“We will take advantage of our November premiere to maximize creative opportunities and deliver the audience the best show possible.”Which I take to mean, “Kindly rewrite these scripts so we’re not stuck with another crappy one-season sci-fi remake like ‘Night Stalker’ or ‘Life On Mars.’” The “V” pilot was written by “The 4400” creator Scott Peters. Peters left USA’s “4400” early in its run, after former “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” showrunner Ira Behr was brought in as “4400’s” showrunner. A similar chain of events may be unfolding at “V,” with former “Angel” showrunner Jeffrey Bell hired in June to take over as “V’s” showrunner. Bell’s track record is spotty as best. I adored the “Angel” series finale he directed and co-wrote with Joss Whedon, but hated his work on the fourth and fifth seasons of J.J. Abrams’ “Alias.” After “Alias” Bell went on to ABC’s horrible “Groundhog Day” riff “Day Break” and CBS’ bland murder-of-the-week mystery series “Harper’s Island.” My reaction to Peters’ “V” pilot, which screened last month at Comic-Con and has since been subject to reshoots:
The production design on the alien ships is ginchy, but the humans’ reactions to these insanely passive-aggressive extraterrestrials struck me as dopey.