Fox presents ‘ X- Men’ world in ‘ Gifted’
‘ Orville’ has sci- fi and laughs; ‘ The Four’ bursts into song
The following are highlights from the Television Critics Association’s summer preview of upcoming shows.
Marvel has gifted Fox with another superhero series.
Unlike ABC’s Avengers spinoff Inhumans, The Gifted ( due Oct. 2) comes out of the X- Men universe. Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker star as parents on the run with their mutant children to protect them from evil agents who want to imprison them.
Executive producer Matt Nix told the Television Critics Association Tuesday that Gifted is loosely inspired by the District X story, but is not based on a specific comic. The goal, he said, was to set a show in the X- Men universe that can take advantage of TV’s longer storytelling, focusing less on heroes and costumes and more on exploring society through the lens of how mutants are treated.
There are, of course, some characters X- Men fans will recognize, including Polaris and Blink. But Nix says they may not be portrayed exactly as fans remember them, and their powers may not be as fully developed ( not yet, anyway) as they are in the comics.
For example, says Jamie Chung, who plays Blink, “our version of Blink is very different. She’s not comfortable with her powers. ... She struggles with it.”
Moyer says as an adult, he likes the way the X- Men stories tap into societal concerns about isolation, intolerance and fear of the unknown. – Robert Bianco
‘ THE ORVILLE’ WANTS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, long a Star Trek fan, is finally getting a chance to embrace his inner nerd.
He’s the creator and star of Fox’s The Orville, premiering Sept. 10, as Capt. Ed Mercer exploring new worlds in space, 400 years in the future. Adrianne Palicki ( Friday Night Lights) plays Kelly Grayson, Mercer’s ex- wife and second- incommand.
“I miss the optimism, I miss the hopeful side of science fiction,” but as Trek and other series go darker, “it’s left open a space that’s been relatively unoccupied in the genre,” he says. “It can’t all be The Hunger Games, it can’t all be the dystopian scenario.”
The series has been promoted as a comedy spoof, but is, in fact, a drama with funny moments.
MacFarlane says there are no Spaceballs- or Family Guy- style jokes. “We really do see it as a sci- fi comedic drama. We’re trying to break some new ground here.”
The Orville has its own version of Klingons, including a “single- gender” alien who’s indisposed during a crisis when he’s required to safeguard a gestation.
Says actor Peter Macon: “It was quite strange to tell people I was laying on an egg in the show.” – Gary Levin
FOX TURNS MUSIC COMPETITIONS AROUND
Fox didn’t nab American Idol — it’s headed to ABC — but the network is getting back into the singing competition game with The Four, due in 2018. The show will start at nearly the end point of traditional music contests, opening with four singers culled from thousands of auditions. They will defend their spots against challengers.
“The prize is unique, designed to discover and build the career of a new music star, and that’s something we feel has been missing lately in music competitions,” Fox TV Group chairman Dana Walden says. “They’ve become much more about celebrity panels, and much less about star- making.”
After declining ratings, Fox canceled Idol in 2016. ABC this year announced a revival of the show for early next year. Katy Perry will serve as the lead judge, with Ryan Seacrest returning as host. – Bill Keveney