io9: hulu

Hulu Gives You the Cheesy Scifi Archive Experience

Alex Carnevale — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:00:00 PDT

Weird Science, Sliders, The Outer Limits and The Pretender all together in one place for the first time. Yes, we have learned to love the NBC and News Corp internet venture Hulu, which has done what few on demand services in any medium have accomplished - deliver a breadth and depth of content that keeps you coming back for more. Who are we to deny the young people of tomorrow the tumultuous and inconclusive journey of The Pretender?

I discovered Hulu's ever-growing archive while I was looking online for an episode of Lost in Space, "The Hungry Sea." I wasn't alive for this show's original run, but the setting and tone are downright crazy today. The Museum of TV & Radio in New York used to let you look back into TV's past, and this was one of the first things I accidentally watched as a kid.

Then there's shows I wasn't even aware existed, like Land of the Giants, a Lost in Space follow-up that set the sterling template for Honey I Shrunk the Kids. Steven Bochco's 1975 version of The Invisible Man is another example of a program I was too young to originally watch, but it's perfect for the internet and the concept is still an entertaining re-imagining of H.G. Wells' original vision. Now they just need to get the British version on there.

Some series just resemble a bad dream. In fact, I really thought I had imagined NBC's The Pretender. For example: Johny Sokko and His Flying Robot formed the template for all the flying robot shows we've come to take for granted.

The biggest surprise (for me) is the Bill Bixby version Incredible Hulk. The show holds up great, at times resembling Lost with its inclusion of technology and savagery in the same frame. They even have "Proof Positive" — the only episode of the show that didn't feature Bill Bixby.

Let Hulu suck up your remaining attention span here.

More People Want To See How Galactica Ends

Graeme McMillan — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:30:00 PDT

Battlestar Galactica has always prided itself on being a different type of TV show, whether it's a break from the sterile SF of Star Trek, a political show devoid of West Wing-style earnestness or even just a show that has very, very bad bald wigs for their characters undergoing chemotherapy. But, says the Hollywood Reporter, now it's a different type of show for an entirely different reason: It has actually gained viewers in the last year.

According to the Reporter:

Seven episodes into its fourth season, the show is up 4% among adults 18 to 49 (averaging 1.4 million viewers) compared to the show's "Season 3.5" 2007 run. When you factor only episodes that have full-seven days of DVR use available, the show is up 18%. Total viewers (2.1 million) are up even more. Also: Last season the show aired on Sunday nights, a night with higher audience levels. Why this is interesting: "Battlestar" been on a downward ratings trend the past few years. Serialized shows, as many have pointed out, do not usually gain in the ratings.

The real question seems to be, why is the show gaining viewers for a season so continuity heavy and without obvious jumping-on points? And the real answer may have something to do with the fact that, unless you're willing to risk being spoiled by internet sites like.. us, you pretty much have to watch it on television now that Hulu is delaying putting the episodes online for eight days after broadcast (A decision that's not going over so well with the internet faithful).

Alternatively, maybe more and more people are tuning in after hearing Gaeta sing and thinking that the show will go from morally ambiguous drama to American Idol replacement. Sure, he's no David Cook, but who is?

Battlestar Galactica Ratings Take Off [Hollywood Reporter]

WB To Give Back Alien Teen Drama Roswell

Meredith Woerner — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:00:00 PDT

Everyone's favorite angst-ridden teen aliens will be back on the internet, thanks to The WB. Fans can stream all of Roswell's old episodes from the WB's new website, which is set to launch in August of 2008. Too long have we gone with out the Royal Four of Antar. Science fiction shows are burning up the internet these days: BSG, Firefly, At The Earth's Core, Surface, Land Of The Giants, Buck Rogers and Lost in Space are among the most popular shows on online video site Hulu. It's only a matter of time until more teen scifi such as The Secret World Of Alex Mack join in on the streaming fun. [Syfy Portal]