Why "V" Will Make It ... Probably

ABC's reincarnation of V returns tonight from a long (looooooong) season break. I can't even label it a "mid-season break" because they stopped airing episodes after only 4. That's not a mid-anything. While I'm not a huge fan of season breaks in general (I think they're a useless holdover from the old school 22-episode season production schedule, when networks still re-aired the season in its entirety during summer reruns), I hate hate hate the long gaps in some recently produced dramas. ABC seems especially prone to this gaffe. And don't be fooled into thinking it's a deliberately planned stunt. I highly doubt it. My guess is that the network execs try to capitalize on peak TV-times by airing whatever is in the can before new episodes have even been written. Of course, the Network risks losing most of its audience when the new episodes start airing because the momentum is lost. That, and everyone has forgotten what happened in the first episodes - especially risky with genre shows like V that rely on a long-term story arc.

Though we will find out tomorrow whether V manages to hold on to its audience, I predict it will do well, possibly even picking up viewers. Here's what V has going for it:

1. The summary episode. ABC learned from Lost that a good summary episode aired the week before a long hiatus ends can help a show recover some of the disillusioned viewers that forgot the details over the break. Some smart producer reached into the 80's TV vault and dusted off an old trick - the montage episode - and put it to good use. The old montage episodes (remember those? Little House on the Prairie, Buck Rogers, and The Waltons did some great ones) were basically a device used by producers to fill out a 22-episode season with a little filler to save dough. Need a cheap episode? No problem! Cut together some scenes from previous episodes with a few wide shots of the actors reminiscing about old times. Bingo! Episode 12 for a song! Now ABC is using the montage episode to catch us all up, and bag the Tuesday night viewers for one more night ... gratis! Hire a narrator and a drunk editor and you too can capture a 5 share!

2. Legions of 30-something geeks who loved the original series (try watching it now on SyFy reruns, by the way .... blech!) and will basically watch a remake of anything that reminds us of a time when we still had hope of meeting girls.

3. Passable writing. I'm not saying the first 4 episodes made me want to run out and buy the novelization, but it wasn't bad. Considering they crammed the setup to at least 5 different plot lines into those 4 episodes, and adequately introduced all of the main characters without making me reach for the remote, I'm willing to give the story so far a solid B. Not bad for the first few episodes of a genre show. Room to grow, for sure, but it's not a train wreck from the start like some other genre shows I could mention but won't (for instance, I could mention Star Trek: Enterprise, but I won't).

4. Morena Baccarin. I still haven't figured out why some actors who star in one genre show end up starring almost exclusively in other genre shows. It seems like every actor that had a passing connection to the updated Battlestar Galactica (hereinafter referred to as BSG) is showing up in every other genre show that currently exists. Morena Baccarin is no stranger to that trend. She was the smoking-hot "companion" on Joss Whedon's short-lived (tragic! betrayal!) Firefly, and we didn't see much of her until her reappearance on V as the cunning, evil leader Anna. Whatever you prefer, scrappy smart "companion" or nefarious lizard alien - Morena Baccarin is laying the smack down on that role so far.

5. A seemingly endless supply of beautiful people. I think Scott Wolf's character said it best in the first episode: "Are there any ugly visitors?" Clearly, Scott, the answer is no. In fact, even the humans in this show are excessively easy on the eyes. For all of you Haute Cinema gasbags out there, don't whine about how TV stars don't reflect the real world. Duh. That's why we watch TV instead of staring out the window. Pretty people!

6. Aliens. Hopefully someone is finally figuring out that aliens make good TV. You can have an average script, but if it has aliens in it I will watch it. No aliens? Yeah, I have DVDs if I get bored; I don't really need to suffer through another episode of 24. Now ... if 24 had aliens? The show might not have been canceled. That's all I'm saying.

All in all, I'm optimistic about V. It has promise, and as long as ABC manages to keep their grubby paws off the writers, the show will likely heat up for the rest of its first-season run. It certainly has long-term potential. I mean, the original had a major conspiracy followed by metaphysical alien reproduction, followed by Red Dawn inspired occupation and resistance. Who can't squeeze 5 seasons out of THAT?!

ABC - I'm invested. Don't let me down.

P.S. -

Erica Durance, I love you.