SF TV

[jacey]

I just looked in Radio Times and spotted the return of Merlin to Saturday night TV schedules. (BBC). The jury's still out on this, but it's marginally better than Robin the Hoodie though probably not quite as good as Primeval. None of them, of course, are a patch on Doctor Who or Torchwood, however. Of course, SF telly has been so grim over the summer that even the return of Merlin is quite a bright spot.

I just bought The Dresden Files on DVD to try it - though I haven't watched yet, so I'll let you know. I tried Moonlight, but I thought it a poor version of Angel. (Vamp detective.) Even Sophia Miles (so good in Girl in the Fireplace - Doctor Who Season 3) couldn't really save it. 

I never saw the last couple of seasons (9 and 10) of Stargate SG 1 so I bought the sets when they came on cheap offer because I like Claudia Black and Ben Browder (Farscape). They did add a bit of life to an old and well-tried concept and were certainly worth watching, though call me cynical, but the casting office seems to have drawn in all the regulars from a host of SF series with Lexia Doig from Andromeda and (name forgotten) the Doctor from Voyager. I may have missed a fair amount of seasons 7 and 8, but it was easy enough to pick up the threads again. I probably need to get Continuum to finish off my Stargate watching. Not sure I can ever afford Stargate Atlantis as I've missed all of it, but I might watch out for Stargate Universe.

Looking forward to Lost. I won't get to see Season Five until the DVD set arrives.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

We quite enjoyed The Dresden Files show, but the books are better.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about trying the books, but I currently have two big piles of unread novels. BTW I've been meaning to ask... as a historian what do you think of Elizabeth Chadwick's novels? The seem pretty faithful to the period in most ways to me - but what do I know.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I haven't read her, I'm afraid.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

She's coime at everyday history through reenactment as a member of Regia Anglorum. She always quotes her research sources and seems to dig back to an impressive number of primary sources (though often in translateion). Her site is here:
http://www.elizabethchadwick.com
She blogs about reenactment and research as well as about books.

I'm always in awe of your scholarship on medieval history. Have you never been tempted to use the 'day job' stuff to write hgistorical fiction? Or _because of the day job_ do you just want to run away from it?

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I'm more like to run away, alas. History is werk.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I kinda figured it might be,
:-)

[zaan.livejournal.com]

Saw some trailer from the new Stargate series to be released this Fall. Looks interesting. All new cast of course. Got a fat nerd guy, and a male Lead who knows nothing about SF and is proud of it. which is very offputting. His quote was he had to say something regarding "insertion orbit" and was saying to fans via an interview on the web site, "What the hell does that mean?" then chuckles as it he is clever.
Stargate Universe. http://stargate.mgm.com/view/series/3/index.html
They bring it in nicely using Jack O'Neal.

As for Merlin with Giles from Buffy [poncing around as the "good King Uther" ... well... I like Giles, but I do feel they have taken so many liberties with the story that after about 5 episodes, I have given up for now.. I am sure they will make Nimue have been Arthur's mother from the way it is going... Pity, it has promise...

if you want some good SF look up hulu online cos you can watch so many series free now. http://www.hulu.com/search?query=Eurekaa
Try on for size,
Eureka, Warehouse 13 (think the huge warehouse that Indiana Jones Ark of Covenant went into) Sanctury with Amanda Tapping from SG1, and for something different, tyr Dexter, story of a Forensic blood work man who is a .. serial killer of the bad guys who escape law nd order! It is a black kinda humor, and irony seriews, but grabs you. :)

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Hulu is not available outside the USA so that's a bummer for us Brits!

I saw a couple of episodes of Sanctuary _ the last cou-ple of season one) and it looked as though iot might have been OK, but I missed the earlier episodes.

I was a bit squicked out by Dexter even though I like MJ Hall very much (from Dark Angel and NCIS). I only watched a few episodes. Maybe I should have stuck with it.

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

I liked The Dresden Files. I saw the show before I read the books, which I also really like, so the differences didn't bother me at all.