Working around some top notch comedians and drama film stars only continued to shape Maggie into the engaging actress she is today. With a few more quick stops to appear in the cult favorite “Felicity” and the dramatic juggernaut “ER,” Maggie next landed a seven episode arc on the series “Party of Five” starring Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and Scott Wolf (“V”), as well as a role alongside Justin Timberlake in the film “Model Behavior.” With an eye for cool leading men, Maggie continued her lightening streak working on the television series “Inside Schwartz” with Breckin Meyer and a brief appearance in the series “Smallville” with Tom Welling.

Then, in 2002, after landing the lead role in the film “Nancy Drew,” Maggie went on to star in the films “Winter Break” with Milo Ventimiglia, “Spellbound” with Dave Annable and “Love Rules” with Joey Lawrence. She also managed to score the leading role on the comedy series “It’s All Relative.” Then, once it ended, she appeared briefly on the cult series “Tru Calling” which starred Eliza Dushku (“Dollhouse”) and Matt Bomer (“White Collar”), and the series “Crumbs” which starred Fred Savage and Eddie McClintock (“Warehouse 13”).

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After a clip from “The Lucy Show” from the Paley Center’s archives and a quick introduction by Bill Lawrence, the lights dimmed for a preview of an upcoming episode of “Cougar Town,” much to the audience’s delight.  Not wanting to spoil the episode, suffice it to say, it caused much laughter with references to blumpy blankets, cat fish, gay-traps, and provided a very funny take on whether men and woman can be friends.

Attending the “Cougar Town” panel were cast members:  Courteney Cox, Brian Van Holt, Dan Byrd, Josh Hopkins, Ian Gomez, Christa Miller, as well a co-creator/writer Bill Lawrence, co-creator/writer Kevin Biegel, and moderator John Griffiths of US Weekly.  Explaining the absence of Busy Philipps, Bill Lawrence humorously said, “It’s a spoiler – but Busy’s been let go!”  But before there could be a roar of outrage from the audience, he hastily added that Busy was actually in Hawaii on vacation. Imagine the chaos that would have caused!

As the evening’s moderator John Griffith’s noted, “Cougar Town” is credited with reinvigorating the story of a single mom raising a teenager – in spite of the show’s outrageous and somewhat misleading name.  In an attempt to clarify how the show fits into the television landscape, Kevin Biegel explained that “Cougar Town” is actually an “adult family show.”  It is a successful blend of both family issues and provocative adult situation comedy.

Explaining the genesis of the show and how its lead Courteney Cox came to be involved, Bill Lawrence shared, “The one thing we were afraid about was the show would only work if you can buy into it being completely self-deprecating and have no vanity whatsoever — you will let people see you in your most embarrassing situations right from the start — and I think [Courteney] is the one actress at her level in Hollywood that was immediately like, ‘Yeah, who gives a sh*t.’”  She was the perfect choice to cast for the lead of the series as they needed someone who had no vanity and yet had vulnerability.  They really wanted Courteney because as Bill noted, “It starts from the top, [Courteney] has allowed the writers to make fun and jokes about anything.” Despite an initial hesitation to tell her the name of the show, it was Courteney’s fearless attitude about portraying a single mom in her 40’s, daring to embrace life to the fullest and on her own terms without regard to what anyone else would think, that was crucial in making the show the success that it is.

As to how they decided to select the venue of the show, because both Bill and Kevin were from Florida they felt it brought a distinct and refreshing venue to portray and explore.   Trying to tie in her own southern roots, Courteney volunteered, “My family lives in Florida, but I’m from Alabama,” which prompted Brian Van Holt to happily toss out his own southern ancestry, “I’m from the south as well — Southern California!”

 Turning back to the inspiration of the show, because the message of the show is to have fun and make no apologies, Bill admitted that he took the opening scene of the pilot episode right out of his own life after he caught his wife, Christa, who had just had their 3^rd child standing in front of the bathroom mirror, opening her robe and then exclaiming with a profane expletive.  He also emphasized that they did not use a body double for that scene in the pilot.  It was all 100% Courteney Cox.  He noted that because Courteney is so brave and fearless – she is not just a star, but a true leader of the ensemble.  When asked about what it was like to play a woman in her 40’s on television, Courteney optimistically said, “I don’t have that many more good years, but the ones I have I’m pretty psyched about!”

As far as other sources of inspiration, Bill Lawrence apparently has the memory of an elephant and can remember conversations nearly verbatim, which frequently turns up as the inspiration for or storyline fodder in future episodes.  For example, Josh shared that one day he was playing his guitar outside of his trailer when Bill was driving by in his golf cart, which promptly came to a screeching halt, and Bill told him, “You know, that’s going to be in the next episode!” and next thing Josh knew, in the very next episode Grayson was playing a guitar.  When asked if she contributes to the writing on the show, Christa quickly pointed out, “I don’t come up with ideas, I think that’s why our marriage works.”  To which Bill smirked and happily said “I’m so glad you said our marriage works!”

Commenting on whether or not either Christa or Courteney are anything like their characters, Bill said that, while Courteney is nicer than her character, Christa is slightly meaner than her character.  To which Christa immediately exclaimed, “I am!” and everyone laughed – though it is not certain whether she was being facetious or not.  This was obviously in a spirit of fun and got laughter all around, also prompting Ian to tell Bill that he is welcome to his couch for the night if he needs it!  Commenting further about Christa’s friendship with Courteney, Bill said, “The coolest thing is the way that these two have developed a relationship in real life that we can all kind of feed off of and steal from.”

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When “FlashForward” first aired last September, it was heralded as the next big sci-fi sensation. However, as the episodes unveiled, the series proved to be a bit more difficult to track than originally anticipated. So the intricate storylines and heavy sci-fi basis (alternate realities) quickly left the viewers confused. Added to the fact that the series has been on hiatus since early December, many viewers may not really remember that the series is actually returning on March 18, 2010. Fortunately, ABC believes strongly in the show and has granted it not only a 1 hour clip-show to refresher viewers on Tuesday, March 16^th, it also granted a 2 hour premiere to help re-introduce the characters and story to the returning fans as it rolls out the remaining 14 episodes starting on March 18^th. Thus, this article aims to be a helpful primer on what has happened so far: where our characters left off and what will the show (hopefully) be addressing as it enters the back stretch of its freshman year.

ORIGINAL PREMISE

“FlashForward” is based on the premise that the entire world came to a screeching halt for over two minutes during which time there was a global black-out and nearly every person experienced some kind of cosmic phenomenon where they were able to glimpse where they would be and what they would be doing 6 months into the future – a “flashforward,” if you will. For some, this preview of their lives was terrifying and, for some, it was miraculous. The question of “what did you see?” followed by the hope and/or fear of whether those visions will come true has captivated the entire planet. People are no longer living for today and the future they make; they are living for the future that they saw in their visions.

With the rest of the world preoccupied, world leaders and government agencies struggle to figure out what caused the black-out and whether there is a sinister purpose behind it. Fueled by vital clues provided by piecing together the bits and pieces of what people saw in their visions, the FBI began tracking the individuals who were behind the black-out, what their ultimate motive was for it and whether it will happen again. The FBI’s Mosaic Investigation had begun to yield fruit once they discovered that this was not the first time such a black-out had occurred — though it remains to be seen whether the “flashforward” visions had ever occurred before as well.

Racing against the clock as the flashforwards begin to come true, the story follows our heroes who are struggling against the dual-pull of fate versus their visions.

THE HEROES

At the heart of the show is a family: the Benfords, which consists of Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Olivia (Sonya Walger) and their daughter, Charlie (Lennon Wynn). Mark is an FBI agent whose flashforward vision gave him the initial clues he needed to set up the Mosaic Investigation. However, Mark is also a recovering alcoholic who fears what he saw in his vision: he was drunk and there were armed men searching to kill him. In turn, Olivia is a doctor and her vision was equally disturbing: she saw herself involved with another man – who she later found out was Lloyd Simcoe, the father of one of her patients. As for their daughter Charlie, who is 6 years old, all she could only say about her vision was that “there are no more good days” and that “D. Gibbons is a bad man.”

Another family whose fate is intertwined with the Benfords is the Simcoes: Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport) and his son Dylan (Ryan Wynott). Lloyd is a physicist who believes he is responsible for causing the black-out. Plus, in his vision he saw himself talking on the phone – he did not see Olivia, though he has since found out about it when he recognized the Benford’s home while searching for his son Dylan (who went missing from the hospital, ending up at the Benford home). Dylan is Lloyd’s autistic son whose mother was killed during the black-out and, significantly, Dylan’s vision showed him being in the Benford house where he saw Charlie.

The third family deeply involved is the Starks: Aaron Stark (Brian F. O’Bryne) and his daughter Tracy (Genevieve Cortese). Aaron is Mark’s AA sponsor and in his vision he saw his daughter recovering from injuries in Afghanistan – a daughter whose funeral he had attended a few years before. Tracy miraculously appears several episodes into the series and appeared to be on the run from a mercenary group who she witnessed committing war crimes in Afghanistan.

Then closely associated with Lloyd Simcoe is Simon Campos (Dominic Monaghan), a genius quantum physicist and Lloyd’s shady business partner who may be more deeply involved in the conspiracy than he has let on. In a particularly creepy vision, Simon saw himself strangling someone in his flashforward.

Also crucial to the story is Mark’s FBI partner, Demetri Noh (John Cho) and Demetri’s fiancée Zoe (Gabrielle Union). Demetri did not have a flashforward and has since found out that he will be murdered on March 15, 2010. Demetri’s fiancée Zoe initially believed that in her vision she was at their wedding on the beach, but later, to her horror, found out that she was actually attending Demetri’s funeral.

Then at Olivia’s work, there is Bryce Varley (Zachary Knighton), a fellow doctor working at the hospital. Bryce was on the verge of shooting himself when his flashforward occurred which revealed that in 6 months he would be sitting in a restaurant awaiting the woman of his dreams. This revelation has revitalized Bryce and given him a new purpose in his life, despite the fact that he is dying from cancer.

Other key players are FBI agent Janis Hawk (Christine Woods) and her partner FBI agent Al Gough (Lee Thompson Young). In Janis’ flashforward she saw herself nearly 4 months pregnant – which seemed impossible as she does not date men. As for the doomed Al Gough, his flashforward haunted him so much (even more than Demetri’s) that he took drastic measures to ensure that his vision did not come true and stepped off the top of a building. Al wanted to remind them that they all have free-will – and he proved that the future is not set in stone and can be changed.

Last, but not least, is the Benford’s babysitter, Nicole Kirby (Peyton List). Nicole’s vision was also very disturbing and she too is desperate to prevent it from becoming a reality — she saw herself being strangled in her flashforward. But, in an effort to take back her life, she embraced life and took a job working part-time at the hospital with Olivia and Bryce.

An interesting side-effect of the flashforwards is that all these individuals’ lives have become even more entangled than they could have ever imagined.

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Finally after four years of persistence, Ana’s unique ability to bring a light comedic touch to dramatic roles landed her a seven episode arc on the Iraq war drama “Over There” alongside Sprague Grayden (known for her roles in cult favorites “John Doe” and “Jericho”) and Luke MacFarlane (who now plays Scotty on “Brothers & Sisters”). Once her story arc concluded, Ana quickly snagged a plum guest appearance role as a tenacious ADA on the David E. Kelley legal drama, “Boston Legal.”

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As one would expect attending an evening with one of the most ridiculously talented bunch of comedians currently on television, the Paley Festival presentation in honor of “Modern Family” was filled with laughter.  Riding high off of their recent wins for Best Episodic Comedy and Best New Series from the Writer’s Guild and for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series from the Director’s Guild, as well as nominations for Outstanding Performance by Ensemble in a Comedy Series by the Screen Actors Guild, Best Television Series – Comedy by the Golden Globes, and Best Comedy by the Writer’s Guild, “Modern Family” has lived up to its reputation as the best new show on television.  Critically lauded as the “must watch” show of the fall season, “Modern Family” has consistently won its time-slot with viewers and only continues to garner more and more attention, not to mention rave reviews.

 Chosen by the Paley Center to helm its annual two week Paley Festival, “Modern Family” lived up to the high expectations and brought the house down with laughter and raised it again with the jubilant spirits of the cast, creators and writers who beamed across the stage.

 Watching a clip from the pilot episode of “Married . . . With Children,” the show credited with launching a yet unknown comedy actor at that time, Ed O’Neill, it was startling to see how young he looked.  But it was also clear where he had perfected his comedic skills in his career.  So with that blast from the past setting up the evening and after quick introductions by co-creator Steven Levitan, those of us in attendance were lucky enough to see a yet unaired episode of “Modern Family” entitled, “Fears.”  Without spoiling too much, suffice it to say that the fears addressed included:  buried treasure, roller coasters and a driving test. Trust me when I say, this will all make sense once you have seen the show! As a fan of show, this was a wonderful treat.  It was also perhaps the best episode to date and the entire auditorium was soon holding their sides with laughter.

 Once the episode ended and the laughter died down, introductions were made and the cast was brought out.  Moderating the Q&A portion of the event was Billy Bush from “Access Hollywood.”  Understanding that we were all anxious to see the real stars of the show, he quickly introduced Steven Levitan, Jason Winer, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet.  It should be noted that, besides being one of the co-creators of the show, Steven Levitan also wrote the episode “Fears,” and Jason Winer is one of the series’ directors.  Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet make up the adult cast members on the show, but, sadly, the younger cast could not attend and were sorely missed.

 To start the moderated Q&A portion of the evening, Billy threw out a softball question by asking the cast if any of them do not like seeing themselves on screen.  To get things rolling, Ty Burrell volunteered, “I don’t ever like to see my Franken-brow.”  His candor and willingness to poke fun at himself earned a round of laughter and chuckles and, with the ice broken, it became an evening where they tried to one up one another and played to the audience for laughs.

 In response to the comment that “Modern Family” has been called the savior of sitcom, Steven Levitan merely grinned and modestly said that, while a high compliment, he simply had no idea when he was creating the show that it was going to be as big a hit as it is.  He added that, while there was simply no way to gauge what is going to be the next big hit, he is extremely honored by the warm reception and hopes they can live up to the bar now set for themselves.  As he said, “This is so far one of those rare cases where it just felt right as soon as we started bringing these people together.  It just felt good pretty immediately.  And you can’t predict this.  It’s impossible. . . .We’re just happy to be happy – we’re so thrilled – we’re so happy to be even in the game that we’re just embracing every minute of it.” 

 When asked about the genesis of the series, Steven shared that, after their prior television series had been cancelled, “Modern Family” was born out of a sit-down meeting he had with co-creator Christopher Lloyd.  They had been sitting around brainstorming ideas for a television show when they discovered that all they wanted to talk about were the funny things going on in their lives –and it was those funny stories that laid the foundation for “Modern Family.”  Steven summed it up with, “I think when you start from a place like that, which is real and honest, good things tend to happen.”  And because of all the astounding success, Steven admitted that he just keeps pinching himself and now he’s black and blue all over. “We walk around hugging each other, then we’re terrified we can’t keep it up.”  But looking at how successful the show has been already that is not really a fear they need to worry about.

 Turning to casting, each cast member shared a bit about how they came to be involved with the show.  Ed O’Neill shared that initially he had no intention of ever doing another half-hour comedy after the monumental success and long run of “Married . . . With Children,” but after seeing the script for “Modern Family,” he immediately thought, “Oh my God, I’ve gotta go back to work.”  Plus, he tossed out with aplomb that there was the added bonus of being cast to play the husband of Sofia Vergara.  He also shared that, “Then when I started to work with these guys, I thought ‘my god, where did these find these people – I mean it was just joy – it is, I have to pinch myself.” 

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Kathryn Bigelow is perhaps best known for her theatrical film work, but she has also dabbled from time to time on the small screen of television.  Continuing with her quest to work on projects that make a difference and have something to say, Kathryn directed several episodes of the ground-breaking television series “Homicide: Life on the Street” (multiple Peabody Award winner and Television Critics Association honoree).  So in honor of a film director who brought her unique talents and perspective to television before it became a trendy thing to do, I chose to share a bit about Kathryn’s latest passion project – the film and Best Picture Oscar nominee, “The Hurt Locker.”

 On February 24, 2010, the Truman National Security Project hosted a special presentation and screening with a select panel of guests to discuss the significance and impact of the film “The Hurt Locker.”  Attending the panel were: Kathryn Bigelow; Mark Boal, screenwriter of “The Hurt Locker”; Christine Pelosi, member of the Democratic National Committee; Paul Clark, retired Air Force officer and former White House representative; Drew Sloan, member of the Truman National Security Project and retired U.S. Army Captain who fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan; Jim O’Neil, Executive Director of the EOD memorial and former demolitions technician; and Frank McAdams, also a war veteran and current USC faculty member.

 With such an extensive panel of vastly different perspectives and experience, it was intriguing to find out, not only about the genesis of the film, but also how it sheds light on the lives of the individuals that the film so vividly and humanely portrays.

 When asked how the “Hurt Locker” story was initially conceived, Kathryn Bigelow credited the story as originating with Mark Boal, a writer who had been a journalist embedded with an EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) unit in Iraq during the winter of 2004.  As the audience looked in askance at him, Mark Boal humorously quipped, “Everyone has their own version of how they broke into Hollywood, I had to go to a f***ing war zone!”

 After the laughter died down, and on a more serious note, Mark explained that while he was embedded in Iraq with an EOD unit, that a typical 3-men bomb squad had an average of 10-15 IED (improvised explosive device) calls in a 24 hours period.  He said, “Just the sheer number of bombs.  . . these were incredibly gutsy guys, highly trained, into their jobs, wanting to do the very best they could – yet there are just so many bombs.  The war had boiled down to running around the city trying to find all the IEDs.  I hadn’t quite realized until I got there that this was the subject of the war: it was a war of bombs and this war did not have a frontline tactically.  So these bombs increasingly became with methodology of terror and bomb disarmament became the key tactical response. I was really struck just by how totally overwhelming it was.”  And because the Iraq war has become the “war of bombs,” demolition squads were thrust to the forefront of this particular war.

 When asked about the significance of wanting to illuminate the “human cost” of the war, Kathryn said, “I thought it was interesting. The fact that these men arguably have the most dangerous job in the world — and it is an extremely challenged situation.  From my perspective as a film maker and looking at this particular conflict in terms of the human cost — that was very, very moving to me.” Because it is the most dangerous job in the world, it is in one word: hellish.  Kathryn further shared that she just wanted to try to capture the chaos and tragedy of the conflict, as well as promote and engage in a meaningful debate regarding this unpopular war.

 Looking at how “The Hurt Locker” depicted this new battlefield technique and how it matched up with the reality of demolition work in Iraq, retired Air Force officer Paul Clark stated that because IEDs are so readily available that this has become the signature weapon of the war.  There are literally hundreds of unexploded artillery that has been simply left in Iraq. Because of its ready availability, the abandoned weaponry is harvested for terrorist campaigns; thus forcing the U.S. military to develop a counter-insurgency campaign that consists of bomb squads working to prevent deaths.  Mr. Clark also explained that, “We came to the conclusion that the military system as a whole had to have that resolution — that we should protect the civilian population.  That is the primary goal and that’s what we see now in Iraq — and the same idea is now in Afghanistan where IEDs are showing up.”  Thus, because so much undetonated artillery has been left behind, those unexploded bombs have become the key weapons of the war after the war and the U.S. military’s role is focused on counter-insurgency work in order to protect civilian lives.

 When asked what it was like in the mind of somebody who has done this type of demolition work, Jim O’Neil shared from his own personal experience that “these guys all have something in common:  it’s a commitment to a mission and purpose.  It’s a passion for the job and it’s the compassion that is required for a guy or a woman to put on that bomb suit and willingly walk that line towards an uncertain future – and probably a future that is either going to result in death or a very serious injury.  To me, that takes a very special person.  It is a little bit different than being in the regular military, as the EOD guy knows what is waiting for him, even though he doesn’t know how it’s going to be built, he doesn’t know how many of them there are, and he doesn’t know the exact scenario – so it takes a person who is exceptional.  There is no greater love than what is inside a EOD tech because he or she is willing to take that walk and sacrifice theirself to save another person.”

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Then, in 2000, when 90210 finally wrapped its final season, Tiffani continued to work steadily appearing in an eight episode arc on Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place appearing opposite Ryan Reynolds, Traylor Howard and a little known actor at the time, Nathan Fillion (who now stars in the ABC series Castle). She also appeared in three episodes of the comedy series Just Shoot Me which starred Laura San Giacomo and Enrico Colantoni. Then she took a quick detour to dabble in the Woody Allen theatrical film Hollywood Ending which starred Tea Leoni, Debra Messing and Treat Williams.

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With all the avant-garde trends in sci-fi television and movies to allow for cloning and downloading, it poses a mind-bending question: what about a person’s soul? Perhaps no two television series have addressed so thoroughly this impossible question than the sci-fi dramas “Dollhouse” and “Caprica.” Both are dependent upon the idea that a person’s persona or personality can be saved onto a computer chip and downloaded into another being – whether it be human or robotic.

But as we watched the collision of personal identities between Echo (the imprintable doll) and Caroline (the person) in “Dollhouse,” how can we say which was more entitled to the physical body than the other. As interesting as it is to believe that Echo was more entitled because she was the evolved consciousness, what about Caroline’s soul? Does the soul evolve too? Or is that soul now cut-off from the body it was attached to because a new identity (person) has taken residence?

While many may argue that discussion of what happens to a person’s soul is entirely too theological or philosophical for mere science fiction shows, I disagree. After all, both “Battlestar Galactica” and its prequel series “Caprica” delve deeply into religious theology and what it means to be human. In “Caprica,” even the avatar version of Zoe understood the importance of the fact that she was a trifecta of existence: the persona of Zoe, her avatar version and her robotic body. Just like in the Judeo Christian religion which allows for a trichotomic existence, in science fiction, it also allows for the possibility of a 3-tiered existence melding three unique spiritual and physical forms: the emotional (the soul), the physical (the body) and the mental (the downloadable persona aka memories). The soul being perhaps the most essential part – it is what makes a person unique – it is what makes them who they are. But, as we have seen, a physical body can be cloned or replicated and memories can be stored and transferred like data on a computer hard-drive — at least in science fiction. That only leaves the soul as unique and un-copyable.

In the age-old debate of nature versus nurture (whether a person is formed by who they are at birth versus shaped by their environment), we have seen illustrated in films like “Groundhog Day” how a person can be molded into almost another human being entirely simply by repeating the same experiences over and over again and learning from those repetitions; we have also seen how in “Dollhouse,” a person can be shaped by their experiences due to residual imprints of other identities surfacing and becoming part of the stem identity; then in the classic sci-fi film “Blade Runner” and the more contemporary film “Moon,” it was explored whether a clone can even be a person with its own self-identity.

It is fascinating to explore whether and how a person’s identity can be imprinted, shifted, altered and manipulated. Can a person’s “persona” actually change or be replaced? Then what happens to the soul? Is the soul then imprisoned by the shifting “persona” which it inhabits or does it become detached – set free, if you will – because an alien host has taken up residence?

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She then appeared in a three episode arc in the television series “Cold Squad,” which starred Tahmoh Penikett and Julie Stewart.  With astonishing ease, Magda continued to secure work and worked next on the series “The L Word,” which starred Jennifer Beals and Mia Kirshner and “Bionic Woman,” which starred Michelle Ryan and Katee Sackoff, while simultaneously working on the films “Holiday Wishes,” along side Amber Benson and “Devil’s Diary,” with Brian Krause.

Then, in 2006, Magda landed her first regular television series playing the role of Alex Young in “Renegadepress.com.”  The show focused on the trials and tribulations of teenagers today and starred Ksenia Solo (who currently plays Natasha on the CW series “Life Unexpected”).

Moving on quickly, Magda immediately scored a plum role on the teenage sci-fi series “Kyle XY,” which starred Matt Dallas, Marguerite MacIntyre, and Bruce Thomas.  Playing the quirky, but lovable Andy, Magda’s performance as a teenager living with cancer was touching and insightful.  She showed with ease the duality of a young girl wanting to live her life carefree and to the fullest, yet burdened by a debilitating disease.  Perhaps it was her graceful and gracious portrayal with a hint of mischievous and playfulness that captured the eye of the casting directors for “Caprica.”

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Why some shows are allowed a dignified death and others are killed-off without warning

 While shows like “Dollhouse,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Stargate SG-1,” and “Stargate: Atlantis” and even “Lost” are given the opportunity to conclude their series with some semblance of a storyline wrap-up, more frequently networks just unceremoniously yank sci-fi shows off the air without the dignity of a proper send-off or good-bye – “Firefly” being perhaps one of the more glaring examples.

 With Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” airing its final episode last month, this is a perfect time to analyze how sci-fi shows are treated by the networks when their time has come. Fortunately, with “Dollhouse,” Joss was given advance notice that Fox was not going to be picking-up the back 9 episodes of the 2^nd season and it allowed Joss the opportunity to wrap up the series – unlike when Fox abruptly cancelled “Firefly” a mere 8 years before, which ended with Fox airing “Firefly’s” 2 hour pilot as its swan song; a maneuver that still has fans scratching their heads in bewilderment. I mean who airs the 2 hour pilot after a show has been cancelled? It’s like rubbing it in the fans’ faces that a terrific show was forever gone.

 But even with the chance to tack on an ending to the series, “Dollhouse” felt like it was rushing to its conclusion and the 1 hour finale left a disjointed feeling for many who felt like it was trying to tie up the show with a bow on top. Unfortunately, the show’s mythology and various character back-stories were never explored properly in the haste to conclude the show. But like several other shows prematurely killed-off before their time (e.g., “Pushing Dairies” or “Eli Stone”), there is only so much a creator/writer can do to tie it all together, working within the time-constraints and miniscule budget allowed to conclude a series.

 “Lost” may be the exception as ABC clearly committed to an end date several seasons before its conclusion and appears to have spared no expense. It is arguable that “Battlestar Galactica” was also allowed the luxury of a decent amount of time to conclude its saga as Syfy also allowed them to select an end date to end the series. But for anyone who watched the 2 hour tie-in “The Plan,” you can plainly see that Syfy was keeping a tight reign on the budget in order to tie-up the extraneous storyline on what the Cylons were really up to – what was their master plan. So “Lost” is an example of a network fully standing behind its creative product and providing it with a properly funded good-bye. “Battlestar Galactica” (the series) too was given just enough time, but it is dubious whether they were granted sufficient funding to really go out in style. (Imagine what “The Plan” would have looked like with ABC’s money behind it.) But “Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica” are the exceptions and not the rule.

 As noted previously in my prior article: “The Grieving Season Continues: Mourning the Loss of Last Season’s Sci-Fi Shows Cut Down Before Their Time,” the past television season has been particularly blood-thirsty in killing off many sci-fi television shows – a record 16 sci-fi shows have been cancelled. Of those 16, only two had scheduled end-dates (“Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica”) and the remaining 14 were simply terminated without notice. Those shows cruelly decapitated were: “Dollhouse,” “Defying Gravity,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” “Stargate: Atlantis,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Reaper,” “Kings,” “Kyle XY,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Eli Stone,” “Eastwick,” “Life on Mars” (U.S. version), “Merlin” (while it still airs in the U.K., it was not picked-up for a 2^nd season in U.S. by NBC, though it was just announced that Syfy has agreed to air its 2^nd season), and “Primeval” (it was initially cancelled and then re-picked up by the BBC six months later after further financing was secured).

 As the 2009-2010 season is not yet over, it is conceivable that another 6 sci-fi shows will also suffer a similar fate in the next few months: “Heroes” which may not be picked up for its 5^th season after a lack-luster year of ratings; “V” and/or “FlashForward” which may not have the ratings power to convince ABC to grant them 2^nd seasons; “Demons” which also did not garner the critical acclaim and ratings that the BBC was hoping for and ended after just one season, “Saving Grace” which TNT has already announced will be ending after this next season; and possibly the British version of “Torchwood,” which the BBC has been reluctant to pick up for a 4^th season and Russell T. Davies has announced that he plans to make an American version of the series (furthermore, with its lead John Barrowman currently moonlighting on “Desperate Housewives,” the show’s fate is certainly dubious and uncertain).

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