Stargate‘s producers have decided that they’d really rather like the show to continue, following the show’s cancellation by the SciFi Channel. Producer Robert Cooper has already revealed that they’re considering other avenues for SG-1 to continue their never-ending adventures, but it seems they’re not content to look just for DVD and video game opportunities. They’re going to try other channels, too.
Stargate has already been cancelled by its host network once already, way back at the end of season five when Showtime decided to call it a day. SciFi then picked up the slack and has carried it for another five seasons. Will there be another channel out there willing to carry it for a further five, I wonder?
With Stargate: Atlantis picked up for another season by SciFi, it would be interesting to see a repeat of the Buffy/Angel situation of a few years ago. This saw Buffy lured away by UPN from its original home of The WB, where sister-show (brother-show sounds wrong, somehow) Angel remained. At the very least, it would probably rule out crossovers.
But could a full-on “Battle of the Stargates” take place, I wonder? It never happened with Angel and Buffy, but it would be fun to watch if it happened with the two Stargates.
“Your effects are cheap and our Stargate is more interesting to watch than yours!”
“Ha! Your characters are even more tissue-thin and inconsistently written than ours!”
“Well, we have more super-textual references than you!”
Let the trash talk begin…
More good reviews for season four of The Wire
I’m going to keep going on about it, you know. You can’t stop me. Season four of The Wire, which begins a week on Sunday on HBO in the US – and comes to FX in the UK later this year – is getting some pretty great reviews from all the critics who have watched it.
Here’s another one, which includes juicy quotes such as:
The shows are so powerful – so well-written, acted, filmed and edited – that the experience of watching them has left me a complete wreck.
I am so blown away by this show that I will go out on a limb here to declare that these 13 episodes just might comprise the single finest piece of work ever produced for American TV.
And
…following the story of these four boys for 13 Sundays this fall will be one of the most rewarding experiences you’ve ever had watching TV.
I’m looking forward to it, anyway. Ways to play catch-up for UK and US viewers are listed on my last fawning entry on the subject.
Vanished: I knew it was going to be silly
Vanished, currently airing in the US Mondays on Fox and popping up on Five US come October, is going to be very, very silly, I’ve found out.
Ostensibly an investigation into the kidnapping of a US senator’s wife, there were hints in the first episode that a certain amount of silliness was going to manifest itself. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine they’d have the balls to try this particular piece of “mallet to the back of the head” creativity.
Full details are over on CSI Files if you want to spoil yourself. Go on: it might help you make up your mind on whether you’d like to watch the show or not.
Second episode potted review: not as interesting as the first episode, just as predictable (bar a couple of minor surprises), but not quite as mind-numbingly stupid as the first episode either. Third-episode verdict next week.
Ask Auriello on Scrubs, 24, House and Ricky Gervais
TV Guide‘s Ask Auriello column has a few interesting bits of news for fans of the big US TV shows. There be spoilers in them there hills, so I’ve distilled the most interesting, non-spoiling news out for you:
- If Zach Braff does leave Scrubs at the end of the next season, the show will carry on without him, potentially with Turk as the lead
- A former president of the United States is going to return to the show in the next season of 24. I don’t mean Bill Clinton, incidentally. But I might mean Martin Sheen. Or I might not. Gee, non-spoiling news is hard.
- Kim Raver might make an appearance as Audrey on 24 next season, despite starring in The Nine.
- Never trust a tabloid, US or otherwise: Ricky Gervais says none of the stars of The Office are going to appear in the US version, despite claims to the contrary. Plus there are definitely going to be no more episodes of the original series.
- Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer from House have started dating. Ooh.
There’s other spoiling news about House, 24 and a few other shows you might watch, but I will say no more.
The New Adventures of Old Christine finds a UK home
Julie-Louise Dreyfuss’ latest US comedy, The New Adventures of Old Christine, has found itself a home in the UK, according to Broadcast: UK Gold. Presumably, given the show’s less than a few months old, this is some new definition of ‘gold’ that they’re going with, rather than the previous ‘golden oldie’ definition – something along the lines of gold-top milk, I suspect.
I thought the show was pretty pants when I caught its first episode, but you might find it absolutely the best thing ever. So why is it on UK Gold rather than Channel 4 or Five? I suspect those channels’ purchasers have come to roughly the same conclusion as I did…