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Back in early March, I had a posting about Harper's Island - a short-run TV series which premiers on CBS tonight at 10pm (Eastern). It is a short-run series, so it will only air a total of 13 episodes - so essentially what you have is a 13-hour murder mystery (with lots of murders).

From what I understand, the show begins almost immediately with a rather gruesome death. Unbeknownst to the happy passengers on the yacht ferrying the wedding party to the island, one of the wedding guests has been strapped underwater to the yacht's propeller. As the yacht gets underway, we have the first death of the series.

Harper's Island has been called Scream meets 10 Little Indians or Agatha Christie vs Jason. What we have is an elaborate horror movie with 13 weeks worth of twists and turns.

The premise of Harper's Island, set in the Puget Sound area, is simple. Patricia "Trish" Wellington (Played by Katie Cassidy), daughter of Thomas Wellington (played by Richard Burgi) a real estate tycoon, is marrying Henry Dunn (Played by Christopher Gorham), a likeable blue-collar kid.

The Wellingtons and their friends make up most of the wedding party. Henry's Uncle Marty (Played by Harry Hamlin) and Henery's best friend, Abby Mills (played by Elaine Cassidy) are also along. Adding to the mystery, Abby grew up on the island, but hasn't returned since the gruesome time seven years ago when her mother and five others were murdered on that very island. Abby's father, the local sheriff, shot the killer, but he and Abby are now estranged.

We also have the mandatory rich guy, Hunter Jennings (Played by Victor Webster) who believes that Trish should really be marrying him and not the blue-collar Henry.

Harper's Island has the requisite dark woods, spooky waters, and chilling atmosphere. Since it has a finite life-span (13 episodes) it offers a number of possibilities (every character is fair game as victim or killer). I'm very intrigued about the viability of short-run series - and this looks like it will be a very good test of this format.

I'll have my thoughts after tonight's episode.

Plus - a special blog post over the weekend with a summary of the recent pirate attacks and some background on the last pirate attacks against US flagged vessels.

As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of The Aquabats! Well, I just heard today that Nickelodeon has picked-up a third season of the show Yo Gabba Gabba! Why is this so cool you may ask? Well kids I'll tell you why - it's just because......because the show was created by none other than Christian Jacobs - probably better known as MC Bat Commander - lead singer of The Aquabats!

The show is a kids show - but it does have a number of cool things. The series features a mix of live-action segments featuring cartoonish costumed characters--Muno (the red cyclops), Foofa (the pink flower bubble), Brobee (a little green monster), Toodee (the blue cat-dragon) and Plex (the yellow robot)--and many short animated sketches and musical numbers.

The show has featured a number of really very cool guests, including:

• Mark Mothersbaugh (of one of the most awesome bands of all time - DEVO) - who hosts a recurrent drawing segment on the show
• Laila Ali - Daughter of boxing great Muhammad Ali
• Tony Hawk - Skateboard legend
• Elijah Wood - Frodo from the Lord of the Rings films
• The Aquabats! - A most awesome band.

Anyway - just wanted to give a shout-out to everyone at Yo Gabba Gabba! for getting picked-up for their third season, and Gratz! to MC Bat Commander.

There have been a lot of really great TV shows (and even more really terrible ones) over the last 15 years or so. Of these, there have been some that really were never given the chance, or just failed to make the cut and were cancelled long before they should have been. I'm going to discuss a few of them here. This is not an exhaustive list, but it will hit a few of the ones that I think were really good, and deserved more of a chance.

One thing I will note, of the five I will talk about here, four of them were on FOX. I'm not sure if it simply the curse of Fox Friday night, or if Fox is willing to take a chance, but then realizing that they are taking a chance, they don't back the show, flop it around the schedule, or just get cold feet. Whatever the reason, it seems Fox has always done a good job with taking chances, just not so good in staying the course.

So - five shows that were cancelled before their time (and / or are under appreciated):

The Adventures of Brisco County Junior

This show, which ran from August of 1993 to May of 1994 was one of the few Westerns that were aired in the 90s. It was an eclectic mix of Western, Science Fiction, and some elements of Steam Punk. Some have classified it as thematic descendant of the 1960s Wild Wild West.

Set in the 1890s and starring Bruce Campbell as Brisco County Jr, the show was a mix of tongue-in-cheek, humor, drama, and adventure and centered around Brisco County Jr. (a Harvard educated lawyer turned bounty hunter) hunting down the John Bly Gang who murdered his father. Along the way, he runs through a series of adventures (some comedic, others dramatic) involving fantastic villains, beautiful women, and a mysterious brilliant golden sphere known as "The Orb". Every episode had a classic cliffhanger mid-episode.

The show had a great cast. Of course, it starred Bruce Campbell - who I really like (and who also is in one of my current favorite shows, Burn Notice). It also featured:

• Julius Carry III - Who played Lord Bowler - a rival bounty hunter, and later, Brisco's partner. Julius appeared in all 27 episodes of Brisco County, and was featured in numerous TV shows. He passed away in early 2008, with his last TV appearance in a season one episode of the CBS show The Unit.
• Christian Clemenson - Who played Socrates Poole, a mild-mannered attorney, and the point of contact between Brisco County Jr and his benefactors. Probably best known for his role as Jerry Espenson on Boston Legal, he also appeared in another show on this list - Veronica Mars.
• Kelly Rutherford - As Dixie Cousins, a con-woman, and Brisco's love interest. Kelly is currently in Gossip Girl playing Lily van der Woodsen, and was a regular on Melrose Place back in the mid/late 1990s.
• John Astin - As Professor Wickwire, an eccentric inventor who supplied Brisco with wacky gadgets that were precursors to modern inventions, such as a land-based rocket on railroad tracks. Mr. Astin is probably best known as Gomez Addams on the original Addams Family TV show in the mid 1960s.

The show only ran one season (27 episodes) and originally aired on FOX at 8pm on Friday nights (right before X-Files). I was a faithful viewer, and didn't miss a single episode - I actually looked forward to Friday nights, where I would have Brisco County followed by X-Files (both shows made their debut in 1993).

The complete series is available on DVD. It is available on Amazon.com - but is a little pricey. If you don't feel like dropping $75 to own it, you can always try it out on Netflix. It will always rank as one of my favorite TV shows of all time.

A little piece of trivia - two pistol props from the show were later used by the character Zoe in Firefly (also a Fox show on this list).

Do yourself a favor - if you've never seen an episode, check it out. I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

The Tick

This show centers around The Tick, a blue-costumed superhero with a 3rd grader's understanding of the world, with twitching antennae and wielding super-strength and over the top metaphors. The Tick is tricked into moving to (and protecting) The City after irritating employees of a remote bus station he had sworn to protect. He develops a friendship with three other costumed superheroes (sic) who are all in various states of physical, mental, or emotional distress.

The show was extremely short-lived (again on FOX). It was very funny, had some great characters, excellent dialogue, but was adult-oriented, with a good deal of sexual innuendo. The cast and characters were also very good. These included:

• Patrick Warburton - As The Tick. He does an excellent job with this character. While probably best know as Puddy from Seinfield, I really think this is one of his best roles ever.
• David Burke - As Arthur, a mild-mannered accountant who quits his job to become that which he always idolized - a costumed Superhero. His choice, however, left something to be desired, as The Moth. His pudgy frame stuffed into white spandex with retractable wings. Although he has no superpowers, he and the Tick, become fast friends and roommates. David has done a lot of TV, appearing last year in episodes of: The Mentalist, Ghost Whisperer, CSI, and Eli Stone.
• Nestor Carbonell - As Batmanuel, a self-absorbed superhero with no powers or abilities, but with a very high opinion of himself. His time is primarily spent on boasting and lechery.
• Liz Vassey - As Captain Liberty, a government-endorsed superhero with actual abilities, she is the on again off again lover of Batmanuel. Liz is probably best known as Wendy Simms on CSI.

Again, FOX never really gave the show much of a chance, with the nine episodes airing from November 8th, 2001 through December 21, 2001.

The Tick is available on DVD (for about $22). You can, however, watch all episodes for free on Hulu. Again, if you've never seen this, it is really worth watching. And with only 9 episodes, you can watch them all in about 3 hours.

Firefly

I've mentioned this series before in this blog, so I won't go into as much detail as I did on the previous two.

This was a truly exceptional TV series - filled with great characters, deep background, interesting stories, and high quality production. However, it was cancelled after only 11 episodes (possibly due to being bounced around the schedule plus the fact that the network showed the episodes out of sequence) - yet another good show pulled too quickly by FOX.

Anyway, it was basically a space western. The series was set in the 26th century and centers around the crew of the spaceship Serenity in the wake of a interstellar civil war. In this future, the US and China - as the two superpowers had joined to form the Alliance. The whole series is available on DVD. If you are a Sci-Fi fan, it is definitely worth getting.

John Doe

Yet another show on Fox that only made it one season, but had a great cast, an engaging premise, and solid stories.

"I woke up in an island off the coast of Seattle. I didn't know how I got there ... or who I was. But I did seem to know everything else. There were things about me I didn't understand ... the brand, being colorblind, extreme claustrophobia. And while my gifts provided answers for others, I still search for my own. My name is John Doe." So starts John Doe.

Aa mysterious man wakes up on an island off the coast of Seattle, Washington, naked, with absolutely no memory of who he is or how he got there. However, apart from the details of his own past, "John Doe", as he comes to call himself, seems to have access to the sum total of all human knowledge: he knows how many dimples are on a golf ball, the population of Uruguay, and other such obscure (and not-so-obscure) facts. He also has expert knowledge on everything from the stock market to computers. Over the course of the series John attempts to find clues about his past by using his unusual ability while also helping people in need. In the process it becomes clear that an international conspiracy known as the Phoenix Organization is watching John's every move.

The show starred Dominic Purcell as the title character John Doe. Purcell is probably best known for playing the role of Lincoln Burrows in Prison Break.

The show aired from September 2002 through April 2003, with a total of 21 episodes. Again, the series had a lot of potential. It is somewhat similar to the ABC Family show Kyle XY (which just recently completed its three season run - also probably pulled at least one season too soon). I don't know if this is out on DVD, but this is also available to watch for free on Hulu.

Veronica Mars

The show, which ran for three seasons, was centered on Veronica Mars (played by extremely beautiful Kristen Bell) a student who progressed from high school to college during the series while moonlighting as a private investigator under the wing of her detective father.

The show has a distinct structure: Veronica solves a different case of the week while continually trying to solve a season-long mystery. The first two seasons of the series had a season-long mystery arc, introduced in the first episode of the season and solved in the season finale. The third season (when the show moved from the UPN network, to its successor the CW) took on a different format, focusing on shorter story arcs that would last the course of several episodes.

Actually my whole family loved this show. We actually didn't watch the show until after it was cancelled, and then we watched all three seasons over the course of about a month on DVD.

The ensemble cast was excellent, with a number of really great actors. In addition to Kristen Bell as Veronica, other cast members included:

Enrico Colantoni - As Keith Mars, Veronica's father and former Shrriff (now a private investigator). He does an outstanding job in this role. Actually, his performance on Veronica Mars is what keeps me watching his new show (Flashpoint).

Jason Dohring - As Logan Echolls - described as the "obligatory psychotic jackass" by Veronica's voice-over narration in the show's pilot episode, Logan was originally conceived of as the school's main bully and a teenaged nemesis for Veronica Mars. But as the show progressed during the first season, Veronica (and the viewers of the show) would discover that Logan was much more than the clichéd description Veronica had bestowed upon him. After Veronica Mars was cancelled, Jason played the role of athe 400-year old vampire Josef Kosten on the short-lived CBS series Moonlight.

The show did run three seasons, but I still feel it was cancelled too soon. It was a great show. The good news is that the show's creator, Rob Thomas, has expressed an interest in doing a Veronica Mars movie. In fact, he has met with Kristen Bell to discuss the plot, and apparently Enrico Colantoni is also looking at reprising his role. In January 2009, TV Guide reported that the Veronica Mars film was Thomas' first priority after his work on his current project Cupid. Thomas noted that as well as writing the script, someone would need to pay for the film, but indicated that producer Joel Silver was ready to green-light the film.

I'm sure there are a number of other very deserving shows that should be on this list. Hopefully there is at least one of the shows above that you haven't heard of or watched. If so, give it a try - you might discover a gem.

RHI Entertainment is working on three miniseries for the Sci-Fi Channel - two of which may act as pilots for series (depending on the viewer draw of the miniseries).

The first is a retelling of Carol's Alice in Wonderland. This is being written and directed by Nick Willing (who recently did the Wizard of Oz reinvention Tin Man on the Sci Fi Channel). There is a lot of potential here, and given the budget (which I understand could be upwards of $20 Million) it could be very interesting. As for the photo - Okay - I know I could have picked a more classic image, but - well you know.

The second, is yet another take on The Phantom. This is one of the two that is being looked at with series potential. There have been a number of previous atempts with The Phantom (the 1996 movie staring Billy Zane for one) - but none have really taken off.

The last is Riverworld, based on the novels by Philip Jose Farmer. The miniseries is about a photojournalist transported to a mysterious world occupied by everyone who has ever lived on Earth. This is also being looked at with series potential. Actually, this isn't the first time the Sci Fi channel has looked at Riverworld as a potential series. Back in 2003, they aired a pilot for Riverworld TV series, starring Brad Johnson, Karen Holness, Emily Lloyd, Jeremy Birchall, Kevin Smith, Nikita Kearsley and Brian Moore. Between 2003 and 2006 the Sci-Fi channel aired this pilot about 20 times - so you may have seen it.

I understand that "Alice" is planned for the winter, "Riverworld" and "Phantom" coming sometime in 2010.

Okay - first up - the logo above is not the logo for the show - I don't know if one has even been design yet - but I wanted something for this post, so I there you go.

This week, in/around DC, they will be filming a scene for a TV pilot - a show called Washington Field. Apparently, from what I understand, the show is about an elite FBI team called the National Capital Response Squad that take on cases that involve US security interests worldwide. The show is being created and penned by Edward Allen Bernero (who wrote well over 100 episodes of Third Watch, and has done some work on the CBS show Criminal Minds.)

I've also heard that Eddie Cibrian has been tapped to star in the show. He's done stints on The Starter Wife, Ugly Betty, Invasion, Vanished, but is possibly best known as Jimmy Doherty from Third Watch.

That's about all I have on the show at present - but, as I mentioned, it seems that at least one scene from the pilot is being shot on Wednesday (March 25th).

Between 9:30am and noon - near the Key Bridge district, on the Potomac River just north of the Key Bridge, they will be filming a scene with six sculling boats - one of which explodes. The simulated explosion is expected to produce a 20' to 30' fireball that will last less than 2 minutes.

So - if you are in the DC area on Wednesday and see an explosion on the Potomac - that's probably it. If anyone actually makes it down there and sees it, I'd love to get a first hand account or some pictures.