Random Thoughts

This morning (first post of 2011 huh?) I got to thinking about what was wrong with Caprica.

Why did the Sy-Fy Channel cancel it?

Of course, they’ll site viewer numbers and say that people weren’t watching it. I think that would be partially accurate. People didn’t watch it because they didn’t know when it would be on. One of the common problems of networks in general is that they advertise the hell out of everything on their networks which means you have to be watching their networks to see when certain shows will be on.

At least, that’s how it used to work.

Now, I don’t watch any of your network nonsense. In fact, I didn’t watch a single episode of Caprica on Sy Fy. I downloaded the shows from iTunes. I never had any intention of watching Sy Fy to see the show nor did I ever do so. That makes me wonder if Sy Fy ever included those folks when they factor in the numbers?

What about Hulu or TV.com?

(Update: I just stumbled upon this great article about people leaving their cable and television providers in favor of internet based solutions.) The whole story link is here.

The proliferation of viewing devices — including a new generation of TV sets that connect to the Internet — could boost the chances that viewers will do what cable and satellite companies fear most: cancel their $70-a-month subscriptions in favor of cheaper Web options.

People want to watch your shows just like they always have except now they want it delivered their way and not yours.

They are not going to watch your channel but they do want to watch your shows and that is what you need to monetize.

As I said in a couple of paragraphs above, we never knew when the show was going to be on. That is bad. It’s the same rule for podcasts. People stop listening when you stop delivering your show on some kind of schedule. Caprica was horrible in this regard. Do you remember when TV seasons were about 24 episodes long and were fairly dependable? I miss those days.

I could write a big long post about this. Maybe I will.

BSG: Daybreak, Part 1

Getting down to the last Battlestar Galactica episode has become a painful television experience.

Daybreak isn’t a bad episode at all. I really enjoyed the Caprica flashback that showed Laura Roslin’s family tragedy and find myself wondering if there will be any relevance in the end.

The last episode will be shown this week and in all honesty, I may just completely forget to watch it.

I find myself wondering what Starbuck is. I guess the two questions that will need to be answered are the Starbuck thing and what Hera means to all of this. Does Starbuck’s song have anything to do with the ending or what she is? Ok, that’s a third question.

This show had real promise in the beginning even with flipping the sex of two characters and changing the race of another. Baltar was not the Baltar he was in the original series and this showing makes you almost feel sorry for him.

Colonel Tigh used to be black, dependable as all get out, and a straight shooter not a white alcoholic who later finds out that he’s a Cylon married to another Cylon.

Was it symbolic to bring Richard Hatch into the series only to shoot him as a traitor a few episodes back? Wow.

Liberalism is a very dark place. A very liberal type penned this inclination of a great story and drove the concepts, characters, and storyline into the ground while making you feel so bad about yourself at the same time.

The only reason that I would ever give Ronald Moore another franchise to work with would be if my intention was well, to kill it.

Dirk Benedict and Me

Dirk Benedict Galactica Starbuck.jpg

Agree that Battlestar Galactica (the new one) is a big pile of crap.

I just read something he posted in 2004 before the show went on the air. His article in it’s entirety is definitely worth reading. This was before the new show even came out. We got the wild rumours that Starbuck was going to be a girl? Boomer wasn’t a black Viper pilot but now a female Asian?

Here’s part of what Dirk said…

For you see, TV Shows (and movies) are made and sold according to the
same business formula as hamburger franchises. So that it matters not
if the `best’ hamburger, what matters is that you `think’ it is the
best. And you do think it’s the best, because you have been told to;
because all of your favourite celebrities are seen munching it on TV.
The big money is not spent on making the hamburger or the television
show, but on the marketing of the hamburger/show. (One 60-second
commercial can cost more than it does to film a one-hour episode.) It
matters not to Suits if it is Starbuck or Stardoe, if the Cylons are
robots or lingerie models, if the show is full of optimism and
morality or pessimism and amorality. What matters is that it is
marketed well, so that all you people out there in TV land know that
you must see this show. And after you see it, you are told that you
should like it. That it is new and bold and sleek and sexy and best
of all… it is Re-imagined!

So grab a Coke from the fridge (not the Classic Coke, but the re-
imagined kind with fewer calories) and send out for a McDonald’s
Hamburger (the re-imagined one with fewer carbs) and tune in to
Stardoe and Cylon #6 (or was it #69?) and Enjoy The Show.

And if you don’t enjoy the show, or the hamburger and coke, it’s not
the fault of those re-imaginative technocrats that brought them to
you. It is your fault. You and your individual instincts, tastes,
judgement. Your refusal to let go of the memory of the show that once
was. You just don’t know what is good for you. But stay tuned. After
another 13 episodes (and millions of dollar of marketing), you will
see the light. You, your instincts, your judgement, are wrong.
McDonald’s is the best hamburger on the planet, Coca-Cola the best
drink. Stardoe is the best Viper Pilot in the Galaxy. And Battlestar
Galactica, contrary to what your memory tells you, never existed
before the Re-imagination of 2003.

I disagree. But perhaps, you had to be there.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

BSG: Weekly Breakdown

Please move on folks. Nothing to see here.

The seeds have been sown for something awful to happen as far as some kind of rebellion within the fleet starring Felix and the VP.

President R. is still not worth much and totally mental. The end of this week’s episode finds her in bed with Adama. Yeah. Sure. Whatever.

I expected that the last few shows would be “edge of your seat” type stuff. The last two shows were dull and boring.

I’ve never seen such a great idea be completely wasted.

When this series started, it was a complete thrill ride even though I had to cope with a complete re-write of the story and characters. I was willing to forgive that as long as the story came out good.

Sometimes I feel like the writers believe that we’ll just like anything they put out because it’s Battlestar Galactica after all.

Well, we don’t.