Science Fiction

Season 1 of Pioneers of Television struck a tone of nostalgia and thoughtful insight that was really special. Season 2 begins with this absolute train wreck. This could be a primer on how not to make a documentary.

With so much great footage to work with, and endless promotional and publicity materials to illustrate the narration, why on earth is so much of the doc made up of hokey, completely unconvincing "re-enactments"? These boring intrusions really break the mood. They're an embarrassment.

The writing is also off, nowhere near the quality of Season 1. The background music is often ridiculously inappropriate. And perhaps some of these talking heads (Shatner, Nimoy, et. al.) have already told their anecdotes one time too may; they seem stale.

This show does not have the stature of PBS programming. It feels like something from a third-tier cable outfit with commercials for Chamwow. This is out of my TiVo queue.