Finally announced;

Taken from SyFy Portal.

Good news all round. In that timeslot on Tuesday nights, its current competition would be;

Law & Order: SVU
Boston Legal

No 'big hitters' to contend with, and most likely even the above will have finished their runs by that point.

It also manages to avoid American Idol, and will air prior to sweeps :thumbsup:

Now, providing CBS promote the show as promised, things are beginning to stack up in its favour. Coming off the back of Cane, which currently occupies the timeslot, it should hopefully post better numbers.

Thanks for that info. Much appreciated.

I thought I was the only one watching Jericho - none of the other SF fans I know seem to have heard of it (which is a pity, because it's a gem).

The ending for last series was intriguing...

I still haven't watched the last episode of Season one :fear: It looks grim for Jericho ...

Jericho was my favourite new show last year. Preferred it over Heroes to be honest. Despite a somewhat mixed beginning, it really came on strong over the course of the latter part of the season.

Alex, you really need to watch the finale. The last four or five episodes are superb, and the finale is arguably the best of the lot.

:fear: It looks like quite a lot of folk are going to die :fear:

It did get much better towards the end as you say, the only problem I had with it was the very very slow first half, I almost stopped watching although the story never disappointed - well almost :D

No. The quality was certainly drip-fed over the first half of the season. The whole triangle between Eric, the barkeep and the doctor was a chore to watch, they'd have been better served chopping that. The best bits over the first half of the year were the clues to what was going on, and the slow exposure of Hawkins' back story.

Probably had the best cliffhanger though, the one where the minutemen rockets are taking off. Of course, the finale may top it! :lol:

Finally, some bloody promos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5qFK3CM0k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZMya49yEcg

These have just made me a very happy chappy. :)

Cheers for those Moe :thumbsup:

Thanks for the YouTube links.

I agree that the series took a while to get going, but the finale was worth waiting for.
The soap opera elements seems an unavoidable fact of life these days - every Sci-Fi show since ST Next Gen has had to have soap opera. Without wishing to sound sexist, I believe the strategy was (and continues to be) to widen the audience. Personally, I prefer my SF unadulterated.

Hello and welcome :D

Just like to point out that I and most of my female friends can't abide Soap Opera's - although the husband does watch them - is that what you meant ;)

I see your point but it don't attribute it to gender, soap opera's are supposed to be human interest stories that will appeal to a large audience some shows choose to bend to this to get numbers but the best remain true :D

The term 'soap opera', to me, when used in the context of describing sci-fi, simply means that it has an ongoing narrative, and that characters have growth. To me, the term isn't necessarily a bad thing. Look at something like Babylon 5 for example. Without its huge ongoing narrative and three-dimensional characters it wouldn't have been half the series it ended up being. By contrast, you have something like Star TNG, which ultimately, more often than not, just operated within very narrow confines with its characters (no one could get permanently paired off, people only died when they wanted to leave the show, they rarely had any serious character flaws etc), and the core of the show had to remain unchanged, hence the use of the much-hyped 'big reset button' at the end of nearly every episode.

That's not a criticism against TNG, it's just a different show, and for my money, one that I still enjoyed, but only on certain levels in hindsight. Longevity, for me, comes in terms of being able to go back and enjoy many aspects of a show, the story, the characters etc, and still enjoy those journeys that they go on.

Of course, having said that, the 'soap opera' elements of Jericho were pretty tiresome! :lol:

Oops, as a newbie, it didn't take me long to put my foot in it. Sorry. Yes, you're quite right - these days, soaps do have a wider appeal - I suppose I'm showing my age. :blush:

Yes, I agree that human drama and interaction can make a piece compelling, and this is a positive factor in good writing. What I mean by 'Soap Opera' elements is the substitution of love interest story lines and tawdry plots in place of intelligent ideas - it's easy to write to a formula, but ultimately a cop-out. I do think that this trend started with Star Trek TNG, but really plunged the depths with season one of Torchwood (which I suppose was targeting a male teenage market, but I found the juvenile smut to be patronising to those younger viewers). Of course, all of this is a matter of personal taste - for me, growing up, I read a great deal of Sci-Fi, and the 'human interest' was really just there to lend it an air of verisimilitude. However, I recognise that many people who enjoy Eastenders and Coronation Street now love Doctor Who, which they dismissed as nonsense before. Again, on a personal note, while I find the ideas in Lost to be intriguing, I do get tired of the 'back stories,' while realising that others love it. Hmm - I reckon this all makes me sound a bit of a fuddy duddy - oops again. :ponder:

Hey, no worries Axonite :thumbsup:

At the end of the day, as you say, it's a matter of personal taste, and I don't think anyone can fault someone for what they 'prefer'.

In terms of 'soap opera', I think it started before TNG to be honest. There were certainly elements that could be described as being soap-opera-ish on the original series of Battlestar Galactica for example. To be fair, you could probably make a certain argument that it started in TOS, but that would be open to debate I think.

I think for examples of true science fiction, you're looking at the likes of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Quantum Leap etc. I used to love those shows, but I have to admit, it was only when shows started to carry more of an ongoing narrative around its story and characters that I began to realise that it wasn't necessarily the science fiction part that was attracting me anymore, but the dramatic elements. My preference I think, is a combination of the two elements. I have a particular interest in science fiction, but I also love seeing the development of characters, and of a narrative that goes on and on. As much as I loved those earlier series, like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, they were very restricted in what they could do as they were essentially wrapped up within an hour. With something like DS9 or B5 for example, there were certain strands of the story that were developed over a matter of years, let alone episodes. For me, the payoffs there, are vast. The longer the exposition, if done right, the greater the eventual payoff IMO.

One of my favourite shows of all time, is a piece of anime called Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Its scope is absolutely massive, its characters are many, and it's completely space soap opera on every level imaginable. Consequently, for me, it's absolutely brilliant.

Again though, it's a matter of personal taste and choice, and I don't particularly think that there's a right or wrong on this one, just a preference. :)

Yes I think it is mostly down to how well it is written, some of the "romance/bickering" sections were dull as ditch water, whereas in Farscape say, that is what makes the show. As I said before though the general plot was great, it should have moved faster to begin with I think, tbh it was only the lovely Skeet that kept me watching and I'm glad I did :D

^^ On a slightly related note, have you seen Miracles Alex? That stars Skeet Ulrich as well. With the current writers strike I have spare bandwidth to use so I thought I'd check it out. I remember it sounded fairly interesting but I never got around to checking it out until now.

The Twilight Zone is a very good example of 'hard core' Sci-Fi. That's not to say that characterisation isn't important, though - 'One For the Angels' and 'Walking Distance' are my favourite stories, and both focus heavily upon individual characters and their personal development.

Jericho isn't too soap operish for me - the development is necessary for plot - we get a great sense of development.

I remember it coming out but I don't think I ever got round to seeing any - not sure, many thanks for the prompt :thumbsup: definitely one to go back to :thumbsup:

As much as I loved the original series of The Twilight Zone, my favourite story comes from the updated 80s version. They did an adaptation of Tom Godwin's The Cold Equations. I'd long since been a fan of the short story, and in truth, the adaptation wasn't too bad.

Personally, of the two series, I always preferred The Outer Limits. I think Demon With a Glass Hand is probably one of my favourite episodes of any television show.

Today's Sci-Fi owes much to 'The Twilight Zone' - it was the pioneer - although today, some of the ideas seem clichéd (and already were clichéd in print when the show first aired), it was innovative TV. I doubt there would be any US Sci-Fi if not for Rod Serling.

I think the re-make of Outer Limits was good, but couldn't take to the original series - it mainly seemed like a Monster of the Week show.

I agree that most of the 80s Twilight Zones were good, but have yet to see a decent story from the new batch. Masters of Sci-Fi looks rather promising, though.

Sadly, Masters of Sci-Fi was rather shortlived, 4 episodes I think. I must admit, I've only watched the first episode. It seemed to be gearing itself up to be a pseudo New (New) Outer Limits!

I found the 90s New Outer Limits to be somewhat hit and miss, often wildly going from one extreme to the other. There were some outstanding stories in the first season; The Quality of Mercy springs to mind, with Robert Patrick and Nicole de Boer. The Conversion with Rebecca DeMornay and Frank Whaley, and in the second (or third) season there was one titled (something like) I Hear You Calling, starring Ally Sheedy. All very enjoyable. I think my favourite episodes though were both from the second season of the show. The first, Trial by Fire, starred Robert Foxworth as a newly-elected President of the United States who's whisked straight from his inaugral speech to an underground bunker when a fleet of alien ships enter our solar system. I much preferred that low-key story than Independence Day. There's also Stitch in Time, which is arguably one of the best explorations of time travel that I've ever seen. Amanda Plummer was fantastic in that one. The other was just a few episodes later, call Inconstant Moon. A story about a man who wakes up in the middle of the night and notices that the moon is exceptionally bright. As it traspires it's discovered (by the man, but he tells no one else) that the moon is bright because the sun has gone nova. With only a few hours left to live he does all the things he's always wanted to.

I think in terms of the original series, I'd have to agree that The Twilight Zone was the more consistent of the two shows. I think that sometimes my judgement (and preference) is slightly clouded by the brilliance of a few standout episodes from TOL, most prominently the aforementioned Demon With a Glass Hand.

'Demon With A Glass hand' is by Harlan Ellison, one of the best SF writers of the 20th Century - but I have to admit that I never saw it! I often hear people say that it's their favourite 'Outer Limits' - interesting, because Ellison also wrote 'City on the Edge of Forever,' the most popular Star Trek OS story.

Trial by Fire was good - I did see that one. Can't remember the names of the ones I did actually see, but my favourite was one set in a future society 'peopled' exclusively by robots - one of the robots attempts to revive the human race. I also liked the one where bacteria from Mars gets out...

I've watched two 'Masters of Sci-Fi,' but haven't got round to watching the other two yet - I didn't realise that was all there was, though - I just assumed it was on a mid-season break.

I must admit, I've always been quite torn over which is Harlan's superior work; City on the Edge of Forever or Demon With a Glass Hand. To be honest, in the end, after much mulling over the subject, I usually just conclude that they're both great and am rather grateful that we have both to enjoy :lol: I picked up the original series of The Outer Limits on DVD, both volumes for about £10 each. Well worth it IMO, I'd probably have paid that much just to see Demon With a Glass Hand on it's own! :thumbsup:

Of the episodes you mention, the one with the androids is an early season 2 episode, Resurrection. I must admit, I enjoyed that one as well. I'm hoping that Season 2 will eventually surface on DVD, it's pretty much the best season of the show. I've got season 1 on DVD, but haven't really had the chance to work my way through it yet.

From the sounds of it you'll probably enjoy Demon With a Glass Hand. It shares certain themes with Resurrection. Another one you may enjoy, which you've probably already seen, is I Robot, starring Leonard Nimoy. A pretty good examination of civil liberties and rights. Fairly similar to Star Trek TNG's Measure of a Man.

I think, the other episode you mention is the series pilot, Sandkings? It stars Beau and Lloyd Bridges? It's also feature length.

Masters of Sci-Fi is a great idea, it's a real shame that it was so shortlived. With all the Lost/Heroes-type shows, that feature an ongoing narrative, there's definitely room for something anthology-related.

Presumably, 'I Robot' is an adaption of Asimov's book(s). I devoured all Asimov's stuff - he was an absolute genius (in the strictest sense of the word). I began with the Robot books, then the Galactic Empire ones (quite dated now) and the Foundation series. That whole future cycle would work very well as a sweeping TV series.

Resurrection reminded me of the Planet of the Apes TV series (another favourite of mine) in that it had a similar dystopian premise. The villain was a robot version of Urko.

Definitely a gap in the market for an anthology series.

We seem to have gone off track (Personally, I like the scenic route). Is it possible to rename a thread when it wanders onto other topics?

You'd think it was based on the Asimov works wouldn't you, but it's actually a remake of an episode of the original series of The Outer Limits, which in turn was based on a short story by Eando Binder.

I must admit, I've never read Asimov's robot-themed novels, although I've read the earlier Foundation ones. I really should get around to trying to finish those off at some point.

Clarke's 'Rama' books are a personal favourite as well, it'll be interesting to see if the 'Rendezous' movie can hold up to any degree against the novel. To be fair, it sounds as though Morgan Freeman knows what he's doing! :thumbsup:

I wouldn't worry about going off-topic, we tend to afford a bit of latitude here. Most threads go off on a tangent sooner or later! :lol:

Asimov eventually filled in the gaps, linking his robot books with the Foundation series, making the whole thing one vast epic (if that's not a tautology). Jack Williamson's book 'The Humanoids' is worth reading as a more realistic take (or perhaps simply more critical) on the laws of Robotics.

I also enjoyed AC Clarke's stuff (Fountains of Paradise was probably my favourite) and, of course, John Wyndham.

^^ Certainly sounds like there's plenty of scope for a television-based adaptation.

Sadly, I fear the age of the long arc is probably coming to an end. A show like Babylon 5 would never survive in the current TV climate.

I think the last Clarke novel I read was a year or so ago, Childhood's End. I think Cradle is next up.

Most of the time, I thought the story arc imposed a too rigid framework on US programmes (I preferred the early Buffy shows before the obligatory story arcs). But sometimes, as with the final series of DS9, it can create a sense of building towards a climax (Actually, Robin Hobb's The Liveship Traders trilogy does this better than any TV show I've seen).

I think there's room for differing formats to be honest. There were series like The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone, and even the original Star Trek, that were great at telling self-contained stories with no, or very little, ongoing narrative. Then you had shows like Quantum Leap and TNG, which were essentially, again, self-contained, but with certain themes/plots that stretched over a number of episodes or even the entire series. Finally, you had shows like B5, DS9 and Farscape, that were told on a much broader canvas. Stories were sometime self-contained, but almost always contributed, in part at least, to the ongoing narrative.

I think with the examples given above, it just highlights how these shows were a sign of the television climate at the time. What slightly irritates me sometimes is when shows just jump on the bandwagon. B5, the X Files and DS9 pretty much brought the long arc into the television climate. In the subsequent years after that it seemed that everything HAD to have some sort of ongoing narrative. There's only really The New Outer Limits that I can remember bucking the trend.

It's something that persists even now. Look at the shows airing at the moment; Lost, Heroes, Smallville, Stargate Atlantis, even the newer ones like Journeyman and Bionic Woman, they're all concerned with some sort of ongoing narrative/arc.

As I said above, I think there's room for all formats, but preferably, a bit of diversity in terms of different formats at the same time would be nice.

I think, the best example of the ongoing narrative at work is probably best reflected, IMO, in either B5's fourth season, or Farscape's third. Both superbly structured, and were perfectly paced.

If measured by the way they haunt me after all these years, "Demon" and "City...Forever" are two of my favorite episodes in all the TV I seen.

I keep wondering if the atrium set in "Demon" is the same one in "Blade Runner" but I've never been able to find out.

Let me satisfy your curiousity John;

In short. Yes, it's the same building. The Bradbury :thumbsup:

Link

I watched Miracles when it was on years ago, I quite enjoyed it but it seemed to just stop one week. This was before I had access to the web so I was never sure if it was the series finale or if the channel just stopped showing it :lol: Maybe I should try finding out :ponder:

Well there were 13 episodes. I strongly suspect that ABC (I think it aired on ABC) didn't air all of the episodes. They are on the DVDs however, and I'd be surprised if, when it was shown over here, all 13 episodes weren't aired. That's the way it usually works.

You're amazing, James. Thanks. I can die happy now.

"The Bradbury" seems a good name for a futuristic setting, doesn't it?

I must admit, the name raised a chuckle when I saw it. Most appropriate IMO :thumbsup:

I watched the first episode of Miracles last night :thumbsup: very good although seriously creepy :fear: I'm not watching it on my own at night any more :unsure:

Another little gem I think :thumbsup:

^^ There are far too many 'little gems' that only lasted 13 episodes or less! (or 15 episodes and a movie for that matter.....) :mad:

Is it sad that I've got to the stage that I'll take an unfinished 13 episodes over most of the tat that is around these days :lol:

Just seen the second and it's shaping up nicely, X - Files meets The Omen with the lovely Skeet :thumbsup:

I am hoping that the current writers strike may give Studios some pause for thought :ermm:

I think it already has.

The number of shows cancelled this time is far less than the norm. Viva Laughlin and Journeyman are just about the only shows that I can remember being officially cancelled thus far, although I suspect Bionic Woman will go the same way.

Chuck, Reaper, Gossip Girl, Life, all get numbers that are less than ideal. ANy other season they may have been in trouble. This year, I can see all of those being renewed.

The networks don't have a lot of flexibility going into next season. The strike's already destroyed the pilot season, so with fewer new shows coming through they'll have to hold onto more of the already-established ones instead.

It seems the first three episodes of Jericho Season 2 are around :thumbsup:

I've just watched the first season finale to catch up :thumbsup: now I get Nuts ! :guns:

Have you watched any of Miracles yet James, I am really enjoying it :D quite creepy at times - no idea why it was cancelled.

^^ Cheers for the headsup Alex, I've now 'acquired' them myself. Dug out the end of season one to watch later and then I'll plough straight into the new episodes. Can't wait! :thumbsup:

Still not got around to watching Miracles. I'd got it to watch through January whilst nothing was airing, but wouldn't you just know it, we've got ourselves hooked on The Amazing Race, so we've been ripping through that instead! :rolleyes: :lol:

Miracles is on the pile with the other shows from yesteryear that I need to get around to checking out. Alongside the likes of Profit, Prey, Poltergeist The Legacy, The Invaders, Land of the Giants etc :thumbsup: