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Battlestar Galactica to Return
Chris Curtin writes "Looks like SciFi channel is redoing the classic series! I don't know about a female Starbuck but it might be interesting." I can't picture a Galactica without Lorne Green. So long as they don't bring back that stupid robot dog, it might be okay.
The fact that a production companys creativity has dried up so much that they have to remake a mediocre sci-fi program (and spend all the money on special effects no doubt) is very sad.
I would imagine that every year there will be thousands media graduates and new creative writers coming onto the market who would love to have a pop at a large scale production like this.
Either; the big companies are so scared at taking a risk that they just tart-up the same old crap, or all these new brains on the market are not up to the job (unlikley)
when something slightly new and fresh comes along in this niche marketplace (e.g. Farscape) the public lap it up (until it gets cancelled)
These people need to remember how to take risks
Yes, where bad shows suddenly become good simply because you saw it as a child.
That SciFi would be spinning out a 25 y.o. retread when they have fresh, creative series like Farscape is pathetic. They're wary of anything new, perhaps because one flop can end an executive's career. It is a system designed to smother creativity. Remember that the original Star Trek was almost a 2-season job, then limped to 3.
:) I'm seriously considering boycotting the whole damn network for promoting crap like "Crossing Over With John Edward" in preference to new, innovative series, Stargate being the exception. But should be blame them for reaching for the easy buck? I don't know.
A friend and I were just discussing BG as a golden example of old hokey TV. What's next, a Fantasy Island remake?
Anyway, I wouldn't blame the production companies that pitch new ideas and are shot down, but the lumbering networks that choose the same formula over and over. Perhaps too one should look at the advertisers. So many acclaimed series are coming out of a private network I don't subscribe to (HBO) that something is going on here. (Sopranos, Band of Brothers, Six Feet Under, Sex In The City, etc. Quick, name equivalent ad-driven TV creations.)
And then, there's always the audience. ST:DS9 was the only one of the modern series to attempt a serious departure from formula, and was not widely accepted by audiences looking for, I suppose, the comfort food of the old style. (It looks like Enterprise is twitching for something new; we'll see if it works; but I'd rather flesh out a whole new universe in the uneven but ingenious Farscape.)
Did I mention I'm pissed at SciFi for dropping Farscape?
Nah, it was actually pretty good -- at least until they rearched Earth and the kids had superpowers or something equally stupid. And the Viper toys that actually shot little plastic pieces were way better than the Star Wars toys.