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TV'Scifi Failure

RobertScorpio

RobertScorpio

Pariah
What do you think is TV's biggest scifi failure? Some might argue that it is Enterprise, since it got axed after four seasons...some might say oldBSG, newBIONIC WOMAN...or who knows?

For me? TV's biggest SCIFI failure is FIREFLY. A show that I do like, and is well liked on this board. But for all the hype it got, it flopped; big time. You can blame it on changing time slots, or lack of PR, but I remember that show getting PRd like crazy. it just didn't catch on...(the movie didn't do to hot either)

That's my pick for TV-Scifi's biggest failure. newBIONIC WOMAN might be a close second, Enterprise is right up there too...

Rob
 
Enterprise didn't live up to the longevity of the previous three Trek shows, but four seasons isn't a failure by regular TV standards. I put it alongside Heroes in the category of coulda, shoulda, woulda been more successful, but can't be termed as an outright failure.

Firefly is just one of many SFF shows that proved too esoteric to draw a wide audience and suffered first-season cancellation as a result.

The new iteration of Bionic Woman, on the other hand, had an accessible concept and started with a big audience, but pissed it away very, very quickly (it went from 13.91 million viewers to 5.93 million in the space of eight episodes). The same can be said of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, albeit to a lesser degree (it didn't drop as fast in its first season and it managed to get a second season). Bionic Woman gets my vote, although Birds of Prey is also pretty high on the list since I think the premise of the comic book series could have led to a long-running show had the adaptation been handled better.
 
I am not from the USA but did terminator do pretty badly?
Also i loved the 1st series of heroes but did not make it thought the 2nd series and i hear it got worst.
 
Space: Above and Beyond

So much promise, so much that was cool and It couldn't make it thru 1 season before it got the ax. I pick it because of the (relatively) massive investment sunk into the show.
 
Enterprise can't be considered a failure. Perhaps by the high standards that we have come to expect from a Star Trek series, but 4 seasons does not equal a failure. And do I have to mention how pathetic UPN was as a network. Look at the decreased ratings of Voyager and DS9 as soon as they went over to UPN. For my part, once UPN took over Trek I couldn't watch it anymore. It took my cable provider 4 years to offer it.

Firefly is a TV failure, but its a damn good show. Personally, I think shows like Dancing with the Stars are failures, but they are damn popular.
 
If you mean simply sci-fi shows that got cancelled, then I'll give the nod to adding Charlie Jade to the list (which is pretty darn good, btw.)

If we mean stuff that sucked like hell and had a lot of money sunk into it, then Space: Above and Beyond (I could not make it through the pilot, sorry, fans.)

Tharsis said:
Enterprise can't be considered a failure. Perhaps by the high standards that we have come to expect from a Star Trek series, but 4 seasons does not equal a failure.
Click to expand...

Well, we can consider it a failure since it got cancelled and ended nearly twenty years of continuous Star Trek television, but yeah, any series that runs for 4 seasons can't really be considered the greatest failure around.

I mean, aside from Stargate: Atlantis, have there been any space opera shows this decade which made it past four seasons? And Atlantis only made five.
 
If Enteprise had come before Voyager it would've gotten seven boring vanilla seasons too since it would've been UPN's flagship no matter what. And then Voyager would've gotten two boring seasons and two good seasons followed by a godawful series finale. :p
 
Enterprise is a Star Trek failure, and a creative failure.

Firefly really can't be counted because only 4 episodes were shown completely out of order.

I'll say Terminator, the pilot was great, but the show just fizzled.
 
TharpDevilport said:
What about "Cleopatra 2525"? Still cringing.
Click to expand...

I had forgotten about that...

V, the old TV series could be on this list..it followed to successful mini-series and then..poof..it was gone not much later...

Someone mentioned BIRDS OF PREY earlier? I actually liked that show, and wish it had gotten a second season. I would LOVE to have seen the JOKER show up on that show..

But for some reason, it seemed it was written by, and this isn't wrong, but it had the feel like it was written by women...

rob
 
Biggest US TV sci-fi failure was the American-ized version of the Brit show "Red Dwarf".

It was so bad, they wouldn't even put it on the air....

(You can find clips of it on YouTube)
 
RobertScorpio said:
V, the old TV series could be on this list..it followed to successful mini-series and then..poof..it was gone not much later...
Click to expand...

I agree. It was a very successful mini-series and the series started with promise...and then the networks slashed the cast in half, cut the effects budget and more focus was put on the "star-child" crap. *SHUDDER*

It nose-dived very, very quickly.
 
RobertScorpio said:
You can blame it on changing time slots, or lack of PR, but I remember that show getting PRd like crazy. it just didn't catch on...(the movie didn't do to hot either)
Click to expand...

Really? I don't remember much while it was on, are you thinking press, internet buzz, ads? Just curious.
 
Starbreaker said:
DS9 was syndicated and Voyager was always on UPN.
Click to expand...


Voyager was on Fox in my region for its first 3 seasons and then was exclusively on UPN after that. DS9, was also on UPN for the last season or 2, but I also believe was still carried on my Fox channel. Either way, UPN was a terrible network for Star Trek, in my opinion.
 
Tharsis said:
Either way, UPN was a terrible network for Star Trek, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Either way, Voyager was a terrible Star Trek for any network, in my opinion. :p

If they tried to put a Star Trek on CBS it would never make it to a 22 episode season, nevermind 4-7 years.
 
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