TV Today: Why is all the scifi so dark and depressing?

[Owyn_Merrilin]

This is inspired by the "Cancel one show and renew another" thread. My favorite show currently on television is the new Doctor Who, and has been since Christopher Eccleston's season. If it weren't for Doctor Who and the occasional episode of Young Justice or Phineas and Ferb, I wouldn't be watching any current TV series. The reason behind that, for me at least, is not only the current dearth of non-reality based programming, but also the dark and depressing nature of modern science fiction. Remember the new Battlestar Galactica? I hated it. Too dark, too depressing, and completely against the spirit of the original show. Same thing with Legend of the Seeker, which should have been a homerun with me, as much of a fan as I was of Hercules and Xena when I was a kid -- and now, for that matter; I'm seriously considering the boxed sets.

So here's my issue: why are modern science fiction and fantasy shows so dark and depressing? Why can't we show the wonder of finding new worlds and new civilizations? Of boldly going where no one has gone before? Doctor Who is my favorite current series because it is unique among modern shows in actually doing that. Even with all the darkness shown in the season finales, the show itself has a lighthearted streak a lightyear across, and I love it for that. Looking back at shows made before the early 2000's, it was rare for one not to do that -- heck, even Zeta Gundam, ostensibly one of the darkest, most depressing anime series of all time, took some time in almost every episode to show that the characters had something wonderful that was worth fighting for. Why has TV today lost that? And more importantly, why do so many scifi geeks eat it up?

 

[Ossian]

In a sense, we need Stargate SG1 and Star trek back, even the starwars live action series is planning to be dark and edgy.

No ordinary family is nice lighthearted cliche fun if you want it, (hurry before its canceled) The cape is full of cheese. Eureka is nice too.

 

[Blitzwarp]

i agree.
we need Trek back for an aspirational view of the future,
they forgot that's why people loved it, lost their way and killed the thing...

I dunno, I found the tail-end of Voyager and most of Enterprise really depressing. IIRC there was an episode of Enterprise where Phlox had to let a whole civilisation die, another where Trip lead a slave to kill herself, another where Trip's sister is wiped out in some kind of explosion, and so on and so on and so on.

I think modern telly makers think that every single character has to have some kind of issue to make them 'believable' to modern audiences. Look at Heroes. Every. Single. Bloody. Character. had something wrong with them, or parental issues, or dark pasts, or whatever. It made me quite fed-up in the end. :/

 

[GrimTuesday]

Just wait until Game of Thrones comes out, if you think the stuff that is on now is grim I think your head might explode if you ever watch it.

I do agree that a lot of Scifi and fantasy is trying to be all dark and edge just for the sake of it and it can be pretty annoying but there are a few shows on TV that are a bit more lighthearted and fun. Have you tried Chuck, No Ordenary Family is kind of cool and as Ossian said The Cape is fun in a cheese way, and it has Summer Glow in it. Also I like Warehouse 13 but who knows how much longer it has before it's replaced by fake wrestling.

 

[Nimcha]

Because space is dark and depressing.

 

[No_Remainders]

Remember the new Battlestar Galactica? I hated it. Too dark, too depressing, and completely against the spirit of the original show.

Having watched the original series after I saw the reboot, I actually preferred the reboot.

I, personally, thought the seriousness suited it more, as did many people.

Oh well.

 

[collegestudent22]

don't even talk to me about Enterprise. i loath that show and knew Trek would die as soon as i saw Scott Bakula was going to be in it.

Why all the Scott Bakula hate? Quantum Leap was fantastic, and he was quite good in Chuck too. Scott Bakula is not what ruined Enterprise. (Although, frankly, I thought Enterprise was a good show - just not one that was what most Trek fans wanted, due to its radical difference from most prior Trek series.)

i'm competely serious when i say i think we need an aspirational view of the future represented because to be quite frank the world and the future is somewhat fucked.

Anyone who says this does not understand the science fiction genre as a whole. Things like "War of the Worlds", Dead Space, and similar "doom 'n' gloom" sci-fi is a staple of our culture. Plus, without conflict of some sort, the story falls apart.

Even the old Trek had a fairly shitty view of the future - just go back and look at the backstory, especially that associated with the Wrath of Khan movie. Humans had solved their problems, yes, but that didn't mean shit - Romulans, Klingons, etc. were all perfectly willing to wipe out humanity to gain more power. How is that "aspirational"?

 

[manythings]

This happened to comics. Everything has to be Dark and Gritty because that is what has been selling. People will get sick of it and then it'll be something else played to death. Blah, Blah, Blah cyclical nature, yadda, yadda, what goes up must come down.

 

[Gahars]

Nobody makes lighter sci fi anymore because I guess of the old stigma that all science fiction was Lost in Space and the cheesy parts of Star Trek TOS.

For years they've been trying to go the opposite route to break the mold. And there's nothing wrong with a dark science fiction show.

It's just that when its done poorly and stupidly, with everything being GRIMDARK and edgy, it becomes oft putting.

 

[GothmogII]

This is inspired by the "Cancel one show and renew another" thread. My favorite show currently on television is the new Doctor Who, and has been since Christopher Eccleston's season. If it weren't for Doctor Who and the occasional episode of Young Justice or Phineas and Ferb, I wouldn't be watching any current TV series. The reason behind that, for me at least, is not only the current dearth of non-reality based programming, but also the dark and depressing nature of modern science fiction. Remember the new Battlestar Galactica? I hated it. Too dark, too depressing, and completely against the spirit of the original show. Same thing with Legend of the Seeker, which should have been a homerun with me, as much of a fan as I was of Hercules and Xena when I was a kid -- and now, for that matter; I'm seriously considering the boxed sets.

So here's my issue: why are modern science fiction and fantasy shows so dark and depressing? Why can't we show the wonder of finding new worlds and new civilizations? Of boldly going where no one has gone before? Doctor Who is my favorite current series because it is unique among modern shows in actually doing that. Even with all the darkness shown in the season finales, the show itself has a lighthearted streak a lightyear across, and I love it for that. Looking back at shows made before the early 2000's, it was rare for one not to do that -- heck, even Zeta Gundam, ostensibly one of the darkest, most depressing anime series of all time, took some time in almost every episode to show that the characters had something wonderful that was worth fighting for. Why has TV today lost that? And more importantly, why do so many scifi geeks eat it up?

Well...since legend of the Seeker is based on the Sword of Truth series, we weren't really going to get something lighthearted, though it's still pretty tame compared to the books.

As for lighthearted Sci-Fi, have you tried Firefly? Or even Farscape for that matter, which had a lot of humour in it. Or Stargate perhaps, which, while primarily an action show, still often to manage to get in some fun even when dealing with serious topics.

Haven't been on the up and up about current Sci-Fi though.

 

[unacomn]

What we need is Duck Dodgers back. More Duck Dodgers will solve everything forever.

 

[Lilani]

Two things, I imagine. Firstly, most non-nerds who movies are trying to appeal to these days find the "older" science fiction (like Star Trek, for example) to be laughable. And the easiest way to take the unwanted laughs out of something is to make it dark.

Secondly, Star Wars is sort of the meeting ground for nerds and non-nerds who like good movies. So in a way, Star Wars is sort of the template for a "down-to-earth" sci-fi film: it has plenty of sci-fi, but doesn't scare off the non-nerds. And since Star Wars really dug the dark stuff in the most recent films (and most of the side-stories and tie-ins) that is also a hint to stay on the srs side of things for the most impact.

Of course I'm not an expert on all things nerdy, specifically Star Trek and Star Wars (I only have a rudimentary amount of knowledge on the two) but those are the two trends I've noticed.

In other news, if you want some "ligher" Sci-Fi, why don't you try out Eureka on the SciFi channel? It has a good sense of humor but is well-versed in sci-fi physics and thingamajigs.

 

[Asmundr]

Because space is dark and depressing.

I always found the inky blackness of space strangely comforting...

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

This is inspired by the "Cancel one show and renew another" thread. My favorite show currently on television is the new Doctor Who, and has been since Christopher Eccleston's season. If it weren't for Doctor Who and the occasional episode of Young Justice or Phineas and Ferb, I wouldn't be watching any current TV series. The reason behind that, for me at least, is not only the current dearth of non-reality based programming, but also the dark and depressing nature of modern science fiction. Remember the new Battlestar Galactica? I hated it. Too dark, too depressing, and completely against the spirit of the original show. Same thing with Legend of the Seeker, which should have been a homerun with me, as much of a fan as I was of Hercules and Xena when I was a kid -- and now, for that matter; I'm seriously considering the boxed sets.

So here's my issue: why are modern science fiction and fantasy shows so dark and depressing? Why can't we show the wonder of finding new worlds and new civilizations? Of boldly going where no one has gone before? Doctor Who is my favorite current series because it is unique among modern shows in actually doing that. Even with all the darkness shown in the season finales, the show itself has a lighthearted streak a lightyear across, and I love it for that. Looking back at shows made before the early 2000's, it was rare for one not to do that -- heck, even Zeta Gundam, ostensibly one of the darkest, most depressing anime series of all time, took some time in almost every episode to show that the characters had something wonderful that was worth fighting for. Why has TV today lost that? And more importantly, why do so many scifi geeks eat it up?

Well...since legend of the Seeker is based on the Sword of Truth series, we weren't really going to get something lighthearted, though it's still pretty tame compared to the books.

As for lighthearted Sci-Fi, have you tried Firefly? Or even Farscape for that matter, which had a lot of humour in it. Or Stargate perhaps, which, while primarily an action show, still often to manage to get in some fun even when dealing with serious topics.

Haven't been on the up and up about current Sci-Fi though.

I actually knew that about Legend of the Seeker, having read a couple of the books before the series was even announced, but what had me excited about the show was the fact that it was Sam Raimi's baby, and sadly, he disappointed me. As for Firefly, Farscape, and Stargate, I'm interested in all three of them, but I have terrible timing with Hulu, seeing as every time I find out they have a series that I want to watch, it's about a week before the rights run out, and I'm not willing to buy boxed sets for shows that I don't know that I'm going to love; a strong suspicion that I'll like them doesn't really justify it for me. Of those three, Stargate is the only one that's still airing in reruns, and considering that it ran for 10 or so years with a continuing plot, I can't really tune into a random rerun and understand it. I had the same problem when I finally watched the movie during season 10, and realized I had been missing a great show for all that time.

As for current sci-fi, that's what I'm really complaining about; I love most of the older stuff

For everyone who is recommending Eureka: is it really that good? I saw a couple of episodes when it was new, and it just didn't click with me. Same thing with Warehouse 13, for that matter. I like lighthearted shows, but lightheartedness in itself isn't enough for me to like it; it also has to have at least some semblance of quality.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

I think it's a positive progression actually. Of course you're going to have a lot of failures that end up being unintentionally funny, at the very least some decent "sci fi-noir" productions might come out of it.

Given the choice between "Star Wars" sci-fi and Alien/Terminator/Blade Runner-style sci-fi, Star Wars will ALWAYS lose in my book. The "darkness" of space and the future somehow makes more sense than the "bright and shiny" crap.

 

[Paksenarrion]

This might explain our current recurring view of all that is new and mysterious...

http://dresdencodak.com/2009/09/22/caveman-science-fiction/