Cool News
Like It Or Not, Here Comes The Next Wave Of Sci Fi Channel Shows!!
Merrick here...
In recent days, the Sci Fi Channel has hurled forth several missives detailing upcoming projects and programming.
By now, you've already heard about CAPRICA, a spin-off of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
Also in the pipeline, we have the oh-so-hot Rosario Dawson, a bigtime genre/comic fan, who will bring us TRUE BELIEVER. It's described as "a quirky, contemporary dramedy about a 20-something comic book nerd who hires a washed-up real-life Superhero to be his crime-fighting sidekick and teach him the ropes. Together, this unlikely duo set out to save the World."
Dawson also appears in the forthcoming web series GEMINI DIVISION, which Wiki says is about a "NYC detective investigating the murder of her husband who somehow uncovers a global conspiracy involving the creation of simulated live forms that have assimilated with the unsuspecting public". Sounds pretty cool to me. A touch of BODY SNATCHERS, a touch of BLADE RUNNER.
There's also THE STRANDED, from SFC and Virgin comics. "Five seemingly everyday people must face the terrifying question: what if your entire life – your childhood, your family, your memories – was a lie? For the stranded, Sisera, Endo, Drum, Tamree, and Cullen, it’s true. Each of them is from another world called Standfire, and now their past is returning to try and kill them." says the press release.
Frankly, I didn't pay much attention at all to ROSWELL...but would this somewhat similar?
DEPUTIZED, in which an "average Joe suddenly finds himself possessing special abilities after being accidentally fitted with an alien exoskeleton that cannot be removed. As a result, he is enlisted to serve on the inter-galactic police force that patrols the universe."
This one's written by Joe Gazzam. The name wasn't familiar, so I looked him up on IMDB. His sole credit is having a wife named Laurie.
ALICE. The creative team behind TIN MAN (the most watched show in Sci Fi Channels' history) has reformed to bring us "a modern day re-telling of the classic ALICE IN WONDERLAND". This will be a six hour miniseries, presumably airing towards Thanksgiving/Christmas (when Sci Fi traditionally discharges its maxi-projects).
And, of course, there's a significant slate of "reality" programming...including more episodes of the compelling MIND CONTROL WITH DERREN BROWN, the CANDID CAMERA-esque prank show SCARE TACTICS (gags on unsuspecting victims often feature an intense angle, or genre slant...rarely is any of it convincing), and the return of GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL (having had experiences I couldn't explain as being anything other than paranormal, I'm deeply fascinated by the subject and love the GHOST HUNTERS shows).
More on any/all of these projects as more comes in...
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Mar 19, 2008 9:29:24 AM CDT
Deputized is just Green Lantern with new window dressing.
by johnny smith
That is all.
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I said it in the BSG talkback too, but it bears repeating... if Sci-Fi lets those Flash Gordon fucks anywhere near Alice in Wonderland I will forever boycott their second tier shitty channel. That being said (and me being bi-polar) GEMINI DIVISION sounds pretty cool.
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I never understood why aren't there more Green Lantern ripoffs. And with a title like this it will push the whole "intergalactic cop" idea even further.
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Mar 19, 2008 9:41:32 AM CDT
Fuck...The TIN MAN crew get to screw up Alice In Wonderland now?
by spyguy
Yes, because TIN MAN was such a brilliant masterpiece. Is Alice going to be called "A.L." or "Al" for short?
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The Sci-Fi channel can kiss my grits (cue laughtrack)
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So I can find out what bodily discharge, food, and/or made-up adjective that they are all. Hurry up, Harry! We need to know if these shows are bazooka-berries or not.
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Did I turn into a super-hero?
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but The Guyver as well.
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-"Hey, it seems that 'they' like that show HEROES."
-"Yes, the numbers are quite convincing..."
-"I want HEROES on Sci-Fi in the Fall."
-"Sir, NBC runs HEROES, they won't even let us near it."
-"But we were gonna do that 'Battlestar Galactica' thing, you know, they get to run our show for a few episodes until they either ruined it or it got cancelled..."
-"Yes sir, but I think that NBC thinks that's what we would do with HEROES..."
-"Dammit! I want some FRACKING SUPERHEROES on Sci-Fi!!!"
-"Gotcha Sir, I'll start talking to the writers who aren't on strike. See what they can come up with...."
-"Good idea...HEROES!!!!"
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Martin Nodell is turning over in his grave as we speak. Shameful.
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skittlydoo holmes or whatever i never saw it but i know it sucks
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Not that fired up. Kinda miss Sg1, and Farscape. I also old school SCi-Fi shows they used to put on. Speaking of which, what was the Christopher George 1970ish show about the guy who had perfect blood? Shows like that should be on every now and then.
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should be beaten with a running chainsaw.
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I have an idea for SciFi. There's this MAN and he JOURNEYS through time...
Oh, wait. That might actually build up a fanbase. Sorry, never mind. -
people found it so impossibly bad, stunned disbelief kept them watching longer... like driving by a horrible accident on the freeway, slowing down to watch.Also, SciFrak aired it endlessly, boosting the net total count. If they counted how many people actually watched the whole thing, it would be a different story.Now they can take a story that has already been told, change the sets and costumes, and claim how creative they are--when they are really just a buncha cheap-ass bastards
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Poky Little Puppy with face eating aliens? Yes.
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I'd like to think Sci-Fi would take more chances--like the most quality, risk-taking network currently on the tube: FX--but they seem to know their core audience and are resigned to making middle-of-the-road, familiar sci-fi fare for the 18-34 males that feed their execs.
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was better when it was called Odyssey 5.
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The whole "poky little puppy/horror/scifi" genre is definitely untapped gold. Double bill him with Corduroy-Nightstalker and you have something fresher than SciFi channel could ever come up with.
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Coming back or not? I like that show. And I don't feel that I need to explain myself.
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I've always felt that the Sci-fi Channel is tremendous missed opportunity. Why fill the channel with crappy, low rent shows when there's plenty of good sci-fi they could be airing?
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Fuck this stupid shit, BRING BACK DRESDEN!!!!!
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Youtube his name and you can see a lot of cool stuff he's done. The segment he did with Simon Pegg is great.
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This sounds like Green Lantern meets Guyver. I always enjoyed Guyver.
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.... "Well, sir. I don't like it."
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It is amazing how people will watch a show where absolutely nothing really happens, and will ever happen. Why not point a camera at the sky and call it UFO Hunters. Point it at the Loch Ness and call it Nessie Hunters. Feel free to believe what you want, but if you understand the realities of television production on a schedule and budget, you know this is as contrived as it gets.
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My first thought too. Why not just give the latter a second series?
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Mar 19, 2008 11:44:51 AM CDT
after being accidentally fitted with an alien exoskeleton =
by palewook
guyver.
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This is the same company that has shitty wrestling on a SCIENCE FICTION channel. I guess at least they got the fiction part right. Of course it will be renewed until the apocalypse and then a few years beyond I'm sure.
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Yeah, "Deputized" could be good, but it is very much a riff on an age-old concept that includes "Nova" and "Green Lantern" and the "Lensman" books. Everybody seems to mention the Green Lantern stuff, but the Lensmen novels came first- 1934 was the first one if I remember correctly.
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The Rosario Dawson superhero thing could be interesting as well. Alice though..I dunno.. I can't help but wonder what other classic kid's stories they're going to turn into reimaginings next and ruin. -
Great game by the way, and I couldn't help but think while playing it would make for a pretty cool series. Random thought. -
That Alice show should be pretty sweet too. Tin Man was fun
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Most of this crap sounds "half baked" at best. Although I'd probably watch an hour loop of Rosario Dawson brushing her teeth.
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Svankmajer's original is my favorite reimagining of this story. Great freakout of a film. SciFi will never do anything as balls-out as that and would probably be prosecuted for trying.
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It's so far above anything else they ever come up with both creatively and production-wise. I just don't get how they could produce such an amazing show, and everything else they make is complete shit.
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I mean, most of the time, it seems like the people running things have no idea what they're doing, or what good sci-fi is.But, they have given us Stargate, Farscape, Dresden Files and Battlestar Galactica, so they must have some inkling of what they're doing.Why do they spend so little money on hundreds of "movies" aq year, instead of spending alot of money on a feer amount of movies.Another thing that always bothered me was the lack of creativity.I mean, they're not doing drama or comedy.It's sci-fi and fantasy.There are no rules or guidelines to follow.You don't have to stick to reality.Any idea is possible.Why aren't they reaching out to more sci-fi/fantasy authors or comic book writers?This network is the ideal place to air those really cool niche shows that never make it on network, but they refuse to capitilize on it.
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That show would be much more interesting if they'd just make it a mythology show. As in, here's all the fun stories and legends about this haunted place. As it is, it's a show about a couple of groups of incompetents wandering around in the dark wondering if one of their camera light reflections is a ghost or if the noises from their partners echoing through the pipes is a mystical voice calling out to them. At best, it makes them qualified to be one of the Sci Fi channel programmers...god I loathe how that channel has turned out after such a good starting premise...
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I think you're right: Lensman came first. Forgot about that. Nevertheless, it proves once again the unoriginal nature prevalent in hollywood. And yes, I didn't capitalize it on purpose. It doesn't deserve such respect.
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I've seen the show a handful of times and each time all they found were strange noises and lens flares. They should call it GhostPlumbers. Ug. They canceled Farscape and SG1 for this crap?? I would like to see more SCI-FI on the Sci-Fi channel. Don't become the next MTV. You already started with ECW.....
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I think the Lensman stuff is great sci-fi and since Ron Howard and Stracyzinski are in on the movie adaptation as of this year and Ron Howard has said that he is fully committed to getting a Lensman movie (could be his chance at a franchise) I think it would be awesome.
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These shows sound interesting at least (except for Alice). But if any of them actually turn out to be good Sci-Fi will probably ax them. Bring back Farscape, G vs E, and Invisible Man!
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... How about "Shit Sandwich Vs. Giant Douche"... you know, "truth in advertising.
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...well...uh... they've done that now, dude.
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Shoot me now. Good god, Smith deserves better than that. That's another part of my childhood SF loves screwed then.
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That's the best name they can come up with for an alien planet. Sheeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiit.
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You forgot to mention the worst part about UFO Hunters - it's on the History Channel. :(
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They really wanted to call the planet "Standbymefire" but Stephen King threatened them with a lawsuit.
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...as much as I loved that show, I think too much time has passed, and those actors have gone on. I fear it'd be too much like The Brady Bunch Comedy Variety Show.
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... obviously, the writers of Deputized could not rip of Green Lantern.But they COULD rip off a far less-known DC Comics galactic peacekeeping force.Come on, doesn't ANYONE remember The Darkstars?John Stewart became their leader after a Paralax-infected Hal (hey, Joe Q, THAT'S how you do a retcon, BTW) destroys the Main Battery on Oa. Donna Troy was one as well.They had suits from the Controllers, like brothers or cousins of the Guardians, which had a protective force field that gave them flight and protected them in space, and the suits had MASAR-beam weapons (like a LASAR, but instead of focused light, focused microwaves).Okay, I know I just outed myself as a huge dork, but I just wanted to set y'all straight.This show is obviously a rip-off of the Darkstars, not the GLC.
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Did any of the last batch of SciFi-produced shows survive? Painkiller Jane? Eureka (actually not a bad show, but didn't ever pull me in enough to watch regularly)? The one about the wizard guy (can't recall the name, it wasn't horrible but definitely wasn't good)? Will we be subjected to more Flash Gordon once all these new shows start? Shows like Farscape and Taken showed what SciFi could do when it actually tries something ambitious, but now their approach just seems to be to keep throwing crap at the wall and hope that something sticks. Of course even if they managed to luck into a good series, just the fact that it's on the SciFi Channel means that it probably won't get good ratings (guilt by association with the typical junk they show) and they'll just cancel it anyway. What a sad case of unfulfilled potential that network has become...
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wtf kinda joke is that show? every episode is the same. AND THEY NEVER FIND SQUAT. they spend the nite outside with night vision cameras every fuckin show and ahhh! they heard something!! every stinking episode. ive only watched 2 episodes btw BUT I KNOW THEYRE ALL THE SAME.
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"Speaking of which, what was the Christopher George 1970ish show about the guy who had perfect blood?"
"The Immortal" (1970) (TV series) -
Mar 19, 2008 1:56:07 PM CDT
Nice... so glad they cancelled BSG and Farscape for these...
by judge briggs
Mother fucked idiot execs...
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That was the wizard show. It at least seemed like it could have developed into something pretty good. It might have become a nice mix of Buffy, The Night Stalker and Harry Potter. Haven't heard anything about it returning so I assume it's history. It could have gone somewhere with a bit more effort from its creators. It at least had some actual potential, unlike most of what makes the SciFi airwaves...
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What does a reality show about lumberjacks have to do with history? They do get sort of props in my book though for their x-men knockoff logo though. Not enough to make me watch a show about lumberjacks, unless it's that monty python sketch. -
I only really watch the Ghost Hunters shows on this channel aside from BSG. Flash Gordon I watched, but it got worse and worse.
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Dresden wasn't bad but compared to the books, it wasn't worth the time to flip past it. The books pretty much focus on the fantastic universe right on the other side, the wars that take place. Epic fantasy shit. The Sci-fi channel neither has the vision nor the budget to do justice to anything they have attempted, save Galactica, and I'm not sure how that one sneaked past them.
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The best show, and it's only on once a year.
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I loved that show, and it's pretty much the same concept as STRANDED.
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Kris Williams is hot, but she is scared of everything. She was scared to stay in a room for more than five minutes.
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Back in the days of the old magazine AMAZING HEROES there was a novella that ran in a couple of issues about a comic book geek who traded his comics for an invisible super web that was integrated into his nervous system and allowed him to fly, repel bullets, etc... wonderfully naive and lots of fun.
Could be DEPUTIZED. -
I came to the books late. Once I read the first however, I was hooked. I was dismayed when they first aired the series that they did not develop the Dresden Character more like the books. The books were atmospheric but grounded in a fully fleshed universe with as much potential as Buffy, Angel or for that matter, Charmed. Granted that Paul Blackthorne (is that not a GREAT actors name or what) didn't embody the Dresden of the books he did give me a sense that if Dresden did live in my world this was what he would be like.
I LOVED it. What happened that the SUITS made a decision to pull the show before it got its footing we'll probably never know. Jim Butcher doesn't even talk about it on his web site.
I do know that Dresden had the potential to be a great show. But just like BSG and FARSCAPE the execs at SFC are slaves to the NBC corporate scum who don't have the imagination or vision to allow a great Sci-Fi or Fantasy show to grow. HEROES being the one great exception but after the abortion of season 2's launch I'm willing to bet that they had their hand in fucking that show up as well. All the major networks don't want shows that make you think or feel. They just want you numb enough to watch commercials and buy the crap they are selling. They are not in the business of entertainment, they are in the business of selling stuff and making money.
NEVER FORGET THAT.
ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD -
That show rocked.
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Fucking rehashes of tired old ideas. Ideas that were better when originally done.
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The Celebrated Alien Bail Jumping Frog Chased by That Chick From Farscape Into Or Out Of Or Underneath Or In The Air Over Or In A Parallel Dimension Adjacent To Or Wormhole Connected To Whatever Fucking County Area 51 Is In. (Not to be confused with that other alien chase movie starring That Other Chick From Farscape, which I believe was based on something by Dickens or maybe Hemingway.)
But seriously, I want me a big helping of Zelazny Amber. -
He the man.
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Cause man, that shows been on for 14 years, yet every episode is the same.
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If not, then no thanks.
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I thought they had that cast and everything and it was going to be the next X-Files. I guess Jane Espenson left and the whole thing sunk. These shows sound lame. The only Rosario Dawson comic adaptation I want to see is Occult Crimes Task Force. Eureka is definitely coming back next summer, but Dresden Files is looong gone, and Painkiller Jane is done, too. Don't know about Flash Gordon, but it did get better towards the end, once it found its purpose. But I don't see where a second season could go.
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Directed to the idiot who said it was.
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I just started reading the book and was shocked how different the show was. Like a very watered down version. Hell, the Harry Potter movies were more adult than Dresden. Guess you need a hot female lead or nobody will watch. The show could have been GREAT. Oh well. At least I have more books to read.
As far as Farscape, they could still do another miniseries or a few made for Sci-Fi movies. I'm pretty sure the cast is available..... -
Shot its wad and left us all hanging. Like they spent the money and didn't have the funds to do a decent ending. Besides, the idea just generally sucked.
Here's hoping Lewis Carroll's zombified corpse comes a-huntin' the producers before they can film a single frame.
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the current order is the last order scifi would place. and they told moore to wrap the series.
not sure which part of that you don't understand -
It is my understanding that Sci Fi never asked Moore to wrap the series. Moore and company decided on their own the fifth series would be the last. Can you point to an article that states otherwise.
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After BSG who's gonna watch this channel?
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These guys are pathetic conmen. The guy drops his flashlight and suddenly it's a ghost throwing it across the room. Why not hire actual skeptics like James Randi or Penn Jullete to get rid of the ghosts by showing the world they're NOT REAL.
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Scifi's track record is pretty uneven compared to some of the other big cable networks, but I gotta respect them for taking chances. Stuff like Battlestar, Farscape, and the Lost Room were the best things on television. Then there's projects like the remake of Flash gordon that was just crushingly disappointing. It seems like their projects either turn out amazing or disastrous. I guess what that means is I'll watch the first episode of all of these and then stick with half. Actually, that's a pretty good ratio for a network.
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Oh well, maybe next year. Until then, I guess I'll be watching less Scifi. Any chance The Razor flashbacks are what Caprica will be about? I'll watch that.
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...SciFi is where it belongs. Since it is FICTION.
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thats where execs say 'we dont want any more'. bsg, the execs said 'we want one more series' instead of the 2+ series showrunners wanted.
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Cheap as hell to make and some idiots watch it no matter what. Really, it can't cost much more than the case of beer for the guys pokin' around in the dark and yelling 'what was that?' now & then. Come to think of it, that's still more entertaining than According to Jim.
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i can't believe you just put BSG in the same category as stargate sg-1. i haven't seen the other shows you mentioned alongside those two, but BSG is incredible, and stargate is awful, awful bullshit. seriously, there's no fucking comparison. i'm convinced that stargate sg-1 was written mad libs-style. fucking generic, cliche crap, right down to the hard-to-pronounce, chock-full-of-apostrophes names of the alien races.
i don't know why, but i feel almost offended that you think BSG and stargate are even close to the same level of quality. -
They must not. I don't think they want a hit show because a hit show comes with ever-escalating costs of the talent in subsequent seasons and Sc-Fi just does not make the chedder a network hit makes and never will. They are not the NFL. I think they want lame shows. They need programming, but not really good programming. Or at least that's how it seems to me. I don't know who's running the show over there, but it seems like they're a little confused. On the one hand someone managed to produce a really quality show like BSG; on the other they have a proven money-making program with their little "monster of the week" cheap-o flicks they churn out for pennies on the dollar overseas with down-on-their-luck acting talent. I get the feeling that the execs at the sci-fi channel like the quick, dirty, easy and predictable business model far more than they do dealing with "artist types" who want to make good shows. I picture some fat guy with a cigar saying "We don't make art house crap. Gimmie a monster and a chick with some nice tits and a 10 days shooting schedule for under a mill! That's what we do here."
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Well here we are, at another crisis for the future of Sci-Fi. BSG is ending, Stargate Atlantis isn't even as good as Stargate SG-1 and probably doesn't have a lot of life left since Sci-Fi made shows rarely run more than five seasons (though the Stargate franchise seems to be beating the odds). Flash Gordon should be flushed, and Eureka, while nice, is really not the kind of sci-fi I want to see replicated. These are the moments when I most miss Farscape and regret not getting a real run of Firefly. I know, same old boring chestnuts, but shit, we don't have very much space opera! And no offense, but that's still the crown jewel of the Sci-Fi genre. Yeah there have some shit-tacular turkeys in that genre. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Andromeda to name a few. But seriously, Tin Man is their most watched show? REALLY? Taken or Children of Dune aren't still higher? Can we just agree this is because more people have cable now? Because Tin Man was not very good. It wasn't as bad as most of the "original movie" dreck that airs, but it wasn't strong. I'd put in on the same level as the Earthsea and Mists of Avalon mini series.
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yeah, i miss those days...
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Seasons 1-5 were awesome, great stuff. 6-8...ok. 9 on... yea, it got pretty lame. The only thing keeping the last couple of season watchable was Claudia Black's Vala. Otherwise, Ori? who gives a fuck...
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That and when they aired "Taken" and I guess when they aired that Firestarter sequel which was terrible but got my interest in the first place because of Malcolm McDowell, a great actor who obviously has gambling debts. Still, a couple of these premises might be pretty good, provided they have the attention to story and character that BSG has. They could always pick up Reaper is UPN drops it. Please.
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Dresden files wasn't made by the sci-fi channel, it was made by lionsgate.
There is a 3rd stargate series in development, no I am not lying.
question: what happened to the proposed farscape webisodes?
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Now THAT'S scary! And Kris is the only reason I watch anymore...
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http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=50610
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"American McGee's 'Alice', please! If not, then no thanks."
That's the first thing I thought of when I read the 'Alice' mention. That would make a wonderfully twisted series. What a disappointment!
What ever happened to the adaption of it that Wes Craven was supposed to be making into a thetrical release? -
Because it certainly isn't the quality of their programing that keeps getting them work at SciFi.the other shows at least have potential. Time will tell if they are actually good or not.
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but I started off thinking the Flash Gordon tv series was complete crap, but for some reason I kept on watching it, and some how I actually liked the final 5 episodes....
Now I don't know if the show actually got better, or if my brain just got used to "the suck" .... desensatized.... Did anyone else think the show got better? I'm not saying it got great, it was still far from awesome, but i think at the end it actually started to show potential.... -
last night they had a sketch that reminds me of sci-fi's programming. It was a guy who rips off popular shows and they used heroes as one. I think his show was called Super Powered People or something like that, and all the artwork looked like heroes.
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Books = great.
Show = not so much. -
stargate is an awesome series..so is BSG...i hope they do get that third series on the air...atlantis has been awesome....flash gordon made me wanna slash my wrists...but sci fi should just stick to series and not those horrible saturday nite movies they insist on making..low budget BS...someone said it best earlier....get a monster, a girl with big tits and u got a movie...as long as they stick to series i think they have a better shot of keeping my attention....dresden files was amazing and should have got a 2nd season..
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So, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, one of the most celebrated episodic dramas of our time is being replaced by the likes of a "dramedy" about a "comic book nerd" becoming a super-hero sidekick and another show about an "average Joe suddenly...possessing special abilities". Wonderful. I find it sad that the SciFi Channel didn't stand behind BSG and allow it, at least, a full fifth season. And yes, I fully believe that the suits at SciFi are the ones who orchestrated the rushed ending to this great series. The official announcement may state otherwise, but it's not too hard to read between the lines. Of course, Ron Moore and David Eick aren't going to want the fans to think that the show is being compromised, and under the circumstances, they're going to nail out the best ending possible.I suppose we've been lucky to have gotten BATTLESTAR GALACTICA at all. It's really enlivened the television world. Yes, the series was always meant to have a beginning, middle and an end, but I for one have felt no hurry to see this show end. I've loved the stand-alone episodes. I'm in no hurry to come back to Earth.
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it could show all the great classic scifi movies, b-monster movies, instead they make made-for-tv shitty CGI movies and shitty shows.
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I've seen many episodes where they catch things on camera or evp's. Those evp's are creepy!!! A lot of times they don't but there have been plenty of wtf was that moments. And that new hunter Kris is freakin beautiful!!! Some dueschebag in rhode island is gettin her....not fair!!!
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On next week's GH!
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you really are in every talkback aren't you?
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"Why not hire actual skeptics like James Randi or Penn Jullete to get rid of the ghosts by showing the world they're NOT REAL."
Because you can't make an ongoing series out of that. "Ghosts are BULLSHIT! Don't bother tuning in next week because all we're going to say is, 'Ghosts are BULLSHIT!'" -
If it wansnt for Stargate I wouldnt even tune in to this channel. I dont really like Ghost Hunters (you watch for an hour to see a fucking light flash or some shit like that) ECW, give me a break, Caprica, Soap Opera in space ( a scifi Dallas FUK THAT) I have almost lost all faith in this channel, not to mention all the horrible movies they show all weekend. Rat vs Turd 1, 2, 3 , 4 and 5. They turned down a great show that JMS (B5 writer) wanted to produce because is was to "Science Fictiony" WTF is that! its the Sci-Fi Channel!!!??? and ya know what, they don't find shit on Ghost Hunters. How you going to: A person that works there only saw something a few times in 10 years working there. These guys come in and expect to capture something is 3 hours??? Then they are like "ok we are done" and leave in like what seems 5 minutes. WOW THE CHAIR MOVED BY ITSELF LOOK!!! Whatever, bullshit. This used to be a cool station to watch. All the old scifi shows, scifi cartoons in the morning. Its mostly all shit now. To bad, It COULD be a great channel.
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Why the fuk dont they show their highest rated shows???? Battlestar is never on!!?? WTF!! Stargate has 2 shows, they are never on during the week on the 4 hour weeknight thing they do all week. They should have BSG 4 hours monday night, SG1, 4 hours Tues night, Altlantis, 4 hours Wed night. or something like that. Dr. who another night 4 hours. Rotate the shows or something. I dont want Ghost Hunters on Monday and fuking Wednesday nights??!! I hate Bonnie Hammer. Get her the fuk outta there!!!!
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Why is it that these Hollywood types can't bring some classic sci-fi books and short stories to the screen? Are they that expensive to option? Personally I'd like to see a show in the Amazing Stories style or Twilight Zone without the always-dark nature of the stories. Anyone want to finance me?
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those shit saturday movies. Are they brain damaged or something. How can anyone find enjoyment that shit. My recod is five minutes, then I realize the MST3K bots aren't going to show up and then I change the channel, feeling my brain's become three sizes too small sense tuning in.
And why don't they air reruns of their good show. SG serieses, BSG, and for that matter some of their from when they were awsome line-up Like Fist Wave, The Chronicle, and especially The Invisible Man.
i recon they'veb sold their rights to Farscape, I occasionally see one on Fox but far too rarely, I revon too that BBCA won't let them replay Doc Who eps since BBCA is only now showing season 3.
But FW, The Chronicle and I-Man are still their properties right. And hell, how 'bout Children of Dune. By far their best mini. Or the BSG mini or Lost Room. They've got so many past shows that were great qthey could run them forver without even making any more. How can we live in aworld where it's more profitable for them to go out of their way to make emarrassingly bad crap. -
These really tick me off the most because they are such a missed opportunity. They are obviously made by some suits who don't quite fully grasp the appeal of B-movies.
If they wanted those movies to get ratings all they need to do is ratchet up the sex and violence. If they made those movies gorey to the point of ridiculousness and then added some T&A that danced right up to the edge of acceptable TV, and then played them on Saturday nights @9pm they would have tons of ratings. Parents groups would go bananas and every 13 year old boy (the target demographic for those fims) would be tuned in religiously!
As far as the series go...the whole idea of "no space ships" is just stupid and needs to be rethought. -
Seriously, Torchwood, Doctor Who, Jekyll, Hex, I'd take any of these over most curent scifi progamming.
And Hell Yeah, they should be making another Farscape mini, or somebody should. Maybe Henson can make it and sell it to BBC and they can air it on BBCA. Or in wonderful perfect world Brian Henson takes over as programming executive of the SciFi Channel. -
a lot more entertaining near the end, which probably means it won't get renewed. It seems like they ony started tell the Flash Gordon story near the nd of this season. And it might actually have had some potential.
Dresden had tones of potential but was cut short. SG-1 could've gone on another year, as long as they kept Vala on the screen.
BSG is of course their one truly great show left, unless you incude their British imports, Doc Who and the upcoming Sarah Jane Smith Chronicles., so of course cancelling it. But nothing they have or are likely to ever get will match quite match Farscape. BSG is by far the colosest and sometimes even better. But Farscape had the humor often lacvking in BSG, the depth often often lacking other shows, and had more imagination and originalty than anything on bg or smal screen, hell even most novels. It was ahead of it's tim and will be missed. -
put on a show like that. They'd ask is their a bigfoot? Is there a Loch Ness monster? And Nemoy would quote some stats and ther would experts on Camera, all adding up to very long winded and polite of saying.
No! You people are Fucktards. People who beleive this shit are Fuccktards? And you people are Fucktards just for watching this. But tune next week so I can tell you why else your all Fucktards?
I love Nemoy. -
You are a fucking idiot!!!
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A Pauly Shore spin-off of the Jerry lewis flick, WAY WAY OUT? None of these generic shows will be renewed. In regard to the Sci-Fi Channel movies, they've all prety much devolved into camp. They're old AIP-type drive-in movies (MONSTER FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR, SHE CREATURE, BRAIN EATERS, INVASION OF THE SAUCERMEN): calculate the CGI budget, think of a title, hammer-out a derivative story and shoot the film in one week. But, by comparison, the AIP movies are pretty dignified. Sure, make monster movies but--for the love of God--write a script!
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They need to turn the critically acclaimed TV movie Mansquito into a weekly series. It's god, Jerry...gold.
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in which a fat movie critic by and who by night fights crime using the toxic gas spewed from his anus by the injestion of cheetos, beer and deviled eggs. He's fighting crime one brown stain at a time.
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in which a fat movie critic by day and who by night fights crime using the toxic gas spewed from his anus by the injestion of cheetos, beer and deviled eggs. He's fighting crime one brown stain at a time.
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You're right, and not only are they doing better Sci-Fi than Sc-Fi Channel they are doing it on the cheap just like SFC wants to.
Doctor Who and Life on Mars are two great examples of science fiction television done on a budget but with loads of talent! -
Channel will fundamentally remain crap. If BSG can't muster good ratings, then there isn't any real incentive for them to create quality shows is there? Really too bad, since every other show on the Sci Fi channel is for genre fans only, and not to mention crap.
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As I see it the the Sci Fi channel is being victimized by "consultant logic". They are being dumbed down to communicate to the largest demographics possible. For mainstream television this sometimes works. But for a Sci Fi Fan this does nothing but piss the audience off. It is "Science" Fiction and that means the core audience actually has a certain intelligence and forward thinking attitude. Not to mention an imagination that won't quit. Complex concepts are not alien to viewers who pride themselves on thinking about how to make life better. Science Fiction and fantasy fans like the idea of struggling to solve complex fantastic issues.
A lot of TV execs seem to think everything should be kept at a very simple level. It's not always the correct line of thought for a fan base that loves abstract math, physics, and the journey of imagination. Reaching a demographic is important to advertisers. But sometimes by targeting and trying to grow a demographic for advertisers, we forget about our audience, and who they really are because you are focusing on the nameless "demo" rather than the human being. The consumer of both the advertiser's product, and the story. I left my job as a television promotions producer because I could not stand the dumbing down. The crazy logic a generation raised with television didn't "get it" if we present a complex idea. I couldn't get past the fact that the audience had actually watched more television and movies than the management and consultants who were trying to tell us how to make it.
The content, the great story, good characters draw the audience. If you draw the audience, it's good for the advertisers. If you simply target a "demographic" on any night, you create a niche for that demographic, and that's all you get, ultimately limiting the very audience you are trying to attract. Scary math!!! -
Damn, why doesn't the Sci-Fi Channel continue on with its uber cool Dune series? It's been since like 2003, the start of the Iraq war.
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The Wall Street Journal today called Caprica a sci-fi version of "Dallas". Oy.
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mentioned that one.
Also, totally agree about how the execsin this channel have no idea whose watching science fiction these days.
It seems to be an ongoing problem with a lot of Cable niche networks. AMCs editing move putting in commercial and howing movies from the 90s. TV Land is showing 90s sitcoms.
In fact the only niche network that seems to be run by the fans it's trying to attract is the Chiller network. They are what the Scifi channel use to be in thevery beginning. The place to go for any and every obscure horror, suspence, and supernatural series no matter how obscure. And they never forget their roots.
Sadly, they haven't gotten to the point they can make their own series or co-finance an original series, but they run good grassroots horror and aren't trying to compete for the same "general" audience as every other "niche" network that has abandoned its original purpose.
And hell yes. There should dfinitely be a God Emeror of Dune mini. That would be friggin awesome. Definitel get the same guy who directed the Children of Dune mini. He had the right ideas about how to adapt Herberts workks. And please if possible, get James McAvoy back to play Leto II again. He was awesome in Children. -
You are a genius!!!
Very well said, and its all Bonnie Hammers fault!!! -
Thank you, I don't think someone has used the "g" word to describe me. I've seen some NBC exec's in action, and Ms Hammer has to answer to them...I promise it's not all her fault! Those waters are filled with sharks!!! Believe it or not, she actually has some serious moxy to take them on. With NBC on one side and pissed off fans on the other...her fence is razor thin! What's that thing in Star Trek? "Koriashi Maru" (I am not sure if that is right. ) Quite literally her position is no win....at least until she comes up with the cheat!!!
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...they air Wrestling. WTF???Limiting BSG to 4 seasons, stretching the 4th over two years, foisting Tin Man and Flush Boredom and PKJ on us, canceling Farscape, canceling Dresden...not following up on the Dune series as suggested above, bad moves all. Probably they will air the defunct POS that is Bionic Woman and brag about it.But airing Wrestling is like a tattoo "huh, what is 'science fiction' ?" on their foreheads.
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I agree with the frustrations over the handling of their programming. I think the core problem may be corporate. NBC's advertising and up front revenue is going down. They have cut jobs and I think are having to refund revenue due to low ratings. Sci Fi has to deal with the trickle down cutbacks. You know keep the main brand afloat, and cut the operations of the satellites. Sci Fi may not be looked at as a pure venue for Science Fiction, but rather as a brand extension for what may be primarily male demographics. That's how you get wrestling. ( A ploy to take viewers from FX and Spike and hopefully introduce those viewers to Sci Fi programming) I previously stated the "trap" of demographic thinking, it becomes a chart for placing advertising, especially when you are doing added value placement of commercial spots across the multiple properties the corporation owns. This can, by the process of corporate entropy, take you away from your core brand. This is probably what is happening at the Sci Fi channel. MTV was torched by this process. UPN dived when CBS branding took over to raise revenue. (An example of this...the speeding up of the open on Enterprise) There is example after example of core brand fracturing that is taking place while Networks try to keep the "value" up for the advertisers in the face of declining viewers on the main networks. Now with all of this gloom and doom, there is a place where the fans have spoken, The sales of SG Ark of Truth have been great. The move by MGM to take it directly to the consumer, removes the frustration of Network demographic posturing. It works by supply and demand. If all of us as fans buy DVD's or pay for downloads of products, they can make more. And the stories we love, keep coming.
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I liked that the winner was to get their own movie, but instead just got a cameo in a giant snake movie. Way to see something through, Sci-fi. If you're going to make shit movies(no doubt a feedback movie would suck), why not make a shit movie that will likely have an audience mildly invested in one or more characters, and that cross promotes your own network? Also, why are you still showing Doctor Who on a huge delay in the age of torrent? You're flushing that investment down the fucking drain!
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demographic, the channel is lossing the distintiveness that brought in the viewers who made the network successful enough to even get NBCs attention. The broadcast networks take these cable channels and they think they can make money by turning them into smaller versions of their main broadcast channel. But those cabel networkas are never going to have as broad an access or as much funding as their min property so the more they resemble the aphabet nets the less likely viewers are going to be to find any point in watching them. They'll just turn to DVDs and those networks will keep lossing money.
NBC already has thei NBC veiwer on the that channel. Having the SciFi or USA Channel gives them an opportunity to get a seperate audience and a seperate source of money and advertizing. That was he point of all these cabel channels to take advantage of already established fan bases. This channel was a growing channel gaining viewers before the execs decided to fix what wasn't broken.
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