Flash Gordon

[trancejeremy]

Sci-Fi doesn't develop these shows. They have ZERO say in what happens or how much is spent on development. All they do is buy the rights to show it. Sci-Fi pays a rights fee to the development company and show the product. Sci-Fi doesn't care (or doesn't seem to care in any event) whether or not the show is any good. They have a certain fanbase that will watch whatever they put on the air (have you seen some of the crap shows that appear on that network??? YIKES!)

I can't say for sure about how much control they have, but they do have a say over how much money is spent, since they are the ones financing the show.

Also, Mistwell is right in that all the shows are shot in basically the same location. They might have different production companies, but all are located on the same street in Vancouver apparently, and share the same sets at times.

 

[Mistwell]

I'm not going to argue with you, since I don't think there's any point. I've proven that Sci-Fi doesn't make these shows, and you still seem to think they do. Oh well.

Because my wife is on a Sci-Fi show and I know the people I am referring to and talked to them about the subject?

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Heh, I don't care who makes the show, I just like knowing that my decision to watch Dogfights over on the History Channel was better than I knew.

Brad

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I really could use an example because I'm at a loss to think of one.

Smallville. Pretty much every show starring teens or fake teens.

Flash Gordon thinks it's going to do the same thing. Someone should have told them they needed more power ballads to get onto the CW. (Exception: Supernatural.)

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Currently, I don't like the way the producer of Dr WHo is steering the Doctor into being some quasi-divine-Messianic character
Series #1 was better, more hardcore, as it were. Tennant is good, but again, I dislike the producer's use of younger actors (I can guess why, going on Torchwood and his background, sigh, not a slight, it's the way he KEEPS pounding on on a theme, to the point of zealotry). I preffer the Doctor as an older, erudite, gentle but determined fella.
-Oh well

Can't stand most US TV in the past 15 years or so, it's so, so gutless and "perfect/prettyboy" or predictable. Give me ROME any day: rumpo, violence, machiavellian mayhem, and characters who CHANGE and are mostly believable human beings, woot! Pullo and Voraenous are about my 2 fave characters, ever, on TV.
-Only Babylon5 bucked that trend from the US, that I can recall off hand. Wonderful story telling, and the Humans were NOT the "we are so emo-smart-wise good guys!", yuch!!! Death to Star Trek Next Generation
-I vote we put PULLO on the bridge of the Enterpise! He'll deal with those Klingons, all right, muhaha!

 

[Mistwell]

Currently, I don't like the way the producer of Dr WHo is steering the Doctor into being some quasi-divine-Messianic character
Series #1 was better, more hardcore, as it were. Tennant is good, but again, I dislike the producer's use of younger actors (I can guess why, going on Torchwood and his background, sigh, not a slight, it's the way he KEEPS pounding on on a theme, to the point of zealotry). I preffer the Doctor as an older, erudite, gentle but determined fella.
-Oh well

Can't stand most US TV in the past 15 years or so, it's so, so gutless and "perfect/prettyboy" or predictable. Give me ROME any day: rumpo, violence, machiavellian mayhem, and characters who CHANGE and are mostly believable human beings, woot! Pullo and Voraenous are about my 2 fave characters, ever, on TV.
-Only Babylon5 bucked that trend from the US, that I can recall off hand. Wonderful story telling, and the Humans were NOT the "we are so emo-smart-wise good guys!", yuch!!! Death to Star Trek Next Generation
-I vote we put PULLO on the bridge of the Enterpise! He'll deal with those Klingons, all right, muhaha!

Firefly?

 

[sniffles]

Of the people responding, how many are familiar with the old series? Because I have neither seen any of the old episodes nor did I ever read any books/comics on Flash Gordon.

- - -

And, I think that is important. It isn't fair to a new series with a 1.5 hour pilot to compare it with the scope of the old series. It just isn't fair. You cannot develop the depth of characters and vile hatred for the bad guys in that short of a time span. [Well, you can in a movie, where the run of the show is 2-3 hours. But in a series, you have to develop over time or else the show burns out too quickly]

Perhaps the next 2 or 3 episodes are designed to solve some of the above issues. Such as the bouncing back and forth. Maybe the next few episodes are going to solve the character depth problem. Perhaps the next few episodes are going to reveal just how vile the bad guys are. Perhaps the next few episodes are going to turn it more into a Farscape Space Fantasy.

EDITORIAL: Although, I doubt it. As I said, I am not familiar with the original series, and I was hard pressed to care about the action - what little there was. And I thought the acting was not impressive. So I think my above speculation is likely incorrect ... but I am just hypothesizing. What if the next few episodes are designed to pull you in and they slowly introduce the elements of the old series that weren't in the short pilot?

You've got a good point there - they're trying to bring Flash Gordon to a new generation of people who may never have seen the '80s movie, let alone the '30s serials or newspaper strips.

I tried to keep that in mind while watching the premiere. But you'll notice I never made any comments about the missing rocketships or any of the things they changed. I just found the show dull and uninvolving.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Firefly?

Not seen it so can't comment

 

[Nonlethal Force]

I tried to keep that in mind while watching the premiere. But you'll notice I never made any comments about the missing rocketships or any of the things they changed. I just found the show dull and uninvolving.

Agreed! And you'll notice that I still don't give the show much of a chance for the same reasons. Putting aside the things I don't know about because I've never seen any of the other stuff ... i still found the plot painstakingly slow in development and boring. And the characters two dimensional. So I think in the end the show won't be a hit, regardless of what may come.

Oh, and for those of you that have seen the original - please tell me the "Imex" is not in the other series. Because the way they handled it in the new series just about made me turn it off right then and there. I mean, Imex from Timex? Were they serious?

 

[Fast Learner]

What, you haven't seen Zardoz?