Alex Kurtzman Gets New Deal With CBS, Will Expand 'Star Trek' TV

[XCV330]

STD's pulling a tiny audience compared to the old syndicated Trek shows, so most of the world doesn't even notice.

Oh? What are the international numbers? Please advise. You must have some idea to make a statement like that, right?


Let's compare first-run and not reruns. How many countries could you see TOS in on first run, TNG, Voy.. compare it to DSC.

At it's best, as a first run series, TOS had a Nielson rating of 17.5. It went downhill from there. That means at peak viewership 17.5 percent of TV watchers in America were watching Star Trek when it came on NBC that night. Reruns would not be available for another few years. The population of the United States in that time frame was somewhere around 196 million. About 53 million of those homes owned televisions. Even assuming that somehow EVERYONE owning a television in America tuned in on Tuesday night, 1966, that means 9,275,000 Americans potentially watched Star Trek.

TNG hit a little more then those numbers a few times but not by much.

Compare to Netflix's reach. Netflix has over 118 million international subscribers. That's subscribers not faces in front of screens. You can have it on multiple devices and share with multiple family members so the total Netflix viewership is potentially considerably larger. On top of that with the broadcast viewing in Canada and other methods of watching the show (Amazon, CBS All Access, etc) you have a show that is most likely hitting numbers that TOS could not have thought about.

So when an embattled network like CBS decides to go $25 mil worth the all-in on CBS, you can imagine they may have very sound reasons for pushing those chips across the table, and that foundation is build on Discovery, whether you personally like it, or chose to hang out on a sub-forum about it to let people know that you don't.

 

[Jadeb]

They give me feels

They are a guilty pleasure and are totally analogous to eating three desserts in a row - but the characters are compelling and the shows are generally upbeat and have some levity to them. They walk the line between being grounded in reality while not taking themselves too seriously and just make for enjoyable television...

...for me at least.

I think the Arrowverse shows hit the mark tonally - they don’t get too hung up on being “funny” or “serious” - they seem to strike a good balance I think.

Ah, my cheque from the CW has arrived - enough waxing lyrical about the Arrowverse...

I stopped watching over time, because I found they got repetitive and because I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume, but I thought the CW shows did what they aim to do pretty well. They typically have likeable casts and can skate by on charm even when the scripts don't quite deliver (especially if you have a fondness for the source material). They don't pretend to be prestige TV, just fun comic book shenanigans on a CW budget. There's an honesty to that that I appreciate.

I'm sure I'd hold Trek to a high standard even if the showrunners weren't constantly puffing Discovery up, but the puffery doesn't help. If that's the bar you want me to judge you by, I will.

 

[Jadeb]

From the way you're describing them, they sound like modern versions of Xena or something.

That's a good analogy, actually.

 

[Lord Garth]

But what about Berman's emails?

"I'm sick of hearing about Hillary Clinton's damn emails." -- Me, who owns an "I'm Still With Her" T-Shirt, quoting Bernie Sanders.

 

[Mudd]

Sure. There is not one thread on this forum about visual reboot, wrong Klingon look or wrong starship look in DSC.

Well, if you do care about that stuff you're talking about a whole lot more than "the Berman era."

Last big controversy I noticed in that regard was about STD's "designers" fucking up the old TOS ship.

 

[eschaton]

"I'm sick of hearing about Hillary Clinton's damn emails." -- Me, who owns an "I'm Still With Her" T-Shirt, quoting Bernie Sanders.

It's weird that in some small way, we might have Brannon Braga to thank for Obama becoming president.

 

[Mudd]

Well, we might have Jeri Ryan to thank - did Braga encourage her to come forward, or something?

And, BTW, how would that be "ironic?"

 

[eschaton]

Well, we might have Jeri Ryan to thank - did Braga encourage her to come forward, or something?

And, BTW, how would that be "ironic?"

Bad choice of words, edited.

As far as I know, Jeri didn't want the custody proceedings - which sank her ex-husband's political career - made public.

My point is perhaps if Jeri hadn't had the affair with Braga, she wouldn't have broken up with Jack Ryan (or it would have happened later) which would have resulted in said documents not existing in 2004.

 

[lawman]

Very good news. Only one thing. I hope all DSC haters here and on social media know that there is no come back to Berman era look in Star Trek. All new series will share visual continuity with Discovery. If Jean-Luc Picard will meet any Klingon in this new mini series then there will be Klingon like this from DSC and if this conversation will be on two starships then holograms will be used. I hope this remainder will prevent outrage even if only on this forum.

"Hey, remember that needle you hated being poked with? Here, let me poke you with it a few more times. Gosh, I hope that doesn't bother you..."

What's the appeal, if you don't mind me asking?

I partially avoid superhero shows because I really friggin hate villains. Not as in I love to hate them, as in I hate stories which have simplistic bad guys who the heroes have to defeat. ... IMHO internal conflict - or conflict where there is no one who is clearly right or wrong - is just so much better than the whole white hat/black hat crap.

FWIW, the original show in the "Arrowverse" is (naturally enough) Arrow, which is based loosely on DC's Green Arrow character. It's probably the least super-hero-ey of the bunch; it has more of an "urban vigilante" feel (not unlike Batman). While it does follow the pattern of a lot of shows these days (very popular since, and probably best exemplified by, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) of having a season-long "big bad" nemesis for the hero each year, on at least a few occasions Arrow has complicated that trope by offering up a morally complex nemesis, and has later revisited the same character(s), even making some of them recurring allies. It has also done a solid job of developing an interesting ensemble of supporting characters around the titular hero. As with Trek, not every season is of equal quality, but I recommend at least giving the show a try.

The various spin-off shows (Flash, Legends, Supergirl) follow similar formats but are all, undeniably, more traditionally comic-booky. As a longtime comics fan I quite enjoy that, but they may not be your cup of tea.

Note: I understand that some comic book stories are more complex than this. But I really don't feel like wading through the genre to find it.

Well, Sturgeon's Law applies, of course. But not really any more with comics than with SF or any other genre!...

For the record my favorite show is Mad Men. I put it way above Discovery, no matter how much I like DSC.

Wow, that's interesting. I found Mad Men interesting enough to watch it to the end, but I never understood all the critical accolades. To my eye it played to the most obvious tropes of its setting, it was very tonally uneven, its approach to its characters' psychology was much more superficial than it pretended to be, and it put Don (and many of the other characters) through the same basic personal and professional crises over and over again.

My personal all-time favorite TV show is The Wire. That is truly some brilliant television (and I don't even like cop shows).

 

[BillJ]

I wonder whether the Picard idea will involve flashbacks?

Hello mid-23rd century spandex jumpsuits and skants!

Well, no. They'll change everything, including giving Data a never before known sister and having him served with Picard on the Stargazer. Claim it is "Prime" and certain folks will eat it up.

 

[eschaton]

Well, no. They'll change everything, including giving Data a never before known sister and having him served with Picard on the Stargazer. Claim it is "Prime" and certain folks will eat it up.

Stewart is coming back, but as an elderly Captain Kirk.

 

[XCV330]

Well, no. They'll change everything, including giving Data a never before known sister and having him served with Picard on the Stargazer. Claim it is "Prime" and certain folks will eat it up.

Data is an odd example to bring up regarding unknown siblings popping up in the prime timeline.

 

[BillJ]

Data is an odd example to bring up regarding unknown siblings popping up in the prime timeline.

This one will be before all the others. And human.

 

[Jinn]

Stewart is coming back, but as an elderly Captain Kirk.

He's coming back, but as himself and it's a one-hour PSA on why DSC is canon. It'll get the lowest ratings in Trek history ever and single-handedly bring the the third dark age of TV Trek.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Very good news. Only one thing. I hope all DSC haters here and on social media know that there is no come back to Berman era look in Star Trek. All new series will share visual continuity with Discovery. If Jean-Luc Picard will meet any Klingon in this new mini series then there will be Klingon like this from DSC and if this conversation will be on two starships then holograms will be used. I hope this remainder will prevent outrage even if only on this forum.

HOLY SHITBALLS WHAT WILL WORF LOOK LIKE???

 

[BillJ]

Oh, yeah. The Stargazer will have a stargate drive that can take it anywhere in the multiverse. But will never be heard about again because of reasons...

 

[BillJ]

The Romulans will now be spiders, and still related to Vulcans!

I hope Kurtzman is taking notes, this is awesome shit I'm spewing!

 

[yenny]

Y'all should know that the one that Nicholas Meyer is working on is separative from the 4 new ones that Kurtzman contract with, base on that it's already in the works.
The 4 new ones that Kurtzman have a contract with, are in the planning phase. Meaning that plots hasn't been writen yet.
The one that Patrick Stewart will be in, will take place 16 or more years after Nemesis. The other 3 are base off of rumors and speculations.
These are the most top rumors ones.
Starfleet Academy
The Romulan War
Five year mission one during TOS time period, but not involving the Enterprise and crew.
A 5 year mission after TMP with Kirk and crew.
A 5 year mission with the Enterprise-A.
One with the Enterprise-B
One with the Enterprise-C

 

[BillJ]

Starfleet Academy
The Romulan War
Five year mission one during TOS time period, but not involving the Enterprise and crew.
A 5 year mission after TMP with Kirk and crew.
A 5 year mission with the Enterprise-A.
One with the Enterprise-B
One with the Enterprise-C

I'm glad fans aren't in charge. Oh, wait...

 

[Jinn]

Y'all should know that the one that Nicholas Meyer is working on is separative from the 4 new ones that Kurtzman contract with, base on that it's already in the works.
The 4 new ones that Kurtzman have a contract with, are in the planning phase. Meaning that plots hasn't been writen yet.
The one that Patrick Stewart will be in, will take place 16 or more years after Nemesis. The other 3 are base off of rumors and speculations.
These are the most top rumors ones.
Starfleet Academy
The Romulan War
Five year mission one during TOS time period, but not involving the Enterprise and crew.
A 5 year mission after TMP with Kirk and crew.
A 5 year mission with the Enterprise-A.
One with the Enterprise-B
One with the Enterprise-C

Okay, okay, we heard you the first two times