Fox is usually the last network on the planet I would recommend to people as a place to get their product distributed, but there are signs recently that it might be improving. With its renewal of Dollhouse, it has finally proved it understands there are gains to be made beyond the current weeks ratings. Part of that new understanding has to have been caused by another Joss Whedan property, Firefly, which sold 440,000 copies in its first week of release as a DVD, even though Fox had canceled the show. Now they are running a competition to add to their animation lineup, and YOU could be that animator! The contest entry point is at Aniboom, and they are looking for a 2 to 4 minute animation segment showcasing why your concept should be picked up by the network and produced into a weekly series. If you ever wanted to build your own sci-fi, this is a perfect opportunity to get started.
The good news is that Chuck has been renewed for at least 13 episodes in season 3. The bad news is Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has not. Still no update on Reaper. In the just because we can department, here is this years UC Berkeley entry for the American Chemical Society’s NanoTube Video contest. It was also the hands-down winner, in both categories (Peoples Choice and Critics Choice).
The folks at Couch Potato TV run a report each week called Sci-Fi Saturday, and this weeks report goes into detail on a number of new shows coming out this fall. For keeping track of existing shows to see who is and is not getting renewed, EW has the Fall TV Cheat Sheet, while IGN is running the Endangered Series List.
The changes include a smaller budget and a limit of 13 episodes, but even so I was very happy to learn that Dollhouse has been renewed for a second season by Fox. It joins the ranks of Fringe on the same network, Heroes and Medium on NBC, Lost on ABC (for 3 more seasons), and Smallville and Supernatural on the CW. All shows I watch and enjoy, although some more than others. Still undecided are Chuck (decision on Monday, promising), Reaper (perhaps syndicated with cast changes), and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (not very hopeful). There are some excellent shows that have been confirmed canceled, like Eli Stone and Pushing Daises, and some new shows worth looking forward to, like Flash Forward from Robert J. Sawyer, or the remake of V, from the folks who did The 4400 and staring several Firefly actors. So as with all years, it’s a mixed bag. And while I want to see every one of the Undecided shows returning, if there can be only one, I hope it is Chuck.
Season 3 of Primeval kicks off on BBC America tomorrow night, bringing our crew of time-traveling dinosaur secret agents back for another round of fun. For those who haven’t watched the show, the dinosaurs do most of the time traveling, the members of the secret government agency combat them. Word has just surfaced that Warner Brothers will be bring it to the big screen, or at least a variation of it. I am hoping they at least have the sense to use the original cast, but they have already announced they will move the action to the U.S. Back in the UK, for the second Bank Holiday in May, London Expo is going on this weekend, with all kinds of movie goodies.
Award winning science fiction author John Scalzi is looking forward to the future as much as the rest of us, but he just published a short list of technology he is NOT looking forward to. It does make you think a bit, and you do want to read the comments (if not add your own). If you haven’t had your daily dose of Steampunk yet, here’s a little Abney Park to see you through…