Attack Of The Killer B Movies!
The NYTimes (annoying registration required, I suggest a trip to BugMeNot) has an interesting article entitled B Movies Invade Your TV!. It explores how the Sci-Fi Channel is making a name for itself on Friday and Saturday nights by producing cheap B-movies. Ostensibly SF, I’d call most of them either horror or monster features, they have limited budgets and B-list actors. And yet, the ratings for these things are routinely high, for cable at any rate. As a result, SciFi will be producing 28 of them next year at a total cost of $21 million. That is not a typo.
I understand the rational for this, but I just can’t watch them. To me, they are beyond stupid bording on insanely horrible. The fact that there is a niche for this type of programming scares me. I really wish there was a way to get some quality SF on the air. Quality movies anyway. I think Galactica shows there is an audience for a smart, gritty SF show. Now they need to create something original…
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Filed under: TV
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Amen brother.
I can’t stomach that junk that the Sci Fi channel call original movies. I am totally shocked to hear they get good rating. But there’s no accounting for the taste, or lack thereof, of the average American TV viewer. I just wish we could get more quality SF movies from the Sci Fi channel. I am disappointed every time they advertise a crap original movie.
I agree this is pretty sad, but it is simply an extension of the crap they have had on for a while. Tripping the Rift and Scare Tactics are both shows I think could have been left off the air. I mean there has to be a better way of getting decent SciFi on TV versus what they are pushing. I like a B-Movie on occasion, but I just cannot imagine there is a big draw for the giant spider, ant, snake, or badger movies. My hope is that they are just planning to use this drivel to support the making of better stuff similar to Battlestar Galactica, but then again I am cynical enough to realize that wont happen…
and please explain to me what pro wrestling’s place place is on that channel!