In message 59.73388aa.27c666b6@aol.com, Bizarro7@aol.com writes
Abso-bleedin'-loutly. Until a few years ago, it was almost unheard of for an American series or feature to end on a tragic note, without the inevitable happily-ever-after. This was an almost exclusively British or Japanese cultural phenomenon in entertainment media. This is one reason why the ending at Gauda Prime was actually more devastating for American viewers than it was for Brits.
And you were asking me what was obviously British about B7? :-)
This is actually one of the things I had in mind. Much (not all) British sf has at the least a downbeat tone, the most obvious example other than B7 springing to my mind being 1984. The Doctor doesn't always win, either. It's something I can find off-putting about older American media sf, that there's always a neat resolution within 45 minutes, the good guys always win, you can tell who the good guys are...
Remind me when I'm feeling more awake *and* caught up on a million and one other things apres-con, and I will try a more detailed response. I see Iain and Una have already noted a couple of things, and yes, the production values do, in my mind, make a difference, for the reasons Una cited. It will take rather longer than I can currently hold my thread of concentration for to explain why, though.