Fall 2008 Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Preview: ABC

The alphabet network has announced its shows for the Fall 2008 season which include one new Science Fiction and Fantasy offering plus two returning genre shows.

New Shows:

The one new show is an Americanized version of the British series Life on Mars. It follows a present day police officer who, after a car accident, is transported back to 1973 where he finds himself working in that era on the force. It is executive produced by TV mogul David E. Kelley who also wrote the pilot for the remake. I never caught the British version of the series (though I believe it aired on BBC America), but I have to admit that this one does not excite me too much. It really sounds like just another cop show with a twist and we have already seen our fair share of those on the television landscape. David E. Kelley's involvement intrigues me, though, as he has a good track record which includes one of my all time favorite series, Picket Fences (although there are rumors that he will be bowing out from the series after the pilot). Word is that in an early episode, Dan Vasser from Journeyman will travel forward in time to stop the lead character from this series traveling back in time in hopes that it will change the time continuum and Journeyman will not get the axe from NBC . . .

Returning Shows:

I definitely am looking forward to ABC's two returning Science Fiction and Fantasy series: Lost and Pushing Daisies. Lost is in the process of wrapping up its outstanding fourth season and looks to continue its strong performance into its fifth season which will set the stage for the series' sixth and final season. The original plan was to have sixteen episodes next season, but seeing as the episode count was cut short this year because of the writer's strike, the last two seasons will expand their episode count to seventeen each.