DISQUS

Jozef · 5 months ago

Always good to see a new show going on the air. I would, however, LOVE for someone to take a shot at Virtuality. It had the kind of pilot that didn't blow me away at first sight - but days later I'm still intrigued by the characters, the general plot, the mystery.

Jason · 5 months ago

I am just glad to see something new to watch this summer, this has been the worst summer in years for TV. Except for Burn Notice, there is nothing on to watch.

NotAMoron · 5 months ago

"He describes the show as "having a sci-fi premise but being told in a female-friendly way.""
Meaning, it's going to be unwatchable, over-sentimental tripe, because the networks continue to believe that women are too damn stupid to enjoy real science-fiction without any over-the-top relationship drama.

Objectivist · 5 months ago

NotAMoron, is that fair? Look @ the cast & the creators, not known for "tripe" (James Parriot, the showrunner on Grey's, also exec produced for "Sons of Anarchy", "Threat Matrix" & my personal fave, "Forever Knight" ). That tag line, especially in these tough economic times, may be for advertisers who only care about attaching their revenue to proven, hit commodities (connecting the show to "Grey's" satisfies that). I'm for promoting more Sci Fi on TV by at least giving it an unbiased try. But, as w/ any series, it will lose my loyalty if it doesn't deserve it.
Pax.

NotAMoron · 5 months ago

Yeah, I think it's fair. I haven't seen the show (nor do I know any of the other series you mention), so the only thing I can comment on is the tagline. And that one doesn't fill me with giddy anticipation.
If the final result positively surprises me, all the better. But the only way it can do that is by *not* resembling "Grey's Anatomy."

Objectivist · 5 months ago

Tough crowd. I guess your hatred for "Grey's" overrides anything else. But considering "Star Trek"'s original tag line was "Wagon Train To The Stars", they aren't a barometer of quality.

NotAMoron · 5 months ago

I don't hate "Grey's Anatomy;" it's just not my cup of tea. It's the tagline's job to drum up interest in and expectations for a project, and it's doing the opposite with probably a great many people who're interested in science-fiction.
By the way, "Western in space" still sounds pretty cool (even if audiences decided differently with "Firefly").

Objectivist · 5 months ago

You're right about a tag line's purpose. Since "Grey's" is a top 10 hit, the suits are attempting to attract the larger audience who wouldn't ordinarily watch a science fiction show. They figure since there's so little sci fi on television (though that seems to be changing), the fanboy/girls, who they believe are nothing more than a vocal minority, will give it a try regardless.

NotAMoron · 5 months ago

The trouble is: if the tagline is false, the people who expected "Grey's Anatomy in space," many of whom are likely not interested in SF, will be soured on the show (and probably later attempts at network Science-Fiction). If the tagline is correct, there's likely no reason for the thing to be set in spaceship in the first place, besides giving the show an exotic locale.
Science-Fiction is all about ideas and their exploration, and if that's missing, well mainstream audiences might watch, but I wouldn't.

Of course, things rarely turn out this black-and-white. I rather liked many of the quieter episodes of "Battlestar Galactica," despite fanboy criticism that they turned the show into a soap instead of some exciting action drama. It is possible to combine good character storytelling with compelling storylines, but it's difficult, and I'm afraid a show that advertises itself as "Grey's Anatomy in space" would lean towards being exceptionally (= too) soapy.

NotAMoron · 5 months ago

And of course, my original comment was prompted by the "female-friendly" part of the press release, which is sexist as hell (and I stand by that opinion).

Glenn · 5 months ago

Wow. If I wanted to hype a science fiction show, I definitely would not call it "Grey's Anatomy of space." My enthusiasm took a hard dive to zero when I read that.

The Live Feed · 5 months ago

yeah, right? It's one of those selling lines that get net executives reaching for their wallets. but most space adventure fans are like "bleech" (and, for that matter, most "grey's anatomy" fans would be like "bleech")

karenkns · 5 months ago

The selling line didn't make me wanna watch only refuse to watch. 1 grey's anatomy is bad enough, i love star trek, tng and voyager. It had romance aspects (Picard/Dr, Troi/Riker etc..) yet i wouldn't call it Greys Anatomy in space.

Jason · 5 months ago

The pilot does have a Grey's Anatomy feel, even some of the music sounded exactly like something you'd hear in Grey's. It's apparent that love and relationships between members of the crew will be key plot lines, but the show will no doubt still retain its "sci-fi" aspects.

My guess is that the first season will revolve around the "big" secret that mission control neglected to tell the space crew. Whether that secret is anything interesting or just a ploy to keep people watching is unknown to me.

wiesengrund · 5 months ago

Daring to go public with a comment like "having a sci-fi premise but being told in a female-friendly way" deserves some recognition. I always thought that they keep their misogyny behind closed doors, at meetings and such, but apparently the public is cool enough with it to actually say it out loud.