Sci-Fi on Mainstream TV

It seems that the major networks -- ABC, NBC and CBS -- have rediscovered the Sci-Fi genre this Fall. Some say it’s because of the success of Battlestar Galactica, others point to ABC’s Lost, though that is more properly categorized as Fantasy.

Here’s the low down on these shows:

Invasion (ABC): “Man has searched the skies for centuries and has never come up with conclusive evidence to prove the existence of other forms of intelligent life. What if we have been looking in the wrong place? What if there were other forms of intelligent life already living among us? What if perceived natural disasters were really diversions created to conceal clandestine alien activities?”

Surface (NBC): “Surface is an expansive drama and undersea adventure that centers on the appearance of mysterious sea creatures in the deep ocean -- and tracks the lives of four characters. They are: Daughtery Carstarphen, the young oceanographer who discovers the secret; Dr. Aleksander Cirko, the government scientist who tries to keep things under wraps; Richard Owen, the Louisiana fisherman who loses his brother in a suspicious diving accident; and Miles, the young boy who brings the creatures ashore.”

Threshold (CBS): “Revolves around a female government contingency analyst who leads a team of scientists and military personnel who get in contact with a mysterious alien lifeform.”

Will any of these shows make it? I highly doubt it. I’ll watch the pilots of each, however. If they’re worth talking about, I’ll review them here.