Cool News
Saving "Crusade"
Glen here...
..with a little info about a "Save Crusade" web site which is currently on-line.
The person who runs this web site has been trying to get my attention for a while now. In all
fairness to her, she brought this web site on-line almost immediately after Crusade
boss J. Michael Straczynski confirmed Coaxial's reports that production on the new Babylon
5 spin-off series had been halted after completion of the show's 13th episode. This means, she's
already been out there for a month or more.
I haven't posted a link to the site yet for several reasons, not the least of which is a very
unfortunate and uncomfortable issue to discuss with fans of the show. To put it simply: every
indication I have gotten...from folks on all sides of the Crusade's cancellation ...tells me that
the only thing which will convince TNT to produce further episodes of the show is "hard
numbers". This means they are looking for viewers, plain and simple.
Letter would be nice as far as keeping Crusade on the mind of network executives, and
so forth. But my very strong sense of the situation tells me that...at the end of the day....TNT's
gonna be looking at how many people are actually watching Crusade (ratings), the gender
and age groups who are watching Crusade (demographics), and so forth. Because all of
this stuff translates to their ability to make money (advertising). This isn't a greedy or self-serving
notion, it's simple business. In many ways, TNT is concerned that Crusade isn't a show
which will "do it" for them.
So, as a hypothetical example, let's say TNT received five thousand letters from
viewers demanding Crusade be resurrected. Five thousand is damn impressive number of
letters - but if not too many people past those five thousand people who wrote in are actually
watching the show, then that's a lousy audience for a show. For any national broadcast.
TNT needs to be convinced that Crusade can generate a substantial and regular
audience, because: a) they don't wanna spend their money on a show which isn't what they were
expecting (for better or for worse); and b) they're not interested in spending more money on a show
when they aren't sure they're gonna get it back.
As such: us telling TNT we want more Crusade becomes a nearly irrelevant point,
epsecially when the show hasn't hit the air yet! Secondly: as a whole, TNT doesn't give a rat's ass
who wants to see more episodes of Crusade produced. Any decision to renew the show
will be based on how many people are watching it, and how often.
It's a numbers game.
Because ratings and demographics = advertising money, which means the network starts to get
back some of what it has already spent...which means it might be a happier network and less afraid
of the series...which means it might be more open-minded (and feel more secure) continuing its
investment in the show.
Unfortunately, TNT's discomfort with making a broader (economic) commitment to
Crusade is a paramount issue at this point in time. That elelment is what must be
overcome, not them knowing there is a small but vocal core audience wanting to watch it - they
know that already.
As far as the Sci Fi Channel goes (who had been rumored to be Crusade's salvation
until a "deal" to move the series couldn't be struck)? Well, if we take JMS at his word...and SFC
doesn't have the money in this year's budget...they simply don't have the money. Writing them letters will serve
much the same purpose as writing a letter to TNT - (in SFC's case, it will help keep the show "on their minds" until a time when they might be able to work out producing the
show for themselves), but
accomplish little else (at this point in time - closer to the show's debut on TNT might be a good time to contact Sci Fi, however...). After all, our letters don't equal the financing needed to
bring Crusade back to life (and everyone sending in individual contributions...as had been
discussed in several circles...is a legally and practically untenable notion).
PLEASE UNDERSTAND: I am not attempting to discourage anyone from writing
letters to TNT or SFC, and the person running the site I have linked to below seems very genuine in
her efforts. In fact, if you're gonna send any letter, I strongly encourage you to do so HREF="http://babylon5.acmecity.com/lurker/2/crusade.htm">through her site.
But I do want you to understand that what Crusade needs more than anything else
in the world when it debuts in June is an actual audience, not the promise of one.
A large audience which doesn't filter away after the first few episodes of the series have aired.
An audinece which is large enough to convince TNT or SFC (in the month which will elapse between the
show's premiere and the termination of the casts' contracts in July) that Crusade can make
them money, hold an audience, and that there's enough of a "pay off" to warrant them continuing the
series.
An audience.
I'm sorry to sound so negative, that isn't my intent. But in Coaxial's ongoing policy of being as clear and as honest as
possible, this is the lay of the land (from my perspective) at the moment - and I just wanted you guys
to know where things stand.
Tell you friends. Tell anyone who know to watch this thing. Do everything you can to get the
most possible people watching this show as soon as it's on the air. Even this may not make a
difference in the grand scheme of things, but everything I've heard points to this being the last, best
hope for seeing Crusade rise from the ashes.
By all means, write letters. But more importantly than anything else right now is
Crusade finding that which all shows need and seek - an audience.
CRUSADE premieres on TNT June 9. Contrary to many Net-based rumors, the show will
have a prime-time slot, as it was sold to advertisers as a prime-time commodity. Look for a
reasonable amount of publicity preceding the show - an effort by the network to drum-up
viewership, and get as much bang for their buck as possible.
Around that time, you may also be looking out for re-airings of the BABYLON 5 TV
movies, including "A Call to Arms" (CRUSADE's introductory movie). More on this is available at
the TNT Babylon 5 web site.
Should you wish to write a letter to TNT or SFC in support of the show, HREF="http://babylon5.acmecity.com/lurker/2/crusade.htm">CLICK HERE
!!!
Glen
Or call:
(512) 347-1992
Mail can be sent to:
Glen Oliver
P.O. BOX 160812
Austin, TX 78716-0812
USA
P.O. BOX 160812
Austin, TX 78716-0812
USA
Austin, TX 78716-0812
USA
USA
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Look i'm as big a B5 fan as anyone, but the time has come to give up on this stillborn project... I finally got to see ACTA (They showed in Montreal at 9pm EST last Friday) and while it is certainly an improvement over Third, and RoS, it DID NOT fill me with much enthusiasm for Crusade... It was poorly paced, and the music, though good, was badly arranged and non-existent at times. JMS NEEDS TIME OFF! The guy's brain is a raisin at this point, he's written SO MANY scripts over a short period that he is either A) Exhasted, or B) Fed up. So I say again, Let it Die, Letus not forget what has happened to the Trek Franchise, since IT's spin off...
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Glen, though I personally don't hold out much hope for Crusade's survival either way, I believe JMS's comment was that the SFC didn't have enough money left in *this year's budget*. This would be due to it being so late in the season that most of their budget for this year had already been allocated. This has nothing to do with whether they have a budget for next year's season, which is when Crusade season 2 would show up anyway. (The sticky bit about the actor's contracts lapsing in July is not insurmountable under such a schedule. It's probably late enough in the year that they'd already be able to think about allocating next year's budget by then anyway.)
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Like many B5 fans, I feel the hype, both good and bad, regarding Crusade's appearance is the most unbearable aspect of this whole situation. Can anyone think of ANYTHING in TV or movies, except maybe SW ep1, where this much conjecture and controversy has swirled for A YEAR before the project sees the light of day? Can you imagine this much hoopla if Crusade had started airing in Nov-Dec? NBA or no, brickbats to TNT for making us wait this long. PUT THE DAMN THING ON THE AIR! Let us decide with our pocketbooks if that's what it takes!
RE: Evan Chen's music--different does not equal bad. I thought the music in Call to Arms was delightfully edgy and suited the tone of the movie perfectly. Give that a chance, too! -
Thank you Yojimbo, for reminding me what the alternatives to Crusade are... I now remember why it's so important for Crusade to succeed...
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I'm getting really sick of this save the show/kill the show stuff. Why don't we all just watch the show and see how good or bad it is. If you absolutly hate it, then don't watch it. If you like it then drop a note to TNT and the Sci-Fi Channel letting them know you watched it liked it and would like to see more. But they're are some people who are going way to far, I myself hate ST:Voyager, but I haven't ever wasted time trying to get Paramount to cancel it, and would never do so. I'm not going to like shows that other people like and other people aren't going to like what I like. We could at least have enough respect (or at least disinterest) of our fellow humans to let them enjoy a couple hours of entertainment in peace.
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I just wanted to point out the comments here show something I myself am feeling: fatigue.
After all the years many of us have fought for B5 to stay on the air, after finally finding what seemed to be a good home only to have it summarily yanked away, I think many of us are tired. If it's gone, then let's just let it go. I'd rather see Crusade go to video directly than f*** around with TNT anymore.
I do have a great deal of anger at TNT for their handling of this. We are a devoted and dedicated fan base, and they have not even had the courtesy to address this issue openly. How many of us have been to the TNT B5 site and seen the "Special Annoucement" about Crusade as if nothing were happening after reading the latest here? I think any show or network is fortunate to have such devoted fans, and I for one am starting to feel that TNT assumes they're entitled to that devotion with not even so much as an tip of the hat to us.
I'll watch Crusade on TNT to boost the numbers and hope that SFC sees the numbers and budgets for Crusade, I think that's the last, best hope for this. If Crusade can only happen on TNT, then I don't know that I'll watch it.
In the end, though, I think many are feeling used, abused, and taken for granted and understandibly angry over all this. I fault TNT myself, but I've heard others vent at JMS among others.
With all due respect, faith may manage, but I think Nikos Kazantzakis said it better:
I do not hope for anything.
I do not fear anything.
I am free. -
Correct me if I'm wrong but does it really matter if we watch Crusade? TNT will judge it on ratings, that means Nielsons(sp) ratings. I'm not Nielson family so I could have a hundred people over to my house and it wouldn't matter. I am going to watch all the episodes because I like what JMS makes, but I don't have any faith that it will make a difference.
Another question, is there any chance that JMS will come back to Crusade? Let's say that Crusade gets great numbers and TNT wants another 26 episodes, who's going to make them? Last I heard JMS had a number of projects from the networks to consider. If he's working on a Western/Comedy for CBS and they agree to it, how could he do more Crusade episodes?
Nope, turn off the light, lock the door behind you, this baby is dead. -
um Im sorry...100% of the CRUSADE audience already KNOWS this show got cancelled and Audiences aint stupid. They know they dont like watching a cancelled show. A cancelled show has no hope of being renewed because it WAS CANCELLED..GET IT?? CRUSADE IS DEAD (on TNT at least) TNT screwed themselves by pulling the plug on CRUSADE and then demanding numbers, NUMBERS NUMBERS!!!....its a lost cause. A cancelled show is a cancelled show, and even if people watch Crusade, TNT wont get the numbers they want, WHY? BECAUSE THE NELSON RATING SYSTEM IS OLD AND OBSOLETE!!!!!
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and the fucking shit is not over yet. I have known about this shown for 2 yrs now, and have waited for it to come on air. The first disappointment came when the show was bumped to '99 instead of 98 because of tieing up Babylon 5. Next the 6 month push back in '99 till June. Now 2 months into the last quarter and the plug is pulled on the TV. We as fans have endured but this society does to Babylon as it does to every thing in society: makes good into bad, and bad into good. Once can we see the good guys win. As a person said earlier the moment has come to only feel fatigue, I love the show but the human soul can only take so much. Maybe if jms can stick the star trek trade mark or the Gene Roddenbury tm onto the opening credits (of course for a nominal fee to Paramount), then every Trekkie and network exec will jump for joy because there are automatic ratings. I would rather see this show in the grave before I see it sell out. Here's to hoping the show gains speed and emerges on top of this bitch.
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What if someone like Coke or Ford sponsored the show,( like Domino pizza sponsor the Simpsons here in Britain) whould Tnt change their mind.What am i getting at you may ask.Maybe were sending letters to the wrong people.What about a combined effort pestering some Mega rich company to sponsor the show or raise the profile get some powerful people behind a campaign . like harry he must have some pull.
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Here's what I sent out with my latest SFTV mailing based on questions I've asked of Joe and looking at the whole USA/SFC situation:
However, the show could still continue with a second season. Warner Bros. has asked Babylonian to put the sets in storage and there is a strong likelyhood that the Sci-Fi Channel may pick up the show for next year. According to Straczynski, SFC & USA Networks were very interested in
picking up the show, but just didn't have the funds to do it now. They are in a position to pick it up for a second season before the options expire on the actor's contracts in June/July, which would be funded from next year's budget. It is highly unlikely that TNT will
change their minds so if you'd like to see Crusade continue beyond the initial 13 episodes, let the Sci-Fi Channel know about it.
The best way to do this would be via a letter to the higher ups at the Sci-Fi Channel and USA Network. Bonnie Hammer, the Senior VP of Programming has been the person listed previously. What we need to do is let the people who control the budgets know. That would be Stephen Chao,
President of Television and Marketing for USA Networks. Copying the head honcho at USA, Barry Diller, would be good, too. Send letters to any or
all of those listed at
USA Networks
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1513.
I would also like to emphasize that this is a serious possibility and not just fannish hope.
www.goodnet.com/~leew/sftv.html
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Just let me say I am sick to death
of the childish naysaying and pettyness of a great number of posters on this site. Your bitchy attitude to B5 has been bad enough (despite many of you claiming to be dedicated fans) but this constant dumping on Crusade-when it hasn't even premiered-is the last f***king straw.
Ever wonder why SF fans are percieved as pedantic nerds?
Because of people like you. -
B5 fans!Cancel your social life and give those f...ers the ratings they'd never seen before when those 13 episodes get screened.When I lived in the U.K. there were as much local scares about Channel 4 dropping every next B5 season as there were about the cancellation overseas.Season 4 ran at sometime past 11:00 p.m. I think,yet I never missed an episode - and it was worth the effort.
Pity I can't do anything about those ratings now ( I live in Russia) but your efforts might just do the miracle of saving the show.And I do promise to buy any pirate Crusade videos I'd come by, heh-heh.... -
I'm so fucking sick and fucking tired of RATINGS. This isn't about TNT or SCF hanging or saving the show like Crusade, this is about the whole freaking t.v. rating system that has been rotting every mind on the planet. Ratings are not just only keeping bad shows away (like the Secret Diary of Desmond Pfiffer or others), but it's keeping good-quality shows away because there aren't enough audiences (or ratings) to sustain it. So fuck the rating systems and settle for the Internet that would decide the shows' fate. Here's the concept: you scan the Net, you pick out a show to check out (with previews!), if you like, you fork over $14.95 for a year to watch the show on by-episode basis. Of course, there is an option of renewal or cancellation. Fans will pay bucks to see their favorite shows but at the same time, fans would have to promote the shows aggressively on the Net (less the production company would concentrate on their shows). The Internet will KILL the Nielsen Rating System for good. With improved bandwidth transmission in time, we would have something to watch on the Net than on the tube in few years. This is my free idea to you guys, make the best of it in few years!
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I can't help but to feel a sense of helplessness when it comes to Crusade. All the gatherings and groups showings and screaming about the show from rooftops don't do any good unless a Nielsen family hears it - as another poster pointed out. This brings up an interesting dilemma. Right now, I suspect all those DBS systems (DSS, Dishnetwork, Primestar) probably have the hardware to report your viewing habits if their software is updated. Privacy advocates, however, would be up in arms if any of those companies announced plans to collect ratings info. But think about it... Think about the tradeoff.. The number 3 system (by subscriber count) Dishnetwork has over 2 million subscribers. That's already FAR more than the number of Nielsen families and you're much more likely to know someone with a satellite dish than a N* box. Heck, you could buy one yourself if you didn't already have one and become one of the COUNTED masses...
But this won't happen - at least not for a long time.. You'd give up some privacy but you could never complain that good shows get cancelled even though they have an audience... -
Twice in one day, the ugly face of the "if you don't like it, don't watch it" parade has come to soil these Talkbacks... Paul t., I think you have some identity issues to deal with guy, because the level of critisism on this particular talkback has been tame, and embarissingly in FAVOR of Crusade. The facts are that JMS hasn't produced a decent hour of television in two years (with the possible exception of The Fall of Centauri Prime) and that Crusade has failed to sway two networks. The fact is that most sci-fi geeks are only considered pedantic for there computer skills, but they are considered nerds for there unreasoning devotion to their particular TV or Movie obssession (Whether that be B5 X-files, or Star Wars). The fact is that SOME of us will NOT be happy to simply see B5 back on the TV, REGARDLESS of quality, SOME of us would GLADLY have not one more minute filmed if it cannot be of the same high standard of writing and story that the first 4 seasons blessed us with. I mean didn't JMS claim to be making B5, as an ANSWER to Star Trek, and not to build a franchise just as crass and soulless as Trek?
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...but you can't really blame him since he obviously has no idea what he is talking about. He seems to not understand the situation that this show is in. He doesn't realize that all of the "f-ups involved" were hard at work trying to make a great show for us to all see this summer, but had the rug pulled out from under them by TNT. I personally think that Yojimbo is an f-up and probably f-retarded. Plus he likes Voyager and 7 Days. Yojimbo can keep those shit piles. I'll take the thirteen episodes of Crusade, and reruns of Quantum Leap any day.
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I think you're wrong about the audiance knowing Crusade is cancelled, mckracken. Most people don't get there television news from obscure (no offence to Harry) SciFi web sites, and this news hasn't hit the cover of TV Guide yet (and probably won't). Hey, the cancellation might even help it. One major TV news outlet does a story of a "TNT has cancelled the most promising show on TV before showing a single episode" variety, it might draw more people in to see Crusade. But that's also unlikely. In the end it will probebly be the advertising that will determine the numbers, because that seem to be the way the Neilsons work. Lotta hype, larger audiance. That's pretty much what it boils down to. TNT has a vested interest (their $) in those 13 episodes doing well, and I expect to see about as much advertising as I did for A Call To Arms (which was all over our local stations here in the SF Bay).
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A lot of people here are saying that they're tired of fighting. Why watch Crusade if it's canceled?
I have answers for both points: I think all of B5's fans are tired of fighting a system that supports the inane and the near-sighted capitalist desires of their powers -that-be. Like most fans I've written letters every season to my local networks, WB, later TNT, on and on. As far as I'm concerned it was worth it, all the time and trouble.
And it's STILL worth it. We're tired? How tired must JMS be? And members of the cast and crew? We've got easy, and we shouldn't betray JMS's vision by backing away now. I fight because I *loved* Babylon 5, because it practically changed my life and brightened my adolescence. To me B5 was more than a TV show, it was art. Art that highlighted things no one else would talk about, told stories that drove my mind to new places, and did things no mere TV series has *ever* done.
That's why we should fight to keep Crusade alive. That's why we should watch it when it comes, that's why we should call our friends and families and make them watch. That's why we should do all that we can to give the bastards at TNT they're solid numbers. Crusade WILL be good, because I honestly belive JMS would never betray the fans.
Me? I want to see Crusade whether or not it's canceled. And I'll watch and I'll write the capitalist bastards, and I'll encourage other people to watch. You name it, I'll do it.
Because no matter how tired and fatigued I get, I believe that Crusade will be worth that effort, just like B5 was.
You know what they say: nothing good in life ever comes easy. So be it. :)
Lynx -
The following is a transcribed acount of JMS's remarks at Mega Con. To see a major spoiler of one of the Crusade eps shown go to isnnews.net . Kat's report, shown below, is there too. Thanks again to my good friend kat for doing me a huge favor that I will have to pay back at Dragon Con.
JMS' Fairy Tale
Q: "I'd like to know how many episodes are sold and what plans you have..."
JMS: "For?"
Q: "Crusade."
JMS: "Thank you. It's a very long story. There's stuff I can say, and there's stuff that I can't say. So, I'll tell you what I can say and lie about what I can't say.
"We shot 13 episodes. And TNT will be airing those on June 9 at 10:00, starting then and going straight through, more or less. And we had... they had said they weren't going to do more beyond that, beyond the 13. We tried at that point to take it to the SciFi Channel, but it was so late in the game.... It takes a lot of money to be able support an entire season of a show. The SciFi Channel had already allocated their funds for the year, so they couldn't pick it up. If the show does well, the first 13, then it will be considered for a season, beginning with the second season, on the SciFi Channel. If the show does well, it will go on.
"As for more what happened... let me tell you a fairy tale. And every fairy tale begins with Once Apon A Time...
"...There was writer of songs in a kingdom. And he wasn't the best writer of songs on the entire planet. There were others who were as good or better. And he had written 110 really good songs... and four or five long odes. And they said, 'Do some more songs for us.' And he said, 'Sure.' And he began writing more songs. And those were for this little kingdom which was great. As were the ministers, who had always before worked with him.
"Then the King heard about the new songs that were being commissioned. Not the Emperor. Not the Emperor Theodore and his wife Lady Jane. I ain't talking about them. I'm talking about the lower king of a particular land, all right. I don't want the Emperor getting pissed at me. And he (the King) said, 'Well, I should be involved creatively.'
"And thus there came... runners would come with scrolls, which the singer/songwriter would look at and burn.
"Now this is just a fairy tale. Okay? This is nothing but a fairy tale. This is not about Crusade. Okay? I'm just telling you a story here.
"And the King became wroth. He waxed Wroth, and Wroth wasn't very happy about it. Old joke, I'm sorry.
"So they called for a grand meeting at which, along one long table were ministers, and emissaries, and ambassadors, and functionaries and assistants, and programming - uh,... a whole lot of guys. Now on the other side of the table was the writer of songs. And they had plenty of these huge scrolls in front of them. And they began to open the first one.
"And the writer of songs said, 'no.'
"And they brought someone in with a book to explain to them what the word 'no' meant, because they had never heard it before. And they said, 'no to what?'
"I said... The writer of songs said, in this imaginary story, 'no to all of it. No to all of it in all its parts and pieces, from page 1 to page 20. No to all of it.' The writer of songs felt that what they wanted was, in modern terms, for a moment, sort of Baywatch meets wrestling in space. Which was not applicable, exactly, to our fairy tale scenario. (aside: If I every work again, it'll be a miracle)
"It became clear that if the King's emissaries were not properly responded to, that they may say, 'you can only write 13 songs.' And the writer of songs said, 'better 13 songs that I can believe in than 22 that I do not.
"So there were 13 songs, and the writer of songs has moved to a different kingdom knowing that the 13 songs were songs that he wanted to hear. And in the 13th song there was a sub-thread in the song about people who come in with suggestions, which is rather similar to the King's situation. Astonishingly, the King saw the 13th song and didn't realize what it was.
"And the writer of songs moved to another kingdom and lived happily ever after.
"And this has nothing to do with Crusade or your question, but I thought I'd tell you that story because it amuses me."
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Decadentdave: You recommended going back to the Lurker's Guide and claim Crusade (and most of S5) was a sellout at the last minute..
Aren't you aware of the comments made even before B5 was ever shown that there was always a side story that might happen? JMS has said this from Day One.
I'll agree that S5 'felt different' but I chalked that up to the fact that JMS had to shuffle around the storylines in S4.. S5 didn't have as much of the feel of an intricately woven tapestry as the previous seasons did - but I stil liked it. -
Mar 18, 1999 7:13:40 AM CST
crusade and people who moan about being tired of trying to save
by gideon
Reading the mail and listining to people crying about being tired of trying to save the show really annoys me! All they have to do is watch the show on their fat arses! Is that hard?
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Even hearing about all this gets me all tense and frustrated! RAH! It's fairly reasonable to assume (yes, i know 'assuming' isn't a good thing to do, but i did say "fairly reasonable for a reason) that most, if not all, of the people who watched B5 will at least START watching Crusade. We love JMS. Yeah, some of those viewers may drop-off, but in the same vein - some new viewers may sign-on. If 'The Network' wants to complain about any sort of number B5 was or wasn't getting, they should look real hard at the scheduling of the show. Pre-empting anything in mid-season is a proven show killer. No sports event means that much to *me*. Lordy! The president's recent preDiCiment didn't either. That's what ESPN and all those other sports channels are for, so don't even whine about that. Not to mention televised sporting events have seen nothing but dropping ratings as the years pass - consistantly. I'm getting a little off topic, I suppose. I just wanted to say that I think it's just a bunch of b.s. that they're rolling down hill. I praised Almighty Ted just as loud as the next guy while he gave us the final year - despite my inner reaction to the small changes in the storyline and cast. But when it came time for Crusade to start gearing up, I just knew they were gunna kill it. After all the hassles on B5, the closer they came to the end, it seemed there was more than one thing coming to a head. Regular readers of CoaX know about all the conflict on the set on Crusade, at least what has been reported - surely there's more that goes unreported. My feeling (which would be denied, have no doubt) is they just want to kill a show that viewers DO want. Killing it slowly... like slipping a bit of poison in the victim's food every few days. No, letters won't help. It could only prolong the suffering. I really wish they hadn't done this. I'm ashamed of Ted & Jane (or their "people")and the way this had been handled. The words 'inept' and 'childish' come to mind. We're back to Square One. ANYHOW! Tha's how I feel. I would love to see that first season, to judge for myself. But I'm just a FaiThfuL VieWer, who am I to make a judgement call?!?!
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Ok TNT cancelled "Crusade" (and yes I still firmly believe it wont be back (***on TNT***) but I'm still holding out hope that SCI/FI channel renews it for its 2nd season (or would that be its second half of its first season?) what we need to do is find all these people with "N" boxes and force THEM into watching the 13 shows. I am NOT a nelson veiwer :OP .Its nice to here that TNT will be reairing all five B5 movies durring "Crusade", I'll be taping Thirdspace (my fav) and retaping some of the other movies along with Crusade!!!! I'm sorry if I made it sound like I have already given up on the show,or that I wont support the show, NOT TRUE. I will be diligantly taping as many of the 13 episodes that TNT airs. Hey Jamison I'm in the bay area also!!(SAN JOSE) :O)"Crusade" night STARTS June 9th!!!! JUNE 9th!!! JUNE 9TH!!!!
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mckracken, you just made me thought of something. Earlier I wrote it was unlikely Crusade would get much attention in the press. Crusade starts 3 weeks (to the day) after STAR WARS: EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (sorry for the shouting) premieres, by then the press will have used up all the "well it was a pretty damn big croud" stories, but they'll still be looking for other stories to tie into it and naturally any other sci-fi would work (don't give me that look, you know it's true, we're talking about the same media outlets that did stories about War of the Worlds when the Mars rock was found) All they'll notice is that Crusade also has a spaceship nad that makes it like Star Wars. My opinion is Crusade posible renual will only happen if a) It's good, b) It gets good ratings (eg Neilsens) c) SciFi Channel get enough letters. And It will have to be all three: good show, good ratings, big fan base. Right now the only thing we can do is work on the fan base, so as Crusade gets closer tell you're friends. (hey mckracken, I'm here in San Jose too, Blossom Valley)
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Getting back to Glen's original message on this, I think he's 100% right.
Crusade's survival depends and always depended on its ability to appeal to viewers. It's up to Crusade to draw in viewers. And the responsibility for this has always been in the hands of the producers and writers of the show.
It saddens me that so many fans feel that they somehow have some job to do to personally save the show or get other people to watch that show.
Newsflash: it's not your responsibility.
First, it was Babylonian Production's responsibilty to produce a good show that a viewer will watch and then decide to watch again.
It was their responsibility to craft a show that would appeal to at least 1.5% of TV households.(that's a decent rating for a regular cable series) And to appeal to an advertiser-friendly range of demographics.
Some of you seem to think that this goal is hopeless because "quality" shows can't do this. Bull. Plenty of quality shows deliver strong ratings. "The Practice" receive the highest votes in a poll of TV critics. It also gets good ratings.
"The Sopranos" is a current critical darling. It gets good ratings for cable.
I think the reason that many fans are afraid is that they have a voice inside them telling them that B5 wasn't the "high quality" show they believe it is. It was a good show with a soap-like ability to addict us because it had a decent "what happens next" continuing story.
If they are like me, they've had multiple instances where they've recommended B5 to friends and have those friends(who are no less intelligent or cultured than me) shrug after watching it.
TNT is in a "no lose" situation. If the show gets the low ratings they expect (and they have strong reason for these expectations), they have saved money. If they are wrong, they DO have time to read the strong ratings and re-new before the actors contracts expire.
I wish fans would stop feeling responsible for all this. It was JMS's responsibility. IMO, if David E. Kelley can produce shows that have quality AND get high ratings, then JMS should be able to if he's as talented as people make him out to be.
The question, is...did he?
Having seen an episode, I don't think he has. But, I'll wait for the ratings to come in to see if I'm right. -
Folks: let's watch Crusade and see how it is. I'm a dyed in the wool B5 fan/seen every episode n-teen times. I loved this series as I've loved few others. There's even a soft spot for various episodes in much-maligned S5. There have been a lot of (let's face it: the word is 'crappy') Sci-Fi shows premiering on various channels. I'd love to see something good for a change. At the moment I'm holding out for 'Farscape' and holding out shreds of hope for 'Crusade'. If it's good it'll be like 'In the Beginning' was on TNT: the audience just builds as it goes along. If it's crap, well, we can all remember how great B5 was.
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Babylon 5 may have been the greatest sci-fi TV series of all time. I mean that sincerely, as I am a huge fan of the show and watched it religiously since its conception. But those days are over. Gone. Finished. It seems to me that there is always a desire to continue the story after we see the end. People want to see the sequals, the spinoffs, and millions of copmuter AI written novels that take up where the show left off. Why?? I know people in general can't seem to give up exploring and thirsting for knowledge, but one of the great things about any good story is the finality of it. B5 was an extraordinary TV show, a work of pure genius. So if you want to know every little thing that happens after the end of the series, use your goddamned imagination! Don't whine about getting more and more! And this goes for te creators too, when the story is over, STOP. Dont try to milk sequals. Don't dredge up support for a new series. I HATE the way Star Trek became nothing more than a marketable franchise led by Jeri Ryan's breasts. Just let the show rest in peace, for God's sake.
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