Why The End Of Universe Means Bad Things For Syfy

[shavedape]

I haven't been too happy with Scifi/Syfy channel in recent years. When it was first on the air it showed a lot of old scifi shows that were fun to watch and reminisce over, BUT then they began showing more and more "ghosthunters" and crap of that ilk ; culminating in sgu. With caprica and sgu gone, I am now hopeful we will finally see an uptick in the quality of decent scifi on syfy and no more of those horrible soap-fis. (kudos to mr A for that turn of phrase...will green you when I can!) I blame a lot of the lack of quality of the channel on NBC's purchase of scifi channel- they have runined it just as they have ruined the weather channel - that's a whole different topic!

I would agree but have to mention that in the case of SGU Brad Wright did not have to rush to jump on the soap-fi bandwagon. He could have kept Stargate in more of a sci-fi genre. So I think we have to give credit (or blame) where credit (or blame) is due. NBC is looking to make a buck, that's their reason for existing. Just because NBC thinks a particular genre is hot at the moment that doesn't mean that show runners have to follow the trend. And in the case of SGU it was clear that BSG had created, and then burnt-out, the soap-fi genre, so it was a wasted effort on BW's part to be so derivative. The greatest success generally comes to those who lead, not to those who follow. SGU was based on the latter, and cynically so. No wonder it failed.

What I'm saying is genuine sci-fi can still be made and produced. Granted it's been tainted by soap-fi, which is now out of favor, but all things old are new again at some point. Sci-fi will come back to TV be it on SyFy or a different channel. It's too popular a genre to disappear.

 

[Mr. A]

Regardless of who produces the show there is still a cost to the outlet that airs it. It has to be a profitable venture for the channel. I didn't mean that SyFy had to actually produce the shows it airs, certainly not the live action ones. Still, there's a huge cost involved whether they produce the shows or they pay someone else to produce the shows. Either way a show costing say 2 million to produce, per episode, at a place like Bridge Studios (*cough* *cough*) prices itself outside of Syfy's ability to pay for airing that show. The ratings simply don't bring in enough to make it viable, certainly not for a sci-fi show let alone poorly disguised soap opera.

In 2011 it's certainly possible to produce a sci-fi show with good writing, likable characters and that doesn't include (financially) everything including the kitchen sink. So, the end of SGU does not portend bad things for SyFy. If anything, it implies that they have woken up and smelled the coffee and will now be running leaner and meaner. In terms of innovation this is a good thing -- a very good thing. Sure they might need a little time to get their act together but chances are that they will commission new sci-fi shows that will be better than SGU ever could hope to be.

You are wrong with your figures, shaved. SGA cost around 2 million (maybe more in its final seasons). SGU costs 3, maybe 3.5 million per episode, depending on whether you accept TPTB's back-peddling excuse that they meant SGU cost 1 mio US$ more per episode than the first season of SGA, or season 5 as they seemed to imply at first. We determined that on the old forums a couple of times.
And SGA and SG1 were doing fine on that 2 mio budget, thank you, just not 'brilliant' like BW and the execs at Syfy might have wished... (read "greed" here). It is possible with adventure sci-fi, not for disguised soaps like you said. That only worked for BSG for a short time because it was new. So otherwise I agree with you.

But both those franchises decided to deviate from what made them so popular. Blood & Chrome being touted as action/adventure shows that syfy is trying to get back at least part of what it lost. IMHO of course.

Yes! IMO too. Green for you for pointing this out.

I have always been a "fan" of all SG . Am I let down by what happened by Syfy? Yes. Will I walk away from the network. No. I am willing to give them another shot. Why, you might ask. Well, they did give me many,many years of entertainment, good entertainment. So, they might have messed up a little lately. But I can be patient and wait and see.

Let down? Walk away? No, I'm sorry GB but that's crazy talk from the squee's trying to protect the asses of producers of bad shows, such as JM and BW.
Syfy has taken a step in the right direction: the network has cancelled the two soaps posing as sci-fi and decided to give B&C a try! Now all they need to do is bring back more.
At the end it boils down to what BW said: If they produce a good show, we will watch it. If not, then we won't. Who cares about a website's private little war with a TV network and their attempt to manipulate them in to extending more favors to their 'favorite' producers than they already have? :roll:

 

[heisenberg]

nvm

 

[YoshiKart64]

I thought I read somewhere, the budget per episode for SGU was 2 million dollars?

It would have been around that. 3 million is an insanely high number, even for a show airing on one of the big 4 networks.

 

[Tropicana]

What I'm saying is genuine sci-fi can still be made and produced. Granted it's been tainted by soap-fi, which is now out of favor, but all things old are new again at some point. Sci-fi will come back to TV be it on SyFy or a different channel. It's too popular a genre to disappear.

Agreed. Sci-fi (genre) isn't going anywhere, but will Syfy still commit to sci-fi in the distant future? That's the question.

 

[Graybrew1]

You are wrong with your figures, shaved. SGA cost around 2 million (maybe more in its final seasons). SGU costs 3, maybe 3.5 million per episode, depending on whether you accept TPTB's back-peddling excuse that they meant SGU cost 1 mio US$ more per episode than the first season of SGA, or season 5 as they seemed to imply at first. We determined that on the old forums a couple of times.
And SGA and SG1 were doing fine on that 2 mio budget, thank you, just not 'brilliant' like BW and the execs at Syfy might have wished... (read "greed" here). It is possible with adventure sci-fi, not for disguised soaps like you said. That only worked for BSG for a short time because it was new. So otherwise I agree with you.


Yes! IMO too. Green for you for pointing this out.


Let down? Walk away? No, I'm sorry GB but that's crazy talk from the squee's trying to protect the asses of producers of bad shows, such as JM and BW.
Syfy has taken a step in the right direction: the network has cancelled the two soaps posing as sci-fi and decided to give B&C a try! Now all they need to do is bring back more.
At the end it boils down to what BW said: If they produce a good show, we will watch it. If not, then we won't. Who cares about a website's private little war with a TV network and their attempt to manipulate them in to extending more favors to their 'favorite' producers than they already have? :roll:

The reason I am upset with Syfy is not about SGU. It is the bigger picture of the loss of SciFi and the new and imagined Syfy. With Marcel's Quantum Kitchen, Face Off, Ghost Hunters.....etc.
I am not giving up on the channel because
1. I understand why they made the changes they made, I am not happy about it, but I understand why.
2. They still have some shows on the network that I watch.
3. For several years previous , they gave me good quality entertainment and I believe they will continue to try and put new SciFi shows on.

Of what show are you accusing me of being a Squee? :icon_eek:

 

[shavedape]

You are wrong with your figures, shaved. SGA cost around 2 million (maybe more in its final seasons). SGU costs 3, maybe 3.5 million per episode, depending on whether you accept TPTB's back-peddling excuse that they meant SGU cost 1 mio US$ more per episode than the first season of SGA, or season 5 as they seemed to imply at first. We determined that on the old forums a couple of times.
And SGA and SG1 were doing fine on that 2 mio budget, thank you, just not 'brilliant' like BW and the execs at Syfy might have wished... (read "greed" here). It is possible with adventure sci-fi, not for disguised soaps like you said. That only worked for BSG for a short time because it was new. So otherwise I agree with you.

Yeah I wasn't working with any hard and fast numbers for that example. I was just trying to point out that SGU was ridiculously over produced and cost more money that it should have. I can't see SyFy paying to air something that needlessly overpriced. God knows they must have learned their lesson by now.

SG-1 and SGA are good examples of sci-fi shows that can be produced within a sane financial framework. Since it's possible to produce shows of this quality at such a rate then that, to me, bodes well for the future of SyFy (and sci-fi shows in general). That's why I think the pessimistic belief that with the end of SGU that good sci-fi will be lost is erroneous. It's possible to produce quality sci-fi stories for a reasonable price and soon enough someone will. The glass is half-full.

 

[Mr. A]

It would have been around that. 3 million is an insanely high number, even for a show airing on one of the big 4 networks.

No, consider that ST:Voy was costing 1.5-2.0 mil per episode back in its time according to Tim Russ in an interview. That's about 10 years ago. I don't believe SGA cost only half of what Voyager used to cost, so I'll assume it cost about the same - at least. Then we have the producers of SGU saying their show cost 1 mil more per episode than SGA.
3 mil isn't insane if you're expecting to get the "1.6 mil live viewers SGA had in its final season and then 1.6 more" (paraphrasing David Blue, who was no doubt parroting BW). That's why SGA had to be cancelled BTW.

 

[Mr. A]

The reason I am upset with Syfy is not about SGU. It is the bigger picture of the loss of SciFi and the new and imagined Syfy. With Marcel's Quantum Kitchen, Face Off, Ghost Hunters.....etc.
I am not giving up on the channel because
1. I understand why they made the changes they made, I am not happy about it, but I understand why.
2. They still have some shows on the network that I watch.
3. For several years previous , they gave me good quality entertainment and I believe they will continue to try and put new SciFi shows on.

Of what show are you accusing me of being a Squee? :icon_eek:

Not accusing you personally of anything, GB. Although I'm sure there must be a show you 'squee' for

It's just this negativity towards Syfy I keep reading everywhere, even on YouTube, which is promoted by squees and I am getting very tired of. I hope Syfy learned from their very costly mistake. But they were also duped by the producers of SGU and Caprica into thinking they'd be getting a lot back for their investment. And that those were the future of sci-fi. So why even mention the possibility of penalizing them further?

I understand now what you mean, though. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Graybrew1]

Not accusing you personally of anything, GB. Although I'm sure there must be a show you 'squee' for

It's just this negativity towards Syfy I keep reading everywhere, even on YouTube, which is promoted by squees and I am getting very tired of. I hope Syfy learned from their very costly mistake. But they were also duped by the producers of SGU and Caprica into thinking they'd be getting a lot back for their investment. And that those were the future of sci-fi. So why even mention the possibility of penalizing them further?

I understand now what you mean, though. Thanks for the clarification.

N/P

Yes, there is a show on a network , I am a Squee for, just not on Syfy.

 

[mzzz]

Think we need another sci-fi channel to give syfy competition. Force them to fight for viewers by making better products. Plus, I just want more sci-fi to watch.

 

[Rac80]

Look at it this way....with sgu SYFY already hit rock bottom...now there is no where for it to go but up!

 

[Graybrew1]

Look at it this way....with sgu SYFY already hit rock bottom...now there is no where for it to go but up!

Hey cool, We have an optimist.

 

[Terran77]

Look at it this way....with sgu SYFY already hit rock bottom...now there is no where for it to go but up!

Rock bottom would be in the pit with that reimagined Flash Gordon a few years back. That was actually the worst show of all time.

SGU is teetering on the edge of the pit, though... but there is one episode left! Let's take bets on what the writers will manage to seriously frak up in the final ep.

 

[mzzz]

Rock bottom would be in the pit with that reimagined Flash Gordon a few years back. That was actually the worst show of all time.

SGU is teetering on the edge of the pit, though... but there is one episode left! Let's take bets on what the writers will manage to seriously frak up in the final ep.

Think it'll disappoint both sides. We like to point out flaws, and the fans will be disappointed to see it go. lol, it just can't win!

 

[Graybrew1]

Think it'll disappoint both sides. We like to point out flaws, and the fans will be disappointed to see it go. lol, it just can't win!

It's looking pretty ugly so far, but one more day and (Most) of us will know for sure.

 

[shavedape]

What is this series finale all you people keep talking about?

 

[Graybrew1]

What is this series finale all you people keep talking about?

SGU.

 

[mzzz]

What is this series finale all you people keep talking about?

Supernatural *gives shavedape a heart attack*

 

[mzzz]

SGU.

damnit quit contradicting me