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It’s Dead, Jim: Caprica

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Just days after Syfy announced a second Battlestar Galactica spinoff, Blood & Chrome, its first spinoff has been cancelled. Before the end of its first season has even aired, the plug has been pulled on Caprica.

Caprica won fans and critics alike, as its numerous characters have been slowly fleshed out and its overall mythology expanded. But Syfy claims that “Caprica has not been able to build the audience necessary to justify a second season.” About a month ago, Syfy began airing the final block of episodes from the show’s first season, but now says that it will end this block on Tuesday, November 2nd, and then burn off the remaining five episodes sometime in early 2011.

Needless to say, this is sad news for all fans of intelligent entertainment. Particularly when there’s mindless dreck like $#*! My Dad Says actually garnering a big enough audience to justify keeping it on the air. And another thing: Why is it that these kinds of shows always get the axe right when they’re hitting their stride? Caprica has been getting better and better with each new episode, and it’s more obvious than ever that seeds for very big things were being planted.

So very frustrating.

Syfy Orders 2nd ‘Battlestar’ Spinoff

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Syfy just can’t get enough Battlestar Galactica. The acclaimed show ended its four-season run about a year ago, but prequel series Caprica is currently nearing the end of its first season, and now Syfy has ordered a pilot for a whole new BSG series, set during the early days of William Adama’s career.

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome will follow Adama’s adventures during the first Cylon war — which takes place between the events of Caprica and the flagship series. We previously got a brief glimpse at this young adult version of the future Admiral during the two-hour TV movie Razor (and some accompanying online webisodes) when actor Nico Cortez perfectly nailed Edward James Olmos’ tics and mannerisms (pictured above). No word yet on whether or not Cortez will appear in the new show.

My excitement about this announcement is tempered by the fact that BSG‘s re-imaginer Ron Moore, will not be working on Blood & Chrome. His producing partner David Eick is onboard, but Eick’s track record without Moore by his side is spotty at best (Bionic Woman). Eick describes the show as “maintaining the themes of politics, social propaganda, and the timeless question:  what does it mean to be human? — Blood & Chrome will also return us to the authentic, relentless depiction of combat and the agony and ecstasy of human-Cylon war.”

Here’s the show’s official description:

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome takes place in the 10th year of the first Cylon war. As the battle between humans and their creation, a sentient robotic race, rages across the 12 colonial worlds, a brash rookie viper pilot enters the fray. Ensign William Adama, barely in his 20’s and a recent Academy graduate, finds himself assigned to the newest battlestar in the Colonial fleet… the Galactica. The talented but hot-headed risk-taker soon finds himself leading a dangerous top secret mission that, if successful, will turn the tide of the decade long war in favor of the desperate fleet.

It’s also interesting to note that the character of William Adama also appears in Caprica, as a pre-teen boy. So if Blood & Chrome goes to series, we’ll have seen him depicted in three different shows at very diverse parts of his life. Has there ever been another TV character to be given three TV shows that chronicle various parts of his lifespan in this way? I can’t think of one.

BSG Mastermind Develops “Adult Harry Potter” for NBC

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You know, just yesterday I was wondering to myself where Ron Moore — the brilliant storyteller behind Syfy’s modern reimagining of Battlestar Galactica — was going to turn up next. Sure, he’s got Caprica, the prequel to BSG, going strong, but the day-to-day work on that show is being handled by others. And last year, he developed a new pilot for Fox called Virtuality, but it was so high concept that it got canceled before it ever aired. The two-hour pilot was all that was filmed, and Fox aired it as a movie-of-the-week.

So it’s with some excitement that I bring you the news that Moore has signed an exclusive development deal with Sony Television, and that NBC has snatched up his first idea, which is described as a story “set in a world ruled not by science but by magic.” The shorthand going around Hollywood is that it’s an “adult version of Harry Potter,” though knowing Moore, I’m sure there’s way more to it than that. (After all, the same could be said about The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and the reception that movie got would hardly be the kind of thing NBC would be eager to sign on for.)

Even bigger news is that NBC has shelled out something close to $2 million in a pay-or-play development deal for the series.

As much as I enjoyed Virtuality, it would probably be a smart move for Moore to do something a little more audience-friendly and accessible. Here’s hoping big things will come of this!

NBC has been snatching up genre-friendly shows left and right lately. This season alone they’re debuting The Event, Undercovers, and The Cape, alongside the 4th season of fan-favorite Chuck.