How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? - Page 3

Relayer1 · January 4 2013, 09:08 PM

I must admit that I was surprised that the show wasn't relaunched with a new regular or two. Jo's grandson seemed likely to turn up again, and I would've expected Jo to be close behind.

I can see that Sarah Jane is irreplaceable but it seems very sad to have lost all the other characters with her...

Rarewolf · January 4 2013, 09:09 PM

Christopher wrote:

who'd want him to return anyway?)

Funny enough I though it a shame him or Van Statten couldn't have shown up on Torchwood, on a trail of alien tech. The dates sort of match, just a lack of show for them to show up on!

DWF · January 5 2013, 05:48 PM

Christopher wrote:

Another possibility might've been to have another former companion take over as their mentor. The Martha Jones Adventures, anyone?

Freema's still a regular on Law&Order:UK.

Brendan Moody · January 5 2013, 07:18 PM

She's not, actually, having left as of the end of the sixth series, though she was at the time SJA's fate was being decided. At the moment she's a regular in the CBeebies series Old Jack's Boat and the American CW series The Carrie Diaries.

DWF · January 5 2013, 09:09 PM

Sorry about that, I guess we're still alittle behind on BBCA.

Cutter John · January 6 2013, 08:29 AM

Of course without Liz Sladen they'd have to change the series name.

Christopher · January 6 2013, 04:42 PM

Cutter John wrote:

Of course without Liz Sladen they'd have to change the series name.

Tell that to the folks who made Blake's 7. Or the Pink Panther series. Or Red Dwarf series 6 & 7. Or....

Captaindemotion · January 6 2013, 05:17 PM

Or the Bourne Legacy...

Marc · January 6 2013, 06:25 PM

Christopher wrote:

Cutter John wrote:

Of course without Liz Sladen they'd have to change the series name.

Tell that to the folks who made Blake's 7. Or the Pink Panther series. Or Red Dwarf series 6 & 7. Or....

I gather Jacqueline Pearce was once asked what the cast thought about the series keeping the name either than there was no Blake.

Her response, so the story goes, was "nobody gave a fuck as long as they were in it"

Sindatur · January 6 2013, 06:41 PM

In the case of Blake's 7, I never thought anything was wrong with it, since they were his crew, and following his "Mission". they still counted as his 7 (Orac and Zen/Liberator could be used to round out the quantity to 7)

Brendan Moody · January 6 2013, 06:45 PM

Whatever has happened in other cases, I do think a revamped SJA would have changed its title based on whoever the lead was, possibly after a final and transitional SJA special.

Christopher · January 6 2013, 07:36 PM

Brendan Moody wrote:

Whatever has happened in other cases, I do think a revamped SJA would have changed its title based on whoever the lead was, possibly after a final and transitional SJA special.

Maybe, maybe not. One could argue the same thing Sindatur just said about Blake -- that even without Sarah Jane, the team would still be fulfilling her mission and her legacy.

One could also argue that Torchwood was an "Artifact Title" by the time of Miracle Day, since Torchwood had ceased to exist as an organization by that time. So it's not unprecedented even within this franchise.

The reason there are so many "Artifact Titles" is that titles aren't really about conveying accurate information about content, they're about promotion and name recognition. Keeping the same title is a way of saying that it's the same series, that even with a cast change, the viewer will still be getting basically the same experience. Changing the title would mean having to start over from scratch in the name-recognition game.

So yeah, maybe they would've changed the show's title, depending on how they revamped it. But there would've been good arguments in favor of keeping the original title.

Really, though, ending the series was probably the right thing to do under the circumstances. Especially if Daniel Anthony and Anjli Mohindra were planning to move on anyway at the end of series 5.

Captaindemotion · January 6 2013, 08:10 PM

^And it's not like there isn't scope for other spin-offs set within the DW universe.

Sindatur · January 6 2013, 09:11 PM

Captaindemotion wrote:

^And it's not like there isn't scope for other spin-offs set within the DW universe.

Like Vastra Investigates

Relayer1 · January 6 2013, 09:25 PM

Taggart, the Scottish detective series lost the lead character Detective Jim Taggart when the actor playing him (Mark McManus) died in 1994.

The most recent series aired in 2011...

January 4 2013, 09:08 PM	#31
Relayer1 Fleet Captain Location: The Black Country, England	Re: How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? I must admit that I was surprised that the show wasn't relaunched with a new regular or two. Jo's grandson seemed likely to turn up again, and I would've expected Jo to be close behind. I can see that Sarah Jane is irreplaceable but it seems very sad to have lost all the other characters with her... __________________ Soon oh soon the light, Pass within and soothe this endless night, And wait here for you, Our reason to be here...

January 5 2013, 07:18 PM	#34
Brendan Moody Vice Admiral Location: Providence	Re: How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? She's not, actually, having left as of the end of the sixth series, though she was at the time SJA's fate was being decided. At the moment she's a regular in the CBeebies series Old Jack's Boat and the American CW series The Carrie Diaries. __________________ The Stars at Noonday

January 5 2013, 09:09 PM	#35
DWF Vice Admiral Location: Columbus, Ohio	Re: How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? Sorry about that, I guess we're still alittle behind on BBCA. __________________ The greatest science fiction series of all time is Doctor Who! And I'll take you all on, one-by-one or all in a bunch to back it up!" --- Harlan Ellison, from his introduction to the PINNACLE series of Doctor Who books

January 6 2013, 08:29 AM	#36
Cutter John Rear Admiral Location: Beyond the wall of sleep, just south of Seattle.	Re: How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? Of course without Liz Sladen they'd have to change the series name. __________________ "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things. But vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant."

January 6 2013, 05:17 PM	#38
Captaindemotion Vice Admiral Location: Ireland	Re: How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? Or the Bourne Legacy... __________________ Hodor!!!!!!!

STAR TREK

CSI

ABOUT US

January 6 2013, 06:41 PM	#40
Sindatur Rear Admiral Location: Sacramento, CA	Re: How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? In the case of Blake's 7, I never thought anything was wrong with it, since they were his crew, and following his "Mission". they still counted as his 7 (Orac and Zen/Liberator could be used to round out the quantity to 7) __________________ One Day I hope to be the Man my Cat thinks I am Where are we going? And why are we in this Handbasket?

January 6 2013, 06:45 PM	#41
Brendan Moody Vice Admiral Location: Providence	Re: How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? Whatever has happened in other cases, I do think a revamped SJA would have changed its title based on whoever the lead was, possibly after a final and transitional SJA special. __________________ The Stars at Noonday

January 6 2013, 08:10 PM	#43
Captaindemotion Vice Admiral Location: Ireland	Re: How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? ^And it's not like there isn't scope for other spin-offs set within the DW universe. __________________ Hodor!!!!!!!

January 6 2013, 09:25 PM	#45
Relayer1 Fleet Captain Location: The Black Country, England	Re: How was Liz Sladen's death handled on Sarah Jane Adventures? Taggart, the Scottish detective series lost the lead character Detective Jim Taggart when the actor playing him (Mark McManus) died in 1994. The most recent series aired in 2011... __________________ Soon oh soon the light, Pass within and soothe this endless night, And wait here for you, Our reason to be here...