'Primeval' Survives Extinction!

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Dark Horizons / Avery Guerra

This past June, ITV announced that it was scaling back many of it's productions to cut costs during the bad world-wide economic crisis. One of the victims of the ax was the very popular sci fi series, "Primeval", which features a great deal of high end, and expensive, computer generated effects. Though the series had gained a following both in the UK and here in the United States, the network felt that the series costs out-weighed it's profits.

Immediately after the shows cancellation the makers of the series vowed to keep it alive, and irate fans went to the Internet to make their voices heard through message board posts and various websites.

Apparently ITV, took notice, because the series has been brought back from the dead.

A new deal has been forged between ITV, BBC Worldwide, BBC America and Germany's Pro7 to produce thirteen new episodes for 2010 and 2011. Actually to be more accurate, thirteen episodes will be produced and half will air in 2010 and half in 2011, an interesting change of pace, and an obvious cost cutting move. Maybe the episodes will air as a week long special mini-series like "Torchwood: Children of Earth"? Who knows?

All the involved entities will shoulder the financial 'burden' for "Primeval", with ITV and UKTV channel Watch, both sharing, and swapping the rights to air the new episodes.

"Primeval" follows the adventures of an unlikely group of zoologists as they try to stop prehistoric creatures from invading the modern day through an anomaly in time, a strange, unexplained natural phenomena that no one seems to know anything about.

See, sometimes if you bitch loud enough, good things can come of it!

See Also: High Costs Drive Primeval To Extinction

High Costs Drive Primeval To Extinction

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: BBC News

The high costs of producing a sci fi television show has claimed yet another victim. ITV has cancelled the popular series "Primeval" after just three seasons. Though no official reason was given for the cancellation, sources have stated that it was the shows expensive, high end, computer generated special effects that were the shows killer.

The series may be new to American fans, who have just begun coming on board, thanks to it's airing on the Sci Fi Channel, but it has been very popular in the UK since it's debut in 2007.

"Primeval" follows the adventures of an unlikely group of zoologists as they try to stop prehistoric creatures from invading the modern day through an anomaly in time, a strange, unexplained natural phenomena that no one seems to know anything about.

ITV announced earlier this year that it intended to downsize it's staff and cut production budgets.

ITV said this in a statement to the BBC, "High quality drama remains a key part of the ITV schedule, although our current focus is on post-watershed production."

Reportedly the cast and crew of "Primevel" were "devastated" by the surprise cancellation.

This is not the first time that expensive special effects have forced the cancellation of a hugely popular sci fi TV series. The most notable example of this is the original "Battlestar Galactica." When the series was cancelled after just one season, it was the most watched sci fi series in the history of television and ranked close to the top of all prime-time series according to the Nielson Ratings. ABC, the network that aired "Galactica", just couldn't justify paying $1 million per episode, no matter how many people tuned in.

The makers of "Primeval" intend to try to keep the series alive, seeking other venues for production and distribution.