Review: TNT's LEGENDS - the many minds of Mr Bean

LEGENDS is a new procedural from U.S cable's TNT, developed by Howard Gordon (24, Homeland), Jeffrey Nachmanoff (The Day After Tomorrow), and Mark Bomback (Die Hard 4.0), adapting a novel by Robert Littell called Legends: A Novel of Dissimulation. It stars Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) as FBI undercover specialist Martin Odum; a man so gifted at creating fake personalities, that he's developing some identity issues, but he's the MVP of the FBI's Deep Cover Operations (DCO); led by Nelson Gates (Steve Harris), with colleagues Crystal McGuire (Ali Larter), Tony Rice (Morris Chestnut), and Maggie Harris (Tina Majorino).

Review: TNT's THE LAST SHIP

written by Hank Steinberg & Steven Kane | directed by Jonathan Mostow

You can tell TNT's summer drama The Last Ship is based on a 1988 novel, because it reeks of that decade's Cold War attitude and US jingoism—despite being updated to a 21st-century setting. You can also tell it's been produced by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company, because it feels like he called in favours with the US Navy and—oh, look—U-571 director Jonathan Mostow is behind the camera for the pilot. Throw in artistes like Rhona Mitra (the poor man's Kate Beckinsale) and Chuck's Adam Baldwin (a Baldwin so low down the sibling's pecking order he's not, um, technically part of Alec's family), and you know exactly what to expect from this slice of summer escapism.

MSN TV: Channel 5's DALLAS (season 2)

Over at MSN today: I've reviewed the second season premiere of DALLAS, which started on Channel 5 last night (a day after its US premiere on TNT). The cast are all back for another year of backstabbing, intricate cons and cruel deceptions... although the cloud of legendary Larry Hagman's demise looms...

Season one only ended in the UK last December, but Dallas is back already for a second run. I can comfortably say this revival has been an unexpected success, mainly because showrunner Cynthia Cidre quickly established a fantastic balance between old and new. The new, glossier Dallas has reverence for the original characters and its long history, but it never feels like a closed door to newcomers. The decision to have the show focus on the Ewing children - eco-warrior Christopher (Jesse Metcale) and his deceitful cousin John Ross (Josh Henderson) - was a masterstroke. It still allows for excellent support from the elders of their tribe - equable Bobby and power-hungry tycoon JR...

Continue reading at MSN TV...

TNT pickup Darabont's L.A NOIR

After writer-director Frank Darabont was fired from AMC's The Walking Dead, he almost immediately started work adapting John Buntin's book L.A Noir for television.

The book tells of the epic battle between the LAPD and Mickey Cohen, a former boxer turned mob boss in the 1940s. Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Pacific) will play the lead, an ex-Marine turned cop who also has to deal with the corrupt police force around him. Also involved are Neal McDonough (Justified), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Jeremy Strong (The Happening) and Jeffrey DeMunn (The Walking Dead).

Thomas Jane (Hung, The Mist) will also guest-star in the pilot as a gangster with anger management issues called Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, while Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) will appear as a mediocre comedian and mob associate.

Cable network TNT (who are behind Falling Skies) have picked up L.A Noir for a brief six episode run, according to Variety—showing similar caution to AMC when they first announced The Walking Dead. If L.A Noir's a success, expect a more usual 10-13 episode second season.

MSN TV Review: DALLAS (Channel 5)

Today at MSN TV, I turn my attention to the unlikely revival of '80s soap DALLAS, which just had its UK premiere on Channel 5. Has the show struck black gold, or should it never have been dug up?

"If you're under 35, you may not recall watching the original series of Dallas, but surely every TV fan is aware of the famous "who shot JR?" cliffhanger. Dallas produced 357 episodes over 13 years, but the second season cliffhanger was undoubtedly its crowning glory; antihero JR Ewing (Larry Hagman) was shot by an unseen assailant. The culprit was revealed to be his sister-in-law, Kristen Shepherd. His wife's sister! Dirty, dirty man. Its second claim to everlasting TV fame is less reputable. Season nine had to be written off as a dream of Pamela Ewing's (Victoria Principal) in order to undo the 'death' of husband Bobby (Patrick Duffy had left the show and it was the only way he could be brought back). She found Bobby alive and well in the shower." Continue reading...

What else am I watching?

The TV shows I review aren't all I watch. Oh no. My TiVo is full of many things, which I don't have the time to write about, so here's a brief insight into my DVR's weekly recordings...

The Midnight Beast (E4, Thursdays). I reviewed the pilot, which was promising, and have stuck with E4's Flight Of The Conchords-esque teen comedy. I still wish it was better written, have to say. The trio are very likeable and most of their songs are fun (if getting slightly repetitive in style), but each episode's story and the jokes haven't grabbed me. It's a pleasant diversion, but nothing I'm in a rush to watch.

The Ricky Gervais Show (E4, Wednesdays). I often watch this when I have a half-hour to fill, and it makes me chuckle. Karl Pilkington works better in an audio or animated context than live-action (An Idiot Abroad), although the quality of his anecdotes and left-field thinking has taken a dip this series. You have to wonder how many times they can pick his brains before, well, he runs out of brains worth picking.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (LoveFilm streaming). I was planning to watch Veronica Mars this summer, but then I noticed that LoveFilm have every season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer available on streaming. So rather than fork out for a Mars box-set (which are oddly expensive at £25 each, considering it was a little-known show in the UK), I decided to watch Buffy online. I'm only a few episodes into season 1 and, yeah, it's bringing back memories of why I stopped watching in 1997. The difference now is this: I know it gets a LOT better, or so I've always been told by Whedonites.

Revenge (E4, Mondays). I enjoyed the pilot (but only on second viewing), and thus series-linked this on my TiVo. But to be honest, I'm getting a little bored now. I was about to stop watching recently, but then a good episode gave me pause. I'll persevere, for now. It's alright, just not as juicy and gripping as I was expecting it to be, and Emily Van Camp's becoming so wooden she's starting to grow acorns. Please let her loosen up. I know she's out for revenge, which is a nasty business, but she just looks so damned suspicious all of the time. Learn some misdirection skills, girl.

Line of Duty (BBC1, Tuesdays). This BBC1 cop drama gives Lennie James (Jericho) a chance for Luther-style glory now he's back on home turf, and he's certainly the main reason to watch. The problem with LoD, beyond the usual BBC irritation of episodes being far too long at a full HOUR, is that I find the "good cop" hero a vacuum of charisma. So I'm on the side of "bad cop" James, which I didn't think was intended. But maybe it is, as the plot thickens and we learn more about the characters. I have a feeling my opinion will change once the final episode airs, but as of right now... I just wish this show was a more clear-cut case of Vicky McClure vs Lennie James, because that would be 100x more exciting to me than watching Captain Charisma-less every week.

Big Brother (Channel 5, nightly). Yeah, I'm still watching this show, for my sins. It hasn't been a good year, admittedly. There are no outright monsters (although Caroline comes close at times), a few of the best housemates have been evicted too early, another tedious "bullying" controversy is brewing over nothing, the big "showmance" of Pob-like Ashleigh and Max Beesley clone Luke S is tedious, and nothing has really developed between the housemates that means you want to keep tuning in. It hasn't been particularly funny or cringe-making. I'd rather it be over and we move onto the celebrity version.

The Bachelor (Channel 5, Fridays). I know! It's a very lowbrow show, but this is trash TV done in style. Everything about it makes me giggle, because it's a show where everyone involved is deluded and blissfully unaware the audience is laughing at them. Made In Chelsea prat Spencer Matthews isn't as famous as last year's metrosexual rugby player Gavin Henson, unfortunately, but it helps the show that he's more forthcoming and less shy. The potential girlfriends are the usual mix of bimbos, bitches, and busty wannabes. It's all good fun, capped off with a pitch-perfect faux-serious narration by Hugo Speer. (Yes, that guy from The Full Monty.)

Louie (FX, Thursdays). See, I still find time for quality. Think of Big Brother and The Bachelor as sorbets. I reviewed the season 3 premiere, and have been watching the episodes since. It hasn't really tickled my funnybone much this year, although I enjoyed the Miami episode and episode 2's oral sex scene with Melissa Leo. The recent episode with Parker Posey was also really nice, but it's yet to really hit its stride. I sure hope Louie C.K hasn't used up all his best material for series 1 and 2, meaning this third year's only going to have a few diamonds in the rough.

Continuum (Showcase, Sundays). I surprised myself by really enjoying the first few episodes of this Canadian sci-fi drama, but I've cooled now. (Much like the ratings, which have halved.) It's alright, but it's starting to feel like the concept's too narrow. I think I'd like future-cop Cameron to fight other crimes occasionally, without so much focus on the Liber8 baddies from the future. It kind of makes sense that she's more concerned about them, but from a viewer perspective I'm getting a little bored with that group now. I also wish they'd hurry up and make it clearer that the baddies have principles that aren't crazy-sounding to people in the present, and only Cameron thinks what they believe in is strange (as a brainwashed citizen of a future state run by conglomerates). The show dances around this issue so much that I sometimes think I've misunderstood the subtext.

The Newsroom (Sky Atlantic, Tuesdays). It's split opinion in the US, and I can see the show's flaws regarding its retrospective storytelling and female characters, but the dialogue still has sparkle and the performances are very committed. A fascinating failure in some ways, but I don't think it's fair to write Aaron Sorkin's latest show off just yet. Maybe it's a good sign he's fired all the writing staff? A similar move helped The Walking Dead in series 2, after all.

Dynamo: Magician Impossible (Watch, Thursdays). Series 2 has featured a lot of routine street magic and simple tricks in fancy new clothing, but there has also been some truly mind-boggling moments. Dynamo himself remains the main reason to watch, mainly because he's basically a scrawny geek who's getting away with ripping off David Blaine. His patter even steals the same phrases, like "I want to try something..." But it's glossy to look at, and every episode is almost guaranteed to have three tricks that make you reconsider the existence of witchcraft. He vanished while walking through HMV! He flew over a nightclub crowd! He walked down the side of an L.A building, horizontally!

Falling Skies (FX UK, Tuesdays). I like some of the improvements they've made in season 2, but I'm finding it hard to care about anything at this point. Maybe the whole alien invasion subgenre is just too overplayed? I don't like most of the characters, which doesn't help. It's just hard to see what the point is, because they're obviously not going to defeat the aliens for a long time yet, and watching the daily survival of a group I don't much like isn't fun. Brilliant CGI and alien creatures, though.

Parents (Fridays, Sky1) A very enjoyable family sitcom that's already my favourite Sky comedy. Good performances, regular laughs, and a very pleasant atmosphere. It's nothing radical that I'm desperate for others to discover, but it's a nice half-hour of easygoing laughs and the occasional twist of emotion. Maybe the conceptual joke of a career-minded mum being forced to move back in with her old-fashioned parents, family in tow, will start to flag after awhile... but for now, this is working a treat.

So that's what I've been watching, in addition to Sinbad, True Blood and Breaking Bad--what about you?

Review: FALLING SKIES, 2.1 & 2.2 - "World's Apart" & "Shall We Gather at the River"

**½ (out of four)

I really enjoyed the first batch of Falling Skies episodes from season 1, but then the show started to spin its wheels and my interest diminished. I managed to watch the whole season, but beyond a few moments the show didn't capitalise on its concept and make its characters matter. Even now, I struggle to remember people's names, have no real connection with the majority of folk, and don't feel compelled to keep watching. Although, on a visual level, Falling Skies at least delivers the goods. The various alien paraphernalia, but particularly the two alien breeds themselves (the crab-like "skitters" and their sleek humanoid “Overlords"), look absolutely terrific. There appears to have been improvements with skin texture and animation between seasons, because they're remarkably lifelike and realistic this year. It's just a pity the humans don't leap off the screen as much.

Last season ended similarly to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, if Spielberg's aliens had been aggressors, with historian action hero Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) agreeing to board an alien ship to prevent his sons coming to harm. The two-part premiere (aptly airing on Father's Day) played around with chronology, featuring a jump forward in time by three months and subsequent use of flashbacks, but I was glad writer Mark Verheiden (Battlestar Galactica) played fair with the audience. We still got a decent look inside the spaceship Tom entered, in scenes echoing Fire In The Sky at times, and our first human/Overlord interaction.

The show feels like it's on surer footing when the humans are interacting with aliens, either personally or during a military attack in the streets. It's only when the focus shifts to the characters that you find yourself struggling to care sometimes. Wyle's great as the everyman protagonist trying to protect his three kids, and I like world-weary Captain Weaver (Will Patton doing Lee Majors), but almost everyone else are just vaguely familiar faces--still. And that's a shame, because I'd love to really care about the Mason's as a family dynamic, but I don't. The adults definitely need to rise up and take charge more; particularly Moon Bloodgood as Dr Glass and "bad boy" Pauly Shore-alike Colin Cunningham as biker/chef Pope. At least we have a few new faces introduced in this two-part premiere, such as engineer Jamil (The Killing's Brandon Jay McLaren), who may prove more immediately successful.

Overall, I'm going to stay positive about Falling Skies. I think the writers know what worked and failed last year, and there are some astute improvements already; like how the resistance is now fully mobile, which is great because the pacing was ruined by the frugal decision to have them take sanctuary in a high school for most of season 1. If the kids become better written, the adults take charge more, the action become more roving, and the overall story develop in enjoyable ways, Falling Skies could grow into a genuinely good alien invasion for the small-screen. It's one to keep watching and hoping for the best, because the conceptual basics are there, and lord knows the budget is.

written by Mark Verheiden (2.1) & Bradley Thompson & David Weddle (2.2) / directed by Greg Beeman / 17 June 2012 / TNT

FALLING SKIES, season 1 finale

Sorry about the delay posting this. To be honest, it totally slipped my mind. Anyway, I stopped reviewing Falling Skies after "Sanctuary: Part 1" because I was bitterly disappointed by the conclusion, which was so predictable I could hardly believe what I was seeing. When Skies began I enjoyed some of its elements and creative decisions (the fantastic design of the aliens, the strong relationship between Tom and his three sons), but then its problems grew more noticeable (insipid female characters, that interminable high school location—which the aliens don't just bomb). Given the show's emphasis on children (protect them, cherish them), it also grew very mawkish in my mind. But I stuck with the show, so here are my random thoughts on the final three episodes:

• Many readers here were spot-on about the "skitters" themselves being enslaved by a higher alien intelligence. The emergence of tall, humanoid, fish-faced aliens therefore lacked the intended surprise for me, but I appreciated the development. I'm sure one of the crab-like skitters will be "unharnessed" soon and become an ally, which will be fun if it happens.
• The sudden decision to turn Weaver (Will Patton) into a drug-addicted liability didn't work as well as it could have. It felt like a random idea tossed into the season, to create internal drama at the end. And who the hell was Lt Danner, the soldier loyal to Weaver who became a big obstacle for Tom? Has he even been on the show before episode 9? Much about Weaver's fall from grace didn't ring true to me. Maybe if we'd seen him popping pills before now, or something, it may have worked better.
• I was disappointed that Pope's (Colin Cunningham) role in the show didn't go anywhere interesting. It was fun to see him develop bullets capable of puncturing the "mechs", but he was ultimately a weak version of Lost's Sawyer. He had a few nice moments, but the character just didn't work as well as I’d hoped. Too flimsily written.
• It was cool that unharnessed Rick (Daniyah Ysrail) was revealed to still be loyal to the aliens, as their brainwashing hadn't worn off. The idea that the aliens can be confused by transmitting a specific radio signal was nicely done, with Ben (Connor Jessup) instrumental in finding the correct frequency because he's affected by radio waves himself. It's just a shame it became clear Jessup's a poor actor—who also reminded me of X Factor loser Eoghan Quigg, which was distracting.
• I was frustrated that Dr Glass (Moon Bloodgood) kept being wasted—especially because you could sense she'd be great in a more proactive role. Having Glass stuck indoors as the group's resident doctor, nursing injuries and eventually smooching with Tom just wasn't very interesting. Bloodgood's an attractive woman who, as we know from Terminator Salvation, makes for a credible action star... so why not utilize that?
• The actual two-part finale wasn't too shabby, although I was hoping for something far grander. The season's cliffhanger, with Tom willingly abducted by a humanoid alien, who are intrigued by the tenacity of human resistance, didn't really work for me. Are they going to interrogate Tom on their ship? It just struck me as very odd; a scene that exists because it would make for an unexpected conclusion to the season.

So what was that enormous crane-like structure over Boston? Do these aliens have motherships? What do they want from us? There's still an awful lot of questions that Skies hasn't even started to answer. I'm not even sure if there are survivors beyond Massachusetts, across the US and the wider world. I guess that's fine. You don't expect a show to reveal everything in season 1, but I do wish we had some kind of rudimentary understanding about what the enemy are up to.

Overall, Falling Skies isn't a bad series, but its only significant strength was the intriguing mythology created for the aliens, which were themselves fantastic creations. The cast were decent, but we didn't really learn much about them over ten hours. I'd have enjoyed pre-invasion flashbacks to get a better sense of who these people are, but none came—and the way the characters were developed in the present wasn't that strong. Tom's an egghead with strong paternal feelings, Weaver's a self-righteous tough guy, Glass is very empathetic, Pope's a charismatic bad boy.

The limitations of a cable TV budget didn't help Falling Skies capitalize on its global premise. The high school became a very limiting location, and there was never any sense of what the aliens are actually doing to capture the survivors. It makes more sense for the 2nd Mass to be constantly on the move, but the show couldn't cope with the demands on the production that would cause. I wish we'd had more scenes focusing on the human cost of this situation, too—like that scene when everyone enjoyed watching a movie outdoors. (We'll ignore the fact it's the equivalent of lighting a bonfire and flares, shouting their location to the enemy!)

What did you make of this series? I've heard some people say it started poorly and got progressively better, while others say the opposite. Or was it entirely a wasted effort that squandered its potential?

written by Mark Verheiden (1.8 & 1.10) & Joe Weisberg (1.9) / directed by Anthony Hemingway (1.8), Holly Dale (1.9) & Greg Beeman (1.10) / 31 July & 7 August 2011

FALLING SKIES, 1.6 - "Sanctuary: Part 1"

"Sanctuary: Part 1" was a decent episode that eventually pushed Falling Skies into different territory (literally, with a new location), but I don't have much to say about it. I liked the opening—with a father stealing medicine because he wants to leave the 2nd Mass with his family, who are freaked by recent goings-on—and there was a terrific set-piece with kid-soldier Jimmy (Dylan Authors) surviving a Mech attack and then being confronted by a Skitter angrily bursting an inflatable Earth, but the episode only piqued my interest in its dying moments...

This occurred when Terry Clayton (Henry Czerny), a military pal of Weaver's (Will Patton) from a vanquished platoon, was revealed to be collaborating with the aliens. In a parallel to the Blitz, the 2nd Mass's children were evacuated under Clayton's command to a country retreat, unaware he intends to hand them over to the Skitters. And the cherry on top was discovering that Clayton only learned the 2nd Mass were protecting kids after torturing the captured Pope (Chris Cunningham) for information.

It was a great ending that had me eager to see what happens next, but this was otherwise an hour of simple adjustment. I'm glad Falling Skies has realized it can't hang around that high school for much longer and is starting to branch out, though. There's still no explanation for why Ben (Connor Jessup) was "unharnessed" from his parasite and has recovered better than Rick did (he's even endowed with increased strength), but I trust that will come. The mystery of why the Skitters need human children is the show's best hook, and Skies is doing a good job teasing us with what it all means. I remain convinced the writers were inspired by Torchwood: Children Of Men's own child-coveting ETs, but they're adding a few interesting twists.

I'm still enjoying Falling Skies, let's be clear, but the potential of early episodes hasn't evolved into anything transcendent yet. It's advertised as a big-budget "TV event" epic with Spielberg's name reminding you of a small-screen War Of The Worlds—but it's really just a competent, sometimes interesting apocalyptic drama, with a tolerable budget. There are a handful of good ideas, some fantastic aliens, and an engaging if clichéd performance from Patton (here given a great paternal moment with a boy who just got the scare of his life), but it needs work bringing everything together in a special way that excites its audience. Successful television drama is often alchemical, and Falling Skies hasn't quite found a unique voice from within itself (possibly because its well-trodden concept can't break free of intrinsic mustiness), but there are definite flashes of gold here and there. Fool's gold? That's for you to decide. But now we've started the second-half of season 1, with another 10 episodes in development for next summer, your demand as a viewer naturally increases. I hope the show rises to this tough challenge.

written by Joel Anderson Thompson / directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan / 17 July 2011 / TNT

FALLING SKIES, 1.5 - "Silent Kill"

The midpoint of this ten-part season (which has already been renewed by TNT) was a good one, but a few concerns about this show are creeping in. Primarily, I'm bored of the high school the survivors use as their HQ, mainly because I was under the impression this show would be about a group on the move. We've spent half the season in dark corridors and classrooms, and it's beginning to bug me. I know the show needs a base of operations, and a school makes for an interesting one, but it's starting to feel strange the aliens can't find where they're hiding. I much preferred the nomadic feel to Skies in those first few episodes, with a crowd of people on the move, so hope we get back to that soon. It doesn't help that a TNT budget isn't likely to stretch to the kind of city-wide destruction the concept calls for.

It also irritates me that they killed Dr Harris (Steven Weber) so brusquely. The character hadn't been around long enough for us to be upset about his demise, sure, but he'd been around long enough for us to feel he's been a waste of time now. Mere episodes after his debut, he's been murdered by the skitter they captured because he got too close to its cage? It was probably intended to be a shock to the audience (a sign that nobody's safe), but it didn't work. It just feels like they've disposed of one of the few adult characters you can easily identify, outside of Tom (Noah Wyle), Anne (Moon Bloodgood) and Weaver (Will Patton).

The episode's story was very simple: extract the harnessed children from a compound the skitters are living in, with Tom's son Ben being a key reason the mission's going ahead. The rescue plan, developed by Ben's older brother Hal (Drew Roy), involved the classic ploy of disguising yourself as something the enemy won't be suspicious of (in this case a harnessed boy), with Hal entering the lion's den to rescue as many kids as he can. It seems everyone's forgotten about the alien's threat they'll kill an equal number of innocent children for every one liberated, strangely! I hope they can live with the knowledge rescuing this small group has condemned other kids to death—but maybe that threat was just bravado and the skitters value the kids too much to kill them?

And just what is it with these kids, anyway? When Hal entered the compound, the skitter inside was exhibiting affection for the children it has in its control. Are the aliens incapable of having children of their own, making these human children surrogates? Or do they just treat their slaves with more compassion than we'd expect to in human instances of the relationship?

There was another welcome clue about Weaver's back-story again (a particular song reminds him of something he'd rather forget), and an additional piece of information about Anne (she has a son who is missing presumed dead), but this was mainly an episode focused on the daring rescue mission. It even ended on a happy note, with Ben awakening from his harness-removal surgery and recognizing his father. Is Tom's family united once again, or is there a sting in the tail for next week?

A shorter review this week, as I'm getting to the point where I'm not sure Falling Skies is complex or profound enough to warrant weekly reviews. I've pretty much said all I want to say about the show, as it stands right now, but hopefully things will develop and improve to inspire more thoughts.

written by Joe Weisberg / directed by Fred Toye / 10 July 2011 / TNT

TNT renew FALLING SKIES for season 2

The Steven Spielberg-produced alien invasion drama Falling Skies has been renewed for a second season by TNT, after airing just four episodes of its 10-part run. The show has proven to be a ratings smash, with a gigantic 5.91m watching the premiere (the year's best US cable launch), and the drop-off over subsequent weeks still places it at a very good 4.07m.

Michael Wright, TNT's Head of Programming:

"Falling Skies is a true standout series, from its ambitious storytelling, high-profile cast and production team to its phenomenal success when it comes to international and time-shifted viewing. We're reaching new audiences with Falling Skies and look forward to seeing where this fascinating and exciting series takes us next."

Producer Mark Verheiden recently revealed Skies' writers have already started planning for a second season, saying:

"When you get to the end of the first season you'll see that we've just scratched the surface about what's going on, so there are definitely long-term plans."

And now we'll be able to see what those plans are next year! Also, audiences don't have to fear being left in the lurch at the end of season 1, as Camelot and The Event's fans have been recently, so that's a relief.

Falling Skies continues every Sunday on TNT, and has just started airing on FX UK every Tuesday. The second season will debut next summer with another 10 episodes.

TV Ratings: FALLING SKIES (FX), season 1 premiere; LUTHER (BBC1), series 2 finale

TNT's post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama Falling Skies received its UK premiere last night on FX at 9pm. It managed a very promising 423,000, with an audience share of 1.3% over its hour. This is way down on FX's ratings for The Walking Dead's launch last year (736k), but Skies received nowhere near the same level of promotion and marketing.

Simultaneously on BBC One, gritty crime thriller Luther came to a conclusion with its fourth episode, managing to entice a year overnight high of 5.74m (24.8% of the audience). It comfortably beat its terrestrial competition, which included ITV1's Sextuplets: The Little Lambs (3.04m) and Channel 4's new series of Undercover Boss (2.59m).

FALLING SKIES, 1.4 - "Grace"

Another good episode of a show where the only major obstacle is the fact audiences are overdosed on alien invasions lately—with movies like Battle: Los Angeles, Skyline and Super 8, or TV dramas such as V and The Event. I'm pleased the emphasis of Falling Skies is on character and the show's not boring viewers too much, with enough fresh insights into its bug-like aliens to keep you watching if the characters haven't quite grabbed you yet.

A particular success has been the alien "skitters" themselves; masterfully brought to life using a mix of CGI and traditional puppetry. It's great to see a show with aliens that aren't entirely digital (and therefore detached from scenes) or humans with makeup/CGI augmenting their appearance. The skitters are tangible beings and this really helps sell the show's reality, particularly in an episode that was all about the survivors trying to communicate with the ET they've captured and caged. It was a little predictable that Dr Anne (Moon Bloodgood) would favour the benevolent approach of showing the skitter photos of Earth and the Milky Way to try and start a dialogue, while Dr Michael (Steven Weber) preferred to scare the creature by showing it an alien corpse, but in general these scenes worked well. Like the characters, we're interested in these aliens. Why are they here? Where did they come from? What do they want? Are there more coming? Can peace be achieved? Why do they enslave children?

Oh yes, the enslaved children. That element of Skies is also working very nicely, as we learned the aliens aren't so much brainwashing children using spinal "harnesses", but literally controlling them telepathically (as they can broadcast something akin to radio waves mentally). And the removal of a harness doesn't automatically mean freedom, as one creepy sequence proved when the imprisoned skitter willed Rick (Daniyah Ysrayl) into reattaching his removed harness and opening its cage. The subtext of an African-American boy being the figurehead of the enslaved kids also gave the situation added resonance. So are kids just more susceptible to alien mind-control? What added benefit does the harness have, if a skitter could control a child who wasn't wearing one? If a child goes through puberty, will they regain control of themselves? If so, will their memories return, as amnesia is another problem that needs to be overcome with unharnessed children. Do the harnesses apparently cure sicknesses in the children so they make better slaves, or is there another reason the aliens need the kids in tip-top condition?

I keep saying this show has a focus on character, which I stand by, but it would be nice to get to know the individuals a little better. Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) has quite rightly been given the most attention, and it's clear what the roguish Pope (Colin Cunningham) is all about, but characters like Anne and Dai (Peter Shinkoda) are still just familiar faces long for the ride. We're not so far into the show that it's a huge problem just yet, as knowing someone's basic personality type and role is enough to be getting on with, but I hope Skies has a few stories to flesh out the supporting players. It would be particularly good to learn more about the redoubtable Weaver (Will Patton), who occasionally drops hints of a tragic past, but is close to an archetypal cliché—almost a cut-price Stephen Lang.

Overall, I'm finding this show to be very easy to watch and it's managing to develop its nascent mythology well, as we learn a little more about the aliens every week. There's a good balance of character-based moments and zippy action sequences (such as a moment when harnessed children lay siege to a motorcycle dealer's and the group inside couldn't retaliate, or when Pope discovered a nest of skitters hanging upside-down like bats beneath a bridge), and I'm enjoying how the story's gradually unfolding. There's less of the inconsistent pacing that spoiled The Walking Dead (a brief six-part season, tarnished by dreadful longueurs), and it's less obvious where things are headed, despite the fact the concept's been seen countless times. That's a neat trick to be pulling off for a show so young.

written by Melinda Hsu Taylor / directed by Fred Toye / 3 July 2011 / TNT

Jump the Blast #20 & #21 - Falling Skies & White Collar

It's the final edition of Jump the Blast, so here comes a double-bill courtesy of regular reader David H. The first is taken from the pilot of sci-fi drama FALLING SKIES, with Ben Mason (Noah Wyle) flung through the air after an alien "mech" takes a shot at him. A well-timed jump, arms nicely spread apart, so he'll live to fight invading ETs another day. Perfect.

And finally, David's next submission comes from the season 1 finale of WHITE COLLAR, where notorious thief Neil Caffrey (Matthew Bomer) is about to get on a plane to escape the police, only for it to explode--along with his dreams of starting another life with his girlfriend. I particularly like the way the explosion appears to bend Caffrey's spine slightly, although the "jump" becomes more of a forward stumble in the end.

And that's it! I think 21 submissions since January is enough. I may revive this feature again someday, you never know, but not if I find something more popular. A huge thank you to the handful of people who submitted screengrabs over the past six months—specially Laura Schumacher, who was almost keeping the whole feature alive these past few months. It's a shame more people didn't get involved and e-mail me screengrabs, but also understandable. I hope it was in some way entertaining for everyone. It certainly helped plug a few gaps whenever there was a slow news day or nothing worth reviewing on TV. Um, like today!

If you want to take a look at all the Jump The Blast moments, simple click this link for a trip down memory flame...

FALLING SKIES, 1.3 - "Prisoner Of War"

Falling Skies is already higher up in my estimation than The Walking Dead ever was. It helps that an alien invasion is more interesting than a zombie apocalypse—because zombies represent a decay that can't be reversed, only halted. There aren't many examples of a zombie story with a truly happy ending, or much to say about zombies themselves once you've established the rules governing them and pondered their allegories for the millionth time. Aliens are a different matter entirely because they're intelligent beings we can communicate with, and there's more hope in a situation where humanity's been ostensibly overcome by extra-terrestrial invaders. It's just a broader canvas to paint on, basically—even if a great many artists have already tackled that particular painting. But you could say the same thing about the zombie genre, too...

"Prisoner Of War" was a very decent follow-up to the two-part premiere, where ordinarily you'd expect a drop in quality. In this episode, Dr Michael Harris (Steven Weber) joined the 2nd Mass, claiming he has the expertise to safely remove (or "unharness") the lobster-like devices the alien "skitters" attach to the spine of human children in order to control them. Naturally this inspired great hope among parents of children who are currently enslaved—in particular Mike (Martin Roach), whose son Rick (Daniyah Ysrayl) was eventually recaptured from the enemy and underwent the procedure. It was a high-tech process that involved, um, a blowtorch.

As I said in my review last week, the only problem facing Falling Skies is that it's hard to hit a wellspring of ideas that haven't been done before in some way. The creepy notion of brainwashed children doing the alien's bidding is the show's only unique aspect to Falling Skies, so far, and easily its silliest. Do advanced aliens from another world really need children to work as slave labour? I hope the show has a good explanation for this. Still, it gives the majority of Skies' characters something to fight for (they even made a Battlestar Galactica-inspired wall of missing kids), and it's a mission that doesn't feel almost impossible when compared to defeating an alien occupier.

In its favour, I'm enjoying how the show doesn't shy away from giving us a good look at the District 9-esque aliens (in both their "mecha" and "skitter" forms), and each episode has so far delivered enough surprising moments. Here, the aliens made it clear they'll ruthlessly slaughter a gang of children every time one is successfully rescued, by demonstrating that fact in front of Tom's son Hal (Drew Roy). And the later reveal that Dr Harris effectively let Tom's wife die during the alien invasion was also nicely handled, with Wyle and Weber proving to have a good rapport together.

I'm not sure what to make of wily Pope (Colin Cunningham) just now; the scumbag leader of the street gang encountered in episode 2, who's become a prisoner of war. He reminds me of Lost's Sawyer, if Pauly Shore had won the role—which really shouldn't work, but somehow it does. The guy has a fun, roguish charisma. Even the discovery that Pope's a trained chef whose culinary skills can be used to provide the survivors with quality food somehow wasn't as stupid as it sounds when written down.

Overall, Falling Skies is basically The Waking Dead with a more involving milieu (minus that AMC show's budget), with a pleasing emphasis on character, but never at the expense of giving us explosions, spaceships and aliens. It's the occupation of Caprica in Battlestar Galactica, but transposed to present-day Earth, borrowing elements from all manner of sci-fi properties. It consequently doesn't score highly for originality, but it's doing a sharp job for a show so young (they've already captured an alien for interrogation), and even managed to give us a decent cliffhanger ending.

written by Fred Golan / directed by Greg Beeman / 26 June 2011 / TNT

Review: FALLING SKIES, 1.1 & 1.2 - "Live & Learn" & "The Armory"

This Steven Spielberg-produced alien invasion drama makes some wise creative decisions, not least its acceptance that the genre doesn't need to be laboriously set-up nowadays. After a brief opening narration depicting an extra-terrestrial invasion using children's drawings, we're dropped into a familiar situation: a post-apocalypse, where survivors of a six-month-old alien attack are struggling to stay alive and mount some form of resistance. It's a spiritual follow-up to Spielberg's War Of The Worlds if he'd given us a pessimistic ending, imbued with a focus on character that evokes The Walking Dead and Jericho. It's unoriginal and largely predictable cable TV fare, but also good fun, unwilling to beat about the bush (a full-blown alien's sighted within minutes), and realizes long-term success rests on building a firm foundation of character.

History professor Tom Mason (ER's Noah Wyle) is our bearded protagonist, the second-in-command of a resistance unit known as the 2nd Massachusetts, comprised of "fighters" and a large group of civilians they protect. Prone to voicing morale-boosting historical analogies about their situation trying to defeat a superior enemy, Mason's accompanied by teenage son Hal (Drew Roy) and younger son Matt (Maxim Knight), but carries a deep sorrow because third son Ben (Connor Jessup) is missing, presumed dead. However, it's soon revealed that Ben's under the control of the alien "skitters": six-legged lizards who are interested in children, attaching a spinal parasite to them in order to control their minds. Shades of a sanitized Torchwood: Children Of Earth, no?

There are also nods the aforementioned War Of The Worlds remake, in how some of the aliens stomp around in bipedal machines referred to as "mechs", indiscriminately blasting humans and occasionally emitting a droning whine not unlike the trumpeting of Worlds' tripods. In fact, there's not much about Falling Skies that isn't reminiscent of other sci-fi, but it's appreciated how quickly the show announces the debts it owes and just gets on with telling its own story. There's no teasing what the aliens look like, or the design of their spaceships (which resemble skyscraper-sized cricket stumps straddling entire cities), as we're dropped into a show that already feels like it's aired a half-dozen episodes before the pilot.

Created by Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) and involving the talent of admired writer-producers like Graham Yost (Justified) and Mark Verheiden (Battlestar Galactica), it's also a touch above most shows of its ilk, especially in how it deftly balances characters with action. There are some lovely touches to demonstrate the change in values of a post-apocalypse, too—such as a scene where Mason decides between Charles Dickens or Jules Verne books according to weight instead of merit. You might as well throw the Complete Works Of William Shakespeare on a bonfire right now. It was also interesting seeing how the itinerant community works: ad hoc school lessons in a field, brief moments of fun when a skateboard's found for the kids to play on, a precious cupcake used as a little boy's birthday cake, and the contentious fact the military get to sleep in houses because their welfare takes priority over the tent-dwelling civilians they're protecting, etc. Plenty of opportunity for infighting in the future, as we already learn that civilians are sometimes referred to as "eaters" by their protectors.

Falling Skies is immediately appealing because of the classic premise, Wyle makes for a strong hero with hopes and aspirations you can get involved with, there's decent support from Will Patton (as hard-ass Commander Weaver) and Moon Bloodgood (as a compassionate doctor)—who's no stranger to post-apocalypses after Terminator Salvation—and there's still plenty to explore in the show's mythology and background. A few flashbacks pre-invasion may be on the cards, who knows. Plus, unlike Survivors and Walking Dead, which have very depressing backdrops, there's a sense of hope in Falling Skies because the war's still in its infancy. This isn't a show following the remnants of mankind as the flame inexorably dims on humanity, but a drama where people still have a reason to fight and win back their planet.

Overall, it's most definitely derivative, features a few dodgy special effects because of budget limitations, and so far the female/black characters are wafer-thin personalities edging toward stereotype, but Falling Skies remembers to put character above visuals and crafts an effective two-part opener. I'm not convinced it's complex or fresh enough to elicit deep thought and fervid loyalty, but it should provide some entertainment.

Aside

• Spielberg's long-running in-joke with George Lucas continued here, with another instance of a Spielberg-affiliated project involving Star Wars toys. Check out the figurines used to plan strategies in an early scene...

written by Robert Rodat (1.1) & Graham Yost (1.2) / directed by Carl Franklin (1.1) & Greg Beeman (1.2) / 19 June 2011 / TNT

FX UK buy TNT's 'Falling Skies'

FX UK have bought the British rights to TNT's alien invasion series Falling Skies, which is scheduled to premiere in the US on 19 June. In a deal with Turner Broadcasting Company, FX will air the ten-part series three weeks after its Stateside debut. That's sometime in the week commencing 10 July.

Falling Skies follows a group of people who've survived an alien invasion, calling themselves the 2nd Mass, who decided to fight back against their extra-terrestrial aggressors. It stars Noah Wyle (ER), Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation), Will Patton, Dale Dye, Drew Roy, Maxim Knight & Connor Jessup. It's produced by Steven Spielberg and Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan.)

This is great news for British viewers afraid Sky Atlantic are poised to grab any US cable series that looks promising, although FX is one of the more niche channels in the UK, so Falling Skies still won't be widely accessible. It'll be shown in HD, which is great, but three weeks is perhaps too long for most sci-fi fans to wait.

Considering FX's wise decision to show The Walking Dead just five days after AMC last year, I was hoping that kind of scheduling would become the norm. Sadly, I was wrong.

Will you be watching Falling Skies? And if so, will you wait for FX?