SGU CANCELLED!

[PsychoPere]

You nailed it. The cable landscape is vastly more competitive now than it was 10 years ago, when Sci-Fi was a relatively new network. You simply can't survive by appealing to a tiny market niche anymore. You need that niche plus the broad appeal in order to attract enough eyeballs to fund your programming.

As much as my ego would love to take credit for being the first to make this point, I am far from the first to do so, in this thread alone. Dennis has also pointed it out several times (and, IIRC, he was the first to do so in the post-cancellation threads), and I wouldn't be surprised if you have as well.

If SyFy quit playing those really chessy movies, they might have a bit more money, not all shows can hit home run just after 2 seasons. (TOS didn't)

Star Trek isn't remotely applicable to the debate, as the television landscape that we have today was likely unfathomable back in the late 1960s. As for the Syfy Original Movies, I recommend reading the NY Times article linked to in this thread. Without those productions, the Syfy Channel would have less money, not more, because they bring in the ratings the network needs.


I'll certainly agree that I'd love to see more serious, well-made science fiction productions on the channel, but science fiction is expensive, so I'm done getting upset at networks for adhering to business sense. I don't even have any ill-will towards FOX anymore for the way Firefly was treated, and I was a day-one fan of that show.

 

[KJbushway]

I guess you could say that unless sci-fi become less expensive(rare) money will be the death of sci-fi. To few fans.
thats sucks becuase atleast sci-fi teachs you about imagination and reaching toward the stars. Things like being human and ghost busters just teach you REALLY stupid stuff(ghost hunters) and being human is just buying into the twilight franchise.
I say though that unless syfy starts playing actually sci-fi shows, they need to change their name.
Stargate Atlantis a 4am doesn't count.

Those chessy movies actually bring in money?
I would have never thought.

 

[cylkoth]

Those chessy movies actually bring in money?
I would have never thought.

I'd prefer to watch chessy movies over cheesy ones anyday. Buxom babes in tight fitting sweaters, running from monsters in super slo mo while some screeching pop rock song is featured in the soundtrack.

 

[KJbushway]

I knew i wasn't spelling that right.
I see your point, and I too have admired, but I still would like to see T'pal every now and then.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Those chessy movies actually bring in money?
I would have never thought.

Among the most successful things SyFy is doing, yes. If as many people watched Stargate as tune in for stuff like “Mega Python vs Gateroid” the SG franchise would be flourishing.

 

[KJbushway]

I just hoped they would give it all little more room to fly, a slightly longer runway. I thought it had a chance but I guess not, maybe some years in the future when we get holodeck tv, they won't need actors and the show can be started again(problem is I will be dead )

 

[Deckerd]

I saw this coming from the first two episodes.

You just can't throw your established fan base under the bus ,and get away with it sometimes.

You saw that it would eventually be canceled? Me too!

Well I thought it was funny.

 

[Deckerd]

Desperation drives much of my TV viewing. If there were more good shows around, I wouldn't stoop to watching shows I know are crap.

See I don't think I have ever watched anything out of desperation. I don't understand that at all. Heroes, I lasted two episodes and then went and did something more interesting.

I have to say Blood and Chrome had better be good or there'll be a loud wail heard over the interwebs.

 

[RoJoHen]

Desperation drives much of my TV viewing. If there were more good shows around, I wouldn't stoop to watching shows I know are crap.

See I don't think I have ever watched anything out of desperation. I don't understand that at all.

Me neither. I don't watch things I don't genuinely enjoy, which is why I don't watch much TV. There are other things to do with your time.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I just hoped they would give it all little more room to fly, a slightly longer runway. I thought it had a chance but I guess not, maybe some years in the future when we get holodeck tv, they won't need actors and the show can be started again(problem is I will be dead )

A season and a half is a lot more than most shows get. How much "runway" should SGU have had??

 

[KJbushway]

Not actually air time. I am talking about what makes a show. Advertising. They should have had a better support system. Take the FX show Lights out or Justified or even Sons Of Anarchy. They advertised all over the place, sometimes the episodes are dull like the past two epsiodes of the new show lights out. But when the advertise they go all out. sometimes even go over budget, but the advertising goes all the way for them.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Marketing no doubt played a role in SGU's fate but I don't believe it was underpromoted. I saw quite a bit of advertising for it. If you're thinking SyFy should've taken out giant billboards or advertised it on CSI, though, you're assuming the show has a broader appeal than it really does.

 

[KJbushway]

No. just maybe advertising on more than one network. Because beyond syfy I didn't see it.

 

[Mr Awe]

Desperation drives much of my TV viewing. If there were more good shows around, I wouldn't stoop to watching shows I know are crap.

I *totally* understand this, but that is why I hardly watch any TV.

Mr Awe

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Desperation drives much of my TV viewing. If there were more good shows around, I wouldn't stoop to watching shows I know are crap.

I *totally* understand this, but that is why I hardly watch any TV.

Mr Awe

Yeah, I can only take so much crap. I haven't watched V at all this season and I got through 3 episodes of No Ordinary Family before I decided it was too boring to even be background noise.

 

[KJbushway]

I think V was cancelled. I tried looking for it, yestarday and the day before couldn't find it.

 

[Gepard]

^V is still airing. It's got a 10-episode season 2 order.

 

[KJbushway]

then how come it wasn't on, during it advertisied time?

 

[AJ86]

Desperation drives much of my TV viewing. If there were more good shows around, I wouldn't stoop to watching shows I know are crap.

See I don't think I have ever watched anything out of desperation. I don't understand that at all. Heroes, I lasted two episodes and then went and did something more interesting.

I have to say Blood and Chrome had better be good or there'll be a loud wail heard over the interwebs.

Assuming it gets the green light, so far all that's been confirmed is a pilot. I suspect it will get it though. Strange that Syfy has so much faith in the franchise after what happened to Caprica really, I mean it's not like it's numbers were high and then fell, as even the première didn't pull in that many, which suggests to me that the brand can't be that strong as they think, regardless of how critically acclaimed BSG was.

Marketing no doubt played a role in SGU's fate but I don't believe it was underpromoted. I saw quite a bit of advertising for it. If you're thinking SyFy should've taken out giant billboards or advertised it on CSI, though, you're assuming the show has a broader appeal than it really does.

I don't think it was the volume of advertising so much as the content. Firstly because episodes were marketed as if they were just more of the same, and secondly because the adverts themselves were just plain awful.

The scheduling I think is what did the most damage though. The fall airdates and the 4 month gap just killed the numbers. It's true they had been falling anyway as most shows do, but when they fell off a cliff as they went up against the Monk series finale, the 4 month gap followed and the numbers just never recovered. Though even then they were likely enough for a third season, so what did Syfy do? Stick the show on a Tuesday night against Dancing with the Stars and CSI instead of giving it the 2 million + wrestling lead-in that it would otherwise have had on a Friday. Genius.

I mean obviously SGU doesn't have the broad appeal of SG-1, there's no denying that, but I think the show could have had a steady 1.5m viewers and a third season to look forward to right now had things been done differently on Syfy's end.

 

[Gepard]

then how come it wasn't on, during it advertisied time?

ABC, Tuesday at 9pm/8 central? I catch it online after the broadcast, though, so I can't comment on accuracy.