Keep Threshold on air

As the president of CBS, it must make you very proud when your network is able to produce quality programming such as the new science fiction show "Threshold." It is fantastic that CBS, under your direction, had seen the potential in the science fiction market to create a show for fans of the genre. "Threshold" is an intelligent, entertaining program and CBS should be commended for branching out from legal dramas and putting it on the air.

"Threshold" is more than just a smart, suspenseful drama about the threat of otherworldly invasion; it is an intelligent reflection of the fears and problems our society is grappling with in today's political environment. It offers the audience entertainment and escapism while subtly confronting the threats of the real world. The characters in "Threshold" are dealing with something fantastically beyond their control, but their individual fears, beliefs and determinations are things that reach out and connect them to the audience.


What all of the other science fiction shows offered today have missed, "Threshold" hits with the ultimate bulls-eye. There are no white-hat good guys and black-hat bad guys; the battle is being fought in shades of gray, and there are no quick fixes or easy solutions. Sometimes the end has to justify the means; sometimes sacrificespersonal and otherwisemust be made. Watching "Threshold" is not like watching any other current science fiction program. The audience doesn't always know what is going to happen to the charactersand yet, for every jump-out-of-your-seat scare, each episode delivers humor and wit and a message to contemplate, and a hook that draws the viewer back to their television the following week. It gives the fans fodder to debate from week to week. It is intelligent, well-acted entertainment.

With all these great things going for "Threshold," it is sad to see that CBS hasn't given it the vote of confidence of a full-season order. Most of the great science fiction shows have needed time to find their rhythm and draw a committed audience; but once that core audience has been found, they are eternally devoted to their show. Threshold deserves a full-season run in a timeslot where viewers can get to know the show and the characters. Anything less is doing a disservice to the amazing actors and creative team behind the show, as well as all the viewers who love the show, and those who have not discovered it yet.

Mr. Moonves, CBS needs shows like "Threshold" that are striking a growing chord with their audience. Instead of keeping the show on the fence, CBS needs to nurture "Threshold" and promote it like it promotes "CSI" and "Ghost Whisperer." CBS needs to show the world that it knows it has a fantastic gem on its hands with "Threshold," and pull out all the stops to get behind it. Give "Threshold" a full-season order and promote it heavily. Anything less would be a travesty.