Let's be honest: we've all heard the drama behind the scenes on the new incarnation of Bionic Woman this season, what with the unexpected departure of Glen Morgan (along with director/executive producer Michael Dinner) and the hiring last month of Friday Night Lights showrunner Jason Katims as a consultant.The Hollywood Reporter is now indicating that Universal Media Studios has now brought in Jason Cahill to serve as showrunner on Bionic Woman. The move could help to create some stability in the writers' room as Katims had been pulling twice his normal workload, overseeing showrunning duties on both Bionic and Friday Night Lights.
Recently, Cahill was a co-executive producer on CBS' primetime soap Cane and won a WGA Award for his work on The Sopranos.
Bionic Woman, which airs Wednesdays at 9 pm, has not yet been picked up for a full season run.
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In other science fiction TV news, Sci Fi has given the greenlight to two-hour dramedy pilot Warehouse 13.
Project revolves around two FBI agents--a man and a woman--who, after rescuing the president of the United States from harm, are awarded a promotion of sorts to Warehouse 13, a top-secret government installation in South Dakota that acts as a vault for supernatural objects and artifacts that the government has collected; our agents, who swiftly develop some feelings for one another, are now assigned to locate missing objects and investigate new ones.
Warehouse 13, described as "part X-Files, part Raiders of the Lost Ark, and part Moonlighting," comes from such creators as Rockne O'Bannon (Farscape), Jane Espenson (Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and D. Brent Mote. (Note to BSG fans: Ronald D. Moore, who was originally attached, has unfortunately dropped out of the project.)
Pilot, to be shot as a two-hour backdoor, is being targeted for a summer launch. Move comes just a day after Sci Fi announced that it had ordered a fifth season of Stargate Atlantis.
Comments
I did like the pilot but it's been wildly inconsistent since then and I'm sure that it's due to the rotating staff in addition to the normal network retooling. I just don't think they're going to be able to pull it together.
Warehouse 13 sounds intriguing. Especially as the fabulous Jane Espenson is involved. I just wish that Ronald Moore had stuck around too. Then I would be doubly interested!
What a disappointment. LEt me know if it gets better.
The missions are riddled with questions, like "why did Jaime hand the flash drive back to dude in the elevator?" and "how could Jaime leave Antonio comatose in Paraguay and next week he's fit as a fiddle, no animosity toward Jaime, no mention of the Paraguay incident, not even sore ribs?" Questions like "what is Jae's primary role with the Burket Group other than to twitch his facial muscles?"
Has David Eick never seen "Alias" or MI3 or "24" (in it's prime) or any of the Bourne flicks? Hell, has he never seen BSG? This is what I want BW to be, but what I'm getting is "Nancy Drew".
Unfortunately, unless there is an effort to serious this show up, it's not going to be able to hold onto an adult audience. As an adult myself, I find that a little discouraging.
As for Katee, I appreciate that she portrays her character well (as it's written), it's just that Sarah Corvus is too cartoonish for my taste. Sarah Corvus (not Katee) would be a joke in "24" or "Alias".
I want a grown-up adventure/suspense show with a sci-fi twist, gobs of sweaty-palms tension, backstabbing, hidden agendas, double dealing, and great music. I want Jaime Bristow or Jaime Bourne or Jaime Bauer. Jaime Sommers is for kids.
I don't hold MR responsible for the faltering ratings here, there's no way Katee could take this show anywhere on her own, either.
Excellent point Page48. I think Katee does as much as anyone could with the material she is given, but her character is about one step from a mustache twirling villain. The show manages to both be underplayed and overplayed at the same time.
I do feel a stronger, more charismatic lead could have helped with audience retention, but not enough to save the show. It seems to have been an ill-conceived mess from the start and I find it hard to reconcile how David Eick can be involved with both this and BSG.
I agree with you Page48 - it all reflects the behind the scenes crap that has been going on. There is no consistancy.
I actually thought that ep 1.5 was pretty good. I liked the CIA guy and the Tech guy (he should get a bigger part - he actually made me laugh). While i thought that MR was good i'm still not really rooting for Jaime. I think tbh that will take time.
If the producers and writers stick with the lighthearted and fun tone of this weeks ep, then there maybe hope for BW.