‘Battlestar: Galactica’ has lost its appeal this season, ‘Brothers and Sisters’ actors finally beginning to shine

Robert Taylor

“Battlestar: Galactica”

Sci Fi Channel, Sundays at 10 p.m.

This is for all the geeks out there.

Yes, I’ve been watching “BsG” sporadically since its inception three seasons and one miniseries ago. I used to love the show and all it could accomplish in any given episode, but recently it’s moved from multiple-episode arcs with major cliffhangers to self-contained episodes, and in the process has lost much of its appeal for me. It hasn’t been the same since that fantastic episode where the ragtag fleet escaped New Caprica earlier this season.

And Starbuck’s “death?” Let’s not go there. If she isn’t back in the season finale, I will eat this copy of the ALL section.

But the season finale has reminded me a bit of what the show can be when it is firing on all cylinders. It’s as if the actors and writers realized they can’t do anything they want without ratings slipping and wanted to give viewers a reason to tune in next year.

First, how heartbreaking was the scene when Apollo tore apart his president (and, in a weird way, second mother) on the stand about her drug use, only to have Roslin announce seconds later that her cancer had returned?

And yes, it was still powerful to see Apollo and Adama’s relationship seemingly crumble again because they are both so proud and so alike yet can’t see that.

As for that weird music that only three people seem to be able to hear on Galactica, my opinion is that it is the Cylon mothership giving the remaining Cylons on Galactica a little hint about their real origins. I hope it’s not that obvious, though.

“Brothers and Sisters”

ABC, Sundays at 10 p.m.

With most shows in repeats right now, it’s the perfect time to give this surprising little Sunday night gem a try and catch up on what has become one of the better dramas on television.

It certainly didn’t start out that way, though. Despite the fantastic cast, the writing was all over the place and the show had no tone. It was trying to be needlessly edgy and political.

But now, “Brothers and Sisters” is doing something much different: The actors now feel comfortable being in characters, and the writers seem to be more comfortable writing to the actors’ strengths. The show has become about what it should be: family.

Calista Flockhart is normally one of the more annoying actresses on television, but her recent romance with that nice Republican senator (who would have thought I would ever find a Republican senator nice?) has made her more acceptable to me.

I can’t even decide which actors are stealing the show, because so many of them are just so good it changes every week. First it was Rachel Griffiths, then Sally Field, then Ron Rifkin and now it’s Dave Annable.

So if you haven’t given it a shot yet, please do. It’ll be just like you are one of the family.

Contact ALL correspondent Robert Taylor at [email protected].