Bionic Woman

The modern Jaime Sommers will not be back … not for a while anyway.  For all of her potential, for all of her strength, she could not survive the tough challenges of the modern television industry.

Much like in the show, what got the modern Jaime into the most trouble was listening to too many people.  The new Jaime did not know who she was, and was more than willing to listen to people tell her who she needed to be … for all her defiant slouching in the tunnels of the Burket Group, the modern Jaime was absorbing everyone’s expectations for what kind of Bionic Woman she should become. 

And that turned out to be the disease that finally killed the modern Bionic Woman, that desperate need to change to please everybody.  Because everybody thought they knew what she needed to do to succeed. 

As a result the modern Bionic Woman was a constantly changing mess.  People were always opening her up, rearranging her bionic parts, removing characters, adding plotlines, and then removing them again just as quickly.  If the machine is nothing without the woman, then the Woman needed some spine and some structure … but just like no one at the Berkut Group thought to give Jaime a good cell phone, no one recognized the obvious until it was too late to save her modern life. 

From the very first reviews of the pilot to things still being written today, the majority of people who saw the show thought they could make Bionic Woman better, faster, stronger than what they were seeing on screen.  

From NBC Entertainment President Ben Silverman to fans of the original series, from actual bionic scientists to television bloggers … pretty much every person who saw the show had the same thought as Bionic Woman scholar Herbie J. Pilato:   “David Eick needs to call me.”

“I mean, I know what went wrong,” Bionic star Katee Sackhoff said in a recent interview.  “Had they given me the show, I could have figured it out. I could have told them exactly what to do. But then everyone would have put their hands in, and the same thing would have happened … that’s just how it goes.”

By trying to please everyone, the Bionic Woman ended up pleasing no one at all.  By allowing everyone to mess with her, she gave away everything she was and became nothing.

Executive Producer David Eick broke ranks with NBC Universal last week, telling the press that Bionic Woman really is over even as the network has stood by its claim that no official decision has been made about the future of the series.

“I just felt that the process was so frustrating, and the conditions under which we were making that show never really came to fruition in such a way that I felt like we could make the show well. The actress [Michelle Ryan] we found was wonderful. Some of the writing was good.

“We just didn’t ever bring it all together like we did with Battlestar,” he continued. “At a certain point, when it becomes that frustrating, I think you’re better off to say, ‘Let’s try again another time,’ and let it go.”

SciFi Wire got the scoop at last week’s SciFi Channel upfronts, where Eick was promoting Battlestar Galactica and the upcoming prequel series Caprica. 

The Toronto Star had some additional commentary from show star Katee Sackhoff, who played Jaime Sommers’ frenemy Sarah Corvus:

“It’s no one’s fault,” Sackhoff told the paper. “The hype was so big before the show came out, and they were so scared that it would fail, that everyone had an opinion. There were too many cooks in the kitchen, and they didn’t know what they were cooking.

“I mean, I know what went wrong. Had they given me the show, I could have figured it out. I could have told them exactly what to do. But then everyone would have put their hands in, and the same thing would have happened. You can’t blame anyone. That’s just how it goes.”

Lucy Hale, who plays Becca Sommers on Bionic Woman, has been telling fans on her official web site that the show has definitely been canceled.  Meanwhile, NBC has apparently been communicating with fans and telling them that no official decision has been made to date.

False rumors about the cancellation of Bionic Woman have been swirling for months, and at this point so many people have reported that the show has been canceled that even many in the mainstream media believe it to be true. 

The reality is that no one connected with the show has made an on-the-record statement about its future, however, and there is officially still a chance the show could return in some form in the fall.  The show’s production offices are still open, according to local Vancouver newspaper the Globe & Mail, and the show’s episodes and information remain up on NBC.com even after other shows that have been canceled have been removed.

Last week, NBC Vice President Rebecca Marks apparently told a fan in an e-mail that no official decision has been made on the show:

“Thanks for your support on Bionic.  I think it is a great show too.  We are still determining its future.  We should know more in May.  Hang in there.”

Over on LucyHale.com, however, the actress is being very clear with fans that she has been told that the show will not be returning:

“My manager was notified by NBC that the show was being cancelled [sic].  There has been a lot of rumor about the show, but unfortunately it is definitely over.  I’m sad, but it was such a good experience for me.”

In response to one fan’s opinion that NBC failed the show with its constant meddling, Lucy posted:

“I was disapointed to learn about the ending of the show, of course,  but it is just how this business goes. Thank you for being concerned about the cast! We will be fine though.  I appreciate the support.”

Lucy’s posts definitely make it harder to keep hope alive for Bionic Woman.  While this blog will not report the show is canceled until it comes from the network, it is plausible that NBC is telling its stars one thing and the fans another. 

The reality is that NBC has a very strong motivation to delay an official cancellation announcement, as the show has yet to start airing in many overseas markets.  Michelle Ryan, the show’s star, is proving herself to be a mature professional by continuing to do cheerful publicity for the show in Great Britain in anticipation of Bionic Woman’s UK debut this week.

As with all things Bionic Woman, fans will continue to have to wait and see.

Michelle Ryan is grabbing headlines in the United Kingdom with some sexy photos she shot to promote the British premiere of Bionic Woman, which starts Tuesday across the pond.  To see the shots some newspapers have labeled “bionic bosoms” click here.

Bionic Woman is still alive and kicking, despite what you may hear from the press.  Everything I have heard is that the fate of the show is still undetermined, and that seems to be reinforced by NBC which has continued to feature the show on its web site, and communicate hope to its fans.  Word is the show will be “returning soon” or at least still has a chance to come back on the air in the fall — hopefully with a new and sturdier vision.

Of course, not everyone is a fan.  Lee Majors has a problem with the modern version of Bionic Woman, and Roco at Bionic Blog has a problem with that.  Roco lashes out at Lee’s criticisms in the show and states that Michelle Ryan could take the alter ego of The Six Million Dollar Man in a fight.  Roco may be right.

Miguel Ferrer is getting good reviews for his voice performance in the new animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier.  Miguel plays the Martian whose arrival on Earth is the catalyst for many of the events in the movie, which also stars the voices of Lucy Lawless, Kyra Sedgwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Kyle McLachlan, David Boreanaz, and Jeremy Sisto.  If you have seen the DVD let us know what you think.

One lucky fan got to get face to face with Michelle Ryan when she was on the red carpet in London for the Brit Awards.  Check out the quick clip of a harried Michelle saying “hi” below.

Bionic Woman’s production office is still open, and the show still has a chance of returning reports Vancouver’s Globe & Mail newspaper.

While it is true that NBC has yet to order any new episodes of the series, they have also refrained from canceling the show which means there is still hope for Jaime Sommers to return for a second season.

“It’s kind of in this suspended animation,” said Pete Mitchell  in the newspaper article. “They haven’t canceled it and they aren’t going ahead at this point.”  Mitchell works for Vancouver Film Studios, the home for Bionic Woman in Vancouver.  Mitchell also estimated that the show is down to ten staff members, a large drop from the two hundred or more that were working on the show when it was at the height of production.

So even if you read elsewhere that the show is canceled, have faith:  Bionic Woman is still alive and kicking.

Regular readers know that Kevin Rankin as Nathan is one of our favorite characters on Bionic Woman.  Rankin adds a sense of humor and levity to the show and is overall a funny character.  His weekly flirtations with Michelle Ryan’s Jaime Sommers are the funniest moments of the show and usually the most entertaining. 

Rankin is a busy man as he also stars in NBC’s prime time drama Friday Night Lights.  BW is filmed in Vancouver, FNL in Austin.

Rankin recently gave an interview to the LA Daily News and discussed his hectic schedule and the fate of Bionic Woman.

On landing the role on BW:

“At the beginning of the season, they did a lot of retooling. They fired some of the producers and writers. The guy they brought on to fix the show was Jason Katims. He was the show-runner for `Friday Night Lights.’ Within a week, he called me up and invited me and offered me the part. He said come up and try and instill some humor, and ground it in reality a little bit. I became Nathan, the bionics guy, I work with computers. I’m going out on missions and learning how to fight.”

On BW returning after the WGA strike is settled:

“The show was getting its feet under it before the strike happened, but I’m not sure if it’s coming back,” he admitted. “I just don’t think it got a fair shake. I’d love to see it come back.”

His first big break:

Kevin’s first regular television role came on NBC’s short-lived but well-remembered comedy “Undeclared,” in which he played the resident adviser in a college dorm. He knew he was a part of something special because the show was created by writer/director Judd Apatow, who is responsible for such movie hits as “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”

“That took me to a different level,” he said of “Undeclared.”

“Little did I know that a couple of years later, (Apatow) would be the biggest thing in town.”

Although Bionic Woman and FNL are on hiatus during the WGA strike, Rankin fans can catch him on the second episode of NBC’s Law & Order, which returns in January.

Let’s hope Rankin is wrong about BW not returning and we get more of Nathan.

It’s happening again.

Just two short weeks after bloggers flocked to report the unconfirmed rumor that Katee Sackhoff was leaving Bionic Woman, more bloggers are reporting the unconfirmed rumor that the show has been canceled. 

And just like with the Katee rumor, some newspapers are reporting the cancellation as fact based on the unconfirmed reports on the blogs.

And just like the Katee rumor, the rumor about Bionic Woman being canceled is false.

Watching Bionic Woman has been contacted by a Bionic Woman insider who has confirmed that NBC has NOT CANCELED the show.  

The show insider reports that as of this weekend, NBC executives were firm in their reassurances that the show is still alive and a viable programming option for 2008.  Nothing has changed since several weeks ago, when it was accurately reported that (unless something drastic changes) the network will wait until after the writers’ strike to decide the fate of the show. 

We have stated repeatedly that we will not report the show has been canceled until the news comes from a reliable source, as speculation that the show "may" be canceled is not enough for us to put down our proverbial pens and stop blogging about the show.  Rumors are rumors, facts are facts, and while we may be disappointed in the show’s slow start we still believe Bionic Woman has bionic potential.  This show keeps getting better with every episode, and the actors and writers are just starting to get a feel for the characters and what Jaime Sommers can do.  Let’s hope they get a chance to show us how great Bionic Woman can perform when the show is in peak condition.

So until we hear it from NBC, we will keep hoping we see Bionic Woman back on our screens once the writer’s strike is over.

EDIT: After posting this I was browsing around ew.com and realized NBC has banners up advertising “Your Favorite Shows” are available on nbc.com. Among the five shows highlighted? Bionic Woman, along with Heroes, Chuck, 30 Rock, and The Office. That’s just one more hopeful sign for Jaime Sommers & Co.

We are consciously trying to avoid reporting on this week’s premature headlines announcing that Bionic Woman has been canceled, since so many people have been prematurely announcing that for weeks now. Roco has the scoop on the most recent rumors over at bionic-blog if you are interested. The show started off so strong, as the Entertainment Weekly photo here demonstrates, and now Jaime is everybody’s favorite whipping girl. What is it about this show that makes people gleefully long for the day that it goes off the air??

Isaiah Washington stole the show when he picketed with his former castmates from Grey’s Anatomy earlier this week. You may remember that Isaiah left a storm of controversy in his wake on the Grey’s set, which a controversial point of publicity for Bionic Woman this season. Ryan, ever the IW fan, gives his thoughts on this below.

There was some talk about Katee Sackhoff getting a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Sarah Corvus on Bionic Woman, but when the nominations came out earlier this week she was not on the list.

Lucy Hale, who plays Becca Sommers on Bionic Woman, was among the young stars who recently attended the DVD premiere of High School Musical 2.

NBC issued over $10 million in refunds to advertisers upset with the low ratings the channel is getting as a result of show hiatus issues and the writers’ strike.

And last but not least, if you are missing Michelle Ryan during the writers’ strike, you may want to check out these new Michelle Ryan desktops which are available for download.

News spread this week that NBC has let its option run on a full season of Journeyman, effectively canceling the freshman show. No decision has been made yet on Bionic Woman, continuing the limbo the show has been in since the network announced that its other new series, Chuck and Life, would be getting full seasons a few weeks ago.

Bionic Woman started strong in the ratings, but then suffered a steady decline as personnel changes and inconsistent visions took its toll on the show. Before the writers’ strike Bionic Woman was showing a lot of potential, and hopefully the fact that it has not been canceled yet means NBC is still willing to let the show continue. If you are among the fans of the show who would like to see it continue, write to NBC or sign the online petition to save Jaime Sommers, Sarah Corvus, and the Berkut Group folks from cancellation.

There is a petition up to save Bionic Woman. So far it has gained over 250 signatures, most of which are followed by positive comments about the show and its potential, so if you are fan click through and sign up!

Hopes that Bionic Woman will pick up viewers during the strike with reruns seem to be slimmer now that NBC has announced that they will be running Law & Order on Wednesdays instead. This does not bode well.

If you missed the stir last week, many media outlets reported that Michelle Ryan was dating Owen Wilson. Her publicist denied the two had ever met, much less enjoyed romantic dinners and body surfing together, but the stories continued for several days.

Check out this list of reasons fans love Katee Sackhoff, which was designed to help lift her spirits after the recent rumor controversy. Someone who knows Katee is involved in the project and promises to make sure she sees it, so if you are a Katee fan you should post as well.

In other Katee news, she was mentioned in Monday’s Variety as one of the breakthrough performers of the year along with such critical darlings as Pushing Daisies‘ morbid pie man Lee Pace and Ray Wise, who plays the hysterical Devil on Reaper. The article hinted Katee has a chance to earn a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Sarah Corvus on Bionic Woman, which should cheer her up at least as much as the above-mentioned list.

Molly Price, who plays Ruth Truewell on Bionic Woman, will turn 42 on December 15th. Happy Birthday, Molly!

Bionic Woman, Katee Sackhoff, Michelle Ryan, Molly Price, Lee Pace, Ray Wise, Golden Globe, NBC, Writers Strike, WGA, Owen Wilson

The Los Angeles Times suggests the Bionic Woman writers use their time on the picket lines to rethink some of the more annoying aspects of the show, and come back with more action and less Becca.

Berkut Group prez and actor Miguel Ferrar was all over the gossip blogs this weekend, after his cousin George Clooney mentioned him in an upcoming W magazine interview.  George revealed that Miguel was the man who taught him about prostitutes, but the story is not quite as scandalous as it sounds.  Apparently the two were driving around L.A. in a Porsche shortly after young George came to town … "We pulled up at the stoplight, and all of these girls came over, and they were like, ‘Hey, do you want to party?’ I looked at Miguel and I said, ‘Chicks love me, man! I’m on fire here!’"  Miguel is also the source of a recent OK! magazine story reiterating Clooney’s vow to never marry again. 

Someone else to add to the list of people who think that casting Isaiah Washington was a mistake:  Steve McPherson, the head of ABC, was recently quoted in the New York Times as saying network exec Ben Silverman was “clueless or stupid” in the way he negotiated to bring IW to BW.

A lot of bloggers have been laughing about the iPhone scene in The List, as it seems guest star Callum Keith Rennie was holding the phone upside down for at least half of the scene where he is threatening to kill Tom while negotiating the price of his life with Jaime.  Some of them wonder if the error was on purpose, given NBC’s well-documented dispute with Apple.

Michelle Ryan has gotten some press recently for expressing a desire to break into movies, which she may be able to do sooner rather than later depending on what happens with the strike.