Here is a brief preview of the six main genre shows debuting in the States this autumn, chances are, there must be one classic series among them mustnÂ’t thereÂ… mustnÂ’t there???

Supernatural

This show tells the story of two brothers who undertake a journey across America and encounter elements of folklore and horror. Very much a spiritual successor to the X-Files, Supernatural sports the unusual pedigree of McG (Director of Charlies Angels) and Eric Kripke, creator of the recent flop Tarzan series. However, early buzz is that this may be the pick of the crop. Episodes are self contained, but as always, an ongoing mystery will provide ‘arc’ episodes, this time the murder of the characters’ mother by mysterious forces. One familiar face to be seen on the show is Jensen Ackles, known to viewers of Smallville’s 4th season.

Surface

Known until recently as ‘Fathom’, this offering from NBC is one of three new shows to return to the ever popular ‘aliens among us’ subject. This show however has an aquatic theme, focusing on mysterious creatures that live in the oceans, somewhat in the style of James Cameron’s film ‘Abyss’. The show promises a slowly unveiling mystery, which is generally seen as a reaction to ‘Lost’s recent success. Word has it however that this show may not have the edge to provide the watercooler talk, and may be one of the first to fall.

The Nightstalker

Once again proving the networks fondness for raking over old ideas, this series is a loose revival of the seventies series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Commonly known as the series that inspired The X-files, the original show was a tongue in cheek ‘monster of the week’ show. The new version follows a crime reporter and his assistant who investigate strange murders, which may be connected to the death of his own wife months before, for which he is the primary suspect. Early opinion however seems to be, that drained of all humor, the show is a flat and lifeless X-Files wannabe that may not make it to Christmas.

The Ghost Whisperer

Stop me if you’ve heard this one, young woman is able to communicate with the spirits of the dead, who need her help to pass on important information to the living. Yes this aspires to be ‘Six Sense’ the series. Staring Party of Five’s Jennifer Love Hewitt, the series seems to be aiming for the ‘heartwarming’ rather than ‘scary’ take on the subject, and appeal to viewers of series such as ‘Joan of Arcadia’ or ‘Touched by an Angel’. The biggest concern is whether the show will be able to find room in the crowded schedules given the existing success of the smilarly themed ‘Medium’.

Invasion

A second show to play the alien card this year, Invasion also seems to want to repeat LostÂ’s success with an ongoing mysterious story covering a large cast. The tale is of a small American town hit by a hurricane, during which strange lights are seen, and a Park Ranger must protect the community while investigating a series of strange happenings, including the reappearance of his ex-wife, who appears to have had her memory wiped. The ongoing theme will be of aliens engineering natural disasters on earth to conceal their own activities. This show probably is the biggest unknown of the fall season.

Threshold

This leaves us with the third and final alien show. Probably the highest profile launch of the autumn, Threshold is produced by Brannon Braga of Star Trek fame, David Goyer of Blade fame, and David Heyman, producer of the Harry Potter movies. The show is the story of a ‘contingency analyst’ who leads a secret government team of scientists and the military who suspect an alien invasion from a parallel dimension may be under way. Weekly episodes will each focus on a different manifestation of the alien beings, and while claiming to be a fresh take on the subject, word is that ‘cliched’ is closer to the mark. Brent Spiner (Data) co-stars as an eccentric scientist.

Interestingly Fox appear to have completely given up trying to create original genre series (and promptly cancelling them 4 weeks later), as they havenÂ’t a single genre offering this year. Most non-genre shows appear to be yet more medical, forensic or criminal based shows, so again, this seems to be the year of playing it safe.

One non-genre show you may want to watch out for is ‘How I Met Your Mother’ which is a sitcom co-starring Alyson Hannigan aka Willow.



(Edited by Wobag 03/09/2005 21:12)