SG1 - TV Guide Online: Ask Matt - June 16th
From TV Guide Online:
http://www.tvguide.com/TV/Roush/AskMatt/
(Please follow the link for the complete column.)
Stargate is referred to in two of Matt's Q & A's
ASK MATT - June 16th
Question: Why should anyone watch any of the new network sci-fi shows when their record of cancellation is so predictable? Why should I get myself involved in the plot and characters when there's a 90-percent certainty that the network(s) will dump any new show? And why do the networks continue to produce new shows of this sort if they don't intend to support them? I was a huge fan of Invasion and Surface. We Surface fans even dared to hope there would be more episodes when the last show stated it was the "season" finale, not the "series" finale. I and all of my friends are highly disgusted with network TV. The only reason Stargate SG-1 endured was because Showtime premiered it and stuck by it. Thanks for listening. — Dee T.
Matt Roush: I'm guessing this is a retroactive question, because there are almost no new network series that play into the sci-fi/fantasy arena (NBC's Heroes is the most notable exception). If you're wondering why anyone last season bothered watching any of the networks' genre efforts, despite the foreknowledge that most, if not all, of them were probably doomed from the start, the answer is simple: Watching certain types of TV requires a leap of faith, and if the shows themselves are good, as Invasion certainly was — I also enjoyed CBS' Threshold for as long as it lasted — I'd still rather watch great storytelling, for whatever duration, than the alternative. I have no regrets about watching any failed series, sci-fi or otherwise, if I truly enjoyed it as I watched. But then, I tend to watch TV in the moment, not worrying so much about the endgame and fretting about matters, such as renewal and cancellation, that are out of my control. Just because I knew Everwood and Invasion weren't coming back didn't mean I was going to miss the finale.
AND
Question: I was just wondering if you'd had the opportunity to watch BBC America's Hex yet. After seeing the two-hour premiere, I must say that I was very impressed, especially with the lead actress (Christina Cole). The show manages to successfully combine the witchcraft angle of Charmed with the sly humor (at least with one character) of Buffy, and sports that Gothic British style that makes everything seem so much more important. How many episodes of this show have actually been produced (I know it premiered in Britain in 2004), and are there still new ones on the horizon? Also, are you going to be reviewing the show in the magazine anytime soon? — Todd S.
Matt Roush: Why am I not surprised to be getting questions about this one already? (Including a few expressing outrage over a spoiler commercial that BBC America aired during the premiere. I didn't see that, having watched the pilot on a screener DVD.) I was kind of intrigued by the premiere episode — thought it was well executed, well acted, quirky and mysterious — but given how busy this summer is already with a glut of new programming (and the need to break away for a bit of time off and to prepare for the impending three-week TCA press tour), I seriously doubt I'll be able to keep up with this one. Not because I wouldn't enjoy it, but because there are limits. And looking at my calendar over the next month or so, my weekly magazine column is already pretty full, so I'm not planning on addressing this one right now, unless I do a roundup of niche programming later in the summer. I'm not sure how many episodes BBC will air during this first batch, but from my cursory research, it appears 18 episodes of Hex were filmed in all. (I got one letter indicating that — shades of U.S. TV here — Hex left viewers hanging in its finale, but I have no way of knowing that for sure.) If I am able to watch some of the upcoming episodes, and it impresses me one way or the other, I may blog about it in my Dispatches column. But my plate's rather full, and when it comes to supernatural programming, I'll probably gravitate toward the more mainstream basic channels and focus on The 4400, TNT's Stephen King anthology in July, and the return of fresh Sci Fi Channel programming including the two Stargate series and the new Eureka. That's more than enough to keep me busy. But if you're the sort who thinks you'd enjoy something like Hex, you probably should check it out.
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Morjana
http://www.tvguide.com/TV/Roush/AskMatt/
(Please follow the link for the complete column.)
Stargate is referred to in two of Matt's Q & A's
ASK MATT - June 16th
Question: Why should anyone watch any of the new network sci-fi shows when their record of cancellation is so predictable? Why should I get myself involved in the plot and characters when there's a 90-percent certainty that the network(s) will dump any new show? And why do the networks continue to produce new shows of this sort if they don't intend to support them? I was a huge fan of Invasion and Surface. We Surface fans even dared to hope there would be more episodes when the last show stated it was the "season" finale, not the "series" finale. I and all of my friends are highly disgusted with network TV. The only reason Stargate SG-1 endured was because Showtime premiered it and stuck by it. Thanks for listening. — Dee T.
Matt Roush: I'm guessing this is a retroactive question, because there are almost no new network series that play into the sci-fi/fantasy arena (NBC's Heroes is the most notable exception). If you're wondering why anyone last season bothered watching any of the networks' genre efforts, despite the foreknowledge that most, if not all, of them were probably doomed from the start, the answer is simple: Watching certain types of TV requires a leap of faith, and if the shows themselves are good, as Invasion certainly was — I also enjoyed CBS' Threshold for as long as it lasted — I'd still rather watch great storytelling, for whatever duration, than the alternative. I have no regrets about watching any failed series, sci-fi or otherwise, if I truly enjoyed it as I watched. But then, I tend to watch TV in the moment, not worrying so much about the endgame and fretting about matters, such as renewal and cancellation, that are out of my control. Just because I knew Everwood and Invasion weren't coming back didn't mean I was going to miss the finale.
AND
Question: I was just wondering if you'd had the opportunity to watch BBC America's Hex yet. After seeing the two-hour premiere, I must say that I was very impressed, especially with the lead actress (Christina Cole). The show manages to successfully combine the witchcraft angle of Charmed with the sly humor (at least with one character) of Buffy, and sports that Gothic British style that makes everything seem so much more important. How many episodes of this show have actually been produced (I know it premiered in Britain in 2004), and are there still new ones on the horizon? Also, are you going to be reviewing the show in the magazine anytime soon? — Todd S.
Matt Roush: Why am I not surprised to be getting questions about this one already? (Including a few expressing outrage over a spoiler commercial that BBC America aired during the premiere. I didn't see that, having watched the pilot on a screener DVD.) I was kind of intrigued by the premiere episode — thought it was well executed, well acted, quirky and mysterious — but given how busy this summer is already with a glut of new programming (and the need to break away for a bit of time off and to prepare for the impending three-week TCA press tour), I seriously doubt I'll be able to keep up with this one. Not because I wouldn't enjoy it, but because there are limits. And looking at my calendar over the next month or so, my weekly magazine column is already pretty full, so I'm not planning on addressing this one right now, unless I do a roundup of niche programming later in the summer. I'm not sure how many episodes BBC will air during this first batch, but from my cursory research, it appears 18 episodes of Hex were filmed in all. (I got one letter indicating that — shades of U.S. TV here — Hex left viewers hanging in its finale, but I have no way of knowing that for sure.) If I am able to watch some of the upcoming episodes, and it impresses me one way or the other, I may blog about it in my Dispatches column. But my plate's rather full, and when it comes to supernatural programming, I'll probably gravitate toward the more mainstream basic channels and focus on The 4400, TNT's Stephen King anthology in July, and the return of fresh Sci Fi Channel programming including the two Stargate series and the new Eureka. That's more than enough to keep me busy. But if you're the sort who thinks you'd enjoy something like Hex, you probably should check it out.
|*|(*)|*|(*)|*|
Morjana
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