FALLING SKIES MEAN RISING RATINGS @ TNT

Wow … looking back it shows just how amazing my wife is realizing that when we were first dating a priority of mine was either watching or taping a block of my favorite shows that aired on the SciFi (now Syfy) Channel every Friday night: Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica.  While Syfy abandoned “Sci-Fi Fridays” my wife has stuck with me and we are proud parents of twin 3 year olds who I am now unduly influencing with my love of all things geeky.  Now though the show we mark on the calendar each week to watch as a family is The Big Bang Theory, a comedy on the exploits of a group of geniuses (ok geeks) that has become an amazing hit on CBS.  My wife actually introduced me to watching The Big Bang Theory and lovingly mocks me that laughing at that show makes living with me more tolerable.  The fact that she can sing all the lyrics to Sheldon Cooper’s “Soft Kitty” song could make you wonder though who the real Geek in our family may be?

I rarely watch the SyFy channel anymore as they don’t run shows that appeal to my science fiction appetite which was developed in the 1970s/1980s enjoying a diet of movies and TV shows like Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, The Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man, Star Trek, and V.  Occasionally, a new science fiction show will catch my attention and I wanted to give a plug to one of my favorites, FALLING SKIES, on the cable network TNT.  In its 2011 debut season, FALLING SKIES averaged more than 6.9 million viewers each episode and was ranked as basic cable’s #1 new series of 2011. The show airs during the summer months at 9pm on Sundays and Season 2 will debut on June 17th and continue for 10 episodes.

FALLING SKIES has a nice ensemble cast led by Noah Wyle, of ER fame, Will Patton, who has had starring roles in such movies as Armageddon, The Postman, and Remember the Titans, and Sarah Carter, who is the required sci-fi hottie for all the geek dads watching the show but also enhances that role with some depth of acting talent.  The focus of the show is on a band of ragtag survivors of a devastating alien invasion that has brought human civilization to its knees that join together to create a militia, similar to those of that started the American Revolution, to fight back and defend themselves.  

FALLING SKIES portrays the battles and struggles of the 2^nd Massachusetts Militia that is led by a retired Army Captain known as Weaver (Will Patton) and Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) a Boston  University history professor.  They fight extraterrestrials called “skitters” that are insectoid multi-legged aliens that control robotic war machines called “mechs” in this against all odds drama.

Dark Horse Comics partnered with TNT to help promote the initial premiere of FALLING SKIES in 2011 with a series of free digital comics to lead into the TV show.  They did an outstanding job with these comics which were later bundled into a print graphic novel that was made available for purchase.  I enjoyed the digital editions and picked one up one of the graphic novels for my collection.  I’m hoping that I might be able to get it signed by some of the show’s actors some day for my autograph collection. Following up on that first comic series, Dark Horse Comics has again partnered with TNT creating a FREE digital comic series with a lead in story for the Season 2 premiere.  CLICK HERE to enjoy it!

Season 1 ended with Tom Mason willingly going with the skitters in one of their spaceships to negotiate with them.  It’s been three months since he’s left and nobody has seen or heard from him since.  Now the 2^nd Massachusetts has been cornered by the aliens and is fighting for their very survival.  Here’s a clip from the first few minutes of the first episode of Season 2:

There are also some fun apps out there for Android and  iPhones.  The 2^nd Mass Defense game lets you join the fight against skitters and mechs.  CLICK HERE to download on iPhone and CLICK HERE to download on Android.  The game uses Augmented Reality putting you into the game by incorporating your phone’s camera to place 3-D aliens in your surroundings for you to fight off.  Augmented Reality is a new emerging trend that can produce some really amazing results.  Wal-Mart recently teamed up with The Avengers movie to create a stunning Augmented Reality app. CLICK HERE to check that out.

The Resistance is Calling app from TNT provides official show news and information.  This app provides sneak peak videos, behind-the-scenes interviews, cast bios, episode guides, the Falling Skies comic book from Dark Horse Comics, and viewable full episodes of the show. CLICK HERE to download on iPhone and CLICK HERE to download on Android.

FALLING SKIES is produced by the creator of E.T., Steven Spielberg, through his DreamWorks Television studio.  If you haven’t watched the show yet, the Geek Daddy gives it his official seal of approval. Check it out!