Like my colleague Michael Ausiello, I am a big fan of the USC Trojans football team. Not that I attended the University of Southern California, but being both a football fan and a resident of NFL-absent Los Angeles, I’ve adopted Pete Carroll’s high flying team as my own. If you follow the college game, you know that USC has had an extremely disappointing season. There’s lots of promise and lots of talent there, both on the field and on the sidelines, but they’ve not only been unable to play up to their potential, but on occasion, they’ve played like total crap. Which brings me to ABC’s alien invasion drama V, which reminds me a lot of this year’s Trojans: lots of promise and lots of talent; disappointing results and an occasional outright crappiness. The big difference between USC and V is this: for all their problems, USC is actually doing well enough to earn an extension to its regular season—which is to say, it’s going to go to a bowl game. Alas, I’m not sure V will be suiting up again after tonight’s episode, the final outing of the year. Earlier this fall, ABC decided to launch the show in a pod of four episodes—a mini-series, like the original V, but more drawn out—and reportedly put off ordering more episodes until the network saw how this initial burst did in the ratings. The premiere got mixed-to-favorable reviews and impressive ratings, though since then, the quality has slipped along with the quantity of viewers. If you’ve been following my recaps, you know I’ve been quite harsh on the show–perhaps too harsh. In retrospect, I regret the severity of my judgment and my presumption about what the writers should or should not be doing. That said, V has disappointed me. I’m going to watch tonight with the hope that the show can throw a Hail Mary and redeem its troubled mini-season with a rousing victory. How about you? Will you be tuning in tonight? And if you have been tuning in. what have you liked and disliked about the episode so far, and what do you think the show needs to do to get better? Post your thoughts below—and come back tomorrow for my recap of the winter finale.
Photo Credit: Sergei Bachlakov/ABC
yes I will!!!
Uh, this commentary is completely off base. Not sure V will be suiting up again? That’s just a ridiculous statement. It’ll be back in March, complete with the new show runner.
They have not confirmed that V will be returning in March. It has not resumed production yet and will likely await word from the studio before doing so (the projected date is sometime in January).
At the end of tonight’s episode, there was a promo stating that V would return in March 2010.
I’ve enjoyed V, and plan to watch tonight. I never watched the original and cannot compare the two, but knew from the onset that with Alan Tudyk, Elizabeth Mitchell and Morena Baccarin I would watch the show. (I would watch Alan Tudyk read a phone book – Miss you, Wash!)
jords like Alan Tudyk because EW says Alan Tudyk is “awesome” because he’s associated with Josh Whedon.
To EW, anything to do with vampires or Adam Lambert is the best.
I second this statement!!! For the longest time I was unsure if I was going to watch V. I never watched the original but I hate remakes we know what happens, right? But as time got closer and I started to miss Juliet more and more, I thought whatevs I will give it a shot. Oh I did the happy joy joy dance the minute I saw Alan Tudyk’s name on special guest starts!!! I know it was just for mere moments he was on my screen but I was hooked. I like V, I think its interesting – and not at all a representation of the Obama campaign!
ho please.
It’s a good show.
I like the new V and hope many more episodes will be produced and broadcast. I like most of the characters and the forward momentum of the story. And I love Morena Baccarin’s Anna and think her portrayal is brilliant. Hers is the only character in either the old or new series that makes me believe that there’s an alien underneath that cloned human skin.
I am a fan of the show…I have seen the original and I like several of the directions that this reboot is doing, I have to agree that the possibility of this show not returning is a good one. I believe this for one simple reason…It is airing on ABC. A network that loves to cancel quality TV without giving the show a chance. I swore that I would not pick up any new ABC show, but I had to watch V because of my love of the original and obsession with Elizabeth Mitchell. The fact that ABC may cancel the show, no surprise at all.
You’re talking about Pushing Daisies, aren’t you? Yes, that did suck.
Pushing Daisies, Life on Mars, Samantha Who?, Dirty Sexy Money… etc. If I recall ABC canceled about 10 programs last season. All of them scripted programming. Pushing Daisies hurt the most.
Oh, and you might want to check out Modern Family and Cougartown – both on ABC, both hilarious, and both are hits that aren’t going to get cancelled.
Yet!
Who knows, Matthieu. I love Modern Family and Cougar Town too. And even though they are doing well ratings-wise, Samantha Who? actually did even better during it’s first season. It had higher ratings than Modern Family has now. At one point, it was even the highest-rated comedy on TV (above Two and a Half Men). But ABC still managed to ruin it during season 2 and they lost a lot of the viewers, leading to it’s premature cancellation. I don’t trust ABC at all.
Matt Roush, Mo Ryan, Jace Lacob (televsionary) all gave reviews of tonights episode. They have seen it. Surprised you didnt get a screener
You are the only person who says that they are not ordering more. even with the lower numbers it’s still one of ABCs highest new shows. Of course they are running 9 new erps in March, they hired a new showrunner.
EXACTLY.
Typical Jensen horseSHlT.
He tries to create drama in his pathetic articles even when there is none to be had. He’s a sad desperate failed actor who is still not content to be reporting the news so instead he tries to invent it.
What a jacktard.
Honestly you are the jacktard. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Stop being so mean!!!
The actor that plays Anna’s assistant Marcus (Christopher Shyer)is excellent as well. He gives off a great creepy vibe.
Maybe I’ll watch in March if they get someone new to run the show – as it is now, it’s full of missed opportunities for awesomeness, and it’s strangely too rush and too slow at the same time. Does anyone else get that impression?
BINGO… thats why i dont like it… the overall plot is speeding up but the episodes themselves are painfully boring. I think its the cast and the characters… plus, no one is buy sunny california as NYC… puh lease.
BUYING*
I watched the first 3 episode’s last night, I don’t mind the show. Not having watched the original series a lot of its elements remind me of battlestar galatica which I enjoyed. I’ll watch tonight’s and the episode’s when the show comes back but I have a bad feeling this “pod” decision will be the end of this series.
I liked the original better than this reboot. I know the later episodes were not very good quality, but still entertaining. I would have liked an updated version using the original cast in a twenty five years later scenario.
Reboot? Grow up, you pathetic child. Stop parroting the insipid juvenile word that these pathetic Twilight/Adam Lambert suck-ups at EW use.
Really? You get that upset over these posts?
should have cast Keanu Reeves as the creepy sidekick for Ana… would have been a much more enjoyable show
You’re a moron.
What exactly do you get out of calling people morons and pathetic?
Seriously? Keanu Reeves is a terrible actor. Who need to see more of that dumbfounded expression on his face?
I have been watching and will watch tonight. However, I am skeptial that ABC will bring it back based on their track record. I hope with the new showrunners some of the magic from the original and sequel mini-series will return.
The show is excellent.
Jensen’s long-winded meandering blowhard 6 page reviews suck the life out of it.
That’s not the only Jenson’s sucking (he works for EW after all)