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Trailer for Rangers on Discovery Channel

S

StarStuff

Regular
I was surprised and pleased to see the trailer for Rangers on the Discovery Channel on Saturday evening at 8:50 p.m.

How long, once a decision is made, will it take to have the series on the air?
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(Sorry if this has already been discussed, I don't always read every thread.)

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God be between you and harm in all the empty places you must walk.

[This message has been edited by StarStuff (edited December 16, 2001).]
 
Heyo, Starstuff -

Not any time soon, unfortunately. The Sci-Fi channel is waiting on the ratings Rangers gets from its first-run showing to make a decision on the series.

Rumor has it that the movie will have to meet Dune's ratings to spawn a series.

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The writer's life is not meant to be a happy one. We all accept that going in. -JMS
 
Well, let's say it surpasses Dune's ratings and all systems are go. How long would it take, in theory, to launch a the Ranger Series?

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God be between you and harm in all the empty places you must walk.

[This message has been edited by StarStuff (edited December 16, 2001).]
 
Let's see. You'll have preproduction, writing, setting up, legalities, contractual thingies, hiring people, printing the production company stationery, soundstage, equipment purchase/rental, and that's just to start...

...probably, about a half-year to a year.

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The writer's life is not meant to be a happy one. We all accept that going in. -JMS
 
So a series could be on the air by say September or October. One can hope.

Thanks Channe. How did you do with your thesis or application? Can't remember the details but seem to remember something important was on your horizon.

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God be between you and harm in all the empty places you must walk.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>How long would it take, in theory, to launch a the Ranger Series?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Depends on a lot of factors that we don't know anything about, so it is impossible for anyone on this board to say. First and foremost SFC and Warner Bros. actually have to make a deal to do the show. They weren't able to agree on terms before the pilot went into production, which is why there are no series options in place for the cast. Then contracts have to be negotiated with the actors production staff and crew, studio space acquired, series deals struck with the FX & makeup companies, and a host of other "infrastructure" things worked out. Finally JMS and others are going to have to write some scripts.

If I had to pull a number out of the air I'd say at least three months before cameras could roll, probably more like six or eight. (JMS is known for wanting to have as much prep time as possible, and the various negotiations could easily take three or four months all by themselves.)

And that's just to start shooting. When the thing actually airs would depend on Sci-Fi's schedule. I don't pay that much attention to how they do things, but last year it struck me that they started new episodes of their original shows during the summer - "counter-programming" against the reruns on more traditional networks. If that's the case it is unlikely that Rangers could be up and running soon enough to debut in June or July with the rest of the Sci-Fi originals, and it could likely be held as a "mid-season" replacement for something else in September, or perhaps even the following January.

Anyway you slice it, I don't think we should expect to be watching a Rangers series come next spring. But, as I said, that is a guess, based mostly on what I know I don't know, and the sheer number of details that would have to be worked out.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net
 
P.S.

Sci-Fi has been advertising the Rangers movie on Discover, The Learning Channel and related networks for a couple of weeks now. I see them all the time since I tend to watch those channels when I'm not being a news junkie or watching B5 on SFC or Law & Order on A&E or (yes, I admit it) TNT.

Gee, I thought Sci-Fi wasn't going to promote this movie at all...

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Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net
 
I'd think producing the pilot and a season of Jeremiah will give jms enough overview of the resources in the area to get the production side of things up and running relativly quickly.

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"Where? I don't see any guys; Just perverts!" (hear it)
-- Akane Tendo, "School is a Battlefield!", Ranma 1/2

drakh@spamcop.net

[This message has been edited by drakh (edited December 16, 2001).]
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>...producing the pilot and a season of Jeremiah will give jms enough overview of the resources in the area to get the production side of things up and running relativly quickly.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It isn't just a matter of getting an idea of the resources available in Vancouver - JMS did that when he was prepping the Rangers pilot itself. But now actual contracts are going to have to be signed, and he's going to have to find companies that can commit to working on a series, not merely a TV movie. If they're all booked up on other projects, that becomes a problem. Doug Netter has already mentioned the shortage of trained makeup artists in the area - sufficient for ordinary productions, but not for a show as makeup-intensive as a space-based SF show.

I'm not saying the problems are insuperable, just that they aren't trivial, either, and it would be a mistake to think that a "yes" from Sci-Fi in January will mean the show can start shooting in February or even March.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net
 
So the rumor is it has to have the ratings Dune did? Anyone know what those ratings were? I remember watching it when it was run, lots of people were talking about it when that hit the air.

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'I don't believe in the no-win scenario' - JTK
 
Tis the first I've heard of this rumor. When and where did you hear it?

Also it's simply a rumor. I'd be surprised if they required the movie to meet the best ratings the network has ever gotten in order to get a series.

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"Crying isn't gonna get your dog back. Unless your tears smell like dog food. So you can sit here eating can after can of dog food until your tears smell like dog food or you can go out there and find your dog."-Homer in The Canine Mutiny
 
I think Dune drew a 4.something - around 3 times the number of viewers that a "hit" show does on Sci-Fi. (But only a fraction of the viewers a cancelled network series would get.
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) I seem to recall either JMS or Doug Netter mentioning the Dune numbers as some kind of benchmark for Rangers, but I don't know if that was wishful thinking, or actually what Sci-Fi looking for. Even with the advertising, I'd be surprised if Rangers came close to that. B5 has a fanbase, but it can't touch the number of people who have read Dune over the years, and even lots of B5 fans may not tune in, because the movie isn't B5 and the Rangers may not be their cup of tea.

As usual with B5, only time will tell.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net
 
I thought the idea was to get "a strong second place" in ratings for the Rangers? As I understood, the aim was not to get as good ratings as Dune but better than what anything else has achieved?

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"Isn't the universe an amazing place? I wouldn't live anywhere else." - G'Kar, B5: Rangers
Kribu's Lounge | kribu@ranger.b5lr.com
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>I thought the idea was to get "a strong second place" in ratings for the Rangers?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's certainly a more realistic goal, and maybe that is what Netter or Straczynski said. I only vaguely recall seeing something about Dune in an interview with one of them, as I mentioned above.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino:
I think Dune drew a 4.something - around 3 times the number of viewers that a "hit" show does on Sci-Fi.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>It started out with a 4.6 for the first part, with the series averaging at 4.4.

Not however that you shouldn't compare minis and TV Movies to a weekly series. The former tend to get much better ratings (it's easier to get viewers to "commit" to a special than a series), but also represent a considarably higher investment in PR and budget. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>(But only a fraction of the viewers a cancelled network series would get.
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)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Hardly. While I'm not 100% sure how comparable the cable and network ratings are, even the unadjusted cable rating (3.0) is about the same as Voyager avaraged during it's final season.

If Scifi got only a fraction of even lesser rated network shows, they wouldn't be able to aford having similar budgets. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>I seem to recall either JMS or Doug Netter mentioning the Dune numbers as some kind of benchmark for Rangers, but I don't know if that was wishful thinking, or actually what Sci-Fi looking for.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Netter's apearantly been saying that they're aiming for a strong second place, not too far behind Rangers. I'd guess that lower ratings, while not ruling out the possibility of the series, will increase the risk of WB and SciFi being unable to agree on the funding model. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Even with the advertising, I'd be surprised if Rangers came close to that. B5 has a fanbase, but it can't touch the number of people who have read Dune over the years<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>In the Beginning got a 4.1 rating on TNT.

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"Where? I don't see any guys; Just perverts!" (hear it)
-- Akane Tendo, "School is a Battlefield!", Ranma 1/2

drakh@spamcop.net

[This message has been edited by drakh (edited December 17, 2001).]
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>...even the unadjusted cable rating (3.0) is about the same as Voyager avaraged during it's final season.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry, I should have said, "a cancelled show on a real network." I forgot about UPN.
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Paramount kept Voyager alive because it was the flagship show on their still-new network. It would have been embarassing to cancel it. They could also afford to finish out one more season, because they knew there would be a bidding war for the reruns. If the show were airing on any other network, I suspect it would have been cancelled.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>In the Beginning got a 4.1 rating on TNT.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actual or adjusted? I think TNT then was in more households than Sci-Fi is now, so I'm not sure how the potential numbrs would correlate.

And while Sci-Fi is doing a nice job publicizing Rangers, I don't think its efforts come close to the ad blitz TNT did to promote B5 in general and the double-feature of In the Beginning and The Gathering in particular. They ran the night before the series kick-off, and TNT was pushing that hard. Not to mention that they were promoting the hell out of the season five debut that was to follow a couple of weeks later. It was wall-to-wall B5 over there for awhile, which certainly would have helped the ratings for ItB.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

[This message has been edited by Joseph DeMartino (edited December 17, 2001).]
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino:
Sorry, I should have said, "a cancelled show on a real network." I forgot about UPN.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Well there are otheres - Dark Angel has survived so far on Fox with 4.5-ish ratings, and Alias got a full season order after hoovering around 6. Dune had a fair bit less, yes, but hardly a "fraction". <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Actual or adjusted?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Since it was from a press release, it's pretty safe to say it was adjusted. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>I think TNT then was in more households than Sci-Fi is now, so I'm not sure how the potential numbrs would correlate.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>2 of the Dune segments made it into the cable 10 ten of the year. Since ItB did not, their coverage can't be that far apart. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>And while Sci-Fi is doing a nice job publicizing Rangers, I don't think its efforts come close to the ad blitz TNT did to promote B5 in general and the double-feature of In the Beginning and The Gathering in particular.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>There's still a over a month left...

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"Where? I don't see any guys; Just perverts!" (hear it)
-- Akane Tendo, "School is a Battlefield!", Ranma 1/2

drakh@spamcop.net
 
I'm just wondering.....is it possible to over advertise it? I am afraid if too much is expected, it might be doomed to fail from the beginning. I hope it is a great success with contracts signed before the credits roll. I just hope non-B5 fans that tune in don't judge the whole thing on this one movie. It sounds like a lot is riding on it. I hope not too much.

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Long live www.issbabylon.com
 
Regarding household coverage of Sci-Fi vs. TNT:

Currently, Nielsen TV research estimates Sci Fi's coverage to be 76.3 Million households. The network has grown substantially in the last few years. It was in only 56.9 million households in August 1999. TNT's coverage in August 1999--when Crusade was on--was 75.9 million households.

Thus, we can assume Sci-Fi is now larger than TNT was when "In the Beginning" first ran.

Regarding "In the Beginning's" ratings, they were a 4 in TNT's coverage area, 3.0 if you adjusted to Total U.S.

The thing to consider, other than household coverage, is what a network can normally accomplish. TNT is a broad-based network which regularly can pull in ratings over 2. During the week of 12/3, TNT had nine different telecasts get a rating over a 2 in its coverage area, including *three* airings of the Matrix, which all did over 3.

SciFi is still seen by viewers as a niche network and its ratings haven't caught up with its coverage.

The bottom line conclusion is that it is a lot harder to get a high rating on Sci Fi than it is on TNT.

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