commit to before, in my mid-season recap: I have officially jumped off the Heroes train. I believe it is destined to be a slow, regrettable decline to the end.

For those who think the recent grumblings of the writers’ strike ending means a magic ticket back to greatness, check out this Hollywood Insider column at Entertainment Weekly, which says, among other things:

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Continuing my annual tradition, this is a year-end summary of my personal sf/fantasy/horror experiences for 2007. Note: These are not necessarily things that first appeared this year, they are just the things that I read (or watched) this year.

THE SHORT VERSION

To sum up, the Best Reads of 2007 (works that received at least a 4.5/5 rating) are:

The Liberty Gun by Martin Sketchley (2006)

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956)

D.A. by Connie Willis (2006)

Deadstock by Jeffrey Thomas (2007)

The Last Colony by John Scalzi (2007)

The Hedge Knight by George R.R. Martin (2006)

Helix by Eric Brown (2007)

The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks (2006)

We, Robots by Sue Lange (2007)

The Electric Church by Jeff Somers (2007)

Ivory – A Legend of Past and Future by Mike Resnick (1988/2007)

“Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison & Rick Berry (1965/1997)

The Dragon’s Nine Sons by Chris Roberson (2008)

Maybe worth noting: only 5 of these titles first appeared in 2007 and one (an advanced reader copy) will appear in 2008. Ellison and Scalzi were on last year’s list.

Read on for the longer version…

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Did you know there was a Jules Verne Adventures Film Festival? Well there was, from Dec. 5 – 15 in Los Angeles. Aside from screening many films and appearances by several notable genre figures, there was also a panel on Heroes. Tim Kring, Jeph Loeb and several of the cast members where on stage to talk all things Heroes. But the most interesting thing they did was to screen a teaser for season 3, called “Villains”. Someone in the audience managed to capture the promo on video. See it below (hurry before YouTube yanks it!):

Looks like Sylar is back and just as bad as ever, but, I don’t know. This really doesn’t do a lot for me. At least there’s no evidence of a Nikki revival.

I know that many fans, and most of us here, were disappointed with the second season of Heroes. However, I continue to be impressed with the way NBC is using the internet to continue to generate interest in Heroes. Of course they have the nice online comics

that give more depth to the stories, and the are continuing to add to the Create Your Hero section. And now they are delving into Alternate Reality Gaming (ARG) as well with their Heroes Evolutions game.

Evolutions is the story of Hana Gitelman’s attempt to track down the mysterious Richard Drucker. ‘Hana’ has her own blog where she leaves clues for people to decipher. And Primatech Paper has it’s own website, with views from its security cameras for all to see.

I’m not big on ARGs myself as I’m not much of a puzzle guy, but LOST ran a successful one a year ago and now Heroes is following suit. If this is your thing, or if you want to learn more of the Heroes story, you should check it out.

Last night was the writers’ strike-imposed mid-season finale of Heroes. And I have to say…meh.

I still maintain that, overall, Heroes season 2 has sucked. There was one shining moments two weeks ago (with the episode “Cautionary Tales”) where it looked like there might have been a turnaround since some moments recaptured all that was good about season one. But that turned out to be an exception, because last week’s episode (“Truth & Consequences”) was just as bad, with characters doing things that made no sense other tan being shortcuts to move the plot to here the writers wanted to go.

Here are some ***spoilery*** thoughts on last night’s mid-season finale episode, “Powerless”:

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Kristin over at E! Online recaps Monday’s Heroes episode in Read the rest of this entry

After whining about how much Heroes season 2 sucks, I think it’s only fair that I give credit where credit is due. This week’s episode, “Four Months Ago,” saw Heroes in (mostly) fine form; a rarity this season. Maybe the show is primed for a comeback after all.

Or maybe not. It’s not all good news. Here are some quick thoughts on the episode and season:

*** Thar be spoilers ahead ***

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In a recent Entertainment Weekly article, Heroes creator Tim Kring admitted the show is broken. He critiques the show and cites many of the same problems fans did, including: the slow pace, lack of drama, rookie handling, Hiro’s too-long sidetrack and Claire’s stilted romance story line. (See my gripes.)

After openly saying the show sucks, I have to give credit to the November 5th episode. While not perfect (I still think the writers make plot choices solely the purpose of drama with no regard to believability and consistency) it did show some of the magic that kept me watching in season 1.

Could this be the turnaround for the show? Is Heroes back on track?

EW says the next two episodes maintain that same quality. That’s a good sign. There is also, of course, the writers’ strike to consider, but I’m hopeful that the show will someday reclaim its former status (overrated as it was). My fingers remain crossed…this show has so much potential…

I have not hidden that fact that I have a love/hate relationship with Heroes. I warmed up to the show in Season 1 despite my early annoyance and later misgivings. But in season 2, all my fears are becoming realized. The show is officially lame.

Why?

Jeez…where do I start?

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Three episodes into the new season of Heroes and I can’t seem to shake this love/hate relationship I have with the show. These episodes have done nothing to dispel my overall feeling of “good but not great” left over from Season 1.

Here’s why…

*** SPOILER WARNING ***

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So, with the long wait finally over, NBC debuted season 2 of Heroes, to much fan anticipation. But did the writers and producers manage to shake off the disappointing finale and bring the zest back to the show?

(Warning: Spoilers Ahead!)

Well, yes, and no. First, the good parts. I still like Hiro as a character, and I was interested to see his story. That thread was the one I wanted to see the most of, and I think they did a nice job introducing the situation in feudal Japan (but how much does modern day Japanese and English sound like their counterparts from way back when?). Although I do have some reservations about Hiro’s story going forward.

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• Heroes was shut out at the Creative Arts Emmys. It was up for 6 and received a big fat nothing. Can it beat The Sopranos for any awards at all? Should it win any?
• Michelle Ryan and David Eick talk about the upcoming Bionic Woman. I’m undecided on whether I’ll be watching this or not.
• Time Magazine lists their 100 Best TV Shows of All-Time. There are many SF shows here, including Galactica (the new one), LOST, MST3K, and Star Trek, among others.
• The Star-Telegram gives us their opinion on the upcoming Fall TV schedule. The verdict: nothing great, but nothing horrible. They seem to have missed Caveman.

• The Saucer News tells us that

  SF is alive and well… just not on the SF channel. Well, we knew that about the Sci Fi Channel. But where does it live on? Why on Discovery and Animal Planet. After reading his thoughts, I tend to agree. They are doing lots of fascinating science shows that can be construed as having some sort of SF element to bring them to us.

• And now for some good news for Sci Fi: A Think Tank Of One watched Sci Fi’s original movie, Black Hole and decided it was actually pretty good. I never saw it so I can’t comment, other than to say, whenever I see Judd Nelson, I think of Barry Manilow.
• Over at TV Jab, they have posted their Top 10 SF Shows of All Time. Wow, that is heavily populated with recent SF shows. Heroes better than Babylon 5? Um, no. Wait, who even knew that Heroes, or LOST were even SF?? And ST:TNG is NOT the best SF of all time.
• The Modesto Bee gives us their take on the new Fall schedule. Looks like Chuck might be pretty good after all.
• Screen Head wonders if ABC is deliberately trying to kill Pushing Daisies. Saying that full episodes won’t be placed on the web for later viewing tells me ABC doesn’t ‘get’ the Internet, or the people who use it. The idea is to build interest. How can you do that if people can’t even see the show? Once again, stupid decisions by a network is bittorrent’s gain, even if it kills the show.