The originals were nothing more than a pitiful attempt at competing against Star Trek. "Alien of the Week", no flowing storyline, and most of all little resolution. Whereas, BSG '03 has only humans vs. Cylons, a storyline that forces the viewer to watch every episode, and enough resolution to keep you watching.
BSG '03 also delves into the mystical side of the BSG universe, something that was only lightly touched on in the originals.
I tried to watch the originals the other day, I had to stop. From the bad acting, poor directing, and cheesy sets/effects...it was just plain bad. (Man, I am spoiled)
I will admit that I am a little ticked that they jumped so quickly into the future just to get Sharon's baby born, but there was only so much stretching (pun not intended) that the storyline could endure.
BSG '03 is perhaps the best thing to happen to SciFi since Star Wars hit the Silver Screen in '77.
My Friday nights are booked solid...at least for two more weeks. (Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, & BSG '03)