SyFy puts Sanctuary on the chopping block.

[Technobuilder]

Kinda wish Syfy would just quit pretending to be about Science Fiction and pull a USA at this point.

USA has a ton of shows I enjoy, why can't Siffy do something similar.

Burn Notice, Psych, Fairly Legal, In Plain Sight, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar

Just do it from a Fantasy/Fiction angle.

 

[JD]

When all of the name change stuff was going on my mom, and I agreed that they should have just changed the name to something like Imagination, as a way to reflect their move away from Sci Fi stuff. Plus it would allow them to expand their content even more than they already have, since there would be no reason to even pretend to specialize in Sci Fi.

 

[Skywalker]

You can't trademark 'Imagination.'

 

[SG-17]

"Imagine Nation"?

 

[Snaploud]

SyFy: Iymagine Nytion

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I can see where you're coming from, but that really is bollocks. If you purchased SFX magazine expecting it to be full of sci fi news and features, but got home and found it full of football and celebrity gossip, you'd be a bit miffed. Yes, the channel has to make money from advertising revenue, but science fiction, despite being a niche market, is big enough to support those advertising revenues, were it's programming decisions not so poor as to drive that audience away. If the management are so inept that they can't programme for their own target audience they should quit the pretense and re-brand as 'reality, wrestling &other shit'

That's why I always look to see what's inside a magazine before purchasing it. Let's face it - the sci-fi genre just isn't that popular or there would be a host of channels to choose from. It looks to me like the execs are trying hard to keep a dying channel alive. If the result is that they bugger up the content for their existing audience and the channel fails as a result, well that's capitalism for you. If there's a demand and a profit can be turned from it, someone else will step in.

 

[Greg Cox]

It's probably worth remembering that, even back in the glory days of, say, FARSCAPE or THE INVISIBLE MAN, Scifi only ran a few hours of original series a week. It was mostly just reruns of BUCK ROGERS or THE INCREDIBLE HULK or whatever. It was a graveyard for dead genre shows, most of which are probably available on DVD these days.

So it's not like the reality shows are replacing new genre shows. I suspect that Syfy is still running as many new scripted shows as it ever did, and possibly more. The reality shows are just taking the place of all those ancient reruns . . . .

 

[Lieut. Arex]

I mean, we get it. Wrestling isn't science fiction. I think we can all agree on that. But a few hours a week is hardly the end of science fiction as we know it . . . .

I just watch something else that night.

Do the people who grouse about wrestling on SyFy feel the same way about wrestling at DragonCon and other cons? Wrestling's practically a superhero soap opera anyway with the spandex costumes, character names like "Undertaker" and "The Rock", and elaborate story lines.

 

[bigdaddy]

Yeah. Syfy should stick to Fridays and only do summer shows. This is really dumb.

Hasn't the show been renewed for 13 more episodes anyways?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Sci-fi has the dual disadvantages of being expensive to produce and having traditionally low viewership. It's no wonder Syfy is filling time slots with reality shows, which are extremely cheap to produce. They may not get more viewers than a Stargate or a Sanctuary but at least they're profitable, and at the end of the day that's what Syfy has to worry about.

 

[JD]

^And it just hit me, that the cheapness of the reality shows could possibly even help bring in more money for shows like Eureka, Warehouse 13, and Sanctuary that require alot of effects.

 

[Technobuilder]

I think my "issue" with Syfy Channel is one of perception.

Original concept: A channel devoted to Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror programming as well as their related news and associated fandoms.

A great idea that never really flourished.

As a result, the realities of business overrode the "ideals of concept" and now we're left with what amounts to a hodgepodge of programming struggling to maintain a network identity which many science fiction fans feel is now a misrepresentation at best and/or an insult at worst.

Sure the old sci-fi channel wasn't knocking down doors with fantastic or even new programming 24/7, but at least it was programming with shows appropriate to it's concept.

Imagine would of been a better name for the channel after rebranding, and just think about that tag line.
Imagine Greater.

Anywho, I've tried to let go of any vitriol I felt about it long ago. Just wanted to get my thoughts on why people are still posting and frustrated out there.

 

[Pingfah]

^And it just hit me, that the cheapness of the reality shows could possibly even help bring in more money for shows like Eureka, Warehouse 13, and Sanctuary that require alot of effects.

I dunno, if I were pulling in a lot of viewers off cheap programming, my first instinct would not be to then spend that money propping up less economical shows.

I suppose the question is, how much of the audience from the sci-fi shows crosses over to the reality shows or vice versa. If their viewerships are fairly independent and the success of the reality shows doesn't rely on viewers acquired from the more expensive programming (which I would guess to be the case), then surely from a business perspective it makes sense to just stop producing the less economical shows.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Look, I get that the wrestling thing sticks in people's craw, but seriously, folks, it's only two hours a week. The way people keep griping about it, you'd think syfy was running wrestling 24/7.

Heck, Twilight Zone reruns get more air time on syfy than wrestling ever does.

Just to keep things in perspective . . ..

At 3 am, not during prime-time. Huge and important distinction.

Okay, NextGen or Enterprise reruns then. The point is, there's a lot of on-line hyperbole where the wrestling thing is concerned. "There's nothing on syfy but wrestling anymore!" Yada, yada.

Personally, I just wish that every thread about syfy didn't end up rehashing this same old tired complaint. (Nothing personal, btw. I'm just speaking in general.)

I mean, we get it. Wrestling isn't science fiction. I think we can all agree on that. But a few hours a week is hardly the end of science fiction as we know it . . . .

I just watch something else that night.

I think the wrestling especially sticks in people's craw because it not only takes a prime time slot but it takes the slot traditionally used for the channel's original programming. It makes it harder not to see it as replacing the other programming rather than supplementing it.

 

[Greg Cox]

I think the wrestling especially sticks in people's craw because it not only takes a prime time slot but it takes the slot traditionally used for the channel's original programming. It makes it harder not to see it as replacing the other programming rather than supplementing it.

But don't most sf fans just watch SMALLVILLE, FRINGE, or SUPERNATURAL on Fridays anyway?

 

[Technobuilder]

Sci-Fi Fridays was almost an institution for a number of years especially for many friends of mine in college.

Friends, Food, & Fun. Plus 3 hours of new genre based programming.

God those were some good end of the week parties.

 

[Vendikarr]

Sci-Fi Fridays was almost an institution for a number of years especially for many friends of mine in college.

Friends, Food, & Fun. Plus 3 hours of new genre based programming.

God those were some good end of the week parties.

Those Friday night viewing parties don't have to end. Just this Friday we had Brave and Bold, Ben 10 and Generator Rex on Cartoon network. Don't animated genre series count?

The CW gave us Smallville and Supernatural, Fox gave us Fringe, Syfy gave us Sanctuary, Starz gave us Camelot and Current TV (if you get that channel) gave us Bar Karma.

I have a Tivo and recorded six hours of genre programming this Friday night. Just because Syfy isn't giving it to you, doesn't mean it's not there.

 

[Technobuilder]

But it's BECAUSE Syfy isn't giving it to us, that people are miffed. (And arguably the reason people are unhappy with the channel)

I'm talking about what they've done to alienate their original and predominate fanbase/audience, not that there isn't good TV to watch on Fridays elsewhere...

I don't think you were following the logic train from my previous posts, just the last one I made which was itself an indirect response/addendum to Mr. Adventure's post. Sorry if that caused confusion.

 

[Jax]

Sanctuary is already coming back for a 13 episode season 4 and I have to admit I always assumed this 20 episdoe season marked the halfway point so we would get a final 5th season of 13 episodes but looks like not.

Sanctuary will air non summer mondays placing it against big network and other cable shows = DEATH. SyFy are just looking for an excuse and they have it as the ratings will plummet under 1 million on such a night and I wouldn't put it past them to cancel the already ordered season 4.

Once this show is done, I am done with SyFy as the fluffy light Eureka and Warehouse 13 interest me little. I think its time the channel changed its name.

 

[JD]

Actually alot of the network shows are tying up their seasons, so their won't be as much competition as there would have been if it had popped back up earlier in the season.