I'm beginning to dislike Netflix (re: Archive 81, 1899, Warrior Nun etc cancellations)

[bloodtide]

Yeah, Babylon 5 was an ideal middle ground. Excepting season 5 for reasons listed above, they had standard length seasons with enough room left for metaplot and good fun "filler" episodes that could focus on and build up minor characters.

B5 is a great example.

They had to have the big 20+ episodes a season. Now sure there are a couple bad ones.....you will have them in any show. But if you have a 22 show season, even if 5 are bad, that makes 17 at least average.

Character episodes are nice, where there is no big "action/end of the universe" plot, just a story about the character. Plus B5 did a good job of world building by putting things in the universe and establishing them, without doing the TV thing of spontaneously having something just "there and happen" for the plot of that single episode.

I wonder what the New B5 will be like....they will encounter the Shadows half way through the first episode? The Shadow War will be the season 1 finale? And if it's not cancelled, season two will be vs Earth?

 

[Haplo781]

I wonder what the New B5 will be like....they will encounter the Shadows half way through the first episode? The Shadow War will be the season 1 finale? And if it's not cancelled, season two will be vs Earth?

Uh I have bad news for you friend

 

[Ryujin]

B5 is a great example.

They had to have the big 20+ episodes a season. Now sure there are a couple bad ones.....you will have them in any show. But if you have a 22 show season, even if 5 are bad, that makes 17 at least average.

Character episodes are nice, where there is no big "action/end of the universe" plot, just a story about the character. Plus B5 did a good job of world building by putting things in the universe and establishing them, without doing the TV thing of spontaneously having something just "there and happen" for the plot of that single episode.

I wonder what the New B5 will be like....they will encounter the Shadows half way through the first episode? The Shadow War will be the season 1 finale? And if it's not cancelled, season two will be vs Earth?

They could jump to the seeding of the virus on Earth and give the show a countdown clock, to raise the stakes.

 

[Ryujin]

Uh I have bad news for you friend

I think that it's currently in development hell, but not dead. Didn't Straczynskisay that he was still shopping it around?

 

[payn]

B5 is a great example.

They had to have the big 20+ episodes a season. Now sure there are a couple bad ones.....you will have them in any show. But if you have a 22 show season, even if 5 are bad, that makes 17 at least average.

Character episodes are nice, where there is no big "action/end of the universe" plot, just a story about the character. Plus B5 did a good job of world building by putting things in the universe and establishing them, without doing the TV thing of spontaneously having something just "there and happen" for the plot of that single episode.

I wonder what the New B5 will be like....they will encounter the Shadows half way through the first episode? The Shadow War will be the season 1 finale? And if it's not cancelled, season two will be vs Earth?

While I love B5, the writing is great, the production is....not great. The acting is...not great. The effects are...not great. I'd prefer to see a split in the middle and get like a nice 13 episode season with good production value and a more concentrated less episodic story telling. I think your 5 bad episodes and 17 ok ones is a complete underestimation.

 

[Haplo781]

I think that it's currently in development hell, but not dead. Didn't Straczynskisay that he was still shopping it around?

Yeah, it's dead at CW. Can take it elsewhere but basically back at square 1.

 

[bloodtide]

While I love B5, the writing is great, the production is....not great. The acting is...not great. The effects are...not great. I'd prefer to see a split in the middle and get like a nice 13 episode season with good production value and a more concentrated less episodic story telling. I think your 5 bad episodes and 17 ok ones is a complete underestimation.

Yea, but all you can do is make a show. You can't really control a lot of things.

And it's not like EVER super short 13 episode show is the ABSOLUTE best show EVER.

Well, my Bar for a Bad episode is a bit high, I think most are at least average. I'm fine will focused episodes with only like one or two characters, for example. And I loved, say the B5 "news" episodes:not only was it a good way to do a box show, but they would give us huge information dumps.

 

[payn]

And it's not like EVER super short 13 episode show is the ABSOLUTE best show EVER.

No, but they dispense with a lot of filler and throw away episodes. I remember being sad about shrinking seasons/series too. One day I realized I don't really miss the long ones that much. In fact, when I go back to them I find my self skipping about half the season because of all the filler. A lot of folks are the types that think there is no such thing as too much of a good thing, but I am dead tired of the fan service and lack of concentrated story. I have come to really appreciate the production value of a shorter series. Also, the shorter series allow great talent to do movies and shows at the same time.

 

[Rabulias]

The effects are...not great.

At the time and for their cost, the effects were pretty spiffy.

Yeah, it's dead at CW. Can take it elsewhere but basically back at square 1.

As rough as this news might be, they might have dodged a bullet not ending up on CW.

 

[Ryujin]

At the time and for their cost, the effects were pretty spiffy.

As rough as this news might be, they might have dodged a bullet not ending up on CW.

Indeed. The best that a room full of networked Amigas could produce.

Now that The CW is out of the question I suppose we won't be subjected to a B5 crew made up of late 20-somethings, playing late-teens, in constant love triangles.