TV movies?

[Mage]

Instead of a new series, how about a run of stand alone tv movies?

Perhaps a Sulu movie? Something set on a completely different ship during the Dominion War? A movie focusing completely on one of the alien races? Stuff like that?

I think it could work, considering tv has changed so much, and real long running series are becoming quite rare, with a lot of shows being cancelled after one or two seasons. Sometimes that has to do with quality, sometimes with people just loosing interest because they don't want to to invest to much time into getting to know characters over a longer period of time. As hardcore tv-show fans on this forum, WE are willing to commit to that, but the average Joe doesn't. So yeah, I feel that 90 minute tv-movies set in the Trek universe, with each movie about a different group of people, could work.

 

[C.E. Evans]

For the same expense of creating sets, costumes, a production crew, special effects, etc., for a TV movie, one might as well go ahead with an actual TV series, IMO.

 

[Dukhat]

How many sci-fi, spaceship-based TV movies have you seen recently? I'm gonna guess zero, because nobody wants to spend money on that genre or that format. Not even Skiffy.

 

[Solariabsg25]

It would be the cost. Outlay for sets, etc would be just as great as for a whole series, but for far less gain (i.e. advertising revenue for 2-3 movies rather than for 24 episodes). You could not use stock effects, and the effects that you paid for would be useless after the movies.

The NuBSG mini-series was always intended as a back-door pilot hence the expense of that. The Stargate TV movies already had the Cheyenne Mountain and Gate-Room sets in place, so their initial outlay was far less.

Caprica, the last major 'space' show was seen as a costly failure, and all the major current sci-fi offerings are Earth-bound (i.e. cheap).

 

[Mage]

I very much understand the cost issues, but taking that out of consideration for the moment, would you prefer several movies instead of a series?

 

[Dukhat]

No, I'd prefer a series. I'd rather they spend the money to make the production look good knowing it was going to be ongoing, as opposed to doing things on the cheap for a TV movie or some straight-to-DVD schlock. Ever see Babylon 5's "The Lost Tales?" That's an example of what not to do.

 

[Solariabsg25]

I would personally prefer a series, and mainly for the reason Dukhat states.

I liked The Lost Tales, but it was lacking something, it seemed to lack the magic of Babylon 5, perhaps due to lack of Londo, Garibaldi, and especially the late lamented G'Kar and Franklin. It also felt small and cheap, something Babylon 5 had never felt.

The major difference between a TV series and a few movies is quality. If you have a slightly weaker outing in one episode, it can sometimes be carried by the others if the quality before and after were great. People didn't turn from TOS in droves after "Spock's Brain", they were just never there to begin with thanks to the network's burial of the series in the graveyard slot.

If it fails in the second movie of a group of three, it may damage perceptions of the whole.

 

[BillJ]

I very much understand the cost issues, but taking that out of consideration for the moment, would you prefer several movies instead of a series?

No TV movies or TV series. At this point, I'd rather they leave Trek on the big screen where the outings feel special.

 

[MacLeod]

How many sci-fi, spaceship-based TV movies have you seen recently? I'm gonna guess zero, because nobody wants to spend money on that genre or that format. Not even Skiffy.

Whilst not a TV Movie, Red Dwarf springs to mind it had a new series last year, did well enough in the ratings, it was reasonable well recieved and could get another season.

 

[AviTrek]

Instead of a new series, how about a run of stand alone tv movies?

Perhaps a Sulu movie? Something set on a completely different ship during the Dominion War? A movie focusing completely on one of the alien races? Stuff like that?

I think it could work, considering tv has changed so much, and real long running series are becoming quite rare, with a lot of shows being cancelled after one or two seasons. Sometimes that has to do with quality, sometimes with people just loosing interest because they don't want to to invest to much time into getting to know characters over a longer period of time. As hardcore tv-show fans on this forum, WE are willing to commit to that, but the average Joe doesn't. So yeah, I feel that 90 minute tv-movies set in the Trek universe, with each movie about a different group of people, could work.

You're right TV has changed a lot. And the era of TV movies is dead. When is the last time you saw a TV movie in general? SyFy does one big miniseries a year, but beyond that I can't think of any tv movie/miniseries at all. Throw in the added costs for space based sci fi and you'll never get the numbers to work for CBS to produce it.

I had thought a TV mini could have been a good filler in 2007 to celebrate the 40th anniversary with the mixed TNG era cast fans have always wanted, but now that that opportunity is gone, it will either be full series or nothing.

 

[Harvey]

How many sci-fi, spaceship-based TV movies have you seen recently? I'm gonna guess zero, because nobody wants to spend money on that genre or that format. Not even Skiffy.

Whilst not a TV Movie, Red Dwarf springs to mind it had a new series last year, did well enough in the ratings, it was reasonable well recieved and could get another season.

I haven't seen the new series yet (or the second and third parts of Back to Earth, for that matter), but I doubt the budget of Red Dwarf is more than a fraction of what it would cost to fund even a small Star Trek TV movie.

 

[Solariabsg25]

How many sci-fi, spaceship-based TV movies have you seen recently? I'm gonna guess zero, because nobody wants to spend money on that genre or that format. Not even Skiffy.

Whilst not a TV Movie, Red Dwarf springs to mind it had a new series last year, did well enough in the ratings, it was reasonable well recieved and could get another season.

I haven't seen the new series yet (or the second and third parts of Back to Earth, for that matter), but I doubt the budget of Red Dwarf is more than a fraction of what it would cost to fund even a small Star Trek TV movie.

I doubt the whole Red Dwarf budget would cover the catering bill for Broken Bow

But, at least they make good use of what they do have!

 

[Harvey]

Oh, certainly. I was just watching the episode "Backwards" yesterday. The Flintstones dialogue between Lister and the Cat is one of my favorite scenes of all time. And it could have been filmed in Doug Naylor's basement to the exact same effect.

 

[TheSubCommander]

I would be for a mini-series on TV, or netflix. Not that it seems likely, especially after seeing this thread...
http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?p=8296510#post8296510


... but I think an Earth Romulan war miniseries, featuring the NX-01 crew would be interesting.

Unfortunately, that is a pipe dream.

 

[MacLeod]

How many sci-fi, spaceship-based TV movies have you seen recently? I'm gonna guess zero, because nobody wants to spend money on that genre or that format. Not even Skiffy.

Whilst not a TV Movie, Red Dwarf springs to mind it had a new series last year, did well enough in the ratings, it was reasonable well recieved and could get another season.

I haven't seen the new series yet (or the second and third parts of Back to Earth, for that matter), but I doubt the budget of Red Dwarf is more than a fraction of what it would cost to fund even a small Star Trek TV movie.

True, but I was countering the claim that no one is making Ship based Sci-Fi. Now admitetly it's not on the scale of ST or most American Ship based Sci-Fi shows. But it'sa ship based Sci-Fi show non the less.

 

[Dukhat]

Whilst not a TV Movie, Red Dwarf springs to mind it had a new series last year, did well enough in the ratings, it was reasonable well recieved and could get another season.

I haven't seen the new series yet (or the second and third parts of Back to Earth, for that matter), but I doubt the budget of Red Dwarf is more than a fraction of what it would cost to fund even a small Star Trek TV movie.

True, but I was countering the claim that no one is making Ship based Sci-Fi. Now admitetly it's not on the scale of ST or most American Ship based Sci-Fi shows. But it'sa ship based Sci-Fi show non the less.

I never said that no one is making ship-based sci-fi. I said that no one is making ship-based sci-fi TV movies, which was what the OP was asking about.

 

[Mage]

A mini-series could be an option as well.

The biggest reason I feel a long-running tv show won't work is because of the reasons I stated earlier. Serialized tv doesn't seem to work anymore. With some exceptions ofcourse, most shows fail after one or two seasons. I'd hate to get my hopes up with a new show, only to have it cancelled after a while. I do see how tv-movies couldn't work well either though.

So perhaps, a mini-series of 6 episodes, telling a story from beginning to end, might be a good option.

 

[Harvey]

I haven't crunched the numbers, but I doubt shows are being cancelled at a rate any higher than in the past. Serialization might increase audience frustration, though, I'll grant you that.

 

[AviTrek]

A mini-series could be an option as well.

The biggest reason I feel a long-running tv show won't work is because of the reasons I stated earlier. Serialized tv doesn't seem to work anymore. With some exceptions ofcourse, most shows fail after one or two seasons. I'd hate to get my hopes up with a new show, only to have it cancelled after a while. I do see how tv-movies couldn't work well either though.

So perhaps, a mini-series of 6 episodes, telling a story from beginning to end, might be a good option.

1) Who says the new show has to be serialized?
2) Serialized shows aren't cancelled more frequently than other shows. Most new shows are cancelled after one or two seasons. That applies to serialized, episodic, dramas, sci fi, and comedies.
3) Falling Skies and Walking Dead are doing just fine as serialized sci fi on TV these days. A network exec is a lot more likely to copy their success than try a format that has been DOA recently.