heroes
Isn't this this the basic premise of Heroes? Making this yet another reboot
Seminal seventies science fiction show The Tomorrow People is jaunting back to television. The premise of The Tomorrow People was simple: living among us are young people who have already achieved the next stage of evolution, acquiring abilities like telepathy and teleportation (referred to as "jaunting" along the way. Less- …
Well, it obviously shares a title and basic plot with a seventies series so I don't think anyone's trying to sneak some sort of reboot past us on the quiet.
As far as it being a reboot of Heroes goes...not really. In Heroes the characters generally had one signature power (c.f. X-Men, and a lot of other superheroic things), in Tomorrow People - or the classic one, at least - it's very much a standard power set all of them get.
Both programs have the "people with special powers existing in secret" angle, but as a basic plot idea that one stretches back to ancient mythology and the "scion of Gods raised as a mortal" thing.
So...hardly original, but no more a knock-off of Heroes than Heroes was a knock-off of the original TP.
It's the basic premise of cryptojudaism. The Spanish Inquisition should sue! (No one would expect that.)
See also: Medieval witch-hunting; Early Modern England's panic over secret Papists (particularly Jesuits, who were often imagined by the less-educated to have special powers); legal and social battles over miscegenation and blood quantum in the US and elsewhere; the plot of many SF stories and novels, including famous ones like Odd John and Children of the Atom; and so on.
So to say that Heroes was a reboot of the original Tomorrow People, or the new one a reboot of Heroes, is rather like suggesting that all stories about spouses with secrets are reboots of "Cupid and Psyche". It's a widely-used archetype that goes back as far as the written record, and no doubt further; it's basic human anxiety about being able to police the social group and detect outsiders posing as insiders.
I've found that putting canned laughter on the news seems to produce a similar effect to most modern US comedies.
They seem to have given up on original scripts so that may be next.
Or: We may actually live in a world where we are now seeing the truth behind the old saying that there are only a limited number of available understandable plots and only a limited number of understandable ways of re-painting them.
You have the escape from the garden of eden theme with The Island, Logans Run and many others.
You have all the Super Heroes as Orphans; Spiderman, Superman, Iron Man, Harry Potter.
You have the Woman In Red (or red hair) theme in Iron Man, Alice In Wonderland and loads of others.
The hero with a gammy leg, I used to be good at naming these until I took an arrow to the knee.
Look out for these themes in movies.
"No and this is why I never watch, let alone buy, Hollywood's latest bowel evacuations. It's the same old shit all the time."
Hmm bowel evacuations. How come we haven't made a movie about bowels?
WE'RE GOING DOWN! EVACUATE THE BOWEL!
>>You remember the Camberwell Carrot in the '70s! Impressive for a quote from a 1987 film.
It was set in 1969. Also if you want a cool smoke from a disposable pipe a hollowed out carrot* does the job.
I think that this is called "prior art". Anyway thanks for spotting the connection, pedant.
*Or a pear, parsnip etc.
Cool your boots man!
That! is _not_ a camberwell carrot!
quote;
Danny: The joint I am about to roll requires a craftsman that can utilise up to twelve skins. It is called a Camberwell Carrot.
Marwood: It's impossible to use twelve papers on one joint.
Danny: It is impossible to roll a Camberwell Carrot with anything less.
Withnail: Who says it's a Camberwell Carrot?
Danny: I do. I invented it in Camberwell and it looks like a carrot.
so nothing to do with veg at all.
My first thoughts too....
The original was largely staffed by teens whereas the reboot looks more like the cast of 901210. Why does American TV do this? Can't their kids act? Completely spoils the show for me, like the movie series American Pie; full of twenty/thirtysomethings running around pretending to be teens.
"mind you, looking forward to them trying to make ain't 'alf hot mum politically correct..."
Starting with Gove's use of English as a basis?
"Mater, it is rather warm, donchyouknow."
"Right (but not too far right) then, my beauties (that is, in my eyes everyone is beautiful in a human appreciation way, not in a homosexual way but that's sort of O.K. in its own way) let's be 'aving you! (once again this is intended to be a rousing cry and not a call for mass buggery although . . .) ."
'kit, put him in the curry
six-season seventies run
What, it ran from spring 1974 to autumn 1975? 'Course, I only watch the box set.
The Wombles 2030 - 15 years into the future, the famous common-cleaners suddenly find they have superpowers enabling them to clean up the syringes, broken bottles, diapers and tampons within the first minute of each episode, leaving them another 39 minutes to reverse global warming and avert a global catastrophe (or some such bollocks)
Captain Pugwash; Revisited - the crew of the Black Pig, including ships' mate Seaman Staines*, first officer Master Bates* and of course Roger the Cabin Boy*, battle supernatural monsters from the deep a la Pirates of the Caribbean, whilst rescuing various damsels in distress from fates worse than death.
* may not actually be their real names
I foresee many re'imaginings' of various series' over the next few years, given that we appear to have exhausted all possibilities for genuinely original writing (although Oblivion was actually quite good).
"AKA "Tiger, Tiger" by Alfred Bester."
@Graham Marsden
"The Demolished Man" seems interesting...
"Bester creates a harshly capitalistic, hierarchical and competitive social world that exists without deceit: a society where the right person with some skill (or money) and curiosity can access your memories, secrets, fears and past misdeeds more swiftly than even you."
Sounds like Gobook (Faceogle)
Alfred Bester is one of the most unrecognised authors of scfi. I don't think I've ever read a bad story by him. I was first introduced to him through a Marks and Spencer collection of science fiction novels I got for my birthday, which has "The Demolished Man" (it also has "2001: A Space Oddysey", "The Day of the Triffids", and "I, Robot" - a real treat!). Bester wrote of a kind of world I hadn't come across before, and which I still carry close to the front of my head as we move into the world of the technological "peeper".
Curiously for Sci-Fi that concerns itself with 'the next step in human/sentient entity evolution', The Stars My Destination is set in a world where everybody has developed the ability to teleport themselves, and society has adjusted to this. In the book, everybody can 'jaunt', within a certain distance (so spaceships are still required) and that they know where there are going. As a consequence, terrestrial vehicles are toys not necessities, and rich people use labyrinths to protect their privacy.
Alfred Bester's short stories also explore consequences of people possessing powers they don't understand, in a serious way... I can't help but think his experience as a sports writer (young people gifted with 'special' physical abilities, etc) influenced his subject matter.
Well recommended.
Mmm, it's okay. I rate it about a 8 out of 10, where 10/10 is, of course, Ulysses 31:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ4c1X5ene8
I only ever knew the Tomorrow People from the books (we weren't allowed commercial TV at our place). It's interesting to actually see one on Youtube. It's not nearly as terrible as I thought it would be...
David Given,
Well if you're going to remind me of that, which I'd almost totally forgotten, I think I'll have to return the favour with some funky 70s sci-fi of my own: Battle of the Planets via YouTube.
Although for cartoon themes that stick in your head forever, despite your best efforts to purge them from memory, I think I'll have to go to YouTube for this.
I feel a bit ashamed now, I'd forgotten just how awful that was.
Thanks for posting a link to the fabulous Tomorrow People opening and closing themes and visuals.
I've always thought the opening credits were one of the most effective and striking ever, for a tv program. Simple, yet kinetic, and that "opening hand" still seems quite creepy and scary even today.
This show left a lasting impression with me as a young kid (as did Children of the Stones and Timeslip). And it sure spurred our childhood playground imaginations. We could jaunt all around the school yard just by grabbing our belts and running from the spot from where we disappeared to the spot where we appeared. I so wish I could still do that today :-)
For people who have never seen it, it is well worth one and a half minutes of your life clicking on the link.
I used to love the Tomorrow People when I was a kid in the 70's. The music really set the mood. Feeling nostalgic and very old right now. I hope they do a good job on this. Supernatural is one of theirs and that is excellent so they can make good telly if they try.
I unfortunately can infer that even before watching any trailer, because of this:
picked up by The CW Network, a youth-oriented outfit that is home to shows including America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, 90210, Arrow and The Vampire Diaries
The only show barely worth watching in that list is the one featuring a pirated version of Ezio Auditore. The others are crap!
There seems to be a belief amongst the Hollywood suits that they have to remake everything. I've yet to see a single re-made programme that was actually worth watching; and many that were doomed to failure from the beginning.
This clip from Stargate just about sums it up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8pJhi1kB80
An ok yet obviously unoriginal premise that will no doubt be ruined by love fuelled angst and people talking about their "feelings".
The Avengers series looks far more promising, though when will a network be brave enough to produce a new space sci-fi? I'm sure that's what we're all yearning for.
You know they'd ruin it though. The charm of S&S was partly due to the great actors and slow build-up. They'd turn that into a 45-minute wham-bam action-packed extravaganza with some rubbish young actors cast mainly on appearance.
Harrumph.
I think I might give my DVDs of S&S a spin later..
That depends on the story you are trying to tell, if you want to tell a story about how mankind has risen above difficulties to create a kind of utopia, it makes perfect sense to have people from all over the world, that's what the original Star Trek series did, as unbelievable as it may have been at the time, they even had a Scottish character.
But if the story you are telling doesn't require foreign characters adding them just because it is politically correct is wrong, not as wrong a writing some words in capital letters for no reason, but pretty wrong anyway.
And besides, it's not like Asian and African people need western help to make movies or tv series, they are quite capable people.
I don't think it was the tomorrow people but does anyone remember a series where there seemed to be a problem with any sort of technology. I remember children being afraid of electricity pylons etc - couldn't go near them. And I also seem to remember some sort of rock or cave that was causing the effect - may even have the name Merlin associated? Dunno - all help gratefully received - been trying to remember it for years.
You are referring to the series "Changes" whereby a magical rick caused humanity to turn against technology in an effort to bring back the "Old Religion".
If memory serves it was Merlin stuck in the rock that was doing it and it fell to one English schoolgirl to have lots of adventures before persuade him to stop being a prat.
The CW Network, a youth-oriented outfit that is home to shows including America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, 90210, Arrow and The Vampire Diaries
Except that 90210 has been cancelled, and Gossip Girl has finished its (planned) final season.
CW's most profitable property is probably Supernatural. Vampire Diaries and Arrow pulled in more total viewers in the 2012-213 season, but Supernatural has just finished its 8th solidly-performing season and been renewed for a 9th; it's a blue-chip show. And it sells well on DVD and there are books and other tie-ins.
It's also the most watchable thing on the CW, I'd say. Though I haven't tried to watch more than an episode or two of anything else they're showing these days.
Just watched the preview. Plus: Mark Pellegrino! Minus: The ensemble of protagonists appear to be utterly obnoxious posers who insist on unnecessary exposition and displays of amazement at their own abilities. A tip for the Tomorrow People writers and directors: underreaction generally beats overreaction.
Still, Mark Pellegrino. Might have to watch the first episode just to see him showing the other actors how it's done. (Of course, even he couldn't save the mind-numbingly awful Revolution. The man's an actor, not a wizard.)