Sy Fy cancels Alphas

[Vendikarr]

Christopher wrote:

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The only shows SciFi/Syfy has ever cancelled midseason have been reruns it acquired from other networks, like Charlie Jade. (Which means it could theoretically happen with something like Continuum or Primeval: New World.)

Just one point. When Syfy pulled Charlie Jade from prime time, they did continue to air the remaining episodes. Yes,it was at 3:00 AM Tuesday mornings, or something. But they did honor the contract and let them all air. It illustrates once they have paid for something, it will make it to air.

Charlie Jade

[Guy Gardener]

I stopped watching Charlie Jade when my dvd player died.

I took that as a sign from god.

[Harvey]

Christopher's analysis is just about right. SyFy doesn't cancel programs any more than any other major network, be they broadcast or cable.

The only thing I would add is that the network's production schedule seems to be one that doesn't allow for serialized shows (even ones that have been on the air for several years) to wrap up their stories with much satisfaction. Witness the cliffhanger cancellations of Sliders, Stargate: Universe, Farscape, and now Alphas as well as the haphazard eleventh hour conclusions of Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Caprica, and Eureka. That kind of treatment makes cultivating a committed fan base a bit hard, I think.

(Although in writing that, I'm not sure it's really all that different from any other channel.)

[Sindatur]

Guy Gardener wrote:

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I stopped watching Charlie Jade when my dvd player died.

I took that as a sign from god.

You must have misunderstood the sign.

Charlie Jade is very good.

The first 5 or 6 episodes are pretty confusing and difficult to get your bearings and understand the different 'verses and travel between them and so forth, because you are seeing the show through Charlie Jade's eyes, as he learns stuff. Once you get your bearings, though, it's a fantastic show, every bit as graphic, gritty, and realistic (and more so) as NuBSG, but, wth a character providing more obvious humor t break up the drama and hopelessness, so, you never get the feeling of wanting to slit your your wrists that NuBSG somtimes left you.

For longevity's sake, it was perhaps a mistake to make the audience as ignorant and confused as the lead character, but, it's definitely worth sticking with until the end.

[Greg Cox]

Harvey wrote:

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Christopher's analysis is just about right. SyFy doesn't cancel programs any more than any other major network, be they broadcast or cable.

The only thing I would add is that the network's production schedule seems to be one that doesn't allow for serialized shows (even ones that have been on the air for several years) to wrap up their stories with much satisfaction. Witness the cliffhanger cancellations of Sliders, Stargate: Universe, Farscape, and now Alphas as well as the haphazard eleventh hour conclusions of Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Caprica, and Eureka. That kind of treatment makes cultivating a committed fan base a bit hard, I think.

(Although in writing that, I'm not sure it's really all that different from any other channel.)

Indeed. This tends to happen to shows on other networks as well. Look at, for example, THE 4400 and THE DEAD ZONE on USA. Although, again, both of those shows ran for four seasons or so, which is not a bad run, both today and in the past!

[bigdaddy]

Didn't the Dead Zone have a finale season or at least episode? I thought they had some warning but I never paid attention.

[Greg Cox]

bigdaddy wrote:

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Didn't the Dead Zone have a finale season or at least episode? I thought they had some warning but I never paid attention.

You know, I honestly can't remember.

[Christopher]

Greg Cox wrote:

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Indeed. This tends to happen to shows on other networks as well. Look at, for example, THE 4400 and THE DEAD ZONE on USA. Although, again, both of those shows ran for four seasons or so, which is not a bad run, both today and in the past!

The Dead Zone actually got six seasons. And IIRC, it did indeed have an unresolved cliffhanger finale -- the same kind of finale as a lot of the mentioned shows, in that it tied up the arcs of the season and kind of worked as a series finale, but still left a lot unresolved.

[sojourner]

Christopher, Greg - I think you both missed the word "reputation" in my last post, but I'll also amend it a bit to "cancelling sci-fi shows".

[Guy Gardener]

Greg Cox wrote:

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You know, I honestly can't remember.

I'm working my way through. Almost up to season six and they already resolved senator doomsday. So they're going to have to set up a new big bad for the final season.

[Christopher]

sojourner wrote:

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Christopher, Greg - I think you both missed the word "reputation" in my last post, but I'll also amend it a bit to "cancelling sci-fi shows".

I didn't miss the word. My whole point is that reputations are often wrong, which is why people should have the good sense to ignore reputations and pay attention to facts instead.

[stj]

I think the general consensus showed by a lack of interest in The Alphas cliff-hanger shows why the series was canceled. As an unwanted public service (the easy kind to fulfill, meeting social obligations is no problem if you pick'em wisely) I will tell you How It All Ends.

Dr. Lee Rosen is not killed. But he is very unhappy to discover that the reason Stanton Parrish had designated him the new leader was because, unbeknownst to him, Parrish knew that Rosen was one of his descendants. Rosen finds it really icky that one of his grandmothers cheated with Parrish, but, really, these things happen.

The photostimulator that created new Alphas is eventually reverse engineered to become a destimulator. Alphas who work for the government are the only Alphas left. The revolutionary threat posed by the power of "ordinary" people is repressed. This is just as it should be because human nature decrees that ordinary people are unfit for power. That is why every Alpha has some miserable weakness or flaw created by his or her ability.

Except that eventually Parrish will escape and find a cure for the destimulator! That is because human nature also decrees that the rabble will always have some class traitor who panders to their malevolent dreams of a world where they, instead of those who earned their privileges, have power. The end is not really an end, but an endless Manichean struggle, that corrupts the defenders of order and justice by the tragic fate of humanity at war with itself.

Or, to put it another way, angst never really dies, it just changes actors!

[Greg Cox]

sojourner wrote:

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Christopher, Greg - I think you both missed the word "reputation" in my last post, but I'll also amend it a bit to "cancelling sci-fi shows".

I wasn't so much addressing your post as the whole "Syfy always cancels things" meme in general--which has been popping again at the usual places: io9, blastr, etc.

And, yeah, Syfy's "reputation" for cancelling shows prematurely seems to bear little connection to reality, especially when you take into account TV programming in general, as opposed to just our own little corner of the woods.

[JD]

Sindatur wrote:

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You must have misunderstood the sign.

Charlie Jade is very good.

The first 5 or 6 episodes are pretty confusing and difficult to get your bearings and understand the different 'verses and travel between them and so forth, because you are seeing the show through Charlie Jade's eyes, as he learns stuff. Once you get your bearings, though, it's a fantastic show, every bit as graphic, gritty, and realistic (and more so) as NuBSG, but, wth a character providing more obvious humor t break up the drama and hopelessness, so, you never get the feeling of wanting to slit your your wrists that NuBSG somtimes left you.

For longevity's sake, it was perhaps a mistake to make the audience as ignorant and confused as the lead character, but, it's definitely worth sticking with until the end.

A few months back, after watching the whole thing on Netflix, I found a description of what Season 2 would have been, and it sounds like it would have been really crazy.

I don't remember everything exactly, but the big things are that they created a whole new 'verse where they had now always been connected, Charlie looked like 01 and 01 like Charlie, and they were going to deal with The Men in Grey Suits.

Turns out the site is gone, but I did save the PDF of the season 2 plan if anyone who watched the show is interested.

[Agent Richard07]

I don't remember an unresolved cliffhanger for The Dead Zone. I remember something low-key, but not unresolved. I could be wrong though, since I had long since lost interest in the show and was just riding it out at that point.