In the wake of the successful Kickstarter campaign to fund a Veronica Mars reunion movie, last week I talked about what it would take to bring a cancelled/ended sci fi/fantasy series back and what to expect if a campaign raised enough money. So now, with all of the uproar this has caused throughout the entertainment industry, which genre shows you may ask have the best chance of a revival through Kickstarter? Following are four that already have some momentum behind them and that I believe have a very good chance if every thing can get worked out (which is always a big if in the entertainment industry):
Chuck (NBC, 2007-12, Ended After Five Seasons): You know that those crazy Chuck fans started jumping up and down as soon as they saw what happened with the Veronica Mars campaign, and series star Zach Levi must have felt the tremors that caused. Because almost immediately he was tweeting the possibility of a movie and he’s now actively in talks with the studio and other parties that would need to come together to make this happen. A Chuck movie would need more than the $4 million (and counting) that Rob Thomas has raised so far for Veronica Mars, but not a ton more. I’d guess somewhere in the $5 to $10 million would make it doable, and I believe that is well within the realm of possibility for those subway-chomping fans (and the studio may even consider going forward if the Kickstarter campaign raised part of the needed funds). I don’t believe that the principle cast has too much in the way of obstacles to keep them from coming together, so basically consider this one a done deal if the studio greenlights it
Pushing Daisies (ABC, 2007-09, Cancelled After Two Seasons): Just like Zach Levi, Bryan Fuller took immediate notice of what was going on with the Veronica Mars campaign and showed enthusiasm for doing the same sort of thing with his beloved, truncated series Pushing Daisies. He had already been exploring ways to continue it since ABC axed it back in 2009 which included a movie, a graphic novel, and possibly even a jump to Broadway. And he had started working on a script for a movie before this whole Kickstarter thing flared up. The biggest obstacle for this one, though, will be the finances. Fuller has said that a Pushing Daisies movie would run somewhere between $10 and $15 million, and that may be a stretch for a Kickstarter campaign. He may be able to work a deal, though, that if he gets partial funding then the studio would foot the rest of the bill. And Fuller is definitely passionate about this show (as are the fans), and I believe that he will do what he can to champion this one (assuming he has the time considering his current commitment to the upcoming NBC Hannibal TV series). And most of the principle cast are not currently over-committed to over projects (short of Kristin Chenoweth). If the finances can be worked out, this one has a chance of becoming a reality.
Wonderfalls (FOX, 2004, Cancelled After Half a Season): The other Bryan Fuller favorite would be second on his list of priorities of Kickstarter projects, but would probably be more doable money-wise than Pushing Daisies, and he has expressed interest in reviving this show as well. It’s possible that a Wonderfalls movie could be done on a budget similar to what has been raised for Veronica Mars thus far, and almost certainly within the $5 to $10 million range I mentioned above. But has it been too long since the show went off the air to energize enough fans? Consider this a Plan B for Fuller or a next project after a Pushing Daisies movie and his schedule frees up, but it’s definitely not out of reach.
Legend of the Seeker (Syndicated, 2008-2010, Cancelled After Two Season): The success of the Veronica Mars campaign immediately had fans talking about the shows mentioned above as well as others like Firefly and The Sarah Connor Chronicles (more on them in an upcoming post), but Legend of the Seeker was also a show I immediately thought about. That series had a passionate fanbase that worked hard to try and win it a third season. So I expected some noise on this front, though so far none of it has come from those involved with producing the series. The Save Our Seeker site immediately started lobbying fans to contact all of those involved with making the series to convince them to put their weight behind a Kickstarter campaign. I’m not certain who the essential players would be to get something moving, but co-creator/executive producer Sam Raimi is probably way to busy for small potatoes like this. If Terry Goodkind (who wrote the novels the series was based on) stepped up, that could help. And none of the principle actors seem too busy at the current time. Plus, I believe that they could put together a movie in the $5 to $10 million range, so it’s financially feasible. The fans just need to get a legitimate driving force behind their campaign and I believe this one could happen.
Next I look at several shows that are longshots at best to get a revival through a Kickstarter campaign followed by several that are within reach if the stars (and producers and writers and studios) align correctly.
Why Were They Cancelled?
The Plight of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television in the Face of the Unforgiving Nielsens and Networks
Ever wondered why your favorite science fiction and/or fantasy show disappeared from the television schedule, never to deliver anymore new episodes? The reason why, most likely, is that it was cancelled because its ratings were low. And this book looks at those many cancelled sci fi/fantasy shows as well as the Neilsen ratings and television networks that dictate their fates. Available now for only $2.99 on Kindle from Amazon.com.
