TVSquad

According to the interview with Ron Moore that Brad wrote about, Virtuality is scheduled to start shooting in July. That's like, soon. So a leading man would be a fantastic thing to have. Here comes Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to the rescue. The former star of New Amsterdam is staying with Fox to take the lead in the two-hour pilot. If any crazed fan groups were whittling away at some old-world furniture to send in to the network to save New Amsterdam, they can stop now.

Virtuality tells the tale of Earth's first starship, making its way on a ten year journey to a distant solar system, where no man has gone before... To pass the time during the trip they go into virtual reality machines, assuming different identities and having whatever adventures they choose. That's what we know so far, but I'm assuming that somewhere along the lines something goes drastically wrong so we have some real world conflicts that can't just be switched off. Moore wrote the script with his Galactica pal Michael Taylor and Peter Berg is slated to direct.

(S01E08) As this is probably the final episode of New Amsterdam, I'm going to take an extra hard look at the show tonight. Consider yourself warned.

Tonight, we got to see an example of how John once used his powers for evil. It's about time!

So far, we've seen John as a lawyer, a soldier, a medic, and an artist, just to name a few, but aside from the time he spent as an alcoholic club emcee, he seems to have led a fairly honorable life. It seems to me that a guy who has the ability to live forever would spend a good deal of time exploiting that ability for profit, if nothing else. Sure, his conscience would catch up with him eventually, but when you live forever, you have to be expected to explore everything immortallity has to offer.

One of the fun side benefits of covering the New York Television Festival is that you get to see a few selected fall pilots projected up on a big screen. Oh, and you also get to talk to some of that show's actors and producers, as well. FOX's New Amsterdam was the first of three network pilots to premiere at the festival; shot in New York, it's a procedural whose main character, NYPD homicide detective John Amsterdam, has lived in the city for over 400 years, searching for his one true love. If it sounds familiar, you're right.

More details and pictures after the jump.