Mid May 2015
By Ken Parker
This session I spend a fair amount of time looking at some TV shows which ended in seasons past following the news that Person of Interest has been renewed for only 13 episodes. We also hear more X-Files information and look back in time at a previously lost fantasy film and ahead in time to a new Luc Besson film.
The X-Files Marathon – Fox has
announced that The X-Files will air on Sunday, January 24, 2016 after
the NFC Championship Game. The remaining 5 episodes will air on
Mondays through February. Does this give me enough time to watch all
seasons of The X-Files (I am currently viewing season 5)? The answer
is “No way.” It will be interesting to see this for sure and I
hope it does well and spawns more stories.
Person of Interest renewed but.....
wait a minute – ONLY FOR 13 EPISODES!!!!!! WHAT???!!!! The series will not return until mid-season. Okay, so
what does that mean for television's BEST current sci-fi show? Well,
it could mean the end. It could also mean just a short season or
perhaps if it does well, it will regain footing the following year.
I am baffled by the fact that the series had been doing okay but took
a nose dive in its final episode of this season. This was an
incredible episode and is really a sum of everything up to this
point. The cliffhanger is a game changer and that is what Person of
Interest has done from day one. It has gone from a 'save some person
of the week' idea like Quantum Leap, The Incredible Hulk or more
accurately, The Equalizer, and has turned into a tale of technology,
artificial intelligence, 1984's big brother and even Terminator.
The show is more science fiction that
most people think but it is rooted in reality and with a heavy dose
of crime drama. The show has also developed some excellent
characters that are written well in well executed stories. While I
feel Orphan Black might be just as good, POI has more episodes to
develop a superb story arc.
Person of Interest has a finite battle between A.I.s and one has to imagine that an answer to this would be welcome by viewers. We can't go this whole time and not see some kind of resolution but on the other hand, do we really need one. Certainly finding out what happened to Shaw and seeing where the battle leaves our protagonists is wanted but series don't always end on a high note. Often characters are killed, sometimes poorly (Star Trek Enterprise – really, Tripp?)
There is a planned campaign to bring back the show in a full season. Fans are encouraged to go on Facebook and Twitter and show their support by tweeting hashtags and tagging CBS on Facebook.
@CBS #LongLivePersonOfInterest #13isnotenough
When TV Series End - With the news that Person of Interest might be ending next season, it got me thinking about TV series
and when they are ultimately canceled. Often shows which are
canceled end on a cliffhanger (Twin Peaks). Others just end
(Firefly) and some end with a conclusion (Battlestar Galactica,
Fringe). In the good ole days shows were just canceled and rarely
had a concluding episode. There are exceptions of course. The
Prisoner had a finite plan. It was planned for a limited run. Other
shows are given a change to end. Quantum Leap, the later Star Trek
series and The X-Files all had planned ending episodes after longer
runs. Sometimes the endings are abrupt and other times are planned
for years. I think these days producers of series have every hope to
keep their show going for many years but may have an out in mind.
Whether it by choice or not, they lead their season toward an ending
and if they are canceled, they end it. Chuck seemed to always plan
to end for many of its seasons but right at the end had something
happen to move it into the next season.episode.
Ending a show gives you closure and I
think people would prefer this for the most part. Still, some shows
don't have to end and the idea that the series could be picked up at
a later date or made into a movie is one reason not to end a show.
While you probably cannot do any more Battlestar Galactica episodes
that take place after the finale, you could still have a more
Farscape. If an ending shuts down the premise of the series –
Lost, Star Trek: Voyager, Blake's 7 – then not only is it harder to
bring back the show, but for fans who want to imagine ongoing adventures are out of luck.
Recently The Sarah Jane Adventures had
to end because of the unfortunate death of star Liz Sladen. Instead
of bringing back the rest of the cast and perhaps bringing in a new
lead (Jo Grant for example – which would have been incredible) they
decided to just state that Sarah Jane's adventures went on and on.
What a nice non-ending.
Old School Sound Effects – This video
is great. It shows Ben Burtt demonstrating how some of the sound
effects were made with good old analog audio, namely on the 1956
movie, Forbidden Planet.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand
Planets – Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) is working on a new sci-fi movie based on a French comic series. The premise follows a couple who travel in time and space to save the Universe. Sounding a bit like Doctor Who and perhaps more like the British series Sapphire and
Steel, this movie could be interesting.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val%C3%A9rian_and_Laureline
Flash Gordon Classic - A neat little video done by a Disney animator - love the retro look.
Black Angel - this short fantasy movie was thought to be lost forever until it was found at Universal Studios recently. The film is of interest to Star Wars fans as it was shown before the first run of The Empire Strikes Back in Europe and Australia.
http://io9.com/watch-the-lost-fantasy-movie-that-appeared-before-empir-1703970754
http://i.imgur.com/LY4uuGa.gif
http://i.imgur.com/LY4uuGa.gif
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