Television

Secret Identities Explained

Super-mutants fighting to save the future on Heroes are having to resolve all their issues in speeded-up time. The writer’s strike has forced show lead Tim Kring to wrap up in 11 episodes a plot arc he expected to unfold over 24. So last night’s episode felt a little frantic, with characters making bizarro decisions…

NBC Snaps Up Pop-Up TiVo Ads, Second-by-Second Viewer Ratings

NBC and TiVo have inked a nice little deal for ads and ratings. On the ad side, advertisers who buy spots on any of NBC Universal’s networks—NBC, Sci-Fi, Bravo, etc.—can insert TiVo “tags” that’ll pop up an icon for viewers to click on to get more product info. And make sure you see what’s being…

Battlestar Galactica Dubbed “Too Expensive” and “Star Wars Ripoff”

Back in 1978, Time magazine published a scathing review of a brand-new TV show called Battlestar Galactica. In the wake of BSG’s triumphant return to TV with Saturday night’s special episode Razor, it’s interesting to take a look back at where the franchise began. Costing $15 million, the original BSG was the most expensive TV…

“Battlestar Galactica: Razor” Delivers Old-School Awesome

The entire fall season of SciFi Channel’s acclaimed humans vs. cylons show Battlestar Galactica was contained in a two-hour “television event” called Razor. In a smart move, show creator Ron Moore takes this episode back to an intriguing era during season two of the show when Galactica discovered Battlestar Pegasus, commanded by tough-as-shit Admiral Cain.…

Get Ready for Battlestar Galactica: Razor

Tonight is the long-awaited premiere of Battlestar Galactica: Razor, the two-hour TV movie that takes place during season two of the critically-acclaimed space dystopia series. It’s been so long since season three ended that your memory may have gotten rusty. Here’s a roundup of the critical data you’ll need to enjoy Razor tonight at 9…

Bill Nye The Science Guy’s Garden Won’t Grow

It’s a chemical attack! Bill Nye, better known to most people as “The Science Guy,” discovered his garden had been destroyed by toxic chemicals. The culprit? His ex-wife. Who knew that love and science would be so deadly.

The Best and Worst Time Travel TV Shows

The first time travel tale to ever appear on television was in 1959 on The Twilight Zone, and since then there have been scads of time-tripping adventures available to viewers, some good and some bad. Here’s a list of some of the best and worst chronoscopic escapades that television has to offer. The Good: The…

Time Travel Soap Journeyman Is the Best SF Show On TV

The past is a freaky monster zoo on Journeyman. Last week, we went to a swinger “key party” and hung out with psycho hippies in the 1970s. This week, it’s a disturbing rave in the 1990s, where Dan meets his fellow time-traveler Livia — only to find she hasn’t met him yet and is being…

Creepy Mind-Controlling Dad on Heroes

Now that psychic cop Matt has basically adopted mutant kid Molly, we’ve been getting some seriously twisted family drama on NBC’s superhero show Heroes. Last night’s episode was no exception. Molly has finally recovered from her coma, which was caused when Matt guilted her into using her powers of finding to locate his mind-destroying dad.…

“What’s That Supposed to Mean?” on Flash Gordon

In Friday’s episode of dimension-hopping serial Flash Gordon, a bizarre ritual involving dudes from Burning Man and a scorpion reveals all. Except to Ming, the bad guy who is supposed to rule dying planet Mongo like a tyrant but in fact acts like a prissy bureaucrat. He and his “deviate” advisor Rankol are trying to…

Battlestar Galactica Rocks Our Saturday Night

Battlestar Galactica finally returns to TV for just one night. This Saturday, the Sci-Fi Channel airs the long-awaited Battlestar Galactica: Razor airs at 9:00 PM. We’ll have our own reviews, plus detailed coverage, later in the week. For now, suffice to say that it feels like what it is: the show time-traveling back to its…

Sanyo Brings out Waterproof Portable TV, a Companion for the Xacti

The LVT-WD40 is a waterproof portable TV that Sanyo claims is the perfect bedfellow for its waterproof Xactic camcorder. Widescreen, and with 480×272 resolution, it will cost 50,000 ($450) when it comes out in Japan on Wednesday. File this one under “chocolate teapot,” I think. [Impress]

Crazed Telekinetic Attacks Basketball In Latest Sarah Jane

Telekinesis is like rough sex, judging from the latest episode of Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures . Or maybe it’s more like angry masturbation — with a basketball. In any case, it’s awesome to see Sarah Jane burrowing into yet another sinister science organization — without any kids following her around for once.…

Heroes Season Two Sucks So Bad, They Want You To Fix It

NBC’s superpowered phenom show Heroes has been so bad this season that series creator Tim Kring talked to Entertainment Weekly from the WGA strike (where he was picketing his own show!) to apologize for the mess they’ve made. He cited poor character introductions (the oily black-eyed Wonder Twins), a romance that isn’t working (Claire and…

Kansas Towns Slaughter Each Other In Nuclear Fallout This Spring

The apocalypse came to a small town, and nobody noticed. But that could change this spring. CBS’ nuclear apocalypse drama Jericho barely escaped out-and-out cancellation thanks to a mail-in campaign involving bags of nuts. And this spring, it may be the only game in town, thanks to the writers’ strike. Jericho season one started off…

Time Travelers Shack Up Across Decades, Visit Swinger Party

The crazy, makes-no-sense time travel in NBC’s Journeyman has been driving away viewers. Every week, Dan slips back in time and has to fix someone’s messed up life in the past. Meanwhile, his own life gets more and more messed up. It hasn’t exactly made for thrilling viewing. But lately, the show has started to…

Poll: Is Tin Man Fantasy or Science Fiction?

With new miniseries Tin Man, the SciFi Channel has dressed up the old Wizard of Oz tales for the modern, science-fictional age by injecting initials (Dorothy is DG, Oz is “the O.Z.”) and making all the characters seem a little bit Farscape. So is Tin Man fantasy or science fiction? Take the poll and be…

Floating Tetanus Shot Nightmare Docks On Lost

Apparently a rusty freighter is going to be joining the cast of Lost whenever it starts airing again. If internet photos and rumors are to be believed, then the ship is docked in Suva, the capital city of Fiji, and has seen better days. But what does this mean for everyone on the island? Right…

Electro-Domination and Backstory Blah On Heroes

So after weeks of draggy plots involving romance with flying boys and time travel to samurai world, we’ve finally gotten to the Heroes episode that explains what the hell happened at the end of last season when omni-mutant Peter went explodey and then suddenly showed up in fake Ireland with no memory. Show creator Tim…

TV Guide’s Brian Ausiello has an awesome chart of how long your favorite TV shows can stay on the air during the writer’s strike. Bottom line: Heroes has four eps left, Chuck has six remaining and Smallville has a whopping eight. But poor Bionic Woman only has three more episodes in the can.