Sci Fi (or SyFy, whenever that changeover is taking place) has cast some of its upcoming projects. Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse's Tahmoh Penikett and Smallville's Laura Vandevoort has been cast in Riverworld and Desperate Housewive's Ryan Carnes has been cast as the lead character in The Phantom.

This is either a sign that Dollhouse is destined for only one season or Tahmoh Penikett's character of Paul Ballard is not going to survive beyond the first season. I'm hoping it is more of the latter than the former.

The Sci Fi Channel (or whatever its calling itself nowadays) is trying to repeat the success of the Battlestar Galactica relaunch with a few new versions of old fantasies. The new shows will be revamps of The Phantom, Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld and Alice in Wonderland.

The Phantom sounds like standard superhero fare and unless someone utterly spectacular is behind it, I see it as another Flash Gordon. I could only sit through the first ten minutes of the first episode of that fiasco.