"Masters of Science Fiction," an anthology series of genre stories by notable writers and directors, premieres Aug. 4, but ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson has characterized the show that has been shelved for more than a year as "very uneven" and "a little bit problematic."
Narrated by Cambridge University physicist Stephen Hawking, the series tells classic sci-fi tales from writers like Robert A. Heinlein, Howard Fast and Harlan Ellison, and will include directors such as Michael Tolkin, Mark Rydell and Jonathan Frakes, as well as actors Terry O'Quinn, Judy Davis, Sam Waterston, John Hurt, Anne Heche and Malcolm McDowell.
"It was a low-cost initiative that we tried," McPherson told reporters during the recent Television Critics Association press tour, courtesy of SciFi Wire. "We did this series of movies to see if there was a way to spark something different at a really low cost point."
Noting that many networks are going heavy on science-fiction programming, McPherson said that there is a vast universe between space-faring sci-fi, and those more grounded in reality.
"I think there's a difference between real hardcore sci-fi, with 'Battlestar Galactica' and 'Heroes,' as opposed to 'Lost' or 'Pushing Daisies,' which I think have elements and have magical realism and things that I think that people debate whether they're science fiction or not," he said. "Some of the nets I think have gone heavily sci-fi. It will be interesting to see how they perform."
"Masters of Science Fiction" will air Fridays through Aug. 25 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
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