joel gretsch

(S01E01) We were promised a modern re-imagining of the classic '80s V mini-series, and that's exactly what we got. Gone were the allusions to World War II Nazism and the treatment of Jews in Europe. Instead, we're offered allusions to the war we've been fighting for eight years now.

I wasn't sure how they could modify the storylines from the series I remembered to accurately find parallels to our war on terrorism, and the terrorist movements themselves, but they did. And they did it all while staying true to the struggles and fears that's kept the original series fresh in our minds for 26 years now.

Even better, I watched this with my 10-year old son who's never seen the original, and he was absolutely riveted. Everything I loved about V back then is here, and there's so much more to get excited about. I always thought V should be an ongoing series, and even though we eventually got one, I think this time they've finally got it right.

Remember when the networks hardly did anything with their TV shows online? Heck, remember when we didn't even have official web sites and fan sites for our favorite shows? If we wanted to talk about, say, Knot's Landing, we had to open our windows and yell to our neighbors, "Can you believe Val did that last night?!" Either that or send a letter via mail, and that took days.

But now we have web sites for every show, and fans of ABC's remake of V have already put up a bunch of sites for that show (which premieres November 3 ):

Since the Season four finale aired, fans (myself included) of USA Network's The 4400 have been waiting to hear the word "renewed." Usually, news of a renewal is announced about mid-season or before the finale. Even if it wasn't the case this time around, we all held hope that USA would renew the popular sci-fi series.

I'm unhappy to report that the cancellation ax fell on the show this week.

(S01E11) "I'm not my father." - Dan

After episodes like this one, it's difficult to understand why people aren't watching Journeyman. It looked like the writers knew the cancellation ax was hovering above their heads when they wrote this week's episode because it was a payoff for loyal viewers and paved the way for episode 13, to possibly serve as a series finale.

Not only was Frank (played by The 4400's Joel Gretsch) back and Jack getting more likable this week, but we saw Livia in her "present" time and Dan's actions have once again an impact on his family and friends. What more can we want for this Christmas-themed episode? Okay, maybe answers on why Dan and Livia travels and how, but that was probably a gift that was too big to put under our Festivus pole!

(S01E05) "Time travel is impossible?" - Dan
"No. Just not proven." - Doctor Langley

Again this week, I find myself not caring much about the case of the week but highly interested in the main characters' doings. "The Legend of Dylan McLean" was of great importance for the Vassers as it cemented Zack and Dan's relationship and offered a glimpse of Dan's father.

Jacqueline McKenzie had her turn. Now Joel Gretsch (Tom Baldwin) and Patrick Flueger (Shawn) of The 4400 will team up to appear live on buddytv.com. Catch it Monday August 21st, 9pm ET/ 6pm PT where the pair will answer questions for about an hour via webcam and audio. Since this one won't coincide with a new episode of the show, there'll be no need for fans to to split their attention. Joel Gretsch is William Shatner's son-in-law so it might be fun to see if he has a take on Comedy Central's Shatner Roast which airs the night before this chat.

(Thanks, Jon!)

I listened in on Sunday's BuddyTV 4400 chats (which are now archived) with Aussie actress Jaqueline McKenzie who plays NTAC's Diana Skouris on the show. She certainly appeared to enjoy herself while hosting, and spent two one-hour-length sessions with fans gamely attempting to keep up with a flood of questions. Here's a few things we found out:

There's usually nothing on Saturday nights but repeats of crime dramas and maybe some movie everyone has seen (and Cops), but NBC has something for all you fans of The 4400 that have been waiting for the new season to start. NBC (which owns USA) will have a one hour clip show to get fans (and non-fans) up to speed on the plot and the characters. The special will air at 9pm.

The third season of The 4400 starts on June 11. I haven't seen even one episode of this show, so maybe I'll tune in and see how it is.