— Opening narration of Masters of Science Fiction by Prof. Stephen Hawking

This weekend the latest experiment in genre anthology TV will try to find its audience: Masters of Science Fiction has been given a primetime timeslot on a broadcast network, even though it's arguably the most obscure slot on the schedule, in the deepest doldrums of the summer season.

Four episodes, each featuring a different cast and different writers and directors, will air each Saturday night of August, at 10 p.m. ET/PT (9:00 Central) on ABC. The anthology draws on classic science fiction short stories that are 20 to 60 years old from some of the greatest minds of the genre, including "The City on the Edge of Forever" author Harlan Ellison.

Masters is the creation of Starz Media and executive producer Keith Addis (among others), following up on their other successful anthology, Masters of Horror, which has had two seasons on the cable network Showtime and may get a third.

Unlike some previously failed experiments in the anthology concept — such as attempts to revive The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits — the formula for Masters of SF is simple: Go back to the basics; find the best (and most easily producible) stories from the best writers.

The producers have done this — they have given us thought-provoking tales that universally resonate — and as icing on the cake they have attracted powerhouse actors, some of whom are rarely if ever seen on American TV. The creators have eschewed space battles and other visual effects trappings of post-"Star Wars" sci-fi, and instead have devoted themselves to finding their production value in the ideas, themes and messages of literary SF (yes, our distinction between "sci-fi" and "SF" is intentional).

It's also worth noting that the producers have taken the bold but not inappropriate step of recruiting a man with an artificial voice to serve as narrator. Iconic physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking (who joined the Star Trek family in "Descent, Part I") provides the opening and (in most cases) closing thoughts of each episode, Rod Serling-style. And yes, he did physically visit the recording studio to do this — we have a publicity photo on the left to prove it!

The first entry, "A Clean Escape" — airing August 4 — stars Judy Davis and Sam Waterston in a battle of minds between two people trying to convince the other that their version of reality is the correct one. Without giving too much away, this is a tale that unfolds in ways that make your skin crawl, particularly when the words "Mission Accomplished" pop up. Though this was adapted for TV by Emmy nominee Sam Egan, it was based on a 1985 short story by Nebula Award winner John Kessel (turned into a play in 1986), and its message is more relevant today than ever. Oscar nominee Mark Rydell directed.

Next week, August 11, Terry O'Quinn ("Admiral Pressman" in "The Pegasus," now an Emmy nominee for Lost) stars in "The Awakening." O'Quinn is an expert of some kind (a Fox Mulder type, but tired and cynical) who is brought out of retirement by the military to examine a mysterious body found in the midst of war in Iraq. It's definitely not human, and in fact may portend an alien invasion when more such creatures appear and begin to communicate. Once again, this story unfolds in unexpected ways, and in fact, courageously transcends the genre. If you are receptive to the particular twist of this episode, it's probably the most moving of the four. It is based on the 1970 short story by the late Howard Fast titled "The General Zapped..." (abridged in the credits so as not to give anything away), and was adapted and directed by Michael Petroni.

The third installment, "Jerry Was a Man" on August 18, will remind you a great deal of "The Measure of a Man" — though the original material by Robert Heinlein was written 42 years prior to that TNG episode. Thematically speaking, it's the same story, but done in a much more cheeky fashion. Out of six episodes produced by Starz, ABC would only air four, so this was chosen as one of the four because it is tonally the most unique and lighthearted. It stars Malcolm McDowell ("Dr. Soran" in "Star Trek Generations") as the head of Controlled Genetics, a firm that specializes in construction of "anthropoids" (limited-intelligence androids) and "plasto-biological hybrids" such as a tiny elephant who can read and write. Anne Heche co-stars as a filthy rich, supercilious heiress who decides to take up the noble cause of fighting for the rights of a particular anthropoid named Jerry (her motivation is disputable, and you can't help but think: Hmm, first she's straight, then she's gay, then she's straight again ... now she's robosexual?). The dialog by writer/director Michael Tolkin is quickly paced and finds most of its humor in social commentary, some of which can escape you if you're not listening carefully.

The coup de grāce of the series, on August 25, is "The Discarded," based on Harlan Ellison's 1959 short story of the same name. Ellison adapated the teleplay himself, partnered with Academy Award nominee Josh Olson ("A History of Violence"), and the episode was directed by Star Trek's own Jonathan Frakes. It's the one tale set in space, on a ship populated by mutants who have been ostracized by Earth — and refused landfall on any of the solar system's terraformed worlds — because they carry an affliction know as RIGM, "random idiopathic genomic mutation," or "the Blood Poop" (sounds like a Harlanism!) which leaves them with a motley collection of hideous deformities.

Brian Dennehy stars as "Bedzyk," the reluctant leader of the "discards" endowed with one giant arm (the original story gave him a giant chest, but an arm is probably more visual), and John Hurt, in his first appearance on American television, plays "Samswope," whose mutation grants him an extra head. If you read the original short story before seeing the episode, you'd be hard pressed to think of any more perfect actors for these parts.

Frakes creates a very lush, but still dark and depressing, environment for these "discards" to exist in, and finds just the right amount of humor in that environment while still taking the material seriously. One scene in particular lifts the mood, when Ellison himself shows up in a cameo, endowed with a cow udder for a neck. He and character actor Ken Kramer briefly engage in some funny schtick, acting like perverted old Jewish men making comments about a one-eyed cheerleader.

(There is an inside story regarding that cheerleader, which is explained in a new biographical documentary about Ellison called "Dreams with Sharp Teeth," which also includes some behind-the-scenes footage from "The Discarded." If you are in the Los Angeles area on Thursday, August 9, the American Cinematheque will screen that documentary, with Ellison present for a Q&A, at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Visit www.americancinematheque.com for details.)

The episode stays very true to the source material, though it is embellished somewhat with additional characters and plot points, in ways that are mostly effective. Unfortunately, one key plot point is watered down from Ellison's original subversive vision (a certain character is killed by accident rather than on purpose), and perhaps as a result — to be an armchair critic — the moment is not very convincingly rendered.

All in all, though, it's a great piece of science fiction that leaves you quite affected in the end (but we won't say how).

The ratings results from this four-week run of Masters of Science Fiction will determine if more of these science fiction classics will be produced and aired — whether on ABC or moved to a cable network (Sci-Fi Channel perhaps?) — and whether this concept of thoughtful, quality science fiction in an anthology format can be viable over the long run. So as fans of the genre, we urge you to seek the show out, Saturday nights at 10:00 (9 Central), and at the very minimum, set your Tivos or VCRs (especially if you're going to the Las Vegas convention!) and watch it later. And tell your friends!