React Military TV Show on TNT

[Cobra80]

So a friend sent me a text that TNT is working on doing a military TV show called React. So why can't we get a live action GI JOE tv show on Spike, USA, CBS etc?

I would rather see a cool Live Action GI Joe TV show and get to watch 20 + possible episodes than 1 two hour movie.

So if TNT is gearing up for a Military TV show, then there is demand by viewers for one. So does anyone think GI JOE has a chance in Primetime TV?

[Jmacq1]

So a friend sent me a text that TNT is working on doing a military TV show called React. So why can't we get a live action GI JOE tv show on Spike, USA, CBS etc?

I would rather see a cool Live Action GI Joe TV show and get to watch 20 + possible episodes than 1 two hour movie.

So if TNT is gearing up for a Military TV show, then there is demand by viewers for one. So does anyone think GI JOE has a chance in Primetime TV?

No, G.I. Joe isn't going to be a live-action TV show anytime soon. At least not a successful one, because Hasbro will be quite insistent that it be so "kid friendly" that adults would undoubtedly find it silly. At best we'd end up with something that was about as cheesy as those 90's shows like "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Relic Hunter."

Remember, to Hasbro's mind G.I. Joe is still for kids, not us big kids. The comics are about the only outlier, because they're such a tiny piece of the overall media pie that Hasbro just doesn't care if it's only adults buying.

We probably got about as close to a "grown up" G.I. Joe series as we'll ever get with "The Unit."

[Crazy Legs]

I dont see why GI JOE has to just focus on kids, that's just a bad business decision. Star Wars from the start has a wide range of ages when putting out their product and they have survived based on that.

[Jmacq1]

I dont see why GI JOE has to just focus on kids, that's just a bad business decision. Star Wars from the start has a wide range of ages when putting out their product and they have survived based on that.

No, Star Wars "at the start" enthralled an entire generation of kids, and then relaunched right when that generation was reaching adulthood. Then the prequels arrived and started roping in new generations of kids, up through the Clone Wars cartoon (which is already on its "waning" phase). It's also quite telling that in the years where they have to rely on the adult collectors to keep the line going, the line invariably gets much smaller. Or likewise the "collector focused" (Non Clone-Wars) product is where a large degree of the cost-cutting occurs (with heavy repacking and repainting, etc...)

Or y'know, just look at G.I. Joe ,which struggles like hell just to stay on retail shelves and hasn't had a major hit "with the kids" since the 80's.

Adult collectors are not a reliable or terribly profitable market in most cases...hence the reason Toy Manufacturers continually keep trying to rope in more kids (usually over the complaints of the adult collectors).

But more to the original point: It's VERY hard to make a truly entertaining "all ages" show these days, much less one that by its' nature would include large amounts of violence and gunplay.

[Crazy Legs]

No, Star Wars "at the start" enthralled an entire generation of kids, and then relaunched right when that generation was reaching adulthood. Then the prequels arrived and started roping in new generations of kids, up through the Clone Wars cartoon (which is already on its "waning" phase). It's also quite telling that in the years where they have to rely on the adult collectors to keep the line going, the line invariably gets much smaller. Or likewise the "collector focused" (Non Clone-Wars) product is where a large degree of the cost-cutting occurs (with heavy repacking and repainting, etc...)

Or y'know, just look at G.I. Joe ,which struggles like hell just to stay on retail shelves and hasn't had a major hit "with the kids" since the 80's.

Adult collectors are not a reliable or terribly profitable market in most cases...hence the reason Toy Manufacturers continually keep trying to rope in more kids (usually over the complaints of the adult collectors).

But more to the original point: It's VERY hard to make a truly entertaining "all ages" show these days, much less one that by its' nature would include large amounts of violence and gunplay.

It wasnt just for kids, kids are a section of it's fans. The years in between movies Star Wars was kept alive with novels, comics, resource books, pen and paper games, video games, etc, etc. And out of all that stuff that kept Star Wars alive through the years kid version of them were made. The Star Wars franchise is not just the movies and is not only for kids. And lets not forget that they are in the process of making an adult TV for Star Wars either.

[CornDog_The_Ninja]

I dont see why GI JOE has to just focus on kids, that's just a bad business decision. Star Wars from the start has a wide range of ages when putting out their product and they have survived based on that.

You can't compare Star Wars to GI Joe. Star Wars was a movie first.

GI Joe was directly aimed at kids through a cartoon, toys and a comic book.

[Jmacq1]

It wasnt just for kids, kids are a section of it's fans. The years in between movies Star Wars was kept alive with novels, comics, resource books, pen and paper games, video games, etc, etc. And out of all that stuff that kept Star Wars alive through the years kid version of them were made. The Star Wars franchise is not just the movies and is not only for kids. And lets not forget that they are in the process of making an adult TV for Star Wars either.

The comics were for kids. The Novels prior to 1992 were basically "young reader" level novels.

The Role-Playing Game didn't hit until 1987, when most of the initial generation of Star Wars fans were starting to veer towards their teenage years.

The Novels didn't really take off until "Heir To The Empire" hit, which once again...was when that generation of kids was in their mid-late teens.

You're completely missing my point: 99 percent of the adults who are big Star Wars fans got into the franchise as kids. Sure, there were adults that enjoyed watching Star Wars as a movie, but the number of them that really "got into it" and were collecting the toys, etc... back in the 1970's was a tiny, tiny minority (guys like Steve Sansweet). Star Wars was overwhelmingly a "kid's phenomenon" until the kids grew up. The only reason there are "semi-adult" (Because let's be honest...there's very little in Star Wars media of any kind that would honestly be called challenging or "mature.") Star Wars products is because of that generation of kids who grew up while still clinging to their love of the franchise.

G.I. Joe never managed to keep engaging the kid market on nearly the same level, and as a result it's struggling to survive based primarily off the goodwill of a comparatively tiny adult collector base (us). We're not enough to support a TV show, and a TV show isn't likely to re-ignite the brand. Heck, TNT "gearing up for a military TV show" doesn't even prove that there is demand for such a show. It means TNT thinks there MIGHT be a demand, but until the show actually airs nobody really knows how much demand for the product exists. Far more shows end up canceled than end up becoming big hits, especially if they're expensive to make...which a G.I. Joe show would almost certainly be.

I'll put it another way: You start making G.I. Joe too "adult" and it's really not G.I. Joe anymore. It's "Call of Duty" with slightly more colorful bad guys.

[Crazy Legs]

The comics were for kids. The Novels prior to 1992 were basically "young reader" level novels.

The Role-Playing Game didn't hit until 1987, when most of the initial generation of Star Wars fans were starting to veer towards their teenage years.

The Novels didn't really take off until "Heir To The Empire" hit, which once again...was when that generation of kids was in their mid-late teens.

You're completely missing my point: 99 percent of the adults who are big Star Wars fans got into the franchise as kids. Sure, there were adults that enjoyed watching Star Wars as a movie, but the number of them that really "got into it" and were collecting the toys, etc... back in the 1970's was a tiny, tiny minority (guys like Steve Sansweet). Star Wars was overwhelmingly a "kid's phenomenon" until the kids grew up. The only reason there are "semi-adult" (Because let's be honest...there's very little in Star Wars media of any kind that would honestly be called challenging or "mature.") Star Wars products is because of that generation of kids who grew up while still clinging to their love of the franchise.

G.I. Joe never managed to keep engaging the kid market on nearly the same level, and as a result it's struggling to survive based primarily off the goodwill of a comparatively tiny adult collector base (us). We're not enough to support a TV show, and a TV show isn't likely to re-ignite the brand. Heck, TNT "gearing up for a military TV show" doesn't even prove that there is demand for such a show. It means TNT thinks there MIGHT be a demand, but until the show actually airs nobody really knows how much demand for the product exists. Far more shows end up canceled than end up becoming big hits, especially if they're expensive to make...which a G.I. Joe show would almost certainly be.

I'll put it another way: You start making G.I. Joe too "adult" and it's really not G.I. Joe anymore. It's "Call of Duty" with slightly more colorful bad guys.

I'm not missing any point, you just have some crazy idea that Star Wars survived because of the kids that grew up and thats wrong. Star Wars survived because of the fans, the fans have always been there. Look at footage of the openings of those films, they werent filled with kids, look at footage of comic-con during that time, it's same as comic-con now.... well, with worst costumes. Fans have ALWAYS been there.

Hell, here, go to the 3 minute mark.
Star Wars Documentary - Part 8 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0eoG5sMpfE&feature=relmfu)

You are 100% wrong.
Star Wars has ALWAYS had fan across the whole spectrum.

BTW, TNT isn't the only channel with a military show, there have been several all over the place. The Unit, Strikeback, Generation Kill, etc, etc.


You can't compare Star Wars to GI Joe. Star Wars was a movie first.

GI Joe was directly aimed at kids through a cartoon, toys and a comic book.

I'm not comparing JOE with SW im saying that they should do what Star Wars has been doing for a while and appeal to a wider audience.

[Jmacq1]

I'm not missing any point, you just have some crazy idea that Star Wars survived because of the kids that grew up and thats wrong. Star Wars survived because of the fans, the fans have always been there. Look at footage of the openings of those films, they werent filled with kids, look at footage of comic-con during that time, it's same as comic-con now.... well, with worst costumes. Fans have ALWAYS been there.

Hell, here, go to the 3 minute mark.

You are 100% wrong.
Star Wars has ALWAYS had fan across the whole spectrum.

Of course adults went to go see the movies and enjoyed them. We already covered this. Who do you think took the kids to the movies in the first place?

San Diego Comic-Con? Please. You're going to point at something that at the time was a gathering point for the geek fringe as though it were representative of society as a whole? Gimme a break. SDCC didn't start going fully "mainstream" until well into the 90's, if not the 2000s. Hey, guess what happened about that time? Oh right, all those "Star Wars kids" grew up.

What YOU fail to see is if it weren't for millions of kids growing up on Star Wars toys, comics, etc... It wouldn't be REMOTELY CLOSE to the powerhouse franchise it is today. Where the hell do you think Lucas REALLY got most of his billions of dollars from? Hint: It wasn't from box office returns.

BTW, TNT isn't the only channel with a military show, there have been several all over the place. The Unit, Strikeback, Generation Kill, etc, etc.

And guess what most of them (barring Strikeback thus far) have in common? They're all canceled. Strikeback itself is a poor example, being a heavily "R-Rated" show. Once again, if you' think that's what Joe needs to do to "appeal to a wider audience" then you're advocating something that isn't G.I. Joe at all. You'd be better served going to Cinemax and asking them to make Strikeback action figures.

I'm not comparing JOE with SW im saying that they should do what Star Wars has been doing for a while and appeal to a wider audience.

Aaaaand once again...Star Wars "wider audience" was a happy side effect. It was until the mid-90's "appealing" almost exclusively to children. That some adults latched on is fine and dandy, but it was the popularity among children that unquestionably made it a multi-billion dollar merchandising and multimedia juggernaut.

G.I. Joe didn't seem to need a "wider audience" in the early 80's, but suddenly it does now? You don't think it's just a WEE bit coincidental that suddenly you think Joe should "grow up" now that you've grown up too?

In fact, exactly what purpose does G.I Joe catering to an adult audience serve, given that Hasbro's ultimate objective with the franchise is to sell action figures, and an "adult" show is not going to convince non-collecting adults to start collecting?

[Crazy Legs]

Of course adults went to go see the movies and enjoyed them. We already covered this. Who do you think took the kids to the movies in the first place?

San Diego Comic-Con? Please. You're going to point at something that at the time was a gathering point for the geek fringe as though it were representative of society as a whole? Gimme a break. SDCC didn't start going fully "mainstream" until well into the 90's, if not the 2000s. Hey, guess what happened about that time? Oh right, all those "Star Wars kids" grew up.

Comic-con being mainstream or not have nothing to do with the point. That being that there have ALWAYS been adult fans. Fact.


What YOU fail to see is if it weren't for millions of kids growing up on Star Wars toys, comics, etc... It wouldn't be REMOTELY CLOSE to the powerhouse franchise it is today. Where the hell do you think Lucas REALLY got most of his billions of dollars from? Hint: It wasn't from box office returns.

Lucas' money comes from Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light and Magic.

I'm not denying that kids were a factor you are the one denying that there have always been adult fans.



And guess what most of them (barring Strikeback thus far) have in common? They're all canceled. Strikeback itself is a poor example, being a heavily "R-Rated" show. Once again, if you' think that's what Joe needs to do to "appeal to a wider audience" then you're advocating something that isn't G.I. Joe at all. You'd be better served going to Cinemax and asking them to make Strikeback action figures.

The Unit is the only one that got cancelled and that was after 4 seasons. Generation Kill was a miniseries. And no i am not saying that they need to go Rated R the point, which you ignore again, is that these types of series exist.



Aaaaand once again...Star Wars "wider audience" was a happy side effect. It was until the mid-90's "appealing" almost exclusively to children. That some adults latched on is fine and dandy, but it was the popularity among children that unquestionably made it a multi-billion dollar merchandising and multimedia juggernaut.

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
I dont even know where you are pulling this from, thinking that the wider audience being a side effect is just completely nuts.


G.I. Joe didn't seem to need a "wider audience" in the early 80's, but suddenly it does now? You don't think it's just a WEE bit coincidental that suddenly you think Joe should "grow up" now that you've grown up too?

Is GI JOE now as big as it was in the 80s? Let's not act like GI JOE is in exactly the same spot it was decades ago and this is some crazy idea that there is no purpose for. And no i dont think GI JOE should grow up the idea is adding another section to the franchise just like they did with Sigma 6 which OBVIOUSLY targeted the Anime craze at the time.


In fact, exactly what purpose does G.I Joe catering to an adult audience serve, given that Hasbro's ultimate objective with the franchise is to sell action figures, and an "adult" show is not going to convince non-collecting adults to start collecting?

How do you know?
It might bring people back or bring people from other franchises.

You sure make a lot of definite talk based on nothing, really.

[Jmacq1]

You sure make a lot of definite talk based on nothing, really.

And you exaggerate to the point of flat out lying about what I'm saying and am not saying, and have absolutely no sense whatsoever of history. Consider this conversation concluded.

A live-action G.I. Joe TV series isn't happening, and probably never will. Why? Because Hasbro still considers G.I. Joe a kids' property designed to sell action figures above all else.

[Crazy Legs]

And you exaggerate to the point of flat out lying about what I'm saying and am not saying, and have absolutely no sense whatsoever of history. Consider this conversation concluded.

i dont see how i lied about anything, if i did- oh wait... "conversation concluded."

And sorry you but are the only person here with no sense of history. I even linked a video showing how Start Wars got to be as big as it did even before it was released, it was the fans. Lucas went out to the fans to spread the word which was, by the way, the same thing done to save Star Trek. Word went out to the whole fan community and they all came together.


A live-action G.I. Joe TV series isn't happening, and probably never will. Why? Because Hasbro still considers G.I. Joe a kids' property designed to sell action figures above all else.

And im pretty sure we all know that Gi JOE has a tremendous audience with older folks or else they would be including silly launchers all over the place which they dont. This only happens with the movies. Which happen to consist of a more adult material than the cartoons. Well, at least the second one looks more adult.