ITV Kills Primeval

ITV has killed-off sci-fi hit Primeval after three seasons for an undisclosed reason. The timing to me, seems rather odd.

Just a few weeks ago Warner Bros. purchased the screen rights to the series for a possible movie. There was also talk of international versions being created, especially a U.S. one.

The show seemed to be doing well with international syndication, appearing in 32 countries outside the UK, including airing on two networks, both Sci Fi and BBC America, here in the states. Both seasons 1 and 2 have been released on DVD worldwide with season 3 having just been released for Region 2 this month and region 1 coming in September.

On top of all this, there were also 13 published books (8 teen-oriented novels and 5 activity books) with two more on the way and a line of toys.

Worst of all: Season 3 ended on a cliff hanger!

Just seems like an odd time to end the show. A link to the whole store is below, though if you're outside of the UK and season 3 has not ended for you, beware of spoilers:

Total Sci-fi Online

Finally, I'd like to make note that I am very proud of myself for not using cliche puns such as "ITV sends Primeval the way of the dinosaur" or "Primeval goes extinct." Someone should give me a pat on the back for that.

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Warner Purchases Screen Rights To Primeval

Primeval, which I previously posted about here, will be returning to BBC America this Saturday for it's third season and today Variety announced that Warner Bros has picked up the movie rights to the ITV hit.

No word on anything yet, of course, as it's waaaaay too early, except that one of the producers was a script writer of Angel and Demons who's also producing a prequel, with Will Smith, of I Am Legend. At this point, other than the fact that the deal is worth a high six figures, who's to say the movie will even be made. Picking up screen rights is not a guarantee but I would hope that the same actors and writers would be involved. The show is high-budgeted and great for TV, though not quite big screen quality, so lot's of work would have to be done on it.

According to the Variety article, producers of the show are also shopping the idea of a duplicate series that takes place somewhere other than the UK, though seeing as the show already airs pretty much worldwide, I can't quite see that working out too well. I know that's what I also said years ago about The Office, but once the basic premise is out how much can you really change?

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Watching Lately...Moving Wallpaper & Echo Beach

I've been watching ITV's Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach from the beginning. I was fascinated when I first heard the idea behind the two shows. Here's the skinny: Moving Wallpaper is a 30 minute comedy revolving around the behind the scenes antics of a creative staff putting together a British teen-soap called Echo Beach starting a week or so before the first airing. It's funny, witty and charming with sharp, sometimes trashy (yet smart) humor.

After ITV aired each new episode of Moving Wallpaper, they then broadcast a new 30 minute episode of Echo Beach, the show you just witnessed the creation of on MW. Pretty brilliant, right? An hour's worth of TV, split in two, yet created together. True sibling shows! EB, as I mentioned, is a soapy teen drama following the likes of The O.C., with less glitz and humor. It's a good show, as well, but it doesn't hold up to Moving Wallpaper.

Not surprisingly, EB was cancelled in real life after the first season, though MW moved on to a second season. I've yet to make it that far, but I've learned that the staff is now working on a zombie show and ITV chose to only create a 30 minute pilot and give it the web-only treatment. Atleast MW continued.

I think the mistake was pairing a smart comedy with a night time soap. For most viewers (though I am excluded from this generalisation), it's one or the other, so the lead-in audience was cut dramatically right away. If Echo Beach had also been a thinking man's comedy it may have lasted.

It is quite funny and fascinating to see them talking about something in particular in the writer's room or on stage in a humorous manner and then find it portrayed seriously on EB. Case in point, on MW a biting joke was made about a writer misspelling a word and the prop master carrying that mistake onto the prop poster he made for the show. Twenty minutes later, on EB, the character hanging up the poster gets called out on his grammar.

As I said above, I do think it's a great idea and since pretty much every good idea a British producer has come up with has made it to our shores, I'm surprised it hasn't been imported to the states yet. Any producers out there wanna give me a job? We'll make two smart comedies and rule the Emmy's! I can see it now.




     
 

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