When ABC first announced its reboot of the ‘V’ franchise, I approached it with guarded optimism. I was a big fan of the original 1983 miniseries, though less so of the lousy 1984 sequel or the campy weekly series that followed. The concept is still pretty solid, and I hoped that a decent budget and modern visual effects could lead to something interesting. Then ‘Lost’ star Elizabeth Mitchell was cast, and I was sold. Sadly, the show turned out to be a pretty mediocre affair. Although I watched the entire first season, I found myself questioning why I bothered the further along it went. By the time of the season finale, I pretty much decided that I was done with it, despite the renewal notice from the network. Unfortunately for me, it looks like I may have to tune in again after all, because ABC has announced that both Jane Badler and Marc Singer will be joining the cast.

According to Airlock Alpha:

Marc Singer is returning to “V,” joining fellow original cast member Jane Badler in the ABC series when it returns in January on ABC.

Singer, who played Mike Donovan in the original 1980s run, will play Lars Tremont, a member of a secret organization made up of politicians and military leaders. Not to be confused with the resistance group the Fifth Column, this group essentially will be a backup plan set in motion just in case the Visitors are not as altruistic as they appear to be.

Since ending his days on “V,” Singer has been quite busy with the Beastmaster franchise. He’s also appeared in the 1988 version of “The Twilight Zone,” the 1992 “Batman” animated series and “Highlander.”

Badler, who played the evil alien overlord Diana in the 1980s version of “V,” was originally signed for a four-episode arc. However, that has now changed and Badler will instead appear in the full season.

Her role will be something of a wink to fans of the original series and she will play the mother of Anna (Morena Baccarin), who leads the Visitors in their mission on Earth.
Since “V,” Badler spent a good amount of time in the primetime soap “Falcon Crest,” before returning back to Australia to concentrate on her career and family.

Badler will be introduced in the season premiere, which is set to air in January, while Singer will make an appearance in the season finale with the possibility of a return in Season 3, if there is a pickup.

“V” returns Jan. 4 on ABC.

I would have liked for Badler to reprise her role as Diana, evil bitch queen of the universe, though I suppose that starring as Anna’s mother is a fair enough compromise. I’m also glad to hear that she’ll be around for the entire season. (I was afraid that she’d only score a thankless cameo as Erica’s mother or something.)

I doubt that either of these additions to the cast will save the show, or even improve it to any significant degree. In fact, I still doubt that the show will make it through a complete second season, which means that we may not see Singer at all. Nonetheless, this has sparked my interest a little bit. If the producers are smart, they’ll use this as an opportunity to give up on any pretense of seriousness and just start playing the show for pure camp from now on.