Part 2: SyFys Fall Line Up – Lacking but all is not lost

By: Robert Prentice
sanctuary sci fi stargate syfy

 

We come to 2011 and SyFy has released its fall lineup and to say its lacking would be like saying the skies are blue, its obvious to the point of my friend slapping me and calling me
“captain obvious”. SyFy in its wisdom has decided to cancel another “Sci-Fi” show Eureka. The lineup of shows this fall looks like this:

Paranormal Witness – documentary style reality TV that ties into Ghost Hunters to explore people who have seen the paranormal. Okay this works in October, given Halloween and all, but as a main fall show?

Warehouse 13– Continues through Oct 3rd, so far the only show that is true Sci-Fi that will be in only a small part of the fall

Sanctuary – Great Sci-Fi show, right now the ONLY mainstay Sci-Fi show in SyFys fall lineup.

Scare Tactics – Really? Comedy Central wouldn’t take this one?

Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files – Do we really need 3 paranormal shows running every week?

SyFy Orginial Movie – Zombie Apocalypse – SyFy get a clue, already been done. It’s called AMC’s The Walking Dead

Neverland – True this is Sci-Fi but it’s only a mini-movie to run 2 days during the fall.

So only 1 show to run in the fall, 3 others run during the summer, of which one is already cancelled. So for a full time channel like SyFy who has 5 work days and 2 weekend days of programming to fill, only 1 Sci-Fi show to call their own. I guess the ratings as of 2010 have said it all. As of 2010 SyFy average 1.199 million viewers, down 6% from 2009. In the important adults 18-49 the channel averaged just .539 million viewers, down 11% from 2009. For 2010 SyFY did not hold any of the Top 20 Primetime Original Series (Dealine Hollywood, Dec 2010)

Diamonds in the rough – What few gems SyFy Has left

For all the mistakes SyFy has made, it can redeem itself with these gems that it has created in the past and ones it can create for the future.

Sanctuary

A golden egg for you guys, keep it. Keep it going, keep it close, keep it coming, keep it up!

Stargate SG-1/Atlantis/Universe

By far one of the long lasting legacies for the Sci-Fi channel, the stargate franchise which started with the movie of its namesake in 1994, will forever be a classic. SyFy needs to start reairing the show in re-runs for the fans who have dedicated a decade to the series and the channel.

Battlestar Galactica/Caprica/Blood and Chrome

Battlestar reinvented a classic in a new light that so many of us enjoyed immensely. It mixed Sci-Fi with relgious war and rebellion in a way that no other series has been able to do successfully. Granted the story had to end sometime, but prequels were available.

Caprica represented a good way for us to see how it all began, find out why we created the cylons and what we did to piss them off. They had a good thing going. Yes it was dark but the story demanded that. It demanded a dark look on our future in order to explain the cylons and their hate towards humanity. One of the writers Remi Aubuchon is helping write season 2 of Falling Skies, should be a treat.

Blood and Chrome is our last chance to continue the franchise, do us a favor SyFy, with so little in your lineup this fall, keep it a series and dont make it a web series. Please?

Mini-Series (Taken/Tin Man/Riverworld)

This is truly where the genius was when the TV series had left and the 3 I named are just a few of the great mini-series to come from the Sci-Fi Channel. Do more, lots more.

Bring in outside series: Merlin/V/Doctor Who

When you brought in Merlin that was a plus, though you are taking a long time to offer it to us after the UK gets it. Doctor Who is a classic that spans 50 years and BBC America sadly has you beat on this, they are showing it almost the same time as the UK sees it. Sorry but you missed out on this.

You should consider picking up V, it was a remake of a Sci-Fi classic and has a loyal fan base. The morale here is bring in some other series if you cannot create your own.

Message to SyFy

Dont alienate us fans! We may be geeky fanboys who play video games all day but we are also loyal hardcore fans, which can only help your network. Get back to your roots and start producing quality Sci-Fi shows and mini-series and dump the reality shows and wrestling. TNT walked circles around you because they created a quality Sci-Fi drama that made us all care about the characters and the show. So little is left on SyFy for us to care about. And we dont want to see Category 20: 10 more sequels since the last hurricane mega storm!

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