Crash bang. A massive meteor is on a direct collision course with Earth. What to do?
That was the basic synopsis behind the mini-series, aptly called Meteor, which ran over two weeks recently.
A couple of scientists had discovered the meteor, three times the size of Mount Everest, dubbed it a "planet killer" and tried to tell someone, anyone, about it.
Time was of the essence. So what do the programme's producers do?
They kill off the great Christopher Lloyd, almost type-cast as a brilliant but wacko scientist, leaving only some dim-witted woman, who keeps running into trouble every step of the way and has the world's most unreliable cellphone in her possession.
That thing couldn't pick up a signal if it tried.
And then, if all this was not bad enough, the only scientist left to sort it all out comes in the form of Jason Alexander, better known for his role in the comedy series Seinfeld.
Yep folks, the fate of the world is left in the hands of George Constanza!
And to make matters worse, you quickly come to the realisation that you are not too worried if the meteor actually succeeds and wipes all life from the planet.
It was too hard to warm to any of the main characters. Everyone from the military guys in charge of hurling nuclear missiles at the beast from outer space through to the mother slash doctor who looked a tad out of place.
In the end, mass destruction was averted. But I couldn't help wonder if it would have been better if, for once, a summer mini-series had a different, less candy-coated ending.
Don't miss: 24, C4, Thursdays, 9.30pm: Kiefer Sutherland may have had troubles off- screen but he sure knows how to produce and star in a rollicking, action-packed drama series which has now entered its seventh pulsating season.
The Hollywood writers strike a year ago delayed filming but the wait is finally over for those wanting their fix of CTU (Counter
Terrorism Unit) agent Jack Bauer.
It's high-octane edge-of-your-seat stuff each episode in the ground-breaking series that uses split screens and a ticking clock to capture an hour in the life of Bauer as he fights terrorists and anyone else in his way.
Jack's back. At last!
Don't bother: The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, 11.30pm approx, weeknights, TV One: Don't be fooled - it's not the America's Cup but a dress rehearsal, involving many of the syndicates who aren't squabbling in courts.
Emirates Team New Zealand is there, of course. So, too, Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth and company, but it counts for little, really.
If you want something more exciting, try watching paint dry.
