SGU Breaks Ratings Record On Space
- Thread starter The Wormhole
- Start date
Pfft. Since when do ratings of a Canadian show made in Canada matter to Canadian viewers? Yeesh, eh? 
Mark
Mark
We'll see if they hold. Gateworld tends to spin everything in favor of the franchise. SGU only scores a 1.7 in the U.S. Nielsens, and they proclaim that it is both the highest rated episode of the franchise in four years (big whoop!) and that the DVR numbers haven't been added yet (advertisers don't care about these numbers!).
If the American ratings (and these are really all those that matter--SyFy is the major financial backer of the series, and if they cancel it, it's done for) hold at 1.7 or increase there's hope for life beyond one or two seasons. If they decrease in any way, be worried. Battlestar Galactica wasn't going to get a fifth season based on ratings that averaged around 1.4 during the third and fourth season, and the critical acclaim of that series was much more in SyFy's favor (although, to be fair, SGU is probably the best reviewed series in the 'Gate franchise).
If the American ratings (and these are really all those that matter--SyFy is the major financial backer of the series, and if they cancel it, it's done for) hold at 1.7 or increase there's hope for life beyond one or two seasons. If they decrease in any way, be worried. Battlestar Galactica wasn't going to get a fifth season based on ratings that averaged around 1.4 during the third and fourth season, and the critical acclaim of that series was much more in SyFy's favor (although, to be fair, SGU is probably the best reviewed series in the 'Gate franchise).
^ Since Caprica was greenlit, I suspect that BSG would have gotten a fifth season.
Ah, but Caprica is a new series, which means the cast is without all of the raises that the regulars on Battlestar Galactica no doubt incurred over six years.
^ It looks like BSG was hot property for SciFi right until the end. I don't think they would have just pulled the plug if the show needed a fifth season. Things like Caprica, The Plan and SGU come off as their attempt to keep the BSG phenomenon going little longer.
They would've given it a full season, they just didn't want to renew to seasons at once so Ron said, "Fuck it, I'm not going to take any chances let's end it now."
To keep it alive for a little longer, at cost. Greenlighting one television movie is far cheaper than greenlighting the equivalent of ten times that in the form of another season (2 hours vs. 20). Plus, it can be advertised as an "event," which has been successful for SyFy in the past. Why they are dumping it well after the longer DVD version has been released with little media push is...well, to be honest, all too typical of the network's idiocy.
My point about Caprica remains the same. A "new" series, even one that is a spin-off of a previous series (and thus, will continue the brand for a little while longer) is both cheaper to produce and more liable to attract new viewers than a fifth season of Battlestar Galactica. Even the format, which is planetbound and completely lacking of space travel in the pilot, suggests thoughtful cost-control.
My point about Caprica remains the same. A "new" series, even one that is a spin-off of a previous series (and thus, will continue the brand for a little while longer) is both cheaper to produce and more liable to attract new viewers than a fifth season of Battlestar Galactica. Even the format, which is planetbound and completely lacking of space travel in the pilot, suggests thoughtful cost-control.
The problem with Space is that is chooses to run a handful of new shows, most of which are crap (just look at Defying Gravity, which they thankfully stopped promoting every commercial break) and repeats of old Star Treks and Stargates.
If it made a deal with SyFy for other new series, you'd see Space getting better ratings.
If it made a deal with SyFy for other new series, you'd see Space getting better ratings.
