Sci-Fi Shows Set to Dominate Fox's Fall Lineup

[Ed_Laprade]

Virtuality: There's something wrong with the holodeck? Shut the #@&! thing off!!! I won't be watching this, that's for sure!

 

[Wycen]

There was a series (mini series maybe?) on BBC with a crew on board a space ship, where the British Empire flew around space meeting aliens and such. Campy and starring that guy from many team ups with that other guy...Hyperdrive was the name of the show.

 

[Mark]

I wish that Whedon would stop using Eliza Dushku. I find her grating.

 

[Sir Brennen]

All sound interesting enough for me to give 'em a spot on the DVR. I certainly am not going to write anything off just because it sounds like an element of some show that was on somewhere sometime ago.

There's almost no story premise which isn't going to seem similar to something. Heck, even "Lost" has drawn comparison's to "Gilligan's Island". What will make a show unique is what fresh perspectives it can bring to the premise, as well as how interesting and involving the characters are, and how well the story is going to be told.

Virtuality is probably relying on the audience to be familiar with virtual reality concepts, including ST:NG's holodeck. The mention of the ability to "travel" could also mean it's more like tele-presence equipment than a VR rec-room (I think this approach will almost be necessary to sustain the series.) Add in the more hard sci-fi idea that this is a crew isolated in deep space, on a mission taking years to get to just one other solar system - not landing on a new planet every episode - and I think you've got a good opportunity for a character driven "mystery" show closer to Lost meets BSG than ST:NG.

Dollhouse, while it looks to have resemblances to other recent lead-female-spy series, sort of takes the concept implied in the title of Alias to the extreme. From other articles I've read, the assassins pretty much have their minds reprogrammed to have a new identity when they take on an assignment. For me, this is closer to the classic science fiction novel All My Sins Remembered. Whereas Alias was more about examining family bonds in extreme circumstances, Dollhouse is looking at questions of identity and free will.

Fringe well, a show built around paranormal investigation is always going to be an idea out there someone's trying to pitch. The premise just lends itself to episodic television too well. The challenge will again be, what new spin can they bring to the premise? The mention of Altered States in the mash-up description has me interested.

Boldly Going Nowhere eh. Sci-fi comedy is hard to do, especially for a television series. Really, what ground can they cover that Futurama hasn't already?

re: concerns about FOX

Hasn't FOX had some turnover in upper management since Firefly? It's a different ballgame for TV shows since then, too. More competition from cable channels, but more outlets to get content (and marketing) out there. Heck, you can watch tv on your frakkin' phone, now.

Sci-fi didn't use to attract the network numbers it does these days, but in some ways the genre is a victim of its own success. Some of the popular shows have set the bar pretty high, and trying to match their quality is an expensive proposition. Good ratings are almost required out of the gate to afford continuing to produce the show. I think you could stack FOX's record up against the other network's failed genre shows at this point and it'd look pretty even.

But there's just some things the browncoats won't let go

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Boldly Going Nowhere - A bit more orignal, but considering how long Quark and Homeboys from Outer Space lasted, I bet this will be the first dropped. You could compare it to Red Dwarf, but that wasn't really campy (like Quark or Homeboys)

Red Dwarf also wasn't working well until Season 3 when Llewellyn joined the cast and the character of Kryten filled a serious void in the dynamic. Without that I doubt it would have been watchable beyond a third season.

I think the reason Quark and Homeboys were unsuccessful had nothing to do with their being camp or sci-fi. I think it had to do with Homeboys just not being any good, and Quark... well either it wasn't any good either (I can barely remember even seeing it at all much less remember the quality of the show) or it just wasn't the right time/place to succeed. Buck Henry is not a slouch but it WAS the '70's after all...

A couple of things I always say:

First is that it's the writing, for both TV and films. It doesn't matter if you have a great cast and top production values - if it's poorly written it will die.

Second is that just because it's actually GOOD doesn't mean it will succeed. Great writing alone has NEVER been a guarantee of success or wide appeal. It can be killed by poor casting, poor scheduling of the show/mistimed release, or poor production values. A show can overcome or just simply rise above poor production - it CANNOT overcome and rise above bad writing. Special effects have never, EVER saved a show or made a movie a success. But even great shows that have it all going for them can fail to find the wider audience and get yanked. Firefly would be an example for me. I never even heard about it until it was gone. Best I can determine is that at the time it was on I didn't have access to - or just had no other reason to watch - UPN (which was, I believe, the original network on which it aired).

Of the shows listed in the OP's link I don't know that I'd have an interest in Fringe, but the others... well, it always depends on the final product don't it?

 

[Grog]

Meh. I'm so over Whedon. More and more I'm convinced that Greenwalt was the true talent behind Buffy and Angel.

I might give Fringe a try, though I suspect its schtick will get old fairly quickly.

 

[John Crichton]

:: Jaded sense tingling! ::

Slate looks great. Sign me up for all of them.

 

[John Crichton]

Meh. I'm so over Whedon. More and more I'm convinced that Greenwalt was the true talent behind Buffy and Angel.

And that is why you fail.

 

[Grog]

And that is why you fail.

Um, no.

 

[Mark Chance]

I wish that Whedon would stop using Eliza Dushku. I find her grating.

I wish Whedon would just stop.