ABC Will Air Masters of Science Fiction After All

It's been gathering dust since last year, but at least some of ABC's anthology series Masters of Science Fiction will see the light of day. Originally announced as a midseason replacement, ABC has slotted this smart-looking show to debut on Aug. 4, according to a note at The Futon Critic. That's just the point in the summer where overheated viewers will be yearning for the sort of froth ABC dishes out all the rest of the year.

Six episodes were produced last year based on stories by John Kessel, Robert A. Heinlein, Howard Fast, Walter Mosley, Robert Sheckley, and Harlan Ellison, with Stephen Hawking as host. The cast list has a number of heavyweights with sci-fi/fantasy credentials, including Sean Astin, James Cromwell, Judy Davis, Brian Dennehy, Anne Heche, John Hurt, Malcolm McDowell, Terry O'Quinn, and Sam Waterston.

Summer isn't automatically a no-viewer zone anymore, but Saturdays at 10 p.m. in August is not where a broadcast network puts the shows it has the most faith in.