This Is What Happens When Great Actors Are On Sci-Fi TV

I have been, over the past year or so, been slowly but surely drawn in to the wonderful world of sci-fi TV. It kind of started before that with SUPERNATURAL (although Season 5 is off to a rough start, if you ask me), but all of a sudden I was flooded with DR. WHO, FRINGE, FLASHFORWARD, and other such reality-bending programming.

Today, I watched the latest episode of FLASHFORWARD. Okay, I will admit, it is quite cheesy at time. I mean, one of the primary creative forces is David S. Goyer (the BATMAN franchise), so things like a slow-motion run by the hero to the tunes of uber-dramatic non-diegetic musical accompaniment should be somewhat of a given expectation. The story, however, is quite interesting, they've timed it right so that the "big day" that the series revolves around will land on the correct day of the week for the episode in 2010, and the puzzle is incredibly engaging.

The strongest point, though? The cast. This cast contains some of the great theatre artists from the U.S. and beyond, including Joseph Fiennes, Courtney B. Vance, Sonya Walger, Brian F. O'Byrne, Alan Ruck, and Jack Davenport, as well as such names and talents as John Cho, Gabrielle Union, Genevieve Cortese, Christine Woods and even Seth McFarlane!

The British have probably been the most successful in utilizing theatre talent for campy TV, especially in terms of DR. WHO (referencing the latest Doctor to leave the show, RSC member David Tennant). But the U.S. is catching on. Two of the strongest acting forces on this show, Vance and O'Byrne (both noted successes in the stage world), are wonderfully connected and at times incredibly moving (particularly in this latest episode). Vance's eulogy is a perfect moment at that point in the show, and O'Byrne's scene with his ex-wife as he tries to get her to sign an affadavit to exhume their apparently dead daughter's body is subtly sharp and painful in the best way.

Maybe this is just me, being the dork that I am, but having that level of acting in a show that, to be fair, caters to a demographic that does not necessarily pay as much attention to such things, is an asset to the show's accessibility, longevity, and quality. They also give the sci-fi fare a ton of credibility, as these actors know how to truly commit to the rules of the world they are placed in. This is the way to really make this genre reach new groups of TV watchers, especially those who are so quick to pass judgment on the quality of programming.

This is what happens when truly great actors enter the world of primetime sci-fi TV. Can't wait for more.