Posted on: June 24th, 2009 What to watch: Virtuality on FOX
I’ve spent a lot of time lately talking about the future of science fiction on tv. Last season, we lost some good shows in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Reaper, and it is beginning to feel like there simply isn’t a market for sci-fi on any of the major networks. We’ll likely always have the Sci-Fi (SyFy) channel, but without the success of sci-fi on a major network proving ad revenue can be generated from that genre, the quality of sci-fi programming will be stuck in neutral and we’ll have to accept whatever we can get. With that in mind, I encourage all fans of science fiction television to watch any and all sci-fi programming appearing on the major networks. Today, I’m offering a preview of Virtuality, a 2 hour tv movie on FOX that can make the translation to weekly series if the viewers choose to tune in this Friday. The concept sounds pretty cool, and I think it could be a decent series. Sure, it is on FOX, and that means it’s likely to get cancelled before it’s time, but we have to at least try. The movie airs this Friday on FOX at 8 pm ET/PT. IF you haven’t seen or heard anything about Virtuality, let me fill you in on the concept of the series:
Virtuality is about the crew of the spaceship ‘Phaeton’ who are approaching a vital stage of their epic 10-year journey through outer space. With the weight of the world on their shoulders and their lives being taped for a reality show back on Earth, the pressure is intense. To keep the crew members sane, there is a virtual reality technology device installed on the ship. With the help of that particular device, the crew members can be anyone they want, anywhere at any time, despite living in a closed environment in the lonely vastness of space. Complications arise when they realize there is a glitch in the system which inflicts damage on the psyche of the crew members and unleashes a virus on the ship. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (”New Amsterdam”), Sienna Guillory (”Love Actually”) and Clea Duvall (”Carnivale”) star among others. Peter Berg (”Friday Night Lights”) directed the pilot.
The show is said to be very dark and edgy, dealing with some very serious themes like addiction, the weight of larger-than-life responsibilities, our growing attachment to technology and the inner wish to live in a fantasy or alternative reality and how it influences the way you see things in real life. The two-hour-pilot/film asks some interesting questions about identity, reality and the power of imagination. I have to say that I’ve always felt that quality science fiction addresses some serious issues masked in a veil in the future settings they so often take place in. While the series would take place in the future, it seems to address the issues that are affecting people right now. There is potential here for this series to captivate not only sci-fi fanatics but also a broader audience that wouldn’t likely watch traditional science fiction.
Fans of the genre will recognize the name of the series creator, Ronald D. Moore, from his work on fan favorite Battlestar Galactica. He is widely recognized as a superior talent capable of producing deep and meaningful work without sacrificing the action, excitement and thrills that help make science fiction so great in the first place. His involvement in the making of the series pilot/film is surely enough to draw out some curious Battlestar fans, but Virtuality will need more than that if it is to make the translation to a weekly hour long dramatic series. The pilot hasn’t even aired, and yet it is already facing some serious problems from the network. FOX hasn’t been friendly to sci-fi, and apparently things have yet to change. The project has been in development for quite a while, and there was quite a bit of excitement about it, until Moore turned in the pilot movie to network brass. Here is what Moore had to say about his interactions with FOX officials upon handing in the completed pilot movie:
Moore: Well, [Fox entertainment president] Kevin Reilly’s first response was, “I love it, and if this was a movie, I’d put it straight to DVD right now and release it, and it’d do big business. It’s a great movie. But as a pilot, I’m not sure.” He wanted to tinker around with it a little bit, and we played with variations on it, until we all got to a version we were happy with, and that was the version that Kevin took up the line to the rest of the people at Fox. And ultimately I think the communal reaction was that they were impressed by the production value of the show, they were challenged by the story material, and they just didn’t know if it was going to work on the Fox network or not. They haven’t officially said, “That’s it. It’s over.” You never know how these things turn out, but at the moment I think Fox’s attitude is probably wait and see.
Damn you FOX, damn you. Why do you hate science fiction so much? They have a history with the genre. The fan favorite series Firefly was well received by critics, and yet it was prematurely cancelled. Terminator fans were pissed that T: SCC was cancelled. Now, a great concept created by one of the brightest creative minds in science fiction is being prematurely judged. Damn you FOX. They’ve made it clear that Virtuality is a strong concept with great potential as a weekly series, and it could be an enthralling and challenging series for sci-fi fans and anyone else for that matter. But it’s not good enough to get the green light? And the pilot is shoved into the tv hell-hole that is the dreaded Friday night time slot?
For all you Battlestar fans, I’m sure you all feel grateful for what Ronald D. Moore worked so hard to give you. It’s time to repay him by tuning in to Virtuality this Friday evening at 8 pm ET/PT. Everyone else, I beg of you to please tune in and help to give it a chance to become the weekly series Moore wants it to pay. As a reward for everyone choosing to tune in, you may just be rewarded with one of the most interesting new series’ in recent memory.