GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Um...stupid question maybe?

POSTED BY: GATOZHIAN
UPDATED: Tuesday, March 2, 2004 00:00
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VIEWED: 3557
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Friday, February 27, 2004 10:51 AM

GATOZHIAN


Ok, I've been and on and off Buffy/Angel fan for years. I dig it alll but time plays hell on following shows, then I finally decided to start buying the DVDs so that i can watch it all at my own pace. Then I bought Firefly.


OH

MY

GOD!

After seeing the first episode, I took off work for 2 days and watched it all back to back...twice.My first thought (upon recovering)was what the hell did I miss? But upon checking out tvtome and this website, Im glad I waited for the DVDs. This show is incredible. I couldnt believe how much Joss has grown as a storyteller. I am glad I found all of you so that I can be a part of the special community this show has spawned.

Now (finally) for my question. Since the networks are SUCH a pain in the ass, why doesnt Joss try first run syndication for Firefly (and now Angel)?
Andromeda and Mutant X seem to be doing fine going this route. So why not our favorite shows?
Just a thought, but is it a good one? Has it all ready been considered or tried? Please, someone, answer this burning question!

Can't take the sky from me...

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Friday, February 27, 2004 11:56 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


There are no stupid questions.....
just stupid people who ask questions.


The only thing I can imagine is that it didn't run long enough to warrent syndication. 1 season isn't exactly something to hang ones hat on....(shrugs)

pain is scary

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Friday, February 27, 2004 12:00 PM

INVISIBLEGREEN


Quote:

Originally posted by gatozhian:
Now (finally) for my question. Since the networks are SUCH a pain in the ass, why doesnt Joss try first run syndication for Firefly (and now Angel)?
Andromeda and Mutant X seem to be doing fine going this route. So why not our favorite shows?
Just a thought, but is it a good one? Has it all ready been considered or tried?



"Angel" and "Firefly" are way way too expensive for FRS. Joss always says it's not worth doing something if it's not going to be done well. He would rather not do it than do it on a shoestring budget. "Andromeda" and "Mutant X" do do fine, but they are, IMO, nowhere near the quality of ME work in any respects.

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Friday, February 27, 2004 12:01 PM

WINTERFELL


my guess is (and it's only a guess) since the demand for DVD was so high and more $ could be made form it, they went that rout.. and if you're going to release to DVD, why syndicate? The only benefit I could forsee from that is minimal added exposure.. but with so few eps, it doesn't seem smart. without syndicating the show, they drove up demand for DVD because it was the only way to see the show. um.. but that's just a guess.

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Friday, February 27, 2004 12:11 PM

GATOZHIAN


Well, i meant new eps for syndicaion but I see your point on the quality issue, but surely Andromeda isnt THAT much chaper than Angel and Firefly. Money dorsnt always mean quality, and Joss is the master of making money stretch. But, ahns for giving me some kind of answer!

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Friday, February 27, 2004 2:27 PM

VETERAN

Don't squat with your spurs on.


I had a professor who always said that "Stupid Questions" were usually the best ones.

My guess is Joss looked into as many options as possible. Would he need a stake to cover the production costs until he got stations to pick up the show?

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Friday, February 27, 2004 3:00 PM

INVISIBLEGREEN


Joss & Co. still do A LOT with only a little bit of money, at least compared to, for example, movie budgets. Even low budget movies may have budgets about 10 times the size of "Firefly's." Still, compared to shows like "Andromeda" and "Mutant X," "Firefly" and "Angel" have huge budgets. If Joss decided to cut the budget to the size of that of an FRS show, I'm sure UPN would pick "Angel" up in a heartbeat. But then they'd have to stop dusting vamps, we couldn't get effects like the morphing vampire puppet angel, Lorne would have to become human (the make-up is very pricey), etc.

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Friday, February 27, 2004 7:04 PM

GATOZHIAN


Well, thanks everybody for chiming in. I didnt realize the budgets were that different. This just occured to me, and I thought I would ask. Thanks again!

Cant take the sky from me....

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Saturday, February 28, 2004 1:45 AM

LINDLEY


TNG and DS9 were both in first-run syndication, and they did fine with large budgets.

Of course, it was a very different market back then.

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Saturday, February 28, 2004 4:52 PM

ECMORGAN69


Quote:

Originally posted by InvisibleGreen:
"Angel" and "Firefly" are way way too expensive for FRS. Joss always says it's not worth doing something if it's not going to be done well. He would rather not do it than do it on a shoestring budget. "Andromeda" and "Mutant X" do do fine, but they are, IMO, nowhere near the quality of ME work in any respects.



IMHO, it's better that they never bring "Firefly" back to TV, than they do a half-assed job of it on a shoestring budget. I'd rather remember and rewatch the 14 quality, excellent, kick-ass episodes than have ME make a bunch of crappy ones, a la dreck like "Andromeda" or "Mutant X".

They can have my "Firefly" DVDs when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers....

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Saturday, February 28, 2004 4:57 PM

ECMORGAN69


Quote:

Originally posted by Lindley:
TNG and DS9 were both in first-run syndication, and they did fine with large budgets.

Of course, it was a very different market back then.



It's too bad that sort of thing won't work now. They'd never get the ratings to make it profitable.

You can't count on today's class of viewer to even look at a new kind of show with originality, style, good writing, exceptional acting, etc. Most of the viewers out there are monosyllabic, mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging primates with delusions of sentience. I wouldn't waste a bullet on most of the chimps running around loose today negating my vote every November Gorram reality-TV-show-viewers! FOX and the GORRAM chimps they cater to

They can have my "Firefly" DVDs when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers....

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Sunday, February 29, 2004 12:31 PM

LISSA


Quote:

Originally posted by Lindley:
TNG and DS9 were both in first-run syndication,



I've always wondered about that (I'm 17 so I wasn't really old enough to be aware of networks and stuff during TNG or back in the day when I watched DS9 regularly).

~lissa, spwhore

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Sunday, February 29, 2004 11:37 PM

FREMDFIRMA


Quote:


Originally posted by ecmorgan69:

You can't count on today's class of viewer to even look at a new kind of show with originality, style, good writing, exceptional acting, etc. Most of the viewers out there are monosyllabic, mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging primates with delusions of sentience. I wouldn't waste a bullet on most of the chimps running around loose today negating my vote every November Gorram reality-TV-show-viewers! FOX and the GORRAM chimps they cater to



You just bought yourself a standing ovation for that one - so true!, and so well delivered!

I say we eat them - create a new food chain within humanity with THOSE at the bottom, at least then they'll serve some use.

-frem
diefuxdie

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Monday, March 1, 2004 4:03 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.


Welcome to the board Gatozhian! Glad to have you w/ us.

Looks like others answered your question on the syndication question.

Personally I am glad that Joss and ME decided to go w/ the DVDs. It allows me the flexibility to watch them anytime I want, I get the commentaries and the extra features, and I am not at the mercy of a network.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."


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Monday, March 1, 2004 2:58 PM

SAMURAIX47


Part of the reason that the budgets are different is that the syndicated shows like Andromeda and Mutant X are produced in Canada. It costs less, than producing a show in California.

James

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Monday, March 1, 2004 3:08 PM

GATOZHIAN


Quote:

Originally posted by BrownCoat1:
Welcome to the board Gatozhian! Glad to have you w/ us.

Looks like others answered your question on the syndication question.



Thanks for the welcome! And I really appreciate everyones opinions! Now, all we have to do is wait on the announcement for the movie!

Can't take the sky from me...Oh wait, Fox did...

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Monday, March 1, 2004 5:38 PM

ECMORGAN69


Quote:

Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
You just bought yourself a standing ovation for that one - so true!, and so well delivered!

I say we eat them - create a new food chain within humanity with THOSE at the bottom, at least then they'll serve some use.

-frem
diefuxdie



I was actually expecting some of the aforementioned mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers to flame me Fortunately, when that happens, the rest of us with more than a few firing neurons know which way to point the Desert Eagles Unfortunately, somebody keeps warning them...

They can have my "Firefly" DVDs when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers....

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Monday, March 1, 2004 6:21 PM

11THHOUR


Quote:

Originally posted by ecmorgan69:
Quote:

Originally posted by Lindley:
TNG and DS9 were both in first-run syndication, and they did fine with large budgets.

Of course, it was a very different market back then.



It's too bad that sort of thing won't work now. They'd never get the ratings to make it profitable.



We're on the verge of so many new technologies and methods of delivering content. Firefly could be one of the shows that forces new creative ways for "too good for regular TV" shows to get to their audience.

I'd HAPPILY do a pay-per-view type of arrangement to get Firefly. If a show could get a large enough audience to "subscribe" to it, then the show would not be at the mercy of ratings, advertisers or the the hapless decisions of some network execs.

Quote:

Originally posted by ecmorgan69:
You can't count on today's class of viewer to even look at a new kind of show with originality, style, good writing, exceptional acting, etc. Most of the viewers out there are monosyllabic, mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging primates with delusions of sentience. I wouldn't waste a bullet on most of the chimps running around loose today negating my vote every November Gorram reality-TV-show-viewers! FOX and the GORRAM chimps they cater to



Hey, don't hold back... tell us what you really think.

BTW, I agree wholeheartedly. Which is why it's so infuriating to have most of what is broadcasted decided by a large group of genitalia preoccupied adult children looking for the next shallow excitement.

The more crap that gets dumped on the tube, the stupidier and stupider the audience gets. It's like raising a country on a constant diet of fast food. Then, when a beautifully prepared, sublime, complex, gourmet delight like Firely comes along... so many of them never developed the taste buds to appreciate it.

11thHour

__________________________________________________________

"Every frame of this movie looks like someone's last known photograph."
- Joel Hodgson, Mystery Science Theater 3000

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Tuesday, March 2, 2004 12:00 AM

ECMORGAN69


Quote:

Hey, don't hold back... tell us what you really think.

BTW, I agree wholeheartedly. Which is why it's so infuriating to have most of what is broadcasted decided by a large group of genitalia preoccupied adult children looking for the next shallow excitement.

The more crap that gets dumped on the tube, the stupidier and stupider the audience gets. It's like raising a country on a constant diet of fast food. Then, when a beautifully prepared, sublime, complex, gourmet delight like Firely comes along... so many of them never developed the taste buds to appreciate it.

11thHour

__________________________________________________________

"Every frame of this movie looks like someone's last known photograph."
- Joel Hodgson, Mystery Science Theater 3000



Well said! The only thing that was missing was the trademarked hostility and complete lack of regard for the feelings of others that make my posts so unique That's ok. They call me Mr. Bitter at work anyway, so it's kinda my thing

They can have my "Firefly" DVDs when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers....

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