Farscape to Return? Is Sci-Fi Channel Redeemed?

Cyno01 writes "I was just watching Firefly and switching to Taken during commercials (i'm a thief i know), and I caught a commercial for Sci-Fi 2003. It looks like there's going to be a few new actual sci-fi shows, and some not. Tremors: The Series, Children of Dune and another talkshow-esq looking thing called The Dream Team with Annabelle and Michael. Also it looks like Stargate: SG1 and yes, Farscape, are still alive and kicking."

I thought...

[Hawkeye_RC5]

That Sci-Fi was going to air the last few episodes of Season 4 somewhere in 2003. If this is what the original poster saw, then this is a non-event.

What would be really interesting, and my question for Santa Claus this year, is that SciFi is going for another Season of Farscape, and perhaps even more. I know, it costs a lot of money, but it's damn well the best (Sci Fi) series I've ever seen...

Tremors?

[Anonymous Coward]

What a fucking joke, a marginal movie made into a series? Spend the money on Farscape and dump this dog NOW!!!

Re:Dream Team

[Chanc_Gorkon]

Really. I mean Annabelle was kind of funny on Dinner and Movie, but be honest, we did not really tune into see the dinner being cooked. We tuned in to SEE THE MOVIE!! Dinner and a Movie has just turned into an extra ad now with the hosts holding up a bottle of Dasani Nutri-Water or the "product" of the week. It's not even so much about the dish. Although they did come up with some fun dish names like Hail to the Chef State of the Onion Frittata for the movie The American President, or Obi-Wan Cannelloni for Star Wars. Now it seems like they either advertise an ingredient or a beverage in addition to the commercials they show also. Also the Man Made Movie thing sucks too. Granted the movies are ok, but I would rather see a Geek Made Movie where the show would show you how to build a geek friendly, yet wife friendly house with cat 5 in every room bewteen breaks of movies like Hackers and The Matrix.

Animated Farscape

[lunadude]

Anyone know of progress on the rumored animated version? Wasn't ADV involved somhow?

Re:Farscape

[Photon Ghoul]

Firefly started off, in my opinion, extremely boring. I continued watching it because there isn't much else on television that is science-fiction and I don't like Trek at all.

The last two or three episodes have become interesting. I'll miss the dark feel of Farscape and will never get over the western feel of Firefly... but if it actually makes it for a few seasons this may prove to be a very interesting ride.

Sci Fi now following the Comedy Central model

[frenchgates]

...imagine Comedy Central without the Daily Show: all Mannequin 2, all the time. A pageant of mediocrity and under-achievement.

They show cheap, mostly bad sequel films out of some library of second rate productions I assume they have some kind of generic access to...like Turner Classic Movies showing the films they already own.

Now they have canned the origial Star Trek (the only reason I watched Sci Fi) even though they have exclusive broadcast rights for the next several years.

Basically they suck.

Re:Farscape

[Photon Ghoul]

Yes and it is probably the episode that got me to think that "okay this series will keep getting better". To me "interesting" is a very good compliment for television programming because I can't stand and do not watch it. Farscape was the only thing I watched regularly. I generally don't watch TV (I only wanted cable for Farscape) because not much of it is appealing enough for me to sit and stare at a box fed programming by people that only think of me as another set of eyeballs for their advertisers.

I like the character development of Firefly, as it's progressing *very* nicely. I like the humor and there is enough action to balance things out. There are also no punches pulled when it comes to the dirty and bloody things that they go through. And for the drooling-needs-sex-badly-"boobies!" set there was a great woman-woman kissing scene last night. Although you will be dissapointed because it was done in good taste (network TV and all that).

The western theme is a serious negative for me, though. So much, that when I hear the theme song I wonder if it's really a show I want to watch.

Re:Farscape

[Twirlip of the Mists]

And for the drooling-needs-sex-badly-"boobies!" set there was a great woman-woman kissing scene last night.

"Our Mrs. Reynolds" actually had a much hotter girl-girl scene, although nothing happened. It was all steamy eye-contact and double entendres and whatnot. Hot as fire, though.

The western theme is a serious negative for me, though.

Matter of taste, I suppose. Personally I love it. Such a refreshing change from the aseptic Star Treks and the wormholes-and-wacky-aliens Farscape.

I guess it all comes down to bullets for me. Although I didn't plan it this way, I've found that I will watch any sci-fi show where they use bullets instead of laser guns or whatever. "Firefly" and "Stargate SG-1" are my two big ones these days.

I particularly liked Zoe's little side-comment to Simon last night, as she handed him a revolver. "Six shots, the drop it. Just move on."

chrisd Changed The Subject

[Cyno01]

To everyone who's bitching that farscape is still cancled, what i meant by it is that it will still be on this season, with new episodes next month. If people are a little confused, my original title for this article was

2002-12-07 02:21:20 Sci-Fi Channel's Not Dead Yet (articles,tv) (accepted)

IMO they should keep Farscape, its one of the best Sci-Fi shows thats been on this millenium, but if they can't afford it, i guess cancling it is better then the Sci-Fi channel going bankrupt and being bought by FOX or something.

Children of Dune

[Sayjack]

Am I the only one who is more excited about the prospect of another Dune movie? The SCIFI version of Dune was so much better than the Hollywood rendition. So much so that it was ridiculous.

They're hitting the dryer portion of the series but it puts them a movie (2 books) closer to what I thought was the best parts of the Dune series; the latter post-God-Emperor-Leto books.

I just hope they cast the roles of young Leto and Ghola Duncan Idaho appropriately. Dune ruined me for other science fiction in that most stuff I have read since inhaling the series seems superficial in comparison. Dune's deep plotlines which take many books to unravel.

I'd also like to point out that the prequel novels undertaken by Frank's son Brian and sci-fi novelist Kevin J. Anderson really augmented my appreciation for how well thought out the Dune series really was. Much to my surprise, the Dune legacy is well represented by the collaboration of these two authors.

On a side note, I don't think the studios appreciate the fact that good science fiction movies/series might not bring in the immediate blockbuster bucks at the box office, but their shelf life is much greater than the latest Schwartzeneger film for example. Sci fi buffs will watch their favorite movies every time they come on, buy the DVD and other related items. The returns don't necessarily show up immediately, but the revenue is there. It's a sign of the stock market mentality ** MAKE MONEY NOW ** with little long term strategy...

It might be too late for Farscape, but not Firefly

[fahrvergnugen]

Firefly's ratings for Friday Dec. 6 came in and were worse than the show's average. Unless they get a larger share soon, it's probably going to get the can in the near future.

Say what you want about the start of the program, but this is seriously one of the highest quality shows put on broadcast TV in years. Last night had torture, severed body parts, some amazingly good masturbation jokes, execution-style murder, eastern philosophy, an assault on a space station, marital conflict, an role for each member of the ensemble cast that still managed to define and grow each character, and (at least last night) a hot lesbian sex scene.

Also a badass schizophrenic psychic chick who was able to put down 3 commandos with 3 shots, while her eyes are shut.

I know I'm raving here, but I need to go one further. The show revels in setting up situations like the ones you've seen in every other television show, and then cutting the moment off at the knees.

For example: Force a woman to choose between her husband and her best friend that she's known longer and trusts more. The one left behind will be tortured to death. They've spent the whole first 20+ minutes of the episode setting up this conflict and they're due for a commercial any time now, so it's no surprise when the following exchange begins:

Villain: "I think you can have just one. Which wou-"
Character: "HIM!" (points at husband) "You _were_ going to ask me to choose, right?"

The villain looks like someone just took his favorite toy away.

Farscape may be gone, but given a chance Firefly can become just as important to the sci-fi pantheon. There's 2 episodes with definite airdates left, one of which is the (reportedly not very good) unaired pilot episode.

Give it a watch during December and you'll be doing yourself a favor.

Re:Children of Dune

[evenprime]

Am I the only one who is more excited about the prospect of another Dune movie?

No, you are not the only one. I was thrilled when I saw the commercial.

The SCIFI version of Dune was so much better than the Hollywood rendition. So much so that it was ridiculous.

I agree wholeheartedly. The CGI worms were a bit weak in some scenes, but certainly no worse than the rendering in major studio movies like spiderman. The thing that really shined in the sci-fi channel's adaptation was the character development. There's no way to get a book like Dune into a two hour movie without slaughtering it. By using the mini-series format, Sci-Fi allowed themselves more time to include details from the book.

A good example of this was their decision to show fremen-piloted 'thopters being used in the final battle. It's been years since I read DUNE, but I seem to remember a section in the book where Paul was shown a captured ornithopter.

Another good thing the sci-fi channel did was to have scenes that hinted at the future, like in Paul's vision of the sand worms prior to the battle. That scene showed the dunes turning into grass-covered hills. Obviously, that meant nothing to people new to Dune, but I was thrilled that they managed to slip that in.

Minor annoyance: I'd like to just once see a Dune adaptation with an ornithopter that takes off by flapping its wings.

Re:the SciFi Channel can never be redeemed.

[BrodeCo]

Read what Penn of Penn & Teller has to say about "Crossing Over." Seriously. [sincity.com] Magic exists, sure. But John Edwards is just incredibly cynical, evil and wealthy-- not psychic.