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The destiny
The destiny
12 years ago

A response? I didn’t expect that. I’ll start reading now :)

Gate_Fan
Gate_Fan
12 years ago

Well said, Darren! I think all networks, not just Sci-Fi (sorry, “SyFy!”), need to start realising that they can’t realistically expect to get the viewer figures they got perhaps 10 years ago. New technology, such as TeVo means that people want to watch these shows later rather than when they air, and so they should expect that 1 million live viewers is all they’re gonna get.

eversonj90
eversonj90
12 years ago

A response, while may be all well and good, doesn’t bring Stargate Universe back and isn’t going to save the franchise.

rsanchez1
rsanchez1
12 years ago

Well, the response is a start at least. At least Syfy recognizes it has a problem. I hope this eventually leads to a renewal of SGU, since it was becoming a really good show in the second half of the second season. Hopefully, the timeline for traversing the intergalactic void on the Destiny will be the maximum time we will have to wait for the show to “wake up” along with Destiny’s crew (a little sooner won’t hurt, and hopefully Eli found a way to save himself).

arnoldrimmer
arnoldrimmer
12 years ago

Sanctuary is getteng not that good with the Story in that Season so I would not blame it on Wrestling.. but hey if you still think SGU was that good….

Stryse
Stryse
12 years ago

Tevo isn’t really new technology at this point and the habit of viewing shows later, rather than as they are airing, is hardly a new trend. Anyone else remember the VCR+ codes? I remember how excited I got about them, because it made setting my recording schedule so much easier.

We may have traded the VHS for a hard drive, but the habit itself is something we got started doing in the 90s. I still have tapes somewhere with DS9, B5, and X-File episodes I didn’t watch when they aired.

Sylvia
Sylvia
12 years ago

Ever since the glory days of SciFi Fridays, the station has been having trouble with space based scifi. The decision to prematurely cancel Atlantis and completely replace it with SGU was a big mistake. They should have found a way to run them together and again create a block of sci-fi that people wanted to see. And if all they are going to ever get is 1 million viewers (which I don’t believe, BTW) you will need to resign yourself to much cheaper-to-produce shows than SGU or SGA, in order to make it worthwhile the network. You will never get… Read more »

arnoldrimmer
arnoldrimmer
12 years ago

What Shows are actually real SciFi?

I miss Shows like Star Trek
Space above and beyond
Farscape and so on

that Drama crap is no SciFi its drama with 5 Min Scifitalk
or that Vampire ..

Sylvia
Sylvia
12 years ago

And please note what Craig is saying, SGU was NOT getting enough viewers on Friday to warrant renewal. They moved it to a different night to try to save it. It didn’t work, but they tried.

Whether SGU would have bounced back up to over 1.6 million viewers they would have needed to keep it going with the lead in of WWE is the question, I guess. I seriously doubt it, but I suppose it will never be known for sure.

The Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor
12 years ago

Nothing will bring Stargate Universe back. Nothing. I’m stunned and very amused that people STILL think it is possible.

the_rh1no
the_rh1no
12 years ago

I’m from the UK, so I am not quite sure about the overall impact of services such as On Demand/Catch-up tv or items such as TiVo have in the US. After all, for good Sci-fi (or at least the hope of good Sci-fi) we have to turn to the television channels in the US and hope that they will renew them. However, if it is anything like in Britain, a huge majority of people are not concerned about watching programmes at the time they are on live, rather at a time which is convenient to them. I completely agree with… Read more »

tb1342
tb1342
12 years ago

There is Supernatural Saturday of BBC America…looks like a fantastic line up…as far as SyFy channel, I have written them off, I could easily watch the B class shows of Dino croc and snake heads on Chiller..

Danathar
Danathar
12 years ago

Good article(s) about the challenges of where to place shows and ratings. That aside my biggest gripe about SyFy’s decision to cancel SGU has less with the decision and more about cutting it at the knees without a proper ending. It’s a bit of an insult to do that. I understand that somebody has to bankroll this stuff and it’s not free, but a properly marketed 2 hour TV movie that wraps up SGU, SGA and SG would at least make me feel satisfied. Instead it’s like somebody gave me a cool novel to read and then half way through… Read more »

ace_love
ace_love
12 years ago

I seriously don’t know how they can even write off not only a series but an actually franchise due to the first seasons ratings? They knew it was completely different, they knew it would be more indepth, more character based, slower! They know and so does everyone else that a new style would take at least 2 season to pick up.. They also knew that if it was cancelled then the ratings (which are so out of date its untrue) would drop.. It’s a lame reply in my opinion, nothing concrete to say to that SG:U was going to fail..… Read more »

dyingdreams
dyingdreams
12 years ago

See you in 3 years Eli :D

ace_love
ace_love
12 years ago

My blood is boiling with this now

knowles2
knowles2
12 years ago

The fact they felt the need to respond to the article shows that someone at Syfy, may be there new bosses are questioning SYFY decision making, it certainly rare to get a direct response from an exec from a firm the size of Syfy. I The fact that 4 out of five shows aired on Monday or Tuesaday have all failed to established an audience there, with only Being Human succeeding to any great extent, that probably riding on the twilight wave than anything else. Even there reality TV Urban legions failed to established an audience on that night but… Read more »

UKSteve
UKSteve
12 years ago

“”””When challenged about Sanctuary‘s drop when Syfy moved it off of Friday night, Engler suggested that “[it is] too soon to say about Mondays. [The] change is still quite recent. We’ll see how it does.””” Thats a complete cop out by the time they’ve waited and saw the show will be cancelled and all the viewers will have deserted the show. like SGU!

lin21
lin21
12 years ago

Darren – I just read this in your article:

“(The Season Two pick-up, it turns out, was a contractual requirement stemming from an original, 40-episode deal.)”

I’m curious as to where you got this information from as Joe Mallozzi stated on his blog recently that this wasn’t the case and that if the ratings for season 2 hadn’t been sufficient that SGU wouldn’t have been picked up for a second season. That was in response to a tweet from Engler about season 2 being a forgone conclusion. Which is corret, I wonder?

lin21
lin21
12 years ago

Sorry, I mis-typed, I meant the ratings for season 1 !!!!!!!

Sylvia
Sylvia
12 years ago

@lin21 Joe Mallozzi blogged this 2 days ago: “The second season pick-up of Stargate: Universe was a foregone conclusion once we hit the rating average required for the second year component of the deal to kick in.” And Craig has responded to this article on twitter by saying: “To not misrepresent what happened @GateWorld Staff Staff, I was not responding to any perceived gauntlet, simply answering questions asked of me. ” “I think a title without hyperbole would be, @GateWorld Staff asked some questions on Twitter and I answered them. Less dramatic but accurate.” Darren, are you trying to get… Read more »

kevymus
kevymus
12 years ago

Syfy is going down , the shows on the staion are not that good anymore even Sanctuary is getting more Hookie just like Eureka and WH13. I hope there is another tv station out there that is playing old episodes of Stargat and all the Star trek series. and even the original Battlestar galactica it was good for its time and the new one rocked. Once sanctuary is done on scifi My wife and I will be done with this aweful Station.

Stargate YouKneeVerse
Stargate YouKneeVerse
12 years ago

With the demise of old MTV and VH-1 which actually once aired music videos pretty much all the time but is now all pseudo-reality TV junk, a new network COOL TV( a broadcast network that was created featuring all music video all the time).

Hopefully someone will create a new SciFi/SyFy network to do what this network is all but abandoning – call it SF TV (tag lines: No WRESTLING Here and No Pseudo Reality Show Crap Here and No ultra low budget crap movies like THOR THE ALMIGHTY).

Aussieiceman
Aussieiceman
12 years ago

I think the thing that annoys me the most is that when it comes to renewing a show or seeing how well it does it shouldn’t depend on live ratings as many of you have said you can just record it because lets face it not everyone is going to have the time people have to work during the week im sure a large portion of people would be in that boat thats why friday works so well because the majority of people dont have to work the following day. There are alot of people these days that will download… Read more »

ASamuelson
ASamuelson
12 years ago

SGU is currently the best show on SyFy. Yes, season 1 was rough, but the execs at SyFy need to realize how much better the show has gotten. Plus, we routinely DVR the show, with kids to put to bed (etc), we often can’t watch the show live and they need to realize that their 30-40 year old demographic (like myself) may be recording the show and watching it later.

Offer
Offer
12 years ago

The viewing problems all scifi shows are having is simply that the demographics of these shows are the people who use digital media/computers the most. Our demographic simply is not suited to sit and wait infront of the tv at a set time and many dont want to. Just look at any download site and SGU is among the top (if not the one at the top) of shows downloaded! That should tell you much more than TV viewers. I have always liked scifi shows, but I have been mocked by my older brother (who thought the shows where geeky)… Read more »

Dachannien
Dachannien
12 years ago

SGU managed to rid itself of most of the weak points of the first season (except the communication stones, though I think they became less reliant on them in season 2 as a device for stirring controversy). Unfortunately, a serial like SGU has a lot of trouble picking people up midstream (that’s the same reason I never got into BSG).

ilian
ilian
12 years ago

I don`t understand why MGM don`t tell anything???
Their SG site is empty of new news ?
They post only HD pictures and others sh****!

>>> SyFail very funny :X

US06154
US06154
12 years ago

Gasp! A falling out between thieves? Now that there’s no “Gate” for Gateworld and other “Gate”sites to talk about, Is that the reason why Gauntlets are thrown down, Duels are proclaimed with pistols at dawn? I don’t remember such proclamations when Atlantis was cancelled? Engler did not reply with on twitter when he replied, did he? So the Gauntlet which was thrown down, is probably still lying on the ground, where it fell.

blackhawlk
blackhawlk
12 years ago

I’m not sure why you are keeping up this vendetta against Syfy. SGU was aired on Friday nights for a full year and the ratings kept dropping. If Friday night was the holy grail for new scripted programmes why didn’t SGU perform better than it did. You expected Syfy to keep airing it on Fridays in the hope that the ratings MAY have improved. You have already stated that you are aware that it was an expensive show and that certain figures were probably expected for it to remain a profitable and viable option. It clearly wasn’t living up to… Read more »

DJFavorite
DJFavorite
12 years ago

Everyone keeps trying to compare Eureka and Warehouse13 to SGU. You can’t do that. Those 2 shows are first run episodes during the summer season. Most (actually all) networks shows are in repeats during that timeframe. Viewers who want to watch something other than repeats, would be tuning into shows like Eureka and W13. SGU was running opposite the high rated first run shows (NCIS on Tues and House on Mon). It’s like comparing apples and oranges. To have that kind of competition, you can’t expect high ‘live viewing’ numbers.

3531767
3531767
12 years ago

I admit,i did not like the direction season 1 was going. The fact of the matter is that season 2 the writers seemed to have listened to all the neg feedback . Season 2 was a great improvement and i really enjoyed it while still fuming about SGA. If a season 3 would have happened and was written as good as season 2 it would have had a great rebound. If syfy is going to mess with the air days & times they should be more patient.It really should have been given time to mature. Also that mid season break… Read more »

Sylvia
Sylvia
12 years ago

Another tweet from Craig Engler, re the article:
“@MatPease Unfortunately distortions like that make it difficult for me to continue to try and answer fan questions.”

(this was in response to @MattPease’s tweet “@Syfy i didn’t see a distortion? they asked question, you answered them, they posted them on their site. the title is just a eye grabber “)

Sylvia
Sylvia
12 years ago

Actually that response from MatPease was in response to Syfy’s tweet.

Mat’s original tweet, to which @Syfy responded to was:

“@Syfy come on! let have their moment! online media is all about hypebole!”

Sorry

Duneknight
Duneknight
12 years ago

if Blood and Chrome does really well then that would make Darren’s argument void, right?

jermdavid
jermdavid
12 years ago

“Then we saw a promising recovery in [episodes] 8/9, then a big drop at 10, then another small recovery after HIATUS for 11/12.” Why is Syfy still crippling these shows with a”mid-season break”? They have always done this with Stargate, it was not as bad with SG-1 and Atlantis. Because they were more start a mission, wrap it up by the end of the show type series. But it was really bad with Battlestar Galactica and SGU. These show have individual episodes, but still very connected over-arching story, and hard to pick up and watch an episode here and there.… Read more »

Eagalis
Eagalis
12 years ago

| May 11 @ 1:48 pm
I agree with you 100% finally someone will see the light.

NicolasB
NicolasB
12 years ago

I think television network in general and production studio really need to continue working on finding better way to improve the financing of their shows. There’s not doubt in my mind that a show like SGU will down the road be seen like Star Trek was perceived in the 60s : a show that got cancelled way too early. With reruns alone SyFy would probably earn a lot more money by show in the next decade with SGU than they probably will with a single night of WWE smackdown. But I also don’t think that putting all the blame on… Read more »

newmaat
newmaat
12 years ago

Sorry i’m new at this comment thing but, it seems to me that as a global network syfy aren’t actually taking all the viewers of stargate into account before axing a perfectly good program. As someone who lives in the UK and gets SGU way after the US does it’s annoying to find that such a cool channel would cancel a very popular show. Also, i think that Syfy may start to push people away if there isn’t at least a conclusion to the SGU story ‘Gauntlet’. A reluctance to finish stories and programs may be a sign that if… Read more »

Les_Geddon
Les_Geddon
12 years ago

| May 11 @ 2:09 pm

Ha! Craig Engler’s statement right there is a bold faced lie. The reason he doesn’t answer questions as often anymore is because @SyFy loses Twitter followers by the boat loads every time he does his little Q&A sessions, doesn’t matter what topic they’re about. He actually tweeted that little fact like a week or so ago, not long after the Q&A session with Darrel.

I’m so glad SyFail doesn’t worry about its “image” as much as it struggles to bring us good, quality science fiction!

Les_Geddon
Les_Geddon
12 years ago

(insert plenty of sarcasm in that last statement)

Garath
Garath
12 years ago

The thing that i do not get that WWE is a sport and watching WWE i have noe seen on Space ship or alien so how can WWE be on a SCI’FI Channel. SGC was a differnent to other SCI’FI shows due to the facts that there hending to the end of the Universe and there has not been a show that tells you is there an end for me thats whats good about the show. Plus i think SG1 should come back and end the war with the Lucian allnice and exposes the hole of the world to the… Read more »

kaiser98
kaiser98
12 years ago

The whole system of rating the performance and the deciding factor on renewals in response to nielsen ratings is flawed. Yes many people already know that but its unbelievable how lazy people are to devise a more appropriate modern day analysis tool to replace this system. I am not afraid to say it and mostly everyone already knows there are many other methods of procuring multimedia in this modern age that does not require the use of a television. The fact is it is much more convenient and easier for people to just download,stream etc. the content and this is… Read more »

tb1342
tb1342
12 years ago

Well cruz on over to Facebook..and check out the Syfy channel page…it is filled with rage..not a lot of happy campers out there

zack
zack
12 years ago

Your points are well made in your discussion and,not only do I agree with them, but I’d come to most of the same conclusions. When SciFi was changed to SYFY, it would seem that the change literally did remove scifi from the network, for the most part. Why remove “scifi” from your name if you still were going to make that the main thrust of your programming. As for Stargate Universe – it’s superb 2nd season wasn’t really ever appreciated or helped by the SYFY network. And that’s a loss for us and for them as well, as surely they… Read more »

Piraxian
Piraxian
12 years ago

The whole system is stuck in 1985, but the problem of getting out of that system is all the really complicated licensing agreements that exist between the networks, studios and anybody else involved. I’ve been trying to get an idea off the ground for a while but thus far have failed so i’m kinda hoping that one of the big companies somewhere like Google eventually give it a try. I know people technical enough to do this (me included) but the risk of ending up in a lot of trouble is just to high if it doesn’t have backing of… Read more »

lin21
lin21
12 years ago

Sylvia – thanks for the clarification. :) My feeling is this: quality is subjective and quite honestly is thus irrelevant when considering renewals just for that very reason. Every fan who loves a show thinks it’s great and doesn’t want it to be canceled; they feel that show is of a good quality. What seems to count is viewers watching programmes live – watching those commercials, and all US tv shows are judged in the same way, by the same standards. Love it, hate it, Nielsen is what counts. How the tv channels use those figures and what they need… Read more »

jeffknight
jeffknight
12 years ago

Monday night shows in general haven’t fared well this year. Fox just cancelled a slew of shows, including Chicago Code, their brand new show that was airing on Monday nights right after House (which did get renewed – THANK GOD!) the same timeslot that DwtS is in… House stays ok in that slot only because it is specifically made for the people who think DwtS is stupid.

Calebillionaire
Calebillionaire
12 years ago

Well said Darren, i don’t believe they have given the genre the best time slot to help it keep the live viewer base that it needs to servive, but i do believe that the issue is that the US is not the only country that enjoys Science fiction, I live in Australia, and i feel like we have been delt a crap card because i know a heap of people who enjoy this show and watch it every week, because it plays on a friday night at 8pm. but our views dont count for anything. I think that Syfy in… Read more »