SGU CANCELLED!

[Wesson]

To me, the bottom line is SYFY had 3 "Golden" hours on their schedule, being Friday 8-11. Most interested viewers knew what and when their favorite shows were on. Stupidly, they sold this time to the WWE. Heck, it was 4 episodes in before I knew the new SGU season has started and sadly, I have more pressing matters to attend to at the new time.SYFY really shot themselves in the foot.

 

[Harvey]

I admit, I'm a bit surprised that SyFy would make this decision with ten more episodes waiting to be aired. Still, the ratings were pretty low (almost as low as CAPRICA) and the show took a long time to find its way (longer than I had patience to wait--after 21 episodes I bailed).

I just hope they come up with a decent series to replace it with. BLOOD & CHROME will take the place of CAPRICA. What will take over for STARGATE: UNIVERSE? Maybe Tim Minear's ALIEN NATION remake can finally get off the ground. I'm certainly more interested in that then another season of diminishing returns for the STARGATE franchise (which has had more than a chance to have its say with 17 seasons, the feature film, and 2 DVD movies).

 

[Harvey]

Re: Acheivement Unlocked: Dead Franchise Status obtained (?)

I'm surprised the franchise has limped along for so many years. The feature film was the hit sleeper the year it came out (1994?) and the series (even the most successful one, STARGATE SG-1) has never been more than a niche program on cable and in syndication.

That said, I'm sure MGM will exploit the world of STARGATE in the near future. This time, however, it will probably be with a completely new creative team (or, perhaps, the old creative team behind the original movie).

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

That wasn't a Syfy decision that was a Stargate decision.
Atlantis had satisfactory ratings.

Not buying it.

The producers of a television series told the studio that financed it that despite the willingness of a media channel to continue paying for and playing the show (many of the costs of which are amortized), they intended to fold the show in favor of a new and untested one that would cost many millions of dollars in start-up costs.

MGM was more than happy to forego the money they were making on a successful tv series in its fourth or fifty year and pony up big bucks on the producers' whim, and SyFy said "Oh, we're completely happy with the show we have now, but Yes Please to something that doesn't exist yet and that we therefore haven't seen."

That's a wonderful PR story that saved face for a number of folks, no doubt about it.

Of course, it's not difficult to find contemporary reports on the cancellation that tell a more realistic story:

The cancellation didn’t come as a complete surprise to the producers. On his blog, showrunner Joseph Mallozzi cites rising production costs and the decline of the US dollar as contributors. He and showrunner Paul Mullie broke the news to the cast and crew themselves. Thankfully it seems like the adventure isn’t over quite yet.

The second half of season five will air as expected on Sci Fi beginning in January. The 100th episode, titled “Enemy At the Gate,” will be the show’s last.

The show ended without much advance planning, of course, as it was cancelled rather than ended voluntarily - the last episode was a cliffhanger, and it was the intention (though not a budgeted plan) to do a TV or DVD movie. Hasty.

Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, the SG-1 and Atlantis co-creators, are upbeat about the news. In a statement, they said, “We’re excited to tell Atlantis stories on a bigger canvas. The successes of the two original Stargate DTV movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum have shown us the opportunities that the movie format offers. We have plans for both SG-1 and Atlantis to remain vital as we expand the franchise.”

What about SG:U? Oh, yeah:

The network has indicated that “the show will live on as a network franchise.” What the statement actually means is unclear. Sci Fi may be planning additional Atlantis movies, or it could be a general indication that the Stargate franchise will continue, likely as a third series.

In late 2007, Cooper and Wright pitched Stargate Universe to the channel. ...Universe hasn’t been given a greenlight yet but, now that Atlantis has been cancelled, Sci Fi may have the funds to do it.

 

[Caliburn24]

I was never a huge fan of SGU, but it was improving and it was the only ship-based scifi show left on TV. I'll miss it.

With Smallville ending, SGU cancelled, Human Target probably not getting renewed, and Fringe potentially getting cancelled, that is one huge hit to the Vancouver TV industry. I wonder if it'll be able to survive in its present form, or just bled most of its people back down to LA.

 

[Expendable]

Awwww... Sad moment. The story was trying to get better, and I really like David Blue.

 

[Brent]

I'm not surprised, but I'm still bummed.

If a lot more had happened in the show faster, and they had not moved it off of Friday, it may have done a lot better and not been canceled. I blame SYFY for moving it to Tuesday, that was a horrible decision. I blame the writers of SGU for dragging out story lines that didn't need to be. Everything we have seen so far could have all been compacted into just one season. That would have kept people more interested IMO.

Ultimately, it is what it is. I hate it when a show gets canceled with no proper ending though. S2 will end on a cliffhanger, and it will never ever get resolved and we won't know what happens with the story. It makes the 1.5 years I've been watching it now seem like a waste of time. I hate that feeling. No pay off. I wish SYFY had at least given them 1 more season, so they could wrap the friggin thing up nicely. As it is, the Stargate Franchise goes down with a whimper, and a sour taste in everyone's mouths. Horrible for SYFY to do that to us fans. We have been loyal to their channel for the longest time. After SGU, I have no reason to watch the SYFY channel anymore.

I hope that one day, maybe SCYFY will give them a mini-series ala Farscape to wrap it up, or maybe MGM will let them do a movie. But my hopes are not high on this. I guess SGU is one series I can "forget" ever happened.

 

[Jax]

I simply cannot figure out why SYFY would just not switch the 10pm Friday slot all year round between SGU/Sanctuary. SGU would see a 40% boost in that slot most likely and beat Sanctuary's ratings.

Smacks of being stupid. SYFY where is your actual scripted pure SCI FI shows ? Don't think I'll bother watching the back 10 since we get no resolution I will just read about them.

 

[Brent]

I simply cannot figure out why SYFY would just not switch the 10pm Friday slot all year round between SGU/Sanctuary. SGU would see a 40% boost in that slot most likely and beat Sanctuary's ratings.

Smacks of being stupid. SYFY where is your actual scripted pure SCI FI shows ?

They had to make the time for Wrestling.

Proves why I will no longer watch this channel after SGU goes off the air. There is nothing there for me anymore. They have pushed us fans aside to make room for a new group I guess. SYFY wants so bad to be like SpikeTV instead of a "SCIFI" channel.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'd be more happy if I thought Skiffy might put something decent in its place instead of cooking shows, wrestling and sci fi fluff. Blergh.

The best space opera on TV is now Star Wars. Seriously, Clone Wars is becoming amazingly good for a show that's "just for kids."

With few exceptions like Lost, BSG or ENT's third and fourth seasons--sff in the last decade has been awful. In fact, I have a newfound appreciation for what I once considered a mediocre show like Voyager after trying to watch the garbage that has been produced in the last ten years.

Same here (except I didn't much care for ENT's S3). So annoying that space opera in particular has been nearly abandoned as a genre.

 

[Tom]

Would nice if some big media (cough..Viacom..cough) company would put out a scifi, thriller type channel since SYFI has pretty much failed at what it was originaly amed for.

 

[Saquist]

Not buying it.

The producers of a television series told the studio that financed it that despite the willingness of a media channel to continue paying for and playing the show (many of the costs of which are amortized), they intended to fold the show in favor of a new and untested one that would cost many millions of dollars in start-up costs.

That's right...it was Stargates call.
Ultimately they'll have to meet the consequences of those actions. They always intended on going back to Atlantis and hoped SGU would inspire more interest to do it like SGA did with the SG-1 movies.

 

[Jono]

Disappointed in the news since I just got into the show. Sad to see the Stargate franchise looks to be leaving.

 

[startrekwatcher]

Let this be a lesson to future shows-sff or otherwise--you can't find your footing you have to hit the ground running if you hope to survive. Shows have to grab viewers in these early episodes if they hope to keep them. They also need to be fresh--no one wants to watch a series that is just a watered down version of some other show you liked better with storylines we've seen executed better dozens of times before. And better characters with more charismatic actors--most of the ones on tv these days are dull and inhabited by so-so actors.

 

[JD]

Well, I am disapointed I'm not suprised. I think the show was finally starting to find it's feet, and I would have been curious where exactly it was headed. I wonder if this will kill the chances of ever seeing the third SG1 and first SGA movies. Personally, I would be very happy if they just did SG1 and SGA movies, I don't really need a fourth series. But I that's not to say that if they do one I won't watch it.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Not buying it.

The producers of a television series told the studio that financed it that despite the willingness of a media channel to continue paying for and playing the show (many of the costs of which are amortized), they intended to fold the show in favor of a new and untested one that would cost many millions of dollars in start-up costs.

That's right...it was Stargates call.
Ultimately they'll have to meet the consequences of those actions. They always intended on going back to Atlantis and hoped SGU would inspire more interest to do it like SGA did with the SG-1 movies.

That makes absolutely no sense at all. You cancel a show and create a new one in order to drum up interest in the canceled show?

 

[Tom]

Re: Acheivement Unlocked: Dead Franchise Status obtained (?)

There will probably be a new series sooner than you expect. A year or two.

Agreed, it's not like its owned by CBS or something. LOL

Stargate is the most successful space scifi franchise after Star Trek and Star Wars in the US. It will always have the potential to to make money. Stargate won't be gone forever, even if MGM folds, the new owners will own the fanchise or can sell the property to another studio.

 

[Joe Washington]

Let's hope the writers of the show can use this as an opportunity to give the story a faster pace and wrap it up as much as they can like the writers of Dollhouse did with Season 2.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Let's hope the writers of the show can use this as an opportunity to give the story a faster pace and wrap it up as much as they can like the writers of Dollhouse did with Season 2.

Season 2 finished filming a while ago. There will be no wrap-up.

 

[Saul]

Never really liked the show. My interest in the franchise has got less and less since Atlantis. I gave up on this.