Morena Baccarin

SDCC 09: First Impressions of the V Remake

We check out the pilot for the new series, starring Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell.

July 22, 2009 - Comic-Con attendees got their first look at a much anticipated new TV series tonight, as Warner Bros debuted the pilot to the new ABC series V - A remake of the classic 1980s miniseries, which spawned a sequel miniseries and a short-lived ongoing series. This new version, from The 4400’s creator, Scott Peters, once again tells the story of what happens when a group of alien "visitors" arrive on Earth, with seemingly benevolent intentions. But soon, even as the majority greets them with open arms, a select few wonder if there are reasons to question and even fear the Visitors and just what their true intentions are.

The Comic-Con audience was definitely appreciative of the cast, which includes some very familiar faces when it comes to genre material – most notably Lost’s Juliet, Elizabeth Mitchell, in what is arguably the lead role of FBI agent Erica Evans, whose teenage son is one of those most swayed by the Visitors – particularly when he gets a look at Lisa, an alien played by Smallville’s Supergirl, Laura Vandervoort. And if you’re a Firefly fan, V has two big cast members for you – Alan Tudyk as Erica’s partner, Dale, and Morena Baccarin as Anna, the leader of the Visitors – a character obviously greatly influenced by the original’s iconic Diana. Baccarin is very good as the confident, cunning alien, who obviously knows that image is everything.

Overall, audience reaction certainly seemed positive to V, which had plenty of intriguing moments, as several of the characters tried to process what was occurring, including a reporter (played by Scott Wolf) who sees his star rise after he meets Anna, and Father Jack Landry, a priest played by The 4400’s Joel Gretsch. Gretsch has some of the best moments in the pilot, playing a man of God who is trying to reconcile his beliefs with the amazing events that are occurring.

The V pilot suffers a bit from feeling rushed – we are shown events that obviously are supposed to happen over the course of weeks, but with only a 44 minute running time, it’s sometimes hard for some of the things occurring to resonate, and I found myself wishing it was a two-hour pilot. Also, some of the dialogue is a bit cliché, mostly involving Morris Chestnut’s character, a guy trying to make up for past misdeeds as he begins a new life with a woman he loves. However, there is a ton of potential here for a very strong ongoing series, and some nicely done revelations near the end set the stage for bigger things to come. The fact that Angel / Alias alum Jeffrey Bell is coming onboard as showrunner also add to the overall excitement around this series, which debuts midseason on ABC.

Check back for our report on the V panel this Saturday.