Do Androids Dream of Electric TV: You’re gonna hafta aggressively sell me hard on a Blade Runner TV show: “The combination of Michelle Yeoh’s leading role, Ridley Scott’s continued involvement, and a talented creative team suggests that Blade Runner 2099 will be a worthy addition to the franchise.” Yeah, that’s not enough.
I sat through a dumb chunk of Gosling’s lousy movie. Blade Runner 2099 and Alien really…what’s the value of these upcoming IP TV shows?
If I allow you to capture my attention and benefit from my time: what’s in it for me?
It has to offer more than cheap nostalgia: if I wanted that I’d doze-watch the new Beverly Hills Cop movie.
How will these IP TV shows avoid the MCU TV show mistakes where many of those shows don’t move the stories forward. They’re mostly useless. (I get to the end and I’m like…now what? Or worse: so what?)
What are you building? And expanding?
Will any of this damage the (movie) continuity?
What overlooked aspects of these incredible universes are going to be explored?
How does this set up the future and establish potential?
I can apply these same questions to HBO’s upcoming The Penguin. But James Gunn confirmed this series and this ghetto Batman are DC Elseworlds so I don’t have any investment in those. Batman can die and it doesn’t matter: it’s Elseworlds. It’s not real; it’s entirely disposable: it’s Elseworlds.
Blade Runner and Alien though, I care about those worlds. I just need a reason to visit. I can hop on an airplane anytime and visit Italy but I don’t have a reason to go. So, I don’t go.
Alien TV is expected to premiere in the first half of 2025; it’s FX on Hulu.
Blade Runner 2099 has only just begun production; it’s Prime Video.
Sammy Verdict: Way too early but show me a trailer and let’s start there. But my questions are valid and persistent.
-28-
Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
