Premium Nets Are Changing the Face of TV

Last week I watched the season finale of HBO's Treme, the season premiere of the ABC's The Glades, & the latest installment of NBC's Persons Unknown. The difference in overall quality of the shows hit me like a freight train. Treme was a well written, well produced tragic send off of its 1st season. The Glades came off of as Dark Shadows w/ a Desperate Housewives twist (if not for the cliffhanger ending, I would have deleted it from my DVR timer). I do like Persons Unknown, but feel it is holding back, no where near realizing its full potential.

You know, it has gotten to the point where I am tempted to downsize my Dish Network subscription to just the Premium Cable Networks. If not for the very verbal backlash from my family, I would probably do just that.

Why do this?

Because, w/ a few exceptions, there really isn't anything I can't live w/o on the broadcast or basic cable networks. Now if I lost HBO while True Blood was airing new eps, I'd drive myself crazy wondering what is happening. Then there are HBO shows like Treme, & the upcoming Boardwalk Empire & A Game of Thrones. Don't even get me started on all the shows I'm missing on Showtime and Starz, (both of which I had a subscription to at one point, but unfortunately we can only afford one premium package). The premium networks are where to get good, intelligent TV.

When you think about it, it is amazing how much has changed in the last 10-15 years. Before the Sopranos & Sex In the City, the premium nets were all about attracting subscribers via the "latest, greatest blockbuster only found here." Now it's their original programming which they tout. Not to mention, they have no reason to really pay attention to Nielsens, which are designed for measuring viewer count for advertising revenue. All HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc care about are attracting & retaining subscribers. My guess is they trade reporting from satellite & cable carriers (Dish Network, Comcast, etc) for licensing fee credits (thus all the 3 months free deals). When you think about it, the premium networks don't give a shit about how old a viewer is, whether or not they own or rent, of if they're going to the mall w/n the next week to burn some cash. They don't care as long as that particular person is subscribed to and watching their network.

The entertainment industry is changing. The Nielsen system has been outdated since before the Commodore 64. Advertisers are more frugal w/ their spending, often opting to go with the cheaper online alternative to get their brand out. Not to mention, major networks have no patience w/ original programming if they need to grow an audience, often opting to go with the much cheaper reality programming "alternative programming". The basic cable nets have the patience to grow audiences w/ shows (especially if it receives positive critical & blogger reviews), but most either don't have or are unwilling to risk more than a bare-minimum production budget. The premium networks, however, create a TV show in a similar manner of a movie. They spend the budget to create a well crafted TV experience. They even have the entire season in the can before it airs...total opposite of the major networks, who order scripts by the episode (hmmm, maybe that is why many network shows seem disjointed).

However, I believe over the next 5 years, we're going to see more and more networks following the "HBO model". We're already seeing evidence of it now. AMC's Breaking Bad, SyFy's Caprica, & FX's Justified to name a few. Though they might not necessarily have the budget of the premium networks, each is an ambitious, intelligent TV experience. I am certain we will see these examples & a more cable original programming nominated along side, if not dominating, in most categories come the July 8th Emmy announcements. If the past couple of years hold true, many cable series will beat out their major network counterparts and take home the Emmy.

Okay, so maybe I'll keep my basic cable subscription. I don't think I'd be able to function w/o having access to Breaking Bad, Caprica, or SG-U when their new seasons premiere. I'll also be keeping my HBO subscription, but keeping a close eye on the other premium networks. DVDs are cheaper than two more $9 - $12 per month subscriptions...well, that is until I start buying 3 or 4 of their shows per quarter. The premium nets don't have enough programming hours to be there...yet...but every year it seems like they add more programming hours, & every year the shows get more ambitious in both scope and production values.

Cheers!
6/27/10

REVIEW: One Discriptive Best Fits SG-U's Preultimate Season 1 Episode, Intense

I don't even know where to begin. SG-U's penultimate Season 1 episode Incursion Pt.1 just proved it is the 2nd most intense TV show currently being broadcast (next to only Breaking Bad). Seriously, it is very difficult to talk about the episode w/o leaking spoilers like Destiny leaks atmosphere.


Photo from SyFy.com

One of the tells of a great serialized series is the episodes bleed into one another, making it difficult to distinguish when one episode ends & the follow up begins. Such is the case w/ "Subversion" & "Incursion Pt. 1". Young does vent the cell effectively killing Telford (whose in Rush's body...it is a communication stones thing, makes perfect sense if you watch SG-U from the beginning). That is the opening scene, & the episode does not slow down from there.

Incursion also ties the loose end of who attacked the base in SG-U's premiere episode. This is the event that landed our marooned characters onto Destiny to begin with. The Lucian, an opposition group hell bent on getting their hands on alien technology, are using Rush (whose in Telford's body) to get onto Destiny. They do just that. After easily breaking through Col. Young's defenses, the resulting battle not only lands the pregnant T.J. as a Lucian hostage, but also leaves Cloe shot & lost in a previously unexplored portion of the ship w/ Eli (who is not known for his cool headedness in intense situations).

SG-U also does a great job in leaving certain plot elements unspoken. Though briefly acknowledged by Rush (now back in his own body), Destiny has obviously taken a disliking to the Lucian. Whether or not they play the Destiny card in the finale, certain events furthered my suspicion that Destiny is an A.I.

So strong the suspense and drama, I found myself sitting at the edge of my seat throughout the entire episode. I was so engrossed into Incursion that it was a physical shock when the screen blacked out after the final scene.

Stargate has come a long way since the planet of the week episodes of SG-1. SG-U not only proves it can be an amazing situational character drama, but also is raising the bar of what a serialized series can do.

Here's a clip from Incursion Pt. 2:

IMHO, a scene is the best "preview" to entice viewer interest & curiosity

REVIEW: Burn Notice's 4th Season Premiere Disappoints...Well Up Until the Last 10 Minutes, That Is

I'd like to start w/ a disclaimer, I have a love/hate thing w/ Burn Notice. There is no "it was an okay episode," "it could have been better," or "not the worst, not the best" here. By the end of an episode, I am either exhilarated or annoyed.


Photo from friskytuna via Flickr

If you're unfamiliar with Burn Notice, the catalyst of the series is Michael Weston, a burnt spy trying to get back into the spy game. He is marooned in this wasteland known as Miami. Each episode includes 3 basic plot elements. First is Michael's personal life, which involves his overly intrusive chain smoking Mom, Madelyn, his on again/off again gun toting girlfriend Fiona, & the charismatic ex-military intel operative Sam (played by Bruce "Evil Dead" Campbell). Each week, he takes on a client who has gotten themselves into some serious trouble w/ some serious people. Finally, there is the serialized story arc, which involves Michael solving the ever burning question, how to get his job as a spy back. It is a formula, but one that has proved to work really well in balancing out all the aspects of Michael's life.

In the 1st couple of seasons, the writers utilized this formula and created some amazing, entertaining, & hilarious episodes. Then, throughout most of the 3rd season, that spark (for a lack of a better word)wasn't there. The formula stagnated, as formulas can do.

That is my impression of season 4's premiere, Friends and Enemies. While watching the episode, I felt as if I was being forcibly shoved from scene to scene. The episode lacked development & process. From Michael & his new contact, Vaughn, suddenly locating & on location of the remote jungle hideout of Gregory Hart (a painfully underused gun trafficer played by Michael Ironside) to Fiona waltzing into the headquarters of a biker gang so cliche in its portrayal I can't even remember what the gang was called. She of course easily locates and steals the information the team needed from an unguarded office on the second floor. Then magically that information is conveniently ties Winston, the client, to Big Ed, the biker gang leader who's the only one who can lift the kill on sight tag off of Winston's head. Aside from a righteous chase/firefight scene, the whole biker/lawyer story was anti-climatic, & really nothing close to the mind blowing intense action & drama you'd expect from a season premiere. Even the actors themselves had this air of just going through the motions about them.

Overall, I spent most of the episode thinking it is the 3rd Season all over again. Then, probably the last 5 - 10 minutes of the episode, a sequence of events occurred. Vaughn had Micheal break into a government building in order to steal data on an investigation of Gregory Hart. The consequences of the break in resulted in a spy getting burned. It was a subtle but insane twist. Classic Burn Notice. The episode closed leaving me exhilarated & looking forward to next week's installment.

Summer is Cable's Time To Shine

I have a joke for you.

What is the difference between Cable Networks & the Broadcast Networks? If a show pulls in 4 million viewers, a Cable Network Exec will say "This show's a hit. Renew it, renew it NOW! Is that show renewed yet?" An Exec from one of the broadcast networks will say "This show is an embarrassment. Pull it, Pull it from the schedule NOW! We'll burn off the unaired episodes during the summer."

Recently, I got my hands on TV Guide's Summer Preview issue. With True Blood on the cover, I wasted no time tearing into it. While sifting through the Summer Preview portion, I noticed the vast majority of the shows were on Cable. Same w/ the noteworthy Highlights that precede that day's schedule grid.

Like the total TV geek that I am, I counted the all the shows that received a writeup. By my count, I found TV Guide featured 53 shows (both scripted & reality) premiering this summer. Of those, 36 are on cable (mostly scripted). The clear majority of the 17 broadcast networks' shows are reality programming.

If you Google eroding ratings, it is rare to find an article that doesn't mention Cable audiences are growing almost proportionally to the erosion of broadcast network audiences. There is a reason why Audiences are seeking refugee status on the Cable nets, and the Summer season is a big catalyst. The broadcast networks seem take the summer off, while Cable releases their most impressive programming.

No offense ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, & ABC, but reruns and reality shows suck. In the modern world of DVRs, VOD, & mobile streaming, you have got to be a year round business. Chances are if I didn't watch Gray's Anatomy, CSI, or Law & Order while they were first run, I probably won't be checking them out now. With SyFy, TNT, USA, FX, etc offering new & interesting scripted shows, I, along w/ millions of others, are going explore those options.

And, while I am watching the majority of my summer TV on Cable, guess what I'm going to be exposed to? That's right, previews for their Fall season. Being that a parent company can own multiple cable networks, there's also a lot of cross network promoting. I'm going to see what's premiering this fall on USA, while watching SyFy. No obnoxious billboards needed to get the word out there. And chances are, I'm going to find that new fall Cable show premiere a whole not more interesting than whatever new procedural drama CBS is offering.

I'm just a measly non-Nielsen TV junkie, but to me in light of not only competition from Cable, but also from summer movies, game releases, & of course the weather, Summer is clearly not the time to scale back your schedule. Year over year audience erosion show that tactic is flawed. Come on Broadcast Networks, step up. Put some effort into retaining your audiences over the summer. If you do, maybe, just maybe the audiences will still be there to successfully launch your fall premieres.

UPDATE 6/4/10: Just found this interesting article on tvbythenumbers.com. It outlines the growth of cable since the 80's.

May Sweeps 2010 Wraps

We finally wrap up the May Sweeps 2010 tributes. Both are not my best photo manipulations, though conceptually sound. Have this bad habit of tackling photo concepts above my skill set. Then again, it is how I learn.

Dr. Who is part of another sub-project called Warped Wednesday. Every Wednesday the photo is shot specifically to be manipulated w/ the IWarp filter on GIMP. It is a tool I am learning, and have not yet mastered it. I do, however, like the multiple images, especially the silhouetted one in the back.

For Fringe, I shot it specifically to add an additional finger. Knew going in, the manipulation would work out w/o a hitch, or be a great big pain to pull off. Unfortunately, it ended up being the later. Have a double image overlay that turned out technically better, but opted to go w/ concept over aesthetics.

As usual, if you want a more detailed description/review of the show featured, link to the page on Flickr is the picture itself.

Dr. Who (via DVR)

Normally airs Saturday on BBCA, but Dr. Who just screamed to be presented on Warped Wednesday. Really had no choice at all.

Fringe (Thursdays on Fox)

Renewed for a 3rd Season!

Cheers!
5/27/10

3 More May Sweeps 2010 Tibutes

As I'm approaching the close of the May Sweeps tributes, I feel I can safely call it a success. Not in view count, & not that it generated an abnormal amount of comments. Actually the average of both went down, with few exceptions (like the clones). No, the 365 Days project is a personal project for me, and in the event a picture does generate comments &/or a ton of views, I consider that a bonus. I consider myself a mediocre photographer at best. Perhaps if not for the time constraints & level of fatigue, I would be better; but life has dealt the hand of the right now, so I am making the best of it.

I'm calling the sub-project a success in creativity. When I started it 2 weeks ago, I didn't have the foggiest idea how I would make each shot distinct. There is only one subject, me. One setting, The Fortress of Solitude (aka, my entertainment room). The one prop weighs the better part of 100lbs & is tethered to the wall by the satellite cable & power outlet. In other words, impossible to move. Yet every show featured is an image distinct from the other. I am proud of that.

Here are 3 of the 5 remaining May Sweeps 2010 tribute (click the image to get a more detailed description of why I chose that particular show):

Survivor, CBS

NOTE: Survivor is moving to Wednesdays beginning Fall 2010.

House M.D., Mondays on Fox

After 5 years, do you thing Hugh Laurie (Gregory House) walks w/ a limp when not on the set?

Lost, ABC

Bi-polar about this season. Depressed it is coming to an ending. Stoked it got to run its course.

Final 2 May Sweeps& honorable mentions coming soon.

Cheers!
5/22/10

IDCM LAUNCHES NETWORK WITH AMBITIOUS 2010-11 LINEUP

NETWORK LAUNCH MIDNIGHT SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH.

NEW ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING 7 DAYS A WEEK AT 10PM EST BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 19TH

SPECIAL "THE HITS THEY DIDN'T KNOW THEY HAD" TWO WEEK MARATHON FROM SEPTEMBER 5TH - 18TH WILL FEATURE SHOWS NETWORKS CANCELED PREMATURELY BUT HAVE SINCE BUILT A STRONG CULT FOLLOWING. THESE INCLUDING "FIREFLY" "LIFE ON MARS" "CARNIVALE" "MOONLIGHT" "WONDERFALLS" AND MORE

IDCM ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING WILL BE PRECEDED BY AWARD WINNING SYNDICATED PROGRAMS 7 DAYS A WEEK AT 9PM EST.

VIDEO ON DEMAND OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO STREAM BEGINNING AT ORIGINAL AIR TIME WITH MOST CABLE, SATELLITE, AND MOBILE CARRIERS.

TOP TALENT, POPULAR LICENSES, & UNIQUE ORIGINAL SCRIPTED SERIES, ALONG WITH TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY WILL PROPEL HOME & MOBILE TV VIEWING INTO THE NEXT EVOLUTIONARY STAGE OF ENTERTAINMENT.

New York, NY (Friday, May 21, 2010) - Kyle Cubbage, Founder & CEO of IDCM, today announced the launch of the next evolutionary stage of TV Networks, IDCM, to the national advertising community during its 1st annual Programming Presentation at The New Beacon Theatre.

"On September 19th, IDCM will launch an ambitious slate of original programming and go toe to toe with the major networks," said Cubbage, "they won't know what hit them" IDCM is committed to bringing audiences the best of Genre programming. "We noticed 9 of the 10 highest grossing US movies are Genre films," said Cubbage, "When you're talking over $400M in box office revenue, that just isn't a couple of fanboys going to see a movie over and over again. Those movies drew in a large percentage of the US population, our audience. The major networks have failed to capture and retain this audience. We at IDCM took a close look at why these movies are successful, and why similar-themed Genre series TV ratings flounder. We believe the answer is quality, creativity, and originality. TV series which have met this criteria, after all, topped Amazon.com's Bestselling DVDs list along side many of those same 9 all-time grossing US movies."

IDCMs launch will occur in 2 distinct stages. The first, on Sunday, September 5th, IDCM will go live beginning with a 2 week, 24/7 marathon of what we feel are the best shows other networks canceled prematurely. The launch show is none other than the most blatant blunder in premature cancellations, FIREFLY. The entire series will air back to back for 24 hours, as will all series which follow on their respective days. Firefly will be followed by CARNIVALE (9/6), THE NINE (9/7), WONDERFALLS (9/8), MOONLIGHT (9/9), LIFE ON MARS (9/10), TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (9/11 & 9/12), THE DRESDIN FILES (9/13), INVASION (9/10), DEFYING GRAVITY (9/11), & more. Please go to our website to view the remaining marathons.

The seconds stage of the IDCM Network launch will pair our original programming with award winning, cult TV classics. IDCM is very conscious of the trailblazers who have overcome the great risk and difficulty to help shape the modern TV environment. IDCM feels it is imperative that when going into the next evolutionary stage of home & mobile entertainment, that proper respect and homage is likewise paid to these groundbreaking series.

IDCM will syndicate a different series at the 9pm ET hour 7 days a week. IDCM will then broadcast original scripted programming at the 10PM ET hour 7 days a week. Original programming is a collaboration of top talents in the production, acting, writing, & special effects fields with popular licensed properties, and IDCM original programming. IDCM recruited the best of the best from the movie, TV, publishing, special effects, & comics industries. "We might be the new kid on the block," said Cubbage, "but we know our shit."

IDCM is a quality, cutting edge entertainment venue available anytime, anywhere. IDCM understands the next generation of audiences have been here for quite some time, and they do not utilize tradition viewing avenues. IDCM is founded on the principle that whether online, on smart phone, or on TV, audiences will have access to watch what they want anytime, anywhere.

IDCM offers advertisers a streamlined advertising package unique to the industry. Whether on TV, VOD, mobile, or streaming online, audiences will be exposed the same cpmmercials. With the same technology, IDCM advertisers will have access to real time cumulative ratings data while the audience themselves remain anonymous. This per-view, per viewer data will provide advertisers with an accurate measure of not only who watches what & when, but via what venue (TV, mobile phone, streaming online, etc). It will be a great companion to the Nielsen ratings data.

The following is the IDCM 2010-2011 prime time schedule and synopses of the original series:

IDCM FALL 2010 PRIME TIME SCHEDULE

(All Times ET)

MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Rotating Daily Syndication
9:00-10:00 PM Buffy the Vampire Slayer
10:00-11:00 PM XS4GC: Xavier's School For Gifted Children (based on Marvel's New Mutants & loose spin-off the X-Men Movies)

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Rotating Daily Syndication
9:00-10:00 PM Babylon 5
10:00-11:00 PM The Shepard Project (an IDCM Original)

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Rotating Daily Syndication
9:00-10:00 PM Lost
10:00-11:00 PM Frank Herbert's Dune: The Series (a fusion w/ the epic book series & movie)

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Rotating Daily Syndication
9:00-10:00 PM Classic Dr. Who
10:00-11:00 PM Sandman (based on the award winning Vertigo Comic)

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Rotating Daily Syndication
9:00-10:00 PM Farscape
10:00-11:00 PM Farscape 2 (Sequel to the SyFy series)

SATURDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Rotating Daily Syndication
9:00-10:00 PM Xena, Warrior Princess
10:00-11:00 PM Legend of the Seeker (3rd Season revived!)

SUNDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Rotating Daily Syndication
9:00-10:00 PM X-Files (the early seasons)
10:00-11:00 PM Third Incarnation (An IDCM Orignal)


ORIGINAL IDCM SERIES SYNOPSES

XS4GC: XAVIER'S SCHOOL FOR GIFTED CHILDREN
Brian Singer returns to the X-Men franchise in a most unexpected way. With the critical & ratings success of HOUSE, combined w/ the popularity of the X-MEM movies, XS4GC is sure to draw audiences of all ages. Ever wonder how the X-Men go from being students to the front lines against the likes of Magneto? This part comic, part movie spin off will answer just that. Set 2 years after the events of X-Men 2 ("We are ignoring the 3rd movie" said network rep, Cubbage, "because it sucked, and ignored the essence of the X-Men mythology"), XS4GC follows a group of HS Juniors (Sam Guthrie, Danielle Moonstar, Roberto da Costa, Amara Aquila, & Illyana Rasputin) as they begin the early stages of X-Men training. They are 1 of 8 teams of juniors going through a similar program, and you couldn't have a more miss-matched group. As they learn to get along & work as a team, the sudden reappearance of Jean Gray will begin a season long subplot that will showcase the X-Men's most popular storyline, "The Dark Phoenix Saga", from the student's point of view. Rounding out Brian's executive production staff are Rob Thomas (VERONICA MARS), Hank Steinberg (THE NINE), & Josh Appelbaum (LIFE ON MARS , US)

THE SHEPARD PROJECT
An IDCM original. Having been enslaved, regained freedom & independence, Humans have been aggressively colonizing across the collided Galaxies. Leaders continuously boast that humanity is at the threshold of a new Golden Age. Or are we? The sudden reappearance of a ancient ship, the Kharon, heralded as a beacon of hope during times of turmoil & strife suggests otherwise. Trace Morrison, an interstellar emergency response physician, & Captain Markus Shepard, a disgraced officer recently demoted to the leading patrol flights throughout the Fringe colonies, lives collide w/ the legendary ship when a raid against a civilian hub satellite goes horribly wrong. Aboard Kharon they discover the uneasy peace between the human and alien populations are tried when an ambush destroys the Kharon's entire senior staff who, between them, know not only the how the ship works, but also reason for it's return. As hostilities begin to escalate, one thing both human and alien both agree on, leave the aliens in Cargo hold 17 out of it. Created by Kyle Cubbage. With executive producers J. Michael Straczynski (BABYLON 5), Joss Whedon (FIREFLY), Jeffrey Lieber (LOST), & Damon Lindelof (LOST) behind the helm, The Shepard Project is sure to boldly go where no other space series has gone before.

FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE: THE SERIES
IDCM again crosses entertainment mediums by bringing audiences a fusion-spin-off of the most popular series in Science Fiction history and the most controversial movie adaptation. Executive Produced by Gore Verbinski (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN), Neill Blomkamp (DISTRICT 9), & Vincenzo Natali (CUBE, SPLICE), w/ David Lynch (DUNE, TWIN PEAKS) signed on as creative consultant, Dune fans who have been clamoring for the 6-hour movie version & new audiences alike will be awestruck by this TV adaption of greatest epic ever. Each book of the Dune series will be a 9 - 13 episode season, and will take a deeper look into the surreal, political, & dramatic worlds which make up Dune. Not only will the series delve more into the main characters of the book, it will show many of the unseen events which contribute to the big climatic battle resulting in Paul Muad'Dib seizing control of the Spice & Empire. The series will also explore what actions Leto's friends took after the Massacre, as well as explore other power players like the Tleilaxu & the Guild. At the center of it all will be Paul, and his journey as he becomes the Kwisatz Haderach, & trains the Fremen army to master the Weirding modules.

NEIL GAIMEN'S SANDMAN
Neil Gaimen returns to his wildly popular Sandman franchise as creative consultant for a live action version of the fables of Morpheus and his Endless Siblings. A madman wanting to live forever inadvertently traps Dream instead of Death. 60 years later, Dream escapes and has to face the repercussions of a world gone so long w/o dreams, as well as his own neglected realm, The Dreaming. Audiences who've read & re-read the award winning comic will not only get a fresh perspective of the award winning series, but will be experience w/ new tales. Sandman is not a straight retelling of the graphic series, just rooted there. Backed by executive producers Tim Burton (ALICE IN WONDERLAND), Guillermo del Toro (PAN'S LABYRINTH), & Michael Green (KINGS, HEROES), Sandman will transcend the modern fantasy genre & time itself to give audiences an experience like none other.


FARSCAPE 2
Rockne S O'Bannon, Brian Henson, Richard Manning, & David Kemper return as executive producers to the rabidly popular Farscape franchise. The solar flares of 2012 provided a unique opportunity to launch the Farscape 2, and create another wormhole. The Farscape 2 is the result of international cooperation through IASA, and is quite the upgrade from the single-manned module flown by John Crichton 13 years prior. Commander Sandra "Sammi" Tetro (Katee Sackhoff) is a wise-cracking astronaut who would be in a brig for insubordination if not hand picked by Jack Crichton himself. Her unorthodox approach to commanding is exactly what is needed to keep the other 14 members of the Farscape 2 crew in line, as well as not at each others throats. The official mission is to establish interplanetary relations w/ the Peacekeepers & other races on the other side of the Galaxy. Unofficially, Jack Crichton want them to John Crichton & bring him home. Years of training have prepared them for their mission, and encounters w/ the unpredictable species of aliens, whether hostile or friendly. The crew of the Farscape 2 are prepared for anything; anything except their new wormhole putting them in the heart of Nebari territory.

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER
IDCM went to the underworld to resurrect the recently canceled Legend of the Seeker, not only giving it a new home at a set time, but Seeker can now better explore the more mature themes in Terry Goodkind's books. The 3rd season is based on the 3rd "Sword of Truth" volume, "Blood of the Fold." Richard Cypher squares off against two threats. Zealot Tobias Brogan, Leader of the Blood of the Fold, and Emperor Jagang, an evil wizard who escaped from the Old World; due to Richard & company unwittingly breaking the wards separating the Old World from the Mid-Lands. The Palace of the Prophets is Emperor Jagang's target. The evil Emperor means consolidate his power while his armies of the Old World mass for invasion. Tobias & his inquisition-esk Blood of the Fold set out to rid the Mid-Lands of all magic. Believing magic stems from the Keeper, they go after Richard. When their assassination attempt against Richard fails, they end up kidnapping Kahlan. Richard now faces the choice & consequences of uniting the Kingdoms of the Mid-Lands to fight off the Old World invasion, or pursuing the Kahlan & her kidnappers. Seeker is executive produced by Sam Raimi (SPARTACUS: BLOOD & SAND, XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS), Chad Fiveash (KYLE XY), Mike Sussman (THRESHOLD), Jason Patrick Stoteraux (KYLE XY), & Kenneth Biller (SIX DEGREES, DARK ANGEL).

THE THIRD INCARNATION
An IDCM Original. Imagine looking out your window, and seeing a world where some semblance of all myths, lores, & fables are not only true, but are the dominate species, humans are being hunted to extinction, & everybody must live under a totalitarian laws of a bird race, the Aviate. That is precisely where Jason Kaiser ended up after being rescued from a 3000 year imprisonment in the center of the earth. Jason's rescuers are not the most cohesive group either, most with "dead or alive" warrants on their heads. They are a burnt out General gone AWOL, a cyborg human, a zealot Android who believes Jason is part of a prophecy, an amnesiac sorcerer who is obviously faking it, & a minor demon. Just as Jason is coming to terms w/ this brave new world, he learns that it is possible to go back to the past and get his old life back. Created by Kyle Cubbage, Third Incarnation is executive produced by Peter Jackson (LORD OF THE RINGS), Bryan Fuller (PUSHING DAISIES), Ronald Moore (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA), & Daniel Knauf (CARNIVALE).

ABOUT THIS UPFRONT
The network IDCM does not exist (yet). This is a fantasy upfront. As cool as it may be, nobody named is associated w/ any of the above listed TV series concepts. To my knowledge, none of the above mentioned shows are in production, they are concepts of mine that I feel would make great TV. The exception is Legend of the Seeker, which currently might or might not be officially canceled. Hopefully not...ended up doing a lot of research on the Blood of the Fold, and it looks like a really cool season. The SHEPARD PROJECT & THIRD INCARNATION are my concepts. Any other series outlined are not created by me, and are owned by their respective copyrights holder. However, I would love to work on the writing staff if anybody gets any of these series into production.