Couch Potato: Aliens a welcome presence in new ABC series

Elizabeth Mitchell, left, stars in "V," which is based on a 1980s miniseries of the same name.

By: Casey Gillis | The Burg
Published: October 30, 2009

It started like an earthquake.

The ground shook. Glasses of water vibrated. The cross at a nearby church came crashing to the ground.

But then a dark shadow crept over neighborhoods and city streets.

Curious, people all over the world ran outside and were met with a bizarre sight: a huge space ship blotting out the morning sun.

And that’s just in the first 10 minutes of ABC’s new series, “V,” which premieres at 8 p.m. Tuesday and is based on a 1980s miniseries of the same name.

These aliens — known as the Visitors, or V’s for short — have come in peace. Or so they say.

Twenty-nine of their ships simultaneously appear over every major city in the world, including New York, Los Angeles, Moscow and London.

Once there, their beautiful pixie of a leader, Anna (Morena Baccarin, “Firefly”), says the aliens need water and minerals only available on Earth to survive. If we let them use our resources, they’ll share some of their technology, which apparently includes the power to heal some 65 ailments.

Anna seems genuine and caring at first, but there’s something seriously sinister going on underneath all that talk of goodwill. I swear, Baccarin’s smile seems almost reptilian at times.

As such, the public has differing reactions to the Visitors.

Many are enamored with the idea of alien life and their alluring leader, while some, like FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell, “Lost”) and local priest Father Jack (Joel Gretsch, “The 4400”), are skeptical.

Erica is convinced their arrival is connected to a terrorist sleeper cell she’s been investigating, while Jack struggles to come to terms with a world where aliens and God both exist. He also worries that the public’s fascination with the V’s could lead to idolatry or worship.

Then there are the fringe groups that violently oppose the alien presence and start organizing a resistance to fight them.

“V” also stars Scott Wolf (“Party of Five”) as TV journalist Chad Decker, who uses Anna and her people to advance his own career, and Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, a seemingly normal guy whose shady past might help uncover the V’s true motives.

The best part about the show is that the writers don’t shy away from big reveals. In the pilot alone, there are several jaw-droppers that made me really hopeful about the future of this series.

Regardless of their motives, these V’s are welcome on my TV any time.