Coming Attractions
Dark Angel or regular Angel? Let our fall TV preview help you decide.
      by Kay Reindl

The hell that is the television up-fronts is over. The dust has settled. The pilots have been chosen. And all the inconsiderate, irresponsible TV critics are already bemoaning the lack of original programming -- like they did last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. This year, however, there is a lot more diversity on the schedule. Last year's teen monopoly, which ruined Fox's ascent into the Big Three, is thankfully absent. Aside from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, there is no guiding force this year. This made the networks at least try to develop original shows. And surprisingly, they came through. Don't let anyone tell you different, at least until you see and hate everything yourself.

Genre material fared well in the development process and at Fox, it fared splendidly on the schedule. Fox picked up a boatload of drama pilots (realizing their comedy development is still in need of some development) and six of those pilots are genre dramas. While I've read almost all of these scripts, I haven't seen them all, so my comments, unless otherwise noted, are based solely on the scripts.

WHAT YOU'LL BE WATCHING

Tuesday at 9:00: Dark Angel(Cameron & Eglee/Fox)
Logline: A genetically-engineered young woman escapes her captors and flees to post-apocalyptic Seattle, where she dodges intrigue in her job as a bike messenger.

Dark Angel's Jessica Alba.

Widely known as the most expensive pilot out there, Dark Angel was supposed to be on the schedule last year, then it was pushed to midseason, then it all but disappeared. A lot of folks thought Dark Angel would never see the light of day. We call them "glass half-empty" people. The script for Dark Angel is absolutely terrific. Reading pilots by folks who don't have a clue about genre material (even if they've done it before) is maddening. Dark Angel is refreshing in many ways, the fact that its writers understand science fiction chief among them. The logline does not do this pilot justice.

The apocalypse of Cameron and Eglee's vision isn't the typical post-atomic or post-epidemic world. This is a different America, but one that doesn't make you want to put a bullet in your head. These writers have also created an incredibly smart, engaging heroine and an intriguing group of supporting players. The pilot, directed by David Nutter, loses a little of its luster due to a generally one-note performance by the breathtakingly gorgeous Jessica Alba as Max. Max is written as a breezy, tough character and Alba plays her too soft and quiet. When she allows herself to just be a person she has some genuinely touching moments. My inclination is to believe that she will grow into the role. The rest of the cast is fine, and the broad scope of this pilot is fantastic. It's one of those things that at times feels like it's trying too hard but there's a glorious enthusiasm to the show that's intriguing. It's got definite style and some surprising substance. I know which Angel I'll be watching on Tuesday night!

Friday at 8:00 EST: Fearsum (Hale & Goyer and Tommy Thompson/Fox)
Logline: After his twin brother commits suicide, a young man continues his brother's paranormal website but begins to suspect that his brother may not be dead after all.

The cast of Fearsum.

This is produced by the Blair Witch guys, and the pilot does have some Blair Witch-y camera work. There are about fifteen intriguing elements to this pilot. This, however, may be a drawback. It's clever, it's inventive, it's packed with new and exciting information. I just don't know if America's going to sit still for it. There's not one thing the producers leave out of the pilot, and although it does make you wonder if they've blown too much story, they have an extremely capable and talented show runner in veteran Tommy Thompson to make sense of the proceedings. There have been rumblings that Fox wants to reshoot parts of the pilot. I for one would like to see the focus narrowed. They should pull back some of that story for later, too. But when a network wants to reshoot, it is just never a good idea. Fearsum is an extremely specific idea, crafted in an extremely specific manner. If Fox starts to second-guess this, the show may go the way of Hollyweird, a show with some incredible (not to mention uncomfortable) similarities to Fearsum. This show could certainly give those dejected Millennium viewers and frustrated X-Files viewers something to talk about.

Midseason: Ultraviolet (Gordon & Johannessen/Fox)
Logline: A New York City cop discovers there are vampires among us.

Ultraviolet is based on a British miniseries of the same name. I've heard it called a soap, and since I haven't seen the British show yet, I'll have to take their word for it. However, when I think "vampire" and "soap", the result is Dark Shadows. Ultraviolet is not Dark Shadows. It is, for the most part, extremely realistic. The human element is the focus. We are drawn into the story through the cop's point of view and it's only through that point of view that we see the creatures. The pilot was written by Chip Johannessen (Millennium, 90210) and Howard Gordon (X-Files, Buffy, Strange World), two writers with genre and straight drama experience. Ever since X-Files moved rather firmly but unexpectedly into serialized drama people have wondered if it's possible to combine a genre show and a straight drama. Ultraviolet could prove them right... or wrong. The pilot script is straightforward and the interesting thing is that nobody ever even says the word "vampire". While I quite like that aspect of the show, I wonder if in this age of Buffy, people will buy it. You wouldn't want to be screaming at the screen, "Hey, you moron! Don't you watch Buffy? HE'S A VAMPIRE!" I think the script owes more to the Tanya Huff and Laurell Hamilton books than it does to any filmed drama. And don't bring up The Kindred. We're trying to be nice here, remember?

Friday at 9:00 EST: Night Visions (Angel & Brown/Fox)
Logline: Two half-hour psychological horror anthology shows.

Aidan Quinn and costar in the pilot of Night Visions.

Yes it is, and about damned time! While there have been a string of big old anthology failures, those shows have failed because they relied too much on convention and bombast or because they were an hour long. Night Visions will be two half-hour stories and relies on mood and storytelling. The pilot, written by Dan Angel and Billy Brown, is full of twists. It's not Tales From the Crypt scary. It's suspenseful and creepy and gets under your skin. This used to be what X-Files did, back when it was on Friday night. Night Visions inherits the time slot previously owned, for the past seven years, by Chris Carter. A lot of nay-sayers claim an anthology won't work, that people want continuing characters, that they just won't tune in. Well, they watch that Millionaire show, right? And those people are morons! Night Visions sets the bar in the pilot by casting an outstanding Aidan Quinn, who is well directed by Yves Simenou. This was one of the most well-received pilots at the up-fronts, and deservedly so. It's outstandingly produced. If Night Visions is promoted (and it's gotta be every week, Fox people) and the storytelling remains fresh and inventive, there's no reason this won't work. How about we don't underestimate the audience, okay?

Midseason, Thursday at 8:00 EST: Lone Gunmen (Carter, Gilligan, Spotnitz & Shiban/Fox)
Logline: Hell, it's the Lone Gunmen. Where've you been?

The Lone Gunmen: Even bigger geeks than us.

Lone Gunmen suffers the same problem that plagued Millennium and Harsh Realm -- the inevitable X-Files comparisons. You have to feel sorry for this show, since it's starting out from behind the 8-ball. It would be nice to see it get a chance to stand on its own but it has two other problems. One is the three leads. While amusing when written well on X-Files, these three actors have yet to prove they can carry an episode, much less a series. The second problem is that the pilot is far, far too serious. Of the three leads, only Bruce Harwood shows potential. He's the only actor really required to deliver dramatic weight to the show and it's clear that Vince Gilligan has a measure of affection for him. He shows a nice quality on this show, a real humanness that's refreshing. However, this natural quality is junked when he's in scenes with the other two. Either they should all be funny, or they shouldn't. It's too jarring otherwise. It's too much to ask the audience to accept these bumbling, wisecracking nutjobs as heroes, even geek heroes. As someone said while I was watching it, "Type, you nerds, type!" Indeed. While watching the pilot, I wondered how much the writers remembered about their other show, because the backstory set up for Byers is too similar to Mulder's background. Eerily too similar. Zuleika Robinson, billed as the fourth lead, has only a few scenes and doesn't make much of an impression aside from being a geek's fantasy. So there won't be a whole lot of women watching this show. Also, Fox must really hate 1013, since they've scheduled this show Thursday at eight. Previously occupying that timeslot -- or not quite occupying it -- were Hollyweird and Manchester Prep, neither of which were allowed to even complete their initial order. So Vince, John and Frank -- crank those episodes the hell out, just in case!

Midseason: The Tick (Ben Edlund/Fox)
Logline: The Tick moves to the big city.

The Tick: SPOON!

Well damn, if this isn't amusing! It's a single-camera comedy and I've heard everything from "it's unwatchable" to "it's genius". It isn't genius, and it's far from unwatchable. So will people watch it? It's awfully quirky and Fox hasn't seemed willing in the past to stick by the quirky stuff, but they do have a few hit comedies so they may hold onto this one. Patrick Warburton, as The Tick, is hilarious. He's everything you hope for in a superhero, and he's dumb as a post to boot. And then there's Nestor Carbonal as the phone-toting Batmanuel. Well, you'll just have to see it. And I hope you get the chance. Any show that casts Liz Vassey deserves to stay the hell on the air.

Midseason, Thursday at 9:00 EST: Untitled Crichton Project (Michael Crichton/Fox)
Logline: Nobody has the slightest clue.

Apparently, the script has not been written. Sound familiar? Yes, Dark Angel from last year! Ultraviolet may be pinch-hitting for this show if it doesn't take off.

Friday at 8:00 EST: The Fugitive (John McNamara/CBS)
Logline: What are ya, stupid? It's The Fugitive. Richard Kimball, his wife, dead, one-armed man, on the run, et cetera...

Tim Daly takes a turn as The Fugitive. It wasn't him, though, it was the One-Armed Man.

Tim Daly and Mykelti Williamson star as Kimball and Gerard, respectively, in this update written by John McNamara (Vengeance Unlimited and Profit). McNamara is an industry veteran (why does it always sound like you're talking about some old guy when you say that?) who's been proven to have a great touch with demented action and guys living in cardboard boxes. So can he write a hero? It's hard to tell. The script for The Fugitive sets up the show well, but it's by the numbers. Kimball is a tragic hero who has the tendency, in the script, to be deadly humorless. However, Daly was really engaging on Wings and we've already discussed McNamara's warped sensibility, so this could be an interesting project. Since CBS canceled Now and Again, maybe they'll give this show a chance.

Midseason: News From the Edge (Silvio Horta/NBC)
Logline: A down-on-his luck reporter takes a job at a Weekly World News-type paper, only to discover that the weird stuff reported is actually real.

Written by feature writer Silvio Horta (Urban Legend), News From The Edge is a fun, breezy script that may finally get this high concept idea right. Horta creates engaging characters and Men-In-Black-type creatures. I believe this has been given a midseason order. If it hasn't, please insert the "That's not bloody fair" rant in this space. This is a fun show!

Midseason: All Souls (Tolkin & Gillard and Mark Frost/UPN)
Logline: A doctor takes a job at a spooky, Gothic hospital.

This is based on the Lars Von Trier hospital movies and boy, is the script a spook-fest! Luckily for the entire world, Mark Frost (Twin Peaks and Buddy Faro) will be running this show. Now, I'm a bit cheesed that this show has only been ordered for midseason, especially since UPN screwed Frost last year by ignoring his terrific Forbidden Island. But given that this is UPN, it should at least air. I hope so, anyway, because I am dying to see what wickedness Frost has in store for us. Fortunately, Stuart Gillard and Stephen Tolkin have given him a solid script to work from. Bring it on, Mr. Frost!

Friday at 9:00 EST: Level Nine (John Sacret Young/UPN)
Logline: Life in a top-secret government agency.

Level Nine producer John Sacret Young.

Since this is a UPN project that isn't being produced by Mark Frost, I didn't read it. But man, it must really kick tail to be given the fall slot instead of All Souls. Right?

Midseason: Dead Last (Pink, O'Neill & De Vincentis/WB)
Logline: A traveling rock band finds an amulet that allows them to see ghosts.

Yes, it's Josie and the Pussycats meets The Sixth Sense. It's also written by the fellas who co-wrote High Fidelity and Grosse Point Blank so as you can imagine, it's wacky. Very wacky. Too wacky? Maybe. This show is expected to get a midseason order, although the WB has me worried. What are they doing? Why did they keep all their teen shows? Don't they want to do something different? At least the band members in Dead Last are out of school.

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