You tell us. Which do you like better?
Yeah. You could easily read this in a way that is counter to Gerrold’s intentions.
I’m not sure where in the process it went off the rails, but it definitely did.
Icky worms become beautiful butterflies through the power of love and rainbows and sunshine. It’s so frakkin’ gay, it farts glitter. 
Consider how many brilliant artists died penniless and unappreciated. Or David Hasselhoff or Jerry Lewis: appreciated only elsewhere. Eye of the beholder and all that…
HF is fun, but drawn out. Let’s do Intrepid next. It’s got some very interesting elements (makeup is not one, however.)
Yes, it was a touching, normal relationship story and then somehow went all… rainbows and unicorns toward the end there. I was enjoying it until the “sparkle dancer” thing.
Intrepid it is. Is it available online?
ETA: So it is.
I dug Intrepid when you pointed me in their direction.
I had seen a little of Hidden Frontier. yawn
HF is an… aquired taste. Even they say you should start with their sixth season.
I bring it up cuz I was under the impression that a hack was someone who pieced ideas from others and called it their own. If I may be so bold, similar to what Cameron and Lucas did with the story elements in Avatar and Star Wars. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of archetypes and stuff. It just made me think, isn’t everyone a hack then?
By that definition? Yes.
Well, I’m glad that’s cleared up. La-di-da. La-di-da. Literal Groucho
I think it certainly can have that connotation, although that would be something that someone would say as an insult against someone more successful.
As the saying goes: “Talent imitates, genius steals.” 