What happened to space opera?

[CmdrShepSpectre2183]

Back in the 1990s and 2000s we had space operas like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly and Babylon 5. Why don't we see space opera shows on TV anymore? Did the network execs decide the genre was dead? Did people lose interest in space travel? Why is this genre dead on TV? If the genre does not appeal to anyone anymore what can be done to revitalize the genre? What can be done to make the genre more relatable? Do you think this genre should be revived? Either way I think we need more epic space battles and political intrigue on TV. It was long thought that fantasy was a genre once thought reserved for geeks but Game of Thrones has garnered a huge audience. Perhaps a well written space opera with a huge budget could appeal to a diverse audience.

[Ophiolite]

Is Doctor Who too thoughtful to be considered space opera?

 

Perhaps a well written space opera with a huge budget could appeal to a diverse audience.

The emboldened words could be the explanation.

[Willie71]

Ascension appears to be a new attempt at the genre.

 

http://www.syfy.com

 

I think part of the problem is not coming across as cheesy. Budgets are often high, and audiences are middle of the road in terms of ratings. There have been a few attempts on cable, or the BBC, but the two I liked best were cancelled before the second season.

[Greg H.]

I think part of the problem is simple return on investment - a 30 second ad costs what it costs, and the higher the budget of the show you put it in, the thinner the profits, unless you raise the ad prices. But raising the ad price is hard to justify to a client when the show only receives mediocre ratings overall.

 

Shows like BSG and Dr Who already have huge fan bases - they're no brainers in terms of getting eyes in front of the set. It's one reason Hollywood loves the superhero moves - as long as they don't completely destroy the IP (*cough* Green Lantern *cough), they're just about gauranteed to fill theatres. A new series, on the other hand, with new characters set in a new "universe" is a gamble, and it's one that needs to start paying off early in the first season or, like Firefly, the cancellation ax will swing hard and swing fast.

Edited December 3, 2014 by Greg H.

[Phi for All]

Sci-fi TV has to be hard, when you think about it. It's almost guaranteed to fail. The people who love the genre want even more geekiness and hardcore, accurate science, but as soon as the intellectual offering goes up, general audience numbers start dropping.

[Ophiolite]

I dream of Peter Jackson converting Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy to a one hundred and fifty part TV series. (Peter, are you listening?)

[Delta1212]

I want to see HBO take a stab at Night's Dawn. That seems like it's right up their alley. I'd settle for Showtime, but I don't think they have the budget.

[Phi for All]

I dream of Peter Jackson converting Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy to a one hundred and fifty part TV series. (Peter, are you listening?)

 

Jackson could do it. And if they adopted the Game of Thrones strategy, whereby one doesn't mess around with an already popular story too much, it would probably be wildly successful.

[Moontanman]

Has anyone seen this reboot of TOS Star Trek?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLjApD7qFmc