A New Sci-Fi TV Show, Anyone?

[Temis the Vorta]

American version of Torchwood gets a stupid name!

Also, it's a reboot. Is that a good thing or a bad thing or a thing that will cause the Earth to crack in half?

Although they call it a reboot, the description they give of the current state of the Torchwood organization is consistent with how Children of Earth ended. So if it is a reboot, it's a very loose one.

I have a feeling it will flop on Starz anyway. Starz is positioning itself to be "HBO, but sleazier." The problem there is, when people think about milieus where they want to see sex and violence (outside of actual porn that is), they think: ancient Rome (which Starz has, with Spartacus) and then what. 17th C Pirates? Las Vegas? The Roaring 20s? Congress?

You could come up with a huge list of good settings for what Starz is trying to do, but sci fi is the last place people will look for it. Starz would be better off doing a sexy, violent show about the Court of Versailles. I can't see the average Spartacus fan really being interested in sci fi trappings for their sleaze, and if you insisted on using sci fi, it should be like TOS, with scantily-clad, funny colored aliens having orgies with something that vaguely resembles an octopus and exotic, outer space locations, and don't even bother with boring old Earth. X-Files type sci fi is completely the wrong idea.

Camelot, however, is the right idea, as long as they take the philosophy that they're remaking The Tudors in a vaguely medieval time period, with occasional references to magic. It should be palace intrigue with sexy people wearing fancy clothes.

 

[RandyS]

I'm not watching anything with any sort of regularity for almost a year now. I'd love a new SF series, particularly something space adventure, but I ain't holding my breath.

I have several ideas (mostly for one-off novels) if you're willing to pony up the cash.

 

[startrekwatcher]

Not compared to the 70s or 80s...there's a LOT on...Warehouse 13, Stargate Universe, Sanctuary, Caprica, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Fringe, Flash Forward, Eureka and V. Lost, BSG, and The Dollhouse JUST went off the air. V, SG Universe, Caprica, Dr Who all take place in space or with aliens, and with spaceships.

Sure there is a lot of sff stuff but in my opinion most of it is crap--Warehouse 13, Dr Who, SGU, Sanctuary, Torchwood, Eureka, Haven, Persons Unknown, Heroes post S1, Bionic Woman, Knight Rider 2.0, Surface.

And a lot of good ideas executed poorly--V, Flash Forward, Caprica, The Gates, True Blood. Fringe is an okay series but mostly recycled X-Files.

The only good sff I've seen in the last few years has been LOST, Legend of the Seeker and even The Vampire Diaries isn't too bad. nBSG was also pretty good if you stop watching it after a season and a half.

And as far as the upcoming stuff this fall the only show that interests me is The Event.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The ones I'm most hopeful for:

The Event
No Ordinary Family
Fallen Skies
Terra Nova
Alabama
Camelot

...not a single one on Skiffy either. Unless they do that Cylon War series, they've only got Caprica for the foreseeable future.

If Zombies & Vampires makes an appearance, that could be fun. I'll check out The Walking Dead but I honestly don't see how they can maintain that premise for the length of any substantial series.

 

[Warped9]

I'm not watching anything with any sort of regularity for almost a year now. I'd love a new SF series, particularly something space adventure, but I ain't holding my breath.

I have several ideas (mostly for one-off novels) if you're willing to pony up the cash.

Actually I'm working on my own writing.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

A bit of info on Outcasts.

Doesn't sound like space opera either. Not sure I'm very interested watching some grouchy people bitch at each other in the wastelands of South Africa.

 

[AviTrek]

A bit of info on Outcasts.

Doesn't sound like space opera either. Not sure I'm very interested watching some grouchy people bitch at each other in the wastelands of South Africa.

It's not space opera, but it's no different than Revolution. Human colonists on an alien world in the future. And given the BBC's track record, I have more faith in Outcasts than any of the shows SyFy is working on.

 

[John Clark]

If this keeps up, the zombies will outnumber the vampires! ANOTHER zombie show!

Charlie Brooker's zombie-horror-comedy "Dead Set" will roll out as a five-night event from October 25-29 on IFC. Said project, which will air at midnight/11:00c each night, tracks the insulated members of the U.K. "Big Brother" house after zombies emerge and begin attacking humans.

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WTF - zombie reality TV? That's either the worst idea of all time or the best.

I remember seeing this a while ago. I thought it was entertaining enough

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Revolution had a good cast I was looking forward to seeing, and I was hoping they would have a bit of space-based action too.

I have no faith in anything skiffy is working on either. All the stuff that looks good is on other networks/cable.

 

[The Comedian]

so what's "Alabama" about, then?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The Reno: 911 gang blatantly stole the idea that the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia crew had a year or so ago, to do a Star Trek parody using their style of humor (which the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia crew called Going Boldly Nowhere - and I guess that's exactly where the concept went because it never surfaced).

Okay, an idea that unoriginal isn't really copyrightable, so nobody is going to be suing anyone. I think the idea here is to take the absurdist style of Reno: 911 - a workplace comedy with a bunch of oblivious losers - and place it in a futuristic space opera context. Two of the Reno: 911 guys (Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon) will star in it.

It sounds like a good match, since their take on Star Trek is basically cops in space (more the TOS idea than what Star Trek has been since then):

Alabama, written by Garant and Lennon, is a comedy set a thousand years in the future, aboard the United Nations peacekeeping spaceship: THE USS ALABAMA. The series begins six years into their seven year mission to maintain peace and enforce treaties between planets in their jurisdiction: Sector 187-G. The show will follow the heart- pounding action as our crew visits hostile planets, meets alien life-forms, and tries to have sex with each other in their tiny, metal bunk beds.

Here's the whole story.

I love how much faith they have in their show that they're giving themselves the last year of a seven year mission. If it's renewed, will they tell the story backwards?
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Niecy Nash would be absolutely perfect for a Star Trek parody and lo and behold, the day after the Alabama show was announced, she announced that she was leaving her current gig. Interesting timing.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

BIG NEWS! Actual space opera sighting! And Bryan Fuller is involved! The Lotus Caves.