This summer is hardly the doldrums for sci-fi and fantasy. Not only are the cinemas full of magic and future tech, but several new and returning genre shows will be offering new episodes this summer. Here are some of the highlights.
1. Kyle XY
Last summer's 10-episode run of
Kyle XY on ABC Family was so successful that the network ordered a full 23-episode second season, to be aired Mondays at 8 p.m. starting June 11. The bright-eyed and innocent Kyle (Matt Dallas) was found in the woods last year, physically resembling a teenager but with no memories (and no navel); over the first season he developed both social skills with the help of his foster family, the Tragers, and a few uncanny abilities as a result of his ability to use more of his brain than most people do. This season Kyle will meet a female counterpart and reconnect with the Tragers.
2. Fallen
Another hit for ABC Family last summer was the original film
Fallen, starring Paul Wesley as Aaron, an orphaned high school student in foster care who discivered on his 18th birthday that he was half-human, half-angel. Not only that, prophecy says Aaron is the one who will redeem the Fallen -- angels who rebelled against God, now in hiding on Earth. As with
Kyle XY, ABC Family's other supernatural orphan (what's up with kids with special abilities having to be orphans, anyway?), this summer we get a double helping: a four-hour mini-series follow-up is slated for broadcast over three nights starting Aug. 3.
3. Flash Gordon
Think they're running out of old titles to remake? Well, they've gotten around to
Flash Gordon, so you may be right. But at least this incarnation has Eric Johnson, who was the underused Whitney in the first season of
Smallville (though he did later get a totally rad back-from-the-dead episode). The new version, set to premiere Aug. 10, has a healthy dose of whimsy and substitutes time-space portals for the old sparkler-driven space-ship of the 1930s. The other characters -- Dale, Zarkoff, and Ming -- are back as well, but expect major revamps.
4. Jekyll
Last time we saw the good doctor's alter ego, he was ripping off the Hulk in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Now this British version, starring James Nesbitt and created by Steven Moffat (the creator of Coupling and a regular writer for Doctor Who), explores both the dark and comic sides of this ultimate conflicted character in what might be called Robert Louis Stevenson meets The Odd Couple. An interesting twist: Jekyll is trying to hide the existence of a wife and kids from his brutish alter ego. Premieres on BBC America on Aug. 4.5. Spielberg on Spielberg
The acclaimed director talks about his films, accompanied by rare clips and behind-the-scenes stuff. This special will be shown on Turner Classic Movies on July 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern.
6. Doctor Who
In another case of "it's new to you," the third season of Britain's massive hit Doctor Who, aired this spring in the U.K., will appear on SCI FI staring July 6. Replacing Rose (Billie Piper), the Doctor's companion for the first two seasons of the revamp, is Martha (Freema Agyeman) -- and like Rose she's brought along a dysfunctional family. Tenth Doctor David Tennant continues to stretch the role further than any of his predecessors, turning in some truly amazing performances -- and the Doctor (and the Daleks!) finally return to Manhattan for the first time since 1965.7. Robot Chicken: Star Wars
Seth Green's
Robot Chicken lends its unique perspective to the
Star Wars saga -- complete with the voices of Mark Hamill, George Lucas, Conan O'Brien, James Van Der Beek, Hulk Hogan, and a slew of other even more improbable names (to be aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on June 17). Given that the collected body of
Star Wars parody could fill a partially completed Death Star, one wonders what more there is to satirize -- but if anyone can do it, it's
Robot Chicken, right?
8. The 4400
Looks like the endtimes are coming. Would-be Messiah Jordan Collier (Billy Campbell) is back, pushing the curious drug Promicin, which apparently either gives you special abilities or kills you. The show has drifted a bit from its original sci-fi thriller premise of returned alien abductees (only the abductors weren't exactly alien); but, on the other hand, Billy Campbell is good in anything. An all-new fourth season starts June 17 on USA Network.
