I like "Blow Out" a lot myself, it definitely falls into the category of "They don't make movies like THAT anymore."  It had extra  relevance at the time for me personally - 1981 was my third year of film school, and Travolta's character was using the exact same equipment I was.  So that was cool.   

I'd be surprised if any other DiF regulars have even seen it, tho...

I'm pretty sure AMC is on basic cable - since it started life as "American Movie Classics" and just ran old movies, before it started making original shows about zombies and middle-aged drug dealers.  Ditto for the FX Network, another basic cable channel that's become known for doing shows that broadcast networks would never touch.

bullet3's exactly right - if you wanna make the big money, you make network tv or big-studio features.  But most likely everything you do will have to be completely mainstream and "safe", for the widest possible audience.  So hopefully that money is enough to make you feel okay about the crap you may end up putting out.  (And I, for one, am willing to find out - hello, ABC, are you listening?  Call me!)

But lately cable, even basic cable, has become the place to go to do something niche, or edgy or challenging.  The tradeoff is you'll take a smaller paycheck (and it's not a BAD paycheck at all, just nowhere near what you'd get from a broadcast network.)

Exactly.   You gotta be a Kubrick to get away with that shit.

I was about to post a link to "Pan Am for Dummies" - a great xtranormal.com video created by an anonymous Pan Am staffer, but it seems to have been pulled offline.  Which isn't surprising, it was pretty scathing.

Basically it was a satirical conversation between a Pan Am writer and an ABC network exec.  The writer is arguing that Pan Am is supposed to be a highbrow show about international intrigue, and the network exec argues that it should focus more on the stewardesses and their shoes.  At one point the writer says (I'm paraphasing) "I didn't realize sodomy was part of my contract" and the exec answers "Yes, and if you don't bend over, we'll hire writers who will".

Deadline.com featured the video, and I'm sure a lot of phones were ringing as a result.   But it was freakin' funny, so if anyone stumbles on a copy, plz post.  .   

Anyway, I suspect that it's pretty much the same story over at Terra Nova.

Get out of there, Tiny Orson Welles!