The re-envisioned "V" recently wrapped up its first season on ABC and has already been renewed for a second season. However, the new "V" has also struggled to find a steady audience since it's debut and it hasn't truly grabbed the imagination of TV viewers the way the original "V" did back in 1983.
While we won't see a new episode of "V" until November at the earliest, we do have a few suggestions for the producers to help improve the show in its second season.
5. Know your History
The current "V" series has been interpreted by some as a commentary on the Obama administration. While the current producers have denied that this was their intent, the fact that anyone believes that means they've moved too far away from their original intent. Some people really want free health care and limitless social services. But that's not fascism. Real fascism — which is defined by the belief that a nation requires a strong, singular identity along with the will to commit violence and wage war to keep it that way — would scare people.
If the current producers of "V" want to tell more than just a standard invasion story, they might want to look at their history books for inspiration.
4. Media Matters
If space aliens were to judge our media by what's been shown in the current incarnation of "V," then they would think that the dude from "Party of Five" was the most important man on TV. Seriously, is Scott Wolf's Chad Decker the only reporter on Earth? The new "V' has very rarely depicted a true example of our media-obsessed society. It's perfectly understandable that the Visitors would have their own figurehead TV newsman. It happens.
But where are the Bill O'Reillys or Keith Olbermanns? Or even the Glenn Becks and Rachel Maddows?
We live in the world of talking heads and 24/7 news channels. That's not hard to fake!
"V" would be a lot more interesting if it depicted a more realistic depiction of the media.
3. Scale
Thus far in the new "V," the resistance is... honestly kind of pathetic. The show's narrative revolves around four main characters as a small resistance cell in Los Angeles. Their success thus far has been limited, to say the least. However, it seems like they the only human resistance group that hasn't already been wiped out by the Visitors. Sure, there's the Fifth Column, but do we really want aliens to fight all of our battles for us?
In the second season of "V," we should finally see more humans actually putting up a meaningful resistance. The entire world has been invaded, not just New York! And not just America, either. For a true sense of scale, we need to find out what's happening in other countries around the world. And what's being done to stop the Visitors before its too late.
2. A Strong Male Role-Model
This is not meant as indictment of Elizabeth Mitchell or her character, FBI Agent Erica Evans. Mitchell is a talented actress and Erica is an interesting character.
But is it too much to ask for a male character on the show to have half the balls that's she's got?
That is a huge problem with this show. It has a lot of strong female roles, but there's no balance with the males. Do Father Jack (Joel Gretsch) or Ryan Nichols (Morris Chestnut) have anywhere near the narrative pull that Erica receives in the story?
No, of course not.
And apparently, the producers must have realized that too, otherwise they wouldn't have introduced Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes midway through the first season. As a mercenary, Hobbes at least adds some military credibility to the LA resistance team. But he's definitely not a leading character at this point. And it would take a lot of development to get him on the same level as Erica in the story.
The original "V" got a lot of mileage out of their story by having two leads — Marc Singer as Mike Donovan and Faye Grant as Juliet Parrish — that both had major roles to play within the story. If the current "V' series can find a male protagonist as strong as Erica, it would go a long way towards achieving that balance again.
Which leads us to our final suggestion...
1. Beastmaster!
Getting back to a sense of history, it's amazing that none of the stars from the original "V" have made cameos in the current version yet. Where's Jane Badler to portray the previous queen of the Visitors? Or if they want to cast her against type, she could be a human resistance leader.
Or Robert Englund... How could you not put Robert Englund back on the show in any capacity?! The man is a legend of genre and horror.
Personally, I'd really like to see both Marc Singer and Faye Grant come back as Visitors.
Although, if Singer wanted to reprise his role as Dar the Beastmaster with his amazing super-intelligent space ferrets....
That would be awesome.
