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When Roland Emmerich made his 1994 sci-fi adventure "Stargate," he likely never envisioned the sprawling media saga that would follow. In fact, after the film proved a modest success at the box office, there was talk of making a whole "Stargate" trilogy. Instead, Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner took on the task of continuing the story begun by Emmerich. The pair oversaw "Stargate Sg-1," a TV show that launched in 1997 and revolved around the same team from the movie, following their exploits across the universe as they explore strange alien worlds using the Stargate portal. Kurt Russell might've refused to reprise his lead role as Colonel Jack O'Neill for the franchise's small-screen continuation, but Wright and Glassner had "MacGuyver" star Ricard Dean Anderson to help propel their series to success. Indeed, the show proved a cult hit, lasting for 10 seasons before the Sci-Fi channel (now SyFy) cancelled "Sg-1" in 2007.

But that...

Those unfamiliar with the franchise will be shocked to learn the sheer volume of "Stargate" media there is in the universe. The "Stargate" saga began in 1994 with the release of Roland Emmerich's ultra-slick sci-fi movie, a gigantic hit that really thrust Emmerich into the American mass consciousness. The 1994 movie starred James Spader and Kurt Russell as a scientist and a soldier (respectively) who begin dabbling with an ancient Egyptian portal that, they find, grants them instant access to distant planets. They find that Ancient Egypt was once lousy with space aliens, and that creatures from beyond the stars have been influencing human history for millennia. 

The film was only warmly reviewed, but it made almost $200 million on a $55 million budget, and it lodged itself into pop culture, seemingly in perpetuity. In 1997, the TV series "Stargate Sg-1" debuted on Showtime, gaining a passionate cult audience almost immediately. The series greatly expanded the film's lore,...

It might not have as widespread and dedicated a fanbase as something like "Star Trek" or the cultural caché of "Star Wars," but the "Stargate" franchise is surprisingly expansive. Though it began with a single film directed by Roland Emmerich, the saga quickly grew to incorporate multiple TV series, direct-to-home-media movies, comics, video games, and books. Which for the uninitiated, must make it seem almost impossible to figure out the correct order to watch the "Stargate" franchise.

Thankfully, the best "Stargate" is early "Stargate," which is to say Emmerich's film and the very first TV spin-off "Stargate Sg-1." Envisioned as a sequel to the movie, "Sg-1" debuted on Showtime in 1997 and followed the same special operations team from the film as they traversed the universe via the titular artifact. Instead of Kurt Russell, who refused to return as Colonel Jack O'Neil for the show, "Sg-1" cast Richard Dean Anderson in the role,...

The premise of the 1997 sci-fi series "Stargate Sg-1," which spun out from the 1994 movie, is fun. The American military has in their possession a series of ring-shaped Stargates that can instantaneously transport them to distant planets. The Stargates had previously been used by ancient aliens to infiltrate Earth and pose as deities; the gods of Egypt were in fact conquering extraterrestrials called the Goa'uld. The military uses the Stargates to travel to distant worlds and gather powerful weapons technologies, hoping to use them to defend themselves from the Goa'uld. Alien weapons are a major factor throughout the massive "Stargate" franchise.

Of course, the ensuing mythology of "Sg-1" becomes massively complicated, and only deep-cut fans will be able to give a casual reader all the necessary details to understanding the original series and its multiple spin-offs; after completing all 10 seasons of the original show, one might also want to watch "Stargate Infinity,...

In director Roland Emmerich's 1994 sci-fi thriller "Stargate," a mysterious metal ring, about nine feet wide, is discovered in the remote ruins of Egypt. The ring is found to be a mysterious technology that, when arranged properly, can open a doorway to a distant planet. Actors like James Spader and Kurt Russell pass through the Stargate and find themselves on a distant alien world called Abydos. Everything in Abydos looks like ancient Egypt, and we soon learn that the Abydosians once used the Stargate to visit Earth, enslave humans, and set up ancient Egyptian culture. The villain of the film is Ra (Jaye Davidson), an ancient alien who uses human bodies to extend his life.

There's a lot of cool design and slick special effects in "Stargate," but the alien mythology isn't explored thoroughly enough. Like most of Emmerich's films, it makes big swings visually yet never emerges from the realm of corny melodrama.

Stargate franchise storylines span decades, evolving from 1994 movie to animated & web series, and TV shows with unique concepts. Stargate Sg-1, the longest-running series, packed in humor, action, and heartwarming plotlines, earned an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Stargate: Universe, despite a short run, impressed fans with new characters, dramatic cliffhangers, and comedic moments.

Every movie and TV show in the Stargate franchise brings plenty of sci-fi action to audiences, but they aren't all created equal. Getting its start in 1994 with the Stargate movie, the franchise grew to be so much more over the following decades. The idea of traveling from world to world through a ring-shaped gate, fighting alien races, and saving the innocent is nothing new, but Stargate did it with camp and style, introducing several fun concepts that make these stories a joy to watch. Ultimately, this and more is why these movies and TV shows have stood the test of time.

Amazon Studios has identified a batch of titles from its $8.45 billion acquisition of MGM that the company plans to develop into TV or film projects, including “Robocop,” “Stargate” “Legally Blonde,” “Fame,” Barbershop,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Pink Panther” and “The Thomas Crown Affair.”

A source familiar with the matter confirmed to TheWrap that the company is in active early conversations for a “Legally Blonde” movie and potential TV series. Additionally, Amazon has similar plans for “Stargate” under consideration, with a movie expected to go first. “Robocop” is also being discussed for film and TV, with a TV series potentially going first.

The source added that Amazon Studios is actively developing TV series based on “Fame,” “Barbershop” and “The Magnificent Seven,” as well as discussing “Thomas Crown Affair” movie and “Pink Panther” movie, which could be animated. A “Poltergeist” project is also under consideration.

The news was first reported by Deadline.

Also...

Exclusive: MGM’s extensive film & TV catalogue, built over the past century, was the main driver behind Amazon’s $8.5B acquisition of the storied Hollywood studio. For the past year, since the deal closed in March 2022, Amazon Studios has been sifting through MGM’s library, identifying about a dozen initial titles for film and/or TV development, including Robocop, Stargate, Legally Blonde, Fame, Barbershop, The Magnificent Seven, Pink Panther and The Thomas Crown Affair.

We hear A-list creative auspices have reached out to inquire about adapting MGM IP which they are fans of. Additionally, Amazon Studios also has been leaning on its own roster of talent for some projects.

Each title is being approached differently — some are being steered toward film, some toward TV and some big ones are getting both movie and TV treatment.

For instance, Amazon Studios is in active early conversation on Legally Blonde, both for a...

Until the great gears at Amazon start turning and give us a new Stargate series, we’ll have to make do with the classics. Fortunately, Stargate Sg-1 gave us 10 seasons, two spin-offs (three if you count Stargate Infinity... which you don’t), and two direct-to-home movies (three if you count Stargate Origins... which you don’t).

Unfortunately, unless you still have your treasured DVD box set and still have a DVD player in 2023, it can be a full-time job trying to work out where to stream Stargate Sg-1.

Luckily it’s my full-time job. You’re welcome.

Stargate Sg-1 on Comet TV (US Only)

Stargate Sg-1 is currently airing on Comet TV in the US. Comet TV’s business model was initially based on the MGM back catalog, but don‘t be surprised if this changes as Amazon tidies up the licensing agreements it inherited.

Weeknights starting at 5/4C Comet...

By Rachel Bennett

Television Editor & Columnist

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We here at ScottFeinberg.com recently discussed the phenomena of TV shows becoming movies as well as TV series spinning off into other series, but we have yet to approach TV shows that spawned from movies — until now.

MTV’s new series Catfish: The TV Show, based on the 2010 documentary Catfish, follows people who form romantic relationships solely through online communication as they meet their significant others for the first time.

The most recent ratings for Catfish: The TV Show prove it’s clicking with audiences beyond the big screen: Among Monday night cable programs, the series came in third place, following Espn’s Monday Night Football and SportsCenter. Specifically, 2.743 million viewers tuned in to last week’s episode, resulting in a 1.7 rating in the coveted adults 18-49 demographic.

Catfish: The TV Show is only a part of a recent string of shows adapted...