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.

Battlestar Galactica ended with its highest ratings in three years, drawing 2.4 million viewers for its finale. Granted, these are early ratings for the live viewing and don't take into account things like delayed viewings or iTunes purchases. Still, where were all these people during the run of the series?

Something about series finales tend to draw out people with even a modicum of interest in a show. I guess if they weren't there in the beginning, they still want to be there at the end. Mind you, the ratings of Dollhouse still beat BSG with 4.13 million viewers, but there is a world of difference between network and cable. Personally, I used the DVR and caught both.

Of course, this isn't the end of the franchise. Between "The Plan" and the spin-off Caprica, something has to keep people tuned in and the ratings up while the Sci Fi Channel does something stupid like changing its name.