sf/f TV development news - 2013

[lennier1]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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Fill in the obvious Bad Robot/Good Robot joke...

New JJ Abrams drama at FOX,

At least it's a change from supernatural cops.

A science fiction show on FOX? Why should we even bother?

[Christopher]

lennier1 wrote:

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A science fiction show on FOX? Why should we even bother?

Because it's been a decade since Firefly ended and it's time to get over it. The FOX regime responsible for that show's sacking is long gone, and the current regime has more than proven to any fair and honest observer that they're willing to give genre shows every possible chance to succeed. They gave Dollhouse two complete seasons despite terrible ratings, when the previous execs would've cancelled it halfway through its first season. They've allowed Fringe to stay on for five seasons and bring its story to a satisfactory conclusion, again, despite low ratings that would've gotten it killed long ago on the old FOX or on just about any other network.

So it makes no sense to continue clinging to this outdated myth that FOX is somehow hostile to genre shows. That myth has always been unfair; the only reason FOX has cancelled so many genre shows is because it's bought so many more genre shows than any other network, and most shows get cancelled quickly, period, on any network -- especially genre shows, which are usually more expensive to make and less likely to get strong ratings than non-genre shows. Look at the history of SF and fantasy shows on every television network and you'll see that their life expectancy on FOX was never any worse than it was anywhere else. And it's complete and utter nonsense to continue buying into the myth today, when FOX is clearly as dedicated to supporting genre shows as any network in television history has ever been.

So seriously. Get the hell over Firefly already and let that kneejerk "FOX kills sci-fi" meme die its long-overdue death. In the context of current events, it's not only unfair, it's wrong to the point of being delusional.

[NrobbieC]

Dollhouse should've been axed to give SCC another season.

[lennier1]

Let's take a closer look at it:

Dollhouse was so bad it simply didn't deserve that second season and in all honesty it would've been better off without it (like that continuation of the 1st season finale that pretty much ruined the best episode that show had). Wasting resources on a show that doesn't deserve it, simply as an attempt to make up for canceling a good show is not a valid reason.

Fringe is an overall great show, but it had a scarily long stretch where it was so bad it was impossible to ignore its begging for a bullet in the head (similar to when nuBSG was turned into a third-rate soap opera with the occasional space scene, just to keep up appearances). It was only during the most recent episodes that Fringe improved enough again to justify the financing to bring it to a satisfying finale.

Sarah Connor Chronicles, Alcatraz? I'm not sure you want to use shows as an example when they're merely an example for how a great premise alone is still useless when their scripts need to be screened over and over again before an episode is even greenlit, because some writers are so bad they shouldn't be allowed to write for more than soap operas and reality shows. They only got somewhere decent when it was already way too late for it to matter anyway.

Then again, there's Touch, which at least makes me believe that by now they were looking to greenlight some undeserving piece of crap to justify getting out if the science fiction business altogether if they want to.

A long history of canceling good shows isn't simply made up for by keeping undeserving ones on life support.

[Christopher]

lennier1 wrote:

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Dollhouse was so bad it simply didn't deserve that second season and in all honesty it would've been better off without it (like that continuation of the 1st season finale that pretty much ruined the best episode that show had). Wasting resources on a show that doesn't deserve it, simply as an attempt to make up for canceling a good show is not a valid reason.

You thought Dollhouse was bad, I thought it was brilliant. Opinions are beside the point, because obviously opinions will differ. The point is that the network stuck with the show and let it finish telling its complete story when most networks would've cancelled it far more quickly.

Fringe is an overall great show, but it had a scarily long stretch where it was so bad it was impossible to ignore its begging for a bullet in the head...

Again, your opinions of a show's quality have absolutely nothing to do with the question under discussion, which is whether it's fair or rational to claim that FOX is a killer of genre shows. Nothing you're saying here does anything to support that belief. If anything, just the opposite, since you're conceding that they kept the shows on far longer than you thought they deserved. So you're undermining your own case.

Sarah Connor Chronicles, Alcatraz? I'm not sure you want to use shows as an example...

I did not actually use those shows as examples, so you're being completely counterfactual here. I think FOX did give Sarah Connor the best chance it could under the circumstances, but of course it's ultimately ratings and cost that determine whether a show stays on the air; no matter how much a network may want to keep a show around, they can't if they're unable to bring in enough ad revenue to pay for its cost, and advertisers won't underwrite a show if viewers don't watch it. TSCC was a very good, intelligent show, but was perhaps a bit too sophisticated to hold an audience, and it was definitely an expensive show to make. As with Dollhouse, it was lucky to get the two seasons it got. The old FOX regime would've cancelled it much sooner.

As for Alcatraz, I can't imagine why you'd make the mistake of thinking I would've cited that show in support of my argument, because that show didn't last very long at all, and didn't deserve to. The bottom line is, no matter how supportive the network is, a lot of shows just won't work well enough to make it. Television is always a gamble. We've all seen so many shows in so many genres on so many networks get cancelled after half a season or less that it's bizarre for so many people to react as though it's somehow unique to genre shows or unique to one network.

A long history of canceling good shows isn't simply made up for by keeping undeserving ones on life support.

That is not a valid position, because your personal opinions about the relative merits of the shows in question are not objective truths. Many people would disagree with you that FOX only supported "undeserving" shows.

[sojourner]

I've enjoyed Fringe all the way through.

[Temis the Vorta]

RJDiogenes wrote:

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Potentially, yes. It also has the potential of being internally inconsistent. If there are robot cops, does that mean the military has been roboticized? What about the National Guard and forest rangers and Secret Service?

We might get glimpses of the bigger picture, maybe a line of dialogue here and there, but any show has got to focus on its premise and characters. If they opt for the same proportion of worldbuilding vs characters and plot that they do in Grimm, for instance, that seems about right.

There's no reason to mistrust FOX any more than any other network when it comes to sf/f genre shows. All the networks churn through a lot of shows each year, genre or otherwise, and most fail. It'll happen again this year. That doesn't mean anyone is picking on sf/f shows.

And they'll keep churning through shows indefinitely because sf/f is a staple genre that among the networks, only CBS can afford to ignore. It's good for attracting that younger demo that advertisers want to reach.

NBC, ABC and the CW all have new sf/f shows in the mix. FOX has no new sf/f shows this fall, which surprised me. I'd expect them to add at least one for 2013-14.

[RJDiogenes]

I'll never forgive Fox for what they did to FreakyLinks.

[sojourner]

^Your right, I thanked them.

[Enterprise is Great]

Terry Brooks' "Shannara" fantasy books being adapted for TV

Sonar Entertainment has acquired the rights to author Terry Brooks' bestselling fantasy series "Shannara" and is partnering with Farah Films to produce a television series based on the books.

Farah Films principal Dan Farah and Sonar Entertainment CEO Stewart Till will exec produce with Brooks. Producers plan to recruit a showrunner and director before they shop the project to network buyers.

Set hundreds of years after the destruction of our civilization, series follows the Shannara family, who are empowered with ancient magic and whose adventures continuously reshape the future of the world. The plan is to base the show's first season on "The Elfstones of Shannara," the second book in the series.

[Temis the Vorta]

Bah! I got one of those subscription-block pages. fortunately on an ipad, you can use the Reader to get around those, just in case anyone else is having trouble...

[Temis the Vorta]

ABC continues its love affair with fantasy.

It is described as a fantasy adventure about a quirky family surviving together on a lawless frontier…a magical land where monsters are real, and one young woman’s unlikely destiny is about to change their lives forever.

Fantasy Western?

[RJDiogenes]

That could work. Larry Blamire has written some great supernatural Westerns. No doubt others have, too.

[Temis the Vorta]

A&E gives pilot order to Occult.

The project, which draws parallels to X-Files and Fringe, centers on a FBI agent who returns from administrative leave after going off the deep end while investigating his wife’s disappearance. Eager to be back on the job, he is paired with an agent with her own complicated backstory who specializes in the occult. Together, they will solve cases for the newly formed occult crimes task force.

I'd snark about the derivative premise but it's A&E, so if they weren't doing this, they'd do a show about beauty contests for fetuses or roadkill cuisine so I'll just be happy with this.

[JD]

Actually they've started doing some pretty good (IMO) scripted shows the last two or three years. I've really enjoyed Breakout Kings, The Glades, and Longmire.