History DuelingWorksLiveActionTV / ScienceFiction

** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' Drama in which a stern, violent, and ruthless sharp-shooting AntiHero, traumatized for decades by the killing of his immediate family, unexpectedly becomes the loving father figure of an orphan with their own DarkAndTroubledPast.

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** '''Implementation:''' One is a classic of popular culture, the other is [[SoBadItsGood cult kitsch]]. Notable in that Gene Rodenberry originally pitched ''Star Trek'' to Creator/{{CBS}}, who listened to his ideas on how to pull off a space show on a weekly TV budget, rejected the pitch, then went on to use all the ideas he'd given them to make ''Lost in Space''.

** '''Implementation:''' ''The Mandalorian'', a ''Franchise/StarWars'' SpaceWestern, airs on Creator/DisneyPlus. ''The Last of Us'', the LiveActionAdaptation of [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUs an Earthly post-zombie apocalypse video game]], airs on Creator/{{HBO}} for an older target age group. HBO cast Creator/PedroPascal in ''The Last of Us'' in the wake of the acclaim for his performances in ''The Mandalorian'' Seasons 1 and 2, and scheduled the premiere for the same year as the release of ''Mandalorian'' Season 3; ''[=TLoU=]'' episodes #7-9 will wire during the same weeks as ''Mando'' Chapters 17-19.

** '''Implementation:''' ''The Mandalorian'', a ''Franchise/StarWars'' SpaceWestern, airs on Creator/DisneyPlus. ''The Last of Us'', the LiveActionAdaptation of [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUs an Earthly post-zombie apocalypse video game]], airs on Creator/{{HBO}} for an older target age group. HBO cast Creator/PedroPascal in ''The Last of Us'' in the wake of the acclaim for his performances in ''The Mandalorian'' Seasons 1 and 2, and scheduled the premiere for the same year as the release of ''Mandalorian'' Season 3; ''[=TLoU=]'' episodes #7-9 will wire during the same weeks as ''Mando'' Chapters 1-3.

** '''Implementation:''' ''The Mandalorian'', a ''Franchise/StarWars'' SpaceWestern, airs on Creator/DisneyPlus. ''The Last of Us'', the LiveActionAdaptation of [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUs an Earthly post-zombie apocalypse video game]], airs on Creator/{{HBO}} for an older target age group. HBO cast Creator/PedroPascal in ''The Last of Us'' in the wake of the acclaim for his performances in ''The Mandalorian'' Seasons 1 and 2, and scheduled the premiere for the same year as the release of ''Mandalorian'' Season 3; episodes #7-9 will air during the first three weeks of ''Mando'' S3's run.

** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' Drama in which a stern, violent, and ruthless sharp-shooting AntiHero, traumatized for years by a death in his family, unexpectedly becomes the loving father figure of an orphan with their own DarkAndTroubledPast.

** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' Drama in which a stern, violent, and ruthless sharp-shooting AntiHero unexpectedly becomes the loving father figure of an orphan.

** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' Drama in which a stern, violent, and ruthless sharp-shooting AntiHero unexpectedly becomes the father figure of an orphan.

** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' Drama in which a stern and ruthless AntiHero unexpectedly becomes the father figure of an orphan.
** '''Implementation:''' ''The Mandalorian'', a ''Franchise/StarWars'' SpaceWestern, airs on Creator/DisneyPlus. ''The Last of Us'', the LiveActionAdaptation of [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUs an Earthly post-zombie apocalypse video game]], airs on Creator/{{HBO}} for an older target age group. HBO cast Creator/PedroPascal in ''The Last of Us'' in the wake of the acclaim for his performances in ''The Mandalorian'' Seasons 1 and 2, and scheduled the premiere for the same year as the release of ''Mandalorian'' Season 3.

* ''[[Series/TheMandalorian Star Wars: The Mandalorian]]'' (2019) / ''Series/TheLastOfUs2023''

** '''Implementation:''' ''The Mandalorian'' airs on Creator/DisneyPlus, presenting a SpaceWestern that begins five years after the end of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. ''The Last of Us'' airs on Creator/{{HBO}}, adapting [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUs a post-zombie apocalypse video game]] with an Earthly setting and an older target audience. HBO cast Creator/PedroPascal in ''The Last of Us'' in the wake of the acclaim for his performances in ''The Mandalorian'' Seasons 1 and 2, and scheduled the premiere for the same year as the release of ''Mandalorian'' Season 3.

** '''Implementation:''' ''The Mandalorian'' airs on Creator/DisneyPlus, presenting a SpaceWestern that begins five years after the end of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. ''The Last of Us'' airs on Creator/{{HBO}}, adapting [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUs a post-zombie apocalypse video game]] with an Earthly setting and an older target audience. HBO cast Creator/PedroPascal in ''The Last of Us'' in the wake of the acclaim for his performances in ''The Mandalorian'' Seasons 1 and 2, and scheduled the premiere for the same year as the release of ''Mando'' Season 3.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' (2019) / ''Series/TheLastOfUs2023''

** '''Implementation:''' ''The Mandalorian'' airs on Creator/DisneyPlus as essentially a ''Franchise/StarWars'' SpaceWestern. ''The Last of Us'' airs on Creator/{{HBO}}, adapting [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUs a post-zombie apocalypse video game]] with an older target audience than the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. HBO cast Creator/PedroPascal in ''The Last of Us'' in the wake of the acclaim for his performances in ''The Mandalorian'' Seasons 1 and 2, and scheduled the premiere for the same year as the release of ''Mando'' Season 3.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' (2019) / ''Series/TheLastOf2023''

** '''Implementation:''' Creator/{{HBO}} cast Creator/PedroPascal in ''The Last of Us'' in the wake of the acclaim for his performances in ''The Mandalorian'' Seasons 1 and 2. ''[=TLoU=]'' and ''The Mandalorian'' Season 3 both have 2023 release dates.

* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' (2017) / ''Series/TheOrville'' (2017)
** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' SpaceOpera Series inspired by Creator/GeneRoddenberry developed for TheNewTens.
** '''Implementation:''' ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' is the latest installment of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise, and is set roughly during the era of the original series pilot "The Cage." ''Series/TheOrville'' is a workplace dramedy InSpace with shades of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation Era]].

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|| Original || Clone || Description || Implementation || Winner? ||
|| ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' || ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963'' || An anthology show of fantasy/science fiction stories, always having a narrator open and end each episode. || Similar in premise, though there are a few subtle differences (for example, ''The Outer Limits'' was a full hour, whereas in the original ''The Twilight Zone'' only season 4 episodes were that long). ''Both'' series had at least one revival. || The original version of ''The Twilight Zone'' did better than the original version of ''The Outer Limits''; it lasted five seasons in contrast to ''The Outer Limits''’ two, and is usually better remembered. Adding up the total number of episodes from the original series and revivals, ''The Twilight Zone'' stands at 265 episodes, and ''The Outer Limits'' at 203. For the revivals, ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' lasted nearly twice as long as both the [[Series/TheTwilightZone1985 1985]] and [[Series/TheTwilightZone2002 2002]] ''Twilight Zone'' revivals combined. ||
|| ''Series/LostInSpace'' (1965) || ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' (1966) || WagonTrainToTheStars || One is a classic of popular culture, the other is [[SoBadItsGood cult kitsch]]. Notable in that Gene Rodenberry originally pitched ''Star Trek'' to Creator/{{CBS}}, who listened to his ideas on how to pull off a space show on a weekly TV budget, rejected the pitch, then went on to use all the ideas he'd given them to make ''Lost in Space''. || Depends on how you look at it. On one hand, ''Series/LostInSpace'' cleaned ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'''s clock in the ratings and lasted longer. On the other hand, ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' spawned a successful franchise that maintained an almost constant presence from 1979 to 2005, and was successfully revived in 2009. ''Series/LostInSpace'' faded away after its first TV series was cancelled, and the attempt to reboot it as a [[Film/LostInSpace film series]] never made it past the first installment, although it did get a [[Series/LostInSpace2018 2018 TV reboot]]. We're giving this one to ''Franchise/StarTrek''. ||
|| ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' (1993) || ''Series/BabylonFive'' (1994) || [[CityOfAdventure Adventure Town]] [[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE!]] becomes a hotspot for interstellar politics and an important staging point in a war with ScaryDogmaticAliens. || Fairly different, but with enough surface similarities -- and a documented pre-''Deep Space Nine'' pitch of ''B5'' to Paramount -- to merit accusations of [[FollowTheLeader plagiarism]]. (For an itemized list of similarities, see [[http://hassleinbooks.blogspot.com/2013/01/deep-space-nine-vs-babylon-5-two.html this]] article.) ''Deep Space Nine'' began as more episodic, but started shifting toward more arc-based seasons when ''B5'' grew in popularity. || Both were winners, though ''Deep Space Nine'' is better remembered because it's a part of [[Franchise/StarTrek one of the most lucrative franchises of all time]]. The feud between the fandoms, however, simmered for a long time before finally reaching a point of acceptance for both shows. What cannot be argued is that both shows, with heavy {{Myth Arc}}s and an emphasis on GrayAndGreyMorality, set the stage for moving pictures as we know it today: ''Series/TheSopranos'', ''Series/{{Lost}}'', ''Series/BreakingBad'', ''Series/GameOfThrones'' and the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse were only possible because the crews of these two space stations showed them how to do it. ||
|| ''Series/{{Lexx}}'' (1997) || ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' (1999) || SpaceOpera shows about a gang of weirdos on the loose in a LivingShip, with a bit more sex and moral ambiguity than usual for the genre. || ''Lexx'' was full of idea-driven weirdness and spent its budget mostly on space effects, ''Farscape'' stuck closer to the space opera formula and spent its budget mostly on creature effects. || Both lasted four seasons, ''Lexx'' ending with a relatively clear finale, while ''Farscape'' got cancelled on an extreme cliffhanger, finally resolved in a GrandFinale mini-series. Both continue to have loyal fanbases, although ''Lexx'' fans tend to be more defensive about it. ||
|| ''Series/{{Lost}}'' (2004) || ''Surface'' (2005)\\
''Series/{{Threshold}}'' (2005)\\
''Series/{{Invasion}}'' (2005)\\
''Series/FlashForward2009''\\
''Series/TheEvent'' (2010)\\
''Series/TerraNova'' (2011)\\
''Series/TheRiver'' (2012)\\
''Series/{{Alcatraz}}'' (2012)\\
''Series/{{Revolution}}'' (2012) || [[NoughtiesDramaSeries High-concept mystery show]] focusing on character development and long mythic arcs. || As seen by the list in the "Clone" column, ''Series/{{Lost}}'' spawned a bevy of imitators trying to replicate its formula for success. || ''Series/{{Lost}}'' outlasted them all. Every show in this entry not lucky enough to be called "''Series/{{Lost}}''" was canceled after its first season due to low ratings, and every single one of them ended with a LeftHanging ending. ''Series/TerraNova'', ''Alcatraz'', ''Series/TheRiver'' and ''Revolution'' premiered after ''Series/{{Lost}}'' had already gone off the air, however, but they still followed the ''Lost'' formula, and met the same fate as the other ''Lost'' clones. ||
|| ''Series/DoctorWho'' (2005) || ''Series/{{Primeval}}'' (2007) || British time-travelling adventure shows, based first and foremost at young people but written with adults in mind. || The shows were produced by and screened on the UK's two biggest broadcasters; Creator/TheBBC in the case of ''Doctor Who'', and Creator/{{ITV}} for ''Primeval''. || Both got rave reviews, but ''Primeval'' didn't really stand a chance against ''Doctor Who''’s popularity. It doesn't help that ''Primeval'' was axed due to budget problems before being revived about 2 years later. But it was still a broad success on its own, often regarded as among ITV's best shows and inspiring both a hotly-anticipated Canadian spin-off series and a theatrical feature film (in DevelopmentHell). ||
|| ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' (2008) || ''Series/EleventhHour'' (2008) || Two "Science Is Both Good ''And'' [[ScienceIsBad Bad]]" series. || Both did well in the ratings. || Though ''Eleventh Hour'' was a ratings leader, it just got canned after one season. ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', however, made it to season five despite increasingly abysmal ratings. ||
|| ''Virtuality'' (2009) || ''Series/DefyingGravity'' (2009) || ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' [[InSpace With Girls!]] || ''Virtuality'' is from the writer of ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' while ''Series/DefyingGravity'' was written by a writer from ''Series/GreysAnatomy''. Both feature space crews of pretty people in a ship for a long duration of time, to unravel FTL-travel and explore every planet in the solar system, respectively. ''Virtuality'' has to deal with a possibly [[AIIsACrapShoot unreliable AI]] and possibly a hacker; it's implied that ''Defying Gravity'''s mission was at the behest of unknown forces. || ''Series/DefyingGravity'' wins by a nose. Although it was canceled after its first season, it still made it farther than ''Virtuality'', which was nothing more than a failed pilot turned into a TV movie. ||
|| ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' (2017) || ''Series/TheOrville'' (2017) || SpaceOpera Series inspired by Creator/GeneRoddenberry developed for TheNewTens. || ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' is the latest installment of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise, and is set roughly during the era of the original series pilot "The Cage." ''Series/TheOrville'' is a workplace dramedy InSpace with shades of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation Era]]. || So far it's a tie between the shows. Each incarnates a different side of ''Trek'': ''Orville'' is bright, bold and optimistic while ''Discovery'' is serious, thought-provoking and dramatic. Critical response has been mixed; ''Discovery'' has far better critical ratings, but ''Orville'' has far better fan scores. Both shows are still in production as of 2020. ''Orville'' has an edge in being on broadcast television and free to watch, whereas ''DISCO'' requires streaming-service subscriptions; ''Discovery'' has an edge in that it has spawned an entire galaxy of {{Spin Off}}s.[[note]]''Series/StarTrekPicard'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'' have premiered as of 2020, and there are three more in early stages: ''ST: Strange New Worlds'' starring Creator/AnsonMount, ''ST: Prodigy'' with Creator/KateMulgrew, and as-yet-untitled Section 31 show starring Creator/MichelleYeoh.[[/note]] What cannot be disputed is that the ''fans'' are the biggest winners, as they have embraced either or both shows according to their own inclinations. ||
|| ''Series/TheTwilightZone2019'' || ''Series/AmazingStories2020'' || Reboots of classic science fiction anthology series developed as a KillerApp for fledgling streaming services, with a marquee producer attached. || ''The Twilight Zone'' was developed for [[Creator/ParamountPlus CBS All Access]], and is the third television revival of the series. A major part of the hook this time was the presence of Creator/JordanPeele, fresh off the success of ''Film/GetOut2017'' and ''Film/{{Us}}'', would serve not only as a producer but as the series' narrator. Meanwhile, ''Amazing Stories'' was developed for Creator/AppleTVPlus and is the first attempt to revive the property; in this case, the hook was that original creator Creator/StevenSpielberg would again be serving as a producer, suggesting it would be more in keeping with the original series rather than a modernization. || ''The Twilight Zone''. Despite mixed reactions from viewers (with some episodes being largely praised while others were not), the reviews from critics were largely favorable and the series was considered a success for CBS All Access; while it didn't supplant ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' as the service's flagship title, it did receive a second season in June 2020. (The second season got a much worse reception.) ''Amazing Stories'', however, received mixed-negative reviews from both audiences AND critics, and was unable to turn around Apple TV+'s weak subscriber numbers. ''Twilight Zone'' was cancelled in early 2021; a year after its launch, the fate of ''Amazing Stories'' remains unknown. ||

|| Original || Clone || Capsule Pitch Description || Implementation || Winner? ||

|| ''Series/TheTwilightZone2019'' || ''Series/AmazingStories2020'' || Reboots of classic science fiction anthology series developed as a KillerApp for fledgling streaming services, with a marquee producer attached. || ''The Twilight Zone'' was developed for Creator/{{CBS}}'s All Access service, and is the third television revival of the series. A major part of the hook this time was the presence of Creator/JordanPeele, fresh off the success of ''Film/GetOut2017'' and ''Film/{{Us}}'', would serve not only as a producer but as the series' narrator. Meanwhile, ''Amazing Stories'' was developed for Creator/AppleTVPlus and is the first attempt to revive the property; in this case, the hook was that original creator Creator/StevenSpielberg would again be serving as a producer, suggesting it would be more in keeping with the original series rather than a modernization. || ''The Twilight Zone''. Despite mixed reactions from viewers (with some episodes being largely praised while others were not), the reviews from critics were largely favorable and the series was a success for CBS All Access; while it didn't supplant ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' as the service's flagship title, it did receive a second season in June 2020. ''Amazing Stories'', however, received mixed-negative reviews from both audiences AND critics, and was unable to turn around Apple TV+'s weak subscriber numbers. ||

|| ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' (2017) || ''Series/TheOrville'' (2017) || SpaceOpera Series inspired by Creator/GeneRoddenberry developed for TheNewTens. || ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' is the latest installment of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise, and is set roughly during the era of the original series pilot "The Cage." ''Series/TheOrville'' is a workplace dramedy InSpace with shades of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation Era]]. || So far it's a tie between the shows. Each incarnates a different side of ''Trek'': ''Orville'' is bright, bold and optimistic while ''Discovery'' is serious, thought-provoking and dramatic. Critical response has been mixed; ''Discovery'' has far better critical ratings, but ''Orville'' has far better fan scores. Both shows are still in production as of 2020. ''Orville'' has an edge in being on broadcast television and free to watch, whereas ''DISCO'' requires streaming-service subscriptions; ''Discovery'' has an edge in that it has spawned an entire galaxy of {{Spin Off}}s[[note]]''Series/StarTrekPicard'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'' have premiered as of 2020, and there are three more in early stages: ''ST: Strange New Worlds'' starring Creator/AnsonMount, ''ST: Prodigy'' with Creator/KateMulgrew, and as-yet-untitled Section 31 show starring Creator/MichelleYeoh[[/note]]. What cannot be disputed is that the ''fans'' are the biggest winners, as they have embraced either or both shows according to their own inclinations.||

|| ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' (2017) || ''Series/TheOrville'' (2017) || SpaceOpera Series inspired by Creator/GeneRoddenberry developed for TheNewTens. || ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' is the latest installment of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise, and is set roughly during the era of the original series pilot "The Cage." ''Series/TheOrville'' is a workplace dramedy InSpace with shades of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation Era]]. || So far it's a tie between the shows. Each incarnates a different side of ''Trek'': ''Orville'' is bright, bold and optimistic while ''Discovery'' is serious, thought-provoking and dramatic. Critical response has been mixed - ''Discovery'' has far better critic ratings, but ''Orville'' has far better fan scores. Both shows are still in production as of 2020. You could give this to ''Discovery'' because it has led to an entire new era of televised ''Trek'' -- ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'' have premiered as of this writing, and three more shows are in development -- but this blurs the line of how we make these judgments. What cannot be disputed is that the ''fans'' are the biggest winners, as they have embraced either or both shows according to their own inclinations... unless they can't or won't subscribe to the premium "CBS All Access" channel to watch ''Discovery'' in America; ''Orville'' may have a slight edge there as it's on broadcast television.||

|| ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' (2017) || ''Series/TheOrville'' (2017) || SpaceOpera Series inspired by Creator/GeneRoddenberry developed for TheNewTens || ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' is the latest installment of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise, and is set roughly during the era of the original series pilot "The Cage." ''Series/TheOrville'' is a workplace dramedy InSpace with shades of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation Era]]. || So far it's a tie between the shows and a win-win for fans. The two shows are incarnations of two different sides of the ''Star Trek'' legacy - ''Orville'' being bright, bold and optimistic while ''Discovery'' is serious, thought provoking and dramatic and fans have embraced both shows for offering a different take on the ''Star Trek'' mythos. Critical response has been mixed - ''Discovery'' has far better critic ratings, but ''Orville'' has far better fan scores. About the only losers are people who can't or won't subscribe to the premium channel to watch ''Discovery'' - ''Orville'' may have a slight edge as it's on broadcast television. Both shows are still in production as of 2020.||

[[folder:Science Fiction]]

|| ''Series/TheTwilightZone2019'' || ''Series/AmazingStories2020'' || Reboots of classic science fiction anthology series developed as a KillerApp for fledgling streaming services, with a marquee producer attached. || ''The Twilight Zone'' was developed for Creator/{{CBS}}'s All Access service, and is the third television revival of the series. A major part of the hook this time was the presence of Creator/JordanPeele, fresh off the success of ''Film/GetOut2017'' and ''Film/{{Us}}'', would serve not only as a producer but as the series' narrator. Meanwhile, ''Amazing Stories'' was developed for Creator/AppleTVPlus and is the first attempt to revive the property; in this case, the hook was that original creator Creator/StevenSpielberg would again be serving as a producer, suggesting it would be more in keeping with the original series rather than a modernization. || ''The Twilight Zone''. Despite mixed reactions from viewers (with some episodes being largely praised while others were not), the reviews from critics were largely favorable and the series was a success for CBS All Access; while it didn't supplant ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' as the service's flagship title, it did receive a second season in June 2020. ''Amazing Stories'', however, received mixed-negative reviews from both audiences AND critics, and was unable to turn around Apple TV+'s weak subscriber numbers. ||
[[/folder]]