Networks favor Fridays for genre shows this fall

[heisenberg]

What do the broadcast networks know that Syfy Channel doesn’t? Friday night isn’t the “TV death slot” any more. In fact, it’s a night where the more overtly science fiction and fantasy shows have the best chance of thriving.
Last week the five networks — ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and The CW — officially announced their schedules for the 2011-2012 broadcast season, including those pilots that have been picked up to series and those old chestnuts that have earned another year. And while there has been some variety for science fiction and fantasy programming in recent years, the networks are by and large aiming for the Friday night crowd this fall.


Is FOX the new place to be for science fiction? The network expressed great confidence in Fringe by giving it an early, full-season renewal for a fourth year. The show will stay in its Friday night slot at 9 p.m. (8 Central). Meanwhile, the network is readying the biggest (and most expensive) new genre show of the fall, putting Terra Nova on Mondays at 8/7c to kick off its week. That’s no surprise, seeing how much money FOX has behind the Steven Spielberg dinosaur show.


At mid-season FOX will have our undivided attention for Alcatraz, from J.J. Abrams and starring LOST‘s Jorge Garcia. It has a very sci-fi premise (prisoners from Alcatraz in the 1960s travel through time to the present), and hopefully will prove to be a sci-fi show week-to-week and not just another police procedural or manhunt hour. Another one to watch for is Touch, starring Kiefer Sutherland and written by Heroes creator Tim Kring. The pilot doesn’t shoot until next month, though, so it’s not on the schedule yet.


NBC is moving Chuck to Fridays at 8 p.m. this fall for its final, 13-episode season. A comedy and a drama with a sci-fi twist, Chuck‘s audience may prove a decent fit for NBC’s new show Grimm at 9 p.m. (The peacock network passed on a number of high-profile pilots, including Wonder Woman and Ronald D. Moore’s 17th Precinct.) “I think reinventing Friday with some genre shows is the way to go,” NBC chief Bob Greenblatt told Deadline.


ABC has a new fairy tale fantasy series in Once Upon a Time, from LOST executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, and starring House‘s Jennifer Morrison. (Stargate Universe‘s Robert Carlyle will co-star as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.) The series will air Sundays at 8/7c.


http://www.scifistream.com/2011/05/networks-favor-fridays-for-genre-shows-this-fall/

 

[Backstep]

While watching DW last night on BBCA, saw a commercial for BBCA Sci-Fridays. Sci-Fridays will be reruns of scifi movies and TV shows.

 

[Gatefan1976]

Oh noes, the big networks are going to have big shows on fridays now as well, Syfy might as well pack it in, it can't compete with anyone anymore, yep, they might as welljst go back to re-runs and forget about supporting any shows at all, they just can't compete on any night anymore.........
/sarcasm.

 

[Graybrew1]

While watching DW last night on BBCA, saw a commercial for BBCA Sci-Fridays. Sci-Fridays will be reruns of scifi movies and TV shows.

Did it say which TV shows? I picked up Being Human on BBCA just a couple of months ago, that would be a great find to see more of it.

 

[Graybrew1]

Oh noes, the big networks are going to have big shows on fridays now as well, Syfy might as well pack it in, it can't compete with anyone anymore, yep, they might as welljst go back to re-runs and forget about supporting any shows at all, they just can't compete on any night anymore.........
/sarcasm.

Throw in the towel. It's over.

 

[shavedape]

Did it say which TV shows? I picked up Being Human on BBCA just a couple of months ago, that would be a great find to see more of it.

The British version of "Being Human" is awesome! Way better than the North American version. I just assumed they'd leave it on Saturday nights but if BBCA decides to start running sci-fi/supernatural stuff on Friday nights I'm more than good with that too.

 

[Graybrew1]

The British version of "Being Human" is awesome! Way better than the North American version. I just assumed they'd leave it on Saturday nights but if BBCA decides to start running sci-fi/supernatural stuff on Friday nights I'm more than good with that too.

I was just looking for the reruns of the previous seasons I had not seen. Since they are starting a SciFi Friday on BBCA and Backstep mentioned Scifi Tv show reruns and movies.

 

[Tropicana]

Oh noes, the big networks are going to have big shows on fridays now as well, Syfy might as well pack it in, it can't compete with anyone anymore, yep, they might as welljst go back to re-runs and forget about supporting any shows at all, they just can't compete on any night anymore.........
/sarcasm.

LMAO!

 

[Inara]

Is FOX the new place to be for science fiction?

This reminds me of an icon I found...

 

[Inara]

Did it say which TV shows? I picked up Being Human on BBCA just a couple of months ago, that would be a great find to see more of it.

They've had a few marathons of it now and again. They're short seasons (6, 8, and 8 episodes), so it would be relatively easy to do.

Don't see any listings in the immediate future, but the next two Fridays will be two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, then a movie (original Clash of the Titans, Interview with a Vampire). [snore]

I loved ST:TNG back in the day, there so much out there to choose from real British shows new and old, that I can't approve of BBCA's standard of "It's got a British actor!" to put it on the network. Which apparently they're going to invoke to air the newest incarnation of Battlestar Galactica, though IIRC, a British network also ponied up some funds for production of at least the miniseries. Wasn't into the show, so bleh. I prefer to watch Jamie Bamber in Law and Order: UK. :icon_e_wink:

Who does a person have to kill to get old Doctor Who, Blake's 7, etc. shown on BBCA?

 

[Graybrew1]

They've had a few marathons of it now and again. They're short seasons (6, 8, and 8 episodes), so it would be relatively easy to do.

Don't see any listings in the immediate future, but the next two Fridays will be two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, then a movie (original Clash of the Titans, Interview with a Vampire). [snore]

I loved ST:TNG back in the day, there so much out there to choose from real British shows new and old, that I can't approve of BBCA's standard of "It's got a British actor!" to put it on the network. Which apparently they're going to invoke to air the newest incarnation of Battlestar Galactica, though IIRC, a British network also ponied up some funds for production of at least the miniseries. Wasn't into the show, so bleh. I prefer to watch Jamie Bamber in Law and Order: UK. :icon_e_wink:

Who does a person have to kill to get old Doctor Who, Blake's 7, etc. shown on BBCA?

Not to be a total girl or anything but Brad Pitt was beyond gorgeous and well worth seeing that movie for.

I am looking forward to doing a rewatch of BSG, It had good entertainment value to me. I do watch the ST TNG on BBCA now. And I hope your right and they do a full showing of all the BH.

 

[Gatefan1976]

Not to be a total girl or anything but Brad Pitt was beyond gorgeous and well worth seeing that movie for.

I am looking forward to doing a rewatch of BSG, It had good entertainment value to me. I do watch the ST TNG on BBCA now. And I hope your right and they do a full showing of all the BH.

Bah, he was a pitiful Louis, and don't get me started on Tom Cruise as Lestat, there are not enough facepalms in the multiverse to cover that ClusterF**k.

 

[Graybrew1]

Bah, he was a pitiful Louis, and don't get me started on Tom Cruise as Lestat, there are not enough facepalms in the multiverse to cover that ClusterF**k.

I respectfully disagree. I thought he was a dark quiet evil in that movie, almost as good as Meet Joe Black....Look GF something else we disagree on.

Tom Cruise sucked, as he does in most everything. :icon_e_wink:

 

[Joelist]

One could hold a sort of reverse contest - find the Tom Cruise movie where he WASN'T bad.

Interview with a Vampire was decent in spite of Cruise.

 

[Inara]

Not to be a total girl or anything but Brad Pitt was beyond gorgeous and well worth seeing that movie for.

I am looking forward to doing a rewatch of BSG, It had good entertainment value to me. I do watch the ST TNG on BBCA now. And I hope your right and they do a full showing of all the BH.

Pitt never did much for me. Not my type.

I think I'm Star Trekked out. Didn't have any interest in watching the reboot movie. I guess I needed more of a break from it than others did, but I admit a new series, either in the TNG/DS9/Voyager era or shortly thereafter might get me watching. I'm much more interested in watching the future than retreading the past.

BH is out on DVD, if you have Netflix or some other venue. I'll keep an eye open for future marathons. The new season will be aired and done in the UK before it airs in the US from what I can tell, but they may use the time to do marathons.

 

[Graybrew1]

Pitt never did much for me. Not my type.

I think I'm Star Trekked out. Didn't have any interest in watching the reboot movie. I guess I needed more of a break from it than others did, but I admit a new series, either in the TNG/DS9/Voyager era or shortly thereafter might get me watching. I'm much more interested in watching the future than retreading the past.

BH is out on DVD, if you have Netflix or some other venue. I'll keep an eye open for future marathons. The new season will be aired and done in the UK before it airs in the US from what I can tell, but they may use the time to do marathons.

I do have Netflix I will look for BH on there. I assumed the British version would not be available.

I can almost always watch any ST or SG. As long as I have not seen it a hundred times already. :icon_e_wink:

 

[shavedape]

Oh yeah, almost forgot to tell you!

I do have Netflix I will look for BH on there. I assumed the British version would not be available.

I can almost always watch any ST or SG. As long as I have not seen it a hundred times already. :icon_e_wink:

I just remembered that the British version of "Being Human" is actually longer than an hour for each episode. When it's run the first time around on BBCA they usually run the episodes 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then, when they do reruns they cut out some scenes to bring it down to the 1 hour format again. It may not seem like a lot of stuff to miss but it actually is. Trust me, there are some really powerful scenes in the full length episodes that you don't want to miss.

So, yes, get the British version of BH on Netflix if you can. It's far superior to the North American version. And it hasn't gotten stale yet either. They wrapped up season 3 awhile back and it was really good! I absolutely love "George" (Russel Tovey)! He's so damn good!

 

[Graybrew1]

I just remembered that the British version of "Being Human" is actually longer than an hour for each episode. When it's run the first time around on BBCA they usually run the episodes 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then, when they do reruns they cut out some scenes to bring it down to the 1 hour format again. It may not seem like a lot of stuff to miss but it actually is. Trust me, there are some really powerful scenes in the full length episodes that you don't want to miss.

So, yes, get the British version of BH on Netflix if you can. It's far superior to the North American version. And it hasn't gotten stale yet either. They wrapped up season 3 awhile back and it was really good! I absolutely love "George" (Russel Tovey)! He's so damn good!

Thanks for the info. Green for you.

 

[Gatefan1976]

I respectfully disagree. I thought he was a dark quiet evil in that movie, almost as good as Meet Joe Black....Look GF something else we disagree on.

Tom Cruise sucked, as he does in most everything. :icon_e_wink:

I did like BP in Meet Joe Black, I just thought he was a terrible Louis.

 

[Graybrew1]

I did like BP in Meet Joe Black, I just thought he was a terrible Louis.

No biggie.