Roush on Flash Gordon and Dresden Files
Question: I heard a rumor that Sci Fi is thinking about renewing
Flash Gordon, despite the lousy ratings and being a lousy show, because of its cult following. It seems a little strange to me that they would renew such a downright awful show when
The Dresden Files, which was much better and had much better ratings, lingers on without renewal even though there are lots of fans out there asking (and even begging) for it. If any show deserves renewal, it's
Dresden, not
Gordon. Is there any truth to this rumor? On another
Dresden-related note, will fans ever get to see the two-hour "Storm Front" episode?
— Liz
Matt Roush: Got a bunch of similar e-mails all at the same time earlier this week asking this same two-part question. Hmmm, Internet fan conspiracy, anyone? I can't address the specifics of the Dresden Files episode — which I believe was a trimmed version of a longer episode originally intended as the pilot — except to say I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Sci Fi to step up where this show is concerned. (This just in: Lee from SFTV.org writes to say that an updated Sci Fi schedule reveals that the two-hour "Storm Front" is now scheduled to air in the wee hours of Saturday, March 8, at 3 am/ET, so set your machines accordingly.) I agree that Dresden was far superior to Flash Gordon, but it wasn't renewed, it's not going to be revived, and it's time to move on. As for Flash Gordon being renewed, I haven't heard anything official one way or the other, but it does make you wonder how desperate Sci Fi must be if it finds any justification for keeping this vapid loser going.
Question: In a recent
column, you mentioned only that Season 2 of the fantastic
Torchwood would be on BBC America starting Saturday. Do you watch HDNet? They've been advertising that Season 2 will be starting on Feb. 11. And that's the uncut, unedited (and commercial-free) version!
— LG
Matt Roush: Consider the word spread, and thanks for the reminder. For those willing to wait, and for those who can take advantage of HDNet, it sounds like a good alternative. I do now remember getting a heads-up from an HDNet contact about the Torchwood replays, and I'm sorry I didn't make note of it at the time. Which is a roundabout way of admitting that no, I don't spend a lot of time on HDNet, along with scores of other channels on my deep digital tier.
