# Fox puts Terra Nova out of its misery **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902 "2012-03-06T05:31:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/1 "2012-03-06T05:31:13Z")
Mixed feelings on this one. I didn’t love it but I watched it. > [@](#): > > It’s official: Terra Nova, television’s great time-traveling dinosaur rodeo, has been canceled. Could Steven Spielberg’s show about people from the future colonizing the past have found its footing in a second season, and started to tell real compelling stories? Maybe, but we’ll never know. > > All the reports about the cancellation are stressing that the show is being shopped around to other networks — but I wouldn’t hold your breath for an announcement, given how expensive this show is, and what a damaged brand it is at this point. [TV Line and EW and THR] > > [http://io9.com/5890767/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery](http://io9.com/5890767/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery) ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/2 "2012-03-06T05:59:24Z")
Humans wanting to go back in time to occupy dinosaur land? They could have gone back to various other periods, where most of their energy could have been spent in better pursuits. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/3 "2012-03-06T06:20:57Z")
I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. Did it ever get good? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/4 "2012-03-06T06:21:03Z")
But with fewer dinos. Not that I ever watched it, but for the first couple weeks Wife referred to it as “my dino show” and actually made an effort to know what day and time it came on, like it was Star Trek reruns. The first couple weeks, then nada. Kiss of death. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/5 "2012-03-06T06:22:13Z")
They should have gone back in time and canceled it before it aired. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/6 "2012-03-06T06:39:42Z")
The two main reasons why it failed: 1. Brannon. 2. Braga. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/7 "2012-03-06T06:44:11Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. Did it ever get good? Too little, too late. I thought the final episode was pretty good. So did this critic: _You could watch the pilot of Terra Nova and last night’s season finale back to back, and you’d come away thinking this was a pretty fun show. Not a masterpiece, not a deep character study, but a fun piece of television. [Why did Terra Nova take a whole season to start living up to its pilot?](http://io9.com/5869834/why-did-terra-nova-take-a-whole-season-to-live-up-to-its-pilot)_ ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/8 "2012-03-06T12:01:13Z")
The least interesting of the rash of “family drama in a sci fi setting shows” from the past few seasons. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/9 "2012-03-06T12:28:29Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > The two main reasons why it failed: > > 1. Brannon. > 2. Braga. Both of these are correct. As soon as he was brought on, the changes he made were all wrong. He was trying to cater to imagined audience expectation, instead of making good TV, and as usual he made a pig’s ear of it. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/10 "2012-03-06T13:32:01Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Too little, too late. I thought the final episode was pretty good. So did this critic: > > _You could watch the pilot of Terra Nova and last night’s season finale back to back, and you’d come away thinking this was a pretty fun show. Not a masterpiece, not a deep character study, but a fun piece of television. > [Why did Terra Nova take a whole season to start living up to its pilot?](http://io9.com/5869834/why-did-terra-nova-take-a-whole-season-to-live-up-to-its-pilot)_ Living up to its pilot? The pilot was terrible, which is why I never wasted another minute watching the show. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/11 "2012-03-06T14:07:05Z")
Agreed. The pilot was all sorts of stupid and didn’t make the slightest bit of sense. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/12 "2012-03-06T14:36:58Z")
They introduced far to many plot point WAY too early. The whole sixer thing was stupid so early, as was the angsty teen plotlines. Too much too early. You could easily write a compelling show just about settling in such an alien version of earth. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/13 "2012-03-06T16:59:54Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Living up to its pilot? The pilot was terrible, which is why I never wasted another minute watching the show. Living up to the premise of its pilot, I would have said. ---
**Author:** ![Unix\_Geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unix_geek/32/19368_2.png) [@Unix\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unix_Geek)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/14 "2012-03-06T18:42:04Z")
Just hoping this means that Fringe has a chance at another season. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/15 "2012-03-06T18:52:58Z")
I kinda liked the season finale, so I guess I agree with that critic. Ah well, more room for America’s Most Ambitious Neo-Celebrity, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/16 "2012-03-06T18:57:11Z")
It was still on? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/17 "2012-03-06T19:17:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > It was still on? 😕 No, it finished it’s run awhile ago. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/18 "2012-03-06T19:22:08Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > The two main reasons why it failed: > > 1. Brannon. > 2. Braga. “Hey did you hear there’s a new scifi show coming to TV?” “That’s good.” “It’s on Fox.” “That’s bad.” “It’s got time travel and dinosaurs in it.” “That’s good.” “The show is produced by Brannon Braga.” “…” “That’s bad.” “Can I go now?” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/19 "2012-03-06T19:22:50Z")
I saw the pilot and thought it was terrible. It clearly had been written and rewritten until it made no sense. The opening scenes, where they were hunting for the illegal child, was ridiculous, since it looked like the only penalty for breaking that law was a couple of years of jail time. (I think originally they would have had the population police kill the girl, but decided against it). It also was ridiculous that they were able to supply a Malibu beach house for everyone in the colony. I gave up, but my wife kept watching. I happened to come by in another episode where someone had been badly gored by one of the rebels (or shot by one of the dinosaurs). I took one look and said, “Don’t die on me!” Ten seconds later, the doctor said, “Don’t die on me!” That was the last I watched. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902/20 "2012-03-06T19:43:57Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > “Hey did you hear there’s a new scifi show coming to TV?” > “That’s good.” > “It’s on Fox.” > “That’s bad.” > “It’s got time travel and dinosaurs in it.” > “That’s good.” But the dinosaurs are cursed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-puts-terra-nova-out-of-its-misery/614902.md?page=2)