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Posted by DexterBG on 7/14/2008, 1:29 am
I was searching around for some sign that ABC might rerun "Pushing Daisies", since it's rerun "Ugly Betty" and "Eli Stone" (and probably others). So far, no sign of it. Booooooo! But anyway.
I came across the news item that TSNWSRN had picked up two season of CBS's cancelled series "Jericho". And all I could think was, "How was Jericho scifi"? It's fictional drama, to be sure. So are a lot of things. It doesn't make it science fiction just because a WW3 happened in the story.
My understanding of scifi was that it was a story situation a bit removed from present day by time (usually decades or centuries), location (usually on another world), or by technology (AI robots are common, or something). Jericho is supposedly not in the future, takes place in the USA, and conventional technology is only present. The only thing vaguely scifi about it is, that obviously such a nation altering event hasn't taken place. So are we supposed to be looking at an alternative earth? There's not clue that this is another "Sliders" world. Like majority of people are left handed, or red means go and green means stop. If the producers had dropped such hints, then it would have to deal with the fall out from it later. But as far as I can tell, this more like some political intrigue drama. Rather than scifi. It would be like calling the series "24" scifi.
Way too much is being labeled scifi simply because it sells better that way. Even ridiculous comedies like "Meet Dave" will probably be called scifi, just because Dave is an alien spaceship. But come on, I'd more accept Woody Allen's "Sleeper" as scifi. And I'm a long term fan of "Red Dwarf", as a scifi comedy, because it was well written and produced. But hard to believe, it had a difficult time being accepted as scifi, because it was so funny. Now, the "scifi" label is up for grabs.
Anyway. It's my belief TSNWSRN picked up Jericho not because it was scifi, but because the network is owned by NBC/Universal and did this deal with CBS/Paramount, for various properties. And they got stuck with Jericho as part of a package deal. Or they were so desperate for something about the apocalypse of earth, that they grabbed at this drama, that fizzled out on CBS. Well at least it's not WRESTLING! Which apparently they've programmed too.
Critics of TSNWSRN are complaining that there just isn't much that's good any more on this network. And picking up such questionable castoffs from other networks, isn't going to improve its image. I suppose gone are the days of original series like MST3k, and edgy ones like "Lex". And why is nothing in scifi ever positive anymore, about the future? It's always, "we're heading for doom", or "the evil doers will eventually win". No one's making lemonade in scifi stories, since Joel did. I got really bored by Jericho's never-ending story of "things can get worse, and will" storyline.
I suspect it got some of its ideas from "Damnation Alley". Only that had a tipped earth, large desert scorpions, and weird weather, to make it scifish. And at least it had a happy ending, and earth got better. But Tv series can't have any of that, because the it would kill the main premise for its existance. So earth/USA/civilization never recovers. But it seems like a raw deal just to keep a series alive. Even "Gilligan's Island" had its happy ending, without ever getting rescued (during its 3 season run). And "Lost in Space" had happier endings without ever returning to earth. I don't who why today's producers and network execs abhor the happy ending in dramas. Most of the Star Trek episodes had them too (both TOS & TNG).
So when something like "Pushing Daisies" comes along and is hugely popular with the viewers, the execs are dumbfounded as to why? Fortunately shows such as this and "Eli Stone" are turning things around. Hopefully, this trend won't die off too quickly. No more strikes, please!
-Dex-
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