In general, I LOVED the mini-series V which aired in May, 1983. I was spell-bound by the huge cast, the great special effects and a solid, gripping script. The whole concept of alien invasions has, of course, been done to death. But, creator/writer Kenneth Johnson came at it from a refreshing angle. The first four hours (and 15 minutes?) were superb. Characters were introduced that were fascinating and multi-dimensional. Like Faye Grant's Julie Parrish, the female leader of the human resistance and a character well ahead of her time. Mike Donovan, the video journalist who knows too much about the alien invaders. And, of course, the evil alien scientist, Diana, played by Jane Badler. I remember tv guide reporting that the mini-series had over 90 speaking roles, including Robert Englund who went on to Freddie Kruger fame. As a side note, after the enormous success of the mini-series, NBC ordered a follow-up. Originally, Kenneth Johnson had hoped to go forward with a weekly series, but NBC dropped the concept for fear of the explosive costs involved in such a project. They wanted a SIX hour mini-series that would tie up all the loose ends, and end on a happy, heroic note. Johnson disagreed and left the project. Other producers finished what he had started. So many of the fine characters from the first mini-series were thrown away in favor of a tidy ending. Again, the mini-series scored huge numbers for NBC. Finally, a regular series was given the go ahead. I won't say much at all about it as I can't think of anything GOOD to say. I found it boring, plodding, badly-written and not worthy of the name "V".
