Posts Tagged aliens

I was 16 when the original V miniseries (if two episodes constitute a “miniseries”) premiered in 1983 on NBC, the network best known at the time for Knight Rider and Remington Steele. I liked V, if only because it was so much better than the original Battlestar Galactica, or any contemporaneous sci-fi show (Tron rip-off Automan, bizarre shape-changing drama Manimal).

Apparently, NBC’s Fall slate for 1983 was one of their least successful ever. (We Got It Made? The Yellow Rose? Anyone?) Good thing they had V, which did very well and led to both a sequel miniseries (V: The Final Battle, 1984) and a short-lived regular series (V: The Series, 1984-85).

This, despite the fact that V was pretty darn cheesy. One the one hand, it wanted to be a serious parable about the rise of fascism in the United States (right down to the Visitors’ swastika-like symbol); on the other, it featured bizarre 80s costumes, haircuts and makeup, subpar special effects, and Willie the Friendly Alien (a pre-Freddy Krueger Robert Englund). It also relied on the tired old War of the Worlds solution to an alien invasion: bacteriological warfare.

The new, re-imagined four-episode V miniseries premieres next Tuesday (11/3) on ABC. As a special bonus for Firefly flans and Zoic fans, the series features Firefly vets Morena Baccarin as Anna, the leader of the Visitors, and Alan Tudyk as FBI agent Dale Maddox. Zoic also handled the effects for the miniseries; an in-depth post will be forthcoming.

Also, on Sunday the Channel Formerly Known as Sci Fi will air an all day marathon of both original V miniseries.

Learn more: YouTube preview for the new ABC re-imagined series, intro to the 1984-85 TV series. And speaking of Firefly, Captain Tightpants Lives Again!