Summer Science Fiction

[sheablue]

There are a slew of science fiction shows premiering this summer, and I'm pretty interested in all of them. I feel like I'm forgetting a few, though. These are the ones I plan to watch:

Dominion

The Strain

The Leftovers

Extant

I've been watching both Defiance and Haven on the ScyFy channel, but I don't know if I will continue to. I kind of feel the need to see Haven through, but I don't know if Defiance was good enough to keep my interest for a 2nd season.

Anyone else plan to watch any of these shows?

 

[sheablue]

Though I literally just started watching Dominion and the premise seems stolen from the last few seasons of Supernatural. But the opening was pretty cool, for a Scyfy show.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

There are a slew of science fiction shows premiering this summer, and I'm pretty interested in all of them. I feel like I'm forgetting a few, though. These are the ones I plan to watch:

Dominion

The Strain

The Leftovers

Extant

I've been watching both Defiance and Haven on the ScyFy channel, but I don't know if I will continue to. I kind of feel the need to see Haven through, but I don't know if Defiance was good enough to keep my interest for a 2nd season.

Anyone else plan to watch any of these shows?

Just Extant and just to see if it's any good. The others ? I doubt it.

Defiance lost my interest about half way through the first episode. I thought it was kind of flat. Of course there isn't much that holds my interest now a days...although I have been binge watching Top Gear (BBC version) on NetFlix, those guys are hilarious.

 

[PennLady]

Just watched the Dominion pilot -- attracted by Anthony Head in a prominent role -- and enjoyed it enough to watch more. I've seen the movie it's based on (Legion) or drawn from or whatever, so that had me curious as well. I thought it was decent enough, although it hit repetitive notes (Vega doesn't seem all that diverse, white male angel, white male savior). I'll watch again.

I'm a little intrigued by The Leftovers, mainly because Christopher Eccleston is in it, he being the 9th Doctor when they rebooted the Dr Who series. Not sure, though.

 

[slyc_willie]

Dominion was pretty much what I expected (but hoped not) it would be: a glam-fest of hot guys and girls, cool gadgets, sexy wardrobes, and not much of a plot. I had hoped that Anthony John Head's involvement would indicate some kind of intelligent acting, but most of it felt like modern drama students making fun of Shakespearean actors.

The fight scenes were cool, though. Some of them.

*sigh*. I hope The Strain delivers.

 

[NaokoSmith]

I'm a little intrigued by The Leftovers, mainly because Christopher Eccleston is in it, he being the 9th Doctor when they rebooted the Dr Who series. Not sure, though.

What's The Leftovers like? Christopher Eccleston was my favourite doctor.

I must buy Orphan Black on DVD and watch it. (It isn't on Netflix.)

 

[slyc_willie]

What's The Leftovers like? Christopher Eccleston was my favourite doctor.

I must buy Orphan Black on DVD and watch it. (It isn't on Netflix.)

I, too, loved Eccleston as Doctor Who. Too bad he demanded too much money to continue the role.

David Tennant, though, had a certain amount of fire. I loved his delivery. He could make ridiculous leaps of logic believable, and that is a central ability any Doctor should have.

Matthew Smith . . . ? Eh . . . I get the impression he's trying too much to be like Tennant. He hasn't developed his own quirkiness.

 

[HeyAll]

I definitely plan on checking out The Leftovers on HBO.

I was watching an HBO show On-Demand and forwarded through The Leftovers preview when it looked like a standard drama, but when it got the scary parts, I had to rewind it to see it. It looks provocative.

 

[VenusButterflies]

What's The Leftovers like? Christopher Eccleston was my favourite doctor.

I must buy Orphan Black on DVD and watch it. (It isn't on Netflix.)

Pirate bay.

 

[VenusButterflies]

I, too, loved Eccleston as Doctor Who. Too bad he demanded too much money to continue the role.

David Tennant, though, had a certain amount of fire. I loved his delivery. He could make ridiculous leaps of logic believable, and that is a central ability any Doctor should have.

Matthew Smith . . . ? Eh . . . I get the impression he's trying too much to be like Tennant. He hasn't developed his own quirkiness.

Tennant's my favorite, then Eccleston, then Smith. I agree with you on Smith, he's too . . . too much like Play-Doh. Although, one of my favorite storylines played out during his time, with The Silence. Everyone says the angels are the most terrifying monsters, but I totally think it's The Silence. Those things were frightening to look at, and imagine if everyone were being mind controlled like that. That's way more terrifying, IMO.

 

[PennLady]

What's The Leftovers like? Christopher Eccleston was my favourite doctor.

I must buy Orphan Black on DVD and watch it. (It isn't on Netflix.)

I don't know, haven't seen The Leftovers yet; not sure it's started. I just saw lots of promos while watching Game of Thrones. Still, it ma have started and I missed it. It's about those who remain after a rapture-type event.

Highly recommend Orphan Black. It's kind of crazy at times, but it bullets ahead, promising reveals and then actually getting to them within a decent amount of time. Plus Tatiana Maslany, the lead actress, is fantastic.

Dominion was pretty much what I expected (but hoped not) it would be: a glam-fest of hot guys and girls, cool gadgets, sexy wardrobes, and not much of a plot. I had hoped that Anthony John Head's involvement would indicate some kind of intelligent acting, but most of it felt like modern drama students making fun of Shakespearean actors.

The fight scenes were cool, though. Some of them.

*sigh*. I hope The Strain delivers.

LOL Sounds like the movie, "Legion." I'm willing to give it a little more, because I do think it suffered from "pilot episode syndrome," where they throw so much at you in an effort to hope something will intrigue you that it's hard to sort anything out, see any chemistry between the actors, that sort of thing. I did find it weird watching Anthony Head with an American accent.

But it did raise a few of those geeky questions -- why tattoos to incorporate a message? And why make it so encrypted -- why hide the necessary info? (I know, only the chosen one can read it, but still.) Why don't the angels launch more aerial attacks on Vega -- seriously. I know they have weapons and radar, but one would think the angels could figure out a strategy to get around that.

Tennant's my favorite, then Eccleston, then Smith. I agree with you on Smith, he's too . . . too much like Play-Doh. Although, one of my favorite storylines played out during his time, with The Silence. Everyone says the angels are the most terrifying monsters, but I totally think it's The Silence. Those things were frightening to look at, and imagine if everyone were being mind controlled like that. That's way more terrifying, IMO.

Yeah, Tennant's my favorite. I got to like Matt Smith, though, and thought his face was wonderfully expressive. I agree that the Silence are pretty creepy, and I love how their story went around at the end with the Papal Mainframe and it turned out they'd originally been created to be confessors.

 

[PennLady]

I, too, loved Eccleston as Doctor Who. Too bad he demanded too much money to continue the role.

I don't doubt this, but I have also heard that Eccleston didn't want to do more than one season, as he didn't want to be typecast. OTOH, I can see where that would change once the show proved successful. I also heard/read that he didn't like how the crew and all were treated, apparently he came from a working-class background.

But there's a lot of bad blood there because he won't even do the conventions or various reunions. Pity, it would have been fun to see him with the others in the 50th special. Geez, even Patrick McGann, Doctor #8, came back for a webisode.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I don't doubt this, but I have also heard that Eccleston didn't want to do more than one season, as he didn't want to be typecast. OTOH, I can see where that would change once the show proved successful. I also heard/read that he didn't like how the crew and all were treated, apparently he came from a working-class background.

But there's a lot of bad blood there because he won't even do the conventions or various reunions. Pity, it would have been fun to see him with the others in the 50th special. Geez, even Patrick McGann, Doctor #8, came back for a webisode.

And Eccleston went on to do such great things...G.I. Joe, a Nicholas Cage remake of Gone in 60 Seconds - although it did have Angelina Jolie in it, all really fine movies - *cough, choke, heave*.

 

[PennLady]

And Eccleston went on to do such great things...G.I. Joe, a Nicholas Cage remake of Gone in 60 Seconds - although it did have Angelina Jolie in it, all really fine movies - *cough, choke, heave*.

But you're forgetting his role as Malekin, the dark elf in Thor: The Dark World. (Malekif?)

 

[slyc_willie]

LOL Sounds like the movie, "Legion." I'm willing to give it a little more, because I do think it suffered from "pilot episode syndrome," where they throw so much at you in an effort to hope something will intrigue you that it's hard to sort anything out, see any chemistry between the actors, that sort of thing. I did find it weird watching Anthony Head with an American accent.

But it did raise a few of those geeky questions -- why tattoos to incorporate a message? And why make it so encrypted -- why hide the necessary info? (I know, only the chosen one can read it, but still.) Why don't the angels launch more aerial attacks on Vega -- seriously. I know they have weapons and radar, but one would think the angels could figure out a strategy to get around that.

A lot of shows tend to throw too much at the audience in the pilot. Defiance did that, too. It's as if the producers were thinking, "if they don't like this, then maybe they'll like that. Or this!" I think somewhere there is a philosophy of creative overload in the hopes that viewers will be impressed by the attempt at creating something on a large scale.

I don't doubt this, but I have also heard that Eccleston didn't want to do more than one season, as he didn't want to be typecast. OTOH, I can see where that would change once the show proved successful. I also heard/read that he didn't like how the crew and all were treated, apparently he came from a working-class background.

But there's a lot of bad blood there because he won't even do the conventions or various reunions. Pity, it would have been fun to see him with the others in the 50th special. Geez, even Patrick McGann, Doctor #8, came back for a webisode.

Eccleston's a weird one. He picks the oddest roles, like he's constantly trying to show he can fill a wide variety of roles, as if he's still building an acting resume. If I was an actor, I don't think I would mind being typecast to an extent, so long as it was a "type" that I liked. John Travolta's roles in the nineties were a string of bad guys, which he obviously enjoyed doing, yet he still managed to work in films like Michael and Phenomenon, both of which I liked more than his portrayals in Broken Arrow and Face/Off.

I wonder if maybe Eccleston's aversion to Doctor Who is because he didn't like the idea of being "yet another Doctor." Maybe he doesn't like to be compared to others who have played a particular role.

 

[49greg]

What's The Leftovers like? Christopher Eccleston was my favourite doctor.

I must buy Orphan Black on DVD and watch it. (It isn't on Netflix.)

I like the title "Leftovers" - sounds gritty. But I think it's on HBO, and we don't have any of the premium movie channels. But we do have a free preview this weekend of HBO so maybe I'll get a chance to see it and decide if it's 'Netflix worthy' when the DVD comes out.

I like Christopher Eccleston when they re-started Dr. Who, but David T is my favorite Dr. And Amy Pond and River Phoenix are my favorite companions - even if River isn't really a companion.

 

[44special]

Haven't heard of The Strain. Is it based on the Guillermo Del Toro trilogy...?

 

[slyc_willie]

Haven't heard of The Strain. Is it based on the Guillermo Del Toro trilogy...?

Yep. Apparently, he originally wanted to develop it as a TV series, but there were no takers so he turned it into a book series. Now that it's popular, he's gotten the green light for TV.

 

[sheablue]

I liked Dominion. So far. I usually give shows a few episodes to find their groove before I pass judgement. I like the lead young guy, he was in that show Kings I liked so much, before it got canceled because it was too smart. Actually, the art direction and sets reminded me of Kings. I'll have to look it up and see if it's directed or produced by the same people.

The Strain, The Leftovers and Extant have not started yet. Not until July, I think.

 

[PennLady]

I liked Dominion. So far. I usually give shows a few episodes to find their groove before I pass judgement. I like the lead young guy, he was in that show Kings I liked so much, before it got canceled because it was too smart. Actually, the art direction and sets reminded me of Kings. I'll have to look it up and see if it's directed or produced by the same people.

The Strain, The Leftovers and Extant have not started yet. Not until July, I think.

Malekith! That was Eccleston's character in Thor: The Dark World. ha.

Anyway, I also saw that Liv Tyler was in The Leftovers, and it's kind of nice to see her working again. I really don't know quite what to expect of it. I didn't watch Lost, and I know one of the creators worked on that, so I'm not biased for or against on that count.

I also like to give shows a few episodes before I make a judgment, because almost without fail, the first few episodes of a new series are a little spotty as they try to get everything in there. I think a lot of shows would be better served if they took a little more time to set things up, but I imagine the industry works against that.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Malekith! That was Eccleston's character in Thor: The Dark World. ha.

Yeah, I watched that movie twice - the first time I couldn't believe how bad it was I guess - and his role was so notable that I didn't even notice it was him.

I really don't like him...not even as the Doctor...Tennant and Smith were far better than him in my opinion. And as opinions go...they are just like assholes...everyone has one. You could even see Billie Piper became a much better companion when Tennant took over.

 

[PennLady]

Yeah, I watched that movie twice - the first time I couldn't believe how bad it was I guess - and his role was so notable that I didn't even notice it was him.

He is buried under costume and makeup, so if you don't know it's him, it's easy not to guess. Parts of T:TDW were good; most of those were parts not involving Natalie Portman.

I really don't like him...not even as the Doctor...Tennant and Smith were far better than him in my opinion. And as opinions go...they are just like assholes...everyone has one. You could even see Billie Piper became a much better companion when Tennant took over.

I liked him as the Doctor, but he's probably not in my top five favorites (I used to watch the classic series). I thought he did well for the reboot. He was also good in "28 Days Later."

 

[MSTarot]

except in a steam punk way it doesn't really qualify as science fiction, but I have to give praise to the show Penny Dreadful.

I've not seen an episode yet that hasn't surprised the hell out of me.

Damn good show. Comes on Showtime on Sunday night.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

He is buried under costume and makeup, so if you don't know it's him, it's easy not to guess. Parts of T:TDW were good; most of those were parts not involving Natalie Portman.



I liked him as the Doctor, but he's probably not in my top five favorites (I used to watch the classic series). I thought he did well for the reboot. He was also good in "28 Days Later."

There's another notable film I missed.

 

[PennLady]

There's another notable film I missed.

LOL I liked that one. Pretty good take on the whole zombie thing, even if they weren't your traditional zombies.

I just remembered -- earlier this year I watched "Helix," another SyFy series. It was... hilariously bad? It had a good premise but man, went totally off the rails. Yet somehow it will be back for season two.