A couple of years ago when there were no less than three water-themed alien shows, all of which were cancelled by the end of the year, things weren't looking too good for genre tv [outside of the SciFi Channel's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and STARGATE]. But then along came LOST and HEROES and now science fiction/fantasy is hot again. I've seen teasers for several new fall shows that look interesting. Here are the ones that caught my eye.

New Amsterdam - This one looks intriguing but I think it's a Fox show and they are notoriously fast on the cancellation trigger. Watch early and often if you are interested in it. It's something to do with an immortal man living in New York. A bit HIGHLANDER perhaps, but it's not clear why he's immortal and whether there are others. It stars Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The pilot was directed by Lasse Hallström.

Journeyman - I saw a teaser ad for this recently. It's a new NBC fall show starring Kevin McKidd. Apparently it involves time travel. I didn't really glean much else from the ad. I was surprised to see McKidd in a US network tv show. Yeah, he was in ROME, but that was an HBO/BBC coproduction shot in Italy with a largely British cast.

Reaper - On paper, it sounds lame. A twenty-something guy is the devil's bounty hunter. Um, anybody remember BRIMSTONE? What gives me hope that this isn't just a BRIMSTONE retread is I think they are playing it for laughs. If they go for black humor in a DEAD LAST* sort of vein, it could work. And it looks like the great Ray Wise is in it. Kevin Smith directed the pilot.

Normally, I'd be going to Comic-con in a month and have lots more news on the above and possibly get to see pilot episodes. But it doesn't look like I'll be going to Comic-con this year. I start a new job in a couple of days and I just can't ask for vacation time that soon. I could go on Saturday and/or Sunday, but onsite registration is a total freaking nightmare, especially on Saturday, when most of the tv and movie panels are usually scheduled. I'll have to keep an eye on the Comic-con website for the panel schedules and see if there's anything tempting enough to get me to go.

* DEAD LAST was a short-lived show on either WB or UPN about an indie band who came into possession of an amulet that let them see dead people. I only saw a couple of episodes, but the one where they actually sort of got a guy killed through their slacker ways was kind of funny, in a cynical way.

I think this is the vampire detective one, like Angel or Forever Knight. Both of those lasted at least five seasons, so they're worth re-cycling.

I liked Brimstone. It got a raw deal like so many others. Always wished they'd have had enough time to wrap things up somehow.

The ROME principals, deemed the right "type" for TV, were hotly sought after by US casting agents, according to a NY Times article that ran once the show ended. Most of them quickly landed series deals. Ray Stevenson (Pullo) is playing a Long Island cop (!) in one proposed show.

I'd like to see a new supernatural series in which the hero isn't constantly on the Internet a la SUPERNATURAL and THE GHOST WHISPERER.

Hey, the Winchester brothers aren't always on the Internet. They sometimes go to those marvelously stocked Gothic-looking small-town libraries and check out dusty old tomes on witches and voodoo and take them back to their charmingly quaint motel room. And that's just the way I like it!

But seriously, it's 2007. Who doesn't use the Internet to find information? I mean, what would you have the characters do? Pretend there is no Internet?

Hey, not RHS!

Oh wait. :ph43r:

As far as returning shows go.....Eureka's second season starts July 10 on SciFi!

I'm constantly at the library researching articles and biographies -- if I had to rely on the Internet, I couldn't do what I do. I'm just grateful I'm profiling Ernest Borgnine and Bette Davis for a DVD and not trying to stop a succubus or something.

I'm surprised the Winchester Brothers don't consult the Internet Demon Database.

That sounds like something Willow probably did on BUFFY. Or Fred on ANGEL.