“They violated the rule to keep Canadians away from SCI-FI series – anyone remember the horror that was THE STARLOST? It like PLAN 9 FROM OUTERSPACE only worse.”

Hell, I’d take the Starlost, in all its absurd historical context, over anything that’s oozed out of J.J. Abrams.

Now — If you want to be snarky, go right ahead. If you’d rather watch yet another family unfriendly police procedural in the timeslot, I can’t stop you from writting. But that’s not going to stop those of us who have warmed to the simple magic of the show.

The numbers for Defying Gravity is just awful!

DAY ONE looks promising – sort a mix of LOST and CLOVERFIELD and WAR OF THE WORLDS.

But after so many disappointing sci-fi series lately, I will be shocked if either one succeeds.

I liked DG – yes there was a lot of set up but I think it shows potential. God knows there was a lot of slack in True Blood early on too – now it is rip roaring along! With the alien in the hold and still no idea what the mission is, I am looking forward to it picking up the pace.
PS – The points about the Spanish speaking are classic blather from people with no passports or language skills. She isn’t talking to the other crew, she is broadcasting to a global schools audience (like they do on some shuttle missions), many of whom would be native Spanish speakers. It is a major global language and America’s second tongue. Maybe ABC would like to get some viewers from Univision?
It is a shame that ABC will probably can it early given the low figures but if it gains international success, then at least I can torrent it.

One has to remember this series is heavily Canadian and European influenced (hence the Stanley Kubrick 2001 type feel to it). They violated the rule to keep Canadians away from SCI-FI series – anyone remember the horror that was THE STARLOST? It like PLAN 9 FROM OUTERSPACE only worse.

If this series is going to survive they need to crank up the action dial from 1 to 10. Lasers, malevolent aliens, explosions, chest bursting aliens… whatever it takes.

On a technical level it was well done, but ongoing if it remains as boring as this it will end up being exiled to Saturdays to join KINGS, PUSHING UP DAISIES and HARPERS ISLAND in the cemetery of un-dead expensive shows to burn off the remaining episodes.

I think few people are watching Merlin because it simply isn’t very good. Friends have told me it picks up toward the end of this season, but how many viewers want to sit through 9-10 crappy episodes to get to something that’s reasonably decent?

Merlin is a great family show which sometime does not work as well in America these days. BBC1 really tapped into something when the ever famous Doctor Who returned to TV.

It makes no sense to burn new episodes in the summer at 7 o’clock on Sunday because nobody watches then. So they’re showing repeats to make the show feel current until it comes back.

And by running Til Death in a time slot they understand – they’ve been doing half-hours at 7 for more than a decade – it gives them a sense of the show’s basic strength, which will help them grade Friday night on a curve when the show moves to Fridays in the fall.

http://thebrowntweedsociety.com/2009/08/03/ive-never-watched-greys-anatomy-so-why-would-i-want-to-watch-greys-anatomy-in-space/

No, FOX did not ever cancel ‘Til Death. However, they got a very good offer from Sony (who makes the show) that they could not pass on. I believe there is 1 episode left from season 2 (which was to air in season 3) about 5-7 episodes from season 3, and 22 (yes, a full 22 episode order) for season 4. Why FOX doesnt air those season 3 episodes, I’ll never know. What makes it even more puzzling is that in season 4, they removed JB Smoove, and replaced him with the daughter and her boyfriend. So when it starts in October, FOX will have one episode with the neighbors, 5-7 with JB Smoove, and 22 with the daughter and her boyfriend. Talk about craziness! (I probably did help much. )

Overall this show suffers from trying to include every bit of cliche baloney that the writers could throw in. The astronauts were young horn dogs looking to hump everything. The mission was an international joint effort. The heroes had a tragic past. It had too many of those things. Real astronauts are scholarly, intelligent and boring. This show included nothing like that but threw in some crap to appeal to the younger audience. Another one for the dung heap.

Did Fox effectively cancel it this year, but is reviving it next year; thus, feeling that it is not obligated to run this year’s episodes? Did they actually only order fix or seven episodes for next year and are carrying over the remainders?

I doubt the international aspect will make ABC renew it. After all, Crusoe was an international co-production, and NBC canned it. I think the same will go for Defying Gravity and Merlin. (BTW, I watched the last 10 minutes of Merlin, and I couldnt stop laughing at that stupid dragon. What an awful show.)

I tried watching bits and pieces of it (since Canada’s CTV premiered the show simultaneously on TWO of its main networks yesterday) – it was worse than I expected…

I thought it was decent, with definite potential. I didn’t have the highest opinion of the Grey’s Anatomy pilot, either, and that show vastly improved.

I liked the flashbacks, the mystery surrounding the mission, and some of the characters. Didn’t see enough of others to say yet.

You’re much better off buying the DVDs of Ron Moore’s “Battlestar Galactica.”

Granted this was 10 times better than the awful STORM movie, didnt even bother with part 2 after they killed off Dan Fielding (Night Court), but DG is just too dull and cerebral for the masses. Its basically a series version of MISSION TO MARS (the French are the only ones who thought that movie was great – at least according to Wikipedia) meets 2001 A Space Odyssey starring “the guy from Office Space”.

Time to blow the cast out the air lock and call it a wrap. I hope at least they explain what the mysterious alien thing is that is telling them what to do and apparently has the power to clog arteries of annoying Indian guys from long distances.