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The recent cancellation of Farscape seems like an incomprehensible decision to me — kill off your premiere show? I don’t get it. I realize this last season hasn’t been its best (I got confused and bored and stopped watching), but it still drew high ratings. I’m sorry, but I don’t think The Dead Zone and reruns of SG1 are going to save Friday nights at Scifi, especially with Fox coming on strong this fall with two new offerings (and one of them a Joss Whedon show).
And now I see TNT has cancelled Witchblade, despite its high ratings. What, is everybody going to go to cheap “reality” shows now? How much of that dreck can people watch?
quote:
Originally posted by dgrequeen:
The recent cancellation of Farscape seems like an incomprehensible decision to me — kill off your premiere show? I don’t get it. I realize this last season hasn’t been its best (I got confused and bored and stopped watching), but it still drew high ratings. I’m sorry, but I don’t think The Dead Zone and reruns of SG1 are going to save Friday nights at Scifi, especially with Fox coming on strong this fall with two new offerings (and one of them a Joss Whedon show).And now I see TNT has cancelled Witchblade, despite its high ratings. What, is everybody going to go to cheap “reality” shows now? How much of that dreck can people watch?
It’s a trend that I’ve been looking at and theorizing about. It wasn’t until Farscape was canceled that it really started to make sense. Firstly, let’s look at who stands to make the most money from these programs. Does Vivendi/Universal (the current owners of the Sci Fi Channel) stand to make much money from Farscape? No, because they don’t hold any rights to the show other than broadcast rights. They make advertising money, and they stand to have the money they’ve invested in the show returned, but the show is primarily owned by Hallmark/Jim Henson Productions/Nine Film and Television. Universal isn’t making money from video sales, and when their broadcast rights expire, they can’t exploit it in any other way. Same with Invisible Man (whose rights are held by Stu Segal Productions). Same with LEXX, which they completely and quite probably intentionally failed to promote until it was announced that there would be no fifth season.
Basically, what you’re looking at is the systematic mistreatment, mishandling, and cancellation of any series that Universal/Vivendi does not have significant proprietary rights to, or that they can’t pick up on the cheap to fill time (re-runs of Stargate: SG-1). Taken, their big new series (which is only 20 hours long), is a Dreamworks production, a company with which Universal has had a constant relationship. The Dead Zone is a co-production between Universal and Paramount. Farscape’s cancellation is a ridiculous decision, and one that will eventually come ’round to bite them on the ass, but it is one that does make some sense on some level (if you’re a money-grubbing executive).Of course, I could be wrong about their reasoning, but it’s the only thing I can think of that makes any sense.
–Aleck
I don’t get it either, dgrequeen! I’m not the biggest fan of the show, but I enjoy it nonetheless. I’m completely perplexed why they would do this. It stinks to high heaven.
(BTW, read some of the quotes I’ve been posting in the Farscape forum…)
It makes me not want to get involved with any new sci-fi show because I know it will never get the high ratings like, say, The X-Files. And because all the channels ever think about is money from advertising, they never, ever will give a damn about dedicated fandom.
I had some hope for the future of sci-fi fandom when the SciFi Channel went on the air. But, of course, it’s really just like any other channel that has a theme.
The movie The Matrix did not terribly impress me. To me, it was just a cyberpunk movie. But I realised the the major appeal was the protaganist’s struggle against the system. Are people starting to wake up and realize that our consumerist corporate culture is lie?
[ 10-09-2002: Message edited by: Flamegrape ]
BLASPHEMY! Not “terribly” impressed with The Matrix? How about…mildly? Did you like Fight Club? (just curious….)
T_Tquote:
Originally posted by Trini_T:
BLASPHEMY! Not “terribly” impressed with The Matrix? How about…mildly? Did you like Fight Club? (just curious….) T_T
Oh don’t get me wrong. It was just that the entire concept of the movie was absolutely nothing new to me. It’s a really, really cool movie. But I was very suprised when it became so popular.
Fight Club kicked ass. I bet there were so many jocko-homos who went to see that movie expecting something like Bloodsport. Hahahahaha! Then they get to sit down and be told what a lie corporate america really is! ROFL!
To follow up on Aleck’s post:
July 9, 2002
From SciFi.comThe SCI FI Channel, which is now a part of Universal Television Group, is developing a number of original series and films based on existing Universal titles, the network announced.
SCI FI will develop a two-hour movie based on the TV series Quantum Leap, which will also serve as a back-door pilot for a possible series. Series creator Don P. Bellisario will executive produce.
SCI FI will also develop a one-hour action series based on the Tremors series of movies, which will be scheduled for a January 2003 premiere. The films’ creators, executive producers Nancy Roberts, Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson, will work with series executive producer David Israel.
“Projects such as Quantum Leap and Tremors are exactly why SCI FI is excited about being part of the Universal family,” said SCI FI president Bonnie Hammer in a statement. “We have an opportunity to access the rich Universal library-which includes a vast array of horror and sci-fi titles-to create new television experiences for a contemporary audience.”I’m glad they’re excited. I’m not.
elmey
Fight Club was great! But I have to admit I didn’t quite “get” it the first time- I actually went back to the theater two nights later with Neo and saw it again. And of course I had to buy it when it was available! And come to think of it…the first time I saw it was with a couple of girlfriends, and yes…the audience was jam-packed with “jocko-homos” LOL! They were damned uncomfortable to have a bunch of girls in their midst!
T_Tquote:
Originally posted by elmey:
I’m glad they’re excited. I’m not.
Right there with ya, elmey. Thanks for that post. I’d forgotten about that press release, which kind of brings my theory more into focus. I started noticing this when Invisible Man was canceled, and our acquisitions department was looking at it for video release (dunno where those talks have gone). I was trying to explain that it had gotten consistently good ratings, that it had a devoted fan base, and that it really didn’t make any sense for Sci Fi to cancel it. I said that it was probably due to the fact that Universal/Vivendi wasn’t making much money from it, no matter how good the ratings, because they didn’t own it, but I couldn’t explain why Farscape was still on since it was the same situation with that series. Now, of course, it makes more and more sense.
–Aleck
Then they need to rename it the Universal/Vivendi Channel.
The SciFi Channel used to be cool. Now I refuse to watch it.
Ive never seen Farscape but its never good when they cancel a sci fi show…..
This is curious…
http://www.em-ag.de/dasat/index.php3?cid=100142&conid=100944It quotes the statement from the creator of Farscape and not the SciFi Channel’s press release. Curious indeed.
JMS speaks!
quote:
From http://www.jmsnews.com/%5B/url%5D
I don’t think the Farscape situation much impacts my stuff with SFC one way or
another. I suspect there were a number of factors, including the cost of the
show (which was the highest on the network, from what I’ve heard, but that’s
second-hand and may not be accurate) combined with the fact that SFC (via their
parent company USA Networks) didn’t own the show.Lemme splain….
If a network owns the show they air, they can reap long-term profits from
syndication of the program. More and more, USA Network (and other cable
outlets) is under pressure to own what they produce, otherwise they’re paying
huge sums of money to produce shows that they air a few times, then the money
goes to the studio that did the actual production. The higher the cost, the
iffier the proposition.So that may have been an issue here. They needed Farscape to help build their
audience, but now that this seems to be coming together for them, the logical
(for a network) thing would be to start paring away what they don’t own, and
which is costly, to replace it with their own stuff.One of the things you can never allow yourself to forget is that TV is a
business designed around making a profit, and determining who owns what
long-term revenue streams.Doesn’t affect Polaris one way or another, since if that goes, it would be
under the aegis of the network.jms
Oh my gawd! Things are happening so fast, it’s hard to keep up! Get a load of THIS!
http://www.wdsection.com/community/showthread.php?t hreadid=2575
http://pub24.bravenet.com/forum/fetch.php?id=9935351&usernum=1984192024[ 10-09-2002: Message edited by: Flamegrape ]
Sci-fi is slitting its own throat.Let them! They were given enough rope to turn things around a-bit, and the fans have stayed around and given them the chance in the midst of much abuse. They chose to hang themselves. Looks like this could be the walls of Jerico. So long, Sci-fi! Good riddance! (OR maybe they have been sold and are being dismantled/restructured?)
[ 11-09-2002: Message edited by: Trini_T ]
Like I said before, I’m not watching SciFi Channel ever again. I’ll tape MST3K and I’ll watch the rest of the fourth season of Farscape, but after that it’s “bye-bye!”
Interesting points, Aleck. That sounds entirely plausible to me, but what a downer for fans. Looks like it’s a Fox fall for me.
The Universal connection doesn’t seem like a bad thing in that many of it’s Sci-fi films adapted for T.V could be a good thing.
SG-1 has been a success thanks in part to it’s ties to the movie, it gave it a good platform to start off with.
Of course this approach is going to upset some Sci-fi fans, but not me, maybe because I would not describe myself as a hard-core sci-fi fan, but yes this approach does lack originality…but it does work, and you’re film going fan will no doubt be happy to see spin-offs from their favourite movies.
The name of the game for the best part is attraction, ST:TNG’s launchpad was the films, and it succeeded because in two seasons they got the correct format for the fans.
In fact the only time I’ve seen an original idea work from scratch is the X-Files, so to me it would seem that those programmes that have had a big screen outing are likely to be more successful.
The Matrix for me was another surprise package, I remember not many going to the cinema to see it, but when it hit video and DVD it exploded big time. I simply loved this films innovation, and although it’s fight scenes were already in use in Hong Kong based kung-fu films, that approach had not been used in a major motion picture, but it also had the slowdown bullet effect, the music rocked and the story was original in it’s concept, I think when the sequel is released it will blow everything else out of the water.
Squishy
Oh, I’m such an unhappy camper. I stopped going to Sci Fi to chat long ago. I didn’t like the atmosphere of the chats there. I haven’t watched the Sci fi channel in over a year because our cable company didn’t carry it. Now they are supposed to get it in October and blah, I don’t even know if I care now.
I couldn’t believe when I read that Farscape was cancelled. Had to be a hoax, right? I kept waiting for the news to show that it was, but no… they are actually dropping it like a hot potato. They are leaving the fans in limbo, the characters unable to wrap up the story up into a nice finished bow. How very unfair. If I were to assume that they are suddenly dumping the shows like this because of “cash on hand” problems at Vivendi, would I be out of line?
I KNEW IT!!!!
TV Guide has announced that Scifi will air a new “reality” game show, called Scare Tactics. It will feature hidden-camera footage of pranks inspired by famous sci-fi movies and series. Shannon Doherty is going to be the MC.
So it’s going to be a mixture of Candid Camera, the Twilight Zone and Crank Yankers, I guess. How wonderful.
Sci-Fi Channel has been dead to me ever since they announced they were going to show Cape Fear. WTF?
Of course they’re cancelling it because they don’t own the video rights. They would have used Neilsen ratings as an excuse, otherwise. They can’t use that now, so they’re just saying, “It’s gone, so there
“. Are there enough rabid Tremors fans to warrant a series? Doesn’t matter. “You’ll watch what we tell you to watch, so there
!”And personally, I don’t want to watch Shannon Doherty in anything, and that reality TV thing doesn’t do it for me. If I wanted to watch everyday people making asses of themselves I could go to the mall. And they’re not even doing it to get on TV, there. It’s pure.
Of course, they might be doing this to deliberately cause an uproar and increase fan base. It worked for the last season of Lexx. Nothing brings in viewers like controversy. Nothing causes producers to give up some video money like the threat of cancellation before the ending is written.
Either way, I hate the f***ers.
Pet;D
[ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: pet ]
Here’s how SciFi describes Scare Tactics
The SCI FI Channel said that it has ordered 13 episodes of Scare Tactics, a hidden-camera reality series that will mine people’s fears of UFOs, ghosts and other phenomena for laughs.
The series is slated for the first quarter of 2003.
Shannen Doherty (Charmed) will host the show, in which friends and relatives will set up their loved ones in elaborate pranks that range from a mock alien encounter to
babysitting in a haunted house.Ha, ha, ha. And because we all want more of the same
they are also going to give us:SCI FI Conjures Dream Team
The SCI FI Channel has ordered 65 half-hour episodes of The Dream Team with Annabelle and Michael, an “alternative reality TV” series that will explore the sometimes humorous meaning of dreams.The series will be co-hosted by Annabelle Gurwitch (TNT’s Dinner & A Movie) and psychotherapist Michael Lennox, an expert in dream interpretation, and will kick off in January, the network announced.
and more humor:
SCI FI Goes In Search Of
The SCI FI Channel announced that it will air eight new, original episodes of the investigative series In Search of …, hosted by Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files).The one-hour episodes will air weekly at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fridays, starting Oct. 11. USA Cable Entertainment produced the new episodes…
Like the old series, the new episodes will explore mysteries, myths, legends and bizarre phenomena through re-enactments and eyewitness accounts.I’d boycott the stupid channel except that I haven’t been watching since Lexx ended anyways. If I had the energy I’d go into a rant about how they used scifi fans with the promise of one day doing more original science fiction to build up the channel, just to dump on them once they had the cable penetration/viewer numbers at a level to bring in the advertisers. But I don’t so I’ll save it for next time.
elmey
my first reaction is * waaaaa, I want real scifi! waaaa*
Now, getting out of toddler mode: Although I enjoyed In Search of… as a kid, as an adult, I find it’s lack of actually answering the questions it asks during the episode unsatisfying and irritating. I think it was the music and Nimoy’s voice that seemed “fascinating.”
And those other two things, I don’t think they are funny. They sound mean and callous, like the Mad TV take off of reality shows where a guy is put in jail for twenty years as a joke by his mother. Not funny.
What’s next? A scifi version of the Anna Nicole Smith show? GAH! My eyes, my eyes!
My husband and I once had the unfortunate experience of spending an evening with (I will be discreet) “network executives”-not from sci-fi. They are aliens. They tittled and flitted around the skybox using verbiage that would confuse a lawyer, and justifying every move they make as geared to the “will of the masses”, “mob rule” etc. They patted one another on the back, “eyes shining like wet mushrooms in the moonlight”, hologrammed dollar signs instead of pupils…and winking to one another that it didn’t hurt that what the masses wanted was also putting fuel in the corporate jet!
Maybe they think “the masses” want a sci-fi Anna Nichol Smith show. The really scarey part is… maybe “the masses” really do want it… Look at the popularity of “The Osbournes”!quote:
Originally posted by Trini_T:
My husband and I once had the unfortunate experience of spending an evening with (I will be discreet) “network executives”-not from sci-fi. They are aliens. They tittled and flitted around the skybox using verbiage that would confuse a lawyer, and justifying every move they make as geared to the “will of the masses”, “mob rule” etc. They patted one another on the back, “eyes shining like wet mushrooms in the moonlight”, hologrammed dollar signs instead of pupils…and winking to one another that it didn’t hurt that what the masses wanted was also putting fuel in the corporate jet!
Maybe they think “the masses” want a sci-fi Anna Nichol Smith show. The really scarey part is… maybe “the masses” really do want it… Look at the popularity of “The Osbournes”!
…I DO!!!…
Squishy
I admit that out of morbid curiosity, yes, I watched Anna Nicole Smith… for about five minutes. GAH! I know what I speak of. End result, I felt insulted.
The Osbournes, I watched it, about three times. A bit of a chuckle, but I forgot when it was on and ultimately, missing it isn’t a big deal for me.
I don’t know what the masses want, but I do know what I will watch and what I won’t watch. I like intelligent shows with expanding story lines. I like witty, interesting dialogue. I like “characters,” not card board cut outs of what an executive “thinks” the masses like.
*oop, I feel a soap box under my feet*
I like seeing characters make mistakes and try to deal with those mistakes. I like seeing the outcome. I like seeing “other worlds,” whether from shows based on jobs or scifi. I like special FX and to be entertained with jokes, music, ideas, new thoughts and sometimes just plain silliness.What I *don’t* like is seeing people humiliated and manipulated and hurt, like on the “reality” series. Life is for reality, that bit outside the door, all the good and bads of it. I don’t like seeing cruel things done to RL people who may not be able to handle the outcomes in a healthy manner. I don’t find it entertaining in any manner.
Maybe that’s why execs do reality shows. They don’t get enough of it in their own life.
*soap box disappears*
Ahem, sorry for the rant.
[ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: Praxilla ]
quote:
Originally posted by Praxilla:
[QB]The Osbournes, I watched it, about three times. A bit of a chuckle, but I forgot when it was on and ultimately, missing it isn’t a big deal for me.
That’s exactly how I felt about it, and exactly why I watched only 3 episodes. Funny!
quote:
What I *don’t* like is seeing people humiliated and manipulated and hurt, like on the “reality” series. Life is for reality, that bit outside the door, all the good and bads of it. I don’t like seeing cruel things done to RL people who may not be able to handle the outcomes in a healthy manner. I don’t find it entertaining in any manner.
Someday, someone’s going to have a heart attack or complete mental breakdown or really beat the s**t out of an extra as a result of one of those shows.
I don’t find that funny at all. Hidden-camera shows always remind me of that episode of AbFab in which Patsy is scarred for life after being on Candid Camera.
If anyone ever did that to me, no amount of money or whining would get me to sign that release afterward. They’d have to show the whole thing with a face blur.quote:
Maybe that’s why execs do reality shows. They don’t get enough of it in their own life.
Also, Real Life screwballs will work for nothing to get on TV for their 15 minutes.
As far as Sci-Fi’s new programming line-up goes, I finally got whittled down to only Fridays, and got interested in Farscape because it was on the same night as Lexx. Now all that’s left for me on that channel is Farscape, but I’m not a rabid fan of the series, so since (if this isn’t a ploy to increase ratings) there won’t be a clean ending, I find no reason to continue watching.
It also irks me that they choose to show things out of order. I’m not into the X-files, but they’re showing them by “theme” instead of a straight run. Again, WTF?
It costs me an extra $9.99 a month to keep the package that has Sci-Fi, and since I don’t watch the other stations that come with it, and won’t be watching Sci-Fi, I’ve already cancelled my package.
It looks like I’ll be watching Firefly, but since it’s on Fox, and they’re pround of showing bad programming, if it’s any good it’s sure to be cancelled soon. Friday night has never been a good night for Fox shows. I’m gonna try not to get attached….
Pet;D
[ 13-09-2002: Message edited by: pet ]
quote:
Originally posted by pet:
It looks like I’ll be watching Firefly, but since it’s on Fox, and they’re pround of showing bad programming, if it’s any good it’s sure to be cancelled soon. Friday night has never been a good night for Fox shows. I’m gonna try not to get attached….
Pet;D
[ 13-09-2002: Message edited by: pet ]
*Fran Drescher imitation* Next on Fox… when Alaskan Single Sci Fi fans aaaaatack.
mwa ahahaha.
Pet has said mostly what I was thinking and added some good points that I hadn’t thought of. I better stop before I ramble into silly incoherent thoughts….too late! *giggle*
I read this while looking for Babylon 5 series DVD release info
“JMS said of the move, “The SciFi Channel has indicated that it’s moving away from space shows, with all the hardware/alien stuff that goes with it. (This as per its recent announcement about upcoming shows.) So it looks like Rangers isn’t going to go ahead. They haven’t said it directly, but networks never do.”
And i got this info from this link page http://www.b5tv.com/greatmaker/news/42/%5B/url%5D
Being a Muslim, I firmly believe in the concept of Qada’ and Qadar, which is basically Karma, with a twist, namely that everything you do, whether positive or negative is doubled, in both this life and the next.
So if Sci-Fi’s HQ is struck by a meteor after being ravaged by a hurricane that was preceded by an earthquake….
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