Good TV Watch

Will Collier reminds us that the new Battlestar Galactica premieres tonight on Sci-Fi. (I previewed the show earlier this fall.)

The new BSG is incredibly well-plotted, amazingly filmed, brilliantly acted, and just generally good. Edward James Olmos deserves an Emmy for his role as Commander Adama. Every moment on the screen he brings a new layer of depth to the character.

SF TV has gotten a reputation for being shlocky, escapist, and poorly written. BSG doesn’t rely on CGI effects (although it has plenty), nor does it rely on magical particles or technobabble. What makes it work is that it is a story about realistic and believable characters in difficult situations where the answers don’t magically appear at the end of the episode. People screw up. People die.

Ronald D. Moore is a brilliant writer, and BSG is the best show on television – of any drama. It deserves a huge audience, and it will get one. The official site is here and the series premieres tonight with a preview special at 8PM EST/7PM CST and the show following afterwards with two episodes.

7 thoughts on “Good TV Watch

  1. I’m psyched about the 2 episode helping tonight. I’ve seen none of the new episodes, so I can’t make the assertion that it’s the best drama. But if the series lives up to the standard of the “mini”, then it will be right up there. Current favorite is “Lost”, which I hope to be overtaken tonight.

    Now, stop downloading episodes from the Internet and let Sci-Fi get the ad revenue. 🙂

  2. Thanks for the reminder! I was skeptical about the mini-series but it very much won me over. If the series can maintain that quality, it will be very good indeed.

  3. Despite the fond memories you may have for the original, have you noticed that it is quite painful to watch now. Not that it’s campy (because, if it is, it was unintentional). It’s just so unsophisticated. Just too hard to watch.

  4. Is it watchable for us n00bs who have never seen the miniseries?

    You’ll miss a bit of the backstory, but the beginning of the episode gives you the Cliffs Notes version…

  5. Don’t tell me! I’ve got the second half of the movie and the first episode on the DVR. Maybe we’ll get to watch it tomorrow.

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