Tell the truth, I've nearly given up watching new SF stuff, although I do occasionally dip into Farscape. Mainly because it's so hard keeping up
when
you work alternating shifts.
Doesn't a VCR help? This isn't a patronising question - having never worked shifts, I don't have a concept of the impact it might have.
Surprisingly, VCRs aren't much help, at least for any long-running series. The only ones I've managed to keep up with that way are Babylon 5 and Space: Above and Beyond, and that took a lot of effort. The problem is, you have to find the time to watch what you've taped, and if you put a couple of episodes on the back burner because, say, you're not in the mood at the time, it accumulates, and can very soon get to the point where it's nearly impossible to catch up. I have to really like something to make the effort nowadays.
So many good shows only get as far as Sky, which I can't really afford.
Hmm. I dunno. As Louise and I often comment, there are some jewels to be found in the dead hours of UK terrestrial TV. 'Course, anything good gets cancelled after the first season, but that's another matter.
A workmate of mine taped a lot of Millennium for me off Sky, after I'd seen some of it on ITV. That at least I do mange to watch whenever I get it. I was rather hoping the new Star Trek series might make it to the Beeb, but no luck. And as for hoping we might get some new home grown SF . . . in our dreams, I'd say.
The BBC seems to have lost the plot as far as SF is concerned. Even in these more sophisticated days, you don't need huge numbers of fancy special effects to hold an audience, just an interesting plot and characters. They seem content to churn out soaps and medical dramas week in week out, ignoring the fact that programmes like Buffy, DS9 and Farscape have a respectable following.
Mel
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