Aphelion Review # 34 --Wonderfalls--

Wonderfalls

A Sneak Preview of a New Fantasy/Sci-Fi TV Series
By FOX Television starring Caroline Dhavernas

Review by Dan L. Hollifield

Type of music/work:

Sci-Fi / Fantasy TV Series
Scheduled to air as a mid-season priemer.

Musicians/Performers/Author(s):

Production Company:
20th Century Fox Television and Regency Television

Creators/Executive Producers:
Brian Fuller
Todd Holland

Executive Producers:
Brian Fuller
Todd Holland
Tim Minear

Producers:
Paul Rabwin
Michael Maschio

Director:
Todd Holland

Cast:
Caroline Dhavernas as Jaye Tyler
Katie Finneran as Sharon Tyler
Diana Scarwid as Karen Tyler
William Sadler as Darrin Tyler
Tyron Leitso as Eric
Lee Pace as Aaron Tyler
Tracie Thoms as Mahandra

Wonderfalls official website

General impressions of the TV show pilot:

"Wonderfalls" is a great show. I enjoyed it from the very first scene. Funny, charming, a delightful show. I hope this one lasts a long time.

Specifics:

I was smiling as the first scene rolled, and grinning as it ended. After that, I spent a lot of time laughing. By the end of the show, I was rolling on the floor. This is a wonderfully funny show. Right away, the characters pull at your heartstrings. As the story progressed, I was even more enchanted. All the actors deserve recognition for a job very well done. The script was delightful and filled with little twists and extras. The SFX were excellent and didn't interrupt the flow of the story. All in all, a very good production by all concerned. I found it to be highly entertaining. What's more, I really wished that there had been another episode or two included with the pilot, just so I didn't have to wait until mis-season to see more of this show. "Wonderfalls" was so good I wanted more!

On any scale that you might wish to measure it, this show rates highly. Script, characters, costumes, sets, sounds, SFX-- All come together to create an entertaining show in FOX's "Wonderfalls". I recommend it to everyone.

To sum up: I think this show has real posibilities if the present high quality of the pilot episode is maintained. Or even surpassed, as the cast and crew settle in and develop the show further. With time, the series will grow into something even better.

Background info:

This is the second time I've been asked to review a TV series pilot, so I've had to adapt my normal review format. Normally I concentrate on plot points, character development, set and setting... All of those things are done by a writer for a book, the same things that are done by a group for a TV series. I don't usually do synopses but it would be unfair if I didn't in this instance. I'll quote from the press kit:

"What if one day inanimate animal objects began talking to you? If that seems crazy, just imagine how Jaye Tyler feels.
Set against the backdrop of Niagara Falls, "Wonderfalls" is a quirky one-hour family dramedy about underachieving twenty-something souvenir shop worker Jaye Tyler. Her life is forever changed when inanimate figures -- including toys, cartoons, and anything in the form of an animal, begin to talk to her. In each episode, the creatures' cryptic messages set into motion a chain of unpredictable events that invariably lead Jaye into the lives of others in need."

Review Copyright 2003 by Dan L. Hollifield




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