June 1994
Editorial
Kristine Kathry Rusch, Fantasy & Science Fiction
I AM ONE of the few whose cable service provides the Sci-Fi Channel. Unfortunately, the channel isn't the great time-waster I had hoped it would be.
Part of the problem is my own viewing history: I've seen most of the television shows it airs on their first run -- and I didn't find them memorable enough to watch a second time through. I'm not much of a Dark Shadows fan, and I've seen every episode of The Prisoner several times. Most of the movies are atrocious (which makes them fun to watch in a group, but not alone).
Some of the special programming is inspired. The spate of monster movies before Halloween were fun as are the guest hosts who introduce the occasional weekend marathons. My favorite part of the Sci-Fi Channel is one of its few original programs, Sci-Fi Buzz.
The Buzz, as it calls itself, is full of cheap MTV effects, 30 second sound bites and shallow analysis. Yet that fits with the intimate, gossipy format. Sci-Fi Buzz divides its time fairly equally between books, movies, comics, television, special effects, and games, but the overall product is a watchable way to spend a half hour.
The best part of The Buzz, however, is the commentary provided by our Film Editor, Harlan Ellison. Harlan's short commentary is challenging, bombastic, and always entertaining forcing the viewer to think critically about the field of science fiction. Harlan's segment has just been renewed and is reason enough, I think, to request that your cable provider add the Sci-Fi Channel to its list of offerings.
Sci-Fi Buzz's closest competitor in the field of sf analysis is a program produced by TVOntario, Prisoners of Gravity. Prisoners of Gravity has made a limited foray into Public Television here in the United States, appearing on 13 PBS stations nationwide. Where Sci-Fi Buzz is glitzy, fast-paced and media-based, Prisoners of Gravity is in-depth offering for the lover of the written word. PoG talks with authors about various topics from religion to black holes, using the authors' works to illustrate and emphasize. The result is an entertaining analysis of the state of science fiction publishing an examination of the trends and ideas which make up science fiction.
Which sounds, I know, stuffy and pseudo-intellectual like some PBS programs. But PoG is not stuffy. In fact, the show has a delightful sense of humor which is evident from its opening --staged as an interruption of a non-existent nature program called Second Nature. (Second Nature which we never get to see explores issues such as "Mind Readers and Psychics, don't they know how much we hate them?") PoG's opening credits are the story of the show's fictional host, Commander Rick, as drawn by comic book artist, Ty Templeton. Best of all, the show features sf writers talking passionately about the things they care about, the issues which fill their work. On any given episode, you can see F&SF favorites from Esther M. Friesner to columnist Gregory Benford. The PoG staff heavily researches each topic, reading each featured book and short story, something rarely done in television journalism these days.
Fortunately, my local PBS station carries Prisoners of Gravity, so I get to see each program. I find that I learn a lot from the shows, and I enjoy them so much I never miss them. Prisoners of Gravity is worth recommending to your local PBS station.
I think we're lucky these days to have both these shows. Science fiction has become a force in its own right in the mainstream of our culture. It's nice to see some thoughtful television shows which reflect that change.