While I agree its cool he is doing this. Its really not taking a chance. Since I would be hard pressed to find a network that wouldn't jump at the chance to get a Star Wars tv show.
Yeah, the news that there's going to be a full Star Wars live action t.v. series is one of the biggest announcements in t.v. history. The networks will be fighting over who gets to carry the series.
Even in the remotest chance it isn't picked up, LFL can easily recoup costs by selling a DVD set. But it will obviously be picked up. The title alone guarantees it.
That's not to say it's not bold. It is...but it isn't taking a chance.
Filming an American Graffiti TV series without a customer...that would be taking a chance.
There is very little syndication left for shows like that. Since 1995, when UPN and the WB started, syndication has gotten to be a smaller and smaller piece of the pie. Especially now that cable networks (FX, SciFi, USA, etc.) are spending considerable amounts on original programming, syndication doesn't seem to be the viable option of the independents that it was in TNG's day, 20 years ago. That's really too bad, if you ask me.
The shows sound great. I'm sure Lucas and Lucasfilm will do a great job with them.
judging from the track record of Star Wars TV shows, I don't think this is that secure of an investment. Will Bea Arthur appear in the new show? She stole the Holiday Special.
Oh, I'm willing to give these new TV shows a shot when they show up, though one has to hope that George has improved his ability to tell a story or deliver dialogue through his characters than the prequel movies to ``Star Wars''.
I wrote a magazine article about The Star Wars Holiday Special a couple years ago and memories of an entire act spoken in Wookiee (or Shyriiwook for the hardcore fan) still haunt me.
The more interesting part of that article is when he starts talking about the shows he watches. He seems really into ROME. I'm always fascinated by hearing him talk about other people's work. For some reason, I get the impression that he's living up on his ranch without any contact with the outside world. So when he's going on and on about some random TV show, it's seems so bizarre to me. One time I read some interview with him where he was talking about FARGO, and I was like, "he's heard of FARGO? But that was made by mere mortals."
Lucas just went up about 2,000 street-cred points in my book, discussing Rome and Deadwood in depth during that interview (and talking about how he waits for DVD season-sets of shows like LOST and Heroes for one all-out feeding frenzy, like so many of us).
Cool shit. I'm pumped about the live-action series in particular... in fact, I happen to personally know a writer who's been approached by Lucas about it.