Silverman Still Believes in SF For New Season

Due to time constraints we had to cut this story from tomorrow’s TV Segment for the show but it contains an important amount of information about the new NBC SF schedule for this coming fall.

If would appear that even though NBC has opted to drop some of its previous season’s SF shows such as “Bionic Woman,” and the very intelligent “Journeyman,” the Peacock Network’s CEO Ben Silverman isn’t quite finished with giving SF or genre-related programming a chance.

Of course fans are delighted that shows like “Chuck,” “Heroes” and “Medium” will be returning after a really rough season of seeing some great SF programming slip under the carpet, but exactly what does this network have in store for its new upcoming season as it relates to our niche’ in the world?

Believe it or not, the network does have some interesting ideas coming for SF fans. Yes, if you can get past that cheesy 2-hr debut movie about “Knight Rider” that happened last month, then you may be thrilled to learn that Silverman has given the greenlight for a weekly series about K.I.T.T and his band of human operatives. This updated remake has potential, but could go either way at this point and will be seen this Fall on Wednesday night at 8PM ET.

As we have discussed on past shows, another Silverman pet project will be “Crusoe,” an adrenaline-charged update of the classic Defoe tale of a man and his new-found friend stranded and learning to survive on their cunning, wits and skills. Despite the jesting we have been doing about this concept being brought back one more time, this is another series that has potential to either be stunning, or a total flop. It will debut on Fridays at 8PM ET.

A new Biblical anthology series titled “Kings,” which chronicles the life of King David, the first monarch of ancient Israel, begins in the fall. Joining the cast of this updated version of the 3000 year old story will be “Deadwood” alum Ian McShane, starring as King Silas. Without doubt McShane will add that air of authenticity and legitimacy shows like this always need. Aussie actor Christopher Egan of “Eragon” and “Resident Evil: Extinction” stars as title character King David. “Kings” will premiere on the Peacock network’s winter schedule as a mid-season replacement.

Big screen star Christian Slater has been wooed to the small screen to star in a Jekyll & Hyde sort of tale titled “My Own Worst Enemy.” Slater will star as your typical suburbanite, 9 to 5 working man who is really leading a double life as a notorious top-echelon spy. What makes this one a little unique will be the fact that Slater’s character isn’t aware that he is a spy, but only gradually becomes aware of his abilities. It might be a bit reminiscent of the Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson film “The Long Kiss Goodnight.” Look for it this fall on Mondays at 10PM ET.

The final new SF show coming to NBC is one that we know the least about, but one that seems could be the most interesting. It is a series titled “The Listener.” Made for Canada’s CTV, which is where a lot of NBC Universal productions now hail from, this series tells the story of a paramedic with telepathic abilities. The only casting news we have to date for this series is Devon Weigel, Ennis Esmer and Craig Olejnik as lead character Toby Logan—the twenty-something, big-city paramedic with the power to listen to people’s thoughts. Ennis Esmer stars as Olejnik’s ambulance partner and helps as Toby tries to juggle his life as a paramedic and telepathic sleuth.

“‘The Listener’ is an intriguing series that fits squarely in our brand and we’re excited NBC can bring it to the American audience,” said Teri Weinberg, Executive Vice President, NBC Entertainment.

The other thing that makes this show so hopeful is that it is a creation of Michael Amo, the same creative force behind ”Blessed Stranger: After Flight 111″ and Danny Aiello’s 2004 comedy movie “Running With the Hitman.”

Even though “The Listener” begins shooting this spring and will be aired on both NBC and CTV, it won’t make its American debut until the summer of 2009 as NBC’s big summer replacement show.

There will also be some interesting specials on tap for the Winter of 2008/09 including a return of a new “Merlin” feature, some “Medium” and “Kings” special events and more.

Related posts: