Trial and Error ratings are in! yes or no, will SGU be cancelled?

[Mr Awe]

Trial and Error with its faults was funny and big improvement. And finally Eli gets some. Though she is a fallen Angel(Supernatural fans) it was nice to see Eli become a man.

It's funny because a lot of people have said that this was a big improvement. They're entitled to their opinion, of course, but it's a sad state of affairs when an episode that focuses around an imaginary battle is an "improvement".

I suspect it's really geek wishfulment with Eli that is behind the "improvement" for many.

Mr Awe

 

[Mr Awe]

Nope. Only a random selection.

I don't know how you can properly gauge a show's success this way. I know the numbers still wouldn't be great, but if you're only getting a slice of whose watching by random selection, you really have no idea what size the audience is.

I agree. If one guy quits watching, supposedly hundreds or thousands do.

Knowledge of basic inferential statistics is really poor, it seems.

Mr Awe

 

[Jack Bauer]

I am going out on a limb and fuck it...SGU will get a 3rd season because SYFY will move the back 10 to fridays and give it 2 episodes to prove itself...SGU will get closer to 1.5 million and SYFY will keep it on fridays to share the slot with Sanctuary over the course of a year.

And then you woke up ;-)

No way they are going to move it back to Fridays, their wrestling is doing hugely better than SGU did in that slot.

Isn't Sanctuary on right after wrestling? SGU would and should go in that slot.

 

[Corran Horn]

Don't know what the financials are and I won't pretend to. However, I would guess that it depends on a bunch of factors. Maybe they want to pair it with the new BSG show Friday nights again? Would they want to axe both Caprica and SGU in the same year? Who knows. I hope not.

 

[Kirby]

Just curious, does anyone know how SGU's ratings compare to SG-1 and SGA when they were originally broadcast? (not counting SG-1 on Showtime).

 

[BenRoethig]

Syfy did two things to damn themselves here. 1) They moved it into a timeslot that conflicts with networks shows. 2) They moved from an 8 day to a 30 day delay for online viewers trying to railroad them back into a traditional viewership cycle even though users have moved on.

That being said, it won't be cancelled for one big reason, they just wrapped on episode 20 of season 2.

 

[Mr Awe]

^ Exactly how does wrapping up the current season prevent them from being cancelled for the next season?

 

[Snick27]

^ Exactly how does wrapping up the current season prevent them from being cancelled for the next season?

Well if the do cancel SGU they will just make a dvd movie just like the did for Atlantis!

 

[bullethead]

Just curious, does anyone know how SGU's ratings compare to SG-1 and SGA when they were originally broadcast? (not counting SG-1 on Showtime).

Here's a graph I found comparing SGU's ratings to SGA's.

 

[Motoki]

Syfy did two things to damn themselves here. 1) They moved it into a timeslot that conflicts with networks shows. 2) They moved from an 8 day to a 30 day delay for online viewers trying to railroad them back into a traditional viewership cycle even though users have moved on.

1) And yet other SyFy shows like Warehouse 13 have done relatively well on the same night and time slot.

2) They don't care about the online viewership because those numbers won't generate significant ad revenue. That's why they are trying to force some of them over into live viewings.

That being said, it won't be cancelled for one big reason, they just wrapped on episode 20 of season 2.

Oh they will finish the second season sooner or later. I don't think anyone is disputing that. I just think it's unlikely they will get a 3rd season.

Also, most likely season 2 will end on an obligatory cliffhanger. And don't hold your breath waiting for a movie to resolve it.

 

[Saquist]

^ Exactly how does wrapping up the current season prevent them from being cancelled for the next season?

It doesn't.

Just curious, does anyone know how SGU's ratings compare to SG-1 and SGA when they were originally broadcast? (not counting SG-1 on Showtime).

Here's a graph I found comparing SGU's ratings to SGA's.

Wow that is very dramatic.
It's never been above 2 million live! That sucks...

 

[Kirby]

Cool stats, thanks Bullethead. So even at it's very worst (season 4) Atlantis is still soundly beating SGU season 2. I'm sure the move to Tuesday accounts for quite a bit of the difference.
Stargate (SG-1, SGA, and SGU season 1) were mandatory viewing for me on Friday nights after a long week of work. So far this year I haven't watched a single episode during it's original airing. I just have too much going on Tuesday nights, and when I'm home there is better stuff to watch.
Kinda makes me want to go back and re-watch some Atlantis though...

 

[Saquist]

Cool stats, thanks Bullethead. So even at it's very worst (season 4) Atlantis is still soundly beating SGU season 2. I'm sure the move to Tuesday accounts for quite a bit of the difference.
Stargate (SG-1, SGA, and SGU season 1) were mandatory viewing for me on Friday nights after a long week of work. So far this year I haven't watched a single episode during it's original airing. I just have too much going on Tuesday nights, and when I'm home there is better stuff to watch.
Kinda makes me want to go back and re-watch some Atlantis though...

That's what I'm doing right now...

The Asurans vs Atlantis.

 

[bullethead]

Cool stats, thanks Bullethead. So even at it's very worst (season 4) Atlantis is still soundly beating SGU season 2. I'm sure the move to Tuesday accounts for quite a bit of the difference.
Stargate (SG-1, SGA, and SGU season 1) were mandatory viewing for me on Friday nights after a long week of work. So far this year I haven't watched a single episode during it's original airing. I just have too much going on Tuesday nights, and when I'm home there is better stuff to watch.
Kinda makes me want to go back and re-watch some Atlantis though...

I recently went through my Atlantis season 1 DVDs and it still holds up well, even if it's a bit too rushed. Honestly, they had enough material for two seasons in there.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

From the networks point of view, which makes more sense, spend a lot for shows that get .7, .8, .9 million views or spend next to nothing for a show that will get .6 million views?

The latter may seem attractive as a short-term solution but as a long-term thing, it won't work. It's the kind of mentality that got NBC in the mess it's in now. To survive as a network, Skiffy has to think about more than just not totally failing; they need to build a brand that's worth anything. They're not going to do that with reruns.

Syfy has original shows that are doing moderately well like Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary so clearly it's not impossible for SyFy to get numbers higher than what SGU and Caprica have been getting.

And that's one approach - do USA-style fluffy/cutesy shows, only in the sci fi genre. It's nothing I'll ever want to watch, but it's a brand identity I guess. I'll let Skiffy be fluffy sci fi and hope that someday, a real sci fi cable network will come along.

 

[Motoki]

And that's one approach - do USA-style fluffy/cutesy shows, only in the sci fi genre. It's nothing I'll ever want to watch, but it's a brand identity I guess. I'll let Skiffy be fluffy sci fi and hope that someday, a real sci fi cable network will come along.

I personally prefer the more serious shows myself, but if the lighter shows are what is getting the viewers that is probably what they are going to keep doing more of.

I think SyFy is afraid to try new dramatic shows without name recognition, but the ones they've been doing lately with the names arguably haven't been that great and certainly aren't getting the viewers.

If Blood and Chrome doesn't get a following they'll probably just be known as the network of modern day, light hearted, quirky shows with a scifi/paranormal twist. Well that and wrestling and Ghost Hunters, but I try to pretend those things don't exist.

 

[The Habs Fan]

Syfy did two things to damn themselves here. 1) They moved it into a timeslot that conflicts with networks shows. 2) They moved from an 8 day to a 30 day delay for online viewers trying to railroad them back into a traditional viewership cycle even though users have moved on.

1) And yet other SyFy shows like Warehouse 13 have done relatively well on the same night and time slot.

Didn't Warehouse 13 air in the summer? That would make a pretty big difference.

 

[Harvey]

Syfy did two things to damn themselves here. 1) They moved it into a timeslot that conflicts with networks shows. 2) They moved from an 8 day to a 30 day delay for online viewers trying to railroad them back into a traditional viewership cycle even though users have moved on.

1) And yet other SyFy shows like Warehouse 13 have done relatively well on the same night and time slot.

Didn't Warehouse 13 air in the summer? That would make a pretty big difference.

Wikipedia indicates that the latest season aired from July 6 to September 21 (with an Xmas special being held over until December).

 

[Robert Maxwell]

And that's one approach - do USA-style fluffy/cutesy shows, only in the sci fi genre. It's nothing I'll ever want to watch, but it's a brand identity I guess. I'll let Skiffy be fluffy sci fi and hope that someday, a real sci fi cable network will come along.

I personally prefer the more serious shows myself, but if the lighter shows are what is getting the viewers that is probably what they are going to keep doing more of.

I think SyFy is afraid to try new dramatic shows without name recognition, but the ones they've been doing lately with the names arguably haven't been that great and certainly aren't getting the viewers.

If Blood and Chrome doesn't get a following they'll probably just be known as the network of modern day, light hearted, quirky shows with a scifi/paranormal twist. Well that and wrestling and Ghost Hunters, but I try to pretend those things don't exist.

I've talked about this in some detail before, but SyFy is basically better off doing light far like Eureka, Warehouse 13, Sanctuary, etc. Those shows are cheap and attract more casual viewers. The problem with dramatic sci-fi series is that dedicated sci-fi fans are very particular and discriminating. When that's the very demographic you want to appeal to, it doesn't take much to piss them off and alienate them. Just look at how BSG's numbers collapsed or how Caprica turned out. Quality of those shows aside, it's clear that the people watching weren't getting what they wanted and they bailed. Lighter shows have more casual viewers who don't care as much, who don't have to tune in week after week, and who don't obsessively mine the show's mythology or nitpick the writing and production values.

It's very hard to do a dramatic sci-fi show and have it be successful. You usually need a sizable budget, good production values--and here's the most important part--stellar writing. You cannot succeed with mediocre or lousy writers, no matter how pretty your show is. It's rarely the production values or acting that people criticized in BSG and Caprica, it's always the storytelling. It's strange how SyFy is willing to spend millions of dollars an episode on these shows yet they don't seem to invest it in building a powerhouse writing staff. And studio interference always seems to be a net detriment, as if the higher-ups haven't a clue how to make the writing any better, either.

 

[Saquist]

Look at these AWFUL monster and disaster movies. SY FY has some of the worse writers on TV.

I've seen a couple of Sanctuary episodes...if it wasn't lighthearted, mystical and part comedy then I don't think it would come off well to the Audience. It's a pure entertainment factor and the acting behing it. I hate to say it but the writers on the Network seem like simpletons.