Babylon 5 release schedule (1 Viewer)

[stan hiller]

Having just bought (and thoroughly enjoyed) the babylon 5 first season boxset, I anxiously awaite the release of the later seasons - does anyone out there have any info on the release dates?

 

[Jeff Kleist]

March for season 2 is the rumor

 

[Michael Sliger]

The only statement with creditability that I know of is from JMS himself back in August.

They're tentatively targeting next April for season 2, and the following November for season 3.

http://www.jmsnews.com/scripts/MsgSt...ls=1&qs=1&qt=0
I don't know of any other statement from him or WHV stating otherwise so far.

 

[Blu]

From the same board JMS states that the series has become a priority to Warners.
http://www.jmsnews.com/scripts/MsgSt...ls=0&qs=0&qt=0

 

[Damian Howard]

A priority to warners eh.. Looks like Warner Bros failed to anticipate the huge demand for this excellent series.. I'm betting it sold quite a lot more than WB thought it would and hence will most likely (hopefully) do good stuff to the good seasons (2-4)

I really wished they carried on with Crusade.. but you never know - if Babylon 5 continues to do well in DVD sales then maybe WB can consider going back to the Bab 5 universe..

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I really wished they carried on with Crusade.. but you never know - if Babylon 5 continues to do well in DVD sales then maybe WB can consider going back to the Bab 5 universe...

It wasn't Warner Bros. that pulled the plug on Crusade, it was TNT. (Although the studio did support JMS in his decision not to change the series to suit the network.) WB would love to do more stuff in the B5 universe, that's one of the ways they make money. But they can't do that unless a network that appeals to the B5 demographic (as their own "The WB" does not) decides to buy it from them. It isn't like they can just produce a TV series because they feel like it, regardless of whether or not there's a network or a syndicator that wants to run it.
Regards,
Joe

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Joseph de Martino wrote:

Since from your various posts you seem to be someone with "inside" information on how the tv industry works, explain, please, the thinking here. I've never understood why Warner Bros. tv has utterly refused to support its own show. What is the idea behind having a one-note network of teenager- and "young-adult"- (HA!) only programming?
Spell it out, pray, in simple syllables for us non-marketeering thinkers. I want to be able to get inside the mind---dare I call it so?---of a "WB" executive.

 

[Eric F]

Warner really has no idea what they're doing in the TV dept.

Smallville is the prime example. Here's a show they expected to do well with their prime demographic, while ignoring everyone else. It turns out to be doing extremely well with males in the 24-40+ age braket, a market the WB never intended to market the show to. They don't understand what a "good show" is.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

They don't understand what a "good show" is.

Ahem
They backed Buffy and Angel. SOMEONE there knows what a good show is
(And if you say they dumped Buffy, well Fox's TV division didn't give them much of a choice)

 

[Christopher E]

Joseph DeMartino wrote:

Since from your various posts you seem to be someone with "inside" information on how the tv industry works, explain, please, the thinking here. I've never understood why Warner Bros. tv has utterly refused to support its own show. What is the idea behind having a one-note network of teenager- and "young-adult"- (HA!) only programming?

Spell it out, pray, in simple syllables for us non-marketeering thinkers. I want to be able to get inside the mind---dare I call it so?---of a "WB" executive.

Well, for Warner Brothers to produce another series based on the b5 universe they need a network that is interested in airing the show. This could be Fox, Abc, Nbc, Cbs, Upn, TheWB, Sci-fi Channel, Showtime, HBO etc. However, the networks don't think that there is a big enough market (and thus not enough money to be made from advertising) to justify producing any new sci-fi shows.

Right now the tv sci-fi market is doing very poorly. I don't know the exact numbers, but Enterprise is doing badly, Farscape was canceled, and Firefly is only getting so-so ratings (I hope firefly doesn't get canceled though).

Hope that helps. Joe please feel free to chime in if anything I said above was incorrect.

 

[Peter Overduin]

Enterprise is doing badly

Curious that the last Paramount comments I read were that Enterprise was not only doing well, it was doing better in its first season than any other 1st year ST series before it.

In the end, it boils down to vision. Nimoy's 'Spock' character was to be cut and was saved because Roddenbury had a vision for the character. B5, Crusade or any other B5 derivitive will get the green light only when and if JMS can sell his vision to the WB brass.

.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Christopher E wrote:

Quote:

They have a network of their own on which to air the show, if they so chose, but they seem to want to have only one type of audience for all their shows (and, of course, under the assumption that no significant part of the so-called "coveted demographic" would ever be interested in a B5 spin-off, or whatever). I don't understand such thinking. Too many of their "focus group" droids not know what the word "science fiction" means, or write "Eyw, yuck. Geezers over 30." on their response sheets to the question: "What one thing would you say about your reaction to a 'science fiction' series?"?
What a way to run an industry!