Is it just me...?

[Darrin Drader]

Let me preface this with 'I love science fiction moveis and TV.'

But it seems that lately there's been nothing worth watching coming out of the genre. I used to love Babylon 5, Star Trek TNG, the X-Files, Hercules, and even Farscape. All gone now, and what has come along of the same caliber to replace them? I've tried Stargate SG1 and it just hasn't worked for me. Too low budget, uncompelling characters... blah!

I never really watched Buffy or Angel, but I will give them credit for being good shows. Buffy's already gone. Then there's the shows that should have been good, like Firefly and Crusade, which were killed off before they were ever given a chance to succeed. What's worse is that with all the reality TV that's all the rage right now, even the Scifi channel is getting in on that rather than offering good original programming.

Even the latest Star Trek movie was a major disappointment. I've given Enterprise a chance, and it seems to be much better than Voyager, but not as good as TNG. And Star Wars... don't get me started on Star Wars.

I admit that it is entirely possible that I'm just being overly critical or even missing the boat entirely. Please don't take this as me just flaming your favorite shows. So is the problem that I'm just not exposing myself to the right shows, or is there a real problem with Scifi/fantasy now? I'm interested in other opinions.

 

[Gizzard]

I used to love Babylon 5, Star Trek TNG, the X-Files, Hercules, and even Farscape.

Well, this is some of the best stuff over the last 20 years, so I'm not sure it's a surprise that there is nothing on right this instant that matches it. IMHO there was a little mini golden age a while back where second-tier networks trying to establish themselves like UPN or WB were willing to take a chance on sci-fi or fantasy. Tons of stuff got produced, tons of stuff got cancelled after one or two seasons and the cream of the crop stayed on to run a full 7 season cycle.

As far as movies go, there is that Lord of the Rings movie everyone seemed to like. ;-) It's not been a bad couple of years for sci-fi in the movies. I agree that a lot of franchise movies haven't lived up to the high expectations set for them creatively (most notably Star Wars), but there's still stuff out there to enjoy. Groundbreaking movies only come along every so often, you never seem to have an LotR every year. But as long as you have a Spiderman to entertain you it's hard to say sci-fi is on the decline as a whole.

Unless you are getting old and crumudgeony. Then it's easy to say stuff wasn't as good as "back when I was a young-un." ;-)

 

[Viking Bastard]

It's not really that sci-fi TV is particularly bad now, but rather that
it was really good a few years back.

Before that, it was just as bad.

Now Sci-Fi movies have been really bad for quite some time now,
with a few peaks of brilliance. Why? I think it's because the sci-fi
movie are getting really big budgets. Being a large investment,
the studios are much more 'hands-on'.

Now, personally I think you should give SG-1 a chance. The first
two season were very low budget, but their budget has been
rising steadily since. Now they have a similar budget as ENT.

 

[Kilmore]

Late 70's and early 80's. We'll never see the likes of those years again.

Star Wars
Conan movies
first few Star Trek movies
Terminator
first few Alien movies
Predator
Hawk the Slayer
Battle Beyond the Stars
Deathstalker

 

[Chun-tzu]

With this season, we see the passing of three of my all-time favorite sci-fi shows: Buffy, Firefly, and Futurama. So, I don't feel like I'm missing out on good genre stuff _yet_ (although I haven't heard of any upcoming shows that seem worthy).

Joss Whedon is still working on Firefly (not dead yet, to be made into a movie) and Angel (last season was the best yet).

J Michael Straczynski is working on Jeremiah, which is post-apocalypse but not actually sci-fi. But it's darn good, and a good deal better than any of the recent B5 spin-offs or TV movies.

The only thing that concerns me about the genre is that I doubt anything good will come out of Fox or Sci-Fi channel these days. Their support of good genre shows is minimal. A show these days has to succeed in spite of those channels, not because of them.

 

[Umbran]

Oh, you forgot one excellent show. Witchblade, especially the first season, had somoe of the best writing and plotting I've ever seen. It was a brilliant move to do a half-season show as summer filler. The first two seasons of Andromeda were also well done.

As one person has already mentioned, when you look back over a couple decades, and pick out the best shows, and ask, "Why don't we have more like this?" you are apt to be disappointed. The fact that a few shows hit great heights does not at all imply that this should become a regular feat for other shows.

If you think about it, in general, there's usually only a couple of really good genre shows on at a given time. I think we have to face facts and realize that good shows, of any genre, are rarities. You need to get good concept, good production, good backing. You need writing and actors that are not only good, but that "click" together. All this in one package, under pressure to perform or die in half a season or less, is asking quite a lot.

Yes, a number of shows have died off recently. But there are solid economic reasons for it. TV is a highly competetive medium. I'm told that something like half of all shows don't make it through two seasons. And sci-fi/fantasy is a bit of a niche thing, and usually expensive to produce, putting the odds against 'em there.

 

[Mistwell]

Personally, I think Stargate went from mediocre to fantastic.

Enterprise is good in my opinion, though I know that is not a popular opinion.

Bookwise, the genre is healthy and strong.

Moviewise, we have been hit with one excellent movie after the other. The Xmen movies, the Matrix movies, the LOTR movies, the M. Night Shyamalan movies (Signs, Unbreakable, Sixth Sense), I mean we are talking about THE hot genre right now.

Comicbooks are seeing a resurgence as well, with sci-fi and fantasy making very strong headway in that genre.

Sci-fi cons are also increasing in participation levels at a massive rate.

I mean, really, the whole genre is doing well right now, and a lot of quality can be found where in many prior years there was nothing.

 

[John Crichton]

The loss of Farscape, Firefly, Witchblade, Buffy and a few others is a very hard pill to swallow. That's the TV front. There are a few shows that folks have missed that I love: Alias (possibly the best show on TV) and Smallville. Writing and acting are quite good on both. Angel is coming back which is huge. And I dig Enterprise so that makes 3 shows.

Going back a bit we have lost a ton of shows that have ranged from classics (TNG, DS9, B5, X-Files) to good (Earth: Final Conflict, Herc, Xena) as well as a host of shows that only lasted a season or two (Millenium, The Chronicle, The Invisible Man), or just a few episodes (Harsh Realm).

The networks will be putting some more sci-fi on the table for next season but none of it looks all that great. I'm looking forward to Tru Calling, but that's only because of the actress involved (Buffy's Eliza Dushku). Not looking very good on the TV front except for the shows mentioned.

Movies are doing well, IMO. Star Wars (I know you mentioned displeasure here), LotR, Harry Potter and comic book movies are strong with a few more on the way. I have no problems on this front but the films may dry up within 5 or so years because there will be no more sequels to make from the existing franchises. That worries me but for now I'll enjoy the stuff coming out now.

What the genres need is a studio, preferably a TV studio, who is willing to take a chance and stick with it. Sci-Fi did and gave us Farscape but they changed management and the show was killed off. The WB (as mentioned) has taken a few chances and produced a few gems and a few duds. We are in a fantasy/sci-fi TV lull right now with just a few standouts. I think we are all waiting for the next thing. I am waiting for Joss Whedon to get the chance to give us a new show that is actually supported by the network. I am waiting for Chris Carter to prove that he is not a one-hit wonder.

I guess, in short, that I am ok with the movie industry right now but TV will be lacking next season...

 

[Darrin Drader]

I agree that moves are looking pretty good.

My displeasure with Star Wars is more work related, and something I actually can't really get into. Lets just say that while I think that the prequels have been technically superior to the classic trilogy, it seems to be lacking in the overall spirit and energy of the classic trilogy. I want to believe episode 3 will be good, but I'm having a hard time being optimistic about it. Maybe time, and not working with it on a daily basis will change my opinion of it. I do think the Star Wars RPG is good and getting better.

On the dead shows list, I think Millenium was brilliant. Too brilliant for most audiences, unfortunately. The intrigue was there, and it was soooo dark. I loved it for its darkness. I would love to see them do a movie about Frank Black, even if the Millenium story arc was resolved in the X-files. I would watch Jeremiah if I had Showtime. I'll give anything Straczynski is involved with a chance.

I hated Earth:Final Conflict, and was relieved when they finally canceled it. It wasn't horrible when it was just the Thalons (or however you spell them), but the replacement storyline and the new aliens were just lame IMO.

Enterprise is cool, but I think the Trek franchise is in serious trouble. First of all, how was it a good idea to do a show set so far in the past that it's practically irrelevant. OK, so we have the temporal cold war to make it relevant, and with the new story arc, the whole timeline we are familliar with seems to be compromised. The series finale of Voyager gave the Federation technology that is just getting way out of hand, so the only way to even make it interesting is to go back in time. Offing the Next Gen cast was another huge mistake. That last movie was cool in parts, but the overall story left so much to be desired. And all the cool parts were borrowed from other Trek movies. The death of a crew member who leaves his brain elsewhere for later retrieval, the near destruction of the ship, reform in the relations between the Federation and one if its enemies, and a ship that can fire while cloaked. It might have been a better movie had the cool elements not been ripped from the other even numbered movies. Another thing, they talked about that radiation weapon Shinzon was using as though it were the only planetkiller they had at their disposal. Wasn't Kirk going to blow a planet way back in the original series? I would think that they would have the technology to destroy Earth without resorting to such outlandish means. Why not just bring along an extra warp core and beam it down to Earth? Wouldn't that pretty much do the trick? Rick Berman said that he couldn't figure out why the movie didn't do well. Two reasons: it needed a plot that wasn't warmed over leftovers (not to mention a horrible ending for a crew we were all quite fond of), and the timing of the release. What would have possessed Rick Berman to put it agianst Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, especially when he could have waited a couple months when it would get more attention?

Anyway, I think Enterprise would be a better show if they would have just given Scott Bakula a ship and put him in the Trek "modern" era, and then jettisoned the whole of Voyager series as non-canon. I think I can feel the vibrations of Gene Roddenberry thrashing in his grave from here.

I'm also not a huge superhero fan. I'm of the opinion that they shouldn't do a Hulk movie as long as Bill Bixby remains in the grave. That pretty much does it for Smallville as well. OK, maybe I am coming off a little crumudgeony. I just want some good thought provoking science fiction.

 

[MaxKaladin]

I, too, think stargate has gotten much better than it was when it started. The first couple seasons may have been low budget, but Herc and Xena were the king and queen of low budget.

What bugs me is the recent trend towards "sci-fi" shows that are basically "lets take the modern world and throw some supernatural element in". That's not for me. I want to see aliens and spaceships and stuff like that.

I'd settle for some good historical "genre" shows if they can't do SF right. I think there's supposed to be some Roman thing this fall on one of the major networks. "Teranus" or something like that.