Why I love Sci-Fi & Fantasy

I know it might appear that I'm OCD when it comes to science fiction & fantasy. Books I read are almost exclusively those genres, prefer my movies to be the same, and it is rare that I am not aware of a Sci-Fi show on TV. When you factor in comics & video games, it boggles my mind that science fiction doesn't dominate the Nielsens as they do box office earnings.

I do like other genres, really I do. Just get my fill of them in the sci-fi/fantasy venues.

You see, unlike almost every other genre out there, science fiction & fantasy are merely the setting/background of the story. Other genres must remain w/n their prescribed guidelines of that particular genre. A murder mystery has to involve a murder & solving of that murder. Historical fiction has to remain true to the setting of the era it takes place. A romance has to be centered around the affairs of the star crossed couple. Westerns have to take place in the "old west".

Science fiction and fantasy have no such limitation. The story can incorporate one or more of the above listed genres throughout it's run, no matter what medium. Fantasies don't even have to take place in fictional worlds, as Harry Potter popularized. Firefly proved a western can be set in space. Caprica is a prime example of character drama. Martins Songs of Ice & Fire has a strong political drama foundation (Dune probably being the most popular of this). Throughout the run of Farscape, the creators behind the show explored just about every genre out there.

Really the only limitation behind science fiction and fantasy crossing genres is that of the writer(s) &/or creative team behind the project. When looking at my favorite genres, the entertainment possibilities are endless. Whereas I know I will eventually get bored w/ the procedural drama formula of Castle, I know if Fringe goes on for the next 6 years, they have the option to reinvent themselves to avoid stagnation.

That is why I love Sci-Fi & fantasy.

Cheers!
Kyle

TV Pilots being looked at

A common step for TV shows making it onto your TV screen is to produce a pilot. Pilots are generally the 1st episode of the TV series. Networks order pilots so they can have a better idea of the feel of the show (& my guess is to see how well the show is produced). SciFiWire.com had a recent article about some pilots the major & some cable networks are looking at. Here are a few that I hope get picked up (from SciFiWire.com):

ABC
No Ordinary Family Could this potential series be the new Heroes? The Shield's Michael Chiklis and Angel/Dexter's Julie Benz star in this drama, which revolves around a typical American family who experience strange things when they suddenly find themselves with new abilities. Chiklis plays the dad and Benz plays the mom, Stephanie, "a gifted scientist who develops a power for superspeed." No Ordinary Family comes from Jon Harmon Feldman (Tru Calling) and Greg Berlanti (Eli Stone). The series also stars Autumn Reeser, Romany Malco, Jimmy Bennett, Kay Panabaker and Christina Chang.
Chance of pickup: 75 percent. Chiklis is a star, and with Heroes certainly at the end of its run this season or next, we're liking No Ordinary Family's chances.

AMC
The Walking Dead You've got to love what happens after a good zombie apocalypse. The Walking Dead follows a group of survivors who travel in search of a safe and secure home. Based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman, "the comic goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies who take a toll on the survivors, and sometimes the interpersonal conflicts present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies that roam the country. Over time, the characters are changed by the constant exposure to death, and some grow willing to do anything to survive." This one is from The Green Mile's Frank Darabont, with Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert executive-producing.
Chance of pickup: 75 percent. The Walking Dead has a strong crew behind the scenes, and let's face it, it's time for a good television zombie apocalypse.

TNT
Steven Spielberg's Untitled Alien Invasion Series Steven Spielberg 3.0. We don't have a title yet, but this "untitled alien invasion series" does have star Noah Wylie (The Librarian) playing the college professor who becomes the reluctant leader of "a rag-tag group of soldiers and civilians as they struggle against an occupying alien force." The series begins "shortly after aliens have wiped out most of the human population. The aliens are now rounding up the few people left, but they are met with strong resistance from a group of soldiers and civilians who fight for their survival all while struggling to maintain their humanity." The series was created by Saving Private Ryan's Robert Rodat and is produced by DreamWorks Television. The series also stars Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Maxim Knight, Jessy Schram and Seychelle Gabriel.
Chance of pickup: 100 percent. It's already headed to series, and 10 episodes have been ordered.

Game of Thrones Gets a Green Light from HBO

I am very excited about HBO's announcement today. George RR Martins 'A Game of Thrones' got a 10 episode order from the network.

If you have not yet read the Song of Ice & Fire series, I highly recommend you pick them up between now and when the series premieres. It is a fantasy series for grown ups. Martin does not hold back on his holy shit plot twists (actually does a very good job in building them up in a non-predictable way). It centers around a power struggle for the throne of Westeros, in which if you're a good guy, you're not guaranteed to win (or live for that matter).

I can't imagine a better network for the TV adaptation of what I hope will be the entire series (my most anticipated will be the 3rd season...& if you've read the books, you can probably guess why). HBO is a league above all other networks when it comes to producing great TV. True Blood & Carnivale quickly come to mind as my personal favorites. Let's not forget Sorpranos, Deadwood, & Six Feet Under. HBO knows their shit, & they are opting to stand behind Game of Thrones.

Unfortunately, there is no premiere date to accompany the announcement. Most are predicting Spring 2011. I'm hoping for a January 2011 premiere myself. Either way, it is going to be a looooong wait before we see Tyrion, Arya, & Jon Snow walking & talking on the small screen.

Cheers!
Kyle

TV Shows That Will Never Be: Third Incarnation

The Third Incarnation idea has been w/ me for a long time. Originally it started as a comic book concept, then morphed into a TV show, I briefly entertained it as a prose concept, & recently it came full circle back to being a comic. Like I said, it's been w/ me for a long time. Ideally I'd like it to be a TV show, but from what I know of how the TV industry works, don't think it will fly (for example, the bulk of the main characters won't be introduced until episode 3...don't see network exec's understanding that one). If this does see the light of day, it will most likely be a comic book. For me, this concept requires a visual medium.

Synopsis: Jason Kaiser is freed from a 3000 year imprisonment at the center of the Earth. He soon discovers that not only are some semblance of all myths, legends, and lore true, but many are now the dominate species. His rescuers are entangled in the pursuit of a prophecy written by his employer 3000 years before. The prophecy itself is incomplete, the bulk of it lost through the ages. One fact is certain, Jason is the "Man From Yesterday", one of the guardians destined to stand with the "One Without Heritage" at the "Gate of Tomorrow."

Been thinking about the Third Incarnation a lot lately, & I've come to the decision to develop it. I'm going to do it here, on my blog.

The way my mind works, is when an idea for a project captures my attention, I initially visualize scenes/events at various points throughout the entire series. In order to "translate" it into a comprehensive story, I need to fill in the events between these points...get the story from point A to point D (if that makes any sense).

So what will follow next is the basic episode/chapter outline of the first season/volume. And by basic, I mean very basic. Containing title only...essentially keywords that will remind me of the scene/event that occurs in that particular chapter. Third Incarnation blog entries after that will dive progressively into more detail for each chapter (synopsis, notes/brainstorms, outline, script, etc).

Enjoy the journey.

Cheers!

Networks, I don't get it...

There seems to be an annoying trend this Winter season. Networks are airing extremely abbreviated runs of episodes, and then preempting them/outright pulling them from their schedule. NBC has the Olympics, so there it is understandable...to a point.

Fox, for example, aired one new ep of House, then is skipping a week to air 2 hours of 24. Why not just have premiered 24 a week earlier, or House 2 weeks later? Wouldn't that be more consistent? I can't even express how pissed I am that we only get 3 eps of Fringe. Yes, I know ratings are down, but the show did so much better following American Idol, not to mention it wasn't competing against ratings behemoth CSI, & the more ratings modest Supernatural (which I'm sure attracts a similar audience...I know, 'cuz I'm one of them).

Cable nets aren't innocent of this trend either. Probably the big motivator for this post was the season finale of Sanctuary. Pulled in December for Christmas programming, it came back a few weeks ago to air only 3 episodes!? Part of me was kinda looking forward to the Sanctuary/Caprica combo on Fridays. Seriously, why not just have started the season earlier & run them all through?

I'm weird, being that I track shows I like. So when they come back on the air, I know when. Most people, however, aren't TV geeks, & aren't paying attention. Chances are they don't have a clue that show they liked is coming back unless they're lucky enough to catch a commercial. That is assuming they tune into the particular network of their show when it's off the air.

In a world where ratings make the network world go round, to me it makes no sense to have short spurts of shows before long breaks. Wouldn't it be more logical to air longer runs which will more ingrain a viewing habit to your network?

btw, Lost is now on Tuesdays @9p...moved yet again by ABC. Just thankful that they're going the air the entire season. ~whew~

No TV = ug.

So over the last week, Henry was participating in this school program where we don't watch TV for a week. At the end of it, he gets a certificate.

Whereas he's been overall really good about it, his little brother (5) has literally been bouncing off the walls. Over the last week I have discovered that "family time" lasts about 2 hours (at the VERY most) before decending into total chaos. Don't get me wrong, it is not all bad (had some fun times together), but a whole week of it is a bit much. Say what you will about TV, but, as a parent, that half hour they're still & quiet during Ben 10 really does wonders for my sanity.

Oh Good Grief, Think I've Gone Mad...

Decided to start a little project on my Twitter account. For the next month or so, I'm going to publish daily tweats in the voice of an adult Charlie Brown. Awhile back I had an idea for a live action Charlie Brown movie ("Your Turning 30 Charlie Brown), and I thought long and hard on where all the core characters ended up in life. The tweats, for me, are a fun way of briefly bringing these concepts to life.

Happy New Year!!!