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Posted: |
Feb 10, 2011 - 9:11 AM
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By: |
nxbusby
(Member)
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Well for one thing, theres a lot more to think about in sci fi shows. For those who want to come home at the end of the day, and turn off their brain, those are why shows like CSI, Simpsons, Grey's Anatomy, etc exist. For those who want to engage their brain, and take the story to the next level, thats why theres sci fi. Take Lost....I couldnt wait for the next question, clue, or the next book to be shown onscreen. I've read them all. And then if its good sci fi, it examines the human condiition and lets one ask questions about themselves and each other. And maybe someone doesnt like an ending to a particular series, but I dont think it made the journey any less thrilling. Unfortunatly, all people seem to like these days are the pitiful excuses for TV shows. The days of X Files, Battlestar Galactica and Lost are over. Fringe is awesome, but its solid proof thats people just dont care. Even with the new ratings...which arnt new..just carry overs from Thursday.
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Posted: |
Feb 10, 2011 - 9:54 AM
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By: |
mastadge
(Member)
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The days of X Files, Battlestar Galactica and Lost are over. Fringe is awesome, but its solid proof thats people just dont care.
Bwahahah! Lost ended last year. BSG the year before that. I think it's a little too early to judge those "days" over (especially since Dr. Who is still going!). . . And y'know what Lost and BSG did that Fringe didn't? Started strong. Both of the former had great pilots that hooked me. Fringe, on the other hand, was like Spartacus: Blood and Sand -- the first couple episodes were so bad that I haven't been able to muster the interest to return, despite so many people telling me how much better it's gotten since then.
Also, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that all the appeal of the mysteries of Lost wouldn't have held viewers without the, ahem, very photogenic cast.  That's a show that managed to balance very neatly between turn-off-the-brain beautiful people melodrama and the feeling that there's something more beneath the surface, even if the ending didn't quite pay that off, as far as many fans are concerned.
Well for one thing, theres a lot more to think about in sci fi shows. For those who want to come home at the end of the day, and turn off their brain, those are why shows like CSI, Simpsons, Grey's Anatomy, etc exist.
Also, I think this sells many non-sf shows short, and overlooks lots of dumb sf shows. From The West Wing to The Wire to Mad Men to Friday Night Lights to Breaking Bad, there's no shortage of non-sf TV with some depth, and from Sanctuary to Primeval (sorry, lovers) to The Event, there's no shortage of SF shows that try to be smart but only manage silly.
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Posted: |
Feb 10, 2011 - 10:07 AM
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By: |
nxbusby
(Member)
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The days of X Files, Battlestar Galactica and Lost are over. Fringe is awesome, but its solid proof thats people just dont care.
Bwahahah! Lost ended last year. BSG the year before that. I think it's a little too early to judge those "days" over (especially since Dr. Who is still going!). . . And y'know what Lost and BSG did that Fringe didn't? Started strong. Both of the former had great pilots that hooked me. Fringe, on the other hand, was like Spartacus: Blood and Sand -- the first couple episodes were so bad that I haven't been able to muster the interest to return, despite so many people telling me how much better it's gotten since then.
Also, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that all the appeal of the mysteries of Lost wouldn't have held viewers without the, ahem, very photogenic cast. That's a show that managed to balance very neatly between turn-off-the-brain beautiful people melodrama and the feeling that there's something more beneath the surface, even if the ending didn't quite pay that off, as far as many fans are concerned.
Well for one thing, theres a lot more to think about in sci fi shows. For those who want to come home at the end of the day, and turn off their brain, those are why shows like CSI, Simpsons, Grey's Anatomy, etc exist.
Also, I think this sells many non-sf shows short, and overlooks lots of dumb sf shows. From The West Wing to The Wire to Mad Men to Friday Night Lights to Breaking Bad, there's no shortage of non-sf TV with some depth, and from Sanctuary to Primeval (sorry, lovers) to The Event, there's no shortage of SF shows that try to be smart but only manage silly.
Oh I agree with ya there! I was just kind of talking sci fi at the time. But your right. Mad Men, West Wing, Wire and especially Breaking Bad are all terrific examples of depth and brains. But at least as far as the networks are concerned, quality is on the way out and has been. I woudnt be surprised if network television just gives up, and sticks to cop shows, medical shows, and reality shows. I mean look at this week...Fox debuted yet ANOTHER cop show! How many do we need!! If youve seen one, you have seen them all. Which is why the cable stations cant be beat. Especially AMC. I'll even throw in a defense for Glee, even though I cant stand it. Its different, and NOT a cop, reality or medical show, so I say...more power to it.
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Probably because, unlike the old western genre and the crime shows, etc. there have always been relatively few network Sci-Fi shows. And most of them don't last long. If you were to swap Police Procedurals with Science Fiction, you'd have powerfully hungry and dedicated fans of Criminal Minds having conventions declaring "I'm a Hotchie!"
Also, sci-fi tends to appeal to a certain demographic, and these are not the beer swilling guys who puke all over their nachos when the Cubs win the victory cup or whatever. Most sci-fi takes a certain dedication beyond using one eye to watch the show and the other to do Farmville.
And finally, decent SF takes time to create interesting characters. There's usually a break out character or two in every SF show (usually an alien or the anti-hero). People latch on to them. Most other genres rely on the plots and have revolving casts solving crime and winning cases. A lot of SF is there to talk about something. Some issues of the day, where another type of show would just show you the cranky head doctor accidentally amputating the leg of a guy who has a ruptured appendix or something.
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...because there's always hot babes in those shows!
Princess Leia, bra-less
Colonel Wilma Deering, in tighty whiteys
Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero, the reason that Spandex was invented
Do I have to go on?
(As usual I'm The Voice of Reason....  )
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