The Nerdist

I became a fan of Chris Hardwick after watching his highly entertaining show, Talking Dead, on AMC. His quirky sense of humor and knowledge of all things geek were the perfect combination for a talk show centered around a zombie apocalypse. (It also helped that he is a southerner like me.)It was a pleasant surprise when the network decided to expand the show from 30 minutes to an hour because of its popularity with the viewers of Walking Dead.

Now, television viewers in Britain have discovered the hilarious Hardwick and given him his own show on BBC America.  The Nerdist comes on Saturdays at 10 PM, following the hit series, Doctor Who. This season's first episode aired immediately after the premier of part two of Season 7 and, appropriately, covered what was going on with the Doctor and Clara.

The second episode covered the zombie craze, a topic of which Hardwick is well versed.  The Nerdist does not allow itself to fall into the quagmire of talk shows in which the guests just sit around and talk about themselves. In this most recent episode, guests Michael Rooker and Robert Kirkman played "Fantiques Roadshow," in which they attempt to rate the worth of several collectibles.

Another highlight was the appearance of former Doctor Who companion, Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), as a zombie in a series of faux commercials for post-apocalyptic cosmetics.  Only Amy Pond could make a zombie look beautiful, sexy, and scary- all at the same time.

Slated to appear on upcoming episodes of The Nerdist are Arthur Darvill, Elijah Woods, Betsy Brandy, and Eliza Dushku.  I don't know about you, but I plan to grab a cuppa, turn on the telly, and enjoy season 2 of The Nerdist.

Where Have All the Good Shows Gone?

There seems to be a paucity of good science fiction shows on American television today.  But, unfortunately, that has often been the story.  A great deal of the problem lies in the fact that network executives often just don't get the whole genre of sci-fi.   In the very early days of television, sci-fi was largely just a repackaging of the popular westerns.  Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers (even his name shouts "wild west") were recycled cowboys and the original Star Trek was pitched as a Wagon Train in outer space. 

 In the early days of television (which consisted primarily of variety shows), anthology science fiction, like Outer Limits and Twilight Zone, were popular.  However, as the television series took hold (I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke), networks tried their hand at the science fiction series. Historically, traditional science fiction series (stories set in outer space and involving species from other planets) are short lived. Star Trek struggled to survive four seasons, Lost in Space made it three, and Battlestar Galactica a mere eighteen months. Only during the Golden Age of science fiction on American television (in the 90's), did traditional science fiction find its niche with the Stargate  and new Star Trek franchises. By the new millennium, however, these shows were again on the decline and exceptional sci-fi shows, like Firefly (which, ironically, was a western in space), quickly got the axe.

More palatable to the tastes of the average American viewer were shows that fell into the category of urban science fiction (stories set primarily on earth, but including elements of science fiction).  Among the early shows of this genre are Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, and My Favorite Martian. The appeal of this style of sci-fi series is evident in the success of shows like Mork and Mindy, The Incredible Hulk, and the Six Million Dollar Man.  Even during the Golden Age, urban sci-fi reached the masses with shows like X-Files and Third Rock from the Sun. 

The new millennium showed a marked decline in traditional science fiction televisions series.  The Star Trek and Stargate franchises were in their decline, but shows like Lost, Eureka, and Fringe were all the buzz.  As this decade began, apocalyptic shows were all the rage; from Falling Skies to Walking Dead.  Only one traditional sci-fi show seems to be taking hold of Americans- and it isn't even produced in America.  The new Doctor Who has taken sci-fi fans by storm and promises to be as brilliant as its predecessor (which aired for an amazing 26 seasons).

We can only hope that American television networks will sit up and take note of the popularity of Doctor Who and decide that it is time to create our own traditional science fiction series. Until then, I'm not about to miss the Doctor's new exploits, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that American television will soon be back in the game.

Doctor Who: The New British Invasion

In the 1960's, the Beatles burst onto the music scene, taking the American public by storm in a media frenzy that was dubbed "the British Invasion." Now, again, the Brits are making their presence felt across the pond, but this time on television with the incredibly popular series, Doctor Who. Like the Star Trek franchise, the original Doctor Who series premiered in the 1960's; but unlike Star Trek, the British sci-fi show managed to survive an astounding 26 seasons. The new series, which premiered in 2005, has proven to be just as popular as the original series.

Doctor Who was revolutionary in its concept; the story of a Time Lord who could travel through both time and space.  The creators of the show took another daring step by creating a main character who periodically regenerates into a completely new persona; thereby regularly employing a new actor to play the part of the series' main character. It was a risky endeavor, but it apparently paid off.  At present, the series is portrayed by the eleventh doctor in the series, actor Matt Smith.

The Doctor, who is the last of the Time Lords, seems to have the mission of tying up the loose strings of time and space.  He knows what events are fixed points in time and which are fluid.  The Doctor makes sure that the fixed points remain constant, managing to repeatedly save Earth in the process. He travels with one or two companions, usually humans and always young adults.  He gives them the adventure of a lifetime and they help to keep him from becoming a brooding megalomaniac (like the Master).  It's seems like a fair enough trade off- if they survive the adventure.

The series manages to keep a whimsical side by disguising the Doctor's ship (a Time and Relative Dimension in Space vehicle known by the acronym, Tardis) as an old, blue police box. Over the years, the Doctor appears to grow younger rather than older and each manifestation of the venerable Time Lord is unique and original.  Some are more popular than others, but all bring their own depth to the character of the Doctor.

If you are new to the franchise, I recommend that you begin with the newer series.  It took the writers of the new series a year or so to really get into stride, but a little patience will pay off.  You'll love the quirky contradictions in the tenth doctor's personality (played by David Tennant, who is my favorite doctor in the series) and the innocent charm of the current doctor (Matt Smith). Many of the old villains are back, including the Daleks; but the new series introduces some chilling new ones- such as the infamous Weeping Angels.

However, the characters that viewers most identify with are the Doctor's companions.  Whether it is the sweet and loving Rose or the brash and loud-mouthed Donna, we share their fears, their courage, and their admiration for the Doctor. We laughed and loved right along with Amy and Rory- and by the time that they left us, it was like losing our own family. And who could not love the funny (yet deadly) River Song?  Can't wait to hear that familiar phrase, "Hello, Sweetie," again!

For those of you who are already fans of the series, I'll be joining you on Saturday, March 30th to watch the newest episode of season 7.  I'll be the one wearing a Tardis blue t-shirt that says "Stay calm and don't blink." (I found this, and other great Doctor Who merchandise, at Amazon.) See you there!