Threshold

[Takara_Soong 4]

From st.com:

 

Threshold, the alien invasion sci-fi thriller that debuted on CBS this past September, is making a move to Tuesday nights starting November 22. A clever "What-If" show about how aliens look to infect humans with their DNA and eventually overtake Earth, Threshold appears to have unlimited possibilities when it comes to storylines. The trick, as ever for new TV shows, is to get people to watch. We talked to executive producer and writer Brannon Braga about how he became involved in the show, plus some of the new storylines we can expect to see in upcoming episodes, and how the show looks to solidify its core audience.

With Brannon as one of the creative heads, along with a writing staff that includes Star Trek veterans Mike Sussman and Andre Bormanis, plus Brent Spiner ("Data") in front of the camera, it's an easy fit for viewers looking for something new, yet familiar. But it also happens to be an intriguing show with some excellent writing, along with a core acting ensemble that is pretty hard to beat: Carla Gugino, known to parents and children everywhere from her "Spy Kids" fame, heads up the Threshold team and plays Dr. Molly Anne Caffrey. She's supported by Spiner, veteran actor Charles S. Dutton, the Station Agent himself Peter Dinklage, Brian Van Holt ("Black Hawk Down") and Robert Patrick Benedict (Felicity) to round out the main cast.

 

Braga, of course, segued from executive producer on Star Trek: Enterprise over to the same position on Threshold soon after the demise of the series earlier this year. But he had no prior relationship with his new show's producers, David Goyer and David Heyman. "I didn't know either of them," he admits. "Paramount and CBS came to me with this project and it really wasn't until I met and sat down with David Goyer and we just clicked creatively. I said to David that it was a cool concept and that I would like to work with him. Eventually Heyman came back (he was in London working on 'Harry Potter' at the time) and I worked with him as well. So I didn't really have a relationship with either of them. But now I do."

 

Movie buffs will note that Threshold Command, the center where the team convenes to strategize, is reminiscent of the set of the cold-war classic "Dr. Strangelove," directed by Stanley Kubrick. "Yes it does. And it's a huge set. Huge," points out Braga.

 

In the opening credits, the head of the Threshold team, Molly (Gugino) says she has a "plan" and that plan is Threshold. To the uninitiated, what exactly is that "plan"? "The 'plan,'" reveals Braga, "refers to a plan that she wrote three years ago; a sort of What if...? She's an analyst who works for the government and looks at things like: What if a nuclear war struck St. Louis, or New York? What if the Bird Flu hit? What are the contingency plans we would have if aliens invaded Earth? It may seem absurd, but in fact in real life a plan like this has been written and that's what she's done, never thinking it might actually be used. [Molly's] plan outlined every single Red Team member that she chose. She got all the people she wanted."

 

But is this "plan" rock solid, and does she have all the resources? "It's interesting that you mention that," says Braga. "The 'plan' is an incredible plan: She's got every imaginable problem outlined. But there are going to be times when she needs to modify the plan. There's a case coming up in the next couple of episodes where Fenway, Brent Spiner's character, is getting very overwhelmed with the amount of genetic research he has to do. So they bring in another Red Team member, who is a genetic engineer, played by Catherine Bell from JAG. Her character is named Daphne. So there are going to be times when yes, the team is expanded. Threshold is just going to get bigger and bigger as the threat grows larger. More people are going to have to be brought in, more resources, more money, more troops, etc."

 

A current theme, in real life, is one of a lack of qualifications for a very important job. Is that something that might be incorporated into the storyline, given Molly's remit? Will she be subjected to intense scrutiny where her qualifications are questioned?

 

"You're asking all the right questions. There is a storyline that actually began two episodes ago where she is forced to kill her mentor, and boss, National Security Advisor Angela Hatten (Diane Venora) because she's become infected, along with several senators and several aides, and she has to shoot down her plane because she has no choice. In the premiere of this episode [which will air on the show's new day, Tuesday, starting November 22], we're introducing a new National Security Advisor, a guy named Ed Whitaker [Maurice Godin]. This guy — unlike the last one who was a real mentor to Molly — he's rewriting her plan, questioning her plan and qualifications. And this guy is going to end up going head-to-head with Molly. I don't want to give away too much, but let's just say Molly is going to find herself no longer involved with Threshold. I won't say how it happens, but there is going to be a real shocking development coming up where she finds herself completely losing control of her own operation. So there are those that think she is totally unqualified. To quote this Whitaker character, he tells Molly: 'You've written a brilliant plan, but it's not perfect.' He begins to question her and there's going to be some major stuff going down as a result."

 

The storyline of Threshold is about as current as you can get given that the show's events start in September 2005. The obvious question is, then, will they try to tie in real-world events and incorporate them into the stories? "Sure," begins Braga. "We do; we are a ripped-from-the-headlines show to some degree. There is an interesting thread running through our show having to do with the morally gray area of violating civil rights which is, I think, a very contemporary issue.

 

"This show is really about an alien conspiracy," he continues. "But at the end of the day it's about the conspiracy within the conspiracy which is the conspiracy to stop the aliens. That's what the show is really about, and the threat to the Threshold operations. These are six people who are among a handful of people who know about this threat — no one else in the world knows — and they have been empowered to do whatever they need to do to stop it, and that includes doing some pretty cagey stuff. Which none of them would ever normally do, because these are people who come from liberal backgrounds and are open-minded people, scientists and so forth, but here they are put in situations of locking people up and telling people's families that they are dead and doing some pretty treacherous stuff. But they have to! So that is, I think, a really interesting theme, in terms of other ripped-from-the-headlines kind of stuff, I definitely think that we've, somewhat accidentally, tapped into some real fears about outbreaks, like the Bird Flu. It's going to turn out these aliens are contaminating our food supply. And real creepy, insidious stuff is going to happen that I think definitely taps into a certain zeitgeist going on.

 

"The show's most obvious metaphor is terrorism," continues Braga. "We're not consciously trying to do stories that deal with themes of terrorism per se, but it's definitely there. The fear of someone in your midst who is doing terrifying stuff to you and you don't know why, really. That's what makes it a scary show, and it is a scary show. It does tap into contemporary and primal fears going on. But it's also worth noting that it's a fun, funny show too. This show can be quite scary, but we are quite careful to temper that with a lot of humor and real human emotion. It's really about these characters. The character development gets deeper and richer as the series goes on. Which I'm very pleased about."

 

Threshold has aired eight episodes, with a total of 12 having been made so far. Braga remains optimistic about the show's future, which is hard to be sometimes, when so often good shows are frequently and perhaps unfairly given an early ax due to an absurd ratings matrix. "I think a lot depends on whether people come with us on Tuesdays," Brannon concedes.

 

So if you feel a need for something that isn't Star Trek, but is made by several people from the Trek stable, then you might want to drop in on Tuesdays for some sci-fi fun, with some interesting and shocking storylines to look forward to. For instance, this recent one: "The name of the episode is 'Progeny' with Elizabeth Berkley. She plays one of the 'infectees.' Three completely different women, from three completely different socio-economic strata, go berserk in Washington D.C.," explains Braga. "One of them decapitates her husband, another spontaneously explodes on the street, and the third attacks some people in a bank while trying to transfer large sums of money to a mysterious location, and they end up connecting these three women to a fertility clinic. Turns out the aliens are using sex as a mode of transmission. And there's a twist in the show where it turns out one of the women is pregnant. There's actually another victim they find that's pregnant, with possibly the first alien baby born on Earth, which raises all kinds of moral issues that we have to deal with in the episode."

 

Lastly, please note that if you happen to miss an episode of Threshold on the night and didn't tape or TiVo it, you can log on to http://www.cbs.com/primetime/threshold/ and watch it on streaming video. It's a great way to catch up, but we wanted to hear what Brannon thought of watching it on a computer.

 

"I think it's a really good idea," Braga notes. "Obviously watching it on live television is better, because you have a better sound and picture than streaming video and it's also better for the Nielsen ratings. But it's a good use of the Internet and certainly supports the show."

 

Definitely a great use of the Internet, with one possible drawback being people's declining productivity at work due to online access of TV episodes. "I would hope so," jokes Brannon.

 

I had read about a rumour that Catherine Bell was joining the cast and this would confirm it. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. I'll have to wait and see what they do with her.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Saw an article at zap 2 it. Apparently Threshold is the only new CBS drama not picked up for renewal so far.

 

http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/...8748|1|,00.html

[stvoyagerfan 1]

i saw something on yahoo a few minutes ago that say's the show's been cancelled. will have to see if that's true or not. i'm hoping for not.

 

tm

Edited November 24, 2005 by stvoyagerfan21

[Jack_Bauer 1]

Found the article that STVF21 is referring to:

 

http://www.tvsquad.com/2005/11/23/threshol...-breaking-news/

 

Doesn't sound good. Sigh, Enterprise, Arrested Development and now Threshold. I was so stoked to see the Threshold-Foothold-Stranglehold name change play out. This series was getting better every week and from what I was reading, was about to kick it into high gear. Maybe they'll spin off a novel series or Sci-fi will look into picking it up. I think it is fairly expensive to produce and the move to Tuesday dropped ratings 20% (okay, but how could it not, Law and Order SVU is NBCs only top 10 show and even though Boston Legal didn't air, that's a hit too).

 

Well, I still have a few other shows I follow (Earl, The Office, The West Wing, The Apprentice) and 24 will be back soon.

[Takara_Soong 4]

Found the article that STVF21 is referring to:

 

http://www.tvsquad.com/2005/11/23/threshol...-breaking-news/

 

Doesn't sound good. Sigh, Enterprise, Arrested Development and now Threshold. I was so stoked to see the Threshold-Foothold-Stranglehold name change play out. This series was getting better every week and from what I was reading, was about to kick it into high gear. Maybe they'll spin off a novel series or Sci-fi will look into picking it up. I think it is fairly expensive to produce and the move to Tuesday dropped ratings 20% (okay, but how could it not, Law and Order SVU is NBCs only top 10 show and even though Boston Legal didn't air, that's a hit too).

 

Well, I still have a few other shows I follow (Earl, The Office, The West Wing, The Apprentice) and 24 will be back soon.

 

The site that posted that article seems to be the only one saying the series has been cancelled. It doesn't look good though. I was just at the Threshold home page at CBS and in the spot where they would have information about the next episode it said to "check back soon for more information".

 

First Enterprise was cancelled on Brent Spiner's birthday and now it looks like Brent Spiner's series could be cancelled at US Thanksgiving. He may want to avoid any other celebratory occassions.

[Stephen of Borg 2]

According to E! Online News, E! Online television columnist Kristin Veitch reported Wednesday that CBS has pulled the plug on THRESHOLD, the new science fiction series produced by Brannon Braga and starring STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION star Brent Spiner. The show ran a distant third in its time slot on Tuesday night.

 

I'd say it's official. It doesn't surprise me at all, I have CBS and even I never watched the show after the pilot episode that put me to sleep.

[athena28 2]

I just read the article at syfy portal & don't hold out much hope. I agree, it got better all the time -- even during a ep. which I didn't think would hold my interest got more & more interesting as it went on. Too bad, SciFi Channel hasn't said anything. I guess we couldn't expect it to be picked up that quickly.

[Stephen of Borg 2]

they now say that the series is on hold and taken off the schedule and the official word that it is cancelled may come as early as next week. It hasn't officially been cancelled yet, but I would be surprised if it wasn't. I'd try to give it another chance if it doesn't get cancelled since you guys like it.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Unfortunately I never saw it - first of all every network had an "alien invasion" series and I'm tired of alien invasions to begin with - although I thought the eps of Invasion that I saw were well done.

 

Then I just don't like Carla Gugino and then of course - there was competition in the time slot. I think if it had stayed on Tuesdays I would have tried to watch it.

 

I would like to see Spiner land a role in another series because he is a really strong actor.

[Trekmachine 0]

CBS has cancelled Brannon Braga's Threshold after a move to Tuesday nights resulted in a drop in ratings.

 

E! Online's Kristin Veitch noted as an aside in her column about the plug being pulled on long-running thriller Alias that Braga's first series after the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise had been dropped by the network. The show finished a distant third in its time slot on November 22nd.

 

The show had not really had a chance to settle into its new time, noted TV Squad. Threshold traded its previous Friday 9 p.m. slot with Close To Home, which saw a rise on Friday in ratings from its original spot Tuesdays at 10. Threshold's Tuesday airing put it into competition with the highly-rated Law and Order: SVU, and this week it went up against the American Music Awards as well.

 

Threshold recently signed Catherine Bell, formerly of JAG, to play a new character. The series starred Carla Gugino and Star Trek: The Next Generation's Brent Spiner (Data).

 

TV Fodder stated that there had been no word whether the remaining episodes of Threshold would be aired on CBS or streamed online, where the network has been offering previous episodes to build an audience for the show.

 

:( HaHaHa!

[Matt 0]

Why the laugh?

 

I quite like 'Threshold', that's a shame really, another good show gone!

[Jack_Bauer 1]

Why the laugh?

 

I quite like 'Threshold', that's a shame really, another good show gone!

I concur, it was a good show that deserved better than it got. Great cast, totally different comcept of the alien invasion. Plot could be somewhat repetitive but they always learned more about the aliens and their individual plots, I expect it all would have been connected eventually. Plus, Braga promised the mother of all cliffhangers and the show was actually going to change names to Foothold and then Stranglehold in the next two seasons. It was about to become even better than it was.

[athena28 2]

Too bad. I liked it more & more each ep.

[Trekmachine 0]

Star Trek Enterprise was a great show but that didn't stop Brannon Braga from getting it CANCELLED!

 

He said that he should have stayed more in touch with the fans during his tenure on Star Trek and conceded that he made some wrong moves, saying that he feels it is unfair when he sees himself characterized as not caring about the franchise

 

Enterprise should have gone 7 Seasons

 

So that why :( HaHaHa!

[Jack_Bauer 1]

Star Trek Enterprise was a great show but that didn't stop Brannon Braga from getting it CANCELLED!

 

He said that he should have stayed more in touch with the fans during his tenure on Star Trek and conceded that he made some wrong moves, saying that he feels it is unfair when he sees himself characterized as not caring about the franchise

 

Enterprise should have gone 7 Seasons

 

So that why :( HaHaHa!

Berman and Braga made mistakes but Enterprise's cancellation had more to do with the inferiority of UPN than anything else. UPN is not worthy of having Star Trek on its schedule and hopefully never will get the opportunity.

 

Braga was doing a fanstastic job with Threshold and proving that he isn't as useless as everyone seems to think he is. It was a good show that had the potential to become a truly great show and was on its way to doing so.

 

To laugh at its cancellation just because of the involvement of one person without giving the show a chance is as bad as all those who bashed Enterprise during its ultimately too short run.

[Trekmachine 0]

Yes that true but maybe if they wouldn't have changed the time slot mabe it would still be on The show had not really had a chance to settle into its new time slot

[Jack_Bauer 1]

Yes that true but maybe if they wouldn't have changed the time slot mabe it would still be on The show had not really had a chance to settle into its new time slot

Yeah, I think they acted way too fast. Just because Threshold has one bad night in its new timeslot doesn't mean it shouldn't be given a second chance. But I guess mid-season is coming up and Close to Home is faring much better in Threshold's old spot.

[stvoyagerfan 1]

i find it weird that earlier in the week they announced a new cast member and than a few days later guess what the show's cancelled so says a lady from some entertainment magazine or something.. what gives? networks are getting to be stupid on what they keep or what they get rid of. what happened to giving a show a chance in it's new time slot? i think it's stupid to air it one day in the slot and get rid of it. last i knew cbs had yet to say anything.

 

tm :(

[stvoyagerfan 1]

i'm sad to see the official word today is yes the show is cancelled. no word yet if the last four episodes will air. CBS = Can't Broadcast Science fiction shows. it would be neat if they streamed them online or something.

 

tm

[Stephen of Borg 2]

I just finished seeing a commercial about a new Threshold coming on Tuesday night, so I wonder if they are going to go ahead and show the last episodes that are done or if it was an old commercial.

[Stephen of Borg 2]

this is from Startrek.com

 

11.28.2005

Threshold Cancelled

 

 

Only one day after making a go at a new night, the staff of Threshold got word that their show is cancelled.

Threshold, the rookie CBS sci-fi series featuring the talents of several Star Trek alumni, was moved to Tuesday nights from Friday in attempt to build an audience. Apparently ratings after only one try, even during a holiday week, were not at the levels the network was looking for in order to keep the show going.

 

According to Zap2it.com, the show has been pulled from the schedule "for at least the next few weeks." However, staffers at the Threshold production offices here on the Paramount lot confirmed that the show is indeed cancelled, even though as of today (Monday) they have not been instructed to clear out.

 

Of 13 episodes produced, nine have aired. Whether the remaining four will see the light of day is unknown at this time. Zap2it notes, "With midseason shows looming, that could be it for the show," but could not confirm that with CBS.

 

Threshold co-stars Brent Spiner ("Data") and is executive produced by Brannon Braga. The creative team also includes former Star Trek: Enterprise writers Mike Sussman and Andre Bormanis.

 

Competition has been fierce this season, with a plethora of new sci-fi/paranormal series vying for the primetime audience. Night Stalker has already suffered the axe. But two other alien-invasion shows similar to Threshold — ABC's Invasion and NBC's Surface — have been awarded full-season pickups.

[Matt 0]

That's annoyed me now. One night in a new time slot and the show gets cancelled, that's ridiculous.

[Stephen of Borg 2]

I can't help but wonder if CBS thought that Threshold's one night poor ratings ment it was going to be like ENT. I think cancelling a TV show after one bad night is the worst thing a network can do, I guess no second chances for Braga on CBS which is sad