But it must cause some headaches for the writing crew, who have to be flexible enough to change ongoing story arcs to fit the changing cast of characters. Perhaps this was done most famously in recent times when J.M. Straczynski changed lead actors for his five-year "novel for television," "Babylon 5," but note the news item below regarding Sebastian Spence possibly leaving his "First Wave" series. When you think about it, it's a wonderful dilemma to watch writers and producers have, because it indicates just how different, more mature, and better SF-TV is today than two decades ago. After all, it wasn't so long ago that television series were very careful to have standalone episodes, and lots of them; if you saw an episode from season one right after a season 5 episode, the only difference was in receded hairlines and grayer hair on the actors; storywise, the characters were in the same rut every week. Breaking away from that stifling formula was a great achievement.

On a similar theme, Caryn James writes in Monday's New York Times: "After years of whining that they have to do something different to prevent more viewers from deserting to cable, the networks are finally trying to figure out what. The stunts are sometimes stylistic and sometimes a matter of scheduling, but all smack of the desperate need to escape a self-defeating, business-as-usual attitude.... But where is the line between a gimmick and true innovation?"

James is writing about a different aspect of the new freedom from formulas--specifically, the mixing of video and film footage within a single episode, even a single scene, as done by UPN's new cop series "The Beat"--but her network programmers are going down the same path made by cable and syndicated fare some years ago. The video and film switching may be gimmickry; the willingness to let characters develop, grow old or become mean or get divorced or die--that's achievement. "Bablyon 5" may be the poster child for SF story arcs, but "The X-Files" may be the popular champion, easily switching from standalone and mythology episodes, and the Fox series' phenomenal success has had more to do with popularizing this achievement than "B5's" tumultuous fight to stay on the air. But both made their positive mark.

BTW: One constant of "Earth: Final Conflict" is its music, as distinctive in its own way as the eerie simplicity of the music of "The X-Files." For those soundtrack devotees among our readers, note the release by Sonic Images of the soundtrack to "E:FC." I often have a tin ear when it comes to soundtracks, because much of the music is meaningless (and cheap-sounding) when removed from its story context. Not so, here. The CI is really quite cool, very different from the symphonic music "Star Wars" made popular for big- and small-screen science fiction. It has a new-agey sound that is probably great stuff for playing at bedtime or for relaxation. (Beats those cheesy "natural" sound CDs.) The songs do tend to sound alike, though; my computer's CD player was malfunctioning, and it kept playing certain tracks twice; I had a hard time figuring out if I already had heard a specific track when I tried to reset the player. Other than that ...

Reader Mail:

"Red Dwarf," gays 'n' "X-Files," and more

Zippy's SF Loft is long overdue for a "Red Dwarf" examination, and I've felt some guilt for not having addressed this long-running British SF comedy hit. TVBarn reader Mary Catlett lets us know what we've missed but that she's had access to, even in what she describes as "the cultural wasteland of Iowa": "One thing Iowa has got going for it, however, is a true admiration society for the BBC — which doesn't begin to explain our #1 fourpeat national ranking in our fundraising for the equally wonderful Canadian import 'Red Green Show' — ah, but I digress.... Since you focus on sci-fi I thought I would give you a heads up on a BBC sci-fi show I think deserves attention here in the States and is quite popular here in central Iowa on IPTV: 'Red Dwarf.'. You ... might want to familiarize yourself with it in preparation for the movie version which is apparently due out Christmas 2000 or so. 'Red Dwarf' has several Web sites, but I think the FAQ page would be the best to start with at http://home.interpath.net/pat/rd/faq.html. This show has been around for about ten years now, and I think star Chris Barrie could probably give Jim Carrey a run for his money. Hopefully we'll find out. This show is as word dense as any Murphy Brown episodes, although I anticipate that their accents and idiom will provide problems for viewers. We'll see." Are there other "Red Dwarf" fans out there? If so, let us know your favorite "RD" Web sites.

Michele Lellouche has, apparently, forgiven me for my negative reviews of last season's "The X-Files," in particular in light of my positive review of the series' recent episode parodying "Cops" and itself. "Thanks for recognizing how good 'X' is this season in the midst of everyone raving on about 'Buffy' (which frankly is falling apart, IMO)." Oh, let's not pick on the Buffster, now. If SF Loft readers are able, catch the rerun of "Buffy" episode "Hush" Tuesday the 21st; it's been getting quite good buzz.

In that same "X-Cops" review, I wrote "Nothing undercuts a paramilitary plotline faster than having our favorite FBI agents forced to intervene in a gay couple's relationship argument." Owen writes, "I'm not trying to be critical here — I just don't understand why this would be so (I didn't see the episode, but have watched The 'X-Files' for years)...from a writer's perspective. Is it the contrast between paramilitary and domestic affairs? Is it FBI agents counseling a couple (fish out of water idea)? Is the idea of homosexuality diametrically opposed to paramilitary action? Can you explain what this meant in a future column for we who are dim, please?" Ah, not dim; you just missed a great episode. The scene in which Mulder and Scully, while tracking down a mysterious killer, find themselves caught between two men having a lovers' quarrel, served a purpose by demonstrating an important feature of the killer's methodology (which I won't spoil for you; catch it in reruns). I'm not sure why the writers used a gay couple in that role, but it was welcome nonetheless to see them portrayed in a positive light (though also in a cringingly stereotypical way; I mean, hey, we don't all love Broadway tunes). I don't see them making the point that homosexuality is opposed to paramilitary action, though if it were, that alone would justify its inclusion in all public school curricula. In truth, the other victims and near-victims of the killer were also bystanders and nonparticipants in the paramilitary charades of the "Cops" brigade, which mostly went around making a fool of itself.

And finally, reader C.D. Thomas writes to ask about SF that targets the female audience demographics, such as "Now and Again" and "Pretender," "shows with an SF/fantasy aspect that also cultivate a hunk/'sensitivity' quotient, for a female demographic. These shows are weird enough to rate notice, but not many talk about the speculative fiction elements they exploit, to make their fare slightly different than the rest." If there aren't shows targeting female science fiction fans, it'd be the biggest marketing blunder of all time. The one obstacle is that huge subculture of "futurist" SF fans, this writer included, who like to daydream about a world in which gender doesn't matter in marketing, but then again I also thought the White Sox had a chance last year, so my predictive powers are suspect. Thomas suggests the female-targeted route could determine "whether non-WB/cable TV has a prayer in making lasting, popular speculative fiction that isn't dependent on CGI effects. The jury's still out, in my book." Well, "Buffy" and, I think, "Angel" are both largely targeted to a female audience, and it is credited with having saved the WB network. Let's see new owner AOL build on that.

In other news and views

Speaking of the America Online, AOL/Time Warner/your-company-here subsidiary Turner Broadcasting is producing an original film, "Witchblade," to air on TNT in October. The film, based on the comic book of the same name, concerns a New York detective (played by Yancy Butler) who discovers a living and very old weapon that has the ability to fight evil. While the thought of yet another weapon in the hands of New York's finest may seem a bit like overkill at the moment (read your newspapers), maybe it'll go over better in the fall. In addition to Butler, "Witchblade" stars David Chokachi, Eric Etebari, Anthony Cistaro, and Will Yun Lee.
I hope he doesn't find out about it here: Sebastian Spence, star of the Sci-Fi Channel's Sunday night series, "First Wave," may already be unemployed. Backstage Pass reports that the producers of "First Wave" have been circulating a notice that it is considering replacing Spence. In addition, other major changes will take place on the series, which involves a human, Cade Foster (Spence, at least for now), who knows that aliens are preparing an invasion of the Earth.

This week's episodes

All times Eastern. Syndicated episodes are sometimes shown in different weeks in different locations, so your local broadcast may, um, differ.

Angel
WB, 9 p.m. Tuesdays; David Boreanaz, Seth Green, and Charisma Carpenter
March 21: Oh, social faux pax of all social whatever-the-plural-is-of-pax! In "Somnambulist," Angel fears he's killing people while he sleeps. (R)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
WB, 8 p.m. Tuesdays; Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Kristine Sutherland, and Anthony Stewart Head; official site
March 21: In "Hush," one of this season's most talked-about episodes (no play on words intended), Sunnydale's residents are robbed of the ability to speak, and Buffy must help defeat some silent antagonists. (R)

Cleopatra 2525
Syndicated; Gina Torres, Victoria Pratt, Jennifer Sky, Patrick Kake, Danielle Cormack, Joel Tobeck
Week of March 21: TBA

Earth: Final Conflict
Syndicated
Week of March21: There's a bidding war, and Sandoval is on the losing side.

Farscape
Sci-Fi, 8 p.m. Fridays; Ben Browder, Lani John Tupu, and Virginia Hey; official site
March 24: In "Vitas Mortis," a holy woman needs D'Argo's help for a death ritual, but it turns out a bit differently than expected.

First Wave
Sci-Fi, 7 p.m. Sundays; Sebastian Spence and Roger Cross; official site
March 19:TBA

Futurama
Fox, 7:00 p.m. Sundays; Billy West, Lauren Tom, John Di Maggio, and Katey Sagal; official site
March 26:In "Fry and the Slurm Factory," Fry and his pals get to tour the Slurm factory, only to be targeted for extermination when they discover the sick — but strangely tasty — secret behind the popular drink. (R)
April 2: "How Hermes Requistioned His Groove Back"

Lexx
Sci-Fi, 10 p.m.; Xenia Seeberg.
March 24:"Terminal"

Nova
PBS, various times Tuesday evenings; official site
March 21: In "Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude," John Harrison is studied; he's the man who invented a chronometer and made the open seas safe for sailing. Except for those monsters in the Bermuda Triangle.

Now and Again
CBS, 9 p.m., Friday
March 24:Preempted by endless college basketball.

Outer Limits
Showtime, 11:30 p.m. Fridays;
March 26: TBA

Roswell
WB, 9:00 p.m. Wednesdays; Jason Behr, Shiri Appleby, Brendan Fehr, and Katherine Heigl
March 22: In "Blood Brother," Max goes to the hospital after an auto accident, presenting the other alien teens with a challenge: prevent the doctors from discovering his alien origins.
March 29: In "The Balance," Max's notebook, with its picture of cave drawings, is seen by Michael. Meanwhile, it's first date time for Max and Liz. (R)

Seven Days
UPN, 8 p.m. Wednesdays; Jonathan LaPaglia, Don Franklin; official site
March 22: In "The Cuban Missile," an untried president brings the world to the edge of nuclear warfare over his miscalculations with a dangerous enemy. Interestingly, it's also the title of this episode, in which Parker goes back to prevent the killing of a Cuban boxer.
March 29: In "For the Children," Parker doesn't like what he finds when he goes back to save a diplomat who turns out to be elsewhere — with his mistress. (R)

Stargate SG-1
Showtime, 10 p.m. Fridays; official site
March 26: TBA

Star Trek: Voyager
UPN, 9 p.m. Wednesdays; Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Jeri Ryan, and Garrett Wang. official site
March 22: In "Barge of the Dead," we get more Klingons than you can shake a stick at. B'Elanna has a near-death experience, in which the writers once again legitimize an alien religion, taking her to the Klingon version of a very icky River Styx. (R)
March 29: In "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy," the crew gets to tune into the Doctor's daydreams. (R)

Xena: Warrior Princess
Syndicated, Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, Bruce Campbell, official site
Week of March 26: TBA

The X-Files
Fox, 9 p.m. Sundays; David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi; official site
March 26: In "X-Files," a fast food restaurant and another troubled young man can only mean one thing: brainless corpses in submerged cars. (R)
April 2: In "Chimera," a "perfect wife" disappears from a small town with few clues.

"Every time I watch this offbeat, brave and occasionally inspired programme I root so hard for it, I try to love it, try to chuckle along with the jokes, try to feel weirded out by the weirdness, try to immerse myself in the unusual plots. But I can't."
—Frank Yardley, reviewing the third season of "Lexx" in SFX