The SF Site: Babylon 5.1 by Rick Norwood

Babylon 5.1
by Rick Norwood

SF on TV

Websites
Other Babylon 5.1 Columns
For more information, you can try the following sites:
Rick Norwood's Website
Worldwide TV Schedule
The Official Babylon 5 Website
The X-Files
Pocket Books: Star Trek
Paramount Star Trek

Ratings
Ratings are based on a four star system.
One star means that the commercials are more entertaining than the program.
Two stars watch if you have nothing better to do.
Three stars is good solid entertainment.
Four stars means you never dreamed television could be this good.

Fringe is better than Smallville, though Smallville used to be great when Al Gough and Miles Miller were writing it. Sanctuary is better than Fringe. But now Doctor Who is back. And Doctor Who is so much better than any other genre show on television that it makes me ashamed to have praised the others. Doctor Who is really good. As good as Firefly. As good as Babylon 5. As good as Star fuckin' Trek! That's how good Doctor Who is.

Those who like Game of Thrones like it a lot. Me? Too much talk, not enough fantasy, characters composed of cardboard and cliché.

SF on TV in May 2011

Sunday, May 1
Game of Thrones, "Lord Snow", by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

Monday, May 2
Sanctuary, "Metamorphosis" by Alan McCullough
Stargate Universe, "Blockade", by Linda McGibney

Thursday, May 5
The Vampire Diaries, "The Sun Also Rises", by Mike Daniels and Carolyn Dries

Friday, May 6
Fringe, "The Day We Died", season finale
Smallville, "Prophecy", by Bryan Q. Miller & Anne Cofell Saunders
Supernatural, "The Man Who Would Be King" by Ben Edlund

Saturday, May 7
Doctor Who, "The Doctor's Wife" by Mark Gattis and Neil Gaiman

Sunday, May 8
Game of Thrones, "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things", by Bryan Cogman

Monday, May 9
Sanctuary, "Wingman", by Miranda Kwok
Stargate Universe, "Gauntlet", Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie, series finale

Thursday, May 12
The Vampire Diaries, "As I Lay Dying", Turi Meyer & Al Septien & Michael Narducci, season finale

Friday, May 13
Smallville, "Finale", part one by Al Septien & Turi Meyer, part two by Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders, series finale

Friday, May 13
Supernatural, "Let it Bleed", by Sera Gamble

Saturday, May 14
Doctor Who, "The Rebel Flesh" (I), by Matthew Graham

Fringe Sunday, May 15
Game of Thrones, "The Wolf and the Lion", David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

Monday, May 16
Sanctuary, "Awakening", by Gillian Hovarth

Friday, May 20
Supernatural, "The Man Who Knew Too Much", by Eric Kripke, season finale

Saturday, May 21
Doctor Who, "The Almost People" (II), by Matthew Graham

Supernatural Sunday, May 22
Game of Thrones, "The Golden Crown", by Jane Espenson, David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

Monday, May 23
Sanctuary, "Normandy"

Saturday, May 28
Doctor Who, "A Good Man Goes to War" (I) by Steven Moffat

Sunday, May 29
Game of Thrones, "You Win or You Die" , by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

Supernatural has been renewed for a seventh season. Sanctuary has been renewed for a fourth season. Fringe has been renewed for a fourth season. The Vampire Diaries has been renewed for a third season. Game of Thrones has been renewed for a second season. (There are 10 episodes in the first season.) All of these shows except Fringe have between 2 and 3 million views, proving that shows on minor networks can be renewed with fewer viewers than ever before. Fringe has between three and five million viewers, down from a high of thirteen million during the first season.

Rick Norwood is a mathematician and writer whose small press publishing house, Manuscript Press, has published books by Hal Clement, R.A. Lafferty, and Hal Foster. He is also the editor of Comics Revue Monthly, which publishes such classic comic strips as Flash Gordon, Sky Masters, Modesty Blaise, Tarzan, Odd Bodkins, Casey Ruggles, The Phantom, Gasoline Alley, Krazy Kat, Alley Oop, Little Orphan Annie, Barnaby, Buz Sawyer, and Steve Canyon.