The Sci-fi Channel jumps on the paranoia bandwagon with its other new weekly series -- "First Wave," in which the aliens are coming to take over our planet.
Would you be surprised to learn that the show, which is previewed Sunday at 7 p.m. on the cable USA network, was created by a former "X-Files" writer, Chris Brancato? (Although the fact that Francis Ford Coppola is an executive producer is a bit unusual.)"First Wave" follows the paranoia formula. Our hero, the handsome young Cade Foster (Sebastian Spence), seems to have the world by the tail. He's got a great job as a security expert and a beautiful wife. What Cade doesn't know is that there are already aliens on Earth -- and that they've included him in their plans.
It seems these mean ol' aliens of the "First Wave" have chosen 117 humans on whom they are conducting experiments to see if Earth is ripe for invasion. (If they decide it is, then the Second Wave -- full-scale invasion will begin.)
Most have been driven insane or killed themselves because their lives were turned upside-down. Only Cade survives the loss of his job and his money and the murder of his wife -- a crime for which he is framed. And he's out to make the aliens pay.
All of this is also tied to the prophecies of Nostradamus, which Cade uses to guide his efforts against the aliens.
For a show that's supposed to be all about mystery, "First Wave" is awfully predictable. You can see most of what's coming a mile away.
It's also pretty low-tech as far as sci-fi goes -- a few gadgets and special effects, along with some rubbery-looking tentacles and worms to provide a bit of ickiness.
Whether coincidence or not, "First Wave" looks an awful lot like UPN's failed "Nowhere Man" series, right down to our hero's bank accounts being erased and events conspiring against him. And, arguably, "Nowhere Man" was the better series.
But "First Wave" has something "Nowhere Man" didn't -- a commitment for 66 episodes over three seasons. Maybe in that amount of time, the show can turn into something worth watching every week.
Right now, it isn't.