sf/f TV development news - 2013

[CorporalCaptain]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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So, no reaction to the San Francisco steampunk soap? I kind of like that idea...

I'll give it a whirl. One hint that it's typical network TV dumbed-down sci-fi and I'm outa there, though.

[RJDiogenes]

I got the first couple of issues of Midnight, Mass some years ago and dropped it pretty quickly. At this point I don't remember a thing about it. So the idea doesn't really excite me, but it could still spawn a good show, I suppose. Since it takes place in Massachusetts, at least in part, I'll probably give it a try.

[Temis the Vorta]

Another vampire series, but don't worry, it's on FX so it'll be for guys. Damon Salvatore types need not apply!

Fittingly for male-driven FX, unlike the traditional, romanticized portrayals of vampires as tuxedo-clad studs, The Strain is vary male-skewing with bloodsuckers who have no seductive powers — they are parasites, husks of their former human form with stingers that drain blood for nourishment, while spreading capillary worms that convert victims into more vampires under the control of The Master.

Worms? ewwww...

He cited everything from Luther to Sons Of Anarchy, Game Of Thrones, The Sopranos, Deadwood, The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Justified as influences.

But not The Walking Dead? Betcha that series above all is why this show is being made. Subtract seduction from vampires and ya got - zombies! Even better, wormy zombies. FX has noticed the huge ratings and male skewing audience of that show and wants their own version.

[JD]

I might check that out. I've been planning to check out the books for a while now, but I haven't gotten a chance to yet.

[RJDiogenes]

It's extraordinary how much of pop culture is driven by ancient gender stereotypes. Nobody got the memo that the 21st century is here.

[stj]

This is an extremely religious society. The supposedly ancient gender stereotypes are doing very well, thank you. It's the 21st century that's not too healthy. The supposedly secular values in movies and TV are too often imaginary, lip service, something contradicted by the real story. When they are real, they are quite often viewed as the equivalent of off-color jokes. Those a little more lax in their religious observances can be amused and congratulate themselves on their broad-mindedness too. The more rigorous believers still have their own menu, even if there isn't an official passing on whether this or that is kosher. Plus they get to congratulate themselves on fighting for decency in what the rest of us watch.

[Kegg]

The gender comments are interesting as the contrast is given between del Toro's vampires and 'traditional' 'tuxedo-clad studs,' which seems a pretty explicit nod to Bela Lugosi's Dracula, who comes from a movie I haven't often heard said to skew female.

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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Another vampire series, but don't worry, it's on FX so it'll be for guys. Damon Salvatore types need not apply!

You forgot to mention it's by Guillermo 'Pan's Labyrinth' del Toro, which pretty much guarantees I'll at least watch the pilot.

But not The Walking Dead? Betcha that series above all is why this show is being made.

In fairness, of the shows on that list I've seen (basically all but Luther, Sons of Anarchy and Philadelphia) I'd consider them all better TV shows than Walking Dead.

But sure, the success of Walking Dead (and maybe another genre TV series based on a novel series - give you a hint, it's mentioned in the above list) is no doubt why this got greenlit... but doesn't mean it needs to faff about with underwritten characters.

Well, we'll see.

[Temis the Vorta]

RJDiogenes wrote:

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It's extraordinary how much of pop culture is driven by ancient gender stereotypes. Nobody got the memo that the 21st century is here.

Network TV will never get that memo. Their business is built on stereotypes because that's the easiest way to sell airtime to advertisers. And it looks like it's having a strong influence on basic cable too, not surprising since they are partly ad-based as well.

And there's always the possibility that their mean-spirited stereotypes are largely correct.

Kegg wrote:

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The gender comments are interesting as the contrast is given between del Toro's vampires and 'traditional' 'tuxedo-clad studs,' which seems a pretty explicit nod to Bela Lugosi's Dracula, who comes from a movie I haven't often heard said to skew female.

Something from the 30s can't really be compared to modern movies and TV shows, culturally or business-wise, but just imagine how that would play if released today. It would be far too slow and lacking in gore for the modern movie audience.

In fairness, of the shows on that list I've seen (basically all but Luther, Sons of Anarchy and Philadelphia) I'd consider them all better TV shows than Walking Dead.

I'm not thinking about quality so much as ratings in motivating FX's interest. I'm sure they are expecting it to have the same sort of audience appeal.

And TWD seems like a perfectly respectable show in terms of quality anyway. I know S2 was slow at times but I appreciated the time they took to build the characters and their relationships. It can't be all mayhem, all the time. That would be exhuasting for the audience and expensive for the production.

Ron Moore is adapting The Knights Tale for ABC. Not really genre, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway...

[sojourner]

How is A Knight's Tale not genre?

[Temis the Vorta]

Were there fantasy elements in the movie? I can't recall any, been a long time though.

[Christopher]

The article describes it as "a medieval fantasy incorporating modern music and themes." Wikipedia calls the movie a "romantic adventure comedy," though. Perhaps the idea is that the intentional anachronisms, the modern elements inserted into the 14th century, are the "fantasy" aspect. Kind of a stretch, though.

[Temis the Vorta]

Yeah I remember the anachronistic music but the overall effect never struck me as fantasy, more like some weird stylistic choice. If they throw in a dragon for the guy to fight, then it's fanatsy. On ABC I wouldn't rule that out.

Speaking of stretching the definition of genre, CBS is sticking a toe into the sci fi waters again. Knowing them, this will be as much sci fi as Person of Interest is.

Intelligence, which has been bought by CBS, is based on unpublished book Dissident by John Dixon and centers on a man gifted and cursed with a top-secret experimental microchip implanted in his brain that makes him computer-like in the way he sees and processes information.

[sojourner]

^Sounds like Jake 3.0.

[Christopher]

^Not really, because Jake 2.0 was about an agent with enhanced physical ability, not mental/perceptual. This sounds more like Chuck meets Psych, at least where the nature of the ability is concerned.

[Temis the Vorta]

On CBS, I expect it to be squarely in the quirky-detective tradition, more like Perception, The Mentalist and Elementary than a real sci fi series. There seems to be no end to demand for shows like that, even though its an exceedingly narrow topic that doesn't need twenty shows about essentially the same thing,