TVSquad

SyFy has been reinventing things with mixed success. They have 'Battlestar Galactica', their gold standard, but they also have 'Flash Gordon' and numerous other bombs. They've also had mini-series based on classic tales like 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Alice in Wonderland'. Now, they're going to even older stories by creating a television movie franchise based on classic fairy tales. One benefit of this idea is that nobody is owed any creator fees as most fairy tales are in the public domain.

Of course, much like their previous mini-series such as 'Tin Man' and 'Alice', these stories will have a modern, adult spin. For example, 'Hansel and Gretel' will now become a revenge flick. 'Little Red Riding Hood' could very well turn into a copy of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' where Red hunts down werewolves.

This idea might work, and some of the movies might even become backdoor pilots if done well enough (despite the limited budget of each). Of course, this concept has already sort of been done with DC Comics' 'Fables' series, but using that directly would involve paying for rights.

And when I say Sci Fi, I mean the network, not necessarily the content. I'm sure we could easily open up that oldie, but goodie, about what is science fiction and why certain things are ending up on the channel. We'll save that for another time though, as right now we should talk about JAG, with swords. Elliott (JAG) is set to star in Mirabilis. The four-hour mini tells the story of four knights who must come together to save their land, the titular town.

Elliott plays John, a knight seeking vengeance after his family was killed. He'll be joined by Natassia Malthe (DOA: Dead Or Alive. Yes, I watched it) as another of the knights, Perfidia. Perfidia is also John's love interest. The script is by Sam Egan (Jeremiah) and is being produced by Reunion Pictures. If you are wondering about the quality of production, I'll add that RHI Entertainment is involved and they are responsible for such Sci Fi treats as The Lost Empire. To be fair though, they also had a hand in Tin Man, so it could go either way. I'll watch it, but then I'm kind of the Mikey of bad sci fi. I'll watch anything, even SS Doomtrooper. It had Corin Nemec!

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

A note about these ratings. There are two ways to measure ratings, by household rating and by viewers. We choose to do them by viewers. Other sites might do them by households, so some of the numbers might be a bit different. The shows in the top 10 (or in the case of the regular networks, the top 20) will usually be the same, just rearranged a bit. For example, this week, The Closer was #3 in viewers but actually #2 in households. In viewers, Holiday in Handcuffs took that #2 spot.

And is anyone else made a little uneasy by the title Holiday in Handcuffs?

1. Monday Night Football (ESPN)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

What's this, a football game in the top ten besides Monday Night Football? I don't know how the Packers/Cowboys game on NFL Network came in second this week. Was it a pivotal game or something? I don't really watch football. Monday Night RAW shows up again (still not sure why it's considered two different hours instead of one, two-hour show), along with weekly favorite SpongeBob. Tin Man got great ratings for Sci-Fi Channel.

1. Monday Night Football (ESPN)

• At 8, CBS has Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser at 8, followed by a new Law and Order: SVU.
• The CW has new episodes of Beauty and the Geek and Reaper.
• Also at 8: Food Network has Rachael Ray's Holiday Entertaining in 60, followed by A Barefoot Contessa Holiday and An Italian Christmas with Mario and Giada.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs, then a new Everest: Beyond the Limit.
• Lifetime has the movie Holiday Wishes at 9.
• Sci-Fi has part 3 of Tin Man at 9.
• Another Christmas movie: Santa Baby, on ABC Family at 9.
• At 10, CBS has the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
• ABC has a new Boston Legal at 10.
• There's a new Nip/Tuck on FX at 10.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County at 10.
• TLC has a new Miami Ink at 10.
• HBO has a new Costas Now at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

According to preliminary data, and as reported by Variety, Tin Man appears to have beaten virtually every record the Sci Fi channel has ever seen. It's 6.4 million viewers surpassed the 6.1 million who saw Steven Spielberg's Taken, back in 2002. Demo ratings were equally as strong, where Tin Man unseated 2000's Dune in adults 18-49, and Taken again in adults 25-54.

With reviews coming in either mid-range to downright negative, it'll be interesting to see how these numbers continue through the mini-series' three-night run.

• At 8, NBC has the season finale (fall finale?) of Chuck, then the season finale (fall finale?) of Heroes, and then a new Life (special night - part 2 airs Weds at 10).
• ABC has A Charlie Brown Christmas at 8, followed by new episodes of Samantha Who?, Notes from the Underbelly, and October Road.
• ABC Family has Christmas specials starting at 8: The Year Without A Santa Claus, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer & The Island of Misfit Toys, and Nestor The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey.
• TNT has a new Christmas episode of The Closer at 8, then a new Saving Grace.
• Also at 8: Food Network has a new Good Eats, followed by a new The Secret Life Of...
• At 8:30, ESPN has the Patriots/Ravens game.
• At 9, FOX has a new K-Ville.
• USA has a new Monday Night RAW at 9.
• Lifetime has the movie A Dad For Christmas at 9.
• Sci-Fi has the second part of Tin Man. It's on at 9 as well.

Check your local TV listings for more.

From 1996-2000, NBC had a modest hit on their hand with The Pretender, a show in which main character Jarod used his abilities to assume other people's identities to help those in need. Kind of a Quantum Leap with identity theft instead of bodysnatching. Creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle, also of Tin Man, reportedly told SCI FI Wire they'd like to bring back the show in the digital medium. The relaunch, or continuation, could even feature original star Michael T. Weiss in the title role again.

They've reportedly brunched Weiss and begun laying the groundwork for the project, so it seems it's a done deal, just what exactly it means and when and where we'll be able to see it remains unclear.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by a new Amazing Race and the movie Pictures of Hollis Woods.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos at 7, then new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, then the Bengals/Steelers game.
• There's a new CW Now on The CW at 7.
• At 8, FOX has the BCS Selection Show.
• If you like You've Got Mail, check out 1940's The Shop Around The Corner, the movie it was based on. It's on TCM at 8.
• HBO has Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project at 8.
• At 9, The CW has a new Life is Wild.
• Lifetime has Finding John Christmas at 9.
• Food Network has a new Iron Chef America at 9, then a new holiday Dinner: Impossible.
• Showtime has a new Dexter at 9, followed by the season finale of Brotherhood.
• Also at 9: Sci-Fi has part one of the Tin Man miniseries.
• At 9:30, FOX has a new American Dad.

Check your local TV listings for more.