"Threshold"

2005-2006
Created by Brannon Braga, a STAR TREK stalwart (writer/producer of NEXT GENERATION, executive producer of VOYAGER and ENTERPRISE). His writing partner was often Ron Moore, who created BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, which THRESHOLD mirrors...a producer leaving the nest and striking out on his own. THRESHOLD fell short of both TREK and BSG, fading away after thirteen episodes. But it was compelling, and had all the ingredients for excellence. Early episodes suffered from LAW & ORDER syndrome...all action and no heart. You very much want to like the characters, but everything's rushing by so quickly you feel like you're not getting to know them. In the process, some wonderful performances never quite happened. Carla Gugino (SIN CITY) is spot-on as the lead, a crisis expert who finds herself leading a government team which has been gathered to respond to an alien probe. Charles Dutton is his usual wonderful self as her supervisor. Brent Spiner (Data, NEXT GEN) is acerbically dandy as a scientist, but underwritten. Peter Dinklage, Brian Van Holt, and Rob Benedict filled out some nice chemistry. Occasionally, the gore gets just a little gratuitous. But after the first six episodes, they loosened things up, to good effect. Some fun guest stars (Elizabeth Berkeley, Catherine Bell, Jeffrey Donovan) lent juice too. By the time it ends, you very much wish it hadn't.