JMS wants Babylon 5 back on TV

[amddude]

http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2013/09/jms-wants-babylon-5-back-on-u-s-television/

Straczynski adds: “To the online backinh and forthing…some hard facts. Because Babylon 5 isn’t on the air in the US anywhere, it’s impossible for the show to add new viewers except one at a time, friend to friend, or if you’ve heard about it enough to want to shell out the money for the DVDs. Casual viewers can’t stumble across it while channel surfing. (As we all know, after Trek was canceled for poor ratings, it found its audience in syndication.) So in answer to the photo below, either WB has to be convinced to release the show somewhere, or a network like Syfy or Chiller or another along those lines has to be prompted to pick it up. If not, quite honestly, and without any way to add new viewers, the show will eventually slide into obscurity. This ain’t something I can do, or even directly participate in. It’s up to the fans now.”


I assume others here noticed the shout out on the last Breaking Bad ep.

 

[Gibsons]

I assume others here noticed the shout out on the last Breaking Bad ep.

Cracked me up, great followup to the previous Star Trek bit. Just imagining some DEA guy having to listen to three hours of B5 nerd talk...

 

[MontyAC]

Let it go JMS. The show is over.

 

[techs]

Isn't there still some problem with the rights being owned by different companies?

As for Syfy they don't air scifi much anymore. You can't even find their own classics like Stargate on Syfy.

If someone would spring for the money to recreate the special effects in decent resolution the show would be a much stronger candidate for being reshown. The show itself was filmed in decent resolution but to save money the effects were done on the cheap with the expectation that when computer tech was more advanced they could be updated inexpensively.

I think it was TNT that at one point redid the pilot and improved the effects. I saw that version and it looked much better.

 

[AstroManLuca]

B5 was ahead of its time. It was a story arc show in an era where TV shows had 20+ episodes a season and a big red reset button. A friend of mine got me into it and I subsequently became a big fan of Star Trek as well (I liked it before, but I appreciated it more after watching B5).

But it has aged poorly. Those 22-episode seasons were packed with filler and only a few minutes of important stuff made it into most episodes.

My friend and I agreed that it would have been awesome if B5 had been initially released recently, or was currently airing now, as a more grown-up sci-fi show on HBO or something. Star Trek and especially Stargate cover the lighter, more optimistic sci-fi. B5 was already more dark than Star Trek - imagine it with fewer episodes but a greater focus on the story, and modern production values.

 

[preslove]

Don't forget the terrible acting...

 

[AstroManLuca]

Don't forget the terrible acting...

Yeah, it was pretty bad. Lots of talking, not much else, I'm sure because of the low budget. My wife could not get into it at all despite loving all the Star Treks and Stargates.

 

[techs]

Don't forget the terrible acting...

Londo and Gkar were excellent.

 

[Sheep]

Londo and Gkar were excellent.

And they were pretty much the only actors on that show I'd call excellent. They stole their scenes because they act rings around most of the others.

 

[Daedalus685]

Londo and Gkar were excellent.

Yes they were. Unfortunately a graph of the acting quality in the cast resembles something of a narrow pulse function. There were some EXTREMELY unsettling/face palming cheese moments in the show... shudder. Even the excellent actors had moments clearly dictated more by time and money constraints than skill (read: they looked far worse).

I say this as a huge fan though. It was certainly my favourite sci-fi show of my life (when I consider my enjoyment at the time anyway). I wish it had aged better or could be updated, but when I ignore the filler and just consider the main story arch as a whole, season 3 and 4 are still very entertaining and thought provoking.

What I would do for a grand scale hard sci-fi style show with Game of Thrones production values... There was so much gold in the storey of B5 and I miss entertainment like that I guess I'll have to get this sort of thing from video games for a while longer yet.

Having started going through stargate again I must say it sure has aged well though. Until they pull out the floppy disks I forget how old it is.

 

[yllus]

I was hoping he was calling for a BSG-style reimagined Babylon 5. I could get way the hell into that.

 

[PottedMeat]

Isn't there still some problem with the rights being owned by different companies?

is this why it's not even on OTA broadcast? the local OTA channels here show blocks of trek tos and sg-1. or is he charging too much? if they straighten that out maybe it'll show up somewhere.

 

[DesiPower]

Anatomically impossible, Mr. Garibaldi. But youre welcome to try. - by Babylon 5 - Mind War (#1.6) (1994)

my all time favorite quote, couldn't stop laughing at the scenes when I first saw it.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Yes they were. Unfortunately a graph of the acting quality in the cast resembles something of a narrow pulse function. There were some EXTREMELY unsettling/face palming cheese moments in the show... shudder. Even the excellent actors had moments clearly dictated more by time and money constraints than skill (read: they looked far worse).

I say this as a huge fan though. It was certainly my favourite sci-fi show of my life (when I consider my enjoyment at the time anyway). I wish it had aged better or could be updated, but when I ignore the filler and just consider the main story arch as a whole, season 3 and 4 are still very entertaining and thought provoking.

What I would do for a grand scale hard sci-fi style show with Game of Thrones production values... There was so much gold in the storey of B5 and I miss entertainment like that I guess I'll have to get this sort of thing from video games for a while longer yet.

Having started going through stargate again I must say it sure has aged well though. Until they pull out the floppy disks I forget how old it is.

morden (ed wasser) and bester (walter koenig) were also excellent. what wasn't excellent was the "level 13 is missing" with freddy kruger.

 

[Raduque]

I tried watching B5, but I found it immensely boring.

 

[JamesV]

I tried watching B5, but I found it immensely boring.

Same, and I'm a huge sci-fi fan.

 

[Vic Vega]

DS9 is moar betterer, because it's set in the familiar ST universe.

 

[bearxor]

Having started going through stargate again I must say it sure has aged well though. Until they pull out the floppy disks I forget how old it is.

Hah! I'm just now going through Stargate. I'm on S6E7. Plan on watching through Season 7, then watch the first two episodes of SG1 S8, then the first two of Atlantis S1, then start alternating them. Watch Continuum at the end of SG1 S8, Ark of truth after SG1 S10, then Atlantis all the way through Universe.

I'm with you, it's held up remarkably well. Season 4 was a REAL drag though. I found it great how most episodes in other seasons tied in to the story line, but S4 seemed to have a lot of throwaway episodes. It was really hard to get through.

I mention this because what I WANTED to do was watch Babylon 5. But you can't find it anywhere. It's not on Netflix or Amazon Prime. The first season is on WB's web site, but only the first five episodes of season 2.

It's gotten to the point to where I'm seriously considering purchasing it off iTunes. It's $40 a season and $8 a movie. But I may just end up breaking down and doing it sometime soon. How is anyone supposed to remember this great, awesome show if no one can find it to re-watch it when they feel like it?

 

[Albatross]

Even if by some miracle somebody would manage to create an intelligent,multiple arc show would people watch it?I know that in the USA shows have to have a viewer threshold to stay on air,if I`m not mistaken.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

I was hoping he was calling for a BSG-style reimagined Babylon 5. I could get way the hell into that.

I was rather hoping for a semi-reimagination...continue with the telepath war or something, just do it more BSG style, but otherwise character continuity.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

I was rather hoping for a semi-reimagination...continue with the telepath war or something, just do it more BSG style, but otherwise character continuity.

the main story is the only good one, and the telepaths were probably the worst part of that. as a fan, i say the rest is pretty bad.

 

[dighn]

it's got a good plot but certainly didn't age well. even watching it a few years ago I thought it had way too many corny moments.

 

[amddude]

DS9 is moar betterer, because it's set in the familiar ST universe.

DS9 is terrible. Borderline slapstick at times. The episode where the runabout gets shrunk to hot wheels size? What a joke.

 

[silverpig]

IF they get some awesome writers to plan out several seasons AND
IF they don't put in fluffy filler to stretch out seasons AND
IF it gets the budget it deserves
THEN Netflix original series

I'd be all over that like mayonnaise on a turtle

 

[silverpig]

DS9 is terrible. Borderline slapstick at times. The episode where the runabout gets shrunk to hot wheels size? What a joke.

It's similar to B5 in that:

1. The first seasons sucked ass
2. The filler eps were lame
3. The big story arcs were great
4. Explosions++