In this regular TheTorchOnline.com feature, we gaze deep into a mystical crystal ball to predict the future! Or at least we run down the fantasy-themed entertainment offerings for the week ahead:
TELEVISION
It’s the end of the road for the CW’s Reaper, which has its season and series finale this Tuesday, 8/7 C. (There’s still a slight chance the show could come back in a syndicated or online form, though it’s very unlikely.)
This week on Deadliest Warriors (which matches famous warriors from history and uses science to determine who would win), William Wallace, a Scottish knight, faces off against Shaka Zulu, the man who united the Zulu empire (Spike TV, Tuesday, 10 PM).
After weeks without any fantasy offerings to speak of, the Sci Fi Channel (which claims to feature “sci fi and fantasy”) finally gives us … a Land of the Lost marathon all day Monday (in honor of the upcoming movie), and an all-day fantasy movie marathon on Friday, featuring original Sci Fi movies such as Ogre (at 7 PM) and Cerberus (at 3 AM).
AT THE MOVIES
Two fantasy-esque movies open on Friday, Pixar’s animated Up (which, given all the hype, I’m already kinda sick of) and Xena producer Sam Raimi’s highly anticipated return to horror with Drag Me to Hell. Both movies are scoring 100% “fresh” in early reviews at RottenTomatoes.com. Here’s the trailer for the latter:
OUT ON DVD
This week’s fantasy-esque DVD releases include the 1993 Jet Li martial arts movie The Legend
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No, actually. It’s *not* unlikely Reaper will return in syndication. Industry insiders confirm Hollywood Reporter’s article that ABC Studios is actively trying to sell Reaper. Syndication is a very real possiblity right now, but EVERYONE is recommending writing your affiliates! Help out! All details here: http://community.livejournal.com/reaperdmv/46875.html
We have had some VERY positive feedback from the affiliates we’ve contacted so far.
Everything I’ve read says that it is still very unlikely.
Everything we’ve heard says it’s not as unlikely as previously thought. Several people have had VERY positive responses from the CW affiliates they’ve written to. Today we even received word that two of the biggest Tribune owned CW markets are interested in the show, and since Tribune owns a boatload of affiliates, it’s thought if the Tribune stations come on board, season three is a lock.
http://reaperdmv.com/index.cgi?board=seasontwo&action=display&thread=197&page=6#6866
http://community.livejournal.com/reaperdmv/46180.html?thread=46948#t46948
http://community.livejournal.com/reaperdmv/46180.html?thread=47204#t47204
http://reaperdmv.com/index.cgi?board=seasontwo&action=display&thread=197&page=6#6866
http://community.livejournal.com/reaperdmv/46180.html?thread=46948#t46948
http://community.livejournal.com/reaperdmv/46180.html?thread=47204#t47204
All from the same Regional Director, Chris Wolf.
Other affiliates:
http://reaperdmv.com/index.cgi?board=seasontwo&action=display&thread=197&page=7#6916
http://reaperdmv.com/index.cgi?board=seasontwo&action=display&thread=197&page=8#6966
http://reaperdmv.com/index.cgi?board=seasontwo&action=display&thread=197&page=8#6973
And for those worried about Tyler’s new pilot, or Tara and Michele’s new FOX contract hurting the show, I’d recommend looking at these links:
http://community.livejournal.com/reaperdmv/42680.html
http://www.endofshow.com/2009/05/13/breaking-fox-picks-up-sons-of-tucson-reaper-officially-over/
So, whether successful or not, at least there’s a chance. For more information, please visit http://reaperdmv.com
Thanks!
Oops, sorry. Didn’t mean to double my links from Mr. Wolf.
It’s okay. I approved it. Your enthusiasm and passion is admirable.
And I forgot to mention, if we are successful, then we are looking at a FULL season of 22 episodes, not 18 or 13. And a possible premiere date in October.
From all I’ve been reading online, and on Twitter, there does seem to be a buzz about this syndication deal. It seems unlikely that these affiliate reps would sound so promising if there were no chance, more likely they’d say “thanks for your interest goodbye.”
So, let’s hope so! This is a great show that deserves another chance, especially if it’s true that it was deliberately mishandled by the network.
I hope so too, not just because it’s a good show, but because it creates this whole, interesting new business model for canceled/marginal shows. Imagine what OTHER shows could come back!
I guess the reason I’m skeptical is that the ratings of the show were so back the second half of the season. It doesn’t strike me as the kind of show they would WANT to save (however I might want them to!).