Sci-Fi Channel finally discusses Farscape’s cancellation

[Viking Bastard]

I gave up on Buffy years ago when they started branching out from her killing vampires.

In first season?

 

[Brown Jenkin]

All they have to do now is take the final step and rename the netwowk to the Paranormal Channel. This way they can show the type of shows they seem to want to and people will know what to expect from the channel.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Right, they had to use the money to make Tremor: the Series. At least Michael Gross has steady work now.

While I absolutely LOVE the movies, how much could they pack into a series?

Still, it'd be cool to watch a few episodes. If I had cable, of course.

 

[Mistwell]

All they have to do now is take the final step and rename the netwowk to the Paranormal Channel. This way they can show the type of shows they seem to want to and people will know what to expect from the channel.

WHY all this bashing of the Sci-Fi channel? Here is a list of their shows:

Alien Nation
American Gothic
Babylon 5
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers
Batman
Battlestar Galactica
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
Black Scorpion
Brimstone
The Burning Zone
Cable in the Classroom
The Chronicle
The Crow: Stairway To Heaven
Crusade
Dark Shadows
Dark Skies
The Dead Zone
Earth 2
Earth: Final Conflict
Exposure
The New Fantasy Island
Firestarter: Rekindled
First Wave
Forever Knight
Friday the 13th: The Series
Good vs. Evil
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Highlander: The Raven
In Search Of...
The Invisible Man
Knight Rider
Kolchak the Night Stalker
Land of the Giants
Lexx
Lost in Space
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Night Visions
Now & Again
The Outer Limits
Poltergeist: The Legacy.
Prey
Quantum Leap
Robocop: Prime Directives
Roswell
SCI FI Happens
S.C.I.F.I. World
SeaQuest DSV
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Sentinel
Sightings
Sliders
Something is Out There
Space: Above and Beyond
Starman
Star Trek
Strange World
Tales From the Crypt
The Time Tunnel
Tracker
The Twilight Zone
Viper
The Visitor
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Wonder Woman
The X-Files

Frank Herbert's CHILDREN OF DUNE
Frank Herbert's DUNE
Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN

Crossing Over With John Edward
The Dream Team
with Annabelle and Michael

Farscape
Stargate SG-1
Tremors: The Series

Now of those, the basically "objectionable" shows are Crossing Over and The Dream Team. Two shows out of what, 75 or so? Now I agree the vast majority of those are not new shows of course. But so what? It's all still being played at various times, and almost all of it can only be found on that station. So what is with all the complaining?

Personally, I love Stargate, and I am looking forward to Tremors. I'm also looking forward to Children of Dune.

 

[Mistwell]

I agree that it is a very serialized show, but I watched the first season, missed the second season and half the third season and had no problem picking back up

I am pretty sure the heavy serilization starting mid-way through the third season actually, so it is no wonder you could pick it up. This show was originally non-serialized with a generic plot of "Earth man lost in space with an alien crew on a living startship fleeing from an oppressive and obsessed military guy". It changed to someone completely unrecognizable to me sometime in the third season I believe.

I tried to give Stargate a chance and I found it to be in the same vien as most of the lowbrow sindicated shows that followed Hercules and Zena, most of which are already dead. It's got the same feel as Relic hunter or Beastmaster the series.

I find your comments on this show extremely objectionable coming close to offensive, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. I would, if I were you, give the show another try. That's all I will say on that subject.

Farscape never looked or felt cheap (probably why it wasn't cheap),

Now here is where I think you have gone crazy. Puppets/Muppets were main characters! And just LOOK at this costume:

I mean come on now! This show often looked cheap, in combination with expensive perhaps, but cheap looking in places fairly often.

the serialization of it is a big part of why it got as popular as it is, it's big weakness is also one of it's big strengths.

As serialization increases, popularity (in terms of ratings) decreased with this show. It is pretty much a direct correlation, and would make a lovely graph. Serlization did not make this show popular, it hurt it in every way that counts.

I find it funny that the good old fashoned cliffhanger every week serials would now be considered too hard to follow. They are the history of science fiction. Yes they were cheesy but that was a sign of the times. It's like saying Farscape failed because they were actually trying to tell a story.

Look, weekly cliffhangers is one thing. Having every show depend on your having seen ALL past episodes (not just the week before), is NOT the cliffhanger tradition, nor is it "good" storytelling. Think of the best novels, the best comic books, and the best movies. Most of those relied on you having read/seen no more than two prior episodes to get it. Farscape went way beyond that.

I understand you disagree, and liked the serialization. Me, I don't go for shows that require that you be part of the "In" crowd just to understand the show. I like shows that give you the information you need to pick them up within no more than 3-4 episodes. Farscape was no longer that show, and I think that is why it failed (as does Sci-Fi channel it seems, and some others here).

 

[Chun-tzu]

WHY all this bashing of the Sci-Fi channel?

It's probably a perceived failure to support the really good sci-fi shows that are out there and available, but no one wants them. Like Farscape, Futurama, and Firefly, all of which could probably go on for a good couple years if the support was there.

It would be great if Sci-Fi Channel could play a more active role in supporting good sci-fi shows, but unfortunately, that's not their primary mission. It would be great if their original stuff was much better, and I have to believe that they really could do better, if it was important enough to them. It would be great if Sci-Fi Channel could show the world what quality sci-fi is, and not just hokey plots, bad acting, and lame special effects.

I have hope for the channel, though. They're doing a live adaptation of an old Marvel comic called Strikeforce: Morituri, which I pray they do well.

Oh, also, at least some of those shows on that list aren't currently on Sci-Fi's schedule. If they were still showing Legend of the Rangers, Good vs. Evil, or Brimstone, I'd tune in, but a search of their entire schedule comes up empty.

 

[Umbran]

As serialization increases, popularity (in terms of ratings) decreased with this show. It is pretty much a direct correlation, and would make a lovely graph. Serlization did not make this show popular, it hurt it in every way that counts.

Hm. Those who are going to find other's opinions on shows objectionable nigh to the point of offense may want to be careful of how unqualified they make their own statements, lest they become a pot calling a kettle black, hm?

You'd also probably do better to show us, rather than tell us. If you have the data to make that graph, do so and present it. If you can also find some support for the idea that the loss of ratings was due specifically to serialization, as opposed to the attrition that shows frequently go through as they age, or Sci Fi's mucking about with the schedule, your position would be stronger.

Speculation on cause and effect is okay, but it doesn't substitute for evidence.

Think of the best novels, the best comic books, and the best movies. Most of those relied on you having read/seen no more than two prior episodes to get it. Farscape went way beyond that.

Ah, yes. And how many of "the best" novels and movies have more than two prior episodes that they could refer to even if they wanted to? Novels and movies are limited by long production times, and are usually incapable of making such references. If they cannot do it, you can't use them as support for the idea that it is bad storytelling to do so.

There is one major novel series capable of such references - Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, and I'm told he does heavily rely on previous episodes. Interesting how popular his series is, hm?

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Here is what SciFi is currently showing (TV listings for Jan12-18) and the number of times each series is shown (* indicates Prime Time)

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction * x2
Crossing Over with John Edward x8
Dark Shadows x10
Earth: Final Conflict
Fantasy Island
Farscape * x2
First Wave x6
Forever Knight x5
Highlander: The Raven
Knight Rider x5
Lexx x4
Movie: A Town has Turned to Dust
Movie: Alien Cargo *
Movie: Alligator
Movie: Alligator 2
Movie: Blood Surf *
Movie: Brave New World x2
Movie: Control Factor * x2
Movie: Lake Placid * x2
Movie: Shadow Realm
Movie: The Beast
Movie: The Road Warrior *
Movie: The Running Man *
Movie: The Terminal Man
Movie: Tom Clancy’s Netforce *
Movie: Twilight Zone: The Movie
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Night Visions
Now and Again
Paid Programming x40
Poltergeist: The Legacy
Roswell x5
Sightings x5
Sliders x5
Stargate SG-1 * x10
Starman
Strange World x2
The Crow: Stairway to Heaven
The Dead Zone *
The Outer Limits x10
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Sentinel x5
The X-Files * x10
Tracker *
Twilight Zone x23

More than half of this has little to nothing to do with Sci-Fi and is horror/paranormal. Of those that are more Sci-Fi much of it is like the X-files part Sci-fi part Paranormal/Horror. There is in fact very little Hard Sci-Fi.

The following are listed as original series:
Crossing Over With John Edward
The Dream Team
with Annabelle and Michael
Farscape
Stargate SG-1
Tremors: The Series

Only Farscape and Stargate are Sci-Fi and Farscape is canceled.

I will give them credit though for thier movies and mini-series which do tend to be mostly Sci-Fi.

I'm not saying I don't watch the SciFi Channel, but I will argue that its focus is no longer Sci-Fi, especially Hard Sci-Fi, but rather Paranormal/Horror.

 

[Khorod]

And a lot of that stuff is played during irregular hours.
When I turn it on at random, its something I have zero desire to watch about 90% of the time.

 

[Mistwell]

There is one major novel series capable of such references - Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, and I'm told he does heavily rely on previous episodes. Interesting how popular his series is, hm?

I'll respond to the rest later. But for now I couldn't help but respond to this particular contention.

Thank you so much for proving my point.

Jordan has run into the same problem Farscape did. His sales and readership are DOWN, as serlialization has gone UP. In fact, there is even a whole other thread just about this very issue right now.

There are lots of movies that have many prior in their series. Even more TV shows, and even more comics than TV shows. But you can track problems back to serlialization with most. Comics make the best example, since Marvel claims over serialization was one key element in their bankruptcy.

As for the evidence that as serialization increased with Farscape that viewership decreased, that requires me to go get all the ratings tracking and compare it to season serialization in summaries, a HUGE effort. However, you already have expert witness testimony from the executive herself on the issue, which should be good enough. If you really need more, I am willing to do the work (I know it is there, I saw the ratings go down as it was happening, but I would have to seriously dig to get that data now), but only if you REALLY need it.