"Babylon 5" was the little sci-fi series that could. A show that survived four years of syndication, one year on cable and multiple challenges along the way to complete its five-year story arc.
Unfortunately, it would appear that "B5's" successor series, "Crusade," won't be as lucky. Barring some sort of unexpected reprieve, the show will air 13 episodes and never be heard from again.The behind-the-scenes drama on this one might makes for a decent TV series all by itself.
"Babylon 5" and "Crusade" are both owned and produced by Warner Bros., in association with Babylonian Productions (an entity under the control of series creator/writer/executive producer J. Michael Straczynski). The first four seasons of "B5" were syndicated by Warner Bros., which was on the verge of canceling the show until cable network TNT stepped in and saved it.
(Understand that both TNT and Warner Bros. are part of the huge Time-Warner conglomerate.)
"B5" did quite nicely for TNT, both in first-run episodes and in repeats, which are stripped Monday-Friday on the cable networks's schedule. And it came as no surprise that TNT programmers ordered Straczynski's successor series, "Crusade," which picks up pretty much where "B5" left off.
(For all of you Lurkers out there, "Crusade" has the crew of the Interstellar Alliance starship Excalibur searching the galaxy for the cure for the plague the evil Drakh unleashed upon Earth -- a plague that will destroy all life on the planet within five years.)
Originally scheduled to debut in January, the "Crusade" premiere was pushed back to June -- after the NBA playoffs. And, as of just a few weeks ago, everything appeared to be right on track.
(Yours truly spent a day on the set in mid-January, and there were no indications of any problems. Straczynski and producer John Copeland were both upbeat and enthusiastic about "Crusade" as production moved briskly ahead.)
But then, something happened. No one involved is saying exactly what, but there was a major disagreement between Straczynski and TNT executives. A source indicated that the two sides were at odds over the direction of the series -- that TNT wanted more of a slam-bang adventure show while Straczynski was after something more cerebral.
(And the source said that, apparently, stubbornness on both sides led to suspension of production.)
The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity as Warner Bros. tried desperately to sell "Crusade" to another outlet. But talks with the Sci-fi Channel fell apart over the issue of money.
Sources at the Sci-fi Channel confirm an Internet posting from Straczynski that the channel was actually "very enthusiastic" about the show but that budgetary constraints got in the way. Sci-fi is about to launch some expensive series of its own -- include the outer-space adventure "FarScape" -- and didn't have the bucks to pay for "Crusade."
So . . . "Crusade" will indeed air on TNT -- but only 13 episodes, not 22. Production on the show has been suspended indefinitely.
In a way, that makes it just like most others you see on TV. Getting 13 episodes on the air is a major accomplishment. And, just like any other show, good ratings could result in a second season.
(However, you have to wonder how enthusiastically TNT is going to schedule and promote a show it has already effectively canceled.)
According to Straczynski, executives at Warner Bros. have ordered the "Crusade" sets to be stored, not dismantled, in the event that a second season is ordered -- either by TNT or another outlet.
But that's unlikely at best. Realistically, once the 13 episodes of "Crusade" air on TNT, that will be the end of the universe Straczynski created for "Babylon 5" and this successor series -- at least for the foreseeable future.
On the other hand, "B5" itself looked dead on several occasions and still made it all the way to the finish line. So who knows?
WHAT'S NEXT FOR JMS: If "Crusade" does survive beyond 13 episodes, one wonders whether Straczynski will have time to produce it. According to a message he posted on the Internet, he's going on to other projects.
"I'm taking the day off and deciding which of a number of offers from networks and studios, sitting on my desk since 'B5' finished, to pick up," he wrote. "I had declined to go that route so I could do 'Crusade' and keep playing in this universe, but absent that, there's no reason to go back to the networks and apply there some of what we've been able to do in 'B5' and 'Crusade.'
"So the next thing from me you see will almost certainly be on one of the major networks. I'm going back into the deep water again . . . "
The possibility of Straczynski producing a show for a major broadcast network brings a couple of thoughts immediately to mind. On the downside, if he thinks he got a lot of interference from TNT, wait 'til he starts dealing with the suits at ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox.
But on the upside, the fact that Straczynski produced a show that looks as good as "Babylon 5" on a tight budget for syndication and cable -- a budget that's at least 40 percent less than a similar show on a network would cost -- has to make him attractive to the powers that be in network TV.