Escape Artists
Escape Pod => Science Fiction Discussion => Topic started by: Brian Reilly on February 15, 2007, 07:00:02 PM
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One of the best TV SF series of the moment is a remake of an old one- Battlestar Galactica. An interesting concept, but its execution was frankly cheesy.
The new Doctor Who also shows how a loved classic can be updated and become even better than before.
So, what else would benefit from the treatment? Any other oldies that could be improved on? Is it a case of a worthwhile concept that never lived up to its potential, or something that was well-written but the special effects make it difficult to take seriously?
I nominate Blake's Seven. The concept- A citizen in a totalitarian world is contacted by the resistance, who inform him he is their leader- captured and brainwashed into renouncing and then forgetting his rebellion. Unfortunately, his first meeting with the rebels ends in a massacre and his arrest. In order to discredit him, the government implant false memories in children, making Blake appear to be a paedophile. He is sent to a prison colony. On the way, he is one of a number of prisoners sent to check out an abandoned alien ship, which killed the soliders sent aboard it. Luckily, the ship's defence system works by messing with people's minds, and Blake is resistant to that sort of thing due to the all the previous messing-with he endured.
Blake and his fellow prisoners take control of the ship, and carry out a rescue mission on the prison planet. Blake vows to use this super-ship to take on the Federation. However, his crew consists not of fellow pricipled rebels, but largely of criminals who are only with him because they don't want to go back to prison. In particular, the criminal mastermind/computer expert/bastard Avon will give him a lot of trouble.
Meanwhile, the military are in pursuit, led by the sexy sociopath Servalan.
Great concept, eh? But let down by an ever-increasing lack of direction, plots that became plodding as the series outstayed its welcome, the departure of its main charcter halfway through (though his eventual return did lead to the best final few moments any TV SF show has ever had) and of course the crappy special effects only 70s Brit SF can provide.
Now, surely doing a BSG on this would be worthwhile...
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So, what else would benefit from the treatment? Any other oldies that could be improved on? Is it a case of a worthwhile concept that never lived up to its potential, or something that was well-written but the special effects make it difficult to take seriously?
I'm looking forward to the remake of The Prisoner -- although slightly less so now that it's confirmed Christopher Eccleston won't be playing the lead after all.
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I'm looking forward to the remake of The Prisoner -- although slightly less so now that it's confirmed Christopher Eccleston won't be playing the lead after all.
Huh, I was thinking of suggesting that one. Do you have a link to information?
I wonder if they'll keep the bouncing ball s ... things.
I'm thinking it might be interesting to see Flash Gordon redone. Then I looked up the Wikipedia article so I could link to the old one, and apparently Scifi is already doing a remake for later this year.
Huh. It's like thay have people reading my mind and then going back in time to start production months ago.
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So, what else would benefit from the treatment? Any other oldies that could be improved on? Is it a case of a worthwhile concept that never lived up to its potential, or something that was well-written but the special effects make it difficult to take seriously?
I'm looking forward to the remake of The Prisoner -- although slightly less so now that it's confirmed Christopher Eccleston won't be playing the lead after all.
I reckon whover played Sark in Alias would make a great no. 6.
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FARSCAPE was pretty much a BLAKE'S 7 remake, only with bondage gear and puppets. Which really, is what current remakes like BSG are missing. One can only hope that FLASH GORDON will make up for Sci-Fi Chanel's current bondage-gear-and-puppet dearth.
Someone needs to remake UFO (http://ufoseries.com/), but only if they DO NOT CHANGE THE UNIFORMS:
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Nevernaut/ufo1.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Nevernaut/ufo2.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Nevernaut/ufo5.jpg)
See, then they would just have to add puppets.
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See, then they would just have to add puppets.
You just made my day, Jared. Thank you.
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Quantum Leap! I loved that show.
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I would go for Blakes 7 as well. A remake of Starcops would be good and I would to love to see Thunderbirds done right (the less said about the film with those loathsome kids the better).
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Okay, I'm probably the only one on the planet who even remembers this series, but you know what I'd like to see?
Probe. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probe_%28TV_series%29)
Conceived by Isaac Asimov, it was basically Scarecrow and Mrs. King with a scientist instead of a spy. With the success of CSI these days, I think the public is ready for this thing.
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Okay, I'm probably the only one on the planet who even remembers this series, but you know what I'd like to see?
Probe. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probe_%28TV_series%29)
Conceived by Isaac Asimov, it was basically Scarecrow and Mrs. King with a scientist instead of a spy. With the success of CSI these days, I think the public is ready for this thing.
Sounds a little like Numb3rs (the 3 instead of e is their convention, not mine), in terms of genius solving crimes, though it's grounded more in reality. I've never seen Probe (I was busy gestating at the time), so I'm not sure how similar they are. I guess I'll keep an eye out for it, maybe the NYPL has it or something.
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Okay, I'm probably the only one on the planet who even remembers this series, but you know what I'd like to see?
Probe. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probe_%28TV_series%29)
Conceived by Isaac Asimov, it was basically Scarecrow and Mrs. King with a scientist instead of a spy. With the success of CSI these days, I think the public is ready for this thing.
Sounds a little like Numb3rs (the 3 instead of e is their convention, not mine), in terms of genius solving crimes, though it's grounded more in reality. I've never seen Probe (I was busy gestating at the time), so I'm not sure how similar they are. I guess I'll keep an eye out for it, maybe the NYPL has it or something.
Gestating...in 1988.
In 1988 I was just finishing college. Again. For the 3rd time.
I feel like I need to go soak my dentures.
This is reminding me of one of those "people who are graduating from high school this year don't remember any of the following:" lists.
btw, the wikipedia page also has a link to the show on youtube (not that I would condone what is almost surely a copyright violation).
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Huh, I was thinking of suggesting that one. Do you have a link to information?
I wonder if they'll keep the bouncing ball s ... things.
Oh, and:
http://www.sixofone.org.uk/Prisoner-Remake.htm (http://www.sixofone.org.uk/Prisoner-Remake.htm)
"But the new production is a mini-series of 6 episodes, costing £1 million each."
I think the short series is a great idea. Anna and I just watched The Prisoner on DVD last year, and our shared judgment was that it was an incredible concept with some very solid episodes, but it went on too long. It started with the sense that the producers knew exactly where it was going, and then over time it just got weirder and less grounded. The final episode was a pure psychedelic drug trip. I was very reassured when I checked the Internet and confirmed that no one else knew what the hell was going on either.
...Hmmm. Come to think of it, I guess it's possible they're remaking it right now. They simply changed the title to Lost.
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Gestating...in 1988.
In 1988 I was just finishing college. Again. For the 3rd time.
I feel like I need to go soak my dentures.
This is reminding me of one of those "people who are graduating from high school this year don't remember any of the following:" lists.
I missed the last episode of that series by four days. Teaches me to be late.
I'm honestly not trying to flaunt my youth here.
btw, the wikipedia page also has a link to the show on youtube (not that I would condone what is almost surely a copyright violation).
It probably is, but these days if you can't find it anywhere else... well, it's an orphaned work and we need a doctrine for it.
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I'm honestly not trying to flaunt my youth here.
cues harp music
Ahhh 1988...
I remember it well.
My wife and I were still dating.
Writing COBOL on my 1st internship.
Reagan was President.
The Russians were still the Soviets.
Don Johnson was on every television.
Phil Collins was on every radio.
MTV still played videos.
No worldwide web.
No DVR's
No MP3 players
Cell phones came in a dufflebag
If your computer had a hard drive, a color screen and a graphics card, it was powerful.
SSI Goldbox games.
How did we survive?
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I vote for Star Cops. That was cool show, but like so many other shows, had no regular production, or schedule, but the stories were goooooood.
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Okay, I'm probably the only one on the planet who even remembers this series, but you know what I'd like to see?
Probe. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probe_%28TV_series%29)
Conceived by Isaac Asimov, it was basically Scarecrow and Mrs. King with a scientist instead of a spy. With the success of CSI these days, I think the public is ready for this thing.
I remember that one. It was cheesy in the way the old BSG, Knight Rider, and The A-Team were. But a serious BSGing might give us something good.
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Your wish is granted! Blake's 7 is being remade. B7 Productions is releasing the series in audio format this Spring.
You can subscribe to the newsletter at: http://www.b7media.com/blake_audio.html
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You don't think it's too late to go 20 minutes into the future (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Headroom_%28TV_series%29), do you?
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Nevernaut/Maxheadroom.jpg)
It'd be nice to actually computer generate Max's head, instead of just having Matt Frewer in a latex mask.
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How about Logan's Run? I guess it was a movie before it was a television series (and a book before that) but it could be a great TV series.
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I would like to see a remake of The Time Tunnel. For all its Allen-esque characteristics (plots, sets, special effects,...) there was a pleasing simplicity and solidity to the underlying idea. So much scope to explore and present on screen, given the technology today.
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I actually watched an unaired pilot of the Time Tunnel recently. I think it was made back in the late '90s, maybe early '00s. The concept was neat: A secret agency activated the time tunnel and changed the world, now they're trying to change it back. The present is slightly different with altered governments, different traffic lights etc.. The main character doesn't realize that anything's changed until the agency comes to him for help.
I thought it would be interesting, but it unfortunately never made it to air.
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I'm still waiting for someone to make Bujold's Vorkosigan novels into some kind of live-action presentation. (Any casting suggestions for Miles would have to be approved by my wife, though.)
And what about "Man-Kzin Wars"? CGI would make that one easy enough to execute; perhaps we should sell Rick Berman on THAT one! (Ducks and runs...)
As far as TV remakes go, I've been impressed with the BSG update, but I can't imagine enough other shows that have the right balance of "obscure but beloved" to make the jump to remake. Of the shows mentioned in this thread, it seems that most of them would be too "thin" for a faithful remake. That is to say, if you update the science, re-imagine the visuals to "modern standards" and rewrite the characters, you might as well be starting from scratch.
Then again, I didn't think it was possible to redo Dr. Who, so what do I know? :-\
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What about a completely redone version of the shortlived ( yet utterly cool ) "Saphire and Steel".
Have you chaps in the colonies, even heard of that series?
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Then again, I didn't think it was possible to redo Dr. Who, so what do I know? :-\
Strictly speaking, they're not redoing Doctor Who. They're just resuming the series after a long hiatus. >8->
(It is, by the way, my favorite show right now. Yes, I'd put it ahead of Battlestar Galactica. BSG explores deeper issues, but Doctor Who is more fun.)
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(It is, by the way, my favorite show right now. Yes, I'd put it ahead of Battlestar Galactica. BSG explores deeper issues, but Doctor Who is more fun.)
The Doctor: Sonic blaster, 51st Century... Weapon factories at Villengard?
Capt. Jack Harkness: Yeah. You've been to the factories?
The Doctor: Once.
Capt. Jack Harkness: They're gone now. Reactor went critical. Vaporised the lot.
The Doctor: Like I said, once. There's a banana grove there now. I like bananas. Bananas are good.
Galactica has it's funny parts, but it doesn't have humor for the sake of humor.
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I loved the Slitheen who had massive weapons of destruction which could be deployed in 45 seconds. Largely because at the time, the government and BBC news (the BBC makes Doctor Who) had fought a vicious battle around pre-Iraq war claims that Saddam had weapons that could attack the UK within 45 minutes. This battle led, via the suicide of a scientist, to the BBC's boss resigning. This line felt like the BBC's revenge.
The programme also had an omnisexual character, but good old British euphemism (he's just more flexible about who he dances with) meant that this completely failed to ignite outrage from the "moral" minority.
On the other hand, BSG is upfront in its exploration of political and social themes. Not a problem for me, i love political SF (Ken Macleod, Iain M Banks, Ursula Le Guin etc) but I imagine it wouldn't be interesting viewing for someone uninterested in this stuff. Doctor Who is insistent in seeking to appeal to as wide an audience as possible (the series creator says there aren't enough shows the whole family can sit down and watch together- and all find interesting).
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Oh, and:
http://www.sixofone.org.uk/Prisoner-Remake.htm (http://www.sixofone.org.uk/Prisoner-Remake.htm)
...Hmmm. Come to think of it, I guess it's possible they're remaking it right now. They simply changed the title to Lost.
Nah - Lost is a remake of Twin Peaks, surely :)
And I'd nominate Ultraviolet (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169501/) for a remake - not that it needs it in the slightest, but it really deserves a wider audience, and it was abandoned far too soon; a it deserved many more episodes. An understated and realistic crime drama that not once actually used the word vampire.
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I think we need a remake of The Greatest American Hero, and, while we're at it, let's bring back Automan, the best TV series ever to almost completely rip off the movie Tron.
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SInce your talking about shows like AutoMan, does anyone remember Manimal?
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SInce your talking about shows like AutoMan, does anyone remember Manimal?
Oh, great heavens, yes. Only eight episodes, though (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manimal).
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SInce your talking about shows like AutoMan, does anyone remember Manimal?
I'll see your Manimal and I'll raise you a Small & Frye.
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How about Space: Above and Beyond
Do it in a Ron Moore gritty style with more of all our favorite BSG vises (except for love squares) it'd be great!
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What about a completely redone version of the shortlived ( yet utterly cool ) "Saphire and Steel".
Have you chaps in the colonies, even heard of that series?
I can't speak for all of us on the other side of the pond, but I'd watch a Saphire and Steel remake. I'd also go for some catsuit-and-bowler Avengers action, come to think.
However, I'm sure the weirdness that made both series wonderful would probably sapped out right quick to make them more "accessable." Maybe if we got Charlie Kaufman and Grant Morrison to be show-runners...
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You don't think it's too late to go 20 minutes into the future (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Headroom_%28TV_series%29), do you?
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Nevernaut/Maxheadroom.jpg)
It'd be nice to actually computer generate Max's head, instead of just having Matt Frewer in a latex mask.
Two fisted journalist action! Plus, with the rise of citizen journalism and the seismic change in how information is handled since the original series, that would work like a charm.
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SInce your talking about shows like AutoMan, does anyone remember Manimal?
I'll see your Manimal and I'll raise you a Small & Frye.
I'll see your Small & Frye and raise you a Streethawk!
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I'll see your Small & Frye and raise you a Streethawk!
I'll see your Streethawk and raise you a Holmes & Yo-Yo (http://www.tvparty.com/recholmes.html)!
And yes, I'm old enough to have watched that show, although I was only about nine years old at the time.
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I vote for Star Cops. That was cool show, but like so many other shows, had no regular production, or schedule, but the stories were goooooood.
Seconded. Star Cops had a massive effect on me growing up, in fact it was probably the thing I'd point to as the catalyst for me starting to write. There was one episode, I think 'In Warm Blood' which opened with a deep range freighter coming back in from the outer solar system and the entire crew dead and mummified that's seared onto my brain. Wonderful show.
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What about a completely redone version of the shortlived ( yet utterly cool ) "Saphire and Steel".
Have you chaps in the colonies, even heard of that series?
I can't speak for all of us on the other side of the pond, but I'd watch a Saphire and Steel remake. I'd also go for some catsuit-and-bowler Avengers action, come to think.
However, I'm sure the weirdness that made both series wonderful would probably sapped out right quick to make them more "accessable." Maybe if we got Charlie Kaufman and Grant Morrison to be show-runners...
Did you ever read the Morrison-scripted Avengers mini-series? Worked wonderfully, especially the conversation Steed and Mrs Peel have walking around a gigantic ship in a bottle...
As for Sapphire and Steel, you might be interested in the audio dramas Big Finish do. They've got David Warner and Susannah Harker in as Sapphire and Steel and the first series at least are great, really capturing the feel of the original show. The site's at:
http://www.doctorwho.co.uk/sapphireandsteel/index.shtml
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I vote for Star Cops. That was cool show, but like so many other shows, had no regular production, or schedule, but the stories were goooooood.
Seconded. Star Cops had a massive effect on me growing up, in fact it was probably the thing I'd point to as the catalyst for me starting to write. There was one episode, I think 'In Warm Blood' which opened with a deep range freighter coming back in from the outer solar system and the entire crew dead and mummified that's seared onto my brain. Wonderful show.
Wasn't that a Gerry Anderson show? I seem to remember it airing mid-afternoons in the early 90s.
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I'll see your Small & Frye and raise you a Streethawk!
I'll see your Streethawk and raise you a Holmes & Yo-Yo (http://www.tvparty.com/recholmes.html)!
And yes, I'm old enough to have watched that show, although I was only about nine years old at the time.
OH. MY. GOD!!! I REMEMBER THAT SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can only fold though as nothing in my history is as weird or short lived as that!
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I vote for Star Cops. That was cool show, but like so many other shows, had no regular production, or schedule, but the stories were goooooood.
Seconded. Star Cops had a massive effect on me growing up, in fact it was probably the thing I'd point to as the catalyst for me starting to write. There was one episode, I think 'In Warm Blood' which opened with a deep range freighter coming back in from the outer solar system and the entire crew dead and mummified that's seared onto my brain. Wonderful show.
Wasn't that a Gerry Anderson show? I seem to remember it airing mid-afternoons in the early 90s.
I think that was Space Precinct, which was pretty much the last live action show Anderson did. Star Cops fell a little earlier, if I'm remember right, in the last couple of years of the eighties.
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I'll see your Small & Frye and raise you a Streethawk!
I'll see your Streethawk and raise you a Holmes & Yo-Yo (http://www.tvparty.com/recholmes.html)!
And yes, I'm old enough to have watched that show, although I was only about nine years old at the time.
I didn't remember it until I saw the pictures. I only remember seeing one scene. John Shuck picks up a book and fans all the pages on front of his face and reads the whole book in about 2 seconds. His partner then tries to convince the person whose office they are using that he didn't really read it just now. He read it before. I guess I was about 11 when that was on.
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Lots of people have mentioned Gerry Anderson. The one show of his I probably enjoyed the most when I was a kid (besides maybe "Thunderbirds") was "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons." I haven't seen it in over 30 years and I'm sure I could hum the theme song.
"How did you know he was a mysteron?"
"Because he didn't ask us for our identification."
I used to build lego SPV's and park them in my lego Thunderbird 2. :D
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I vote for Star Cops. That was cool show, but like so many other shows, had no regular production, or schedule, but the stories were goooooood.
Seconded. Star Cops had a massive effect on me growing up, in fact it was probably the thing I'd point to as the catalyst for me starting to write. There was one episode, I think 'In Warm Blood' which opened with a deep range freighter coming back in from the outer solar system and the entire crew dead and mummified that's seared onto my brain. Wonderful show.
Wasn't that a Gerry Anderson show? I seem to remember it airing mid-afternoons in the early 90s.
I think that was Space Precinct, which was pretty much the last live action show Anderson did. Star Cops fell a little earlier, if I'm remember right, in the last couple of years of the eighties.
Ahh, that's right. Space Precinct! I've never seen Star Cops then. I'll have to dig up some info on it, thanks!
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V would be a good candidate for a remake. and while not really sci-fi would love to see millennium resurrected.
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SInce your talking about shows like AutoMan, does anyone remember Manimal?
I'll see your Manimal and I'll raise you a Small & Frye.
I'll see your Small & Frye and raise you a Streethawk!
I'll see your Streethawk and raise you a Holmes & Yo-Yo (http://www.tvparty.com/recholmes.html)!
Holmes & Yo-Yo -- This one seems vauguely familiar
Small & Frye -- never heard of it, but it sounds like good '80's fun
Streethawk -- I remember, and I loved it
I was going to fold as well, but I thought I would lay down two more cards:
1) Otherworld (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otherworld_(TV_series)) from 1985 about a family in an RV traveling accross a a parallel universe Earth. However, I think this series has been mentioned elsewhere in the forums.
2) Jason of Star Command (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_of_Star_Command) - a live-action Saturday morning show from the late '70's. See the intro here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZBaoBFAPRE),
or a scene here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKPpscI0cw). I always remember thinking that Dragos's security guards looked like wet wookies. Also, did Jason steal his uniform from Han Solo?
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We can't delve into 1970's Saturday morning live action slush without mentioning:
Electro Woman and Dyna Girl
HR Puff-n-stuff
Sigmund and the Sea monsters
Lidsville
and of course,
Land of the Lost
(and kudos to Kevin Smith for naming a character Marshal Willenholly.)
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We can't delve into 1970's Saturday morning live action slush without mentioning:
Electro Woman and Dyna Girl
HR Puff-n-stuff
Sigmund and the Sea monsters
Lidsville
and of course,
Land of the Lost
(and kudos to Kevin Smith for naming a character Marshal Willenholly.)
Or Dr. Shrinker
The Lost Saucer
The Far out Space Nuts
Ark 2
The Mighty Isis
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We can't delve into 1970's Saturday morning live action slush without mentioning:
Electro Woman and Dyna Girl
HR Puff-n-stuff
Sigmund and the Sea monsters
Lidsville
and of course,
Land of the Lost
Or Dr. Shrinker
The Lost Saucer
The Far out Space Nuts
Ark 2
The Mighty Isis
These are all great!
I am so glad that someone mentioned The Far out Space Nuts. For years I have told my wife and others about that show and all I got were balnk stares. I told them, "It was like Gilligan and the Skipper in space with Puffnstuff monsters". They thought I was nuts myself.
The Mighty Isis was a spin-off of SHAZAM! I watched them both.
OK here's a true test of my sanity. Does anyone else remember another Krofft production named Wonder Buggy or something like that about a bunch of teenagers with a regular car that would transform into this really cool sparkly red car when they faced danger?
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Wonder Bug, yes, I remember that show. Three generic teenagers find a wreck of a dunebuggy and transform it into a flying mystical car with a magic horn. Those Krofft shows were whacked, downright surreal. I loved them like crazy when I was little.
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I'll see your Small & Frye and raise you a Streethawk!
I'll see your Streethawk and raise you a Holmes & Yo-Yo (http://www.tvparty.com/recholmes.html)!
That's a new one on me. Having read the page, you win.
I was going to throw in Misfits of Science (http://mos.cheshirehall.org/) as well, but I remember actually enjoying that one.
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Getting back to primetime network slush, does anyone else remember "The Fantastic Journey"?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075503/
(I love IMDB. Maybe I should post that in the other thread...:P)
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That's a new one on me. Having read the page, you win.
I was going to throw in Misfits of Science (http://mos.cheshirehall.org/) as well, but I remember actually enjoying that one.
I like it too.
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Wonder Bug, yes, I remember that show. Three generic teenagers find a wreck of a dunebuggy and transform it into a flying mystical car with a magic horn. Those Krofft shows were whacked, downright surreal. I loved them like crazy when I was little.
When Wonder Bug was a piece of crap (before transformation) they called it "Schlep car". I remember the spinning license plate. A few years ago on the TV station "Boomerang" they had a Krofft Supershow marathon and showed all those old shows for a couple days. Sigmund the Seamonster, HR Puff n' Stuff, that goofy show where the people were hats.
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...that goofy show where the people were hats.
Wait, not Lidsville (http://www.70slivekidvid.com/lidd.htm), starring Charles Nelson Riley and Butch Patrick, by any chance?
I was thinking of running a home-brew HR Puf-n-Stuf-based RPG at Gen Con this year, you know, for kids, then nixed it in favor of superheroes.
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...that goofy show where the people were hats.
Wait, not Lidsville (http://www.70slivekidvid.com/lidd.htm), starring Charles Nelson Riley and Butch Patrick, by any chance?
Holy cow. I just went to that page and watched the video of the opening sequence. I'm sort of glad I missed that one -- I think it really would have messed me up as a kid. >8->
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Wow!
I just got back from http://www.70slivekidvid.com/
I had forgotten about so many of those shows....
...where did my childhood go...? :'(
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Doing my bit of necromancy to post the news that The Prisoner remake is going forward (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7483053.stm).
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GOOD choices too. Be interesting to see where it's set and exactly how much of the crazy is going to be carried over.
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Huh, I was thinking of suggesting that one. Do you have a link to information?
I wonder if they'll keep the bouncing ball s ... things.
Oh, and:
http://www.sixofone.org.uk/Prisoner-Remake.htm (http://www.sixofone.org.uk/Prisoner-Remake.htm)
"But the new production is a mini-series of 6 episodes, costing £1 million each."
I think the short series is a great idea. Anna and I just watched The Prisoner on DVD last year, and our shared judgment was that it was an incredible concept with some very solid episodes, but it went on too long. It started with the sense that the producers knew exactly where it was going, and then over time it just got weirder and less grounded. The final episode was a pure psychedelic drug trip. I was very reassured when I checked the Internet and confirmed that no one else knew what the hell was going on either.
...Hmmm. Come to think of it, I guess it's possible they're remaking it right now. They simply changed the title to Lost.
There are various stories about how long Prisoner was supposed to be, and how it was supposed to end, but they all have on thing in common: Patrick McGoohan was told on a Friday evening that they needed the script for a final two-parter by Monday. Filming started the following Wednesday, and it was aired within two weeks of him turning over the script, so no-one really had any time to ask "does this actually make sense?"
But the morning after it aired, McGoohan woke up to find fans camping outside his house to ask him what it had been about. They didn't get an answer.
Anyway, I'm interested to see a Prisoner remake, but also somewhat wary. After all, I'm not the only person who rates it as one of the finest TV shows of all time.
The Gerry Anderson show that needs to get remade is Terrahawks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrahawks), especially if they can get Windsor Davis back to play Sergeant Major Zero.
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The Gerry Anderson show that needs to get remade is Terrahawks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrahawks), especially if they can get Windsor Davis back to play Sergeant Major Zero.
Seconded to the ninth power. Uh... 512thed. I loved that show. There was more than enough warped originality to be able to support a fairly serious makeover, even BSG-style.
Oh, and for anyone else trying to follow links in this zombie thread, the Sapphire and Steel audio (http://www.bigfinish.com/Sapphire-and-Steel) appears to have moved. (Many thanks to Alasdair5000 for uncovering this. I could listen to David Warner and Susannah Harker until the stars go cold.)
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I could listen to David Warner and Susannah Harker until the stars go cold.
Not saying much, there... one of them already did...
(http://thingsgodtaughtme.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/mr-freeze.jpg)
(sorry, it was just begging to be done!)
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V would be a good candidate for a remake. and while not really sci-fi would love to see millennium resurrected.
V (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_TV_Series) ! I loved that one. I always wanted to see V again, I was so sad when the series stopped. Way back... 1984!
Anyway, last year it was on tv again! I was so happy! I told my boyfriend: "You HAVE to watch this. Real awesome SF series from the 80s" (he's 5 years younger than me, so there's a BIG generation gap). Hmpf. It was SOOOOOOO boring! I think most sentimental 35 year olds were thinking that, because they aired only two episodes and then it stopped again. Nobody was watching. What were we thinking in the 80s??!?
So yes, bring on the remake! Give dialogues the some speed. Or put the whole series in one movie, that would make a great movie!
[edit: addidtion from my boyfriend]
In the same year I was watching V, my boyfriend was watching the great SF series Children of the Dog Star (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_the_Dog_Star), an Australian tv program. Not many Americans will know that one, especially since it ran only 6 episodes.
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Why should SF series keep being remade? The list of remakes as well as proposed remakes now includes BSG, The Bionic Woman, Blake's Seven, Knight Rider, and The Survivors. If any more SF series are going to be remade, then they should be as obscure as possible, and originally made in B&W, then that might be a good reason to remake them!
Actually, I've got a few ideas for new SF series, so if any producers are reading this, why not contact me and see if you like my ideas?
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remaking something is a way of hedging a bet. It gets more interest. People already know the gemeral idea. It's just an easier way to get people to watch the first couple of episodes.
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remaking something is a way of hedging a bet. It gets more interest. People already know the gemeral idea. It's just an easier way to get people to watch the first couple of episodes.
Oh absolutely, Galactica in particular is about one half the original show and one half 'Very bad things happen! In spaaaaaaaaaaaace!' which attracts more audience than it normally would because of the Cylons and the Battlestar and such. There's also a point where a series becomes less of a remake and more of a different approach to the same ground. Moonlight for example, initially seemed to be Angel with the serial numbers filed off but as the series progressed it turned into something very different and good in it's own right.
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remaking something is a way of hedging a bet. It gets more interest. People already know the gemeral idea. It's just an easier way to get people to watch the first couple of episodes.
Oh absolutely, Galactica in particular is about one half the original show and one half 'Very bad things happen! In spaaaaaaaaaaaace!' which attracts more audience than it normally would because of the Cylons and the Battlestar and such. There's also a point where a series becomes less of a remake and more of a different approach to the same ground. Moonlight for example, initially seemed to be Angel with the serial numbers filed off but as the series progressed it turned into something very different and good in it's own right.
Al, you suck!!
You got me all hooked on the idea of a good vampire show. Then I went to IMDB to look it up and found out it was cancelled after only 16 shows. I don't need another Firefly to pine for.
(I guess I didn't really mean to say you suck, but you got my hopes up.)
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There MAY actually be good news with Moonlight and weirdly it's kind of Firefly-y good news. The fan response has been so huge there's a reasonable chance some kind of pickup may yet happen (And it is tons of fun:))
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I skimmed the replies but has anyone mentioned "Space 1999"? If we are talking books I would vote for "The White Plague" or "Ring World" although they would screw up Ring World with too much CGI.
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I skimmed the replies but has anyone mentioned "Space 1999"? If we are talking books I would vote for "The White Plague" or "Ring World" although they would screw up Ring World with too much CGI.
Riverworld has endless possibilities. (I know a pilot was made for a Skiffy Channel series but I've heard that one is best forgotten.)
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I skimmed the replies but has anyone mentioned "Space 1999"? If we are talking books I would vote for "The White Plague" or "Ring World" although they would screw up Ring World with too much CGI.
I can't think of anything that could save Space 1999, save starting over from scratch. And then, in what sense is it a remake?
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I can't think of anything that could save Space 1999, save starting over from scratch. And then, in what sense is it a remake?
It worked for Battlestar Galactica, after a fashion.
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I can't think of anything that could save Space 1999, save starting over from scratch. And then, in what sense is it a remake?
It worked for Battlestar Galactica, after a fashion.
As long as they kept the theme tune and the design aesthetic of the Eagle I'd be happy. Actually, keep the theme tune and I'd be happy:)
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I didn't see it being re-aired, but I remember this one from 1987-1988 (when it scared the crap out of me!):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf_(TV_series)
I wouldn't mind seeing it remade... and made a little better. :)
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The Night Stalker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolchak:_The_Night_Stalker). The original starred Darren MacGavin as a newspaper reporter who tried to write stories about the supernatural. I see in Wikipedia that somebody took a crack at it in 2005, but it sounds like they were hemmed in by copyright considerations. I'd like to see someone with freedom to operate take on a remake; I really liked the show when it was first on.
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The Night Stalker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolchak:_The_Night_Stalker). The original starred Darren MacGavin as a newspaper reporter who tried to write stories about the supernatural. I see in Wikipedia that somebody took a crack at it in 2005, but it sounds like they were hemmed in by copyright considerations. I'd like to see someone with freedom to operate take on a remake; I really liked the show when it was first on.
Sadly, the remake was done by an X-Files writer (IIRC) and he did really blow it. I can't remember who the lead was, but they tried to bring a very young and sexy feel to the show which didn't work. At all. He should've known better.
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The show I would love to see back on, but not necessarily remade (since it was slick and modern enough in the first place) is Total Recall 2070 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Recall_2070). For those of you who never saw this late 1990s show, think Phillip K. Dick meets Raymond Chandler meets Isaac Asimov. Superb writing, acting, set design, special effects. Pretty much just superb. Never been released on video or dvd but I hear that you can watch it in streaming vid if you reside in the USA (no joy for the rest of us unless you don't mind torrents).
I would love to see more of this show, but sadly all the really good tv gets cancelled and never brought back. Like Rome, or Firefly or . . .
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Time Tunnel. I loved it as a kid. Watched some of the episodes via Netflix and it didn't age well but was fun to revisit.
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Earth 2 -- Wagon Train in Space. I always thought it had potential and it was one of the few non-Trek SF shows on when I was younger.
Space Above and Beyond -- I'm not sure how this got cancelled in the first place. It's similar to the new BSG except slightly less dire. But I thought they were off to a promising start.
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Firefly.
Same cast, same staff.
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I didn't see it being re-aired, but I remember this one from 1987-1988 (when it scared the crap out of me!):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf_(TV_series)
I wouldn't mind seeing it remade... and made a little better. :)
You mean I'm not the only person who watched that?
I agree, it was good. Much better than it had any right to be.
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I didn't see it being re-aired, but I remember this one from 1987-1988 (when it scared the crap out of me!):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf_(TV_series)
I wouldn't mind seeing it remade... and made a little better. :)
You mean I'm not the only person who watched that?
I agree, it was good. Much better than it had any right to be.
Funny thing, how you're never alone in your fandom, no matter how obscure the show/artist/etc!
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Funny thing, how you're never alone in your fandom, no matter how obscure the show/artist/etc!
Somebody else once said something to that effect regarding internet pr0n. Whatever the fetish ... pregnant Asian dwarf women with one club foot, for example ... you can almost certainly find a site for it.
That's actually kind of disturbing. :-\
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Funny thing, how you're never alone in your fandom, no matter how obscure the show/artist/etc!
Somebody else once said something to that effect regarding internet pr0n. Whatever the fetish ... pregnant Asian dwarf women with one club foot, for example ... you can almost certainly find a site for it.
That's actually kind of disturbing. :-\
It's called Rule 43 (http://xkcd.com/305/). And doing a Google image search on "rule 34" will not warp you forever. Nope, not at all.
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Funny thing, how you're never alone in your fandom, no matter how obscure the show/artist/etc!
Somebody else once said something to that effect regarding internet pr0n. Whatever the fetish ... pregnant Asian dwarf women with one club foot, for example ... you can almost certainly find a site for it.
That's actually kind of disturbing. :-\
It's called Rule 43 (http://xkcd.com/305/).
It actually appears to be Rule 34 according to what you linked to.
(and Rule 42 is, of course, that all persons over a mile high must leave the courtroom.)
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Yeah, I noticed I'd typoed it as soon as I posted, but then every time I tried to edit it, I got a "an error occurred" message.
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Well, this ought to inspire an "OMG" or two (if you were curious after reading the xkcd strip):
http://wetriffs.com/
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Well, this ought to inspire an "OMG" or two (if you were curious after reading the xkcd strip):
http://wetriffs.com/
This (http://imgs.wetriffs.com/0a54c1421ab132fee76a482bef8fb3c1.jpg) (warning! bewbz!) is either a very large guitar or a very small woman, if I correctly remember the typical size of a Strat-style electric guitar.
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Harsh Realm
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Harsh Realm
Second that. Show got cancelled before it had a chance to breathe...
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Harsh Realm
Second that. Show got cancelled before it had a chance to breathe...
Didn't it come out the same time as John Doe?
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Good vs Evil, Strange Luck
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Eerie, Indiana.
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The Babylon Project: Crusade.
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I wish JMS would have kept going with The Lost Tales. One DVD was not enough.
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I wish JMS would have kept going with The Lost Tales. One DVD was not enough.
That DVD was an insult to B5. It was lame!!
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I wish JMS would have kept going with The Lost Tales. One DVD was not enough.
That DVD was an insult to B5. It was lame!!
I'll take what I can get. The nod to Richard Biggs and Andreas Katsulas was nice. The Lochley story pissed me off, I'd have preferred a different character. The Sherridan story was lame, but had its moments.
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Double Necromancy!
The Prisoner has been reborn as a 6-part miniseries to air on AMC.
http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner/
(not quote sure that it belongs in the website's originals folder though.)
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V would be a good candidate for a remake.
Badda-boom badda-bing: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1307824/
I had my doubts, but I saw a promo for it today and it might turn out well. It has Firefly's Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk, and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell.
I didn't like the original V, but then I didn't like the original BSG much either and I thought they did very well in the re-imagined series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahjPQjQGdbU
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Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy television series, with David Tennant as Ford Prefect.
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Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy television series, with David Tennant as Ford Prefect.
SNAP! ;D