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Do you think the Sci-Fi channel would be interested in buying the spin off series to Lexx, if it ever gets off the ground? Has Season 4 been well recieved/high viewing figures on Sci-Fi? Or has Lexx reached the end of the line?
Are there other channels in the US/UK/Canada that you think would be interested in investing in a Spin-Off series?
Well if scifi didn’t buy it then no one else in the US would most likely.
Who knows if they’d be interested? It would just depend on what other things they had budgeted and if they felt the spinoff could make money.
quote:
Originally posted by JumpingJedi:
Do you think the Sci-Fi channel would be interested in buying the spin off series to Lexx, if it ever gets off the ground? Has Season 4 been well recieved/high viewing figures on Sci-Fi? Or has Lexx reached the end of the line?
You can pretty much lose all hope for a spin off. Lexx has been getting half the ratings it once got. It used to see a 1.2 but recently its been getting a 0.6 or less. I’ve been egttign excited just to see it get a 0.8 or even make scifi’s top ten programs for the week. A rating of at least is 1.1 is required for renewal.
The operative word being “At least” 1.1
It’s a shame. But who knows, perhaps not having a spinoff will one day lead to having a motion picture. Or better yet to expand on the tales from a parrellel universe by having some prequals about the Brunnin-G or the Astral-B, or perhaps even the Insects.
quote:
Originally posted by LexxLurker:
The operative word being “At least” 1.1It’s a shame. But who knows, perhaps not having a spinoff will one day lead to having a motion picture. Or better yet to expand on the tales from a parrellel universe by having some prequals about the Brunnin-G or the Astral-B, or perhaps even the Insects.
Prequels would be good, Movie…probably won’t happen.
Even though I love Lexx, I keep wondering what would have been if it stuck to the feel of IWHS, instead of becoming a humourous and sex driven show.
I think it might have had a wider audience, the only ep that has brought that feel back was Vlad.
Many of us have stuck with Lexx because we understand it, it’s thrown some really tacky stuff at us, as well as some good.
But I think it’s more likely that most people have a passing interest, watch a filler ep and move on and forget it.
I still feel that the first movies had an epic feel to them, but now it’s lost that, and is just looks to the outside world as being a t.v show with some crazy antics.
If Lexx does come back in another guise, I feel it should return to the era of HDS, if not for the drama and awe-inspiring effects, but for the simple fact that it would generate a larger audience.
For us Lexx will remain a fond memory, for others it will be forgotten as nothing particularly remarkable.
Even though I still like Lexx, it has never lived up to it’s potential, for me the beans had something special, the beans didn’t play on the strengths set down in the movies.
So if we did see prequels, I would rather it be an indepth voyage of of the early years, what led to the insect wars, to see how exactly HDS came about and what the Brunnen G were like when their planet prospered, I would choose this as opposed to seeing a continuation of Stan’s life, or whether Kai and Xev finally make it together, because I just think it would be more akin to a soap opera than a sci-fi series.
And to be blunt, Paul D’s new idea of an Italian renaissance sounds incredibly dull, and about as far removed from Lexx as you can get, of course I wish him well, but you won’t find me taking much of an interest in his new project.
Squishy
quote:
Originally posted by Squishy:
And to be blunt, Paul D’s new idea of an Italian renaissance sounds incredibly dull, and about as far removed from Lexx as you can get, of course I wish him well, but you won’t find me taking much of an interest in his new project.
Squishy
I don’t know exactly what Paul has in mind but I think having a show featuring court jesters of the Italian renaisance would make for exciting court intrigue as well as an easy homage to Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.
There are always possibilites. Who would have thought that a mystery show all about a dead bratty girl (Twin Peaks) would achieve cult status?
quote:
Originally posted by Squishy:
And to be blunt, Paul D’s new idea of an Italian renaissance sounds incredibly dull, and about as far removed from Lexx as you can get, of course I wish him well, but you won’t find me taking much of an interest in his new project.
Squishy
Dull? The Italian Renaissance Dull? A time rivaling the high points of the Egyptian period surpassed (IMHO) only by the Industrial Revolution Dull? Excitment, Art, political drama and guys in short shirts and tights dull? Oh my.
This site has an exclusive picture from the new Lexx spinoff series.
[ 27-03-2002: Message edited by: DalekTek790 ]
I hate to be contrary… Actually, I love to be contrary. Contrary is my life. When the majority say “A” I go “eh?” No sooner do I find a pillar of certainty than I have the urge to stick pins in it, to chip away, and generally reduce it to rubble. Heisenberg was made for people like me. I’m living quantum physics.
Anyway, a LEXX spin off isn’t necessarily a lost cause.
First things first, LEXX’s ratings do indeed suck, and there’s no way the series could be renewed from its position in the basement. Ok. But we’re not talking about renewing Lexx, we’re talking about a spin off. This means that in terms of pitching the thing, they’re leaving all the liabilities behind.
It’s not LEXX it’s a new project!Second, LEXX’s ratings only sucked in the fourth season format. Actually, the ratings
for the second and third season were almost always in the top ten, and ranged as high
as 1.3, with a couple of peeks at 1.5 and 2.0. So, if the new series promised to follow a lot of the format of the 2nd year,
for instance, they might well be able to
claim LEXX’s assets.Third, LEXX seems to have been an incredibly economical show by American standards. This year, they were producing episodes for an average of about $600,000 US per episode.
That’s cheap like Borsch.Fourth, by all accounts, Salter had developed a good relationship with US Sci Fi, who were generally happy with the effort. And they’ve got a sterling reputation with British and Canadian Sci Fi channels. So these might be more willing to take a chance on a new series from a well
respected producer with good working relationships.Fifth, all the infrastructure is in place in terms of an experienced, polished, technical and lighting and production crew that is expert at doing a sci fi concept series. They’re good with greenscreen, they’ve shown, especially in first and second year, an aptitude with a variety of in camera and special effects, including rod, wire and hand puppetry, stop motion,
miniatures, mattes, etc. A set construction crew that’s nothing short of brilliant, and a consolidated and very experienced CGI division. Bottom line, there’s a unique
conglomeration of talent and organization that almost demands an opportunity.Sixth, marketed right, with some continuity of characters, you could simply fold a failed spin off into LEXX which already has a syndication package. They’ve done something similar with Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980. The trouble with new series is that if they die early, its a dead loss, there’s no syndication potential for a series that only had 4 or 6 or 13 or 22 episodes. Thus, if it dies, it goes off the air and never makes money again. With a syndication package of at least 65 episodes, you’ve got a real shot at long term revenue potential. Well, LEXX has 65 eps, and if the new series fails, but follows closely in terms of characters and starting situation, it could simply be retitled and included in the syndication package. It’s cheap, it’s sleazy, but it’s viable. So, this diminishes the real risk and increases the long term revenue potential, possibly making the project more viable.
Seventh, Brian Downey may be taking a lesson from J. Michael Straczynski. Straczynski assiduously cultivated a fan base for Babylon 5 before it was even on the air, and used that fan base to create a groundswell of support for the series that eventually helped to get it on the air. Brian’s been incredibly generous and has a loyal following of hard core working fans. There’s a good chance that Brian could well simply say a word and create a groundswell of support, a dedicated fan campaign, to get
a new series started. Think about it, if fans are able to save borderline series with the smell of failure about them, then it might be easier with a fan movement, to support a brand new virginal series with no
liabilities attached.So, ultimately, I think that a spin off has an uphill climb. This years ratings frankly suck. But I can see gathering enough support for at least an effort at a spin off.
Perhaps a pilot movie or two parter. Or maybe a four or six or seven episode run like Red Dwarf. Or even a minimal US season of 13 episodes to prove itself.So what the heck… Who knows.
Den V
One thing for sure is that most all of the fans are screaming for an “insect war” spinoff.
Myself, I’d be happy with just The Xev Show. But that’s just me. Literally.
quote:
Originally posted by Flamegrape:
Myself, I’d be happy with just The Xev Show. But that’s just me. Literally.
Nah, that wouldn’t get much support from my disembodied head (waste of a trak, too). I’d rather see Leave it to Digby.
…and Ryan Cooley
as the Digby
Heart plus T.V. equals 790? Oh-keee…
[ 30-03-2002: Message edited by: DalekTek790 ]
the simple answer: the people involved in making the show forgot how to tell a story. they knew the basics once. they have attractive stars. but they began to leave out the romance occasionally, then all the time (season IV). without romance, you don’t got ratings. all you got are the freaks who hate romance. there are good reasons a Stephen Spillberg and a George Lucas film get high ratings. film geeks and critics do not fill up theatres, audiences do. and mass audiences want romance. this show started out as an alternative space opera, but still a space opera. it has devolved into prat falls and ridiculous unfunny skits with no wit and no story. either way, whether you personally may prefer the juvenile scatology or the pseudo intellectual social commmentary, the original mass audience will go away. they began to watch Lexx because of the original space opera movies. the lead into the series was not the Monty Python show, as the series IV plots suggests, but the ever popular hero myths of the season I movies.
quote:
Originally posted by infantonboard:
the simple answer: the people involved in making the show forgot how to tell a story.
You’re right. These shows I was watching on Friday nights were just a jumble of words and images that convey no information to the viewer. What was I thinking?
quote:
Originally posted by infantonboard:
they knew the basics once. they have attractive stars. but they began to leave out the romance occasionally, then all the time (season IV). without romance, you don’t got ratings.
Where was the romance in Lexx in the first place? Are you talking about the non-existant romance between Zev/Xev and Kai? There was never any romance between them. If there was any romance, then it was shallow and one-sided. Just Zev/Xev falling in love with Kai, getting nothing, and then facing the facts and getting over it! The little girl fantasy of a brave hero that loves her is unfulfilled. If only there were more stories like that.
But you are right. The candy-coated romance that floods mainstream television does sell. It’s really easy to sell romance when it rarely occurs in real life.
So which is better? Selling a lie or presenting thoughtful satire? I’m sure there are other options for a science-fiction show, but the Beans chose the path of comedy. (Divine comedy, in the case of series III.)
quote:
Originally posted by infantonboard:
all you got are the freaks who hate romance. there are good reasons a Stephen Spillberg and a George Lucas film get high ratings. film geeks and critics do not fill up theatres, audiences do. and mass audiences want romance.
Although I disagree with your opinion that all current Lexx fans are bitter social outcasts, I agree that the vast majority of major blockbuster Hollywood movies rely on the romance formula. Either that or violent movies with gratuitous sex. It makes money. But does that make them good? Does it make it right?
The movie that won best movie at the Oscars, A Beautiful Mind, was that drenched in syrupy romance? Loaded down with car chases? Naked chicks acting stoopid? Gunfights on rooftops?
quote:
Originally posted by infantonboard:
this show started out as an alternative space opera, but still a space opera. it has devolved into prat falls and ridiculous unfunny skits with no wit and no story. either way, whether you personally may prefer the juvenile scatology or the pseudo intellectual social commmentary, the original mass audience will go away. they began to watch Lexx because of the original space opera movies. the lead into the series was not the Monty Python show, as the series IV plots suggests, but the ever popular hero myths of the season I movies.
Yet another fan whining about how the new shows don’t live up to the movies.
Did you ever consider that there are other newer fans who did not see the movies but loved the regular series? Or that new fans have started watching the show as recently as A Midsummers Nightmare? I think what you are trying to convey is that the only “true fans” are the ones who watched the show from the beginning when there were only the four movies and no Xev. I’m waiting for some new fan who has fallen in love with ridiculous series IV to comment, “I just saw the movies! Gosh, were they boring and tedious! All that hero junk! My favorite one was Eating Pattern because it was looney and had an interesting weave of ecological relationships.”
Mark my words. After the show runs it’s course, Lexx‘s cult following will grow. At the very least, it will be a regular staple at sci-fi conventions. There is no denying that there is no sci-fi show like Lexx. Others will attempt it, but it will always be compared to the one that pioneered a new genre of science-fiction space opera.
And yes, it is still space opera.
[ 31-03-2002: Message edited by: Flamegrape ]
I agree totally with FG; LEXX has carved out a niche in Sci-Fi history as a definite pioneer of what a lot of shows will try to replicate but not be able to duplicate.
I hope to heavens they did not give us a “happy ending” with Live Kai riding off with Xev. That would be totally gross. I personally would like to see a real twist; something you would never expect, but if the shot the Moderators alluded to in their report is the ending; I know how it ends.
So, if you could (like other shows are doing now), how would you end LEXX; write an alternate ending section but remember this is LEXX not a continuation of Brigadoom only or a prequel of insect wars. Use from the beginning movies up to what you know. We all have a feel for Mr. Donovan’s arc now through The Game so finish it, but the kicker is; you got to use the Bean’s Commandments; the list of what they were not going to do; and you know that this show does not include over syrupy endings. It’s LEXX!!!
Also remember the ending has to fit; it can’t change what has been done. You know, no new characters or implications of arcs or relationships that were not central to the main story. Leaving the characters intact as well as the Bean’s Commandments; what’s the ending?Tough at first glance, huh?
Anyway, that’s all I got to say for now.
Oh, by the way, I started watching Lexx after the movies; because it was a satire; it took all the stuff you loved in Star Wars and trashed it all; the romance the resistance to an evil force, etc… and spoofed it entirely and then created a totally unique story and ran with it. In my opinion it’s all good, even “fillers”. How many shows nowadays do you see them talk about this stuff? It’s not as common as it used to be. How many shows have their objective so clear as in they blow up stuff and tried to get laid; but somehow along the way in reaching these simple objectives they
went through not only Heaven and Hell but much much more.Mandara K
quote:
Originally posted by infantonboard:
They have attractive stars. but they began to leave out the romance occasionally, then all the time (season IV). without romance, you don’t got ratings.
I agree with Flamegrape. There was never any romance in Lexx. There was sex. That’s not the same thing. Xev doesn’t want romance, se wants sex. Stan doesn’t want romance, he wants sex. Kai doesn’t want romance, the dead do not have wants. And I’m not sure what 790 wants, exactly.
I think the closest thing there’s ever been to romance on Lexx was Cleasby in Prime Ridge.
——————
“Exterminate!” -Dalek warrior
“Feel the power of the dark Crystal!” -skekTek the Scientist
“I will love you forever!” -drone #790
clarification:
romance is more than man/women/machine/love. romance is about concepts and ideas about: travel, food, clothes, discoveries, adventures, fun times, new people, new societies, etc.
i agree there is no sexual romance on lexx. i also agree that lexx was a great great fabulous satire, especially on star wars. however, they still relied on providing or hinting show plot expectations of romance storylines, while never satisfying such expectations. its power lay in the complete unique exploding of the entire genre of romance scifi. but to do so they had to introduce the expectation of romance to have a good suspenseful show. that is what i referred to when i expressed my disappointment with the fourth season.
quote:
Originally posted by Squishy:
So if we did see prequels, I would rather it be an indepth voyage of of the early years, what led to the insect wars, to see how exactly HDS came about and what the Brunnen G were like when their planet prospered, I would choose this as opposed to seeing a continuation of Stan’s life, or whether Kai and Xev finally make it together, because I just think it would be more akin to a soap opera than a sci-fi series.
Squishy
Hey squishy – You have put into words exactly what I have been thinking concerning prequels.
Originally posted by infantonboard:
all you got are the freaks who hate romance. there are good reasons a Stephen Spillberg and a George Lucas film get high ratings. film geeks and critics do not fill up theatres, audiences do. and mass audiences want romance.
————————————————————————Romance defined: 1. a story depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, and romantic exploits. 2. a medieval narrative treating of heroic, fantastic, or supernatural events. 3. a romantic spirit, sentiment, or quality.
I seem to recall that in an interview Michael McManus was asked if he liked Science Fiction. I believe his reply was, and I could be wrong, that he likes Romantic Science Fiction.
Well, so do I and I wish that there would have been more of it this season.
Reveal 7
I totally agree. The epic feel of Lexx is really what drew me into the show in the first place. I really wish this season had been done more like season 3 if not in special effects at least in serious plot development. I have enjoyed season 4 but I just wish instead of just satiring this hunk of rock we call home, they had explored what would really happen if this motley crew had landed on Earth. I’m sick and tired of seeing characters from Earth with only 5 brain cells as sadgeezer put it. I mean as rule the Lexx Universes are pretty crazy but not everybody in the Light Zone was this stupid. Most characters in Lexx either appear to be mentally deranged or mentally retarded. I would like to see a character besides Kai and Prince that have all their marbles in their head.
But I agree with you guys for all its silliness I’ve really loved this show and this season and it will be sad to see it go.
Perhaps my greatest regret is that I had wished Vlad had lived a little longer. It’s been my observation that the villain of a story supports the hero. That’s what makes Prince so cool. He is an intelligent dastardly foe who has had something up his sleeve since day one and I kept watching just to see what that little devil is up to. Lexx has had some really great villains but some of their best ones were short lived like Giggerotta, Duke, and of course Vlad.
Vlad kicked ass. She was someone you could be afraid of. A being so powerful she could destroy the indestructable. I sorry but compared to that Priest just doesn’t do it for me.quote:
Originally posted by Flamegrape:
Myself, I’d be happy with just The Xev Show. But that’s just me. Literally.
Me too!
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