What's the real reason Farscape was cancelled?

[John Crichton]

http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/559/559272p1.html

Seems to be written by someone who has been involved with the industry and at one point worked for SFC. I can't tell if this is spin, pure BS, truth with some bitterness or something else.

Thoughts?

 

[Ruined]

Sounds like a bitter attempt at spin to me. I have serious doubts that Henson's company would have refused any sane offer, preferring to go the route of the web campaign.

 

[Chimera]

Well, I really can't speak to the truth of it.

But one has to consider the idiotic way in which SciFi programmed the episodes. They made it extremely difficult to watch when one had to almost guess when it would be on, when they would play four episodes and then NOT show it for five months at a crack, when they would run endless marathons out of the blue, then nothing for another six months.

You want culpability? That's where I point my finger. Scheduling failure of the highest magnitude.


BUT, having said that, I wouldn't necessarily believe that there is nothing to the Henson hard-line negotiating tactics. It wouldn't be the first time some production company has cut it's own throat in this manner.

A good example of that is The Invisible Man. They were asked for another season, but the production company balked and demanded two. The network wouldn't give them two, so they walked away from the table.

 

[Storm Raven]

But one has to consider the idiotic way in which SciFi programmed the episodes. They made it extremely difficult to watch when one had to almost guess when it would be on, when they would play four episodes and then NOT show it for five months at a crack, when they would run endless marathons out of the blue, then nothing for another six months.

That would seem to be the most likely culprit. SciFi renewed the series when it was airing at 8:00 PM, with Stargate following at 9:00 PM. For season 4, SciFi reversed this, with Stargate serving as a lead-in. Farscape's ratings dropped. More to the point, Stargate's ratings were worse than Farscape's had been in the same time slot. (And this was in an environment where SciFi spent the entirety of a single broadcast night each week to running old Stargate episodes, effectively running a four hour long commercial for the series every week). To further kick the dog while it was down, SciFi consistently preempted Farscape for other stuff, or reran episodes in the time slot rather than new ones.

In Season 3 Farscape consistenly got a rating of about 2 or slightly higher. At that time, Stargate got a rating of 1.7 to 1.8 on average. When they were reversed, Stargate bumped up to close to a 2, and Farscape dropped to the 1.8 range. Despite being treated like a red-headed stepchild by the network, Farscape maintained ratings comparable to Stargate's 9:00 PM run, even while Stargate was enjoying massive promotion from the network.

SciFi executives can whine all they want about the ratings, but the fact remains that all of the available evidence indicates that they were responsible for the drop. They took a valuable property, treated it like crap, and then pointed to the fact that it didn't perform well while they were doing everything they could to kill as evidence it should be cancelled. Claims by SciFi apologists that the show was "hemorhaging viewers" are borderline idiotic, since the reason viewership was shrinking was directly related to their own treatment of the show. That is sort of like refusing to ever change the oil in your car and then complaining when the engine doesn't perform well.

 

[Fast Learner]

To further kick the dog while it was down, SciFi consistently preempted Farscape for other stuff, or reran episodes in the time slot rather than new ones.

We have no way of knowing, of course, but this is something that networks sometimes have to do when the production company isn't delivering episodes.

 

[Truth Seeker]

That would seem to be the most likely culprit. SciFi renewed the series when it was airing at 8:00 PM, with Stargate following at 9:00 PM. For season 4, SciFi reversed this, with Stargate serving as a lead-in. Farscape's ratings dropped. More to the point, Stargate's ratings were worse than Farscape's had been in the same time slot. (And this was in an environment where SciFi spent the entirety of a single broadcast night each week to running old Stargate episodes, effectively running a four hour long commercial for the series every week). To further kick the dog while it was down, SciFi consistently preempted Farscape for other stuff, or reran episodes in the time slot rather than new ones.

In Season 3 Farscape consistenly got a rating of about 2 or slightly higher. At that time, Stargate got a rating of 1.7 to 1.8 on average. When they were reversed, Stargate bumped up to close to a 2, and Farscape dropped to the 1.8 range. Despite being treated like a red-headed stepchild by the network, Farscape maintained ratings comparable to Stargate's 9:00 PM run, even while Stargate was enjoying massive promotion from the network.

SciFi executives can whine all they want about the ratings, but the fact remains that all of the available evidence indicates that they were responsible for the drop. They took a valuable property, treated it like crap, and then pointed to the fact that it didn't perform well while they were doing everything they could to kill as evidence it should be cancelled. Claims by SciFi apologists that the show was "hemorhaging viewers" are borderline idiotic, since the reason viewership was shrinking was directly related to their own treatment of the show. That is sort of like refusing to ever change the oil in your car and then complaining when the engine doesn't perform well.

Thank you, this is much a very sore subject with me...I am glad you beat me to it.

I believe you covered that part of TV bosses foolishness, very well.

SCIFIC tenure will end with me after Andromeda is finished. And followed soon will be UPN, with Star Trek.

That will leaves me with one channel to watch, the news.

 

[RangerWickett]

Farscape was cancelled because you touch yourself.



And because television executives don't seem to want to air shows for the 'geek' demographic. Not even on the Sci-fi Channel.

 

[MEG Hal]

Farscape was cancelled because you touch yourself.

Ummmm, what the heck was that comment for?

The article stated this:
"Despite evidence to the contrary, fans continue to believe the myth of the Roddenberry Principle and continue to stage massive write-in campaigns for their favorite shows, regardless of the ratings or any other factors involved. As of this writing, campaigns are underway to save or bring back Enterprise, Smallville, Andromeda, Mutant X, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, Starman and The Lost World, just to name a few. Producers continue to take advantage of starry eyed fans who are so in awe of the people that entertain them that those fans are willing to believe just about anything and networks continue not to care one little bit."

Is Smallville in trouble?

 

[RangerWickett]

Ummmm, what the heck was that comment for?

Sorry. I suppose the joke isn't as funny out of context. It was completely not intended to be serious. It's, like, a Simpsons or South Park or Family Guy quote.

 

[John Crichton]

Sorry. I suppose the joke isn't as funny out of context. It was completely not intended to be serious. It's, like, a Simpsons or South Park or Family Guy quote.

I must admit that I didn't get the reference but thought it was funny anyway. But I'm odd.