“Defying Gravity" 13-episode ABC sci-fi astronaut space series

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by jefferiestubes8, Jul 7, 2009.

  1. jefferiestubes8

    jefferiestubes8 Commodore Commodore

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    http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr...sion/news/e3i1a1890f91e4cda9a8bed70811c0344a7

    http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSTRE5600VS20090701

    http://www.cinemaspy.com/article.php?id=2747

    This series on broadcast television has the potential to be 2009-2010's version of TOS season 1. Please don't take that in the wrong way. When was the last time we had a broadcast television series set in space with astronauts that was not Star Trek, Firefly, or Babylon5....
    Since it was pitched as 'Grey's Anatomy' in space I'm going to guess it is ABC's verision of of "Virtuality" the pilot that aired on Sci-Fi...
    Even if it is cancelled on ABC due to ratings we will still get the DVD release...
     
  2. Broccoli

    Broccoli Vice Admiral Admiral

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    What a bizarre thing to say. Star Trek, I'll grant you will all the spin-offs, but Firefly was one series that was canceled a few episodes into its run. B5 is a tough one to compare too as it was only one show and any attempt at spinning it off was quickly killed.

    Oh, good. So, we'll have McSpacy, McAlieny, McSpaceCloudy, McPlanetary, McSunny, and so on. :p

    Depends when it is canceled. If it is canceled before the first 13 are filmed (which is possible with TV shows), a DVD release isn't certain, let alone a "completed" DVD release.
     
  3. jefferiestubes8

    jefferiestubes8 Commodore Commodore

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    Re: ?Defying Gravity" 13-episode ABC sci-fi astronaut space series

    with 5 networks already distrubuting it (especially the BBC) it will shoot all 13 episodes. A DVD relase is certain. Being a Region 1 DVD is not certain right now.
     
  4. Othello

    Othello Commodore Commodore

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    I'll tune in to eb sure....
     
  5. firehawk12

    firehawk12 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    It's good to want things, but I hope the first season ends on its own rather than on some idiotic cliffhanger.

    Either way, a "real" SF series is a welcome change. I'm looking forward to the first season anyhow.
     
  6. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: “Defying Gravity" 13-episode ABC sci-fi astronaut space series

    It's actually more like a fully dramatized version of Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets, a BBC miniseries that presented a fictional near-future "Grand Tour" of the Solar System in a faux-documentary format.

    And all 13 episodes have already been shot. Their approach was to make the complete season first, then market it to networks as a finished product. Which should make it appealing to networks because that means they don't have to help pay its production costs.

    I'm just hoping the science is as accurate as it was in Voyage to the Planets. Given how much we know about the Solar System, there's no excuse for failing to do the research and just making up random fantasy nonsense.
     
  7. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

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    Defying Cancellation! :p
     
  8. Chindogu

    Chindogu Commander Red Shirt

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    As Christopher has said, all the eps have already been filmed and Post Production is now under way.

    The 'Grey's Anatomy' in space description is pretty accurate as it deals more with Relationships than Science. It's definitely more "mainstream" oriented than the Virtuality or Caprica pilots were. So those looking for a "Real SF series" might be a little disappointed, although it does have a "life as an Astronaut" angle and "individuals acting mysterious because of an extraterrestrial (maybe?) intelligence" subplot. It'll be interesting to see how it develops.
     
  9. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: “Defying Gravity" 13-episode ABC sci-fi astronaut space series

    I don't mind if the focus is more on the relationships than the science; I just want the background science to be handled realistically. I mean, if I'm watching a romantic comedy set in Paris, I don't need it to spend a lot of time talking about the architecture, geography, and culture of Paris, but the depiction of those things in the background should be convincing and accurate enough not to distract from the character story, as opposed to, say, depicting the Eiffel Tower as 5 miles high and colored neon orange, or having the Parisians in the background speak Swahili. By the same token, I don't need them to dwell on the science, I just want it to be believable and not contain the kind of huge, inane errors that usually characterize film and TV depictions of outer space.
     
  10. diankra

    diankra Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    BTW, BBC publicity suggested it might be running in the UK sometime in the summer - ahead of the US tx. But that's not definite that I know of, and a 13 episode run is a bit long to quite fit there.

    Update, after checking bbcpress: it might have been listed as spring/summer, but it's not starting in July, so probably not running in the UK until September at earliest.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2009
  11. Mistral

    Mistral Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Agreed. They better not "fall into the sun" or any other hogwash. Anyone know US airdates?
     
  12. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: “Defying Gravity" 13-episode ABC sci-fi astronaut space series

    All of the revived Doctor Who's seasons have been 13 episodes, and I think Torchwood's first two seasons were as well.
     
  13. diankra

    diankra Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I meant that a 13 episode run would have started by now in the UK if it was going to run over summer - it'd now run into early November at the earliest date it could start, fillling that slot for half of the autumn season, so it's more likely to run in the autumn season, from sometime in Sept/Oct through to sometime before Christmas.
     
  14. Temis the Vorta

    Temis the Vorta Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Ron Livingston was born to play a space jock. :bolian: For that reason alone, I'll give this show a fair shake.
    I am hoping this means the producers understand that, in addition to taking his shirt off a lot, Ron needs some hot guy in the cast to fight with a lot, for the sake of the slash quotient. And this guy doesn't absolutely have to be Ron's brother, but it sure wouldn't hurt. :rommie:

    I am hoping this does NOT mean soapy love-triangle BS and a lot of yammering about feewings. It all hinges on the producers realizing that female sci fi fans are NOT NOT NOOOOOOTTT the same as female Gray's Anatomy fans (who will not be watching this show in any case). What are the odds, dya think?

    Yeah, I know. Soap in Space, here we come.
    Yargh, I hope it's not a) as boring and b) with characters who are quite that annoying.

    They could just use the regular excuse: that 99% of the viewers don't know any different, so what justifies even the miniscule additional cost of getting the science right?
     
  15. jefferiestubes8

    jefferiestubes8 Commodore Commodore

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    Re: ?Defying Gravity" 13-episode ABC sci-fi astronaut space series

    I saw a promo for the show tonight in the 10PM hour of "Primetime: Family Secrets". It said 2 hour premiere coming soon.
    That means within 30 days...
    It looked like a TV miniseries budget but better than a TV movie budget.
    Nice spacesuits, decent ship interiors, realistic near-future hand switches (military style).
     
  16. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: “Defying Gravity" 13-episode ABC sci-fi astronaut space series

    Basic professionalism justifies it. You just shouldn't do sloppy work when you're capable of doing better. Also there's the recognition that some of your viewers will know the difference and there's no reason to alienate them. You want to make your story as satisfying as possible for everyone. Using good science won't make the experience any less satisfying for those who don't know the difference, and it will make the experience more satisfying for those who do. Why should educated viewers be penalized for their knowledge?

    Besides, SF can be a great vehicle for teaching. What better way to improve Americans' abysmally poor understanding of basic science than to sneak some real science in with their entertainment? There are shows that do this already. Numb3rs does a good job of conveying legitimate mathematical principles in the context of an entertaining show. Their producers care enough to do the research and get it right even though 99% of their audience won't know the difference. And ER is generally pretty conscientious about getting the medical stuff right, I gather. Lots of shows use technical consultants and take care to research things and pay attention to details even though most of the audience won't know the difference. So there's no excuse for failing to do so with a space show.

    I'm just monumentally sick of film and TV treating outer space as some magical fairyland with arbitrary rules. It's a real place and we know a lot about it. "Most of the audience won't care" is just a lame excuse for lowering one's own standards, for being lazy and sloppy and irresponsible. If you're creating a work of fiction, then you should care about doing it with the highest possible quality, whether most of your audience notices or not.
     
  17. Temis the Vorta

    Temis the Vorta Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I have a strong feeling that any professionalism or willingness to teach will quickly take a back seat when the ratings on this show start to slide because they've misjudged their audience, which really doesn't want the astronauts to spend half their time talking about their tangled relationships, and go into panic mode, throwing space monsters and lesbian subplots at us a-plenty.

    We are still talking about television, after all. ;)
     
  18. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    ^Actually, considering that all 13 episodes of the first season have already been shot, I'm not sure it's valid to make that kind of assumption about network interference. Sure, maybe networks could make requests about subsequent seasons, but this show is being marketed internationally. It's not the kind of television production that's dependent on the approval of a single network for its survival. And who's to say that the different networks in the different nations where the show is marketed would agree on the kind of changes they'd want to see? This seems like the kind of model where the producers make what they want to make and the various networks can either take it or leave it.
     
  19. watermelony2k

    watermelony2k Vice Admiral Admiral

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    with virtuality down, i hope this series succeeds. it'd be nice to see a mainstream space based show out there.
     
  20. J47

    J47 Commander Red Shirt

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    I'm interested in this series, but I'm wondering how they'll explain away the gravity issue.