Cleopatra 2525

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When Victoria Pratt sat down to watch the first completed episode of Cleopatra 2525, “I just held my hands over my eyes and prayed, ‘Oh, please don’t suck!’” she remembers.

You can look now, Victoria. Produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, creators of Hercules and Xena, Cleopatra 2525 is faster and funnier than any new sci-fi show this season.

Pratt plays Sarge, a battle-hardened cyber-babe of the apocalyptic future, sworn to defend the human race against a killer swarm of alien robots. One day Sarge and her partner Hel (Gina Torres) accidentally unfreeze a cryonically preserved exotic dancer named Cleopatra (Jennifer Sky), who decides that all this future dystopia needs is a splash of color here and there.

The show bristles with the kind of wisecracking humor that has won cult followings for Herc and Xena, and the special effects are better than they have to be. But—let’s be honest—it’s Pratt and her equally tempting costars who will keep you tuning in. “The costumes are usually pretty sensible,” Pratt says, “but it seems like every few episodes I have to throw a spin kick in five-inch heels and a strapless gown.” Sounds all right by us.

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