Farscape season 3 on sci-fi UK.

[west]

Every weekday at 12 o'clock (1pm on sci-fi+1) the sci-fi Channel are showing the fantastic third season of Farscape. don't forget to set your Sky +,VCR's or DVD recorders.

[PoochJD]

Hi,

A great show indeed, but it's being aired cut on Sci-Fi, to remove all non-appropriate material for the kiddies!


Pooch

[west]

Originally Posted by PoochJD

Hi,

A great show indeed, but it's being aired cut on Sci-Fi, to remove all non-appropriate material for the kiddies!


Pooch

It's such a great show it's better that it's shown with a few cuts than not at all.

[Battle]

Ive got all 4 series on DVD and they are great but some of the shows are either 15 & 18 certificates so if they are being cut quite a lot of material is going to be missing. Buy the DVDs instead and watch it all in its frelling glory

[west]

Originally Posted by Battle

Ive got all 4 series on DVD and they are great but some of the shows are either 15 & 18 certificates so if they are being cut quite a lot of material is going to be missing. Buy the DVDs instead and watch it all in its frelling glory

I've also got all of the DVDs and would recommend owning them "in all its frelling glory". However for those unfamiliar with the show and unwilling to risk their money, being on sci-fi it's a great way to get to know the show.

As far as the cuts go and someone better informed can correct me. I just feel that there won't be an awful lot cut from those more adult episodes. For example there's a season 2 episode which is an 18 certificate, if I recall correctly it's called home on the remains, and I believe it's for only one gory sequence right near the end of a few seconds the rest of the episode is probably fine.

While I agree watching them uncut is by far the more preferarable choice I just think they should be on TV a lot more than they are, cut or uncut. It's a sad fact that some of the best science fiction TV series hardly get an airing after the first couple of showings, while the more mainstream shows like Stargate and Star Trek are constantly being re run . I personally watched Farscape on the BBC and had no idea I was missing anything so in my humble opinion I don't think these cuts are going to detract from the quality of the show.

[PoochJD]

Hi,

West said:

Originally Posted by west

As far as the cuts go and someone better informed can correct me. I just feel that there won't be an awful lot cut from those more adult episodes. For example there's a season 2 episode which is an 18 certificate, if I recall correctly it's called home on the remains, and I believe it's for only one gory sequence right near the end of a few seconds the rest of the episode is probably fine. While I agree watching them uncut is by far the more preferarable choice I just think they should be on TV a lot more than they are, cut or uncut.

Whilst I understand what West has said, I still feel that seeing something like Farscape being watered-down from a more adult-oriented show (that just happens to be sci-fi based, and include puppet characters) is a bit unfair and patronising to adult viewers.

Sci-Fi TV has come a long, long way in the past ten years or so, and it's now no longer just a cult genre, that only nerdy, teenage guys watch. With shows like "Battlestar Galactica", "Total Recall 2070", "Stargate Atlantis", and many others, the TV companies have shown that sci-fi can be both intelligent and serious, and not just "another Star Trek-type show".

With Farscape, it's one thing to show a cut version, if you're also going to air the uncut version, just as the BBC did with "Buffy". but when the UK Sci-Fi Channel only airs the cut-versions of a show like Farscape, then it annoys me, and it's annoying to viewers who simply want to see a good, intelligent show, as it was meant to be seen.

As such, the BBC and Sci-Fi do cut a lot more material out, than TV viewers may realise. The full-length, uncut episodes tend to last around 47-minutes, without adverts. Both the BBC and Sci-Fi are (or were) airing cut versions, with running times as low as 39-minutes! That's a huge amount of material that's being removed out of episodes.

And it's not only the 18-certificate Season 2 episode "Home On The Remains" that gets cut, but most episodes are toned-down to remove too much use of the words "frell" (and all its derivatives), as well as violent content, sexually-charged scenes, and any material that is considered unsuitable for family viewing!

This is why, where possible, viewers need to be aware of what is being cut, why it's cut, and why it makes a difference! Trust me when I say that once you've seen the cut versions, and then see the uncut originals, you'll be shocked at how editing has been done. Most of it won't be noticeable, but that isn't the issue. When Channel 4 aired the Pilot Episode of "Alias", I compared their 5:30pm version against the uncut Sky 1 print. Over 7 minutes of material had been edited out! Fans of TV should be told that they aren't seeing the show the way the creators want you too see it! Just look at the way "Babylon 5" was mutilated by Channel 4. Hell even "The Sopranos" is being cut on Channel 4, as 30-seconds of material was cut from an episode aired two weeks back! Now that's taking the mickey!


Pooch

[west]

I agree with you Pooch that these types of show should be shown uncut at an appropriate time. However as the sci-fi Channel is far more interested in ratings these days meaning quality shows are not shown in the prime time if they believe a show like Farscape can't maintain its ratings. Last year when they shown season 3 of Farscape they pulled it before season 4 letting many viewers down. They are far more interested in showing soft porn in the midnight slot than letting its viewers see quality sci-fi as it was originally intended, uncut .

I agree other episodes had cuts but I don't believe the BBC hacked up the episodes that much. I recorded the first series on its first viewing and the episodes were in the region of 47 - 50 minutes. I remember this because I used to record on short play videotapes meaning a three hour tape could normally hold eight episodes of a series, while the first season of Farscape had seven to a tape. later seasons had 43 odd min eps.

The only episode that I noticed was cut besides the "home on the remains" was of another season 2 episode that I can't recall the name featuring the Nebari. Other than that nothing really stuck out when I watched Farscape on DVD uncut... Although if I do remember correctly the BBC did show the episode "scratch and sniff" uncut late at night.

I agree with you that people need to be aware that something is being cut but if a broadcaster won't show it in an appropriate time slot sometimes a few cuts are necessary so that the show gets broadcast. I think it's more important that Farscape is shown at least that way it can reach an audience. It's a crying shame that sci-fi is treated so poorly and considered the way it is but how is anybody going to know how good sci-fi can be if it's not shown on the telly?

I have to admit I'm surprised they cut the use of "frell" because while it is obviously a replacement swear word, It isn't actually a swear word and shouldn't be a problem for a family audience.

The sopranos was cut after being shown with a start time of after 10pm, that's ridiculous.