With rare exception, science fiction has never fared too well on network TV. Though shows like "Star Trek" and "The Twilight Zone" are now considered classics, both struggled in the ratings throughout their initial runs. Sometimes it's because a network may not know how to properly promote a show, but mostly, the very nature of the genre doesn't lend itself too well to episodic TV. For every "X Files," there are countless programs like "Threshold," a serialized sci-fi/horror program depicting an alien invasion and the government's efforts to stop it, and just how far can you carry a premise like that before it becomes stale? It was unceremoniously cancelled before all the produced episodes could be aired (meaning it had no chance to become stale), but now all 12 are included in this 4-disc set. Even so, while the few who did get hooked on "Threshold" can now see those unaired shows, there is no closure to the series, making buying this set sort of a win-lose proposition. Apparently, the Sci-Fi Channel is picking up the show, but I haven't heard whether or not they are producing new episodes or just rerunning the old ones.

The basic synopsis concerns a crystal entity that pops up near a cargo ship, carrying a sound wave that infects the crew members, altering their DNA by adding a third strand (called a triple helix). The infection kills some of them, while mutating others, giving them super strength. The government enlists crisis management consultant Molly Caffrey (Carla Gugino), who specializes in developing plans to deal with assorted worst-case scenarios, to investigate and deal with the problem. Under the watch of National Security Advisor J.T. Blaylock (Charles S. Dutton), she assembles an eclectic team of brilliant experts from various field to not only find out what's going on, but to keep it from the public. What they discover over the course of several episodes is that these aliens are planning to take over the world, not by your standard death-from-above invasion, but by altering our DNA to turn us into them. The typical episode involves the team trying to track down the mutated survivors of the cargo ship's crew, who are attempting to spread the infection through several means, such as broadcasting the crystal entity's audio signal, contaminating our food supply, or through sexual contact. It's an intriguing premise, though it borrows liberally from other classic stories. It's also pretty well-written, featuring several interesting characters, especially the Arthur Ramsey (Peter Dinkage), a brilliant and cocky math whiz who also has a weakness for gambling, booze & strippers. Brent Spiner also does a good turn as impassioned doctor Nigel Fenway (in many ways, he is the complete antithesis of his Data character in "Star Trek: TNG"). The show offers many interesting plot twists along the way, and focuses less on special effects than it does on the story itself. It's also pretty violent at times, providing a few fun shocks here and there. But I can still see why it was cancelled. Unlike similar serial shows like "24" and "Lost," the story is simply not interesting enough to compel one to set aside the same hour every week to catch the next installment. And while individual episodes are more-or-less self-contained part of the big picture, they don't adequately recap what's transpired so far. In other words, if you didn't catch it from the beginning, you're sort of lost. "Threshold" actually plays better on DVD, where you can watch it more like an episodic movie, and for awhile, it becomes a fairly intriguing piece of sci-fi horror. That is, until the final episode. Since the show was given the axe by CBS, many intriguing plot points are left unresolved, such as the revelation in the "Outbreak" episode that these aliens are actually here to save humanity from an upcoming cosmic disaster, and the introduction of a few new characters who probably would have had more baring on the story if the show hadn't been cancelled. Hence, what you have is a quasi-epic story with the last few chapters missing.

Like several other recent boxed sets of serialized programs, "Threshold" is presented in widescreen (enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions), which mostly looks pretty good, though sometimes a bit grainy. The audio is rendered in both 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Surround and the overall sound quality is great, with good balance, and little or no distortion.

The two-hour pilot episode features perfunctory audio commentary by producers David S. Goyer ("Blade") and Brannon Braga ("Star Trek"). Other features include a 30 minute, 4-part making-of documentary, with comments by various cast and crew members, a short segment on the visual effects (mostly the crystal entity from the first episode), as well as another short feature about the recurring 'fractal pattern' symbol (sort of the alien calling card) that appears in nearly every episode.

"Threshold" is another series that died before everything could be resolved, and even though this 4-disc set features every produced episode, it is still incomplete. It's too bad the producers never got the opportunity to properly end the story, because it's pretty interesting (though even the staunchest sci-fi fan will have to admit a second season would be stretching audience interest). Fans will surely enjoy catching the 4 unaired episodes, as long as they don't expect any closure to the series. Even so, it plays better on DVD than it did on network TV. Similar Shows/Movies: "The X Files"; "UFO"; "V"; "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"; "The Thing" (1982)