Last week, in this column, I raised my concerns about the cast change in Stargate Atlantis, specifically making Robert Picardo's character the new commander of the base. This week on Scifi.com, remarks were posted that were made by the actor in an interview that was held with media members by conference call. In the call, he acknowledged that his character, Richard Woolsey, was an “unlikely choice for this job” and went on to express hope that the fans will respond as he has. He looks forward to developments with his character as he (Woolsey), who is not a leader, tries to make himself one. Now, I still have reservations about this change and great concerns about the future of the show, I'm more than willing to adopt a wait and see attitude and await further developments.

In a further follow-up, I mentioned last week that I feared that this development would result in the show “jumping the shark.” Well, I had someone call me to task on that. I visited TV Guide's Jump the Shark site (“Jump the shark is a term for a show that has reached and passed it's peak, named after an event on Happy Days with Fonzie jumped a shark on his motorcycle) and did a search for the show. I came up with the current results of a poll on the site, with some results that surprised me. As of the writing of this column, 693 people say it already jumped the shark with the death of Dr. Beckett, 427 say it's never jumped, 101 say it jumped it on day one, and 55 said it peaked at the end of Season 1. If you would like to see the latest results, click here.

The person who contacted me pointed this out and said that the numbers were too low for a verdict on the show to be reached, especially with “Never jumped” being ranked second. I respectfully disagree with the individual, but do respect his opinion. We've agreed to stay in touch and exchange thoughts and notes as the fifth season progresses. I'll have more on Stargate Atlantis as the season progresses.

In related news, word has come out that those who hoped for a return of Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) are in for a disappointment. According to reports, Higginson has rejected a script that would have had her return during the fifth season.

A reminder: Stargate Atlantis will have it's season 5 premiere on this Friday 10pm Eastern time on the SciFi Channel.

Ain't That Weird: Many who read this might remember the 1970's TV series, Sanford and Son, where every week, old Fred Sanford (played by Redd Foxx) would have something that didn't go his way. He would grab his chest and scream, “Oh Elizabeth, it's the big one! I'm coming to join you, honey!!” Well, what worked for Fred has stopped working for a Wisconsin man, who faked heart attacks to get out of paying taxi and restaurant bills. He was finally caught after he pulled the trick one time too many. A doctor at the emergency room recognized him and realized what was going on. The man now faces habitual criminal charges and could face nine months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

I wonder what he will try in the courtroom.

Think about it.

Photos:  Wikipedia.org 

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