So, we've seen the end of Stargate: Universe which was the last real Science Fiction program on. Even the shows that could only marginally be tossed in this category (No Ordinary Family, Smallville, The Event) are on their way out as well apparently. It seems that no Sci-fi show can get off the ground and make it. I realize that cost has a lot to do with the decisions of the network exec's, but you think they would look at the success of the big screen and try to find a way to tap it. But then again we are talking bottom-line bean counters and not any thing that an alien species would be able to qualify as intelligent life. Yes, I'm talking about YOU SYFY network executives.
So what does everyone think is going to happen to this genre? Our forum has become quite barren lately with most posts not really genre related. I am clinging on to Doctor Who hoping that they don't do something stupid with that show (THANK YOU, BBC). But in reality, the foreseeable future of broadcast TV seems desolate and bleak for those of us who dream of starships, aliens, space battles, and worlds beyond our own. Even in the publishing world I've seen very little from my favorites, the Killer B's (Bear, Benford, Brin). I couldn't even find a Gordon Dickson novel at Borders the other day. Has Science Fiction lost its appeal?
I remember reading Heinlein, Bradbury, Assimov, Clark etc. as a kid and being filled with the wonder of the future. The visions of far off exotic places and the trials of exploration calling forth the "Hero" to triumph. Now it seems like all we can hope for is the latest Comic-Adaptation Uber-F/X Movie to splash the silver screen for a couple of hours and try to quench the thirst ever so temporarily. It seems we are all now Luke Skywalker standing on a desert planet looking to the stars with a longing call that has yet to be answered by two wayward droids.
Where is our Sci-Fi future?
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
There's Futurama in the end of June. ; "The Walking Dead" is coming back in October. Misfits is still going on. British salty mutant show. You've got Terra Nova coming up, lots of hope for that one. Stephen Lang, dinosaurs and Spielberg. "Locke & Key" is another project that caught my eye. I hope AMC picks it up.
As for metaphysical discussion regarding the future of sci-fi TV shows, it's hard to pass judgment on an era as you're living it, we've barely got enough time and perspective between us and the 80's to scrutinize what happened there, we're still living out and borrowing much of the creative and aesthetic output that came into being then. The 90's are also very much with us, as an extraordinary amount of shows are influenced by stuff like The X-Files, in style and execution.
There have been a lot of shows built on a finite story lately, with a beginning and end set from the start, not an open-ended format like Star Trek shows. I think it would be hard to create a new show like that now and make a hit (and I'm not counting Eureka).
I'm not holding my breath for Blood & Chrome, I've lost faith in prequels after the headless chicken that was Caprica.
I would like to see a show based on one of the Asimov-books, and at the same time, I would not.
[ May 26, 2011, 01:41 AM: Message edited by: Nim ]
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nim: You've got Terra Nova coming up, lots of hope for that one. Stephen Lang, dinosaurs and Spielberg.
Did you know that Brannon Braga is also involved in that show? I think he'll counteract any good that Spielberg brings. It's an over-wrought, poorly-conceived time travel series with high-concept action, airing on Fox; I'm not too hopeful.
quote:I'm not holding my breath for Blood & Chrome, I've lost faith in prequels after the headless chicken that was Caprica.
Caprica was unappreciated because the writers took a little too much faith in the intelligence and patience in their audience. The fans have been asking for more sophisticated storytelling, more continuity in plots, more character drama, and when the fans got it, they complained. Go figure.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
quote:the writers took a little too much faith in the intelligence and patience in their audience
Yes either that or they had too much faith in their own ability to use religious/political/philosophical symbolism without drowning in heavyhanded pretentious fable about mankind's hubris. It's a tossup.
Apart from that, you had the very basic narrative problem of having no benevolent party to sympathize with, unlike the Fleet in BSG. You had greedy business-scientists, the mafia, cabals of religious zealots, and confused teens. And an emotionally crippled robot who couldn't do anything cool (playing Counterstrike doesn't count).
The last straw for me was the endless moping. No sex, affection or camaraderie, just moping, and scheming over tablescraps which we've already seen burn in the future.
If they'd shown some of the Caprica we saw in the BSG Pilot, a little celebration of life now and then (instead of drab shades of grey), the show might've instilled some much-needed nostalgia in the audience. In BSG you could get happy when some people partied or made out. When you build a show around rich people with rich-people problems, a glass of wine or a funny ballgame becomes just as pointless and ordinary to you as it does to the rich people. Hence no carrots.
If I may go off on a tangent, that's why Inception was a failure IMO. If you have gun battles all the time, with unlimited ammo and self-replenishing foes, they don't mean anything at all. If the entire plot is centered around a MacGuffin (the thought-implant), so that some smug guy in a suit could get back to his imaginary children, you have absolutely nothing, narrative-wise. Just masturbation, pretty ants running around in an antfarm, which is my view of Caprica.
quote:Did you know that Brannon Braga is also involved in that show? I think he'll counteract any good that Spielberg brings. It's an over-wrought, poorly-conceived time travel series with high-concept action, airing on Fox; I'm not too hopeful.
Well, maybe we'll be surprised. As with Blood&Chrome. Maybe Braga has switched to more fiber in his diet? So that everything goes where it's supposed to go.
[ May 26, 2011, 07:34 AM: Message edited by: Nim ]
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
WizArt, I also think we're in a bit of a lull when it comes to Sci-Fi. To be honest, Terra Nova and that Alien Invasion show aren't really grabbing me, and are emanating immense levels of fail. I'll still check em out, but I'm not optimistic. I mean that Terra Nova has the Douchebag General from Avatar, he's even still sporting the same look!
Also I think a lot of sci-fi from the early to mid twentieth century was based on ideas of modernism, with sci-fi giants like Wells, Asmiov, Heinlein, Roddenberry, and others sending the message that unbridled technological development would lead mankind to an overly-optimistic future. I think it's harder nowadays to convey that message. We have the technology, but it's debatable how much its actually improved mankind. It some ways, technology has only exacerbated the problems facing our species. I think sci-fi nowadays is more introspective, a vehicle for people to explore the faults of being human. Not that it wasn't like that before, either. I just think there's more of it today.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
One of the things that I feel has become an "Epic Fail" of recent Sci-fi is the lack of strong characters and good mixes in the cast.
In Stargate Universe you had the obvious "Dr. Smith" character of Rush but other than Eli, was there ANY character that you could really get into? Young just didn't quite hit the mark and the last episodes were like he had given up and whatever everyone wanted to do was O.K. by him.
Right now, I'm recording the old Firefly series. It is a shame that show got axed even with its strange mix of "Old West" meets "Babylon 5". I really liked the characters of Mal and Jayne and the supporting crew worked well with the possible exception of Jewel Staite. Even Babylon 5 had chemistry with the secondary players that we don't see being developed in recent shows, BSG being an exception.
Nim, I agree that it is near impossible to have a true perspective of anything when you are still so close to the subject. I know part of my frustration is with the so-called Syfy channel and its bent to air "Retards hunting Caspers" and "Rasslin" instead of anything with at least a hint of science fiction to it. I would GLADLY watch reruns of Babylon 5 or Star Trek rather than that dreck, at least for the nostalgia sake.
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
Ok, so there is Doctor Who, Torchwood is returning with something tasty looking, CBS Action has TOS re-reuns and I'm hoping that the indifferent noises I'm hearing about Futurama are not a reflection on the show.
Even non scifi is struggling, weighed down by the solid mass of The Apprentice, X-Factor, Britain hasn't really got any tallant but Simon Cowel has a premium rate phone number, Eastenders, The Chelsea FLower Show, Midsumer Murders - there is nothing on TV!
This week I want to watch (and this is looking at this weeks TV listings across all the channels on Sky TV, so the domestic channels, movies, doccumentaries etc, who whole kaboodle), I want to actually sit down and go out of my way to watch, three shows: Dr Who; Inside the Human Body (4/4 parrt documentary); something about Lionel Logues grandson. I might watch Have I Got News For You (news based satire) but that's getting stale after 20 odd years.
I'm struggling here. You want to know what my scifi fix was this week? I watched TOS (The Deadly Years) on Monday and Hot Tub Time Machine.
Josh Whedon wrote something very recently about too many shows being cancelled too early.
Caprica? SGU? V? FlashForward? We can all see why each of these was axed. The first two had potential but didin't get there fast enough. Do you honestly think that today Twin Peaks would get half a chance, cos I don't. So you make a show that's only half as good and three times as drawn out, you are going to struggle.
Then, The Event (dull), Heroes (needed the Old Yeller treatment and got it), The 4400 (that was just silly), Lost (which I got bored with in the middle); all gone. Enterprise is long gone, and despite a few good moments I really couldn't hack that post 9/11 season 2&3, sorry.
Mars, I'm not sure it's just that we've now got the tech we dreamed about in the 80's. I suspect it's far deeper than that. It's like CGI I think. For the same reason that there are a load of old cartoons being made with CGI there are alot of new cut'n'paste shows on TV.
It's easier, cheaper and quicker with a better return to make mediocre popularist pap for a primetime, and the execs who run TV land are inerested first and foremost in money, not value or audience satisfaction or imagination. Anything else will struggle, and the bosses are simply not as patient as they used to be. It's just realy sad.
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Ginger Beacon's sharp focus: Enterprise is long gone, and despite a few good moments I really couldn't hack that post 9/11 season 2&3, sorry.
my brother had decribed in disgust when Princess Invida or who ever lived on the planet Iscandar was gonna show up on the NX-01 and tell then in less that 365 days, Earth will be lost to the Gamalon Planet bombs radiation...
well, not really but he (and myself as well) saw parallels to Space Battleship Yamato when season-2 came out... at that point, he knew the fuck-twats B & B were scrapping the creative barrel bottoms for ideas...
as for now, as an adult now with more time to actually what TV as opposed to my viewership habits in the Navy, i dont watch much of anything that i dont like. and the TV execs we love to smeer shit on with abbandon know that. thus why TV will get steadily worse and never better...
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
and after glimging the Navy Lead Destroyer/Photage of some BB that i didnt even bother to take note which is was, and the horrible autocannon rapid fire from said Navy Lead Destroyer/Photage of some BB that i didnt even bother to take note which is was/16in guns that wasnt even turned towards where the shark was...
i think ill stick to very little channel shopping since we can all agree, the Sci-Fi channel is very much dead and what ever the FUCK is on now, now enjoys the same time i spend watching the 700 mother fucking club: only if im someone's bitch in some foreign country as a 'guest' of their goverment...
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Well- thank the Gods that Clone Wars still kicks ass! (not that I've seem most of season 3)
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Haven't seen any "Clone Wars" since that episode with the pacifist aliens who wouldn't fight an invasion. Jason, what do you mean by "kicks ass"?
I thought the 2-D Genndy Tartakovsky series kicked ass. There have been a few episodes of the new 3D-shows which had pretty ships, but I have yet to see one episode that had witty dialogue (without bantha- or mynock-references), or managed to find any semblance of balls. But I would love to hear some good arguments for season 3, for someone to prove me wrong. Any good selling points?
Example: the long lightsaber fights between characters whom we know must survive until "Revenge of the Sith", and where the bad guy neatly escapes on a shuttle railing, those episodes I don't think kick ass. They are the worst of all things. Predictable, I guess is the word I'm looking for.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
I defend the Clone Wars on the grounds its better than watching nothing. Actually the show demonstrates something the prequel films couldn't: focus. Especially stories that try to make a point about something. I think the fact that the show is limited to 30 minutes helps. I recall hearing some commentary for the "Mortis" trilogy in which writers were planning to have Anakin meet Darth Bane and Darth Revan, expanded universe characters. But they decided doing so wouldn't add anything to the story and would just be a waste of CGI. Perhaps there is hope for this franchise yet.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Dooku and his legobeard is a waste of CGI. Having them branch out into other eras and narratives, even if using resurrected spirits of Sith, would've been really nice. It might've added some character to what's otherwise a very one-dimensional group of antagonists. Although you can't have a Darth Revan spirit, as he/she officially gets redeemed in the KotOR franchise, so he/she wouldn't be a Darth.
quote: stories that try to make a point about something
Now that I can appreciate, although I think they're sometimes way too christian and black/white in their moralizing sometimes, having the Separatists be these inept Scooby Doo villains, "We shall steal all the water from this planet of war orphans! Ssssss! Muhahahah!" Just because it's a kid's show doesn't mean you should underestimate kids' minds.
I just thought of something else. That jingoistic narrator in the beginning of each CW-episode manages to copy the "Starship Troopers" fascist narrator down to a tee ("Our boys and girls will wipe this filthy bug menace off the face of the galaxy!"), yet the writers of "Clone Wars" don't have a satirical or ironic bone in their bodies, so they are just accidentally making the Republic sound like the polar opposite of what is good. "Shoot first, then go and make apple pie, leave the rest to us! *digs mass grave*".
Noticed that both "V" and "Lie to me" have been cancelled, am disappointed.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"That jingoistic narrator in the beginning of each CW-episode manages to copy the 'Starship Troopers' fascist narrator down to a tee ('Our boys and girls will wipe this filthy bug menace off the face of the galaxy!')..."
I've never noticed anything quite as strong as you imply there, but I've always assumed that the narration was intended to be in imitation of World War II newsreels, so a little bit of that sort of thing might not be out of place, in that context.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
I always did think the narrator was a bit too effusive. But like TSN says, that's kinda the point.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Absolutely, and WWII-newsreel nails it on the head. I just compared it to Heinlein/Verhoeven as an experiment.
I guess I feel disillusioned re: the narration because it embodies how the republic is mostly just reacting all the time, putting out fires but remaining five steps behind Palpatine.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Oh great, "The Event" bit the dust too, axed just three weeks ago. Well I hope "Game of Thrones" manages to stay alive at least until one of the eggs hatch.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
I think its already been renewed.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I wouldn't exactly call The Event much of a loss. I think I got about 6 episodes in before I gave up from abject boredom. Seriously, no hyperbole; if asked I couldn't name a single character from that show. Didn't grip me at all.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
I can understand the sentiment Rev, I only kept on in hopes that it might SOMEDAY start getting interesting (AND I just could not deal with the wife's choice of watching the FOOD Network). Jason Ritter's character and storyline was absolutely atrocius. I wonder who told him he could ACT?
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
I liked it better when Ċ½eljko Ivanek got more scenes, and things started getting messed up in the White House. Now when they partially revealed what they meant by "The Event", and the plot turn in the last episode (won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet), I think it has a good shot for some massive development in a future season.
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
I really don't understand what goes on in the minds of these network execs.
I just hope they don't cancel Warehouse 13 anytime soon; I just got into it...
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
I think it and Eureka are safe, barring the public not getting PO'd at the stupid 8 week seasons they do.
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
^Um, did you not read the link? They cancelled Eureka. Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
This is why I stopped watching anything on Syfy. They tried to tell us that they may have cancelled the shows that I loved, but I could check out all these other cool shows and love them instead. Now they're canceling those shows too.
So for all those fans who criticized Caprica and Universe but said that Eureka and Warehouse 13 were safe because they're "good" shows, I simply say, "Told you!"
I probably won't even bother checking out the next Galactica spinoff. That's how disgusted I am.
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
I never watched Caprica but I'll give Blood & Chrome a look.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
Fab, I TOTALLY missed the link I was so paralyzed by fear of that image posted above it! I am with MM, I think its time to dump Syfy completely, let the Ghostbrains keep watching the cheap infrared videos of NOTHING until some RASSLIN' comes on and further exterminates those pitifully few remaining brain cells.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
It seems like WyFy is giving the show an extra episode, so they can at least wrap up the show in a nice rushed ending. How kind. This channel is the TV equivalent to the Tea Party; incompetent oafs who double down on their stupidity thinking they'll be vindicated in the long run. But at least the teabaggers have a motivation, what's Ci-Fi's aim? Attracting viewers and making money certainly isn't it.
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
thus they will forever be WyFy to me, Mars!
Posted by Johnny (Member # 878) on :
One SyFy show I'm currently enjoying is Alphas. The synopsis makes it sound like another Heroes or X-Men copycat (it's about some otherwise ordinary people who have superpowers and use them to fight crime), but it tries to present powers that are at least vaguely scientifically believable. The characters are an interesting enough bunch and Summer Glau and Brent Spiner are set to have roles later in the season.
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)