Braga And Spiner's 'Threshold' To Premiere September 16

CBS has decided to give its new SF show Threshold a special boost by launching it with a two-hour premiere -- but at least one online reviewer seesm to be asking himself the question whether having more of Threshold is a good thing.

The new show from Enterprise creator Brannon Braga and starring Brent Spiner (Data), will debut on Friday the 16th of September at 9:00pm. According to a CBS press release posted on the Futon Critic, Threshold will be one of the first CBS shows to launch this season, only preceded a day before by the premiere of Survivor: Guatemala. Following its two-hour debut on the 16th, it will settle into its regular 9:00pm timeslot a week later, preceded by the new drama Ghost Whisperer, and followed by returning procedural Numb3rs.

With the new season quickly approaching, CBS has sent out preview tapes of Threshold to many television reviewers. Brian Ford Sullivan at the Futon Critic last week became one of the first to post an extensive review of the pilot, but unfortunately, the verdict wasn't positive. "If anything Threshold feels like your average Saturday night B-movie on the Sci Fi Channel, except with better casting," Sullivan wrote. "In terms of execution, it's equally as predictable as you can see all the twists coming, including the fade out 'surprise' which comes off as eye-rolling instead of shocking. [...] Overall, there's nothing here you haven't seen before and done much better elsewhere. Out of all the supernatural newcomers this season, Threshold is by far the worst."

Sullivan did make a point to praise several of the show's actors, including Spiner, Robert Patrick Benedict, and especially Peter Dinklage. But overall, he just labeled the show "bad."

This was not an opinion shared by Steve Krutzler at TrekWeb, who recently wrote a preview of the show based on an early script for the pilot. Despite criticising the show's "dated formula," Krutzler wrote that "it's not a bad show, though, and to its credit, the script includes plenty of self-conscious wisecracks that inject some life into dialogue." He was especially taken by Brent Spiner's character, who at one point in the script said the following about the impact aliens could have on world religions: "I don't recall, 'on the eighth day, God created Klingons.'" Overall, Krutzler said that the first half of the pilot presented "an interesting contemplation that beckons a return for part two," but that the final destiny of the show would be determined by whether it is able to find a clear creative approach.

For the full reviews, head over to the Futon Critic and TrekWeb.

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