sf/f TV development news - 2013

[Christopher]

^Well, I doubt there's any one person who watches 20 shows about the same thing, but there are at least tens of millions of people in a given major network's audience, some of whom might like some shows about a given thing but not like other shows about it, due to the cast and the characters and the writing/directing style and other considerations. For instance, I like CSI and CSI:NY but don't watch CSI: Miami because I've never liked David Caruso. And I like Body of Proof but got bored with Unforgettable, and I like the cast of Castle but I don't watch Bones because I don't find Emily Deschanel appealing (and can take or leave David Boreanaz). So having multiple shows in the same genre strikes me as being about trying to achieve a balance between having an established network brand and having a broad enough appeal for a wide audience.

After all, is it really any different in other media? How many hundreds of murder mysteries or romance novels can you find right next to each other on any bookstore's shelves? They're all the same basic kind of story, and no one person has time to read all of them, but they're all there because fans of a given genre can still have different tastes and prefer some authors or some characters to others.

[Kegg]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

---

Something from the 30s can't really be compared to modern movies and TV shows, culturally or business-wise,

Not really what I was getting at, though. The commenter contrasted the vampires of The Strain to a 'traditional' depiction of vampires, and Bela Lugosi is the earliest example offhand of a studly tuxedo-clad vampire I could think of, and very likely the vampire the phrase had in mind.

I'm not thinking about quality so much as ratings in motivating FX's interest.

Well yeah but the issue is what he's influenced by, not what made it make market sense. By the same token, that AMC has Walking Dead and HBO has Game of Thrones means both channels have behemoth (for cable) hits that amount to geeky programming... and of course that FX has had its own horror-themed success with American Horror Story (and one of the few things that show has said they'll never do is vampires), so there's that.

[Temis the Vorta]

Angsty teen aliens on the CW.

The CW is boosting its sci-fi cred with Oxygen, an alien drama in the vein of District 9 ... Oxygen follows a high school pilot program, the first attempt to integrate a group of humanoid aliens stranded on earth who until now have been living in forced segregation. The program is complicated by the prejudices and competing agendas on all sides, and could be saved or destroyed by a burgeoning romance between a human girl and alien boy.

And of course they'll all look like crawdads and not Ian Somerhalder.

Anyway, seems like sf/f is getting a lot of attention this year, considering how early in the process it is. It's a challenge even to keep up with it all.

[Temis the Vorta]

Kegg wrote:

---

Not really what I was getting at, though. The commenter contrasted the vampires of The Strain to a 'traditional' depiction of vampires, and Bela Lugosi is the earliest example offhand of a studly tuxedo-clad vampire I could think of, and very likely the vampire the phrase had in mind.

Or maybe he was thinking aout the vampires played by Gary Oldman, Frank Langella, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, or even George Hamilton's comic take, since they're all the same basic type - sexy, seductive and suave. And tragic, can't forget tragic!

But he pretty obviously meant the tuxedo vampires are for girls, so if he meant Lugosi's Dracula, then he thinks Lugosi's Dracula is for girls. That certainly is the ancestor of the suave vampire type that leads straight to Damon Salvatore, who I'm sure has worn a tuxedo at least once.

And come to think of it, the Del Toro vampires are more like the Borg than zombies, with the whole stinger idea. Maybe they aren't part of any vampire tradition and come from space horror.

After all, is it really any different in other media? How many hundreds of murder mysteries or romance novels can you find right next to each other on any bookstore's shelves?

But on the next shelf over, there's a bunch of space opera novels. TV doesn't have that kind of diversity because of the limited number of slots compared with even a bookstore, never mind Amazon's infinite shelf space.

I get annoyed at seeing too much of the same crap taking up the few shelves available. What we need is Amazon for TV, well I know Amazon is trying that. With infinite shelf space, there should be room for underserved genres.

[RJDiogenes]

stj wrote:

---

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.

That about sums it up.

Temis the Vorta wrote:

---

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

Only because people are largely conformist and mimic what they see on TV.

[Enterprise is Great]

J.J. Abrams, "Children of Men" writer developing fantasy drama at NBC

In his foray into American television, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón has teamed with J.J. Abrams for a high-concept drama, which just landed at NBC with a pilot production commitment. Cuarón is set to direct the pilot, which he will co-write with Mark Friedman (Home Of the Brave). It is about a girl in possession of a great gift/powers — which will come into their own in seven years — and the man who is sprung from prison to protect her from those trying to hunt her down .

[Kegg]

Wait. Del Toro? Cuaron? So when does Inarritu get his TV series?

Temis the Vorta wrote:

---

Or maybe he was thinking aout the vampires played by Gary Oldman, Frank Langella, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, or even George Hamilton's comic take,

Then he probably wouldn't be saying traditional, as none of those are that old. Or to rephrase: Not exclusively them. If we're talking about a tradition of sexy tuxedo vampires, then it's one that would include more contemporary vampires like those and older examples like Lugosi or say Lee.

And come to think of it, the Del Toro vampires are more like the Borg than zombies, with the whole stinger idea.

As far as vampires go it does make one think of the vampires of I Am Legend.

[Ayelbourne]

Borgminister wrote:

---

Wunderland isn't supposed to have an Umlaut, is it?

No. Still, as a german, I have to say, "Wunderland" does indeed sound dumb. Then again, this is a matter of personal taste.

in other news: Has Incursion been discussed yet?

It's Starz' and Steven S. DeKnight's new show after Spartacus ends this season.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1665928.html

Incursion follows a squad of soldiers fighting a war against an alien race, and each season the showwould be set on a different planet. "Grittily realistic combat, darkly complex characters and intrigue on a cosmic scale will permeate the tale of fighting men and women facing the pressures of war and an enemy unlike any ever seen"

Premise sounds promising and I can absolutely see DeKnight pulling it off.

[Borgminister]

That sounds kind of like The Wire in terms of changing settings, gritty combat and darkly complex characters.

[Christopher]

Ayelbourne wrote:

---

in other news: Has Incursion been discussed yet?

It's Starz' and Steven S. DeKnight's new show after Spartacus ends this season.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1665928.html

Premise sounds promising and I can absolutely see DeKnight pulling it off.

I have mixed feelings. I like the idea of spending a whole season to explore and develop each planet; it's how I would've approached a Star Trek series or similar premise given the opportunity, because you can't even begin to portray the diversity of an entire planet in just one hour. But I think the format would work better on a show dedicated to exploration and worldbuilding. If it's just one battlefield after another, that doesn't seem as interesting. I find war stories rather boring. And I'm so sick of dark-and-gritty for the sake of dark-and-gritty. It's been done to death by now. Let's see some optimism.

[RJDiogenes]

Ditto. The idea sounds pretty juvenile. Kind of makes me cross my fingers harder for Space Command.

[Christopher]

^Hm? I'm not partial to the idea, but I don't see what's juvenile about it. Just the opposite, it sounds like a very intense war drama -- and being on Starz and from the makers of Spartacus means it's likely to be extremely adult. And I'm not saying I think it will be bad, just that it's not the kind of show I like.

And what's Space Command?

[Ayelbourne]

Christopher wrote:

---

If it's just one battlefield after another, that doesn't seem as interesting.

Depends on the battlefields. Each planet could call for a totally different kind of warfare, which in turn could mean different types of soldiers, i.e. a new cast of characters each season.
We know from Spartacus that DeKnight isn't afraid to discard most of the show's cast in one fell swoop.

[Mr. Adventure]

Enterprise is Great wrote:

---

J.J. Abrams, "Children of Men" writer developing fantasy drama at NBC

It is about a girl in possession of a great gift/powers — which will come into their own in seven years —

Seven years, eh? Very convenient... And optimistic...

[RJDiogenes]

Christopher wrote:

---

^Hm? I'm not partial to the idea, but I don't see what's juvenile about it. Just the opposite, it sounds like a very intense war drama -- and being on Starz and from the makers of Spartacus means it's likely to be extremely adult. And I'm not saying I think it will be bad, just that it's not the kind of show I like.

I haven't seen Spartacus specifically, but most shows and movies that are hyped as "gritty," "dark," "edgy," "mature" et cetera are geared toward adolescents who want to feel like tough guys. Perhaps Spartacus is an exception.

And what's Space Command?

You haven't heard of Space Command? It's Marc Scott Zicree's current project, which had a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign. The first movie should be out next year. The official site is here. This looks like something we both will love.