Defying Gravity: Discussion thread for the remaining episodes.

[the_wildcard]

haha when I first saw previews for this on ABC, I knew it was going to get cancelled. Partly because of the lack luster preview but also because well....it's network television ABC.

I didn't want to invest into the show only to be dissapointed by a cancellation.

 

[Shawnster]

So, has episode 10 been shown anywhere in the world yet? Is it available online to watch somewhere?

 

[cylkoth]

^^Apparently, it was off for a week in Canada...Ep 10 is scheduled for this Friday.

 

[Angel4576]

Is it right that ABC aren't stumping up any of the production costs? Funded presumably by CTV, BBC and Pro 7 then?

 

[Christopher]

^Fox Television Studios is the American production partner. The other partners are the BBC, Germany's ProSieben, and Canada's Omni Film Productions, CTV, and Space.

 

[Angel4576]

Ah. Must admit I would have been surprised if there wasn't an American production partner.

I don't see it doing terribly well on the BBC to be honest. I suspect that it'll get shuffled to BBC2. I can't see them trying to use it to fill the Merlin/Robin Hood/Doctor Who Saturday early evening slot. If it's tanked in the States they'll more than likely look to hide it away somewhere.

On the flipside I guess is that they may play up the 'Voyage to the Planets' angle, as that did pretty well when it was aired over here.

 

[Tomato]

Any Canucks catch the episode?

 

[jefferiestubes8]

serialized storylines vs stand alone episodes

Please don't waste your time and money on shows that require patience and intelligence on the part of viewers. And don't bother producing shows that, like a classic novel, take time to build storylines.

Unfortunately, today's TV audiences have acquired Attention Deficit Disorder, and as such are unable to enjoy such programming.

23skidoo scripted television dramas have been moving towards serialized storylines and seasons for over a decade.
See this post for some examples in detail.

As far as Nielsen ratings reflecting how many people are watching TV with serialized storylines in the last 5 years or so check out these two examples:
Lost season 1

the season had only a slim order of 13 episodes for its first season. After the first four episodes garnered enormously high ratings, however,
approval was given out to produce another 9 episodes, making 22 total.

http://www.ultimatedisney.com/lost-season1.html

When the Nielsen ratings dust finally settled at the end of the 2006-2007 television season, only one of the major networks' primetime serial dramas was left standing: NBC's Heroes. The most talked-about series to hit the airwaves (and the blogosphere) since ABC's Lost,

http://www.hollywoodvideo.com/movies/movie.aspx?MID=143875

Defying Gravity was marketed as Grey's Anatomy in space. Grey's Anatomy is totally a serialized TV series that is on it's sixth season.

 

[firehawk12]

Any Canucks catch the episode?

I can't find it on the streaming site yet and the regular internet doesn't have it. Oh well.

 

[BigFoot]

Any Canucks catch the episode?

According to Space's website, it's actually airing tonight.

 

[Agent Richard07]

^ It aired last night.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: serialized storylines vs stand alone episodes

Please don't waste your time and money on shows that require patience and intelligence on the part of viewers. And don't bother producing shows that, like a classic novel, take time to build storylines.

Unfortunately, today's TV audiences have acquired Attention Deficit Disorder, and as such are unable to enjoy such programming.

23skidoo scripted television dramas have been moving towards serialized storylines and seasons for over a decade.
See this post for some examples in detail.

Serialized shows do great on basic and premium cable. I pretty much watch only heavily serialized stuff nowadays and I have a full viewing schedule: Sons of Anarchy, Dexter, Big Love, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Tudors, Entourage, Heroes, Lost, Flash Forward, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Chuck and It's Only Sunny in Philadelphia.

Of all of those, only the last three could be considered even semi-serialized - possibly because they're comedies and full serialization isn't as compatible with comedy as with drama.

TV is splitting into the ADD crowd for broadcast (who regardless, manage to remember reality-show "plotlines" well enough to follow along) and the anti-ADD crowd for cable. Nothing to do with audiences losing their memories or patience. It's all about the business model.

 

[BigFoot]

^ It aired last night.

You're right, I screwed up when checking the schedule.

 

[Aragorn]

Changing the url on that ch131.com site, it says episode 10 will be posted tonight.

Also, Paula is getting to be more annoying that Wass. It's as if someone like Trent Roman is writing for her with the way her religious beliefs are portrayed.

 

[Trent Roman]

I caught the tail end of this while waiting for SG:U to start. Obviously, I haven't watched the last several episodes, so I'm unclear on several points, but--as I understand from Internet osmosis, the alien artifact has been explained, the crew is going nuts (well, nuttier than their usual selves), while back on Earth the story of the real mission is threatening to break to the press, which I assume the guy with the metal leg is going to play a part in. So, with all that in the works, what happens? Rollie or whatever his name is texts while driving and runs over a cyclist. I gave the television set a scornful slow-clap. This kind of pointless soap opera crap is the reason I stopped watching; I suppose they're consistent, if nothing else. I don't recognize the woman he injured/killed, but then I stopped watching after the beginning. I hope it's someone the audience knows, because if he just ran over some random person, that would be really... random. All that's left is for someone's long-lost twin to wake from their coma and sleep with someone's wife.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Tomato]

For canucks you can go here to watch episode 10. http://www.spacecast.com/Shows/defyinggravity.aspx

Overall everytime this show does something well it goes ahead and does something stupid. The car accident with the cyclist coming out of nowhere... WTF? is with that. And yeah the cyclist was random. I don't even now if that guy was drunk. Can't really see why they bothered with that at all.

The guy with the metal leg, my guess is that he lost his leg while training for the mission. They seem to throw a lot in this show while not bothering to resolve anything.

 

[Chris_Johnston]

They seem to throw a lot in this show while not bothering to resolve anything.

Well, you don't need to answer every question right away.
I remember G'Kar asking Lyta Alexander what her "pleasure threshold" was in the Babylon 5 pilot, and she didn't answer the question until the end of the final season!

 

[timelord1010]

Guess I have to wait for this to hit DVD. ABC sucks, they could have at least ran the last couple of episodes on a Saturday night or some other dead spot on their schedule.

 

[firehawk12]

For some reason the online viewer is playing the clips backwards. I thought they were doing some kind of interesting reverse-time narrative thing until I saw the opening titles during the sixth clip. Whoops.

 

[BigFoot]

Found this week's ep that aired on space online. Gonna watch it later; gotta run to the store first.