Masters Of Science Fiction - ABC - This could be good

[Chris R]

Four thought-provoking tales of present and future Earth are brought to life in "Masters of Science Fiction," an all-new anthology series featuring a stellar lineup of actors and directors, and narrated by acclaimed physicist Professor Stephen Hawking. The series premieres SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

"Masters of Science Fiction" is from Starz Media in association with Industry Entertainment and its Vancouver partner, Reunion Pictures, and is based on some of the genre's most popular and highly regarded short stories.

Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® nominee Sam Waterston, two-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner Judy Davis, Anne Heche (ABC's "MEN IN TREES"), internationally renowned star Malcolm McDowell, Terry O'Quinn (ABC's "Lost"), Elizabeth Rohm ("Law & Order"), two-time Tony Award winner and Emmy winner Brian Dennehy, two-time Academy Award nominee John Hurt and James Denton (ABC's "Desperate Housewives") star the four installments of the series.

Full story is at ABC-TV (http://abc.go.com/specials/mastersofscifi.html). Looks very interesting.

[Dillydipper]

I guess it all depends on how willing the producers are to use stories that really make us think and see the world in a different way...or whether they decide they only need Treklike nose- or forehead-prosthetics to tell us it's an alien, and give us freaky storytelling in lieu of true speculative fiction.

Still I'm reservedly excited, and will reserve hard-drive space when it airs.

[HGN2001]

Intriguing. I've set my DVR to grab these four. We'll see.

What I have to wonder about though, is that we're talking about a commercial network putting on a "new" scripted series in the dead of summer. Do they have that little faith in the project that they'd relegate it to the lowest viewing season of the year?

And given that it's being buried in summer, it's buried even FARTHER by being placed on Saturdays at 10 PM. None of the three traditional networks really program Saturday nights anymore. It's a dumping ground for reruns of CSI and Disney movies that everyone already has on DVD. Have the networks learned nothing from the STAR TREK scheduling debacle from the '60s? The series did fair ratings on its initial run on Thursday evenings, got "buzz" for the second year but lost momentum when NBC stuck it in the Friday night slot, and lost further ground in ratings when finally buried on Friday at 10.

In doing a small amount of research (looking in what's called TV GUIDE these days), I see that this MASTERS OF SCIENCE FICTION series had been announced as early as sometime last year, but that ABC has held it back. My guess is that the suits who've seen it don't like it and want it buried. If that's true then this show could be REALLY good!

Harry

[lasvidfil]

I liked the first one. Used some nice little twists. Nothing earth shattering but kept my attention.

[HGN2001]

It was a little on the preachy side, and a bit longwinded - I think it would have had more impact at a half-hour length like an old TWILIGHT ZONE.

Still, it came off as an enjoyable way to pass an hour, with some thought processes continuing long after the show ended. I'll be back next week.

Harry

[kbs48]

Could be a nice relief from all the reality show junk.