Get On The Frackin' Bandwagon

I've pimped this before, so I'll try not to go into a long fan-boy-esque diatribe here. But the television program that an awful lot of respected critics are calling The Best Show On Television is now back for it's third season, and despite the acclaim and a devoted, slightly obsessive fan base of the sort that often accompanies these "kinds" of shows, it's just not being watched by that many people. If you've one of the many who've never seen it before you should do yourself a favor and catch it this week. It's called Battlestar Galactica, and it's on a low-profile basic cable channel (the Sci-Fi Channel) on a day and time (Friday night at 9 p.m. here in Reno--check local listings) when most normal people are doing things instead of just sitting around watching TV. Oh, and did I mention it's called "Battlestar Galactica", a name that most adults would have a hard time saying outloud without smirking. Although it's enjoyed some ratings success in the low-expectations world of basic cable, it hasn't yet entered the public consciousness. This is a shame, because this show deserves to be a mainstream hit, not something condemned to cult status with the Stargates and Babylon 5s of the world.

If you're the sort of person who just can't get past the spaceships and the walking toasters and all the other trappings of science fiction, then there's probably nothing I can say to help you enjoy the show. But if you can keep even a slightly open mind, then please give it a shot. Galactica is one of the most complex, challenging, and rewarding television shows to come along in ages. It's not a show just for sci-fi geeks; there are no aliens with laughable foam-rubber heads, no endless series of habitable earth-like planets, no captain sitting in a chair and talking to people through a giant big-screen TV, no pat resolution at the end of every episode. It's a story about people dealing with difficult, sometimes catastrophic situations in ways human beings actually would, and it takes place in an incredibly imaginative environment. Simply put, it's just great TV.

One bit of warning--as I said in my post about Galactica last year, except for a few names and some basic plot elements this show is nothing like the campy late-70's show that inspired it. There is no cute kid (he disappeared mysteriously after the pilot episode), no robot dog, no Pa Cartwright from Bonanza. Calling the new version "bleak" doesn't do it justice. During last week's premier, when Starbuck graphically stabbed her Cylon captor through the head, I barely flinched. Oh, and don't worry, he didn't die, because see Cylons...well, it's complicated. Suffice it to say, family friendly it isn't.

I don't know if it's the Best Show On Television ("Lost" is probably still my favorite, but BSG is nipping at it's heels and will surely overtake it if they drag out this damn Kate-Jack-Sawyer love triangle nonsense much further), but if you want to see great TV then check it out this Friday night.