Friday, September 29, 2017

The Orville, Four Episodes In

     Looks like we have a St@r Tr*k series back, only it's not smug or pompous.  The Orville is still The Original Series-type stories on a The Next Generation-level budget, playing with familiar tropes in a competent manner.

     Episode Four cribs from Heinlein and Asimov -- and they were cribbing from Tsiolkovsky and Emerson (or at least playing off their work) when they wrote their versions two generations ago, or perhaps three. 

     My hope is that it it is ST-like enough to keep the network happy, while getting enough Barney Miller effect* from the humanizing effects of humor to remain enjoyable.
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* Though it was a situation comedy, Barney Miller is consistently rated as one of the most realistic police TV shows by working law enforcement personnel.

6 comments:

  1. I think they're going for Scrubs in space, but Scrubs is basically Barney Miller for the medical community.

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  2. The modern cultural references and wise ass comments bug me a bit but I'm liking this more than the Discovery pilot. Thinking back on ST:TOS, there was a lot of preaching there too, I just didn't notice or care as a kid.
    I'm also intrigued by the star power cameos. Liam this week and Charlize next. If they keep putting it in context, and not a Batman '66 window opener, I'll have no problem with it.

    I heard that Star Trek Discovery has a ship named Discovery. I assume it uses the same sets as I saw in the pilot. I will not pay $8/Month to see one show (no interest in The Good Wife followup on All Access). I'll be happy if CBS airs the Star Trek episodes next summer or whenever. Or maybe they'll come to Netflix, or Amazon Video, or DISH on Demand. I might even buy a DVD of the season.
    I read that Disney is going the streaming network route too, pulling their programming off Netflix in 2019. They have enough movies, properties, and shows and such that it might be worth paying for.

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  3. Haven't seen Episode 4 yet, but since they tried really hard to take a grown-up approach (instead of a tweet/mic drop approach, all the more surprising considering it was Seth Macfarlane) to the subject matter in episode 3, I'm continuing to give it a chance. Not saying it was great theater, but I thought they gave it a heck of a try.

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  4. I'm rooting for it. Thanks for hipping us to it.

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  5. The crew behavior and interaction is more true-to-life than any ST property yet ever.

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  6. I have been told by those in the know that "Down Periscope" is the most realistic submarine movie ever made.

    There is often a lot of truth in comedy.

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