GenX TV--The Brady Bunch to Melrose Place, by Rob Owen 
(Syracuse University Press, 1997). pp. 183-184
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Net TV

It's not just a case of TV being talked about on the 
Internet. TV has also begun to showcase the Net. The dense 
and confusing 1993 ABC miniseries, *Wild Palms*, was the 
first to use the idea of a futuristic world filled with 
virtual reality. The 1995 Fox series, *VR.5*, was the most 
transparent attempt so far to cash in on the newfound 
technology and the cult phenomenon of the show that aired 
after it on Friday night, *The X-Files*.

*VR.5* starred Lori Singer as Sydney Bloom, a Los Angeles 
telephone worker who spent her nights in virtual reality 
(VR), trying to untangle the secrets of her family's past 
(her father worked on early VR equipment and was seemingly 
killed for it). When Sydney strapped on her VR gear, she'd 
enter another realm, and she always returned shaking from 
her discoveries.

"I think people layer their shows more carefully now in 
hopes that people will hook up to it," said *USA Today* TV 
critic Matt Roush. "I know *VR.5* wanted that so bad. They 
wanted to be obsesed upon." Indeed, *VR.5* took the *X-
Files* mantra of "The Truth Is Out There" and concocted its 
own slogan, "Virtual Reality Is Real." "As a critic I found 
*VR.5* to be a very interesting show not to respond to 
because it's the kind of show we should be responding to," 
Roush said.

Many other critics gave the show positive reviews, citing 
its attempt to be different and to stand out from the crowd. 
David Bianculli was among the TV critics who applauded 
*VR.5*. "This series definitely had an art and a place to 
go, it just wasn't allowed to get there," Bianculli said. 
"This comes from someone who watches a lot of MTV and likes 
it. It had the visual artistry and the constant character 
development that I liked." Despite its tireless attempts to 
lure *X-Files* fans to the tube an hour earlier, *VR.5* got 
zapped.



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