Continuum Season 2

[fudd71]

I thought we had a tread on this the previous episode on Continuum, but I couldn’t find it so I started this one.

While I thought the second season was very well written and flawlessly produced, it wasn’t as interesting to me personally. It is almost like it got too big and lost focus on some of the things that made the first season so compelling. The individual relationships and personalities of the characters seemed to give way to larger philosophical questions. Neither good nor bad, just not as interesting to me personally.

It was also brought up during the episode that SyFy may not be marketing this show hard enough or in the correct why. This is a slippery slope for SyFy and there may not be a good answer for what they should do. SyFy like most large (and even smaller) cable networks are being forced to worry about rating more and more (something that use to be completely irrelevant to cable networks). What this means is cable channels need to air more original content, cable channels can no longer survive by airing reruns from decades past 24/7 anymore. As an example compare what channels like Nickelodeon, FX, USA and TBS broadcasts in primetime now compared to a decade ago. So this is why a channel like Syfy has brought in previously produced and aired shows like Continuum and Lost Girl. SyFy also sends shows they have produced and aired to Canada’s Showcase network and Space channel like Defiance and Being Human. Now the question is where is the real money? The real pot of gold for a show catching on is for the production company; in Continuum’s case that is a small independent company Reunion Pictures. It is only moderately in SyFy (and by extension their parent NBC) interest for Continuum to succeed. Obviously they want it to succeed enough that people watch and has the rating to keep cable providers carrying the channel, thanks to the NBC tie this isn’t that hard. NBC can bully cable providers into carrying SyFy by bundling it with more popular networks like the NBC network, USA, Bravo and CNBC. Now what if Continuum becomes a real hit? NBC will be forced to pay more to Reunion Pictures just to carry the show and all monies from things like VOD and DVD sales go to Reunion pictures. For this reason NBC has very little reason to market a show like Continuum past the point of simply expectable ratings. A show like Haven that NBC/ Universal is involved in producing will have a much larger marketing push by SyFy then a show like Continuum ever will. I know this isn’t a happy answer, but television is still a business and one that is becoming harder and harder as viewing patterns and content delivery change.

[JohnMayo]

It is too bad that the deal is fundamentally structured such that it isn't in Syfy's best interests for it to be wildly successful. I'm not sure how the deal could be set up for both Syfy and Reunion Pictures to jointly benefit from Continuum being a smash hit on Syfy. It comes down to Reunion Pictures begin committed and heavily invested in the success of Continuum while Syfy is only moderately involved in it. From that perspective, it all makes sense.

[the1captain]

I personally loved the 2nd season. The first was good. But it wasn't "must see tv" for me. Somewhere in the 2nd half of season 2 that changed. I think because they more or less ditched the case of the week procedural side of the show, and went for a longer story worked for me. What I find interesting is one can argue that Kira is not really the main character anymore. While she is important, I found the main story of the series has changed to the conflict between Alex and Julian. Both in the present and the future. Like John said in the podcast, after season one, Julian seemed like a minor character and wouldn't have been noticed if he didn't come back for season 2. But they really took a chance with his storyline and it worked.

Also, I'm a fan of Hugh Dillon. So it was a really nice surprise to see him appear as Mr. Escher.

[fudd71]

For those who are interested in this show and missed it on SyFy both season 1 & 2 are now available streaming on Netflix

[JohnMayo]

Also, I'm a fan of Hugh Dillon. So it was a really nice surprise to see him appear as Mr. Escher.

I'm a big fan of Hugh Dillon and was very happy to see him on Continuum.

[ctowner1]

I personally loved the 2nd season. The first was good. But it wasn't "must see tv" for me. Somewhere in the 2nd half of season 2 that changed. I think because they more or less ditched the case of the week procedural side of the show, and went for a longer story worked for me. What I find interesting is one can argue that Kira is not really the main character anymore. While she is important, I found the main story of the series has changed to the conflict between Alex and Julian. Both in the present and the future. Like John said in the podcast, after season one, Julian seemed like a minor character and wouldn't have been noticed if he didn't come back for season 2. But they really took a chance with his storyline and it worked.

Also, I'm a fan of Hugh Dillon. So it was a really nice surprise to see him appear as Mr. Escher.

I totally agree! It went from an ok/average show in s1 to the next step in s2 - they expanded the vision of the show and made the storyline a lot more complex, and it all paid off. I'm psyched to see where they go in s3.

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