Wayne's Worlds: It's Going To Be A Bumpy Ride

By WAYNE HALL Oct-8-2008

I want to thank whomever from the SciFi Channel reads my column. Back in August, I said: "SciFi Channel ... could you please go ahead and run 'Haunted' in the same way as 'Charlie Jade'?"

For those who don't know, "Haunted" was a short-lived UPN program that starred Matthew Fox of "Lost" fame. The network has twice aired the first two episodes, but pulled it from their schedule once they aired. Replace "Charlie Jade" with "Haunted" at 3 a.m., and I'll be happy.

Well, SciFi did me one better, and will run most of the episodes from the show in a daytime block on Oct. 9, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. My recorder is ready, so thank you, SciFi Channel!

Since the new 2008-09 season is significantly underway, I thought I was give my first impressions of the genre shows that have returned or started new this fall going from Monday to Sunday night. The only one I haven't seen is the CBS version of "Eleventh Hour," but if you watch "Fringe," you already know what that show is like.

Monday Night

Even though the show has tilted a lot more from action into drama, I still enjoy "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" a lot. I know that the ratings are down, but I hope Fox will either move it to another time slot or grind more Terminator heads into the ground each week.

I enjoy the characters and their interaction, I like Summer Glau's acting and pouting, and I never know what will happen from moment to moment. Please, Fox, don't cancel this show!

"Heroes" still hasn't regained its first-season glory, in my opinion. Making Sylar a "man in black" just hit me as silly. He still ate brains, so I don't see much growth in the character. I'm also tired of time-hopping Petrellis, and Nathan's God-conversion will go astray for sure. That trick never works on television.

Bringing back Isaac Mendez's powers to another character made me roll my eyes. Can't they come up with another power to accomplish looking into the future?

Maybe this will be "Heroes'" last year.

Tuesday Night

Now, "Fringe" is another matter with me. So many people thought that "Fringe" was another "The X-Files," but while there were weird things going on in both shows, I knew it didn't remind me of "X-Files." Instead, since I've seen the Patrick Stewart version of "Eleventh Hour," that was the show "Fringe" reminds me of. The bad news is that every single episode follows the same pattern -- Terribly gross death of humanity, then the Mad Scientist recognizes what is going on though he was in a mental institution over a decade, he uses "Fringe science" to tap into someone's brain to figure out what is going on, then Olivia goes after the baddie and shoots him up.

Just one week I hope John Noble says, "I have no idea what is going on!"

Wednesday Night

"Knight Rider" had that cursed "P" word associated with it -- potential. I love cars, I love action, I love adventure ... but I don't love "Knight Rider." It has movement without consequence, two-dimensional characters, and silly humor. Bleh.

I admit I was never a fan of "Pushing Miss Daisy," my name for the ABC show "Pushing Daisies." The first episode of the season was very much like last season, so I still don't like it. I know many of you do, so get your friends to tune in fast because the ratings aren't all that good.

Thursday Night

Until "Eleventh Hour" starts up this Thursday, this has been a total CW night on my recorder. Granted, these are the only CW shows I watch, but that's OK.

I've always said that "Smallville" was "fast-forward TV" for me because of all the conversations going on. Lois talks to Chloe who talks to Lana who talks to Clark who talks to Lex. Whenever someone started to chat, I'd fast forward until something actually happened. Well, this season, I have watch ed three episodes and have not fast forwarded on ce! That's saying something. I am enjoying this season much more than I have the last several years, so please keep it up!

Friday Night

"Stargate: Atlantis" is still one of my favorite genre shows on the air. It has action, great characters, and interesting plots. The last several weeks have been reminiscent of early "Stargate SG-1" storytelling, which I adored, so I'm a happy fan. I will miss this show on Fridays come January.

I liked what I saw in the premiere of "Sanctuary." It's a good show with a different perspective -- a place for the odd and unusual to heal or learn how to deal. This is yet another Earth-based sci-fi show, so it will be cheaper to make.

I liked Amanda Tapping's acting, though Dr. Zimmerman does remind me of Dr. Jackson a lot. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Of course, "Life On Mars" and "Dollhouse" have yet to air. But overall, I'm kind of underwhelmed by this season's crop of genre shows. None of them yell out to me, "Watch me or you'll be sorry!"

If I had to categorize them, I'd say "Stargate: Atlantis" is the top, followed by "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." The rest really all fall into a pack. I don't think they're poor or anything -- they just don't send me. And in a season with television desperate to regain some of the ground lost after this year's Writers' Strike, that may not guarantee a long life for any of them.

Wayne Hall is the news editor of Airlock Alpha, writing out of Washington, D.C. He can be reached at whall@airlockalpha.com.

About the Author: Wayne Hall is the former news editor for Airlock Alpha, writing from the Washington, D.C., area. He first joined the site in October 2004 as a staff writer, and wrote the monthly "Wayne's Worlds" column.
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