v - the tv show

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

I'm sure there is already a thread about this in here, but "v" doesn't make a good search term and there's no harm in a new one.

I just finished watching the miniseries/final battle/tv series of V from the 80's. It was really good. Do those of you who saw it originally have an lasting impression.

Anyone else looking forward to the new version that launches on Tuesday? Wikipedia says they are showing 4 episodes in November and the rest starting March. That doesn't sound like a good way to launch a TV show. It seems like they'd lose their audience.

[Mike Simmons]

Jeanne wrote:I just finished watching the miniseries/final battle/tv series of V from the 80's. It was really good. Do those of you who saw it originally have an lasting impression.

I really liked the original miniseries, and enjoyed the second miniseries (final battle) as well. The latter was more hokey on rewatch, but still decent. I missed the subsequent TV series completely, and from all I heard, it was pretty bad, so I never looked into seeing it. Do you recommend the 1984 TV series, then? You may be the first.

[Mike Simmons]

Jeanne wrote:Anyone else looking forward to the new version that launches on Tuesday?

I am definitely looking forward to the new V. (Should we call it V2? Re-V?) Aside from having two of my favorite actresses , everything I've heard sounds very positive.

[Mike Simmons]

Jeanne wrote:Wikipedia says they are showing 4 episodes in November and the rest starting March. That doesn't sound like a good way to launch a TV show. It seems like they'd lose their audience.

Yeah, that does seem weird. Sounds like they're trying to score big ratings for November sweeps. I think most US shows take most of December and early January off, mostly because of holidays. I don't know why they're waiting for March to come back though- that's unusual.

Does anyone know what show V is replacing in ABC's line-up?

[Greg Charles]

I remember it from the 80s. It was a good start, but we all felt betrayed when it ended without resolution. It turned out they were trying to launch a series by disguising the pilot as a miniseries. The "Final Battle" came after that as a sort of apology. The aliens were defeated with great fanfare and stock footage from World War II of victory celebrations. Then there was a series where the aliens decided to come back after all. By then, we all felt we'd been played for a bunch of suckers, and the series didn't catch on.

[Jesper de Jong]

I have Sci-Fi Channel (which doesn't seem to be the same thing as the channel that was renamed to "Syfy" in the US?) and recently saw a few episodes from V (original, old episodes from the 80's).

I'm not that much into it so I don't know what the whole story is. I do remember that I found it scary when I saw it as a child in the 80's.

[Henry Wong]

Mike Simmons wrote:I really liked the original miniseries, and enjoyed the second miniseries (final battle) as well. The latter was more hokey on rewatch, but still decent. I missed the subsequent TV series completely, and from all I heard, it was pretty bad, so I never looked into seeing it. Do you recommend the 1984 TV series, then? You may be the first.

Agreed. Saw all three. Like the mini series. Did not like the TV series.

As a side note, its really great seeing another "Firefly" actor get a major role.

Henry

[Steve Luke]

I remember the original V and V the Final Battle, though mostly the second. I was a kid, and I loved it, it was always one of those favorite shows I had as a kid which I hoped would be re-made. So I am loving that it is. I think the fact that Morena Baccarin is in the lead part. She is perfect for it.

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

I read the book "the second generation" before I watched anything so my opinion is tailored by having read the book. I tend to like movies/tv shows if I read the book first because then it's like seeing the characters come to life.

Mike Simmons wrote: Do you recommend the 1984 TV series, then? You may be the first.

Parts of it. There was a lot of "reuse" in the battle scenes, but that's what fast forward is for.

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

Mike Simmons wrote:Does anyone know what show V is replacing in ABC's line-up?

Nothing really. It airs at the time the supersized "Dancing with the Stars" did.

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

This may contain spoilers if you are in Mountain or Pacific time.
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I liked the first episode. In particular, I liked how they are trying to follow the spirit of the original while changing the story. I know Kenneth Johnson isn't involved in the remake, but it reminds me of something he did do. Before I even knew V was on tv, I read a library book called "V - The Second Generation." It wiped out the Final Battle miniseries and provided an alternate explanation. That's what this show feels like - another perspective on the idea.

It does take more mental energy to remember what "facts" came from the three tracks though. Especially for a major difference like the Visitors having been on Earth for a long time. Thinking that through doesn't make any sense to me. So I'll enjoy it superficially . If nothing else, it allows them to advanced the Resistance plot more quickly.

Doing a remake makes it easier and harder for them. Harder in that people will hold them to the original. Easier in that there is an existing audience. Personally, I like seeing books that I enjoyed "come to life" in TV or movies. As long as they follow the spirit of the book, I am happy. For example, I think Harry Potter follows the spirit of the book even though they make (some large) changes to the story.

[fred rosenberger]

Jeanne Boyarsky wrote:This may contain spoilers if you are in Mountain or Pacific time.

Will it contain spoilers if I'm central time, but Tivo'd it and plan on watching it later this weekend?

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

fred rosenberger wrote:

Jeanne Boyarsky wrote:This may contain spoilers if you are in Mountain or Pacific time.

Will it contain spoilers if I'm central time, but Tivo'd it and plan on watching it later this weekend?

Sure Fred .

[Henry Carver]

Mike Simmons wrote:Yeah, that does seem weird. Sounds like they're trying to score big ratings for November sweeps. I think most US shows take most of December and early January off, mostly because of holidays. I don't know why they're waiting for March to come back though- that's unusual.

As you said, a lot of shows go into reruns in December and early January because of the holidays. Plus, ABC has the Winter Olympics in February. So pushing it out to March makes sense. And do you think that November and March both being sweeps months is just a coincidence?

[Gregg Bolinger]

I watched the V pilot last night before bed. I have not seen the original so I have no real comparison. My thoughts are that I enjoyed what I saw. But I felt they revealed too much too early. I won't say what for those that haven't watched it yet. Previews of upcoming episodes ruined a bit of mystery for me as well. Seeing supposed dead people not dead. I'll continue to watch it but after the one episode, although an enjoyable bit of TV, I wasn't overly impressed either.

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

Gregg Bolinger wrote: But I felt they revealed too much too early.

Yeah. I think they had to reveal the things that people knew from the 80s, like the fact that they are lizards. The differences, like them having been on the ground earlier, could have waited until a later episode.

Gregg Bolinger wrote: I won't say what for those that haven't watched it yet.

I'm comfortable posting my opinion of "what" as I posted a spoiler alert. After all a discussion without being able to state any facts, doesn't go far.

[Mike Simmons]

I was pretty happy with the first episode - though I was a bit surprised it was just one hour, yet still revealed so much. A two-hour opener would have worked well, I think. Or maybe I'm just thinking of the pacing of the original miniseries. Ultimately, much of this ep was just setting up the same basic background from the original series. The more interesting part (I hope) will be what they do with the idea after that.

I did notice that the new version had far fewer references and allusions to the rise of the Nazis and the Holocaust. It seems they're now going for a more generalized take on authoritarianism. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. The original series was often less than subtle, but those references did give it a certain bite that seems missing from the first episode of the new series. I suppose there will be plenty of time for metaphor and allegory as the series unfolds.

Henry: yes, the Winter Olympics was the bit I had overlooked - thanks for pointing that out.

[Mike Simmons]

Um, except that it turns out that ABC doesn't have the Winter Olympics - NBC does. I suppose ABC may well want to avoid competing with the Olympics, but that's not the same as ABC having them. Also, traditionally March is not a sweeps month, but February is. In 2009 sweeps was pushed back because of the analog-digital switchover. But I've seen no evidence that this move was permanent. I suspect that sweeps is in February as usual, and NBC has the Winter Games then, and ABC is holding back V because it doesn't want to get creamed.

[Henry Carver]

I suspect that sweeps is in February as usual, and NBC has the Winter Games then, and ABC is holding back V because it doesn't want to get creamed.

My bad! Yes, I suspect that this is the correct reason. Why put up a show that you expect will get good ratings against the Olympics?

[kalle svensson]

v is a timeless classic. i havent watched the new series except for a few clips on youtube. i still think its a little, little bit sad that they didnt took off from where the original series ended.

[Mike Simmons]

Back around 1989, J Michael Straczynski (creator of Babyon 5 a few years later) was asked by NBC to create a spinoff series from the original series. Serieses. Whatever. He wrote a full script for a 4-hour pilot, "Rebirth", for the proposed spinoff, "V: The Next Chapter". It was ultimately deemed too expensive to produce (much like the original series turned out to be). The first three acts of the script are available online here. I quite like the intro sequence. I actually own a copy of the entire script, though I don't have access to it currently. And recovery will be rather... awkward... but I'll get to it eventually. It's pretty good stuff, I think, though it shows its roots as an action-based show in the late eighties. I doubt the full script will ever see the light of day (publicly) at this point, but you never know. It remains an interesting take on what might have been.

[Mike Simmons]

Oh, and the new series is... decent, so far. But not really living up to the high hopes I had for it. Yet. We know the basic setup (or think we do), and so far, the surprises have been relatively minor. I kind of want to fast forward past the next, I dunno, 4-10 episodes, in which they gradually replay the events of the original miniseries. Let's get to the new stuff. (I'm hoping they'll pretty much ignore the stuff after the original mini.) Yeah, we are getting some new stuff along the way, and that's nice. But, hey - more would be better.