# Anybody excited about "V" on ABC?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 24, 2009, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352 "2009-09-24T08:22:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/1 "2009-09-24T08:22:09Z")
Holy crap! I just found this out! The [trailer](http://abc.go.com/shows/v) looks awesome.
I know it’s partly nostalgia that makes me want to see this but still, I’m currious to see what kind of twists they have made from the orginal.
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### Author:  [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/2 "2009-09-24T11:58:11Z")
Very excited. Loved the original. And I love the actresses from Lost and Firefly. A bit wary of rumors though that the main heroes will be religious types rather than scientists.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/3 "2009-09-24T12:51:05Z")
**V** was one of the most aggressively stupid science fiction shows ever to appear on TV (and yes, I’m considering **Space 1999**. They did stupid things just for the sake of doing stupid things. It actually was fun to watch at times.
The trailer starts out a cliche after another (mysteriously shaking glasses) and moves to several others (ships hovering over landmarks a la **Independence Day** , “I can’t find my son,” etc.).
I have the feeling that the show will be marginally less stupid but without being any better.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/4 "2009-09-24T13:34:22Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> **V** was one of the most aggressively stupid science fiction shows ever to appear on TV (and yes, I’m considering **Space 1999**. They did stupid things just for the sake of doing stupid things. It actually was fun to watch at times.
>
> The trailer starts out a cliche after another (mysteriously shaking glasses) and moves to several others (ships hovering over landmarks a la **Independence Day** , “I can’t find my son,” etc.).
>
> I have the feeling that the show will be marginally less stupid but without being any better.
Pls don’t take this as a snark.
Do you just hate Scfi Fi period? Or are there some Sci Fi movies out there that you think are great?
Pls, give examples starting with your most recent.
I’m only asking because it seems some Sci Fi fans have impossible standards.
Again, not being snarky; just genuinely curious.
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### Author:  [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/5 "2009-09-24T14:27:25Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> The trailer starts out a cliche after another (mysteriously shaking glasses) and moves to several others (ships hovering over landmarks a la **Independence Day**
If those are now cliches it’s because the original series was so good at getting them implanted into pop culture. It’s _Independence Day_ that ripped off _V_, not the other way around.
I suppose you’re the kind of person who watches _Casablanca_ and complains about how “Round up the usual suspects” was obviously stolen from the movie _The Usual Suspects_ or who hates Shakespeare for presenting a poor imitation of _West Side Story_ as his own work.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/6 "2009-09-24T17:15:59Z")
> [@SHAKES](#):
>
> Do you just hate Scfi Fi period?
Not at all. I’ve had a novel and over 40 sf short stories published in paying markets.
> [@](#):
>
> Or are there some Sci Fi movies out there that you think are great?
Many. **12 Monkeys, Dark Star, It Came from Outer Space, The Day the Earth Stood Still** (original), **Invasion of the Body Snatchers** (original), **Serenity, Men in Black, Dark City, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, Them!, Back to the Future, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,** and **Galaxy Quest**. The most recent **Star Trek** was also pretty good. If you count superhero films there was also **Spiderman-2** and **The Dark Knight.**
However, most recent science fiction are just excuses for elaborate special effects, so it’s hard to find examples. Darrell Schweizer (one of the most astute observers of the field) said that **12 Monkeys** would be the last bit of intelligent SF Hollywood would put out, and so far, he’s been proven right. There’s nothing wrong with an action film, but I expect more than just things blowing up.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/7 "2009-09-24T17:24:11Z")
> [@Dan\_Norder](#):
>
> If those are now cliches it’s because the original series was so good at getting them implanted into pop culture. It’s _Independence Day_ that ripped off _V_, not the other way around.
>
> I suppose you’re the kind of person who watches _Casablanca_ and complains about how “Round up the usual suspects” was obviously stolen from the movie _The Usual Suspects_ or who hates Shakespeare for presenting a poor imitation of _West Side Story_ as his own work.
Oh, Please. The image of space ships hovering over well-known landmarks was used as far back as **Plan 9 From Outer Space** – the ships there were flying around the Washington Monument, for example. I’m pretty sure a similar image was in **The Day the Earth Stood Still** and also in the **Twilight Zone** episode “To Serve Man.” You’re the one who needs to study your film history.
But the point is, whether they created the image or not, they’re using a cliched image. If the original created it – and it clearly did not – then the new one still shows a lack of creativity.
The original **V** never even pretended to be actual science fiction, BTW. They admitted that what they were going for in the original TV movie was a French resistance drama with aliens. And, of course, the series was even worse, using soap opera cliches even when they didn’t have to.
(For example, they killed off one of the alien characters. Later they wanted to bring the actor back, so he appeared as a twin brother of the original character. But the aliens _were all wearing rubber masks_. There was no need for him to have any relation at all to the original – he was just another alien who chose the same rubber mask. But that would require originality, a quality the first run was sorely lacking.)
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/8 "2009-09-24T17:48:57Z")
A tiny bit. The thing I remember most from the original (I was seven when the tv show was on), besides the rodent-eating, was a storyline about a woman having twins that were half alien. One of them looked lizardish, and the other human. I think that’s where my interest in human/\_\_ hybrids sprung from.
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### Author:  [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/9 "2009-09-24T18:31:26Z")
I was a kid when the original ran and felt it insulted my intelligence. As a middle-ager, I don’t imagine the “reimagining” likely to be any different after seeing the trailers.
FTR, I do like sci-fi.
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### Author:  [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/10 "2009-09-24T18:39:46Z")
> [@Dan Norder](#):
>
> If those are now cliches it’s because the original series was so good at getting them implanted into pop culture. It’s Independence Day that ripped off V, not the other way around.
You really mean **V** ripped off **Childhoods End** don’t you?😉
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### Author:  [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/11 "2009-09-24T18:48:35Z")
Despite the really cliche premise, I suspect there will be more to this then is immediately obvious in the trailers.
I hope so, anyway.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/12 "2009-09-24T18:54:16Z")
I’m looking forward to it. I like the actors, and I liked the original mini-series. The follow-up mini and the TV series both reeked, but I liked the not-too-subtle metaphor of the original.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/13 "2009-09-24T19:05:24Z")
> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> A tiny bit. The thing I remember most from the original (I was seven when the tv show was on), besides the rodent-eating, was a storyline about a woman having twins that were half alien. One of them looked lizardish, and the other human. I think that’s where my interest in human/\_\_ hybrids sprung from.
> [@FallenAngel](#):
>
> I was a kid when the original ran and felt it insulted my intelligence. As a middle-ager, I don’t imagine the “reimagining” likely to be any different after seeing the trailers.
>
> FTR, I do like sci-fi.
I though the original was fairly decent as far as these things go. The last five minutes lost me, though. Write yourself into a corner and suddenly reveal the the hybrid has psychic powers that make her glow? Blargh.
The people I worked with at the time called Elizabeth(the hybrid) “Old Lizard Breath”
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/14 "2009-09-24T19:43:05Z")
> [@SHAKES](#):
>
> I know it’s partly nostalgia that makes me want to see this but still, I’m currious to see what kind of twists they have made from the orginal.
> [@jackdavinci](#):
>
> Loved the original.
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> **V** was one of the most aggressively stupid science fiction shows ever to appear on TV (and yes, I’m considering **Space 1999**.
> [@FallenAngel](#):
>
> I was a kid when the original ran and felt it insulted my intelligence.
> [@silenus](#):
>
> The follow-up mini and the TV series both reeked, but I liked the not-too-subtle metaphor of the original.
> [@runner pat](#):
>
> I though the original was fairly decent as far as these things go.
The real question is WHICH original will the new series play off? The “original” original, which **RealityChuck** described as “a French resistance drama with aliens,” or the spandex-clad, rat-eating, campfest that the follow-up series devolved into?
I’m hopeful but not optimistic.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/15 "2009-09-24T19:53:46Z")
The original original ended with the Resistance sending a message into the Great Beyond, hoping to contact others who who help them fight the lizards. Very open-ended and unsatisfying, which was perfect for the metaphor. Then they went and ruined it by doing all the rest.
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### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2009, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/16 "2009-09-25T05:09:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> However, most recent science fiction are just excuses for elaborate special effects, so it’s hard to find examples. Darrell Schweizer (one of the most astute observers of the field) said that **12 Monkeys** would be the last bit of intelligent SF Hollywood would put out, and so far, he’s been proven right. There’s nothing wrong with an action film, but I expect more than just things blowing up.
While I adore 12 Monkeys, I can’t concede that Hollywood hasn’t put out any other intelligent SF films since. They mat be few, and far in between, but they still come…
Contact
Dark City
Donnie Darko
The Matrix
(I wish I could put Primer, Moon and District 9 on this list, but they were independents).
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### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/17 "2009-09-25T05:14:20Z")
And, yes. I was a big fan of **V** when I was 10 through 12 years old. I’m very curious to see how they’ll reinvent this.
Will they keep the rodent-eating, lizard-like alien shrouded in human skin? Or do something more clever and interesting? If they turn out to be anything other than something horribly and nasty underneath an idealized human veneer, I’ll be pissed.
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### Author:  [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/18 "2009-09-25T05:38:46Z")
Well, you just gotta look at 'Nara in those trailers to know that she’s pure evil underneath that smile.
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### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2009, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-excited-about-v-on-abc/511352/19 "2009-09-25T08:26:35Z")
> [@cmyk](#):
>
> Will they keep the rodent-eating, lizard-like alien shrouded in human skin? Or do something more clever and interesting? If they turn out to be anything other than something horribly and nasty underneath an idealized human veneer, I’ll be pissed.
From what I’ve seen in the trailers, yes, they’re definitely lizards or…something. The one difference I can tell from the original is that the Vs have placed sleeper agents already in the human population for several years. Also, they seem to be going for a “corporate=\>evil” aesthetic rather than a “military uniforms=\>evil” one.