ABC's "V"

There back! The "Visitors" from the 1984 NBC show "V." Well this isn't a continuation of the show from the 80's, but a remake that weaves in the global recession, the flu pandemic, and the threat of terrorism into its clever plot.

I was a fan back in the 1980's and definitely wanted to give the new show a try. I wasn't disappointed. It has a Lost type feel, maybe because of the one of the main characters is played by Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost's Juliet. The show does a good job of taking what worked from the original series and mixing it in with the fears and concerns we deal with in 2009.

The casting is excellent and it is easy to get attached to or creeped out by the main characters. Father Jack Landry and head Visitor, "Anna" are played extremely well.

The show also has a sense of humor. In the pilot two teenagers are talking about how Independence Day ripped off so many previous alien movies as they are watching the enormous alien space craft hover over New York City (an obvious rip off of Independence Day). Also, on the last episode ABC incorporated a clever promo between commercials of Scrubs as Jack Braff's image appears on one of the mother ships promoting Scrubs and informing us that the Visitors are lizards!

The show's pace is solid and they seem to have a good balance of giving you background and detail without bogging down the plot. Unfortunately the show is off the air until March, but this was a remake worth remaking!