TV

Checking in on a strong 'Fringe' season

It took the "Fringe" creative team a very long time to figure their own show out, but they have - by embracing what the show is rather than what they wish it could be. When "Fringe" was introduced two and a half years ago, its producers seemed afraid of the fact that they were making a science fiction show with an ongoing storyline. They wanted the series to be accessible to a wide audience, and both sci-fi and serialization have become a network TV kiss of death, particularly on FOX. So they told some stories that only kinda-sorta dealt with the kind of freaky fringe science that heroine Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) was assigned to investigate. And they presented a lot of flat standalone episodes that were only watchable because of the kooky, compelling performance by John Noble as cracked scientist Walter Bishop.

SCI FI PRESENTS U.S. TELEVISION PREMIERE OF TWO 'STARGATE' FILMS THIS SPRING

Fans of the hit Stargate television franchise will rejoice this spring when SCI FI presents the U.S. premiere of the two highly successful films Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum. Beginning on Friday, March 27 at 9 PM/ET, get set for The Ark of Truth and then tune in on Friday, April 3 at 9 PM/ET for Continuum.

Four actors enlisted for 'Stargate' duty

Justin Louis, David Blue, Brian J. Smith and Jamil Walker Smith are set to co-star opposite Robert Carlyle on Sci Fi Channel's new original series "Stargate Universe."

The series, from MGM TV, follows a group of soldiers, scientists and civilians left to fend for themselves when forced through a Stargate after their hidden base comes under attack. The survivors, who emerge aboard an ancient ship missing in the far reaches of space, are led by Dr. Nicholas Rush (Carlyle), who works to unlock the ship's mysteries and return the group to Earth.

Louis ("Hidden Hills") will play Col. Everett Young, an experienced Stargate team leader.

Blue ("Ugly Betty") plays Eli Wallace, a slacker who just happens to be an utter genius with anything he puts his mind to -- everything from mathematics to video games.

Brian J. Smith ("Hate Crime") is Lt. Matthew Scott, a junior member of the Stargate team thrust into the role of leader well before he's ready.

Jamil Walker Smith ("Sister, Sister") plays Sr. Sgt. Ronald Greer, a Marine with a temper.

"Stargate" veterans Brad Wright and Robert Cooper are writing/exec producing the series, which will debut in the fall as a two-hour movie and will be distributed by MGM Worldwide TV Distribution.

Whoopi Goldberg's Sci Fi 'Stream' on FEARnet.com

Whoopi Goldberg's geek past has come back to haunt her. Goldberg may be one of the nattering yentas on "The View" now, but she is also known by many sci-fi fans for her time served on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Now FEARnet.com has resurrected Goldberg's Sci Fi career as she returns to the genre in the psychological thriller, "Stream," a new series debuting on FEARnet's website today and VOD service next Thursday (1/22). link

Spanning 6 episodes, each several minutes in length, the series stars Whoopi as Jodi Quinn, a woman who spends a lifetime wrestling with her personal demons and gathering the strength to face her worst fears.

Thanks to a drug she took when she was seventeen, moments from various points in Jodi's life become woven, letting her experience two moments at once.

The story jumps back and forth through three phases of Jodi's life: her past as an intelligent but headstrong teen; her present in a psychiatric facility, and her future as an adult clinging to a normal life after years of tribulation.

For 'Battlestar Galactica' fans, the wait is almost over

Four more days. Can we wait that long for the return of "Battlestar Galactica"? I don't know.

What's making the wait easier is the "Face of the Enemy" Webisode series, which I think has been excellent. The final Webisode was posted today, at scifi.com and at Hulu. I highly recommend watching the entire Webisode series, which involves Felix Gaeta's attempt to go on vacation. Needless to say, it doesn't work out.