"Flash Gordon"
Friday 9pm, Sci-Fi Network
Sci-Fi found great critical and commercial success by reinventing ’70s cheesefest "Battlestar Galactica" into a smart, gripping space opera. Now it turns its attention to the even cheesier pulp property "Flash Gordon," but I’m not sure how you improve upon the 1980 flick featuring a buff, glistening Sam J. Jones running around mostly shirtless as football player Flash, who is whisked away to planet Mongo to stop its king, Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow in incredibly ethnically offensive make-up), from destroying the Earth. And just try to top that bitchin’ Queen theme song ("Flash! Ah-ah! He’ll save every one of us!"). But if anyone can make a re-imagining cool, it’s Sci-Fi.
"The Company"
Sunday 8pm, TNT
This Ridley Scott-produced mini-series follows three college friends as they’re recruited into the spy business on the eve of the Cold War. Two of them—Chris O’Donnell and Alessandro Nivola—hook up with the CIA while the other (Rory Cochrane) joins the KGB. Things obviously get complicated from there, especially when O’Donnell’s character and his mentor (played by Alfred Molina) try to ferret out a mole in the department but are foiled by an agency muckitymuck played by Michael Keaton. If you like spy stuff, this should work nicely. Me, I can’t stop seeing Robin, Dr. Octopus and Batman on the screen. Parts 1 and 2 aired last weekend but will be in heavy rotation; the mini concludes tonight.
"Californication"
Monday 10:30pm, Showtime
David Duchovny, it’s been too long. The erstwhile Fox Mulder is back in this new drama in which he plays a struggling writer whose hit book was turned into a crappy romantic comedy. He relocates to L.A. to be closer to his ex-girlfriend (whom he’s still in love with) and their 12-year-old daughter, but his bad habits of drinking, drugging and sexing lead to trouble, especially a particular one-night stand. (Even more troubling: The loose woman in question is played by the youngest daughter from Fran Drescher’s "The Nanny.") The steamy series is reportedly heavy on sex scenes, but balances that with a solid cast including Natasha McElhone (Mrs. Dalloway, Solaris) and Evan Handler (Charlotte’s hubby Harry on "Sex and the City").
