Re:Whither has SciFi gone?
Interesting premise copied and pasted from another site (though I think this is a similar premise the comic direct sale market took and the industry’s not in the best shape these days, especially with regards to attracting new people to the medium):
[quote]Want great SF for thinking adults which truly fulfills the writer’s
original vision without network wonk interference, even if it means
sacrificing some of the more expensive special effects? Why not bypass
TV and go direct to DVD! It seems to this humble viewer that it would
be very similar to producing a show for syndication. After purchasing
Firefly, my anger and frustration with the state of science fiction on
TV was rekindled. Firefly, Odyssey 5, Jeremiah, Crusade; the list goes
on. Even Andromeda, which was never more than an entertaining
diversion, has now been rendered unwatchable.
Science fiction fans represent a smaller demographic, but we buy LOTS
of DVDs, as the sales of Babylon 5 and Buffy demonstrate. And those
are shows we’ve already seen. Imagine the preorders on Amazon.com if
Joss Whedon produced new episodes of Firefly without having to fight
to keep his characters true, or JMS was able to continue with Jeremiah
as it was intended, or Legend of the Rangers, or Crusade! I mention
those writers since they’ve already had successful DVD sales, but what
about Neil Gaiman, or John Ringo, or [your favorite author here]?
They could start small, produce 4 episodes and throw it out there to
see if we bite. And when we show them it will work, they can invest in
more expensive special effects, or produce an entire *season* before
releasing it. If they make it, we will buy.
FSFFTVT! (Free SF From TV Tyrants)[/quote]