My thought was ‘centre as compared to what’?

The Overton window has been intentionally moved over the past decade, Even before, that what might be considered ‘centre’ in the US, even ‘centre-left’ didn’t align well with other OECD countries.

I found this interesting

In what we hear was a congenial atmosphere very different from the later years of Carol Lombardini’s reign at the AMPTP, the organization and the WGA leadership started talks in mid-March. “We’ve been talking about all these issues in a very collaborative way,” a labor insider told Deadline of the tone between Executive Director and chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman and the AMPTP in the room at SAG-AFTRA HQ the past few weeks.

Compared with a couple of years ago, the industry side seems more interested in keeping things moving than pushing back on labour demands.

Definitely a YMMV situation.

Many episodes that may be described as ‘filler’ are ones that have side adventures or character development. Farscape isn’t rigidly serialized. Just because it’s not moving the main plot narrative doesn’t mean it’s filler.

Coming back to add that, if you like character-driven stories, but have never thought that kaiju might be your thing, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters now in its second season on AppleTV might be for you.

The show takes place in the middle of the Monsterverse continuity that currently has the licence for Toho’s Godzilla monsters. It’s an entry point nonetheless. You needn’t have ever seen anything in this continuity or others to get into it.

It’s less focused on fighting Titans than on the mystery of understanding them, the weird science fiction efforts humanity uses to share a world with them, and most of all the characters whose lives are intertwined with the mystery.

Babylon 5’s is great if you like serialization. The first season is very weak due to a major health crisis in the principal character that occurred between the shooting of the pilot and the launch of the series. The story was adjusted so that a new station head and actor could take on the lead.

Farscape is an absolute gem and a wild ride. It really picks up after the first 12 episodes. It’s so incredibly influential on so many science fiction shows in the streaming era that it’s worth watching just for that alone. Be aware that the show was canceled before it could wrap up its full arc. A limited series was made later to wrap up the storyline — make sure you’ll be able to be able to get it.

I’m a fan of many of the old 1960s and 1970s shows but watching them really depends on your tolerance for older production styles and scripting. Space 1999 is worth tracking down for sure.

In terms of more recent shows, three serialized shows that involved time travel that actually stuck the landing are Continuum, Travelers, and 12 Monkeys. All are very good, with strong ensembles, but reflect the darker sci-fi trend of the 2010s.

Amazon took on another 3 seasons of The Expanse with about 130k, Netflix did an additional full 20 episode season of *Star Trek: Prodigy with 35k.

More than that, 32.5 k is a lot for one of these petitions in this amount of time. We don’t know what it will level off at.

The rate of signings is accelerating, with nearly 5k in the past 24 hours.

I wished they’d used an official image. It’s really odd.

But it was the first petition up so it’s the one with traction.

I’m always concerned that having an unresolved cliffhanger has the opposite impact.

It discourages new viewers from trying a show and undermines the case for a movie.

A Firefly to Serendipity outcome is vanishingly rare.

And unlike Farscape, the production company partner can’t get the IP back and make a limited series or streaming movie to resolve it.

They put the show on a small niche streamer that doesn’t have an audience in the demographic that the show was made for.

The show did much better on Amazon channels than on Paramount+ — ranking 1 or 2 across its run. That tells you that the problem is that Paramount+ has narrowed its audience to Sheridanverse fans, not that the show isn’t good.

Every show Paramount+ has tried to attract the younger GenZ audience with has failed. And the streamer is failing — which is why Paramount has been bought and the streamer will be merged with HBO Max.

While that may be your view, I hope you’re not going to work against the show or shows like it either.

Because very many people who between 40 and 55 did brigade against this show, gave it very negative reviews, and discouraged others from watching it without watching a full episode themselves. To the point that Psychology Today wrote a feature article The Trouble With Review Bombing.

Anyone over 35 is not in the key demographic. I dare say that’s most 90s Star Trek fans and most of us on this board.

But if we go out of our way to say that if it’s not made for us we’ll attack it relentlessly so that younger, target viewers won’t even try it, then it’s not going to serve anyone.

And yes, I have seen the entire season of SFA. I watched it with my partner and one of our GenZ kids. And I have signed the petition.

A more measured take VS than I can manage at present.

My partner commented “It wouldn’t take much with the Ellisons” when I said it was reportedly canceled but, I have been hoping that there just might be more sophistication in the analysis of the show’s potential in a bigger, broader streamer.

My own thoughts go to women like my mother-in-law now in her 90s, or the superfan Bjo Trimble, who watched and supported Star Trek and other science fiction media, decade after decade, without seeing many women like themselves in principle roles.

They weren’t watching because of their husbands or kids, they were enjoying science fiction for themselves and their views, and all the related licensed media and merchandise they bought produced exactly the same advertising and other revenue.

Yet, entitled middle aged guys — who aren’t even in the key youth demographic anymore — want to define the franchise and seem to be being listened to.

Older person that I am, I recall the boys in the neighborhood would take their toys and wouldn’t join imaginative play unless they got to be the hero. I guess they never changed.

”…the show failed to find its significant audience.”

Put a show on a streamer that is targeting a completely different audience, and let the entitled vocal fans run wild with unchecked brigading, and then be surprised by low “crowdsourced” ratings.

Sigh.

This is depressing, if accurate, in that it may also be a signal that the new owner is looking for a new production company to manage the franchise just when things had finally and consistently stabilized with Secret Hideout.

I’m not hopeful for an SNW continuation in a Year One show, or Tawny’s project either.