“Virtuality”, from “Battlestar Galactica” mastermind Ronald D. Moore & writer Michael Taylor, was one of the most anticipated new tv shows in development last year. Unfortunately, the producing network FOX passed on picking the ambitious project up to series. However, FOX viewers will still get to see the two-hour pilot, as the network plans to broadcast it on June 26th at 8 pm ET/PT.
“Virtuality” is about the crew of the spaceship ‘Phaeton’ who are approaching a vital stage of their epic 10-year journey through outer space. With the weight of the world on their shoulders and their lives being taped for a reality show back on Earth, the pressure is intense. To keep the crew members sane, there is a virtual reality technology device installed on the ship. With the help of that particular device, the crew members can be anyone they want, anywhere at any time, despite living in a closed environment in the lonely vastness of space. Complications arise when they realize there is a glitch in the system which inflicts damage on the psyche of the crew members and unleashes a virus on the ship. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (”New Amsterdam”), Sienna Guillory (”Love Actually”) and Clea Duvall (”Carnivale”) star among others. Peter Berg (”Friday Night Lights”) directed the pilot.
Originally developed as a two-hour-backdoor-pilot for an ongoing series, FOX raised early concerns about the pilot after screening it. Deemed as “dense” and “risky”, efforts were made to make the show more mainstream, by cutting the pilot down from two hours to just one hour among other things. When the network announced their fall schedule in May 2009, the show was noticably absent. Media outlets had already reported earlier that, according to insiders, the project was pretty much dead. In a surprising move FOX then announced they would air the original two-hour-pilot on the 4th of July, but then shifted the broadcast to June 26. To this day FOX has not officially declared the project dead , but it seems unlikely that “Virtuality” will actually go into series.
“Virtuality” deals with themes like addiction, the weight of larger-than-life responsibilities, our growing attachment to technology and the inner wish to live in a fantasy or alternative reality and how it influences the way you see things in real life. The two-hour-pilot asks interestings questions about identity, reality and the power of imagination.
The character-driven drama will air on Friday June 26, 2009 at 8 pm ET/PT.
S: ONTD