Stargate has international appeal

Stargate SG-1 is crossing cultures with the speed of light. The show’s broad appeal is gaining momentum across the Pond and all over the world. Executive producer and writer Brad Wright told the Hollywood Reporter that since Season Seven, “[opening] things up [to] the rest of the world, and certain governments in the world, [who] were going to find out about the Stargate … helped in terms of international appeal.”

The Stargate franchise is now doing big business in 120 countries, and ratings are out of this world (pun intended).

“In important markets such as the U.K, where it airs on Channel 4, [the show] garners an impressive 1 million viewers in its weekend time slot,” according to the report. “It also fares well in France on M6 with some 1.3 million viewers for its weekend outing, and in Germany on RTL 2 with an estimated 1.3 million viewers at peak times.”

The producers credit the appeal of Richard Dean Anderson (Jack O’Neill) as the big draw. Globally, fans recognize him as the international star who played MacGyver in the 1980s.

According to executive producer and showrunner Robert C. Cooper, “That helped get eyes on the screen. But the fun part of Stargate is that when he left the show for Season Nine and Ten, there was enough forward motion to continue to propel it internationally.”

Anderson will reprise his role as Major General Jack O’Neill for the show’s record breaking 200th episode, aptly titled “200.” And he will make guest appearances on Stargate Atlantis this season, as well.

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis premiere their new seasons on July 14 on SCI FI Channel in the U.S., and this fall on Sky One in the U.K. Elsewhere in the world, check local listings for time and channel!