In 1999 we got a new Sci-Fi series and I will be honest, when I saw the opening credits I thought “wow… its a cheap Buck Rogers rip off!”
Honestly watch the way both shows started and you will see what I mean.
I literally could not have been more wrong and it took at most 5 minutes for me to figure out this was not a “cheap rip off” of anything. Instead Farscape was a series that was not worried about what anyone else was doing or emulating anything that had come before. Instead the creators of the series were just busy doing their own thing… and doing it really well!
The very unlikely partnership of Hallmark and The Jim Henson Company seemed like a crazy coupling… The Muppets people working with the Christmas TV movie fellas?
Sometimes the strangest partnerships create the most amazing results.
Ben Browder recently stated that he felt Farscape was “sci-fi crack” when he was asked to compare that show with Stargate SG1, two shows he starred in. In all honesty it is a really good way of describing the series and there have been rumors about a new series for several years. Of course after it’s cancellation we did get a mini-series, the ‘Peacekeepers Wars’ that was a really nice way to bring an end to the first iteration of the series.
So we have had rumors of a return before and even the actors have talked openly about some kind of continuation but is there any chance of something new now? Possibly yes.
Now I have to say that this is very early stages in a discussion but sources I speak to that are close to Amazon Prime have reported to me that Amazon are trying to get the parties that own the rights to the series involved in bringing the show back… for Freevee.
Now Amazon Prime have been interested in getting a sci-fi show for Freevee for sometime and I have heard rumors several times that Amazon would be very interested in bringing Babylon 5 to the free streaming service. They was a sci-fi show that can be produced for a reasonable production price and that would bring real value to them. Now it seems Babylon 5 is going to be a difficult and relatively expensive project and the CW has first dibs on it if Warner Bros. do end up making a new series, a series that would be a total reimagined reboot. Something Amazon are a little concerned would not be popular choice with fans.
So they may be looking at Farscape instead. And want a continuation… Not a reboot.
Brian Henson and Hallmark with NBC share the rights for the series and according to sources there has been very early discussions already and these chats have involved Amazon Prime as a potential customer. With the possibility of someone willing to pay for the show this makes the project a real possibility and NBC will probably want the show for SYFY in the United States at very least and internationally this will appear on Freevee.
What is holding up the plan though? Well Brain Henson and Hallmark cannot produce this show themselves and NBC don’t want so there is a search for another partner to come in that would actually produce the show, do the development work, create scripts etc as well as actually someone to film it. This mean more partners and more cooks that are going to be involved and you know what they say about too many cooks spoiling the broth?
So that is where we are right now. There are interested customers. There is a business plan that could work and there is a fanbase that would love a continuation and NOT A REBOOT.
Will it happen though?
Well as with most good ideas I am sure somewhere along the line someone will ruin it and it will end up going nowhere but for now we have hope.