Be sure to set the D "V" R

Nobody likes tardy alien invaders.

But that's what area viewers are getting Tuesday night, with local ABC affiliate WBAY planning to push back the debut of the hotly anticipated new series "V" until Saturday night. An episode of "Tuesday Night Touchback" will take "V"'s 7 P.M. Tuesday slot, according to a tweet from the station back in August. (The station had originally planned to air it Wednesday at 12:05 A.M. No reason was given for the switch.)

But judging by the early reviews -- and ignoring that ridiculously bad promo photo at right -- "V" will be worth the wait. Variety's Brian Lowry says the pilot "busily races through too much business, but it dangles a tantalizing array of plots, and features a knockout performance (in more ways than one) by Morena Baccarin as the cool, beguiling alien leader."

Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan calls the opening 10 minutes "particularly astonishing, in no small part due to some stunning visual effects. This definitely isn't your parents' 'V.'"

And when he's not spewing crazy talk about the show being a thinly veiled critique of the Obama administration, the Miami Herald's Glenn Garvin calls the show "sweeping television storytelling at its best."

Nevertheless, there'll be more waiting in store for the series after its first four episodes. In a bizarre bit of scheduling, ABC is putting the show on hiatus in December, apparently regardless of ratings, and bringing it back sometime in 2010. Many saw this as a lack of confidence in the big budget remake, which ABC head honchos, and those early reviews, refute.

But for now, what can you do if you don't want to wait until Saturday night? WBAY's Web site helpfully points out that the premiere will be available at ABC.com on Wednesday. For something that feels like such a television event, though, being reduced to squinting at it on your Dell seems a little anti-climatic. I'd still recommend setting the DVR for Saturday night, when WBAY has it scheduled to follow their evening news. (Note that WBAY is also airing college football Saturday night, and if that runs long it'll push "V" back even further.)

You don't have to wait to see the first nine minutes of the premiere, anyway. ABC made that available online weeks ago:



-- Adam Reinhard, areinhard@greenbaypressgazette.com