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An ABC remake of NBC's 1983 alien-invasion series, the new "V" pilot was scripted by Scott Peters (creator of "The 4400") and stars Morena Baccarin ("Firefly") as an extraterrestrial leader, Elizabeth Mitchell ("Lost") as an obligatory hot FBI lady, Scott Wolf ("Everwood") as an ambitious TV journalist, Joel Gretsch ("The 4400") as a wary clergyman and Laura Vandervoort (Supergirl on "Smallville") as a lizard girl in a hot human teen costume.

ABC has completed four episodes of the series, all of which will air during November sweeps. If ratings are not disastrous, production will resume in the coming months and the series will return with more episodes in March.

Mitchell and Morena, both excellent actresses, make the most of their roles. (And with her new haircut and huge eyes, Baccarin looks appropriately alien.) The production design is superb and the alien ships look spectacular.

But here's what I found disagreeable about the new "V" pilot

A similar story, albeit one without disguised lizards, was told perhaps more adroitly during the first season of the syndicated series "Earth: Final Conflict." I quite enjoyed Peters' "The 4400" (which I regard as a sharper, more focused version of "Heroes"), so I'm disappointed with what he's come up with here.

The New York Times says:

… The ideas in "V," about alien encounters and mass delusion and media manipulation, are enticing. It's too bad that they're floating around in a show that at this early stage, is so slapdash and formulaic in its storytelling. … as the most astounding event in human history is unfolding largely off screen, we watch a mother racing across town to find her son; a man buying an engagement ring; detectives squabbling; a priest (Joel Gretsch of "The 4400") having a crisis of faith. We could just as well be watching a show about a hurricane or a serial killer. …

Newsday says:

… has its fun moments, but mostly this is pure bunkum, or 1980s-era TV with a thin 2009 veneer. …

The Chicago Sun-Times says:

… Judging by the first episode, "V" seems like a solid adaptation. But it doesn't have the mysterious spark it needs to make it compulsory viewing, the way "Lost" lured us in. The problem with a remake is that we already know what lurks beneath the aliens' faux flesh. …

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… "V" doesn't have an original premise - the humans versus aliens thing is as old as moving pictures. But the special effects are better …

The Los Angeles Times says:

… pretty terrific … Its opening sequence is a masterpiece of back-story compression. …

The Washington Post says:

… exciting … "Lost" fans, you've found your tide-me-over until Season 6. …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

… an entertaining, well-made pilot that tweaks aspects of the original story but generally retains many of the show's familiar elements. …

The Salt Lake Tribune says:

… There's hardly a hint of political allegory in this re-imagining -- save for a snarky comment about the aliens providing universal health care. There's also little surprise or action in this alien invasion, and public reaction to such a monumental event seems rather tepid in the pilot episode. …

The Boston Herald says:

… Mitchell has never had a part so rich, one that allows her to play smart, sarcastic, tough and vulnerable. With her perpetually gleaming eyes, Baccarin is wonderfully otherworldly and suggests a streak of malevolence. … Tonight's pilot is a good effort …

The Boston Globe says:

… no gold mine of symbolism is worth a damn when the show itself doesn't have good old storytelling mojo behind it. And, based on the premiere, "V'' has enough narrative drive and character definition to pull viewers into the creepy suspense of its dystopian world. …

USA Today says:

… the season's most entertaining new hour, straightforward division …

Entertainment Weekly says:

… A shrewd take on both sci-fi and the media, V is an excellently acted what-if-aliens- landed show … works as both escapism and a critique of society. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… It could be complicated, but Peters' tightly written teleplay makes it easy to follow. In addition, the pilot raises provocative issues without getting didactic. That, combined with mythology less dense than, say, ABC's "Lost," should make this an attractive viewing option.

Variety says:

… The pilot busily races through too much business, but it dangles a tantalizing array of plots, and features a knockout performance (in more ways than one) by Morena Baccarin as the cool, beguiling alien leader. …

8 p.m. Tuesday. ABC.