What happened to spaceship shows?

[CmdrShep2183]

Back in the 90s and early 2000s we had space operas like Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Farscape, Dune, and Babylon 5. I was never interested in spaceship sci fi until earlier this year when I played the first Mass Effect under the recommendation of a friend. I thought the Battle for the Citadel scene was epic!

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Why don't we see shows like Battlestar Galactica or Babylon 5 anymore? TNG had ratings as high as 11 million. What happened? Did people lose interest in space travel? Did a wave of anti intellectualism hit TV viewers? Do people now enjoy more gritty stuff like Game of Thrones? Are not enough young people into spaceship stuff? I think we need more epic space battles on TV.

If there is anything the TV landscape is missing it is a cool spaceship and awesome spaceship crew!

 

[JirinPanthosa]

We had all those shows in the 90s because after TNG, networks saw it as an automatic draw. That's not currently the case. But hey, if Trek6 takes off, maybe that'll happen again.

 

[Aragorn]

Anyone remember way back when CBS attempted a space ship show? I think Space Rangers lasted like six episodes.

 

[MacLeod]

The high point for Space based shows was the mid 90's into the early noughties. Go back to the sixties and westerns where popular. After the success of TNG studios/networks saturated the market with all things sci-fi. Look at cinema today Superhero films are coming out seemingly every other month because that's what's popular at the moment.

You could say it became quantity over quality. Sure space battles can be an aspect of a space based Sci_fi show but as with any genre isn't what most people want good story telling and interesting characters.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Network bean counters hate sci-fi, it would seem.

 

[USS Triumphant]

The odd thing is that effects have gotten a lot better while also getting a lot cheaper - one would think the bar for getting a space ship show going would actually be much lower now.

Worth considering, though, is that we *do* have Dark Matter, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Doctor Who, a couple of Star Wars series (which are animated, but I don't care, because honestly they're better than "The Force Awakens" was, anyway), and an upcoming Trek that have ships, and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that has vehicles that may as well be ships.

And also worth considering is the possibility that we're getting fewer ship based sci-fi shows *in part* because some of the networks are creating sci-fi and fantasy series that are so compelling that they can keep viewers with story, without resorting to huge gimmicky effects. (Which is not to say that such effects are *always* gimmicky, but they can be.) Orphan Black, Sleepy Hollow, Person of Interest, Supernatural, Being Human, Sense8, Grimm, Humans, Haven, Falling Skies, etc, etc. I'll be glad when Trek is back on TV, because I *do* miss having Federation/Klingon/Romulan starships on TV. But I'm just not missing having a glut of spaceship shows with the richness of genre shows we have.

 

[Brolan]

There are two major issues with space ship shows: They are expensive to make with all the sets and CGI, and sci fi is not very popular with the mainstream viewer. Put those together and not many studios are going to take the risk.

 

[Push The Button]

It does seem like shows where the characters beat, stab, rob and kill each other have been "in" for a while now, and the "antihero" is still popular.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Watch The Expanse. Spaceship show!

 

[cultcross]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if we end up with a sci fi show soon following in the antihero footsteps. A darker Firefly, in essence, or maybe something from the perspective of one of the genres classic Evil Empires.

 

[Christopher]

Worth considering, though, is that we *do* have Dark Matter, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Doctor Who, a couple of Star Wars series (which are animated, but I don't care, because honestly they're better than "The Force Awakens" was, anyway), and an upcoming Trek that have ships, and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that has vehicles that may as well be ships.

Don't forget Killjoys and The Expanse. And The 100 was partly set in a space station in its first season. There was the Ascension miniseries, though that turned out to be less of a "spaceship show" than it appeared. There are two Mars-colonization shows in development now, Red Mars (though that's stalled) and something based on the lost Roanoke colony. So space shows are coming back.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

For backstabbing shows to be a hit you still need root-for-able leads. Game of Thrones wouldn't be popular without characters like Arya and Tyrian. Dark and gritty needs comic relief and fun.

People were tired of the formula and triteness of spaceship shows by the time they fell out of favor. I would agree it'd take a show like Firefly to be a hit now that combines gritty and fun.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

Last decent show set in space for me was Defying Gravity, which eschewing the usual space opera tropes instead tried more to be 2001, the TV show, a smidge of hard sci-fi. And yeah, unceremoniously cancelled. Shame as it might have reinvented the genre, which is what it needs.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Oh yes yes yes Killjoys. That really ticked some boxes for me, as imperfect as it was. And of course Dark Matter is there too.

So, the shows are still ticking along. We can't expect to get amazing epic wonders every year, but they are still happening.

 

[Greg Cox]

I question whether "anti-hero" shows are what drove out "spaceship" shows. Not really sure what one has to do with the other. One is an attitude, the other is a setting. And space operas are not necessarily defined by unalloyed heroism and optimism. See BLAKE'S SEVEN, LEXX, KILLJOYS, the GALACTICA reboot, etc.

And has there ever been that many spaceship shows on at the same time? Even back in the glory days of syndicated SF and fantasy, you had . . . what? FARSCAPE, ANDROMEDA, BABYLON-5, a couple of STAR TREKs, and maybe a few more one-season wonders. And mostly only in syndication or on Sci-Fi. It's not as as though the big networks or the premium channels ever went into for space operas in a big way.

Does DOCTOR WHO count as a spaceship show? Lord knows the TARDIS travels through time and space, visiting strange new worlds, and encountering all sorts of weird aliens, cyborgs, dimension, etc.

 

[sojourner]

Is Darth next?

<cough> Clone Wars </cough>

 

[Greg Cox]

TV's current answer to the success of THE SOPRANOS and DEXTER is to revolve shows around classic baddies. Norman Bates, Hannibal, even Damien Thorn now. Is Darth next?

There's already an EXORCIST series in the works. Really.

Gotta admit: I've been enjoying BATES MOTEL. Haven't had a chance to check out DAMIEN yet, although I've been hearing mixed reviews.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

or maybe something from the perspective of one of the genres classic Evil Empires.

Well that might be interesting.

 

[Greg Cox]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if we end up with a sci fi show soon following in the antihero footsteps. A darker Firefly, in essence, or maybe something from the perspective of one of the genres classic Evil Empires.

In the tradition of Just Call Saul . . .

JUST RING MING.

(The Merciless, of course.)

 

[MacLeod]

There are two major issues with space ship shows: They are expensive to make with all the sets and CGI, and sci fi is not very popular with the mainstream viewer. Put those together and not many studios are going to take the risk.

Well there are exceptions to the rule. take DW foir example it's Sci-Fi and

I question whether "anti-hero" shows are what drove out "spaceship" shows. Not really sure what one has to do with the other. One is an attitude, the other is a setting. And space operas are not necessarily defined by unalloyed heroism and optimism. See BLAKE'S SEVEN, LEXX, KILLJOYS, the GALACTICA reboot, etc.

And has there ever been that many spaceship shows on at the same time? Even back in the glory days of syndicated SF and fantasy, you had . . . what? FARSCAPE, ANDROMEDA, BABYLON-5, a couple of STAR TREKs, and maybe a few more one-season wonders. And mostly only in syndication or on Sci-Fi. It's not as as though the big networks or the premium channels ever went into for space operas in a big way.

Does DOCTOR WHO count as a spaceship show? Lord knows the TARDIS travels through time and space, visiting strange new worlds, and encountering all sorts of weird aliens, cyborgs, dimension, etc.

DW is an odd one, whilst it does feature a spaceship the TARDIS, do we really consider it a spaceship show. I suspect not

You can add in Red Dwarf to the list of spaceship based shows.