BBC America: "one of the highest-rated shows on our network"
- Thread starter RAMA
- Start date
It would be nice if they would stop showing the same 30 episodes a gazillion times.
Star Trek: The Next Generation has a proven track record when it comes to these things that very, very, very few science fiction shows share with it: the ability to perform quite admirably for a time whenever, wherever it gets thrown to. The show has been over for sixteen years and it still manages to do this. It's hard to think of twenty more traditional series that can claim that, let alone five other sci-fi programs.
It's always good to see this analysis reconfirmed, though. Picard's crew might not be my favorite, but it's still a damn good crew, and more importantly, the longevity of TNG in the ratings field means that many people are still familiar and intrigued by Star Trek at large.
It's always good to see this analysis reconfirmed, though. Picard's crew might not be my favorite, but it's still a damn good crew, and more importantly, the longevity of TNG in the ratings field means that many people are still familiar and intrigued by Star Trek at large.
WGN America airs TNG weeknights (1 AM EDT). One of our local stations has it on around that time also, and it's always the same episode as WGNA. I guess it's a national thing for Tribune-owned stations if they decide to air it.
Just nice to see it doing well where ever it goes!
RAMA
And yet the British actor plays a Frenchman
And people say the show is dated.
It might be, but it still continues to be very much ratings friendly, while all these arc shows have to really hit the gate running or else it will end up like FastForward.
It might be, but it still continues to be very much ratings friendly, while all these arc shows have to really hit the gate running or else it will end up like FastForward.
Well, it is a bit dated (although much more so in seasons 1-2 than 3-7), but so is TOS, and that is part of it's charm. I am very happy that TNG is now moving into the phase of existence that TOS enjoyed for so long- a classic, a piece of history, but still damned good sci-fi with memorable characters that we and our children will love for a long, long time.
The main thing that dates it is the camera style. Television has become a lot more cinematic thanks to shows like The West Wing, 24 and Lost. TNG plays more like theatre now. This isn't a reflection on TNG's quality, just that you can date certain things based on the cinematic conventions they use to tell a story.
Eh the techniques are different...quick cuts and so on, but the photography in STNG was nominated for awards. I loved their use of color and lighting to make period pieces come alive, and in later seasons the "outdoor lighting" of sets was remarkable.
RAMA
This is true, but I also think the style of writing (my main interest) has changed massively in terms of structure of a scene, pacing etc. TNG is liking a watching a stage play - from the lengthy scenes, the dialogue, the staging etc.
Note - this isn't a criticism, it's just the way it was made. I think one of the great failings of later Treks was they were still making episodes the same way in the 21st century as they were in 1987.
It looks like the times are being moved around this week. BTW ST:N is on tomorrow at 8 PM EDT.
I recall BBCA playing the Doctor Who theme for its double-header nights of the Avengers + Doctor Who, and it made the Avengers look all the more awesome. This might be sacrilege, but when there's a TNG + Doctor Who double header night I wouldn't mind hearing the DW theme applied to TNG 
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