Fall 2002/2003 TV Season
As the TV networks are always changing their minds, we will be updating this page as the season unfolds, so please check it out. All times are Eastern Standard Time - check your local listings for details.
Returning Shows - New Shows - Show Descriptions - Unsold Pilots
CANCELLED: Buffy The Vampire Slayer (UPN - Ending by choice) - Birds of Prey (WB), That Was Then (ABC), Haunted (UPN) - Beyond with James Van Praagh (Syndicated)
The Schedule (subject to change, of course):
Unscheduled or syndicated shows (check your local listings for time/channel in your area): Mutant X - Beyond with James Van Praagh
Veritas (mid-season) - Starhunter
8 pm 9 pm 10 pm Other Times Monday 11:00pm Crossing Over Tuesday Buffy (UPN) Smallville (WB) 11:00pm Crossing Over Wednesday Enterprise (UPN) Twilight Zone (UPN) Angel (WB) 11:00pm Crossing Over Thursday Do Over (8:30 WB) 11:00pm Crossing Over Friday Sabrina The Teenage Witch (8:30 WB) Dead Zone (Scifi) Stargate SG-1 (SciFi) John Doe (Fox) Saturday Touched by an Angel (CBS) Sunday Charmed (WB) Dead Zone (USA) 7 pm: Futurama 11:00pm Crossing Over
Farscape (SciFi) - Enterprise (UPN) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (UPN) - Angel (WB), Smallville (WB), Mutant X (Syndicated), Charmed (WB) - Stargate SG-1 (SciFi) - Sabrina The Teenage Witch (WB) - Touched by an Angel (CBS) Futurama (Fox)
Birds of Prey (WB) - Dinotopia (ABC) - Firefly (Fox) - Beyond with James Van Praagh (Syn) - Dead Zone (USA) - Do Over (WB) - Veritas (CBS) - That Was Then (ABC) - Haunted (UPN) - Twilight Zone (UPN) - John Doe (Fox) - Miracles (ABC Mid-season) - Time Tunnel (Fox Mid-season)
- Angel (WB) Wednesdays 9 pm (new day and time)
Season Premiere: October 6
With Cordelia having evolved to a higher plane of existance at the end of the last season and Connor (Angel’s son) putting daddy at the bottom of the ocean, there will be a lot of things happening during the first half of this new season. As usual, creator Joss Whedon is keeping mum on storylines, though he has said ‘in this fall's premiere, it will become clear to Angel that someone he loved is now the enemy he must destroy. And another ally will slowly descend into darkness.’ They are also talking to Eliza Dushku (Faith) and Juliet Landau (Drusilla) about making guest appearances. There is also a hint that Angelus (Angel’s evil persona) will return before the end of this, the show’s 4th season. Yes, Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Lorne (Andy Hallett) will be back with Connor (Vincent Kartheiser) becoming a series regular. Cordelia will ‘come back to Earth’ and Fred (Amy Acker) will find her life more complicated...even though she and Gunn (J. August Richards) are still pretty happy. As for Wesley (Alexis Denisof) and his flirt with the darker side of life, expect him to take an even darker journey before he finally finds the light. It now follows Charmed...a better lead in I think this year. www.thewb.com/angel
- Beyond with James Van Praagh (Syndicated)
CANCELLED
An hour-long reality show hosted by psychic Van Praagh, from executive producer Kari Sagin.
Birds of Prey (WB) Wednesdays 9 pm
Series Premiere: October 9 (includes an extra 10 minutes run time!) CANCELLED 11/02
From the producers of Smallville, this series is based on the DC Comics series about female crime fighters in Batman’s hometown, Gotham City. It begins with New Gotham in chaos. In one night, Catwoman is murdered and Batgirl falls in a rain of gunfire, victims of The Joker's wrath. With his true love dead, The Caped Crusader flees the city and Batgirl, now confined to a wheelchair, redefines herself as "Oracle" (Dina Meyer, Beverly Hills, 90210), a master of cybernetics and weapons design. She takes under her wing the secret daughter of Batman and Catwoman, "Huntress" (Ashley Scott, Dark Angel), who is as fierce as she is beautiful. Powerful, haunting visions lead a third young woman, Dinah (Rachel Skarsten, Virginia's Run), to their secret Clock Tower lair. The trio is complete. They are now the Birds of Prey, determined to battle crime in a New Gotham laced with bold new villains. Shemar Moore (The Brothers) also star. Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks) played recurring villian Harley Quinn in the pilot, but will be recast for the series as she couldn’t make a long-term commitment. Mia Sara (Legend) will replace her...somehow I can’t see the soft-spoken Sara as a villian. Mark Hammil will be reprising his role of Joker from the animated series in a voiceover on the series...the Joker will be played by a stunt man in a sequence showing the final days of Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl). See our special section for more. Official Site: http://www.thewb.com/Shows/Show/0,7353,||1002,00.html- Buffy The Vampire Slayer (UPN) Tuesdays 8 pm
Season Premiere: September 24
ENDING BY CHOICE THIS SEASON
The upcoming season 7 promises to get back to the roots of Buffy...now that she’s gone through the very dark trials of the past year, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) will go back to being the focus of the series with more of the “little blond girl that kicks a**” stories. Several stories early in the season will concern Willow visiting Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) in England (filmed at Head’s real UK estate) to try to deal with the magicks inside her. A new ruthless villian will also be introduced and we can expect a lot of stories with Spike (James Marsters) trying to deal with having a soul and how it will effect his and Buffy’s volatile relationship. Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) begins classes at the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High School (which I assume still is built over the Hellmouth) allowing for more high school and teen-centered stories. Glory (Claire Kramer), Warren (Adam Busch) and Faith (Eliza Dushku) will all make guest appearances. - Charmed (WB) Sundays 8 pm (new day and time)
Season Premiere: September 22, 8 pm (2 hour special)
RENEWED FOR NEXT SEASON
No major cast changes for this year as the saga of The Charmed Ones continues. Having reaffirmed their commitment to saving innocents, the Halliwells are determined to balance witchcraft and their ever-evolving personal lives. Phoebe, who has become a local celebrity with her advice column, will officially split from Cole. (But is it ever really over with your soul mate? Especially one who is a demon?) Paige continues to help the victimized as she struggles to establish her place in the Halliwell home. Piper and Leo don't know what to expect next. With all the changes and demands on them personally, the sisters' bond will be tested more than ever. The season premiere features Phoebe...as a mermaid? www.thewb.com/charmed
- Crossing Over with John Edward (SciFi) Sun.-Thurs. 11/11:30 pm
The popular paranormal series where psychic John Edward helps reunite people with those who have crossed over (died). Official site: www.crossingover.tv and www.johnedward.net
- Dead Zone (USA) Sundays 10:00 pm (Reruns on SciFi 8 pm Fridays)
Based on characters from the Stephen King novel, this new dramatic series tells the story of Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall), a young man injured in a near-fatal car accident who awakens from a six-year long coma with extraordinary psychic powers. He sees graphic visions involving a person’s fate that are triggered when he touches certain people or objects. Combining action, romance, the paranormal and a continuing quest for justice, the series follows Johnny’s struggle to deal with his new talents and find his place in the world. Also stars Nicole DeBoer, John L. Adams, and Chris Bruno. Official Site: www.paramount.com/television/deadzone/ - Dinotopia (ABC) Thursdays 8 pm
Series Premiere: October 10
CANCELLED
Based on the successful mini-series from last season, this will be the continuing story of a society where dinosaurs co-exist with humans. Official Site: www.visitdinotopia.com
Do Over (WB) Thursdays 8:30 pm
Series Premiere: September 19
Half hour fantasy about a man (Penn Badgley) who is allowed to relive his 80s days by going back in time to relive his life waking up as a 14 year old with a 34 year old mind. He will try to improve his life and that of his dysfunctional family in this comedy....probably finding out that doing this over isn’t always the best way to go. The series also stars Gigi Rice, Michael Milhoan, Josh Wise, Natasha Melnick, and Angela Goethals. Very similar in concept to the ABC series That Was Then...seems reliving your past is a popular idea.- Enterprise (UPN) Wednesdays, 9 pm
Season premiere: September 18
RENEWED FOR NEXT YEAR
Season 2 kicks off with the conclusion of “Shockwave”. See our special section for details. Official site: www.startrek.com
- Firefly (Fox) - Fridays 8 pm
Series Premiere September 20, 8 pm
ON HIATUS as of January 2003 CANCELLED
From Buffy creator Joss Whedon, this action drama is set 600 years in the future about the crew of a small transport ship that takes on odd and sometimes criminal assignments. Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds; Gina Torres as Zoe; Alan Tudyk as Wash; Sean Maher as Simon Tam; Adam Baldwin as Jayne; Jewel Staite as Kaylee; Summer Glau as River Tam; Ron Glass as Book "The Shepherd"; Morena Baccarin as Inara. Moved back up from a mid-season replacement to a September premiere...apparently Fox is at least a little happy with it. Official site: www.fox.com/firefly/ See our Special Section.
- Futurama (Fox) Sundays at 7 pm
Season Premiere: November 10, 7 pm
The show is out of production at present, but there are several unaired episodes yet to debut for what is expected to be the last season of the animated series. Official Site: www.fox.com/futurama/
Haunted (UPN) Tuesdays 9 pm
Series Premiere: September 24
CANCELLED
Might actually be a good show to follow Buffy and advance buzz is very good...this one is about a private investigtor, Frank Taylor (played by Matthew Fox of Party of Five above) who has a near death experience allowing him to see dead people. This is four years after his son was kidnapped and never found. Sort of a different spin on last season’s Dead Last which bombed in the ratings, but did well will genre fans, and The Sixth Sense. Also stars Russell Hornsby as Marcus Bradshaw. Official site: Haunted
- John Doe (Fox) Fridays 9 pm
Series Premiere: September 20
When John Doe (Dominic Purcell) - who has knowledge of everything in the world -- arrives in Seattle, he begins to help the police with his special gift. But the well-educated man has no idea who he is or where he came from. Cast: Dominic Purcell ("Mission Impossible 2") as John Doe, Azura Skye ("28 Days") as Karen, Elizabeth Lackey ("Mulholland Drive" ) as Lt. Jamie Avery, John Marshall Jones as Hayes, Meatloaf Aday as Digger.
- Miracles (ABC) Mid-season replacement
CANCELLED
A scientific debunker (Angus MacFadyen) of so-called miracles witnesses something that he can't explain, leading him to team up with a mysterious organization that conducts investigations of its own into the paranormal. Skeet Ulrich also stars.
- Mutant X (Syndicated)
The rather popular syndicated series will be back for a second season. Official site: www.mutantxtv.com
- Sabrina The Teenage Witch (WB) Fridays 8:30 pm
Season Premiere: September 20
The series returns for another season. This year is all about change when Sabrina and her college friends forge their independence and an even stronger friendship. Sabrina takes on a job at a young, hip teen magazine, where she finds a new adult mentor in the mag's savvy editor. Learning to meet her mortal boss's expectations will be a new challenge - especially while trying to suppress her magic. Roxie carries on at the radio station with her highly-rated segment "Chick Chat," while Morgan has her first intimate encounter - with responsibility - as the manager of the coffee shop. Watch for the addition of 4 ‘culturally diverse’ characters. Official site: www.thewb.com/sabrina
- Smallville (WB) Tuesdays 9 pm
Season Premiere: September 24
RENEWED FOR NEXT SEASON
Less stories revolving around Krptonite are expected for the second season with Lex Luthor developing more as a villian. See our special section for details. Official site: www.theweb.com/smallville
- Stargate SG-1 (SciFi) Fridays, 9 pm - Season Premiere June 7
RENEWED FOR NEXT SEASON
The long-running Showtime series moves to SciFi for it’s sixth season. Stars Richard Dean Anderson, Christopher Judge, Amanda Tapping, and Corin Nemec as new character Jonas Quinn who replaces Daniel Jackson that left last season. Official site: www.scifi.com/stargate/
- Starhunter (Syndicated)
CANCELLED
In the year is 2275, Earth has more or less successfully colonized the entire solar system, but our reach has surpassed our grasp. Any semblance to law is spotty and unreliable. With the vast distances between Earth and its colonies, policing has become a very real problem. The use of private forces like bounty hunters, known as 'Starhunters', has become common practice. The series follows one starhunter, Dante Montana (Michael Pare) along with his niece Percy (Tanya Allen), his mysterious munitions expert Lucrectia (Claudette Roche) and their holographic first mate, Caravaggio (Murray Melvin) as they take their aging cruise ship, now converted hunter ship, The Tulip, in pursuit of dangerous interplanetary criminals for monetary rewards. Official site: www.starhuntertv.com
- That Was Then (ABC) Fridays, 9 pm
CANCELLED
About a man who goes back in time to the 1980s to relive his youth. Brad Raider will play the obnoxious older brother. James Buillard stars as Travis, who on the verge of 30 and still living with his parents, makes a which to go back in time for a chance to rewrite history. But when he wakes up 16 again, he realizes that doing it all over again may not be all it’s cracked up to be. Very similar in concept to WB’s Do Over.
- Time Tunnel (Fox) Possible mid-season replacement
Not exactly picked up yet, but is in consideration. Sort of a remake of the old Time Tunnel as it concerns a team of individuals from different professions (a medic, a CIA agent, a physics genius) charges with going back in time on a regular basis to make sure things happen just the way they are supposed to. Stars David Conrad, Andrea Roth, Tawny Cypress, Max Baker and Bob Koherr.
- Touched by an Angel (CBS) Fridays 8 pm
Returns for another season.
- The Twilight Zone (UPN) Tuesdays 9 pm
Series premiere: September 18
Yet another version of Rod Serling’s classic sci-fi anthology, this one is hosted by Forest Whitaker (above). It follows Enterprise which might give it a boost. Official Site: Twilight Zone - Veritas (ABC) - Mid-season replacement.
ON HIATUS
An Indiana Jones-style series about a father-son team of archaeologists. Stars Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy) as Vincent, a member of a father-son headed archeological team. After being kicked out of yet another boarding school, a 17 year old boy is sent to live with his archaelogist father. Bored by relics, tombs and religious icons, the boy soon learns that his father’s academic front is just a cover for his real business investigating the mysteries of the ancient world. Kind of a twist on Vosloo’s role from the Mummy as he takes over the O’Connell role here. Also stars Ryan Merriman, Alex Carter, Cobie Smulders, Eric Balfour, and Cynthia Martells. Fan site info at www.angelfire.com/biz2/abletree/veritas.htm
Official site: www.buffy.com
Unsold Pilots being considered:
- Astronauts (ABC) - from 20th Century TV/Industry, about astronauts looking to win a spot on a mission to Mars.
- The Black Sash (WB) - A former cop turns martial arts hero.
- Eastwick (Fox) Kelly Rutherford (The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.) will play a witch in Eastwick, a Fox drama pilot based on the movie The Witches of Eastwick. Chris Evans and Jonathan Bennett have also been cast as sons-of-witches in the show.
- Forgotten Realms (Syndicated) - Based on the popular series of fantasy novels, author R.A. Salvatore is working the story for the pilot.
- Lost in Oz (WB) - Perhaps one of the oddest pilot concepts I’ve heard for this season, Melissa George (Thieves) plays a 22-year-old from Kansas (sans her Australian accent I would assume) who is in the midst of choosing between getting married and going to grad school when a tornado carries her off to Oz. The odd part is once there, she gets political and leads a revolt against Emerald City and the great Oz.
- Mechwarriors (Syndicated) - based on Microsoft’s SF game which is itself based on FASA’s role-playing game, Battletech. The series is from producers Paul Bryant and Michael Wahl of Foundation Imaging, so I assume it will be computer animated.
- Paranormal Girl (ABC) - from Touchstone, about a teen-age girl who discovers she has weird powers and is recruited by the FBI to help solve crimes. Stars Sasha Barrese as the girl, Kevin Kilner and Stacey Travis as her parents, Eddie Jemison as her FBI contact, and Terry Chen and Tyler Andrews.
- Pendragon (Syndicated) - a series about the establishment of Camelot from producers Lawrence Bender and Kevin Brown. Head writer will be Jonathan Bale.
- Young Arthur (NBC) - developing a pilot based on the Camelot myths. With the success of Smallville (young Superman) and Lord of the Rings, I’m not surprised networks would jump on both concepts.