Kurtzman on Any New Series Reaching 100 Episodes

[Jedi Marso]

If BSG were to be redone now, I'd do it like this, with 5 seasons running at 10-12 episodes each. Each episode would be separated by about 5-10 years of time in-show.

S1: The end of the thousand yahren war, the loss of the colonies, the exodus, the discovery of Kobol.

S2: Finding the Pegasus, temporarily taking the fight back to the Cylons, followed by being overwhelmed and a second exodus.

S3: The desert. This whole season embraces life in the rag-tag fleet, the misery of it, societal adaptation, the search for resources, and pursuit by the Cylons.

S4: Count Iblis and the War of the Gods. The colonials attempt to settle a planet under Iblis' guidance. It is a disaster, and the Cylons nearly destroy the survivors. Third Exodus.

S5: The refugees encounter Terra after some signposts from the City of Lights, press on past, and discover an even more advanced Earth with a large interstellar Federation or some such. These people have advanced AI and anti-cyber capabilities, and the pursuing Cylons are destroyed in a final confrontation. What's more, a cyber-mole works back through the entire Cylon civilization, destroying them and ending the threat forever. (Shades of Hugh the Borg in TNG) Humans win!

 

[Galaxy]

I wonder how much of the problem relates to the gap in between seasons that many streaming shows have?

The Mandalorian had an almost 3 year gap between seasons 2 and 3. Many viewers would have moved one, especially for a show that does well with casual viewers.

 

[The Wormhole]

The Mandalorian had an almost 3 year gap between seasons 2 and 3.

Hardly. At twenty-six months, it was only a little over two years, not nearly three. And the reason it was that long was because of the pandemic.

Besides, halfway through that two year gap was The Book of Boba Fett which is basically part of The Mandalorian anyway. So there has been a steady annual output of Mando, from a certain point of view.

 

[Ovation]

So there has been a steady annual output of Mando, from a certain point of view.

I…kinda…see what you did here.

 

[Tosk]

Besides, halfway through that two year gap was The Book of Boba Fett which is basically part of The Mandalorian anyway. So there has been a steady annual output of Mando, from a certain point of view.

For better or worse.

 

[Lord Garth]

BABYLON 5 is 110 episodes, plus THE GATHERING pilot movie, and the movies IN THE BEGINNING, THIRDSPACE, and THE RIVER OF SOULS.

CALL TO ARMS is more the movie pilot for CRUSADE.

Bablyon 5 has some funky airdates for seasons. Since I'm alternating DS9 and B5 by airdate order, this is what it looks like:

DS9 Season 1 --> 1/3/93 - 6/19/93
DS9 Season 2 --> 9/25/93 - 6/11/94
DS9 Season 3 --> 9/24/94 - 6/17/95
DS9 Season 4 --> 9/30/95 - 6/15/96
DS9 Season 5 --> 9/28/96 - 6/16/97
DS9 Season 6 --> 9/27/97 - 6/13/98
DS9 Season 7 --> 9/30/98 - 6/2/99

B5 Pilot --> 2/22/93
B5 Season 1 --> 1/26/94 - 10/3/94
B5 Season 2 --> 11/2/94 - 8/15/95
B5 Season 3 --> 11/6/95 - 9/22/96
B5 Season 4 --> 11/4/96 - 10/27/97
In the Beginning --> 1/4/98
B5 Season 5 --> 1/21/98 - 11/25/98
Thirdspace --> 7/19/98
The River of Souls --> 11/7/98

It's interesting. I've never heard of a season ending in the fall.

 

[Farscape One]

Ah, I remember this well with B5.

It aired on PTEN (Prime Time Entertainment Network)... syndication.

For some strange reason, the last 4 episodes for each season were aired after repeating B5 for a few months (2-5 I know for sure did this... I don't remember if it was done this way for season 1). Basically, they'd have 18 episodes aired first (for example: 8 new, then 4 repeat, then 5 new, then 4 repeat, then 5 new) and repeat for about 2 months, then air the final 4 new episodes that season. This was maddening to me, especially after season 4's "Intersections in Real Time"... I was really anxious to see how that season would end.

 

[mswood]

No season of Disco has been included in the Nielsen data; Paramount only began sharing their data part-way through Picard S3. S5 is still a couple of weeks from being included.

I'm looking forward to it; it'll greatly amuse me if it outdoes the much-vaunted Picard S3.

Perhaps I wasn't clear.

Thanks to quarterly statements that are required by law to be factual. We know that Picard out performed Discovery. By those quarterly statements we know SNW out performed Picard. This is for the periods That include season 1 -4 of Discovery, Season 1and 2 of Picard, and Season 1 of SNW.

Thus pre Nielsen top ten released information from Paramount, we know that Discovery was the worst performing of the Treks (live action that is). Now Post Paramount sharing any info where a show cracks the Top Ten, We know its exceedingly likely (though technically not impossible) that SNW season 2 outperformed Picard season 3 (with two weeks pre Paramount sharing data, and two other weeks where the top ten threshold was over 402 million minutes, it leaves the mathematical possibility that Picard might have done better. But the median chance doesn't look good for Picard. Thats what I was referencing when I said we can't compare Discovery to those as it hasn't occurred yet.

Thus my comments are accurate (if perhaps not worded well), unless Paramount Execs broke Federal law and lied. Those fines can be in the tens of millions so they do try and speak in lawyer like terms so that what they saw is accurate even if you have to parse the very specific terms they use.

As for Discovery current season as of now, the only data we have is that the first week (3 days of airing) is for two airings and it didn't crack the top ten meaning it did worse than 274 million minutes. That threshold of 274 is the lowest threshold of any week that Paramount has released data when a new Trek episode has aired (though just barely, as Picard 9th episode tracked in 10th at 276 million). I was hoping that due to the 2 episodes released in that one week, even with only having 3 days on airing it would help get Discovery numbers high enough to track. I am thinking that the results that should come out tomorrow might be Discovery's best chance to track this season (barring unusually high competition) due to the first two episodes still having the 4 days of its initial 7 day window, and 3 days for episode 3.

Again I am not knocking Discovery. It realistically shouldn't outperform Picard or SNW) Shows don't typically continue to increase viewership during their run. That is very atypical (I mean seriously how many Game of Thrones are there, it is literally the only show I have ever tracked that increased its audience each year). And it started with a much smaller subscriber base versus either of the two other series. So I don't expect a show in its 5th year, to do better with one that was in its third, or one that was on its 2nd. Nor do I expect Season 1 of Discovery to outperform Season 1 of Picard, or season 1 of SNW when both of them have larger audience to pull viewers from.

 

[mswood]

Ah, I remember this well with B5.

It aired on PTEN (Prime Time Entertainment Network)... syndication.

For some strange reason, the last 4 episodes for each season were aired after repeating B5 for a few months (2-5 I know for sure did this... I don't remember if it was done this way for season 1). Basically, they'd have 18 episodes aired first (for example: 8 new, then 4 repeat, then 5 new, then 4 repeat, then 5 new) and repeat for about 2 months, then air the final 4 new episodes that season. This was maddening to me, especially after season 4's "Intersections in Real Time"... I was really anxious to see how that season would end.

Yeah it did seem a little strange. But now that I have a vast knowledge of ratings, and seasonal ratings, it's actually a more common cable schedule. Avoiding June means you avoid the new summer schedule (which did used to get original programming and the network promotion that comes with it). You then skip the ten zone of July and August, which has overall pretty crappy overall TV usage. While coming back in typically October (one was 9/30) means you get high overall TV usage, but also miss the exceedingly high promoted 1st and often 2nd week of new network fare. Heck even TNT keep that schedule (though again it was more common for a cable company at the time).

And since PTEN was trying to become a solid syndication foothold, they need to maximize when it's best to gain its audience. Of course it didn't really matter, in just a few years both parties in PTEN (Warners & Chris Craft rethought their idea and decided to each form their own Network (The WB, and UPN). Off network syndication for scripted programming didn't have much life left to it.

 

[Uhura's Song]

Perhaps I wasn't clear.

Thanks to quarterly statements that are required by law to be factual. We know that Picard out performed Discovery. By those quarterly statements we know SNW out performed Picard. This is for the periods That include season 1 -4 of Discovery, Season 1and 2 of Picard, and Season 1 of SNW.

Thus pre Nielsen top ten released information from Paramount, we know that Discovery was the worst performing of the Treks (live action that is). Now Post Paramount sharing any info where a show cracks the Top Ten, We know its exceedingly likely (though technically not impossible) that SNW season 2 outperformed Picard season 3 (with two weeks pre Paramount sharing data, and two other weeks where the top ten threshold was over 402 million minutes, it leaves the mathematical possibility that Picard might have done better. But the median chance doesn't look good for Picard. Thats what I was referencing when I said we can't compare Discovery to those as it hasn't occurred yet.

Thus my comments are accurate (if perhaps not worded well), unless Paramount Execs broke Federal law and lied. Those fines can be in the tens of millions so they do try and speak in lawyer like terms so that what they saw is accurate even if you have to parse the very specific terms they use.

As for Discovery current season as of now, the only data we have is that the first week (3 days of airing) is for two airings and it didn't crack the top ten meaning it did worse than 274 million minutes. That threshold of 274 is the lowest threshold of any week that Paramount has released data when a new Trek episode has aired (though just barely, as Picard 9th episode tracked in 10th at 276 million). I was hoping that due to the 2 episodes released in that one week, even with only having 3 days on airing it would help get Discovery numbers high enough to track. I am thinking that the results that should come out tomorrow might be Discovery's best chance to track this season (barring unusually high competition) due to the first two episodes still having the 4 days of its initial 7 day window, and 3 days for episode 3.

Again I am not knocking Discovery. It realistically shouldn't outperform Picard or SNW) Shows don't typically continue to increase viewership during their run. That is very atypical (I mean seriously how many Game of Thrones are there, it is literally the only show I have ever tracked that increased its audience each year). And it started with a much smaller subscriber base versus either of the two other series. So I don't expect a show in its 5th year, to do better with one that was in its third, or one that was on its 2nd. Nor do I expect Season 1 of Discovery to outperform Season 1 of Picard, or season 1 of SNW when both of them have larger audience to pull viewers from.

DISCO has had it's momemts. The first 2/3rds if S1. The start of S2 and Pike/Spick/#1/Amanda/Sarek all knocking it out of the park. Virtually all of of S3 until the idiotic Burn cause & Vance making it impossible for Osyyra to say yes. But To Connect and finally sticking the landing in S4.

I love Saru & Tilly. I love Culber. But a lot of DISCO has been two steps forward & 1 step back, sometimes within the same episode. Sometimes I thinknit is far too emo and all these people should be releived from duty, other times it gets me right in the feels.

For me, I kind of equate it most closely with VOYAGER. A lot of misses, but when it has been good, it's been real good.

Though S5 has not had a super good episode yet.


But Seasons 1-2 of SNW and S3 of Picard have been better than anything DISCO has put out.

 

[Farscape One]

DISCO has had it's momemts. The first 2/3rds if S1. The start of S2 and Pike/Spick/#1/Amanda/Sarek all knocking it out of the park. Virtually all of of S3 until the idiotic Burn cause & Vance making it impossible for Osyyra to say yes. But To Connect and finally sticking the landing in S4.

I love Saru & Tilly. I love Culber. But a lot of DISCO has been two steps forward & 1 step back, sometimes within the same episode. Sometimes I thinknit is far too emo and all these people should be releived from duty, other times it gets me right in the feels.

For me, I kind of equate it most closely with VOYAGER. A lot of misses, but when it has been good, it's been real good.

Though S5 has not had a super good episode yet.


But Seasons 1-2 of SNW and S3 of Picard have been better than anything DISCO has put out.

I bolded what I am in complete agreement about.

 

[fireproof78]

But Seasons 1-2 of SNW and S3 of Picard have been better than anything DISCO has put out.

It's not a competition.

I'd take TOS and the Kelvin films over all other Trek. They're the best.