Will "Invasion" on ABC air?

[PTrackerLA]

They advertised this series all summer, it's supposed to start this month. Basically a hurricane hits an area, devastates it, and then strange things start happening and people are dying.

I think it had to do with aliens but I doubt this series will air given the current situation in New Orleans and it could be offensive.

[GalvestonDuck]

I doubt it.

[Brent]

It's still being advertised... I don't think they have much choice now. It premieres in under 3 weeks. Ad time already sold, etc.

Edit: I just checked the ABC Press releases since Monday and there's no mention... the press release for the premiere will be out either tomorrow or Tuesday, so we should know for sure then.

[Miss Mary]

I've been seeing promo's for it and that's a good question. I would think premiering it soon, is too soon. Maybe in January or February might work. That's a shame, it looked good, in a Lost kinda way. Sadly, we are seeing an even more shocking tragedy play out, in reality. This is reality TV, as real as it ever gets folks.

I wonder about the Fall season in general. After 9/11 it was pushed back. I remember reading an article about the Friends cast. There was discussion on whether to mention 9/11 and the trade towers, since Friends was set in NYC. They decided not to, to offer an escape for fans, not more of what really happened. But this new show's premise/storyline sounds a little too close to home, for an escape, for anybody....

Mary

[cjrciadt]

I was talking with my mom about this last night. I dont expect Invasion to reach the airwaves.

[Brent]

Still on the schedule as of Friday:

Wednesday, September 21
10:00 -- 11:00 PM
UPDATE Tonight's program is "INVASION" -- PREMIERE -- Program information and TV parental guideline to come. (HDTV/5.1) (CLOSED-CAPTIONED)

[GalvestonDuck]

When a nation is focused on a tragedy, it usually takes a while before enough people get back to tuning their TV's to non-news channels and take notice of Hollywood happenings and then voice their opinions about bad timing to programming execs. Once the message gets to the right people, they tend err on the side of tact and compassion. I believe it was an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer that was scheduled to air about a month after Columbine. It was, I think, the season finale and dealt with a school shooting on graduation or towards the end of the school year.

Also (Kelly can help me with this one), wasn't the series premiere of 24 delayed because it was so soon after 9/11? After all, the season starts in September. I think it was put off until October.

Speaking of other programs being delayed after 9/11 -- I can't help now but think of Ellen. She was the host of the Emmys after 9/11 and now she's the host of the Emmys after Katrina (which struck her homestate of Louisiana).

[Miss Mary]

Doesn't look good....while searching for an article on Lost, I stumbled upon this one:

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/reuters/0, ... 0_,00.html

ABC halts promotion of hurricane TV drama
September 1, 2005 19:23:34

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Citing sensitivity over the real-life disaster unfolding on the U.S. Gulf Coast, broadcaster ABC has pulled its promotions for a drama series about a family coping with a fictional hurricane.

ABC executives decided that hurricane references in promotions for "Invasion," set to premiere on September 21, might be upsetting or offensive to viewers because of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina, a network spokesman said on Thursday.

"The promos were pulled for sensitivity reasons. The plan is to put them back on when it feels appropriate to do so," the network spokesman said.

He said delaying launch of the show was still possible but for now ABC plans to debut it as scheduled this month.

The series opens with a powerful hurricane that hits the town of Homestead, Florida, ushering in a series of unexplained phenomenon that suggest the storm may have been a smokescreen for some type of alien invasion.

Homestead was the real-life community leveled in August 1992 by Hurricane Andrew, which before Katrina ranked as the most costly disaster in U.S. history.

[Thunder44]

I hope they don't delay or cancel because I really want to see it. I don't thinkthis show's main theme will be about the hurricane. It's just part of the premise of the pilot. By the way, I heard that their going to have a special screenings of network pilot premiering of it the Museum of Television and Radio here in NYC sometime this week. Invasion is one of them.

[Brent]

Here's the Presser out today for it, don't think it'll be delayed at all:

PREMIERE

A HURRICANE THAT HITS A SMALL FLORIDA TOWN MAY BE MASKING SOMETHING FAR MORE OMINOUS, ON THE PREMIERE OF "INVASION," WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 ON ABC

For centuries man has searched the skies for signs of intelligent life forms. But what if those life forms were already here, and what if a storm was masking something far more menacing? From famed writer/producer Shaun Cassidy ("Cold Case," "American Gothic," "Cover Me") comes "Invasion" -- the suspenseful tale of a blended family trying to recover from a hurricane and its mysterious aftermath -- premiering WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

For dedicated park ranger Russell Varon (Eddie Cibrian, "Third Watch"), a divorced father of two who is expecting a third child with his new wife, local television reporter Larkin Groves (Lisa Sheridan), the hurricane proves to be just the beginning of a long journey into the unknown. Always skeptical about the paranoid conspiracy theories of his wayward brother-in-law, Dave (Tyler Labine, ABC's "That Was Then"), Russell may have to revise his thinking when a number of bizarre occurrences start taking place in his community. Though Russell's young daughter, Rose (Ariel Gade), claims to have seen hundreds of lights floating towards the water during the storm, Russell initially dismisses her claim - until he begins to suspect that something is very wrong with his ex-wife, Dr. Mariel Underlay (Kari Matchett, "Angel Eyes"). The morning after the storm, Mariel is found naked in the water - with no memory of what transpired the night before.

As the tiny town of Homestead, Florida struggles to rebuild itself, Sheriff Tom Underlay (William Fichtner, 2005's "The Longest Yard," "Black Hawk Down," "Armageddon," "Go," "Contact") -- who is married to Russell's ex-wife -- suspiciously orders the entire area quarantined.

In the premiere episode, "Pilot," Russell starts to investigate the strange happenings in Homestead after the hurricane hits and unknowingly begins a fight for the survival of his family, his community, and what might ultimately be the whole human race.

"Invasion" stars William Fichtner as Sheriff Tom Underlay, Eddie Cibrian as Russell Varon, Lisa Sheridan as Larkin Groves, Kari Matchett as Dr. Mariel Underlay, Tyler Labine as Dave Groves, Evan Peters as Jesse Varon, Ariel Gade as Rose Varon, Alexis Dziena as Kira Underlay and Aisha Hinds as Mona Gomez.

Guest starring are Jeannetta Arnette as Ruth, Frank Collison as Earl, Bryan Anthony as guardsman, Ivar Brogger as dazed man, Phe Caplan as young woman, Holmes Osborne as Mayor Littles, Amy Watt as Ms. Gilroy, Scott Mercer as A.A. reporter, Rich Skidmore as anchorman, Robert Standley as pilot, Ryan Honey as navigator, Gwen Mihok as weather officer and Mesan Richardson as dropsonde operator, Juan Ramirez as Hispanic man, Lorena Mena as Hispanic woman and Aramis Knight as Hispanic boy.

"Pilot" was written by Shaun Cassidy and directed by Thomas Schlamme.

Shaun Cassidy created the series and serves as executive producer. Lawrence Trilling (director - "Alias," "Nip/Tuck," "Scrubs") is co-executive producer and multiple Emmy Award-winning director Thomas Schlamme ("The West Wing," "ER," "Sports Night") is executive consultant. "Invasion" is from Shaun Cassidy Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television Production Inc.

"Invasion" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound.

A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.