Spacecast Community

I think the issue of some shows and DVD's is the cost of the DVD's.  I do not know about Farscape but B5 for the longest time were so expense like the Treks.  Also a neat thing is different ways the characters of B5 made the main characters normal people could relate to not squeaky clean.

 

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AKalel:

I think the issue of some shows and DVD's is the cost of the DVD's.  I do not know about Farscape but B5 for the longest time were so expense like the Treks.  Also a neat thing is different ways the characters of B5 made the main characters normal people could relate to not squeaky clean.

That is the case with Farscape as well.   All of it.   The DVDs were initially extremely expensive - (a season box set could run up to $200.00 - and yes I did pay that).   Later ADV rereleased Farscape as Starburst Editions and it was possible to get Farscape Season DVDs for about $45.00 - if you looked.   Recently (about one week ago) Farscape was released on iTunes and a Season can be bought for $39.99.  

The other similarity with B5 (although this is pretty much where the similarities end) is that the leads did not always make the 'right' decision or do the 'right' thing.  Moral and ethical ambiguity was rampant and the 'big' questions where consistently asked.  And not always answered.  Consequences mattered - and continutity was outstanding. 

The big difference between B5 and Farscape is that Farscape was character driven and B5 was plot driven.   So the choices and mistakes the Farscape characters made drove events - whereas in B5 characters were at the mercy of the plot.  

Neither one is a better storytelling device than the other - they are both very effective.

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To me, both shows explored the ideas of 'home' and culture clash, and what beliefs and ideals worth preserving.

Both had great aliens, and compelling human leads.

Most of the characters on both shows were flawed in some way.

Even at the start, B5 felt like there was a 'master plan', but Farscape feels like they made it up on the spot.

Both are very compelling, and both challenged the notions of what 'an SF TV show' could, and should do.

Personally, I found Farscape more charming, and B5 more provocative.

And at their best, both shows worked on a heightened emotional level- both could make you laugh out loud, and/or make you cry...

sometimes both in the same show...

m.

mask!:

I think that right now B5 is one of the top 5 requested shows.

B5 is a show that I'd love to have back on SPACE, but that isn't my call- I'm a producer, not a programmer.

We've shown B5 it the past- in fact we aired the show before SciFi did- but it just doesn't seem to get the audience, or the respect it deserves.

My advice- keep requsting the show!

m.

 

Is there some way to set up a poll to see which shows SPACE viewers are most interested in returning to tv?  As in something that the "New Overlords" would see and (hopefully) take a look at when making programming decisions.  I notice that there have been polls in the e-newsletter (not sure if one has even been sent out in a couple months), would this not be a good place to see what SPACE viewers are thinking about programming rather than just having some random question?

Right now I think a poll would be premature.

What has been useful is the 'low level chatter' and various informal program requests.

I must say though, that these days, with the internet, all these polls are very suspect. We've had hundreds of requests for dreadful shows (please, I will reveal no names), and I often feel these are a joke. I will say, though, that Lost, Heroes, Star Trek DS9 and B5 are usually in the top 5.

Yet when we run DS9, the ratings are perilously low...

...so polls are no guarantee of an audience.

All that said, in the future, I think a poll is a great idea.

m.

 

Problem with polls is, the results get skewed by fan groups voting en masse to "show their support." And most of those fans already own the DVDs and won't watch the TV airings anyway.

Take me for example. I'm a huge fan of both Farscape and Firefly, two shows of great quality that never got the ratings. If SPACE were to air them again, I'd watch if I was home and wasn't doing anything else, but I wouldn't go out of my way to do so since nobody is keeping track of what I watch so it doesn't factor into the ratings. Plus, I can pop in the DVDs anytime.

Now, if SPACE were to show Babylon 5 again, I'd make a definite point of watching. I've never seen the show and I don't own the DVDs, but I've heard so many great things about this show and I've wanted to check it out for a long time. But are there as many people like me who would vote in support of B5 that would go to as much trouble as I would to watch it? Not likely - most of them have already seen it.

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Another problem is not just getting it back into the lineup, but the timeslot. Since it's a show that you sorta need to follow from the beginning and not miss many episodes, if it's aired Mon to Fri during the day, well... like a lot of people, I'm at work. I don't own the DVDs and didn't catch it the hundred times it aired on SPACE in the past because, frankly, I didn't know anything about it. It's only since I started reading these forums in the last couple of years that I even heard any positive feedback on it, so my interest is definitely piqued.

Give it Alias' current slot after this run... I'll watch B5... or Farscape, for that matter... heh...

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"Something, something, something, Dark Side... something, something, something, complete!"

Naomi.:

Now, if SPACE were to show Babylon 5 again, I'd make a definite point of watching. I've never seen the show and I don't own the DVDs, but I've heard so many great things about this show and I've wanted to check it out for a long time. But are there as many people like me who would vote in support of B5 that would go to as much trouble as I would to watch it? Not likely - most of them have already seen it.

I have not seen the show since it first aired and do not have the DVDs yet so I would watch it religiously but from the all the posts about B5 now and in the past it does not look as if Space will be airing it anytime soon. Looks like it's time to search out the DVDs.

 

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I'm Bill Pardy

We ran into this in the early days of SPACE- the Dr. Who fans flooded the station with requests, and then less than 2,000 viewers watched.

I asked some of the fans about this, and it was fascinating- many whovians thought we should show Dr. Who because the show was historically important. They wanted to spread the word. But they weren't watching, because they had seen the episodes or had the shows on tape. Or we were not showing their favorite season/Doctor. In short, they didn't support the show.

When we showed B5, some fans said 'just show seasons 2-4'(!), and we have had many requests for just the first 5 seasons of The X-Files.

So, it's a strange thing...

m.

 

 

Interesting.  The first time I caught B5 was not on Space.   In fact I missed the entire fifth season because it aired on a different channel than the previous four seasons and I didn't get the new channel.  

When Space got B5 I made a point to watch it from the beginning because I had missed almost all of Season 1 and I wanted to 'reread' the book.    So in effect in the five season run I got to watch two 'new' seasons.   After that I caught it whenever I could until Space announced that B5 was in its last run.

Then I watched (and taped) every single episode (and got caught in the marathon shortchange ).

I still think B5 is *must see TV*.   As is Farscape and Doctor Who.

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I think the thing to re revisiting classic/cult/must see tv is some viewers attention is rather limited.  Lets face in someways nowadays it is hard to come up with a original sci fi/fantasy show so unless you grab them within the first or second episode you loose them.  But sure you might get loyal viewers/fans when you air classic/cult/must see tv some newbies might not just have the patience to stick with it no mater how many thumbs up it gets.

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mask!:

When we showed B5, some fans said 'just show seasons 2-4'(!), and we have had many requests for just the first 5 seasons of The X-Files.

So, it's a strange thing...

m.

I'm not so sure it is strange when you think about it.    Both B5 and Farscape had very iffy first seasons.   In fact I have told many newbies to skip B5 Season One entirely and just start with Season Two.  And on the Farscape forum at TWoP I have found myself over and over posting a list of *must see* Season One episodes.   My list is designed to give them enough background to understand the series arc, to 'get' the way Farscape tells their stories (fast and no coddling for lazy viewers) and to skip some of the mediocre and downright disasterous early efforts.

Once people grasp that Farscape is a whole different storytelling experience (one that doesn't spoonfeed the viewers like they were stupid) new viewers always seem to go back and rewatch the series from the beginning.  

I'm not comfortable cherry picking the episodes like that - I recognise the talent and artistry that goes into every episode - but five minutes of fantastic storytelling by the Director of Photography cannot make up for disasterous acting choices by a guest actor with no idea of what kind of story they are there to help tell.    

I guess what I am saying is that I can see why people want to be selective of the episodes that are shown - so that viewers can see just why the series is so good and not judge the series by its early failures.  

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And I thought the parallel time storylines on Dark Shadows were confusing. Daniel Faraday better not have any trouble I can't go through another episode of him jumping from the past to the present searching for his constant but if he does at least he knows who his constant is.

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"Hello Dum - Dums"

Does anyone know why there has been 2 re-runs in the new series already?

Aftermath of the writer's strike. They've already aired the episodes that had been completed prior to the strike - then when the strike ended, they wrote the rest of the season and those episodes are now filming. They'll start airing those at the end of April. The original plan was to air the season uninterrupted, but the strike forced a break - I imagine the second half of the season will be aired without a break.

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