Staying In

Tomorrow night, June 26, Fox will air Virtuality at 8 p.m.

The two-hour movie was originally a two-hour pilot created by Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor. Fox didn’t pick up the series last season and has chosen to burn it off on Friday night, although there is still a small chance the show could continue if by some miracle a lot of people watch the movie.

Virtuality chronicles a crew of astronauts on a 10-year mission to a distant star after an environmental disaster threatens Earth. To help the crew pass the time, the ship has been equipped with virtual reality modules that allow them to escape into fantasy worlds. They’re also being filmed for “Edge of Never,” a reality show airing back on Earth in order to help finance the mission. Check out webisodes for the reality series here.

The ensemble of twelve actors features many ethnicities and couples, both straight and gay. Among the familiar faces are Joy Bryant, Clea Duvall and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who starred on Fox’s short-lived New Amsterdam. The series wasn’t the greatest, but I was impressed with its star. As Captain Frank Pike, Coster-Waldau has a little bit of the solitary ruggedness of Nathan Fillion’s Captain Mal (of Firefly) and the sharp lines of Aaron Eckhart. Hopefully, by casting him in Virtuality, Fox is showing that it too believes this guy has real potential and will find another series for him.

The two-hour movie sets up an intriguing, thought-provoking and unique premise. The direction by Friday Night Lights‘ Peter Berg is both epic and intimate. There is no doubt in my mind, it would make a great series. But chances are we’re not going to get more, so unfortunately, viewers are going to be left with plenty of questions after the shocking conclusion.

Still, Virtuality is definitely worth your time. It’s smart and different, which was what probably doomed it.

Read more about what co-creator Moore had to say about the show’s chances, its birthing process and the state of network TV here.