You're never sure what to expect with the Syfy Channel. It can be as brilliant as "Battlestar Galactica" or the best moments of "Eureka"; it can be as silly as some of its Saturday movies ... or as the way it decided to mis-spell Sci-Fi.

Now, however, comes a grand, seven-day stretch:

-- Sunday-Monday (Dec. 4-5): "Neverland" shows what can be done when an old story gets an epic re-telling. The Peter Pan story has great visuals and clever touches; at the end of this, I'll put the story that I sent to papers.

This really isn't what we expect in mid-summer.

We expect the TV doldrums -- reruns and reality and throw-away shows. Instead, we get a rich burst of science fiction.

The best news is "Torchwood: Miracle Day," a miracle of show. The first three episodes indicate that this comes close to the quality of "Torchwood: Children of the Earth," the best show of 2009. I'll put my preview story here in a minute.

There's much more sci-fi, all on cable:

I admire filmmakers who can do a lot with a little.

I like the ragged energy Alex Orr got in his $25,000 "Blood Car." And what Shane Hagedorn and Michael McCallum can get for less -- maybe $20-some,000 less -- than that in "Handlebar" and other movies. And for the artistry Nathaniel Nose has inserted in his handmade, homemade films.

I admire the best of the genre films (both written by John Sayles), "Alligator" and "The Howling." And, of course, I admire the giant of the cheapie-film world, Roger Corman.