ABC shelves Invasion

February 8, 2006

ABC has pulled Invasion from its schedule until March.

I have just one word: why?

OK, so when have I ever had just one word? The point is, I don’t get it. This is the best new drama of the season. (Sorry Commander in Chief.) The storytelling is top-notch and the acting outstanding.

I’m convinced it’s a government conspiracy. Dave, back me up here. (For those of you who haven’t found Dave’s blog about what’s really going on the Everglades, check it out here at http://www.didyouseethelights.com/ on the ABC home page. Funny stuff.)

Invasion hasn’t received nearly as much press as some of the season’s other new dramas (Close to Home and the aforementioned Commander.) I think Invasion was tagged at the onset as being a ripoff of Lost, which perhaps deterred people from watching. But, it's clearly its own show. It may have also gotten lost in the sea of other sci-fi dramas this season (Threshold and Surface.) But, Invasion started strong and gets better each week.

Is creepy Sheriff Tom keeping the town of “hybrid” aliens in check? Will Dave and Larkin blow the whistle on what’s happening in their small town? Is Rose Tom’s daughter? (I’m thinking that the fact that he kept that rose trinket locked away in his secret room is perhaps a sign that Rose is more than his step daughter, although I find it really hard to believe Mariel would have cheated on Russ-my-dimples-are-divine-Varon.)

We won’t begin to get answers until ABC puts this show back on its schedule. As for why ABC pulled Invasion, I went to TV Guide expert Matt Roush for answers. Here’s what he had to say:

Question: Why is ABC shelving Invasion for six weeks? It's the best new drama of the year. Period. (Sorry, I'm just not onboard with Commander in Chief, despite what the Emmys and Globes say.) Invasion isn't a Lost clone. It's unique and mesmerizing, in a freaky kind of way. Please say it's coming back. If not, I think I'll borrow a phrase from Dave and blame this on a "government conspiracy." It seems that year after year, the quality shows I love get the boot (Jack & Bobby, Freaks and Geeks, Angel and Felicity.) Just once, I'd like a quality show to get the chance to stick around as long as some of those silly, never-ending sitcoms. - Jennifer B.

Matt Roush: This is a messy mid-season, no doubt. (And, for the record, ABC is shelving Commander in Chief in March for six weeks as well.) But it's common practice for networks to pull some shows (especially shows like Invasion, which tend to repeat poorly) to make room to try out others during the spring. I agree, though, that this will do more harm than good to an already fragile franchise like Invasion. I wish they would just play all 22 of its episodes, even if that means its season would end before May. As I noted last Friday in discussing the no-show of Alias, mid-season plans are not set in stone and are likely to adjust as soon as the early returns and reviews are in on certain series, so who can say when and where the last episodes of Invasion will air? All I know for sure is that the show is continuing to produce a full season's worth of episodes, and since we've come this far with these characters, I expect we'll actually see the entire season, eventually. But again, what a drag.

This excerpt is from the Feb. 13, 2006 column Ask Matt Roush at TV Guide.com.
http://www.tvguide.com/TV/Roush/AskMatt/default.htm?rmDate=02132006

Tube talk girl can be reached by e-mail at jennifer@tube-talk.com.

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