Bionic Woman

“THE MARK OF NIMUEH”
A beautiful witch, Nimueh (Michelle Ryan) casts a spell with a monster that poisons Camelot’s drinking water, spreading a terrible sickness throughout the city. When Gwen’s (Angel Coulby) father falls ill, Merlin (Colin Morgan) disobeys Gaius’ (Richard Wilson) orders and desperately tries to help. As the monster poisoning the water grows larger each day, Merlin is caught between saving his friends or himself.

Then, at 9:00, it’s The Poisoned Chalice

Posing as a servant girl, the witch Nimueh (Michelle Ryan) enters Camelot seeking revenge on Merlin (Colin Morgan) with a plot to poison him. Meanwhile, Bayard and the Knights of the Western Isles are welcomed to Camelot to celebrate the union between the two kingdoms. Unaware of Nimueh’s true identity, Merlin saves Arthur (Bradley James) from drinking from a poisoned goblet by drinking the potion himself, which puts him in a deep coma. Gaius (Richard Wilson) discovers the origin of the poison and needs to make an antidote to save Merlin. Arthur disobeys Uther’s (Anthony Head) commands and sets off on a quest to save Merlin.

What do you think of Merlin? Great summer fun or just ho hum?

Photo: Katie McGrath as Morgana — NBC Photo: Todd Antony

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Knight Rider is the latest TV remake that looks to be on its way to a swift exit. According to Nielsen’s estimates from Sept. 24 Rider pulled in only 7.3 million viewers, finishing in a distant third behind Bones and the Dancing With the Stars juggernaut. Reality shows were the big winners on the night, Dancing With The Stars drawing nearly 15 million and America’s Got Talent picking up 10 million pairs of eyes. As a side note, did anyone think that in 2008 a major network outside of Germany would build a lineup around David Hasselhoff and a remake of the show that made him famous?

And in NBC’s defense – half of that lineup is working. But it ain’t the half about the car. Rider’s early numbers are of course drawing comparisons to NBC’s Bionic Woman remake that jumped off in the same time slot last year. Woman finished with a 5.5/9 average, higher than Knight’s premiere.

A friend of mine’s reaction as I discussed these numbers may sum it all up.

“Knight Rider? I didn’t even know that had started yet.”

Pictured: KITT — NBC Photo: Paul Drinkwater

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And yes, before you ask I do believe everything I see on television. I once talked to Scotty at a Star Trek convention and was shocked at his lack of knowledge about the Enterprise’s technical specs. But anyhow, I will participate in a conference call about Battlestar’s highly anticipated fourth and final season. It’s going to be wall-to-wall journalistas in there, so I put it to you SFUniverse readers. If you had one shot, one opportunity to ask Starbuck a question, what would it be? And no, I will not ask her if she will go out with you, Irving. So stop e-mailing me.

We’d like to hear from you though, readers. If I pick your question, you’ll get full credit for your brilliance on the site and be the envy of all your Cylon-lovin’ friends.

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Want to know why Bionic Woman failed?  I can show it to you in pictures.  It failed because there was too much of this:

And not enough of this:

NBC has apparently not learned any lessons from this because all signs are pointing to the dismal “Knight Rider” getting picked up as a series for the fall season.  Can The A-Team and Miami Vice be far behind? (Cyn runs off singing a chorus of “everything old is new again. . “)

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Original KITT voice Will Arnett (Arrested Development) had to bow out before the show aired. Arnett has done voicework for GMC products, while the new KITT is a Ford Mustang.  Ford sponsored the movie and wasn’t happy about the potential conflict of interest. The controversy reinforced TV critics’ perceptions that the whole thing was a two-hour commercial for Ford vehicles.

Val Kilmer stepped in and had to re-record all the lines Arnett had already finished. Not surprisingly, critics universally panned the remake of the 80’s vehicle that made David Hasselhoff a household name somewhere other than Germany.

But large numbers of viewers tuned in, about 12.7 million according to Nielsen Media Research’s preliminary estimates. It pulled a 5.0 share among the coveted 18-49 demographic. That’s the best performance for a TV film since Oprah Winfrey’s heavily promoted 2005 effort “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The Peacock Network has to be pleased since Rider faced stiff competition including the CBS premiere of “Dexter,” and new episodes of “Extreme Makeover” as well as “Brothers and Sisters.”

NBC will rebroadcast the show Feb. 23 at 9 p.m. EST. The big number from the initial showing all but guarantees the remake a spot in NBC’s fall lineup. I wonder if they made the new KITT from leftover parts from the Bionic Woman?

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“I have no plans to leave Bionic Woman, and Michelle Ryan is doing a great job. There’s not one ounce of bad blood between us.”

That’s a quote from Katee Sackhoff in an interview she gave TVGuide where she squashes the recent rumor that she’s leaving the Bionic series. Sackhoff blames a fan who apparently misquoted her after seeing her at a recent Scifi convention. She says that she’s contracted to stay with the series for six years and she’d be happy to do so if they want her. Then she follows but saying, if they cut me, no problem.

Between the strike and Bionic Woman’s sinking ratings, Sackhoff may not have to worry about this rumor much longer. Her next statement is likely to be, “thanks to the cancellation of the series, I am available for work.”

Post from: SF Universe

HOTEL RELAXATION — Jaime’s (Michelle Ryan) much-needed vacation with her sister Becca (Lucy Kate Hale) at a spa resort is quickly disrupted when she is pulled into a deadly cat and mouse game with another hotel guest. Miguel Ferrer, Molly Price, Will Yun Lee and Mark Sheppard also star.

Airs November 28 on NBC.

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Will this be the end of The Bionic Woman?  I gotta tell you, I’m not liking the way things are going down and I fear for my TV season!

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The confusion behind the scenes its showing up on screen leaving the audience to wonder what the show is really about! Is this a scifi series? An action series? Or is it a life drama about Jaime’s quick rebound after the death of her fiancée?

I really wanted to like this series, but I felt more in touch with the 70’s version of Bionic Woman. Now there was a role model! So between the writers’ strike and the ratings decline, I think we’ll soon be saying, “so long, Jaime. We hardly knew ya!”

Source: TVWeek / NBC

Post from: SF Universe