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Threshold: Yet Another Alien Invasion?

Started by kieyra , May 18 2005 09:36 AM

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1091 replies to this topic

#1

kieyra

Fanatic

Posted May 18, 2005 @ 9:36 AM

From CBS's 2005 fall lineup:

THRESHOLD (Friday, 9:00 PM) stars Carla Gugino ("Sin City"), Charles S. Dutton ("Something the Lord Made"), Brian Van Holt ("House of Wax"), Robert Patrick Benedict ("Felicity") and Brent Spiner ("The Aviator") in a suspenseful drama about a team of experts who are assembled when the U.S. Navy makes a chilling discovery: an extra terrestrial craft has landed in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Molly Anne Caffrey (Gugino) is a government contingency analyst whose job is to devise response plans for worst-case scenarios. When her plan called THRESHOLD is activated upon the news of the UFO, she and her hand-picked team of eclectic specialists get to work deciphering the intention of the craft and preparing for the possibility of a crisis situation -- an alien invasion.

I'll be checking this out mostly due to Carla Gugino, whom I loved in Karen Sisco, but the scheduling seems...whimsical, what with Friday being Skiffy's big night for new SciFi.

Also: Data!

First, WORD on Carla Gugino of the great, late, lamented Karen Sisco. And it's always great to see Spiner. and I heard David Goyer (Blade, multiple comic book adaptations and a true geek) is also involved.

But WHY put sci-fi on Fridays? Skiffy owns that night for geeks (like m'self), and we all see what happened with Enterprise.

And speaking of which, Braga is involved. Uh-oh.

ETA: Just saw some kind words on Threshold from Matt Roush of TV Guide. I typically agree with him, especially when it comes to this type of show. He was a big Farscape champion, and also liked Angel, Buffy, new BSG, among others. And he wasn't a big fan of Enterprise. So, perhaps more Goyer and less Braga?

TV Guide CBS "Dispatch"

Edited by Java Dog, May 20, 2005 @ 1:39 PM.

#3

Warden

Stalker

Posted May 18, 2005 @ 12:33 PM

Ditto on the Gugino as well as the Sisco. Sounds interesting plus it has Data. I wonder if he'll be a Navy SEAL or just in another typecast role as a quirky science type. If the latter is the case, I hope his fate is better than his other character Dr. Okun.

Does anybody know what color hair Carla will have?

#4

keckler

Network Executive

Posted May 18, 2005 @ 3:49 PM

Heh -- Braga and Spiner. FAB-ulous. I'll be watching.

Edited by keckler, May 18, 2005 @ 3:50 PM.

#5

dalek

Fanatic

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 11:52 AM

I'll be watching because of Carla Gugino, Charles Dutton and Brent Spiner. And praying that their combined talents can overcome the suck that is Braga. OTOH, maybe Braga won't be so bad now that he's doing something that isn't Star Trek. I can hope.

Edited by dalek, May 19, 2005 @ 3:23 PM.

#6

xaxat

Fanatic

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 1:38 PM

I'll be watching because of Carla Gugino, Charles Dutton and Brent Spiner. and praying that their combined talents can overcome the suck that it Braga.

Totally Word!. Charles and Carla (mmmmm Sin City) will put this high on my list of new shows. But then again Karen Sisco was on that list. Perhaps I am the kiss of death.

#7

Cleo256

Stalker

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 2:41 PM

keckler:

I'll be watching.

Will you be recapping? Or is the thought of keeping Braga as your tormentor too unbearable?

So everyone goes in with eyes open, "Threshold" is also the name of a Voyager episode, written by Braga, that always comes up when the topic of Worst. Trek Episode. Ever. is broached. It's the Salamander Lovin' episode.

I'm passing on this show. Mostly because of Braga, but also because of my unexplainable dislike of CBS. But I'll be interested to know how it is.

#8

kieyra

Fanatic

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 3:23 PM

Can one of you all clarify who is "Braga"? I'm not up enough on newer Trek to get it.

#9

Java Dog

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 3:36 PM

Brannon Braga is often referred to as one of the angels of death for Trek (along with Rick Berman). Known in their mutated, genetically enhanced suckitude as "Bermaga."

BB was once a promising writer for TNG, who often wrote with one of the more highly regarded Trek writers, Ronald D Moore (who is now the poobah of the new Battlestar Galactica).

Fans had a growing distrust of Braga, especially when he moved to Voyager for four primary reasons:

His scripts started to suck balls.
He readily admitted he didn't have much respect for, or interest in, the original Trek.
He was basically a showrunner on Voyager, which didn't really live up to potential.
He pissed off his buddy RDM, who was just coming off a spectacular run on DS9, and drove him from the Voyager staff after 1 episode, never to return to Trek.

Then, he and Berman created Enterprise, while seemingly having a good premise, and totally ignored for 3 years the whole fucking premise/established canon of Trek.

On the plus side, he banged Jeri Ryan.

Still, perhaps freed from the shackles of the huge Trek mythology and coming off some stinging reviews of his tenure with Trek, he can learn and grow and give us some interesting new sci-fi.

I'm sure if you google him, or even "Bermaga," you can find several gigabytes of outright contempt and more of the story. But that's it in a nutshell.

#10

keckler

Network Executive

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 5:51 PM

Known in their mutated, genetically enhanced suckitude as "Bermaga."

TM to me on that.

Hee, Cleo, I don't have any idea.

On the plus side, he banged Jeri Ryan.

And on her plus side, she booted him out.

Edited by keckler, May 19, 2005 @ 5:59 PM.

#11

Java Dog

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 6:50 PM

Keckler, YOU came up with the Brundlefly fusion of "Bermaga?" I've seen that everywhere. I tip my hat even more to your brilliance (over the top already with your newfound appreciation of DS9 and sudden -- but snuffed, sadly -- Trip luuurrrve).

(It's like I truly think I came up with the phrase "from hell." Like, that was the party from hell. Or, that was the furrow from hell. Or the bitch from hell. I applied it to a teacher's daughter in high school, who was preternaturally cute and obnoxious, and she was "the chipmunk from hell." Months later, I saw the phrase everywhere). but I digress.

Would love it if you recapped this for however long it is on. I can feel the snark from here!

Doesn't this sound like a combination of Sphere and The 4400?

On the plus side, he banged Jeri Ryan.

And on her plus side, she booted him out.

Onward and upward to the "family values candidate" who wanted her to have public sex in an S&M club. Or was that before? Sigh, all the good ones are taken.

#12

keckler

Network Executive

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 7:19 PM

Keckler, YOU came up with the Brundlefly fusion of "Bermaga?" I've seen that everywhere. I tip my hat even more to your brilliance (over the top already with your newfound appreciation of DS9 and sudden -- but snuffed, sadly -- Trip luuurrrve).

Yep, in the early days of the Enterprise boards. And now? I hear Jolene Blalock calls them that as well.

#13

Belchimaera

Fanatic

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 10:38 PM

Jolene Blalock is awesome.

Topic? I have adored Carla Gugino from her days as a rich 19th century (?) American sent to England to find a husband with her sister and friends. Anyone know what that was called?

What would I know Charles Dutton from?

#14

keckler

Network Executive

Posted May 19, 2005 @ 11:32 PM

Belch, that was The Buccaneers -- based on the Edith Wharton novel of the same name and it's what I first saw her in as well. Back then she was rounder and more healthy looking. In recent years, she's gotten the lollipop look.

Edited by keckler, May 19, 2005 @ 11:33 PM.

#15

Java Dog

Posted May 20, 2005 @ 7:22 AM

Charles S Dutton is probably best known to genre fans as the righteous, glasses wearing preacher/convict (Dillon) in Alien 3. Or a crappy Fox sitcom called “Roc.”

I like the talent they have lined up for this thing (Braga excluded).

#16

Java Dog

Posted May 20, 2005 @ 8:15 AM

ETA: Stupid newbie double posting

Edited by Java Dog, May 20, 2005 @ 1:39 PM.

#17

keckler

Network Executive

Posted May 20, 2005 @ 1:04 PM

Java Dog, please don't double-post. If you have something to add, edit your previous post using the "edit" button.

#18

Belchimaera

Fanatic

Posted May 20, 2005 @ 5:35 PM

that was The Buccaneers

Ah, thanks boss, that was it. Netflix is telling me that they don't have it, unfortunately. I would like to see it again. She was lovely in that and I prefer the dark hair on her rather than the red of Spy Kids.

#19

keckler

Network Executive

Posted May 21, 2005 @ 12:55 AM

I think we might have it on tape...

#20

Java Dog

Posted May 21, 2005 @ 1:58 PM

Belchimaera and Warden and others concerned about hair color, check out:

Threshold TV Tome Pic

This one and others I've seen released in the last couple of days appear to show dark brunette/black.

#21

scapebabe

Couch Potato

Posted May 22, 2005 @ 3:45 AM

"Molly Anne Caffrey" - I wonder if that's a shout out to Anne McCaffery, and her Harpers books heroine, Menolly...

#22

keckler

Network Executive

Posted May 24, 2005 @ 2:49 PM

I had the exact same wonderment, scapebabe.

#23

keckler

Network Executive

Posted May 27, 2005 @ 5:06 PM

It appears that Mike Sussman (one of the better writers for Enterprise and Voyager) has joined the Threshold team.

#24

Java Dog

Posted May 28, 2005 @ 9:07 AM

As for Sussman, I don’t see too many Trek “clunkers” on his resume. Though he did write Voyager’s ridiculous “The Swarm” and Enterprise's “Regeneration.” But I’m not sure how much pressure was on him for Regeneration to put The Borg in Ent.

On the bright side, for Enterprise, he did several of the series best eps (IMO): Dead Stop, Twilight and the Mirror Darkly eps.

This is good news for Threshold.

#25

Belchimaera

Fanatic

Posted May 28, 2005 @ 10:17 PM

But I’m not sure how much pressure was on him for Regeneration to put The Borg in Ent.

Probably a lot!

The four eps that Java Dog are probably my favourite eps from Enterprise so that does sound good.

#26

Gilmel

Fanatic

Posted May 29, 2005 @ 6:24 PM

I just heard about this show because I'm slow on the uptake. I'll be giving it a chance based on the premise and the non-Braga people involved. If I like it, I'll keep watching.

Is this show going to involve the Navy a lot, or is the Navy just going to discover the aliens and then be out of the picture? If there's a lot of Navy involvement, I can see why CBS put this on Fridays at 9:00. It's the former JAG spot.

#27

flyingleap

Loyal Viewer

Posted May 30, 2005 @ 8:51 PM

Hey, it's gonna have Peter Dinklage in it!

I rented the Station Agent a little while ago, and while I fast-forwarded through most of Bobby Cannavale's babblings, I found Dinklage's performance fascinating. His face is so expressive.

#28

BanjoSteve

Fanatic

Posted Jun 2, 2005 @ 3:42 PM

Wait so there's Peter Dinklage, Charles Dutton, Brent Spiner, and Carla Gugino? If all I knew about a show was that it had this cast, I would be there in a heartbeat. And the premise doesn't sound half bad.

On the Braga point, even though he drove the Star Trek franchise into the ground, I'm hopeful about his involvement in this show. When he was new to Star Trek he wrote some of the series' (nay, the franchise's) best scripts. If you think of TNG, Voy, and Enterprise as one show that's been going for eighteen years straight then it's understandable that someone might burn out. Hopefully, he's only burnt out on Trek and this show will be a smashing success, so much so that he'll be way too busy to pitch in when Paramount decides to resurrect the Trek franchise.

BTW: I'd heard William Mapother (aka the Second Creepiest Person in Tom Cruise's Family) was going to be in this show. Was that just a rumor, or did he get fired or what?

Edited by BanjoSteve, Jun 2, 2005 @ 3:45 PM.

#29

Unusual Suspect

Fanatic

Posted Jun 2, 2005 @ 5:28 PM

Yep, in the early days of the Enterprise boards. And now? I hear Jolene Blalock calls them that as well.

That's just awesome.

I really don't want to have anything to do with a Braga series ... but other factors have me considering it. Dunno, might give it a chance.

#30

hakirby

Fanatic

Posted Jun 3, 2005 @ 8:31 AM

Don't write off the entire season because of one person. I'll watch at least the first episode, and judge it off that.

I'm the first to admit, the word Braga in connection with TV makes me start polishing my gun, but hey...maybe it won't suck.