Exactly 46 years ago, on Nov. 23, 1963, DOCTOR WHO first flickered to life on TV screens in the United Kingdom. BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman and first producer Verity Lambert are generally acknowledged as the “parents” of DOCTOR WHO, but legions of writers, producers, directors and actors have all contributed to make the series what it is today: my favorite TV series of all time.

The Doctors

My earliest memories of the series stem from Tom Baker’s reign as the Fourth Doctor, as syndicated here in the USA in the late 1970s. It was shown on WWOR Channel 9 in New York, and actor Howard DaSilva would provide recaps of the previous episode (always referring to the lead character as “Doctor Who”). I have very vivid memories of the hallowed story “Genesis of the Daleks,” which introduced Davros, as well as “The Deadly Assassin,” featuring the desiccated, corpse-like Master. I remember being fascinated by the weird program with the wobbly sets, rubber-masked monsters, and the guy with the floppy hair and mile-long scarf. This was not STAR TREK, which I had watched religiously in reruns. I quickly realized that what the program lacked in budget, it made up for with heart and good intentions. There was an awful lot of love invested in those wacky stories – and Captain Kirk had never met anyone like Leela! The cliff-hanger format was perfect for hooking younger viewers, and I almost looked forward to the scream of the musical stinger that would sound just as the Doctor or one of his comely companions was in peril.

The series was reliably available on PBS stations in the ensuing years, and I was lucky enough to catch various episodes on PBS in the New York region, and especially later on, after I moved to the Baltimore region, where Geppi’s Comic World underwrote showings on Saturday and Sunday nights. Over the years I have been lucky enough to have seen every surviving episode at least once.

7th Doctor

I was overjoyed that McCoy was given the opportunity to return to the role and pass the torch to the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 American TV movie. McCoy was quiet and dignified in his twilight story, just as he should have been. And he got the legitimate regeneration sequence that he had to fake due to Colin Baker’s absence from the end of the Sixth Doctor’s run. Paul McGann took up the mantle in the movie, and managed to sketch in a unique character in just one appearance.

The revived series in Britain is pretty much everything I always hoped the show could be if given enough money and a dedicated brain trust. The acting has been uniformly terrific, especially from David Tennant, who will be vacating the role at the end of this year. His manic energy has made him arguably one of the most popular Doctors ever. Show-runner Russell T Davies has shown a knack for big ideas and the bravery to implement them – let’s face it, who else would ever have dreamed of destroying Gallifrey and wiping out the Time Lords? Sure, Davies tended to repeat himself – how many Dalek invasions were there in his four seasons? – but he also crafted some truly memorable stories, brought in some truly gifted writers, and left the series in fine shape for the rest of the 21st century.

I eagerly look forward to Steven Moffat’s regime, with young Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor, and Karen Gillan as his new companion, Amy Pond. Wherever the series goes from here, and whatever happens, it simply cannot be boring!

What have they done to Doctor Who?

... Doctor Who 2008 ...

I am a fan, a BIG fan of Doctor Who. Well geek, I suppose, but oh well. However, recent developments in the Doctor Who universe leave me feeling rather disappointed and a little bit worried. Most people know by now that a new Doctor will be taking over from David Tennent in 2010. This is a great shame as in my humble opinion, Tennent has done a fantastic job of portraying the 900 and a bit year old Time Lord, but his parting words implied that if he didn’t jump ship when he did, then he would have to be carted out of the T.A.R.D.I.S. in a  bath chair.

Our new Doctor will be one Matt Smith, the youngest actor to play the role to date. Now that’s fine, I wouldn’t mind having a crack at being the Doctor myself (just a shame I can’t act) and I am a couple of years younger than Mr. Smith, but having seen the guy interviewed and read comments he has made, I have taken an instant dislike to him. He’s too… what’s the word? Camp? Arrogant? A combination of the two? I could be wrong, and to be fair the first time I saw Tennent interview I wasn’t keen and was subsequently proven wrong, but I fear Smith could be the worst Doctor yet.

So, new Doctor… fair enough, that happens from time to time, what with the Doctor’s ability to regenerate and the like. But when the program returned to our screens in 2005, it was obviously a bit of a reboot having been off-air for nearly 20 years. Now, just four years and two Doctors later they are “rebooting” the show again. Steven Moffat (possibly the best Doctor Who writer since the show returned in 2005) will be taking over from Russell T. Davies as head writer, fair enough… but a new Doctor and new head writer is not what I would consider cause enough to require them to completely reboot the franchise, introducing a new logo, a new interior of the T.A.R.D.I.S. and restarting the series number count from 1 again (this will mean that in Doctor Who’s history to date there will have been 3 series 1s. The very fact they feel a reboot is required scares me and implies that the program is in trouble and they are desperately attempting to cling to their fan base now that David Tennent is leaving.

... 2010 Doctor Who Logo ...

[actually, in retrospect, I quite like the new logo...]

Thankfully, before his departure we still have a few golden moments of Tennent to look forward to. The next of the 2009 specials, The Waters of Mars, will be airs on BBC One, 15th Nov. (the time is unknown at present) quickly followed by a 6-part animated adventure, Dreamland, to start on November 21st (although clips of this are available online and it looks like the worst animation I have seen in a while). Finally, there will be two specials over the Christmas period that will see the demise of the present Doctor in what is allegedly a very emotional farewell and rumoured to see [spoilers ahead, highlight to view...] Rose Tyler before she knew the Doctor seeing him regenerate.

Having said that, I could just be being paranoid and it could be the best season yet.

It’s been reported that X Factor judge Cheryl Cole is being chased to guest-star in the new series of Doctor Who.

The chart-topping solo singer hasn’t yet signed a deal with the sci-fi show but could set to play “a big part”, according to The Mirror.

An insider claimed of the shock casting move: “If she can find the time, a part will be written for her.”

A BBC spokesperson apparently refused to deny the speculation, and said: “The BBC will not be commenting on casting or storyline speculation for the new series of Doctor Who.”

Scottish actor David Tennant, who played the Doctor, is featuring in a number of specials before being replaced in the next series by 27-year-old Matt Smith.

“He’s all the things you’d expect, including ancient,” head writer Steven Moffat recently revealed, going on to describe the new Doctor as “someone you can’t take your eyes off”.

It was previously confirmed that Alex Kingston is reprising her role as River Song for a two-part story in the latest series.

Source

Steven Moffat

Recientemente Steven Moffat, a cargo del nuevo Doctor Who a emitirse este 2010, estuvo en la convención anual de guionistas de Gran Bretaña y habló sobre su nuevo rol. Detalles completos aquí, pero lo más interesante a continuación:

Primero le preguntan que esperar de la nueva serie, ¿Más de lo mismo, un reinicio o algo totalmente nuevo? Moffat dice que la serie ha sido la misma desde 1963, pero es renuente a confirmar si esta serie será una continuación de la actual o no. Sin embargo, podemos confirmar que Matt Smitt está en la escena de la regeneración, al que además ya hemos visto vistiendo el tradicional traje de David Tennant. Así que se puede asumir que sí será una continuación de la actual.

Luego le preguntan si el nuevo Doctor será más oscuro que el de Russell T. Davies, pues muchos fans piensan que los episodios escritos por Moffat son de hecho muy oscuros. Este niega que sus episodios sean más o menos oscuros y cita Midnight, tal vez el episodio más oscuro del Doctor y hecho bajo el mando de Davies. Eso sí, señala que a veces el show será oscuro porque el Doctor es un personaje oscuro.

A continuación Moffat señala que él escribirá 6 de los 13 episodios de la temporada y que es muy desafiante escribir para el Doctor, pues un show que mezcla muchos generos como Ciencia Ficción y Horror, tiene que ser divertido, entretenido y poder emitirse los Sábados por la tarde (el horario habitual de emisión de Doctor Who en la BBC). Además dice que hasta ahora lo más difícil está siendo la escritura del episodio final de temporada.

Le preguntan sobre la audición de Matt Smith. Confirma que un principio estaba pensando en alguien de 30 ó 40 años, pero bastó que Matt Smith hiciera la suya, que de hecho fue la tercera persona en audicionar, para saber que había encontrado al nuevo Doctor. Luego dice lo endomoniadamente  bueno que es éste, que es nuevo, diferente y extraño; que no será el jóven Doctor que todos esperan, sino uno bastante adulto. Y que es impresionante como hace notar su presencia con solo entrar a una habitación.

Luego señala lo importante que es la compañera, que el show es sobre lo que le sucede a ella cuando decide entrar en la Tardis.

The new Doctor Who, played by Matt Smith, and his companion, played by Karen Gillan

From The Times, how the mighty have fallen, an article on the first day of filming for Matt Smith in the role of Dr Who.

Much of the piece is taken up with discussion of the costume, which seems to make several nods to past Dr Who incarnations.

The piece is replete with obligatory puff from the ’star’:-

“I feel very privileged and proud to be part of this iconic show.”

“The scripts are brilliant and working alongside Karen and the rest of the crew is an inspiration because their work ethic and passion for the show is so admirable,” he said.

“I’m excited about the future and all the brilliant adventures I get to go on as the Doctor.”

Plus from the producer Steven Moffat:-

“And here it is, the big moment – the new Doctor, and his new best friend,” he said. “And here’s me, with the job I wanted since I was seven. 40 years to here!

“Matt and Karen are going to be incredible, and Doctor Who is going to come alive on Saturday nights in a whole new way – and best of all, somewhere out there, a seven-year-old is going to see them, fall in love, and start making a forty-year plan…”

I really want to see An Education, the new movie based on the memoir of the same name by Lynn Barber, directed by Lone Scherfig, and adapted for the screen by Nick Horny.

The story seems interesting enough, about a 16 year old girl named Jenny in 1960s England with a normal mum and dad who’s working hard at her studies with plans to go to Oxford. And then she meets an older man, played by Peter Sarsgaard, who sweeps her off her feet with romance and the jet set travels of his swinging friends and leads her slowly down the path to ruin and the eventual growth into a woman. There’s more to that, much more, but I’ll spare you the details unless you’re truly interested.

First thing you should know, impressionable ladies of any age: Stay the fuck away from Peter Sarsgaard. He just looks like he’s out there to scoop up impressionable young girls.

But in all seriousness, the real reason I want to see this movie, besides the fact that it just looks good and has been getting incredibly positive reviews, is it’s lead, Carey Mulligan.

Ah…

I’ve only been lucky enough to catch her in a few things here and there, but she’s always come off as a young actress of grace and intelligence. And there’s an adorableness factor that’s truly undeniable. But all that ties into the fact that in one instant she can seem so young, so painfully, beautifully young, full of innocence and wide eyed wonder of the world, and then she can turn in an instant, those large eyes quivering with sadness, and then turn again, staying in the realm of adulthood, moving from the sadness to the joy of growing up. And she does it all with something that I never honestly thought I’d ever find in a living human being: grace.

I should also add, since I am a nerd, that I originally caught her in an episode of Doctor Who, the classic “Blink,” which I would highly recommend not only as an excellent piece of science fiction storytelling, but because it’s a stand alone episode, featuring solely Carey Mulligan’s one off character, the unstoppably inquisitive Sally Sparrow, girl detective, as she faces off against a mysterious mansion and one of the scariest bit of creatures (it is almost Halloween, after all) you’ll ever see: The Weeping Angels.

To say more would be criminal, but I’d give my highest recommendation to that episode, written by the genius Steven Moffat (set to take over the reins of Doctor Who early next year) and Carey Mulligan’s performance in it especially. She not crafts an energetic and intelligent young character who loves a good mystery, but she manages to create a role you fall in love with instantly. It’s a joke I make quite frequently on this site, but I’d truly give just about anything to see a spin off with her character in it (as opposed to the bisexual Nigel Kneale ripoff that is Torchwood on it’s better days).

Carey Mulligan is only 24 and already has a wide variety of film and television roles under her belt. Other than An Education now, she’ll also appear in the Natalie Portman/Tobey Maguire/Jake Gyllenhaal remake of Brothers, as well as Oliver Stone’s Wall Street 2 and Mark Romanek’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.

Nick Hornby, who you of course know from his earlier works like High Fidelity and About A Boy, and who adapted the autobiographical memoir by Barber into An Education, also has a new book about called Juliet, Naked. And I hear it’s actually pretty good.

“She’s a suburban girl who’s frightened that she’s going to get cut out of everything good that happens in the city. That, to me, is a big story in popular culture. It’s the story of pretty much every rock ‘n’ roll band,” said Hornby about the character in the book version of An Education. Interesting the way he frames that, but when asked about the actual writing of a teenage girl, as opposed to just a man who’s whole live revolves around music and quim, Hornby said, “I think the moment you’re writing about somebody who’s not exactly you, then the challenge is all equal. I was glad that everyone around me on this movie was a woman so that they could watch me carefully. But I don’t remember anyone saying to me, ‘That isn’t how women think.’”

If not stopped, I could potentially post pictures of Carey Mulligan here forever.

newest logo

11th logo

No, the switch has not always been keyed to a new Doctor; Tom Baker served so long as the 4th incarnation that he spanned two title designs. Peter Davison’s and Colin Baker’s fifth and sixth Time Lords also shared Tom’s second, “neon” logo, while the 9th and 10th both employed the 10th, the current oblate-spheroid look.

10th logo

I have to say I like the new look. But perhaps that’s more because I never really liked the current logo, which came along when the series was reimagined in 2005. I loved (and still love!) everything else about the relaunch, but the stretched-out, flattened, yellow-orange graphic just never clicked with me. Perhaps that’s why the blockier, more solid design appeals to me. I also like adding the TARDIS lamp on top and creating “official” alternate looks, including an abbreviation that mimics the shape of the TARDIS itself.

A new logo, new show-runner (Peter Moffat), new Doctor (Matt Smith) new companion (Karen Gillan) and even a new sonic screwdriver (!) make the show seem new again in a wonderful way. I just hope the rumor that the new season will again be designated “Series 1” proves false. It should be referred to as “Series 5.” Actually I have been hoping that fan-made-good Moffat will be the kind of traditionalist who might revert to the “proper” original numbering – which would make the new series Season 32. (That’s how I think of it, anyway.) Hope regenerates.

The BBC unveiled the new logo for the upcoming Steven Moffat-helmed Doctor Who series. I think that the logo looks great and the Tardis-shaped letters make a nice and instantly recognizable advertising piece. Although I am really excited about the new series, I find myself forgetting that there are still three more episodes left to air featuring the end of David Tennant’s run as the Doctor. The current rumour is that the next special, called The Waters of Mars, will air in November with the final two specials airing in December/early January. Adding to the buzz over the new logo are new pictures from the filming of the 2010 series, some of which are posted below.

I suspect that these pictures are from the first episode of the new series as they feature Matt Smith still wearing David Tennant’s old outfit….albeit much worse for wear.

A first look at the new Doctor Who logo, which will accompany Matt Smith’s debut as The Doctor in Spring 2010, has been unveiled and can be seen at www.bbcamerica.com/doctorwho. The logo is the eleventh to be used onscreen in the show’s history.

Accompanying the logo at BBCAmerica.com is an animated insignia of the show’s initials, which will be used as branding for the new series in conjunction with the logo.

About the new logo, Steven Moffat, the show’s new Lead Writer and Executive Producer said, “A new logo. The eleventh logo for the eleventh Doctor – those grand old words, Doctor Who, suddenly looking newer than ever. And look at that, something really new – an insignia! DW in TARDIS form! Simple and beautiful, and most important of all, a completely irresistible doodle. I apoligise to school notebooks everywhere, because in 2010 that’s what they’re going to be wearing.”

The new series of  Doctor Who will premiere in Spring 2010. The final three episodes featuring David Tennant will be broadcast later this year with the existing logo onscreen.

Jekyll es una miniserie de 6 episodios trasmitida por la BBC en 2007  y escrita por Steven Moffat. Basada en la conocida novela  El Extraño Caso del Dr. Jekyll y Mr. Hyde y protagonizada brillantemente por James Nasbitt narra la historia del Dr. Jackman quien de pronto descubre otra personalidad viviendo en su interior, Mr. Hyde. Mientras el Dr. Jackman es un buen hombre -casado y con dos hijos-, Hyde es un “niño” en el cuerpo de un adulto. Pero no es un niño normal, sino un psicópata con habilidades super-humanas sediento de sangre y sexo. La lucha entre ambos es el tema central de la miniserie.

Notablemente  bien escrita, está llena de suspenso, intriga, terror, giros inesperados en la trama y todo lo que una buena serrie de TV debe tener. Más que recomendable, especialmente para ir conociendo el trabajo de Steven Moffat a cargo del nuevo Doctor Who 2010.

“Coupling” is a show about sex. It’s a show about relationships between men and women, differences between genders and the classic failure to communicate. Many critics have compared it to “Friends,” but I beg to differ: “Coupling” offers an honest, accurate hilarious view of sex and dating, all tied up in one charming, funny British sitcom.

Dating back to the 1990s, “Coupling” follows the relationship of Susan and Steve over four seasons, from the original awkward meeting in a public restroom and Steve’s accidental proposal of marriage during a dinner party rant, to Susan’s eventual pregnancy and the beginning of their life together.

The series’ only writer is Steven Moffat, best known for his work on the British science-fiction TV show “Doctor Who” and his recent collaboration with Steven Spielberg on the forthcoming “The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.” Moffat based the show on his early relationship with his wife, Susie, and therefore offers a unique and honest perspective of the difficulties faced by male-female relationships.

Many critics have described “Coupling” rather simply as a British version of “Friends” because of its six main characters. With three men and three women, the show faithfully explores both sides of the characters’ relationships. Though the themes explored in “Coupling” are far from innovative, Moffat accomplishes two feats that drive me to qualify it as one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.

First, Moffat somehow manages to demonstrate both male and female perspectives on relationships with incredible accuracy and hilarity. For example, in the first series episode “Inferno,” Susan discovers Steve’s secret stash of pornography. When Susan tells her friends, they are positively appalled that he would watch such garbage. Steve later tells the women they should be honored that men spend so much time thinking about their bodies.

Second, Moffat’s writing includes a creativity seldom seen in the average sitcom. The second series episode “Split,” based on the events following Susan and Steve’s break-up, features a split screen through the entire 40 minutes and each side depicting one of the character’s attempts to deal with the aftermath. With so many parallels—friends taking them out to bars, attempts to call quickly and hang up – the use of the split screen allows Moffat to explore the literal concept of “splitting up” and to further comment on men’s and women’s intricacies.

“Coupling” attacks the stereotypes both genders place on themselves and each other in relationships. But most importantly, “Coupling” remains absolutely hilarious while doing so. Equipped with a more mainstream version of British humor, Moffat pushes his characters to extremes and makes them react in outrageous, comical ways that usually either exacerbate situations or enhance miscommunication to the point of no return – all while supplying great laughter along the way.

“Coupling” consists of four series and is available on DVD.

Franz Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’ is about a man who wakes up one morning and discovers he’s mutated into a giant bug. Did this directly influence the regeneration process in ‘Doctor Who’? With David Tennant’s regeneration into Matt Smith just months away, could cryptic comments from new producer Steven Moffat provide a clue? In an exclusive new essay, Tim Sanders examines the compelling evidence.

Read Kafka Doctor Who essay here

Sherlock Holmes definitivamente está de moda, pero la idea de este post no es hablar de la película que se estrena a fin de año, sino de la miniserie que hará la BBC. Se supone que serán 3 episodios de 90 minutos para estrenarse el 2010.

Esta véz se trata de una actualización, un Sherlock Holmes del siglo 21. Y será bajo la pluma del genial Steven Moffat, actual productor del nuevo Doctor Who (por cuyos guíones ya ha ganado 3 premios Hugo) y también autor del guión de esa joya del suspenso que es Jekyll. Así que la calidad está garantizada.

Solo queda estar atentos a la BBC el 2010.

La BBC confirma Sherlock Holmes.

The Daytime Emmys tend to be a mixed bag of conflicting material: Juxtaposing kiddie programs with lurid talk fests, game shows and soaps is more mismatched than apples and oranges, but THE 35th ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS turned out to be much more coherent this year, and I believe that is because the children’s content was mostly relegated to a taped wrap-up, avoiding mixing Elmo with EJ. Still, “coherent” does not equal “entertaining,” and the show was the usual painful mishmash of clips, strained presenter “banter” and winners complaining about not having enough time to thank their fourth cousins and the guy who mowed their parents’ lawn when they were kids. In other words, it was an awards show, and no one watches an awards show to be entertained; they want to know who won. Here are my impressions…

• Cameron Mathison (Ryan, AMC) certainly is enthusiastic, but perhaps he could dial it back a little; the man has hosted TV shows before. He did a good job with the awkward idea of ambushing actors at their tables and making small talk, and the actors all behaved themselves. 
• Sarah Brown’s (Claudia, GH) gothic princess dress was very eye-catching. (I know nothing about fashion or designers or designer fashions, as my colleagues can attest!) Supporting Actress winner Gina Tognoni (Dinah, GL) looked like she was wrapped in Christmas ribbon, which I suppose is appropriate. (And she name-checked me! … What? She meant some other “Joe”? Are you sure…?)
• The “Style Lounge” appeared dead; nobody was there unless Cam was talking to them on-camera. (Guess I’m not the only unstylish one…) 
• GL’s Marcy Rylan looked stunning, especially her hair, even if her dress was a bit too shapeless. And she did a great job of delivering her lines: No squinting at the TelePrompTer, or wooden recitation &dmash; she performed her lines. I hate the way actors at awards shows usually appear to have never read lines before. Granted, the material is horsespit, but hey, they’re supposed to be pros. And Marcy was a champ here. 
• The various actress clips contained too much crying — this will prove to be a theme all night long. Makes it look like soaps are all sobbing, all the time. 
• ONE LIFE TO LIVE was the first of the Outstanding Drama Series clips and it established a trend of overlighting and title cards that tended to make all the soaps look the same. All the clips appeared to have been created by the same editing team, so there is no individuality to the shows. Wait, I take that back. The GH clip package was almost all explosions and violence; but then again, that’s what the show is. It doesn’t have nearly as much kissing as the other shows. And something big fell on YOUNG AND RESTLESS’s cast. 
• When OLTL’s Kassie DePaiva comes out to present, she name-checked “the real Marty Haskell,” and I cringe. 
• It looked like Younger Actress winner Jennifer Landon (ex-Gwen, ATWT) raided Madonna’s wardrobe, circa 1985. 
• Regis Philbin was given the Lifetime Achievement award, and I think the audience deserved some kind of award for surviving the hour-by-hour recap of his entire 40+ year career. Reege, trust me, the page years were not as compelling as you think they were. 
• Lead Actress winner Jeanne Cooper (Katherine, Y&R) had the best acceptance speech, and was the highlight of the entire broadcast, hands-down. “I bet you thought I’d died,” she quipped. I almost died laughing. Why can’t all speeches be like this? 
• Of course no one could possibly know better than Susan Lucci (Erica, AMC) that it’s an honor just to be nominated. And few know better than GH’s Anthony Geary(Luke) what it feels like to win — again! Definitely worth interrupting your vacation for, eh, Tony? Congratulations! (Whaddaya want? I am Weekly’s GH editor!) 
• Any ideas why Barbara Walters was presenting the Outstanding Drama award? Me neither. I mean, it’s not like she’s wearing a sandwich board flogging her book, right? Hey, GH won! That’s No. 10. Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps is dedicating the award to those people suffering from floods in the real world. 
And that was the show… Off the air by 10 p.m. Eastern, which is an accomplishment (and a mercy to viewers). I do wish the broadcast had included an “In Memoriam” tribute as a reminder of the talents we lost this year. I hope the show returns to New York in the future, so maybe I can attend again. Let me tell you from personal experience, if you ever get the chance to walk the red carpet with Eva La Rue (ex-Maria, AMC) and Michelle Trachtenberg (Georgina, GOSSIP GIRL; ex-Lily, AMC), do it!

ABC chose to give its post-Emmys time slot to a rebroadcast (or, more precisely, a repurposing) of SOAPnet’s new nighttime soap, MVP. An import from Canada, MVP follows the men of a fictional professional hockey team and the women who love and loathe them. As an avid hockey fan, I can assure you that there is not a shred of realism to the hockey angle. The very idea of team captain Adam snorting cocaineduring the season is ludicrous. Every player is subject to “no notice” drug testing. And the entry draft is held in June (in fact, it began June 20, the very day this show was broadcast!), not during the season, so showing that the Mustangs — newly flush with insurance cash from Adam’s suspicious death — would then draft Trevor is crazy. Now, perhaps they might be able to sign him after drafting him the previous summer, but not draft him. Of course, one can hardly expect realism from a show that depicts a fancy party at a player’s mansion where the valets beg for autographs and the waitresses hit on the guests. Adam’s funeral is held at center ice of their home area — complete with corpse! That never happens, and never will!

But take away the wacky stuff and you’re left with the clichés — the lady-killer with the collection of videos of his conquests; the team owner who’s secretly bankrupt; the cheating spouses; the wide-eyed young talent from the small town who loves his low-rent girlfriend. I had to laugh when Trevor was blinded by the sun reflecting off the limousine sent by the team — his future’s so bright he has to wear shades!) We know Gabe is Connie’s Prince Charming because he literally returns her lost shoe. C’mon! The storyline anvils were falling fast and furious, folks! Dan has visions of his baby mama and child? Please.

Nothing about this series says “hockey.” The guys could be involved in any high-paying jobs — lawyers, doctors, whatever. The only reason they skate is because the series is produced in Canada, where hockey is a national obsession. So where is the actual game footage, eh? The tagline for this series is “He shoots, she scores!” Well, I’m here to “save” you from making the mistake of watching this. To put it in hockey terms: “Kick save, Diliberto!”

Your precious time is much better spent with DOCTOR WHO. As befits an episode called “Silence in the Library,” the Doctor and Donna visit one the size of an entire planet — and it’s silent. Not a living entity in sight or earshot. This is the Doctor’s annual visit to the 51st century, but this time the writer is not executive producer Russell T Davies (who was just made a knight of the British Empire for his revival of DOCTOR WHO) but incoming EP Steven Moffat, who takes over with series five in 2010. (What do you expect from a series about a time-traveler?) Moffat wrote last season’s “Blink,” the truly scary one about the statues that move only when you aren’t looking at them — or when you blink, which I think stands as one of the most brilliant WHO scripts ever written. In “Blink,” the warning was “Don’t blink,” but for this new episode, the command is “Count the shadows.” Because they move. Moffat’s scripts are so brilliant because he makes the effort to really think about what’s scary and really think about what’s unique and cool about time travel. That’s how he came up with the idea of the Doctor recording messages on DVDs as a way of communicating across the decades in “Blink.” This time Moffat is examining mankind’s primal fear of the dark, positing that microscopic creatures called Vashta Nerada are responsible. “It’s what’s in the dark,” the Doctor intones, warning the others: “If you understand me, look very, very scared.” That, my friends, is writingto send any sci-fi fan to heaven.

The other thing that Moffat does better than anyone else (even Davies) is create characters. Sally Sparrow from “Blink” was one of the best one-off companions ever seen, and Prof. River Song of “Library” is already looking to be another spectacular creation. Song is leader of a band of archeologists who have come to investigate the library, which doesn’t impress the Doctor much (“I’m a time-traveler; I point and laugh at archeologists,” he sniffs.) Song illustrates Moffat’s clever use of time travel. She knows the Doctor from her past, but from his perspective he hasn’t met her yet. Her diary of adventures with the Doctor is a classic Moffat device. (Notice how the Doctor never asks to see it; he knows the perils of foreknowledge.) When Song realizes the Doctor doesn’t know her yet, it breaks her heart. So it’s a good thing the talented Alex Kingston (ex-Elizabeth, ER) was cast as Song. And even such minor characters as “Proper” Dave, “Other” Dave, and Miss Evangelista get their moments to shine.

Ah, poor Miss Evangelista. She was killed by the Vashta Nerada, microscopic swarm creatures that act like air-breathing piranhas. They strip their victims to the bone in seconds. Miss Evangelista was wearing a communication device wired directly into her nervous system, and its program picks up an imprint of the wearer at her moment of death, creating a “data ghost” that speaks the person’s last thoughts. Viewers heard poor Miss Evangelista’s heartbreaking final impressions of being lost and alone, and looking for her friend, Donna. “She’s a footprint on a beach, and the tide’s coming in,” the Doctor mused. “That was the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen,” Donna sobbed. (And she’s seen Ood with their brains mutilated to turn them into slaves.) Miss Evangelista’s end was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen on WHO — and possibly the saddest TV death since BRIAN’S SONG. I think Moffat just won himself another Hugo for that scene.

One thing that bothered me about this story was the Doctor withholding information about the Vashta Nerada. Why leave everyone else in the dark, so to speak? (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) He shouldn’t have waited for Miss Evangelista to get eaten to explain.

The episode ended with a Donna cliff-hanger, as a robot doppelgänger with Donna’s face pronounced, “Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved.” What does that mean?

Hopefully, it means you will be back to read the next Night Shift…

Originally posted on Soap Opera Weekly.com