Network upfronts reveal Stargate’s new competition

Moving Stargate to Tuesday nights for the first time in the franchise’s 13-year history is a gutsy move that could pay off in spades for Syfy Channel.  That’s just what the cable network is doing when Stargate Universe returns for its second season in October (story).

While Syfy has had great success with Warehouse 13 and Eureka on Tuesday nights, those original series air in the summer months — Stargate‘s previous home turf, when competition from the five major broadcast networks is generally regarded to be lower.  In the fall, the competition — and the overall television viewing audience — ramps up.

This week the networks trotted out their new fall schedules, revealing to Syfy just what they are up against when SGU, Sanctuary, and Caprica head to Tuesdays.  Syfy has not announced any time slots yet, but we’re looking at that 9 p.m. hour as the strongest possibility.  If the network decides to change-up the order of its shows, Stargate would probably move to 10 p.m. rather than 8 p.m.

Here’s what SGU will be up against on Tuesday nights this fall:

ABC
8 p.m. – No Ordinary Family
9 p.m. – Dancing With the Stars (Results Show)
10 p.m. – Detroit 1-8-7

CBS
8 p.m. – NCIS
9 p.m. – NCIS: Los Angeles
10 p.m. – The Good Wife

NBC
8 p.m. – The Biggest Loser
9 p.m. – The Biggest Loser
10 p.m. – Parenthood

FOX
8 p.m. – Glee
9 p.m. – Raising Hope / Running Wilde (new sitcoms)
10 p.m. – local programming

The CW
8 p.m. – One Tree Hill
9 p.m. – Life Unexpected
10 p.m. – local programming

See the full week’s programming grid and upfront coverage at The Futon Critic.

That’s in addition to other cable channels, of course.  USA, TNT, TBS, HBO, and Showtime are among the competitors for eyeballs in the growing market of original cable programming — though not all program original dramas on Tuesday nights.

Also note that the schedule above only takes us through the fall season.  At midseason (January), the networks will introduce new shows and shuffle around the schedule.  Should Syfy keep Universe on Tuesdays in the spring, it could face ratings champs like American Idol (8-9:30 p.m. performance show).

OUR TAKE: That 9 p.m. slot looks surprisingly good for the sort of show that SGU is. It wouldn’t be up against anything that is remotely like it. Dancing with the Stars always draws a lot of eyeballs, but it’s a very different sort of show. For those looking for a scripted drama at 9 o’clock, three of the five networks are already off the table. The CW has a relationship drama in Life Unexpected. But the big challenge will be the new procedural spin-off — CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles, which also has the highly rated original as its lead-in.

Keep your browser locked on GateWorld for more as we get closer to the launch of the new fall season!  The final three episodes of Stargate Universe Season One begins with “Subversion,” this Friday at 9 p.m. on Syfy.