stargate universe blue carlyle

Dollhouse, Smallville and Heroes were DOA last week. All three shows tanked in the ratings, with Heroes pulling in the biggest numbers at 6.1 million viewers. Dollhouse and Smallville didn't even manage to crack the 3 million mark, with both premieres averaging around 2.5 million viewers. I know it's still early, but I doubt we'll be talking about these shows next season. ABC's FlashForward was a different story. The drama pulled in about 12.5 million viewers for its premiere episode last Wednesday.

I'm expecting decent numbers for Friday's premiere of Stargate Universe on Syfy. Check out a four-minute preview of Friday's premiere, and more clips and TV picks, after the jump.

Stargate Universe, "Air" – The franchise goes dark with a two-hour premiere that follows a team of scientists, military personnel and civilians trapped on an Ancient ship with a steampunk Stargate. Strong performances from Robert Carlyle and David Blue will make this one worth watching. (Friday, 9 p.m. on Syfy.)



Heroes, "Acceptance" – We'll be introduced to another new character this week when Peter meets a woman with special abilities, while Claire and her new roommate try to solve last week's apparent murder and Sylar goes all Tyler Durden on Parkman. I really hope Parkman turns into a badass villain. It would be a welcome change from his usual complaining and temple rubbing. (Monday, 7 p.m. on NBC.)



FlashForward, "White To Play" – I'm not hooked yet, but last week's premiere was good enough to make me want to watch ABC's new sci-fi tinged drama again this week. FBI agents Mark and Demetri chase a lead on a suspect who might be connected to the blackout in episode two, and the agents back in L.A. try to track down "Suspect Zero," aka, the one person who didn't black out in the pilot. Check out a clip from this week's ep below. (Thursday, 8 p.m. on ABC.)



The Vampire Diaries, "Family Ties" – I'm still not watching The CW's teen vampire drama, mostly because it seems to be high on dating and relationship talk and low on bloody good vampire fun. The kiddos have fun at a fair, or some such thing, in Thursday's episode. (Thursday, 8 p.m. on The CW.)



Supernatural, "The End" – Now might be a good time to start watching the Winchester bros. battle demons and the devil himself. Dean travels to a post-apocalyptic future and sees a bizarre version of his brother this week. (Thursday, 9 p.m. on The CW.)




Fringe, "Fracture" – A bombing leads the team to Philadelphia and then to Iraq after they discover something very, very strange about the bombing victims' bodies. It looks like another case-of-the-week ep, but at least the insane Walter will be around to do what he does best. (Thursday, 9 p.m. on Fox.)



Smallville, "Metallo" – TSCC's Brian Austin Green takes center stage when John Corben becomes a cyborg after a car accident. Gifted with super strength and a kryptonite heart, he inexplicably decides to turn evil and kill the Blur, aka Clark Kent. Hopefully this isn't the last we'll see of Green's Metallo. (Friday, 8 p.m. on The CW.)



Dollhouse, "Instinct" – It looks like Dollhouse is going to give me exactly what I don't want to see this week – Echo going on yet another inconsequential mission that goes horribly wrong. Last week's B-plot, involving Dr, Saunders and Topher, was a lot more engaging than Echo's "marriage" to Jamie Bamber. Let's hope there's something better cooking beneath the surface this week. (Friday, 9 p.m. on Fox)