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'Legend of the Seeker' - First run syndication in HD - Page 17

post #481 of 573
4/28/10 at 5:20am
So ticked off. Show was doing good, and one of my favorites. I can't believe its being cancelled. This is ridiculous.
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post #482 of 573
4/28/10 at 7:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WilliamR View Post

So ticked off. Show was doing good, and one of my favorites. I can't believe its being cancelled. This is ridiculous.

Afraid this will happen more and more as time goes on. Shows like Seeker cost a lot to make whereas the latest reality show about singing or dancing costs a lot less and draws more viewers. Sucks for me because I'd rather take a kick to the groin than watch a minute of that dreck.
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post #483 of 573
4/28/10 at 1:36pm
No question that the more you limit what you appreciate, the more limited your options will be, and the less enjoyment you'll generally be able to derive from television. However, I think LotS is an extreme example though, because it is somewhat serial in nature and fantasy -- both of which heavily limit the show's appeal to the general audience, so that's two strikes against it.

However, there are still loads of programs that keep my DVR full to overflowing, and we don't watch (much) reality programming. This is a list of the programs either currently in Now Playing on my TiVO, or in my Season Pass list or Keyword Recording list, so that they'll record when they're broadcast over the next few months:
Code:
24
America The Story of Us
American Idol
Big Love
Bones
Breaking Bad
Brothers and Sisters
Burn Notice
Caprica
Castle
Chuck
Closer
Cougar Town
Demons
Desperate Housewives
Dexter
Doctor Who
Eureka
FlashForward
Flashpoint
forgotten
Fringe
Ghost Whisperer
Good Wife
Grey's Anatomy
Haven
House
How I Met Your Mother
In Plain Sight
Justified
L Word
Legend of the Seeker
Leverage
Lie To Me
Life
Lost
Mad Men
Medium
Mentalist
Mercy
Merlin
Modern Family
Mythbusters
NCIS
NCIS: Los Angeles
Nurse Jackie
Parenthood
Private Practice
Psych
Robin Hood
Royal Pains
Saving Grace
Simpsons
Smallville
Stargate Universe
Stephen Hawking's Into the Universe
Three Rivers
True Blood
Tudors
V
Vampire Diaries
Warehouse 13
Weeds
Wipeout
As you can see, most of it is dramas, some comedies, some documentaries, and there are only three competition shows. And at this point I've got a backlog of 55 hours, which will eventually get up to my full capacity (about 110 hours) over the next month, before I begin burning stuff off over the summer.

Loads of good stuff to watch.
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post #484 of 573
4/29/10 at 8:16am
Bicker, how many of those shows do you think you're going to get to see through to the ending that the writers envisioned? It's not just a fantasy thing, it's a serial thing. Everyone jumped on board when Lost hit it big bit it just hasn't been sustainable for the casual viewer (even Lost's ratings are way down compared to reality crap now). If I look back at the serial shows I've watched over the years it's pretty crazy how few of them have been seen through to their end.

Firefly - Canceled after 13 eps with no ending (eventually got movie)
Invasion - Canceled after 1 season, no ending
Jericho - Canceled halfway through season 2, no ending
BSG - Full run
Lost - Full run
Drive - Canceled half way through season 1, no ending
Traveler - Canceled after season 1, partial ending
Heroes - Still going, but ended last season on a cliffhanger and is unlikely to be renewed
LoTS - Canceled after season 2
V - Likely to be canceled after season 1
Flashforward - Likely to be canceled after season 1
Deadwood - Canceled without ending
Carnivale - Canceled without ending
Dollhouse - Canceled after season 2, partial ending
Dexter - going strong

So as you can see, the odds aren't good. 2 out of 14 (likely to be 3 out of 14 with Dexter) actually made it all the way through to tell the whole story the writers wanted to tell, with an ending they wanted. Doesn't exactly bode well for picking up new serial shows, which is a shame because I enjoy those so much more.
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post #485 of 573
4/29/10 at 9:38am
Thread Starter 
Terminator
Reaper
Moonlight
Eastwick
Human Target?
Chuck?
Heroes?
V?

I guess I should learn to like cop and medical shows.
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post #486 of 573
4/29/10 at 11:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeBaGeL View Post

Bicker, how many of those shows do you think you're going to get to see through to the ending that the writers envisioned? It's not just a fantasy thing, it's a serial thing. Everyone jumped on board when Lost hit it big bit it just hasn't been sustainable for the casual viewer (even Lost's ratings are way down compared to reality crap now). If I look back at the serial shows I've watched over the years it's pretty crazy how few of them have been seen through to their end.

Firefly - Canceled after 13 eps with no ending (eventually got movie)
Invasion - Canceled after 1 season, no ending
Jericho - Canceled halfway through season 2, no ending
BSG - Full run
Lost - Full run
Drive - Canceled half way through season 1, no ending
Traveler - Canceled after season 1, partial ending
Heroes - Still going, but ended last season on a cliffhanger and is unlikely to be renewed
LoTS - Canceled after season 2
V - Likely to be canceled after season 1
Flashforward - Likely to be canceled after season 1
Deadwood - Canceled without ending
Carnivale - Canceled without ending
Dollhouse - Canceled after season 2, partial ending
Dexter - going strong

So as you can see, the odds aren't good. 2 out of 14 (likely to be 3 out of 14 with Dexter) actually made it all the way through to tell the whole story the writers wanted to tell, with an ending they wanted. Doesn't exactly bode well for picking up new serial shows, which is a shame because I enjoy those so much more.

Couldn't agree more! And that list dovetails almost perfectly with mine when I look at the serialized carnage left behind by the ratings gods.

To that list I would add
Kidnapped
The Nine
Threshold- Well, it did have Carla Gugino.
John from Cincinnati- Fascinating, baffling, but fun.

And Marcus already mentioned Terminator: SCC

Sad. Think about all the work the showrunners of those series put in, working out a complicated, long-form mythology and plotlines with plenty of twists and turns to keep viewers on the edge of their seats for years. Instead, we get season after season of CSI: Wherever and The Biggest Loser - lowest common denominator programming. Serialized dramas survive only on cable, and they struggle even there.

Too bad there's not room enough on the TV dial for at least a little of the good stuff to survive and thrive; certainly not on the broadcast nets.
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post #487 of 573
4/29/10 at 12:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeBaGeL View Post

Bicker, how many of those shows do you think you're going to get to see through to the ending that the writers envisioned?

For most of them, that doesn't matter. They are robust dramas, not dramas that are tenuously balanced on a razor blade.

More specifically:
Code:
24 - Producers knew about ending long enough in advance so they can put together a proper finale
Big Love - Each season is mostly self-contained and the show could have ended at the end of any of them
Bones - Each episode is self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Brothers and Sisters - I can't wait for this one to end (it's for my wife)
Burn Notice - Each season is mostly self-contained and the show could have ended at the end of any of them
Caprica - Serial drama, and fantasy/SF (so tenuous)
Castle - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Chuck - Serial drama, and fantasy/SF (so tenuous)
Closer - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Cougar Town - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Desperate Housewives - Each season is mostly self-contained and the show could have ended at the end of any of them
Dexter - Each season is mostly self-contained and the show could have ended at the end of any of them
Doctor Who - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Eureka - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
FlashForward - Serial drama, and fantasy/SF (so tenuous)
Flashpoint - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
forgotten - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Fringe - Serial drama, and fantasy/SF (so tenuous)
Ghost Whisperer - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Good Wife - Not sure
Grey's Anatomy - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Haven - TBD
House - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
How I Met Your Mother
In Plain Sight - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Justified - So far each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
L Word - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Legend of the Seeker - Serial drama, and fantasy/SF (so tenuous)
Leverage
Lie To Me - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Lost - Producers knew about ending long enough in advance
Mad Men - Producers are probably going to dictate the series ending long enough in advance so they can put together a proper finale
Medium - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Mentalist - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Mercy - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Merlin - Serial drama, and fantasy/SF (so tenuous)
Modern Family - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
NCIS - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
NCIS: Los Angeles - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Nurse Jackie - Don't know
Parenthood - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Private Practice - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Psych - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Robin Hood - Serial drama, and fantasy/SF (so tenuous)
Royal Pains - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Saving Grace - Producers knew about ending long enough in advance so they can put together a proper finale
Simpsons - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Smallville - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Stargate Universe
True Blood - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Tudors - Producers knew about ending long enough in advance so they can put together a proper finale
V - Serial drama, and fantasy/SF (so tenuous)
Vampire Diaries - Serial drama, and fantasy/SF (so tenuous)
Warehouse 13 - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Weeds - Each episode is mostly self-contained and I wouldn't care if there was never a formal ending
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeBaGeL View Post

It's not just a fantasy thing, it's a serial thing.

Yup I mentioned that LotS had two strikes against it.
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post #488 of 573
4/29/10 at 12:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by archiguy View Post

Too bad there's not room enough on the TV dial for at least a little of the good stuff to survive and thrive; certainly not on the broadcast nets.

My earlier point, reemphasized in the message above this one, is that there is a lot of "good stuff" that isn't serial or fantasy/SF. Each of us decide for ourselves whether we choose to enjoy those programs or not, but that is our own personal decision, not a categorical labeling of those other programs.

This isn't a pedantic point: We each have control over ourselves, over what we like and don't like. That stuff is not genetically programmed. When I find that my personal choices are leading to a situation where I am more generally dissatisfied, then I recognize that there is something I can do to change that situation, i.e., by broadening my own horizons.

I've done this with books as well. For years, all I read were fantasy/SF. Now I read a lot of historical fiction, as well as more traditional fiction, and even some historical non-fiction. I also read a lot of philosophical/religious books now, as well. I'm finding that I'm more satisfied with my reading, because instead of scraping the bottom of the barrel of one or two genres, I'm skimming the cream off a larger number of genres.
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post #489 of 573
4/29/10 at 5:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by archiguy View Post

To that list I would add
Kidnapped
The Nine
Threshold- Well, it did have Carla Gugino.
John from Cincinnati- Fascinating, baffling, but fun.

Would definetely agree with all of these, especially Carla
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post #490 of 573
4/29/10 at 6:55pm
I think that LOTS had three strikes against it, the third being that it was syndicated. It didn't air on the same nights or same time slot in all markets. The time slot is a killer. Went from 8pm on Saturday night season one in NYC area to 5pm Saturday afternoon for season two. Without a DVR who has time on a Saturday afternoon to devote to TV?
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post #491 of 573
4/29/10 at 9:59pm
It was basically murdered - but that's the common issue isn't it - bad slot - bad network promotion etc.

Life being cancelled just kills me - it was so good.
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post #492 of 573
4/30/10 at 4:54am
The sad thing about it is that this show is better than Merlin, which NBC owns the rights to and which now runs on SyFy. LoTS would have been a perfect fit there, but instead they waste tons of money on their own schlocky shows. I like Merlin btw, but it's not as good as Seeker.
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post #493 of 573
5/1/10 at 4:39am
I can't agree. The difference in quality of the writing and acting between Merlin and LotS is pretty marginal, IMHO.
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post #494 of 573
5/1/10 at 7:01am
LOTS is a Disney/ABC production. Disney demands all revenues from foreign broadcasts and DVD sales. Tribune only gets what they can off commercials during the broadcasts. This is one reason why Syfy was not an option as Syfy depends on DVD and rebroadcast overseas revenue to offset production costs. Disney's demands on what they wanted Tribune and Syfy to pay for the series doomed its fate.
Now Syfy/NBC got a better deal on Merlin where they could turn a bit of profit as the show, a BBC production, had much lower broadcast cost for Syfy than LOTS did and they (Syfy) could turn a profit even w/o DVD revenue which they get on their own inhouse productions ala Stargate, Caprica etc.
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post #495 of 573
5/1/10 at 9:51am
Thanks for the explanation, Argee. I was hoping that Seeker would have a long run like Xena did, but the strange timeslots and relegation to minor channels in some markets (along with the costs) probably doomed it.
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post #496 of 573
5/1/10 at 12:49pm
I have been really liking this show and will miss it when it's gone.
I can see how it might not do well with the bizarre time slots (mine airs on Sunday Nights at Midnight) and I watch only via DVR.
I seems to me that pretty much all the fantasy and sci-fi series lately are concluding, being pulled, or are slowly tanking.
Soon it will only be reality based shows like "Survivor, "AI" or "DWTS", crime drama/cop shows such as "CSI", "Law and Order", Medical drama/trauma shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "Trauma." or mindless comedies "Take your pick."
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post #497 of 573
5/1/10 at 1:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowbiscuit View Post

Thanks for the explanation, Argee. I was hoping that Seeker would have a long run like Xena did, but the strange timeslots and relegation to minor channels in some markets (along with the costs) probably doomed it.

Hercules and Xena had the same issues. The difference is, I think, that the producers and actors and writers simply wanted less money for their work back then.
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post #498 of 573
5/1/10 at 1:36pm
I honestly think those shows were done more as a "labour of love" by everyone involved than this one is (many of the people involved were already acquainted and/or good friends - or at least became so, as the shows went on).

I can certainly see them being more desired on DVD later forever, as opposed to this show.

I mean, it's OK, but it certainly doesn't have the charm of something like "Xena".

I think even the "Beastmaster" series had a lot more going for it in those respects than this series does. I don't see nearly the amount of humor in this series as in any of those, for one thing.
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post #499 of 573
5/1/10 at 1:44pm
The crew for all three series share a lot of the same people.
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post #500 of 573
5/1/10 at 1:51pm
Yeah, I know that. But this show just seems a little more "forced" or something to me. Like they're just putting it out there. I still don't get quite the camaderie feeling that I did when watching the other ones. Maybe it's because it's not "new" to them anymore.

Or maybe it's just me.
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post #501 of 573
5/1/10 at 2:06pm
Dunno... just looking over the crew details, I see a lot of connections -- this writer from this series became a producer of this series, etc... but the big difference is that Terry Goodkin was given writing credits. Now I tend to think that was just accommodation for the fact that he wrote the books, but does anyone know if he was actively involved in writing the scripts? If so, that could majorly affect the dynamic.
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post #502 of 573
5/1/10 at 3:00pm
Damn, I forgot all about the timing sheet. So here it is, along with this week's images of Katrina Law

There are only 19 images (75418783 bytes). I only found her in one scene. If there are others, let me know where and I'll update the zip file.

 

LotS_219_timing.zip 13.50390625k . file
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post #503 of 573
5/1/10 at 6:29pm
Goodkind had posted on his website that he didn't have much to do with the writing of the show in season one I honestly don't know if that changed this season. I haven't read any of the books but from what others have posted on this thread that have read them a lot of things were taken out of sequence from the books. Piss off enough of the books fans and they'll stop watching, if they were watching at all.
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post #504 of 573
5/2/10 at 2:00am
If that's the case (I really don't think Goodkin fans, necessarily, as so myopic), then they're hurting themselves, because something close to the books is far better than nothing anywhere resembling the books, such as no LotS.
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post #505 of 573
5/4/10 at 5:43pm
Another show that had really matured and been building up steam is cut short. In a different type of television market like it was in the past, a show like LOTS has a six or seven year run. For me the second season has been much stronger than the first season. There was much better use of continuity to give each episode a general framework.

Disney could not find a slot for a show like this on one of their cable channels?
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post #506 of 573
5/4/10 at 8:10pm
TVShowsOnDVD is reporting that Amazon has a link for LotS season 2.

Just like season 1, the idiots at ABC Studios are not releasing a Blu-ray version.

Just like for season 1, I won't be buying it.
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post #507 of 573
5/5/10 at 2:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom Stranger View Post

In a different type of television market like it was in the past, a show like LOTS has a six or seven year run.

It depends on how old you are, I suppose, what you think of when you think of "in the past".... In the "television market like it was in the past", the way I think of the past, Legend of the Seeker would never have been made in the first place. Beyond that, I am not sure what you're thinking of in that regard, but if you're comparing it to Hercules The Legendary Journeys, then don't. Sam Raimi was 15 years earlier in his career, and demanding a lot less money.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom Stranger View Post

Disney could not find a slot for a show like this on one of their cable channels?

Evidently not. NBCU has Syfy; Fox could have put something like this on FX; CBS could have put this on Spike TV (part of sister company Viacom). Disney's cable assets are distinctly biased toward family-oriented entertainment, and they'd be viciously attacked in the media if they put so much cleavage and tight-fitting leather on the Disney Channel or ABC Family.
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post #508 of 573
5/5/10 at 4:45am
Thread Starter 
Code:
Legend of the Seeker Season Two:
        Date    R= Repeat  HH Rating  Live+SD Viewers (000)
        7-Nov-09                1.7     2,580
        14-Nov-09               1.5     2,240
        21-Nov-09               1.6     2,504
        28-Nov-09               1.6     2,408
        5-Dec-09                        2,300
        12-Dec-09                       2,671
        19-Dec-09       R       1.4     2,108
        26-Dec-09       R       1.4     2,101
        2-Jan-10        R       1.4     2,020
        9-Jan-10                1.5     2,278
        16-Jan-10               1.5     2,343
        23-Jan-10               1.6     2,447
        30-Jan-10               1.7     2,581
        6-Feb-10        R       1.4     2,019
        13-Feb-10               1.7     2,624
        20-Feb-10               1.5     2,111
        27-Feb-10               1.5     2,226
        6-Mar-10        R       1.6     2,065
        13-Mar-10       R       1.7     2,005
        20-Mar-10               1.7     2,269
        27-Mar-10               1.7     2.439
        3-Apr-10        R       1.3     1.737
        10-Apr-10               1.3     2.020
        17-Apr-10               1.5     2.340
        24-Apr-10               1.7     2.408
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/05/04...521#more-50521
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post #509 of 573
5/5/10 at 9:02am
I also agree...LOTS Season 2 is much stronger then the 1st one (which I enjoyed a lot also). The show is great...& I will miss it a lot. Thanks ABC. after Lost....I m done with ur shows forever.
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post #510 of 573
5/6/10 at 4:47am
And done with Fox after canceling Dollhouse. And done with NBC after canceling V (most likely). And done with CBS because they never provide any programming along these lines.

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