Battlestar Galactica

Though we won't see the remainder of Battlestar Galactica's fourth season until early 2009, the cast and crew are currently wrapping up the final episodes of the series.  With BSG soon to be a thing of the past, it's time for the ridiculously talented folks behind the show to move on to new projects.  We've already announced that Tahmoh Penikett (Lt. 'Helo' Agathon) will be starring in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse next year, while Katee Sackhoff (Kara Thrace) is moving on to a multi-episode stint on Nip/Tuck.  Now we have word on a few new pilots going into production that will feature the work of other Battlestar Galactica actors and producers.

The most exciting news involves an upcoming FOX pilot from BSG executive producer Ronald D. Moore.  The mastermind behind Battlestar Galactica and its upcoming Caprica spin-off is currently casting his new series, Virtuality.  The show takes place aboard a spaceship that's on a ten year journey to explore a distant solar system.  To help the crew members endure the long trip and keep their minds occupied, NASA equips the ship with advanced virtual reality modules, allowing them to assume adventurous identities and go to any place they want.  The plan works until a mysterious "bug" is found in the system that puts everyone in peril.

With filming on the two-hour pilot set to begin soon, Moore has started putting his cast together.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, British actor James D'Arcy has signed on as the psych officer in charge of producing the virtual reality shows.  Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who viewers might remember as the lead in FOX's short-lived New Amsterdam, has also joined the series as mission commander Frank Pike.  The pilot episode, written by Moore and fellow BSG scribe Michael Taylor, is set to be directed by Peter Berg.  Berg is the creator of NBC's Friday Night Lights, and has also directed such films as The Kingdom and Hancock.

Another Battlestar Galactica executive producer, David Eick, will be taking over showrunning duties for the new NBC series The Philanthropist.  The show revolves around a billionaire who uses his wealth to help the less fortunate.  Let's hope that the series turns out better than the reboot of Bionic Woman, which Eick also oversaw.

Fans of the seductive Number Six can soon see actress Tricia Helfer when she begins a recurring stint on season 2 of USA's Burn Notice, which kicks off July 10.  She's also found a permanent gig as the female lead in ABC's Inseparable, a new drama pilot from Shaun Cassidy (Invasion).  The series is about a partially paralyzed forensic psychiatrist, played by Lloyd Owen of Viva Laughlin infamy, who has a Jekyll-and-Hyde-type split personality.  His other personality just happens to be a master criminal.  Helfer will play a shrink who evaluates suspects for the police, which means she'll likely catch on to the psychiatrist's strange extra-curricular activities.

There's no word yet on when any of these pilots will air, though they'll likely arrive sometime in 2009.  Until then, I suggest breaking out the Battlestar Galactica DVD sets and having a marathon.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia.org)