Oh, poor Starz. They try so hard, and they actually make some pretty decent television shows (Party Down, Boss, Spartacus), but no one seems to want to watch the network. Despite the quality, and the budgets, and despite the frequent sex scenes and the graphic violence, their stuff never seems to really catch on. Magic City was cancelled after two seasons, I don’t know anyone that watches Da Vince Demons, and despite modest reviews, few watched The White Queen. When Jacqueline Bisset won the Golden Globe last night, that was the first time I’d ever even heard of the miniseries, Dancing on the Edge, which apparently aired on Starz.
The network hasn’t thrown in the towel, though. In fact, they seem to be throwing tons of money at original programming hoping that something will stick, and this year will see the launch of the epic Michael Bay produced prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island, Black Sails, and Ronald Moore’s (Battlestar Galactica) adaptation of Diana Gabaldon sci-fi series of novels, Outlander. The series chronicles the adventures of a British World War II nurse who is transported back to 1743, where she gets involved in both romantic and historical conflicts. The lead is played by relative newcomer Caitriona Balfe, who will most certainly be involved in a lot of sex scenes, but worry not: They will serve a purpose, so says Ronald Moore, who doesn’t know what sexposition is, much less know how to use it.
The trailer itself doesn’t offer too many details, except to establish that the lead character has fallen through time, but it looks like a decent series.
Outlander will debut this summer.
