Though not from a ratings perspective, but it seems like "Falling Skies" was one of TV's more overlooked shows last summer considering how good it was.
In fact, the ratings were among TNT's best, but when it came to water-cooler type talk, "Skies" often took a back seat to the similarly themed "Walking Dead."
That's a shame, because "Skies," which returns Sunday (TNT, 9 p.m.) with back-to-back new episodes, was one of the best new shows of last year.
Starring Noah Wyle as a former history professor named Tom Mason who is now helping to lead humanity's survivors against an alien invasion, "Skies" treads along the same ground as "Dead" in terms of a small number of humans battling overwhelming odds just to survive day-to-day. And the survivors are just normal people who have had to adapt to extraordinary circumstances.
"Skies" differs in that the human survivors are larger in number and organized into a militia, striking back at an enemy that has superior technology and numbers, and that has an agenda in mind -- stealing human children to make them into hybrid aliens. That's the case with Tom's middle son Ben (Connor Jessup), who was kidnapped by the aliens and "harnessed" before Tom rescued him.
Season 1 ended with the militia destroying an alien structure in Boston and Tom boarding an alien ship to learn more about them. Season 2 opens some time later, with the humans still on the run when Tom re-appears. Even Tom's friends don't know what to make of his re-appearance, and Tom himself isn't entirely sure that the aliens haven't done something to him and that he should be trusted.
Among the most suspicious is troublemaker Pope (Colin Cunningham), a former criminal who was seemingly finding his place in the unit before Tom left. As we will see during the season, Pope seems to be returning to his former ways.
One thing viewers do get to see early on is how the fight is going on in other parts of the world. The show also is willing to take risks, killing off one popular character in the first four episodes I saw (no spoilers here).
Anyway, I've enjoyed what I've seen so far of S2, and am looking forward to the rest of it.
WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: Kate (Sarah Shahi) seems to have a choice to make between the two men in her life, Ben and Justin, the latter of whom is vying to become the D.A., on the season finale of "Fairly Legal" (USA, 9 p.m.) That's followed by a new episode of "Common Law" at 10 p.m.
On Sunday, a bunch of cable shows wrap up. HBO has the season finale for "Girls" at 10 p.m., following a new "True Blood" at 9 p.m., while Showtime wraps up "Nurse Jackie," "The Big C" and "The Borgias" from 9-11 p.m.
Meanwhile, (supposedly), AMC finally answers who killed Rosie Larsen with the Season 2 finale of "The Killing" at 9 p.m. You know what would have been nice? Finding out in Season 1. Hopefully for those still watching (which doesn't include me), it will be a real answer and not yet another red herring.
Also new Sunday is "Longmire" at 10 p.m., following a new "The Glades" on A&E.
