Paramount and CBS teaming for TV production

[Christopher]

^The issue isn't clarity, it's your choice of example. I don't think Enterprise is a good comparison here, because it came on the tail end of the last era of Trek on TV and film, when the franchise's performance was in decline. I chose TNG as my comparison because it's a closer analogy to the hypothetical situation we're talking about here -- the first new Trek series on TV in a number of years, following the strong success of a series of Trek motion pictures. (Because it stands to reason that our odds of getting a new Trek TV series are better if the next couple of Abrams movies perform comparably to the '09 film.)

 

[xortex]

I don't agree and here's why: Babylon five and BSG both did direct to dvd movies that were aired on network tv every so often. If the next movie flops which I hope it does and so should everybody because then CBS might follow that pattern of putting out small tv movies out every so often on netflix or somewhere where the quality of the stories matter more than the wiz bang special effects explosions, unless you prefer that over quality story telling. Testing the waters in that way would more assuredly and effectively lead to the success of another series than totally bankrolling a singular vision of a singular team of idiots like Bad Robot and putting all your eggs in one vapid basket.

 

[RAMA]

I don't agree and here's why: Babylon five and BSG both did direct to dvd movies that were aired on network tv every so often. If the next movie flops which I hope it does and so should everybody because then CBS might follow that pattern of putting out small tv movies out every so often on netflix or somewhere where the quality of the stories matter more than the wiz bang special effects explosions, unless you prefer that over quality story telling. Testing the waters in that way would more assuredly and effectively lead to the success of another series than totally bankrolling a singular vision of a singular team of idiots like Bad Robot and putting all your eggs in one vapid basket.

So far the evidence suggests ST09 was a boon for ST and it's associated merchandise. Its possible that STNG-R may not have had the final green light without the success of ST09. As of right now, the leading candidate for a new ST series is JJ Abrams and co, and Lindelof stated they were interested in producing one IF the next movie is a success. To which I say: I'm already awaiting the announcement.

 

[xortex]

So you're interested in Trek merchandizing more than great stories?

 

[RAMA]

So you're interested in Trek merchandizing more than great stories?

I'm including getting STNG-R into stores...a huge undertaking and incredibly worthwhile. This has led to ENT getting the 1080p treatment, and likely other shows. Even if ST09 accomplished only that it would be a success.

ST09 is a great story, its the only ST movie to be nominated for a Writer's Guild Award, Nebula(Bradbury Award), Saturn, Hugo. It wouldn't have been nominated for its writing if it wasn't any good.

JJAbrams and CO have produced and written some excellent series on TV in the genre (Fringe, Lost, Person of Interest), so the track record is very good. Nothing would lead me to believe their ST TV show would be otherwise.

RAMA

 

[xortex]

Their writing is great, it's their ideas that suck. The high mind concept is still king. It's what differentiates Beethoven and Mozart from Salieri or do you listen to rap music?

 

[yousirname]

Their writing is great, it's their ideas that suck. The high mind concept is still king. It's what differentiates Beethoven and Mozart from Salieri or do you listen to rap music?

Lol.

"'High mind concept', Admiral?"
"Yes. You'll see it in all the dramatists of the time - Roddenberry, Hurley, Piller..."
"Ah. The giants."

 

[Christopher]

As of right now, the leading candidate for a new ST series is JJ Abrams and co, and Lindelof stated they were interested in producing one IF the next movie is a success. To which I say: I'm already awaiting the announcement.

Either them or Kurtzman & Orci, who now have their own independent production company. There's been speculation that K&O could produce a Trek animated series, much as they've done with Transformers Prime.

Still, of all the producers who've thrown their hat into the ring as potential makers of a new Trek series, the ones I'd choose are Bryan Fuller & Bryan Singer. I bet they could come up with something really interesting.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Yes, I stated that...TODAY they make LESS because of the lower demand for network TV. More actors made $500,000+(Some $850,000-1 million+) in the last few decades than they make now. Even so, there are some who make about half of what ENT cost per episode. In fact the 4th season of ENT actually avged a budget of about $850,000 per episode, slightly more than Ashton Kutcher makes per ep.

In other words, ENT was on par with network shows that had bigger name stars.

Let me summarize:

Shows in ENT's time with big name stars had much larger budgets because they paid so much to the big name stars. Consequently they still had to pay for the rest of the show on top of those salaries, god forbid there was more than one actor making more than 500,000. An example might be Friends, where the 6 cast members EACH made $1 million per HALF HOUR episode for the final season (omg, that's 6 million per ep before you pay for anything else!). Charlie Sheen recently was making $2 million per episode. Several actors still make $500,000 an episode DESPITE the decreased ratings...today a 10 is good. STNG avged a 12-13 in it's final seasons by comparison.

Yes, the shows had bigger ratings and so on than Enterprise but ST probably had better syndication deals (better ad revenue) and ENT probably made more in it's UPN network deal as well. Still, it has to be known shows like ENT cost more, but to produce, not to pay out to big names, so the money actually goes INTO the production of the show...more bang for the buck.

Today, with lower ratings but some actors still making large salaries, I think you can make a case for a sci fi show like ST, on a niche network or syndication-type deal or even streaming outlet doing well enough to warrant a good budget....knowing you don't need to score a 20 rating to be popular. A streaming series might get away with a budget of $1 million, and with 12 episodes, would cost less than the 25 episode seasons of past Trek. H+ the excellent, ward winning webseries by Bryan Singer cost $2 million to produce for 255 min, featuring FX, international locations, etc. Drone, another praised webseries cost a fraction of that and looks better than almost any studio produced network series.

A model:

http://scifipulse.net/2013/01/indienet-and-beyond-top-ten-web-series-of-2012/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qOb_S_Q_iI

http://singularityhub.com/2012/09/0...webseries-about-autonomous-humanoid-soldiers/

Doesn't really change anything.

As of right now, the leading candidate for a new ST series is JJ Abrams and co, and Lindelof stated they were interested in producing one IF the next movie is a success. To which I say: I'm already awaiting the announcement.

Either them or Kurtzman & Orci, who now have their own independent production company. There's been speculation that K&O could produce a Trek animated series, much as they've done with Transformers Prime.

I really wouldn't be surprised if that's the route that's taken.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I don't agree and here's why: Babylon five and BSG both did direct to dvd movies that were aired on network tv every so often. If the next movie flops which I hope it does and so should everybody because then CBS might follow that pattern of putting out small tv movies out every so often on netflix or somewhere where the quality of the stories matter more than the wiz bang special effects explosions, unless you prefer that over quality story telling. Testing the waters in that way would more assuredly and effectively lead to the success of another series than totally bankrolling a singular vision of a singular team of idiots like Bad Robot and putting all your eggs in one vapid basket.

If the next movie flops, neither Paramount nor CBS will bother to do anything with Star Trek on TV, Netflix etc. But since the next movie will not flop, this is a moot point.

The fact that Star Trek is in the good graces of the Viacom brass as a money-maker is the only reason for hope for a Star Trek series at all.

So you're interested in Trek merchandizing more than great stories?

The people with the power to greenlight a series are. Do you really think they give a flip about "great stories"? They just want someone to convince them that a Star Trek TV series will make them a lot of money.

Realistically, the best argument is not money. Some cookie cutter cop show will deliver a better return on investment. The argument for Star Trek is that it's a great way for CBS to test out the waters of the future of TV, namely niche programming on subscription based streaming services.

It's an investment in the future, so it doesn't matter if it doesn't pay off right now. CBS is in a healthy financial position and can afford to experiment. And now is the time for experiments like this.

Otherwise, the TV business will be in the same boat as the music business was, with their business model suddenly destroyed while they stand around with their mouths open wondering what truck just ran over them. The lesson there should be obvious: if you are a content producer and technology is changing how people consume your content, you better be the one driving the truck.

 

[RAMA]

379. boborci - March 8, 2013 Phil Can’t comment on bad Robot tv plans.
KO is currently in a tv deal at 20th and we’re shooting a pilot called “Sleepy Hollow” for Fox Network.
who knows what next year will bring.