For older stuff, I still think Farscape and the 2000s BSG remake still hold up too. I especially like the unreliable narrator thread in Farscape when Chriton had the brain implant. That was peak paranoia. Good stuff. The Expanse was good too.

I don’t think producers like JJ and Kurtzman are idiots. I think they have jobs. They know what their distributors want and give it to them. This is why they remain employed. They’re trusted by the money men. This, in contrast to actual geniuses like Terry Gilliam, David Lynch, John Carpenter, etc, who just want to make their visions come hell or high water.

For all I know, from a business standpoint Paramount execs might well be right. That is, chasing the youth market and hoping for a splash is the demo advertisers want. It’s their property, so good luck to them I guess.

I have a lot of respect for all the artists involved. The set and costume designers, vfx artists, grips and cinematography guys. They put a lot of work in and it visually shows. I hope they all get a good payday.