Tevun-Krus #27 - FanFic SF

Cancelled Shows... - An Article by @AngusEcrivain

So I recently watched Terra Nova again and once again, much like the first time I watched the series I was massively disappointed when it ended, especially knowing for certain this time that there was no more for me to watch, nor would there be.

Now yes I know, I know, shows get cancelled and what-have-you... I mean, I could quite easily turn this into nothing more than a list of cancelled shows that, in my view, really shouldn't have been cancelled or could quite easily have carried on for longer than they did and it's fair enough to say that Terra Nova would be right there on that list alongside Firefly, Primeval, Farscape and Stargate Universe.

I mean what's not to love about it?

The basic premise, if you're unaware, is that a rift in Space/Time permits travel from a heavily polluted, dystopian 2149 to the mid/late Cretaceous, 85 million years into the past. Thankfully, the rift opens onto a different 'time stream,' meaning that if you (or y'know, anyone who was actually there) stepped on a butterfly, it wouldn't set off a chain of events that eventually led to your pet beagle not being born. Then throw in a whole bunch of dinosaurs - which is a bloody wonderfully fun thing for any writer - SF or otherwise - to do, given how incomplete the fossil record (probably) is which means we get to make up a whole lotta' stuff and no one can say, "oi, that ain't right!" - lots of action, espionage and some pretty sweet tech, and you've got what, in my view, was - and still is - a pretty awesome show.

It was even directed by Steven Spielberg.

So yeah, why was it cancelled? I don't have a clue. I do know that those who air these shows are fickle bastards and that if a show is under performing they'll pull it.

There was a lot of talk for a while about Netflix picking it up and taking it on, making the second season - and any subsequent seasons, of course - part of their Netflix Original programming and I don't know about you, but I reckon that's still feasible.

Of all those shows I mentioned up there, I reckon that Terra Nova is probably the most likely to make a successful return - well y'know, potentially at any rate. Hell, I'll even write it for 'em if it'll make any difference.

'Course, there's nothing really stopping (apart from whatever it is that does) any of those shows making a comeback. I suspect it'd be more difficult with Firefly ('cos let's be honest, Nathan Fillion is still pretty cool but after such an enormous period of time could he really pull off playing Malcolm Reynolds again?) and Primeval (mostly 'cos of that whole Primeval: New World, debacle which, whilst not a bad show at all, completely screwed with the continuity of the original show though, to be fair, I've got countless ideas as to how that could be rectified!)

Or y'know, how about a Primeval/Terra Nova crossover, eh? I mean yeah, apart from the fact both shows incorporated dinosaurs and portals they were completely different... But, both shows incorporated dinosaurs and portals... Reckon I might be onto something here...

Anyways, I did start this whatsit with some kinda' point in mind but I'm pretty sure I lost that a few paragraphs ago. Terra Nova is on Netflix though - as are all of the above shows, I believe, 'cos I think we in the UK even have Farscape on our version now - so watch it, and be as disappointed as I am that it was cancelled!