The new science fiction drama V (ABC/CTV Tuesdays at 8pm) is about a race of aliens whom look and feel like humans, and have a plan to destroy humanity as we know it. No, unfortunately these aren’t Cylons and this isn’t another iteration of Battlestar Galactica. V’s, which is a reimagining of the 1980s science fiction opus of the same name, antagonist of choice are killer iguanas masquerading as humans who are bent on retrieving a mineral that can only be found here on Earth.

In its cold-war iteration, the space iguanas were after our water, as their own home world had been the victim of chronic water shortages and subsequent water wars. The show itself was a well scripted allegory about the sleeper-cell installation of fascism into Germany. Despite the cheese because of plot elements involving iguanas and aliens, the tale of resistance was as powerful as a Second World War occupied Europe epic.

The new V is set in a recession era New York (actually a thinly disguised Vancouver). Within the first few minutes the characters on the show let off a whole zeitgeist of buzzwords: forecloses, housing prices, bank insolvency – it’s a less than subtle hint that the show is set in the last days of Dubya’s administration. Within the first few moments of the show an alien mothership appears over New York and many of the world’s major cities. An image appears on the bottom of the mothership, a female face who promises that this race of aliens means no harm and that they will exchange their vastly superior technology and science for a mineral that is “common and abundant on Earth”.

After this face disappears from the bottom of the mothership, the motley crew of New Yorkers assembled in awe applaud, apparently unified by this alien vision of peace and prosperity. Nobody shoots it, and the crowd doesn’t question it. They merely applaud, a symbol of their unilateral acceptance. Cue the central theme of V: America is blinded by the promises brought by the alien visitors, save for a few who know the true and sinister intentions of the visitors.

The first three episodes explore how humanity reacts to the presence of the Vs. Young people sign up en masse to become ‘peace ambassadors’ – brand reps – for the Vs, lured by the viral marketing campaign set up to attract them. The mouthpiece of the Vs, Anna, makes for the U.N’s general assembly building to try and establish diplomatic relations with the US. A band of rebels, led by a priest and female FBI agent suspect more sinister intentions, and a conspiracy by the Vs and seek to expose them. A big shot news caster is disappointed when he is told he shouldn’t ask any questions that will put the Vs in a bad light during an interview.

Clearly, the writers have intended the show to be read as an allegory for an Obama era America. Though unfortunately an allegory only works if the material is two steps removed from reality. Battlestar Galactica worked because the vehicle was alien; a saga set in the stars was far enough removed from reality to provide a blank slate to comment. In the case of V, the show tries to be topical — “Universal Health Care” — is dropped within the first thirty minutes, yet turns out just to be tacky. The show writers fail to realize that if they want to comment on the danger of Obamatopia, they have to do so without actually mentioning it by name. Otherwise the show is destined to be the fodder of network television: interesting, somewhat relevant, but not high art.