Tuesday, April 20, 2010

SF News: It's an Animated World

Seems strange that more and more shows on TV are going animated.  TBS is introducing The Neighbors from Hell while FX is leading off with Archer.  SyFy has had a number of animated series (Tripping the Rift, Outer Space Astronauts) and there are rumors of a few more in the works.  Last week, Lucas announced that Clone Wars would likely run another season or two, oh and a new animated series from the demented mentalities that brought us Robot Chicken is in development.  There are rumors of even more bizarre SF related projects in the works, such as serial adaptations of Buck Rogers, John Carter of Mars, and a few others.  The question is: does animation make things any better?

Some folks have taken the position that an animation series is cheaper to produce and maintain, but that has been belied by the actual continuing costs of most animated series.  The average cost of an episode of Stargate Universe is allegedly less than the average cost of an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but does that make one better than the other?  Well, maybe that is a bad example, given how much I despise The Clone Wars, but still, it is a valid question.  Could SF on TV be heading towards more and more animation, and is that really such a bad thing?

No comments: