V (2009 TV series): Difference between revisions
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==Controversy== |
==Controversy== |
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The re-imagined series has been interpreted as an [[allegory]] of the [[presidency of Barack Obama]].<ref name="slate">{{cite web | author = Troy Patterson | date = 2009-11-03| title = Guess Who's Coming To Eat Us for Dinner. The classic '80s series V gets a post-9/11 update.| url = http://www.slate.com/id/2234470/ | work = Slate | accessdate = 2009-11-17 }} </ref><ref name="washpost">{{cite news | author = Lisa de Moraes | date = 2009-08-10 | title = ABC Executives Sound Coy About New TV Series's Political Edge| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/09/AR2009080901970.html | publisher = [[The Washington Post]]| accessdate = 2009-11-17}} </ref><ref name="chitrib">{{cite news | title = 'V' aims at Obamamania| url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-tc-tvcolumn-v-1102-1103nov03,0,7062976.story| publisher = [[Chicago Tribune]]| accessdate = 2009-11-17}}</ref> |
The re-imagined series has been interpreted as an [[allegory]] of the [[presidency of Barack Obama]].<ref name="slate">{{cite web | author = Troy Patterson | date = 2009-11-03| title = Guess Who's Coming To Eat Us for Dinner. The classic '80s series V gets a post-9/11 update.| url = http://www.slate.com/id/2234470/ | work = Slate | accessdate = 2009-11-17 }} </ref><ref name="washpost">{{cite news | author = Lisa de Moraes | date = 2009-08-10 | title = ABC Executives Sound Coy About New TV Series's Political Edge| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/09/AR2009080901970.html | publisher = [[The Washington Post]]| accessdate = 2009-11-17}} </ref><ref name="chitrib">{{cite news | title = 'V' aims at Obamamania| url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-tc-tvcolumn-v-1102-1103nov03,0,7062976.story| publisher = [[Chicago Tribune]]| accessdate = 2009-11-17}}</ref> |
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In his review of the show, Troy Patterson of ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' points out that bloggers and journalists had noticed parallels between the show's premise and the [[Obama]] administration, and writes that "if the show is to have the symbolic import that we expect from a science-fiction story, this is the only possible way to read ''V'' as a coherent text."<ref name="slate" /> Lisa de Moraes of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' noted in her review that the fact the series was debuting on the |
In his review of the show, Troy Patterson of ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' points out that bloggers and journalists had noticed parallels between the show's premise and the [[Obama]] administration, and writes that "if the show is to have the symbolic import that we expect from a science-fiction story, this is the only possible way to read ''V'' as a coherent text."<ref name="slate" /> Lisa de Moraes of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' noted in her review that the fact the series was debuting on the first anniversary of Obama's election "was not lost on some... TV critics" and also remarked that the use of phrases present in the series (such as "hope", "change", and "Universal Health Care" being offered by the Visitors) made it seem as though "[[Lou Dobbs]] had taken over the network, as those things only became popular with the current administration."<ref name="washpost" /> ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reviewer Glenn Garvin called the show "controversial", but took a more down-the-middle approach, saying the series was "a barbed commentary on [[Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008|Obamania]] that will infuriate the president's supporters and delight his detractors."<ref name="chitrib" /> |
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The show's cast and crew deny the charges of bias. Actress Baccarin acknowledges that she had modeled her character, Visitor leader Anna, after politicians but she and series executive producer Peters were surprised by the controversy. At a press conference at Summer TV Press Tour 2009, Peters said that the show was open to interpretation and that "people bring subjective thoughts to it... but there is no particular agenda."<ref name="washpost" /> Bell agreed, stating that it was simply "a show about spaceships."<ref name="slate" /> |
The show's cast and crew deny the charges of bias. Actress Baccarin acknowledges that she had modeled her character, Visitor leader Anna, after politicians but she and series executive producer Peters were surprised by the controversy. At a press conference at Summer TV Press Tour 2009, Peters said that the show was open to interpretation and that "people bring subjective thoughts to it... but there is no particular agenda."<ref name="washpost" /> Bell agreed, stating that it was simply "a show about spaceships."<ref name="slate" /> |
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Revision as of 04:39, 6 December 2009
| V | |
|---|---|
 V intertitle | |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Created by | Kenneth Johnson |
| Developed by | Scott Peters |
| Starring | Elizabeth Mitchell Morris Chestnut Joel Gretsch Logan Huffman Lourdes Benedicto Laura Vandervoort Morena Baccarin Scott Wolf |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Scott Rosenbaum Scott Peters Jace Hall Jeffrey Bell |
| Production location | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Running time | 46 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | November 3, 2009 – present |
| Related | |
| V V: The Final Battle V: The Series | |
V is an American science fiction television series first broadcast on ABC on November 3, 2009.[1][2] A re-imagining of the 1983 miniseries created by Kenneth Johnson, the new series chronicles the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species who ostensibly come in peace, but actually have sinister motives.[3] V stars Morena Baccarin, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Scott Wolf, and is executive produced by Scott Rosenbaum, Scott Peters, and Jace Hall.[4]
Premise
Giant spaceships appear over 29 major cities throughout the world, and Anna (Morena Baccarin), the beautiful and charismatic leader of the extra-terrestrial "Visitors," claims to come in peace. As a small number of humans begin to doubt the sincerity of the seemingly benevolent Visitors, FBI counter-terrorism agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) discovers that the aliens have spent decades infiltrating human governments, businesses, and religious institutions and are now in the final stages of their plan to take over the world. Erica joins the resistance movement, which includes Ryan (Morris Chestnut), a Visitor sleeper agent who wants to save humanity. However, the aliens have won favor among the people of Earth by curing a variety of diseases, and have recruited Earth's youth — including Erica's son Tyler (Logan Huffman) — to serve them unknowingly as spies.[2]
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans — an FBI counter-terrorism agent who stumbles upon the Visitors' true reptilian nature and ulterior motives. Becomes a member of the counter-Visitor Resistance.
- Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols — a Visitor posing as human and trying to undermine the insidious plans of the Visitors.
- Joel Gretsch as Father Jack Landry — a Catholic priest and former U.S. Army chaplain whose unease with the Visitors is soon validated by his alliance with Erica over their discovery of the Visitors' secret.
- Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans — Erica's teenage son who becomes a V collaborator and love-interest of Lisa.
- Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie Stevens — Ryan's fiancee who is unaware of his alien nature. She is pregnant with his baby.
- Laura Vandervoort as Lisa — a beautiful Visitor and love-interest of Tyler. She is the daughter of Visitor High Commander, Anna.
- Morena Baccarin as Anna — the manipulative High Commander of the Visitors and mother of Lisa.
- Scott Wolf as Chad Decker — a news anchor caught between his journalistic ethics and his ambition when his exclusive access to Anna comes with a price.
In August 2009, executive producer Peters suggested that stars from the original version may be offered guest roles as new characters in the future.[5]
Production
The series was announced in May 2009, to be executive produced by Scott Peters, Jace Hall, Steve Pearlman, and Jeffrey Bell.[6] Filming of the post-pilot episodes began on August 10, 2009.[5] Cast member Elizabeth Mitchell noted that the show would do service to the most iconic moments from the original franchise.[7]
Peters later confirmed that in addition to potentially using cast members from the 1983 miniseries, the new series would nod to the original in other ways.[5] He said that when asking people what they thought were the most memorable elements of V, the top responses included "the huge ships, the red uniforms, eating the hamster, and [the] alien baby," adding that "we are well aware of those moments and are looking to put our own little spin on them to tip our hat to the old audience."[5]
Entertainment Weekly put the original V on its 2008 list "The Sci-Fi 25: The Genre's Best Since 1982" and called Visitor leader Diana's devouring of a guinea pig "one of the best TV reveals ever."[8] Asked about the 1983 reveal of the Visitors' reptilian appearance beneath their human disguise, Peters noted "That was the other one, of course... We tried to put our own [spin on it]. We're... a little bit different than their execution of it. It wasn't so much latex mask as it is real flesh and blood."[5] The Hollywood Reporter called the idea behind V "a powerhouse concept that combines conflict, suspense and imagination with some heavy-duty philosophical issues," noting that the update "preserves the original framework but shifts the atmosphere to accommodate contemporary concerns... the militaristic notes will be more subdued. Instead, there will be more of a post-9/11 emphasis on questions of trust and terror."[3]
In September 2009, it was announced that four episodes of V would air in November 2009, and that the series would resume its 13-episode season in March 2010 after the 2010 Winter Olympics.[9] ABC entertainment president Steve McPherson said, "We always intended to break the show up into 'pods' to make it more of an event."[9] As production of the fourth episode of V wrapped, it was announced on November 3, 2009 that Scott Rosenbaum had been named executive producer and showrunner of the series, with Peters and Hall remaining as executive producers.[4] Production on the remaining nine episodes will resume in January 2010 and will air on ABC starting March 30, 2010.[10]
Reception
The series premiere of V garnered generally favorable reviews, scoring 67 out of 100 on Metacritic.[11] E! Online stated "on a scale of 1 to 10, we give it an 11.V is the best pilot we've seen in, well, forever."[12] USA Today's Robert Bianco put V on his list of the top ten new shows, stating that the remake is well-made and "quickly establishes its own identity,"[13] while The Hollywood Reporter called the new series "clever enough for a cult following and accessible enough to reach a broad demo."[3] King Features' entertainment reporter Cindy Elavsky calls V "the best new show on television, by far. The special effects are feature-film quality; the writing is intelligent and time-relevant; and the acting is first-rate. The first five minutes alone will hook you for the entire season."[14] The New York Times wrote that "The ideas in V, about alien encounters and mass delusion and media manipulation, are enticing. It’s too bad that they’re floating around in a show that at this early stage, is so slapdash and formulaic in its storytelling."[15] The Onion's The A.V. Club gave V's premiere a 'C' rating, calling it "rote and by-the-numbers."[16]
Controversy
The re-imagined series has been interpreted as an allegory of the presidency of Barack Obama.[17][18][19] In his review of the show, Troy Patterson of Slate points out that bloggers and journalists had noticed parallels between the show's premise and the Obama administration, and writes that "if the show is to have the symbolic import that we expect from a science-fiction story, this is the only possible way to read V as a coherent text."[17] Lisa de Moraes of The Washington Post noted in her review that the fact the series was debuting on the first anniversary of Obama's election "was not lost on some... TV critics" and also remarked that the use of phrases present in the series (such as "hope", "change", and "Universal Health Care" being offered by the Visitors) made it seem as though "Lou Dobbs had taken over the network, as those things only became popular with the current administration."[18] Chicago Tribune reviewer Glenn Garvin called the show "controversial", but took a more down-the-middle approach, saying the series was "a barbed commentary on Obamania that will infuriate the president's supporters and delight his detractors."[19]
The show's cast and crew deny the charges of bias. Actress Baccarin acknowledges that she had modeled her character, Visitor leader Anna, after politicians but she and series executive producer Peters were surprised by the controversy. At a press conference at Summer TV Press Tour 2009, Peters said that the show was open to interpretation and that "people bring subjective thoughts to it... but there is no particular agenda."[18] Bell agreed, stating that it was simply "a show about spaceships."[17]
US Nielsen ratings
Weekly ratings
| Order | Episode | Original airdate | Rating | Share | Rating/share (18-49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Rank (Timeslot) |
Rank (Night) |
18-49 Rank (Timeslot) |
18-49 Rank (Night) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | November 3, 2009 | 8.5[20] | 14[20] | 5.2/14[21] | 14.30[21] | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | "There Is No Normal Anymore" | November 10, 2009 | 8.7 | 12 | 3.8/10[22] | 10.70[22] | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | "A Bright New Day" | November 17, 2009 | 6.0 | 9 | 3.1/9[23] | 9.26[23] | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | "It's Only the Beginning" | November 24, 2009 | 5.6 | 9 | 3.1/9[24] | 9.20[24] | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
References
- ^ Rice, Lynette (July 25, 2009). "V: ABC's alien series invades Comic-Con—but does it come in peace?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Brian Ford (August 8, 2009). "ABC Books V for November 3rd". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ a b c Garron, Barry (October 30, 2009). "V -- TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
- ^ a b Abrams, Natalie (November 3, 2009). "V Switches Showrunner". TVGuide.com. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Lee, Patrick (August 11, 2009). "V producer on who might return and other homages". SciFiWire.com. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ McPherson, Stephen (May 19, 2009). "ABC Unveils 2009-2010 Primetime Schedule" (PDF). ABC Medianet. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ French, Dan (July 29, 2009). "Elizabeth Mitchell talks Lost, V". DigitalSpy.com. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ Jensen, Jeff (December 11, 2008). "The Sci-Fi 25: The Genre's Best Since 1982". Entertainment Weekly. EW.com. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
- ^ a b Abrams, Natalie (September 25, 2009). "ABC's V to Take a Break". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
- ^ "FLASHFORWARD AND V TO RETURN IN MARCH 2010". ABC Medianet.
- ^ "V: Series reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
- ^ Team WWK (July 6, 2009). "Spoiler Chat: Who's taking a break from Grey's Anatomy?". E! Online. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
- ^ Bianco, Robert (September 4, 2009). "Robert Bianco's top 10 new fall shows: Laughs, chills, music". USA Today. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ Elavsky, Cindy (October 15, 2009). "The New V Is Must-Watch TV!". Celebrity Extra. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
- ^ Hale, Mike (November 2, 2009). "They Came From Beyond, Sexy and Media Savvy". The New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
- ^ Sims, David (November 3, 2009). "V: Pilot". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
- ^ a b c Troy Patterson (2009-11-03). "Guess Who's Coming To Eat Us for Dinner. The classic '80s series V gets a post-9/11 update". Slate. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ a b c Lisa de Moraes (2009-08-10). "ABC Executives Sound Coy About New TV Series's Political Edge". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ a b "'V' aims at Obamamania". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ a b Rick Porter (2009-11-4). "TV ratings: 'V' starts strong Tuesday". Retrieved 2009-11-18.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Robert Seidman (2009-11-04). "Broadcast finals: V premiere increases to a 5.2 adults 18-49 rating; Jay Leno bests The Forgotten". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ a b Robert Seidman (2009-11-11). "Tuesday broadcast finals: V, NCIS up slightly". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ a b Robert Seidman (2009-11-18). "UPDATED TV Ratings Tuesday: Melrose Place Gets Locklear Ratings Bump, V Keeps Falling". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
- ^ a b Robert Seidman (2009-11-25). "TV Ratings Tuesday: Dancing With The Stars Finale Puts ABC Over CBS; V Holds Steady". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved 2009-11-25.