Not Your Ordinary Beast

I have to say that A&E's The Beast has really surprised me. The story is a solid and the acting superb. And while I had a bit of fun with Travis Fimmel in an earlier posting, he has disarmed me of any doubts. In fact, while Swayze plays a great part as the cynical FBI agent Charles Barker, its Fimmel's Ellis Dove who is the most fun to watch. His unpredictable style is believable and reminded me of Brad Pitt from the thriller 12 Monkeys (in fact, Pitt was 32 when the film came out and Fimmel will be 30 this year).

Fimmel seems be taking all of this pretty well. In an interview earlier this year, when asked about working with Patrick Swayze, he noted:

Patrick Swayze is a fantastic man and an inspiration to work with. He is a fearless cowboy type and a movie icon. People can learn about not letting the little things get them down when seeing how he did not let anything get him down, even with all he was going through. Patrick was working on the set every day. We worked long, grueling hours, into the night and often until sunrise.

Stay tuned. While I have not heard anything about a second season, I am hopeful.

BSG Ends...For Now

Last night's final episode of Battlestar Galactica was impressive. The program came full circle and ended in such a way that we still have some interesting questions to ponder...including that of our own history (okay, its science fiction, but it always fun to speculate). I will miss Admiral Adama and President Roslin, the two parents trying to control their unruly children while leading a civil war against distant relatives.

This is a series that one can watch over and over again and take away something new. And sadly, as BSG has amply demostrated, history has a tendency to repeat itself. Does this mean that those watching this series in 50 years will have their own examples of terrorism, torture, and unnecessary war to draw on? I expect so. In many ways, BSG is more biblical than Star Trek, with its false gods, scorned prophets and "nothing new under the sun" attitude. Then again, what are we to make of Star Trek's Federation that brings together all the planets into one community (do I hear United Nations or Tower of Babel?), only to be destoyed by the Borg (monotheism or communism, you decide)?

Today's New York Times has a good article that also looks at the role of religion in BSG, from Christian fundamentalism to the Book or Mormon. As with any well done program, we will be analyzing BSG for years to come. So say we all!

Kyle is Gone!

If you are a fan of Kyle XY, then you cannot be happy right now. After three seasons, the series finale was the other night and rather than resolving issues it opened up new problems. Clearly, the ABC Family network was not prepared to end the series or the writing would have been very different. So who pulled the plug? Its not all that clear right now.

However, what is odd is that one of the writers, Julie Plec, seemed to have a few years worth of story lines in her head. For example, in an interview she stated:

Declan and Lori, believe it or not, would ultimately end up together. But before that, Lori would head off to New York to pursue a music career and Declan would have gone off on a training sojourn with Foss. After several years of difficult life experience, Lori would return to Seattle and follow in her mother's footsteps, enrolling in school to study psychology --- realizing that it's her true calling. Declan will always have two priorities --- Lori and Kyle. For Battlestar Gallactica fans, he's Colonel Tighe to Admiral Odama. Declan would assume protection of Kyle from Foss and be his best friend and fiercest protector for life. Lori would be the only woman who could understand that, because she feels just as strongly about Kyle.

Sounds like a great story! So why not continue with the show? Needless to say, though I will say it anyway, a "Bring Back Kyle" crowd has already gathered, with petition and all. Its not such a bad idea, but I think ABC Family will need a little while to realize it shot itself in the foot and by that time the actors may have moved on. Kyle XY deserved another season or at least a well-written finale.

Merlin Comes to U.S. Television

If you have not had a chance to catch any of BBC's Merlin, let me assure you it's a well produced series following the adventures of young Merlin and his friend Prince Arthur. The shows has done quite well in England and is slated for a second season. The show has an excellent cast. For example, Arthur's father, King Uther Pendragon, is played by Anthony Stewart Head (of Buffy fame). Head plays a very dark part in this program and carries it well.

Unlike the BBC's Robin Hood, this story has enough variety and interesting characters, so it keeps you coming back. Also, the friendship between Merlin and Arthur is often tested, but seems very real. Its good to see its coming to the states. I am also glad that we shall see more "historic" pieces rather than the same old cop and lawyer programs. As with The Tudors and Legend of the Seeker (okay, Legend is not historic, but it is fun), not everything has to be set on some gritty city street. Merlin is expected to start Sunday, June 21 , on NBC. Three cheers for Merlin!

February and March Shows

TV is offering up a number of new shows, and also restarting some favorites, during the February and March period. Some of the highlights include:

Dollhouse is a new series by Joss Whedon. It basically details the story of individuals who can be "borrowed" for assignments. And yes, like Firefly, it had some early production issues and network battles, but at least it made it onto TV (with the episodes in the right order). The shows started on Fox Friday February 13th and is worth a quick look. It has yet to grow on me, but I am trying.

Reaper returns for a new season and it has been pretty good show to date. Sam and his crazy friends are still chasing down escapees from Hell, but Sam's odd relationship with his dad is what keeps it going. The new shows started on the CW Tuesday March 3rd.

Kings begins tonight on NBC and I am already hooked. Its the story of a young man (similar to David from the Old Testament) making his way in a Kingdom ruled by Ian McShane's odd King Silas Benjamin. This should keep Sunday nights interesting.

Narnia Lives!

I have always been a fan of C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, and it was great to see the books finally come to the silver screen in a film version directed by Andrew Adamson. Of course, both have now been brought to TV as well. The first film, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was a well-performed movie that earned $745 million for Disney at the box office. The second film, Prince Caspian, was not so well received and earned $420 at the box office (which sounds good until you consider the film itself cost about $200 million to make).

Recent press stories indicate that Disney has pulled out of the third film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Luckily, 20th Century Fox has stepped in to take over the project. According to a TV Guide story, Fox and Walden will split the $140 million production budget and get the film out in time for the 2010 holidays. This is great news since it would have been sad if only 2 of the 7 books made it onto the screen.

Note: BBC Films has already made the first three books into movies, and a few animated versions are out there, so this is not really the first time the books have been interpreted for the screen. The Disney version just happens to be the first wide-distribution of the films.

The Women of Battlestar Galactica

Sadly, we have only one more episode of Battlestar Galactica to go. Its been a great run, and I will miss the series. The program has been reviewed and dissected many times. Here is one of the better articles I have read, not that I fully agree. Titled Chauvinist Pigs in Space, the Slate magazine piece proposes "...Women—the human ones, anyway—just can't hack it when the going gets rough." Take a look and see if you agree.