What do they have to replace it? It's their tentpole program for the time being.
Now if ratings don't improve I could see them asking the producers to scale back production costs. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, George Arterberry <brotherfromhow...@...> wrote: > > Will SyFy stay with the show long enough for it to get a following? > > > ________________________________ > From: Tracey de Morsella <tdli...@...> > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com; Cinq <cinque3...@...>; glenn <ggs...@...> > Sent: Wed, January 27, 2010 4:11:28 AM > Subject: [scifinoir2] 5 Reasons Caprica Is The Season's Most Promising New SF > Series > >  > What do you think. Iâm still smarting from BSG and a little put off that > this is an original story that was blended into BSG to piggyback off of its > success. But I do like it > 5 Reasons Caprica Is The Season's Most Promising New SF Series > This Friday brings the first episode of Battlestar Galactica spinoff Caprica, > a noir-scifi drama set on the planet Caprica 58 years before the cylons nuke > it into oblivion. Based on the pilot, we think this series could become a > classic. > Of course there are many reasons Caprica might fail, not the least of which > would be poor audience ratings. Many fans of BSG are still smarting from that > series' disappointing conclusion, and are predicting that Caprica might take > an abrupt nosedive into lameness. But the current facts are these: Caprica is > a completely different series, and based on what we've seen so far, it is the > coolest new SF show on the air. Here are five reasons why. > 1. Intriguing, thoughtful worldbuilding > As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the worldbuilding that went into creating > Caprica City and the culture of Caprica is simply superb. We're introduced to > a culture where paganism is mainstream and sexual mores are extremely > liberal, but immigrants still suffer discrimination and monotheists are > outcasts. Unlike most SF shows, where worldbuilding is often something like > "everything is the same except the technology is better," Caprica challenges > us to imagine a society radically different from our own. Also, the concept > design of the city - which was shown off to great effect in the broadcast > version of the pilot - is breathtaking. The futuristic technology isn't bad > either. > 2. A "birth of AI" story that feels original > A lot of contemporary science fiction, from the Terminator franchise to Star > Trek: The Next Generation, deals with what happens when we finally create AI. > Will it rise up and destroy us ala Skynet or will it nerdily attempt to fit > into human society ala Data? We've seen dozens of vengeful bots and dorky > AIs, but a virtual religious zealot computer genius teen trapped inside the > body of a killing machine made by her manipulative zillionaire father? Not > only is the premise fresh, but so are a lot of the emotional and ethical > issues it stirs up. > 3. The Adama family > Rarely has a family unit in science fiction been as interesting as the Adamas > seem to be in Caprica. Trapped between two cultures, straddling the line > between criminality and respectability, Joseph Adama is a character who has > problems I want to know more about. Plus his brother Sam, a smalltime > gangster with a heart of gold, is another guy I want to know better. I'm sold > on the idea of gangsters on another planet. > 4. Excellent acting > With Essai Morales and Eric Stolz as our leads Joseph Adama and Daniel > Graystone, it goes without saying that the acting in this show is going to > rock. (There was also a lot of terrific acting in BSG, so Caprica maintains > the quality of this aspect of the franchise.) Sasha Roiz as Sam Adama is > already terrific, as is Magda Apanowicz as Zoe Graystone's friend Lacy. > Alessandra Torresani is probably the weakest link as Zoe - she's a little > one-note - but she could improve over time. Given that this show hinges on > personal drama as well as epic SF storytelling, it's crucial that the leads > be able to show us subtle emotion and conflict - and damn, they are > delivering. In the pilot, Stolz does a perfect job embodying a guy who is > incredibly manipulative while also being sincere. > 5. Drama that depends on science fictional plot points, but isn't completely > focused on them > I already suggested that drama is one of this show's strong points. One of > the ways Caprica has already become a standout this season is that it manages > to give us human drama of the sort we might expect on The Wire, while also > never losing sight of the fact that its plot arc is centered on something > basically science fictional. This is a series about how two new technologies > - the holoband and the cylon - come together to create artificial life. And > much of the human drama hinges on these technologies as well. In other words, > this is fiction fueled by drama and science, which is a rare and awesome > thing. > Who knows where the show will wind up, but for these reasons alone I think > it's worth tuning in Friday for the first episode. >  > Send an email to Annalee Newitz, the author of this post, at anna...@io9. > com. >  >
