Jan 27 2009
ABC Set to Resurrect V
Wow. We’ve got to go all the way back to 1983-1984 for the original series V, the tale of lizard aliens come to Earth–supposedly with good intentions, but where would the story be in that? That’s right, they put the “V” in eVil. We had Marc Singer, of hunky Beastmaster fame, Robert Englund of the Freddie Krueger films, Jane Badler of both Falcon Crest and the 1989 version of Mission: Impossible, and Michael Ironside–who’s been in 181 TV and film projects since 1977, most of them action or sci-fi adventures (Which is not to say that Robert Englund, Jane Badler, and Marc Singer haven’t been busy as well). Oh, and then there was my favorite, the beautiful blonde with hypontic eyes, Judson Scott of The Phoenix and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan:
(with Ricardo Montalban, c1982 Paramount Pictures.)
Talk about shaking out the cobwebs with all these old shows. V (the mini-series and short-lived series) was something of a cult favorite at the time, though it doesn’t stand up to modern scrutiny. Here are the mid-season opening titles. Check out those modern computers and great special effects (including the 80s hair):
(c1984 Warner Bros. Television.)
Variety reports that the new version will be written by co-creator and executive producter of The 4400, Scott Peters. The aliens-among-us plot has worked well for the modern day Battlestar Galactica, a reworking of a much-loved but cheesy 70s sci-fi show, so the new V has potential. Personally I wouldn’t mind if the scales tipped a little more toward the cheesy side than the uber dark depths of the excellent but gut-wrenching new BSG, but we’ll have to see what develops if the show makes it to air.
**Read the Variety article here.
**Click the links to check out more images from Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan as well as hot Jamie Bamber screencaps from the new Battlestar Galactica.
I *loved* this show when it was first on, but I was about 12 or 13 so not exactly discriminating taste at that point…lol. But I think the whole family watched it; for its time I think it was pretty progressive, actually.
I agree with you on the remakes. I guess they’re just hoping to get hits with stuff that was already successful. BSG worked because it was really just riffing on the idea of the original series and it made the thing its own while still paying tribute with the red-roving eyes of the Cylon ships and having Richard Hatch play Zarek.
And yes, I’m so tired of the darkness! Somehow dark=legitimate these days. I know people who thought BSG wasn’t dark *enough*. It’s like, good grief, if BSG gets any darker it’ll make me jump off a bridge. I think something like Firefly struck a good balance between good legitimate sci-fi but with fun cheesy stuff thrown in to actually *entertain* us. What a concept!
There are more clips of the show on YouTube–I think one of the miniseries is on there in its entirety, though in about 40 separate clips…heh. I would think one of the cable channels or maybe Hulu or something might start carrying the old episodes if they play the remake. The show’s a little dated and corny now by today’s standards, but I think we thought it was crazy and scary and edgy back then!