scifi post

[timetobegin]

It seems that there is a higher rate of sci-fi shows airing over the Summer (winter for southern hemisphere folk), and more often than not they are only 13 episodes long.

At the moment we have Defiance, Oprhan Black, Warehouse 13, Continuum.... with more starting up soon. (Haven!) Scifi also tends to go hand in hand with the shorter fantasy seasons too (Game of thrones! Teen Wolf!)

(please not their MIGHT be spoilers for the latest episodes in the comment)

<B>Which current sci-fi shows do you watch?</b> <B>Why are there no shows with spaceships?</b> <B>Does the 13 episode (or less) format suit scifi shows?</b> <B>Favourite cancelled scifi shows</b> <B>Why do you think big networks seem to be doing more scifi than syfy?</b> <B>Any sci-fi tropes or formats you don't like?</b>

of course pick and choose which questions you answer!

Comments

[skieswideopen]

Which current sci-fi shows do you watch? Orphan Black, Continuum, Haven, The Listener. I'll probably give Under the Dome a try too once it starts airing. And I've watched a bit of In the Flesh.
Why are there no shows with spaceships? Too expensive? Plus apparently SyFy execs lack vision.
Does the 13 episode (or less) format suit scifi shows? Sometimes. It's good for shows that rely heavily on tight plotting, because it means there's less need for filler. On the other hand, I think shows that are mostly about worldbuilding and exploring concepts sometimes do better with more episodes, particularly if they feature large casts.
Favourite cancelled scifi shows BSG, Fringe, Firefly, Stargate, Babylon 5, The X-Files (though strictly speaking, some of them weren't cancelled)
Why do you think big networks seem to be doing more scifi than syfy? I have been wondering the same thing lately. I think SF in general has become more mainstream, which is why the big networks are doing it. I'm not really sure why SyFy isn't, though. Just not enough money, maybe?
Any sci-fi tropes or formats you don't like? Probably, but I can't think of them off-hand. Maybe the ending of BSG...does that count as a trope? The whole Adam & Eve thing?

[timetobegin]

yeah large casts deserve more episodes.

ahahaha yeah BSG ending did kinda suck. i'll forgive it because of what came before, but season 4 was such a hot mess, to me.

[skieswideopen]

Yeah, I think shows like Stargate and Star Trek that are heavily episode-of-the-week with maybe a thread or two that runs all season hold up better to 20+ episodes than shows like Orphan Black.

Same. I'll forgive the ending because lots of the rest of the show was awesome. ;)

[timetobegin]

yeah and i like that, but less so on a marathon because its feels slower somehow? I'm liking season three of ent a lot right now though

season 1+2 are still pretty perfect

[colls]

I think networks are doing the 'safe' scifi that a mainstream audience will watch and not think it's scifi. Shows like LOST or Fringe appealed to a wider audience because they lacked spaceships. People fear spaceships for some reason - or automatically think a show will be 'Star Trek' and mentally think it's for geeks maybe?

Of course, I think people who are afraid of shows with spaceships lack vision, but that's just me.

[skieswideopen]

But WHY do people fear spaceships? I don't understand. :(

Maybe you're right--maybe they're afraid of being tagged as geeks.

[calystarose]

I'd forgotten about Under the Dome. I will probably give it a look, but I'm not entirely hopeful.

The Listner....*googles* OH MY GOD! I had meant to watch that, I guess on NBC, but I never knew it had even aired. And, of course, they canceled it right away. Ugh. I'll have to get on that asap! Thank you.

Blah, the ending of BSG was such a disappointment.

[skieswideopen]

I'm not hopeful about Under the Dome either, but I like to give new science fiction a chance. We'll see.

Season four of The Listener started today! In Canada.

If you do watch it, I'll warn you that it starts a bit slow, IMO, but gets better after he starts to tell people about his ability. I loved the end of season one! And then they completely changed it up for season two. There are things I like about the later seasons too, but I really wish they hadn't dropped the season one plotlines. I live in perpetual hope that they'll return to them one day. :)

[calystarose]

hehe thank you for the warning :) I'm okay with a slow start, just not a bad start.