Haven premiere grading thread

[Temis the Vorta]

Haven debuts Friday July 9, 10pm on everyone's favorite punching bag channel.

Well if nobody else wants to start the thread, I guess I will. I'm moderately interested in this show, despite some very mixed advance word on it.

I'll give this one a long leash. I'm downright desperate for any decent sci fi on tv nowadays.

 

[Tom]

Not to inpressed, I thought Eureka beat it hands down tonight.

 

[Starbreaker]

Think I'm gonna wait to see the fate of this show. I saw it described as a "cheaper version of Happy Town."

 

[startrekwatcher]

Mediocre.

I have long since stopped expecting SyFy to come up with a good quality original sci-fi/fantasy series and didn't have much in the way of hope for Haven. The only thing that works in the pilot is the actors--Emily Rose turned in a really good performance(I only saw here previously on a guest stint on Brothers & Sisters and Jericho) and so did Lucas Bryant--Eric Balfour sucks though and should never be cast in anything meant to be taken seriously.

But everything else just didn't work and couldn't hold my attention. Like Fringe, it wants to be an X-Files clone but fails in pretty much every area. It does a better job of coming closest to producing some genuine chemistry between the two leads than say Fringe but still a ways away from Mulder/Scully--there is something there that could be mined though. But the story itself was too predictable and not that interesting at all. That has become the problem with standalones on shows like these--there just isn't many interesting places you can go--so you find yourself just going through the motions and is quite a laborious process for the viewer. It also didn't help Nicole de Boer turned in a weak performance which was surprising since she is usually pretty strong.

The most interesting aspect of the show--the ongoing arc--in this case the Colorado Kid thread is where the show's potential lies because I don't think anyone is going to sit through a show churning out weak freaks-of-the-week stories which based on the promo at the end is the format the show will be taking unfortunately.

I might give it another episode or two to win me over but if they can't do better than the pilot I don't see myself sticking with it. Shawn Piller and Lloyd Segan are involved in it and I really didn't care much for what they did with the Dead Zone after Michael Piller passed away but I guess we'll see.

I refuse to believe I'm a jaded difficult-to-please viewer--I just think tv shows simply aren't that good anymore.

 

[propita]

Hard to develop too much character in just one episode.

So far we have:

two characters with some tk/weather powers--who are cousins or related in some way

a sheriff who doesn't feel much physically, but can dislike someone, and calls the chief of police 'Chief' not "Dad"--makes me think he older than he looks

the disliked "someone" appears to be 'nice' but something's under that

lead character, who is willing to believe things, appears to be in a photo but it's not her

mysterious boss of lead character who evidently wants her in Haven and is working with someone else about it


have I missed other major storylines?

 

[BenRoethig]

I have to say I'm intrigued. Mostly be Emily Rose and Nicole de Boer, but I'm intrigued.

 

[startrekwatcher]

The impression I got was Nicole's character was just a one shot character and not a recurring character but then again I don't read spoilers or casting information about characters.

 

[BigFoot]

^ Yeah that's the impression I got as well.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Not to inpressed, I thought Eureka beat it hands down tonight.

I watched a little of Eureka out of curiosity. I've just never been able to get into that show, because it's too lightweight and cutesy. Unfortunately Haven seems to be settling right into that mold. Oh how I miss the suicide-inducing darkness of BSG!

I have long since stopped expecting SyFy to come up with a good quality original sci-fi/fantasy series and didn't have much in the way of hope for Haven.

The setting and premise could be perfect for an H.P Lovecraft-inspired mind-bending horrorfest! But skiffy is afraid it will scare off the audience. Instead, they churn out pablum: Haven, Eureka, Warehouse 13. Who is their audience, a pack of easily intimidated four year olds?

I saw it described as a "cheaper version of Happy Town."

Happy Town went off the rails fast, due to sloppy, incomprehensible characterization and writers who didn't know what their tone was - zany, sinister or what? But I'm looking back on it with nostalgia now because at least it had a bit of personality. Haven is 100% personality-free.

The Gates is very similar to Haven (proving that a network budget is no guarantee against boring writing) - a show about spooky stuff that is absolutely non-spooky. Weirdly, only Persons Unknown seems to have hit upon a few watchable elements. You have to be quick on your feet to figure out where NBC is hiding it this week (way to pull yourself up from fourth place, NBC, or is it fifth place now?) but it's almost pulling off the whole low-rent Lost thing they're going for.

 

[startrekwatcher]

I watched a little of Eureka out of curiosity. I've just never been able to get into that show, because it's too lightweight and cutesy.

Yeah same for me. All the SyFy shows--Dr. Who, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Stargate Atlantis are just too campy. I like sf/f that sells itself with a bit more conviction and seriousness even when it takes place in such extraordinary fantastical places with very out of this world elements. The characters are caricatures or worse cartoon characters in some cases. Just way too fluffy and goofy but they definitely fit in quite nicely with the tone of the other stuff they have like their lame original movies.

The one adult drama SyFy has--CAPRICA--is unfortunately just too bland and plodding for me. I gave it ten episodes to win me over and it failed.

Frankly it isn't just sf/f that stinks--all forms of entertainment in my opinion from tv to film just isn't good. Maybe we're not the target audience. Maybe it is deemed perfectly acceptable for the audience it is targeting--a much shallower superficial teenage/young adult than I would argue existed in the past. The lowest common denominator these days is a much lower one than in years past.

I saw it described as a "cheaper version of Happy Town."

Happy Town went off the rails fast, due to sloppy, incomprehensible characterization and writers who didn't know what their tone was - zany, sinister or what?

The problen I had with it was it just took way too long to shape up into something interesting. Shows these days really need to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders. I don't expect big payoffs but some interesting characters and ongoing storylines that motivate me to come back. I just don't have the patience anymore to stick around hoping a show will get good--it needs to start out good so I know I'm not going to be wasting my time on something that doesn't build into something great but instead just aimlessly wanders without any narrative purpose. HT was just so uneven. It was so slow at the start and then when it did start getting a bit more interesting it was canned.

 

[melancholymecha]

I liked it...I didnt find it as "Disney Channel-ish" as Eureka. Im wondering if there's more to the police guy than he just cant feel pain.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Frankly it isn't just sf/f that stinks--all forms of entertainment in my opinion from tv to film just isn't good

I think it's just sf/f that's in unusually sad shape. Plenty of good TV/movies in other genres (and a little good sf/f):

TV: Dexter, Breaking Bad, Big Love, Sons of Anarchy, Chuck, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Futurama. And I'm happy to give Caprica room to grow for now.

Movies (focusing on fairly recent DVD releases): The Crazies, The Informant!, Shutter Island, A Serious Man, The Hurt Locker, Where the Wild Things Are.