Where would media science fiction be without the re-run?
I mean seriously. It wasn’t until re-run syndication that what is arguably the greatest SF franchise of all time – Star Trek – became a household word, got a space shuttle named after it, gave second careers (another kind of re-run) to some of our favorite personalities and spawned a legion of spin-offs, from FOUR more television series, to uncountable feature films, to fan produced epics and even meta comedy takes (not to mention conventions, clubs, books, toys, animated series, Christmas specials…..)
Want to know the value of re-runs for science fiction media properties? Just ask a Browncoat! (Well, maybe not; chances are they’ll focus on the cancellation rather than life after….)
If you’re a Boomer, you probably owe at least a calculated 73.867 (repeating) percent of your fannishness to those classic SF and horror films “re-run” on the late-late-late show or any number of Saturday morning creature feature shows. (If you’re not a Boomer, well, sorry ’bout that, but you know from re-runs too!)
We fans are an obsessive lot. Despite the glut of new materials, we constantly re-read those old favorites, re-watch (while mouthing the dialogue) those special shows from Firefly to Buffy; some of us obsess so deeply that we build our lives around favorite imagery, or even bankrupt ourselves producing fan-made productions of our fetishes. We parade them like totems, eager to be associated with these things we care so deeply about.
The above is all the justification Amazing Stories needs to not only contemplate, but actually produce, its own re-run. Today, we are proud to begin offering re-broadcasts of the SCIFI4ME podcast H2O, a podcast devoted to….well, pretty much anything obsessive fans obsess about.
Now entering its third year, H2O features Jason P. Hunt and Timothy Harvey of the SCIFI4ME blog and “O, just about everything Sci Fi”. Their very first episode (which you’ll find below) involves a conversation examining the question: Is Santa Claus a Time Lord?
The show has recently produced its 50th episode; Amazing Stories’ re-run will be lagging behind that a bit (in true re-run fashion). Jason Hunt of SciFi4Me and I have been dancing around for a while, trying to find an appropriate way to share some genre love between us. I’m pleased that we finally found at least one answer.
SciFi4Me is, in many ways, an “Amazing Stories” for a younger audience; they’ve got plenty of fannish cred, and have chosen to concentrate on more immediate, primarily media-oriented, fare. We think both our audiences will find much of interest on both sites.
And now for the kicker: not only are we introducing H2O as an old-fashioned re-run, we’re also incorporating one of the newest broadcast trends – binge watching. Or in this particular case, binge Listening!
Here, in original broadcast sequence, are the first 15 episodes of H2O! And not just that – we’re also kicking it off with the Pilot Episode, in video, where Jason and Timothy discuss that Time Lord question!
Next week we’ll bring you another set of episodes! And don’t forget to catch the latest episode of H20 on SciFi4Me.com later today (and every Thursday).
Sponsors: Looking to pick up some space on a syndicated re-run that won’t cost as much as the original Network Broadcast? Get in touch!