[Live Action Series] SW Insider: McCallum talks about season lengths, spinoffs, writers and more

I really like the idea of short Seasons and if the series really works as described upwards, it might be very interssting thing. I hope that they will do "dark side hero" spin offs, too.

 

My gosh, the more I think about it the more excited I get. I've been thinking about it the past week since I got this month's issue in the mail and I think it's brilliant. By keeping the number of episodes per season fairly low, I think it keeps the hype up. Shorter seasons also allow the writers to get really great scripts worked out and have high production values for each episode.

 

I notice production won't start until 2009 now (originally the air date) which means we'll be looking at 2010 before this actually makes its way on to our TV screens?

 

Presumably ILM will have to put in some special effects, though?

 

I hope you're right. 2010 is just tooooo far away

 

Well, thats why we have The Clone Wars to hold us over. Just looking on the bright side here

 

Why does it take Lucas so long to do everything? I mean, he still hasn't started these "small and personal" films he was talking about in 1977!

 

Doctor Who has like 13 episodes a season and it works fine. But over two season it isn't much. I am more wait and see on this.

 

-The idea is to do about 13 to 16 episodes over one or two years. After the second or third year one of the characters could move on to his own series. Then, by the fourth or fifth year, they would love to have 4 or 5 separate TV series of 13 episodes each running.

That equation is the mistakes of Young Indy multiplied by 10. It's a recipe to confuse and alienate the audience.

I hope it works, though. heh.

 

I really do like that speculation, however. With ILM the shows could really look top notch.

This is definitely interesting news. I don't mind the shorter seasons or the idea of spin-offs. At least it makes it something different to one, single, straight-old TV show . . .

 

George and Rick seem to always be talking about the future on this project, never are their minds on where they are........what they are doing! Yoda would not be pleased.........They should focus on getting the main series off the ground, see how that goes and plan from there.

 

I think doing fewer episode's per series, but making them really top quality, with a large budget, is the best way to go. Its exciting news that they are going this way, IMO. The old less is more concept.

 

Short seasons work for other television shows. I mean, just look at Black Books - three seasons of only 6 episodes each. And it's glorious stuff.


Oh. Right. It's a comedy.

Anyway...

//runs

 

I agree on the shorter seasons. The increasing trend of abbreviated seasons (brought on in part by both a more relevant "summer season" as well as the glut of reality shows -- shorter seasons allow for more room in the schedule for reality shows, which are made quickly and on the cheap) has allowed for IMO better shows overall. A tighter story, less "throw away" or "filler" episodes, and a stronger overall narrative (particularly in serialized shows).

In the alternative, i'd like an approch similar to the new BSG did originally -- two shorter "seasons" over the course of a "true" season (eg, Season 2.0 & Season 2.5). That way, you still have a standard 20-22 episode season (more important when syndication rights/issues arise), but can structure the overarching narrative individually for each "season".

 

Here's the entire interview regarding the TV series:

Star Wars Insider: how is the live-action Star Wars TV show progressing?
Rick McCallum: It?s been exciting because we?ve had the opportunity to meet over 200 writers. George and I had a fantastic time in England, where we met about 35 or 40 writers. We met a lot in the United States, a couple in Paris, Prague, and Budapest, and then we?re off to Australia at the end of July. We?re trying to get a group of about five or six people from all around the world. I?m hopefully going to start the writers? conferences later this year. It?ll take about six months to get the scripts, so by about 2009 we hope to actually be shooting.

Will you be shooting the show in Australia?
Right now, that?s the plan. I think it?s going to really depend on where the most effective and cheapest place we can make it is. Right now, for us, that place is Australia.

How ambitious is the project going to be?
It?ll be darker and more mature, and very character based. The idea is to do say, 13 to 16 episodes over one or two years - we haven?t quite figured that out yet as television is changing so dramatically worldwide. After the second or third year, one of the characters from the first series could move on to his own series. Then, by the fourth or fifth year, we would love to have four or five separate TV series of 13 episodes each running. That?s a pipe dream right now, of course! But as long as it?s good, and long as people respond, and as long as we?re doing it at the level we need to do it, and people care about the characters, I think that?s totally possible.

In terms of distribution, would you prefer broadcast television or something else?
I think it?s too early to really say, because what?s going to happen over the next few years in TV will be so revolutionary. I hope that we can be part of the process of imploding the television experience. Traditional network TV doesn?t really work for us because we don?t want to have interrupted storytelling. Cable is definitely a possibility. It?s like the battle going on between HD-DVD and BluRay. This is just my opinion here, but they could all become obsolete. The industry could go straight to broadband downloading, with filmmakers creating their own websites where they have their own material that you can download. I really believe that is the future of television, of all entertainment. I still cherish going to the cinema and having that communal experience, but there?s no question that it?s changing sociologically, quite dramatically.

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Sounds like a "The Sopranos" type of format, that's conducive for HBO or Showtime. Interesting. I like the darker, more mature vibe.

 

I agree, with the projected amount of episodes per season and the dark tone it seems like the show would be perfect for HBO or Showtime.

 

Hey thanks for posting the whole interview Butt.

 

I don't see it happening for HBO or Showtime because it would really limit the audience. The audience would be a fraction of what they could get for ABC or FOX.

 

I don't think GL is really going to have to deal with the networks limiting his vision. For one, the networks are going to buy the show from him, which is the exact opposite of everything else. Think of it this way, the SW series gets to pick which date it wants to go out with, while the others just hope they get one at all. And I know that this is going to be more adult than any of the movies, but I don't think we're going to be seeing stuff that might be on BSG (a la rape) that might be shunned on network TV.

Just my 2 cents.