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The New Year Brings Some New Series To Television

© F. Colin Kingston

On the plus side, the series does boast a great super villain in the evil Breathtaker, played, ironically enough, by Adam West, TV's BATMAN. Scott Valentine (FAMILY TIES) and Robert Pine (the commander in ChiPS) was also in the cast for the pilot episode that I screened. The press kit lists upcoming guest stars including Frank Gorshin (Riddler on tv's BATMAN), Lou Ferrigno (THE INCREDIBLE HULK) and Sam J. Jones (FLASH GORDON) among many others.

There is definitely potential for a campy female superhero show. Perhaps in time the producers of BLACK SCORPION will get it right. I wish them well as I like many of the cast and production personnel involved. The series debuts on Friday, January 5th at 8 p.m. (ET/PST). For more information, check out http://www.sci-fi.com.

Things at Sci-Fi aren't all bad, however. One of the most promising new series I've seen on any network in a long time is their upcoming series THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF JULES VERNE.

The series offers the premise that Jules Verne (CHRIS DEMETRAL) did not invent his famous science fiction stories but, in reality, lived them first-hand. Verne runs up against the evil League of Darkness, which wants to harness Verne's ideas and inventions for their own evil purposes. One of Vern's partners is Phileas Fogg (Michael Praed), a Victorian-era James Bond type character whom teams up with Verne. (As fans of Verne know, Fogg was a character in Verne's classic novel AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS.)

Also teaming up with Verne and Fogg is Rebecca Fogg (Francesca Hunt), a Victorian-era female secret agent somewhat reminiscent of Mrs. Peel from the classic AVENGERS series. She is Phileas' cousin. Passepartout (Michael Courtemanche) is Verne's very capable and technically adept valet whom he wins in a poker game.

The list of upcoming actors is an impressive one. It includes Patrick Duffy (DALLAS), TRACY SCROGGINS, (LOIS AND CLARK: THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN), Rene Auberjonis (DEEP SPACE NINE), Margo Kidder (SUPERMAN), and John Rhys-Davies (SLIDERS).

Besides the intriguing premise, the series is set in the Victorian era, something rare in television. The producers and production personnel do a find job of recreating the time. There is certainly a wealth of material with which to draw from as well. Judging by the pilot episode, the series is off to a grand start. THE ADVENTURES OF JULES VERNE premiers on the Sci-Fi Channel on Friday, January 5th at 10 p.m. (ET/PST). I recommend it very highly. For more information, check out http://www.scifi.com.