Three Inches

Source: Alert Google
http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/24/james-marsters-returns-to-tv-on-new-syfy-series-three-inches/?fb_ref=article&fb_source=home_multiline

James Marsters will finally get to play one of the good guys.

According to DigitalSpy.com, Marsters, best known to 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' fans as evil vamp Spike, announced that he will play Troy, leader of a gang of superheroes with substandard powers, in Syfy's new series 'Three Inches.' The project was previously announced in March with the pick-up of a 90-minute pilot episode from 'Twin Peaks' writer Harley Peyton.

In a March press release, Syfy Executive Vice President of Development Mark Stern said, "'Three Inches' is a fun, smart, offbeat spin on the superhero genre. It introduces a new group of crime fighters who possess some imaginative -- if not all that super -- powers."

The show revolves around a man named Walter who gets struck by lightning and finds he can move objects with his mind -- but he can only move them three inches. He is then recruited into a superhero gang full of people with similarly lackluster powers. Marsters' character, Troy, is the gang leader. His power(s) have yet to be revealed.

Marsters' cred as a crime fighter will be complicated, considering he has a history of playing troublemakers rather than authority figures. As Spike on 'Buffy,' he was ostensibly a bad guy but really more of a schemer and a pest than truly evil. As Captain Jack's ex, Captain John Hart, on 'Torchwood,' he caused problems for the team when he tried to get back together with his former flame. Marsters has also played Brainiac on 'Smallville' and religious fanatic Barnabas Greely on 'Caprica.'

'Three Inches' has potential, since there is a long tradition of un-traditional, ne'er-do-well superheroes in the comics ('Ambush Bug,' 'The Legion of Substitute Superheroes,' 'Lethargic Lad') and on the screen ('The Tick,' 'Mystery Men' which were also comic series, 'Blankman'). It's an appealing idea, bringing superheroes down to earth. When done well, it can be great.

But there's also a towering heap of used tights from projects that were worse than their heroes' powers. Marsters' involvement in 'Three Inches' is a good sign. So is the fact that Peyton, who also penned the screenplay for 'Less Than Zero,' is writing the series. Fox Television Studios, which is producing the show for Syfy, is promising something a little twisted. So far, they're off to a good start.