The producers of Stargate Universe hope that the show will live on for five full seasons, according to executive producer Joseph Mallozzi. He told fans at his blog that the writers have five years’ worth of story, building up to the final pay-off and conclusion of SGU.
“There are a number of arcs and elements that will figure into the ultimate finale we have planned,” Mallozzi said. “Ideally, we’d get five years to tell the entire story in satisfactory fashion but, if it came down to it, we could pay it off over the course of a single season.”
Stargate Universe is the first show in the franchise to be conceived as a single, arc-based story with a beginning, middle, and end, rather than an episodic series that could go on as long as the ratings would support.
At this point, Mallozzi also said, the studio is not thinking about a back-up plan for finishing the story in another medium, should the show be canceled without sufficient warning to pay off the story. Right now “the plan is deliver the ending at the conclusion of Season Five,” he said.
The show’s ratings in its new Tuesday night time slot, however, may threaten that 5-year story. Last month Syfy Channel canceled Stargate‘s lead-out show Caprica for low ratings. Meanwhile WWE Smackdown and Sanctuary are thriving on Friday nights, blocking the likelihood of returning SGU to that night on the schedule.
The network is expected to announce its decision about SGU Season Three in December or January, following next week’s conclusion of the first half of Season Two. The second half should pick up in the spring, after production on Season Three would need to have already begun.
The show does benefit from a larger number of DVR-delayed and online viewers … which don’t mean much to the advertisers who pay to keep Syfy’s programming on the air.
“I think our audience is there but simply growing more diffuse,” Mallozzi said of the ratings. “It would terrific if the television industry found a way to catch up with the modern media’s technological advancements, find a way to make sure everyone is counted in those ratings — but barring a major miracle, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
“The only alternative to ensuring a third season is to bring more viewers to Tuesday nights, be they SG-1 fans, Atlantis fans, or fans of Celebrity Circus.”
Stick with GateWorld for the very latest, and be sure to watch the final episode of the fall season this Tuesday night at 9 p.m. (8 Central)! Visit GateWorld’s Season Two episode guide to learn more about “Resurgence,” and be sure to visit Joe’s blog for more from the SGU writer/producer.
Actor David Nykl looks back on Stargate Atlantis, being part of the fan community, and…
EXCLUSIVE: A classic Atlantis ship is now in the works from Master Replicas – one…
Fans in and around Vancouver, B.C. can attend a live recording of YVR Screen Scene…
Pre-orders go live this week for the next ship in Earth's fleet, set to ship…
Get ready for a cast reunion this spring in the U.K., with actors from across…
It's been two years since Amazon bought MGM. These factors likely have kept Stargate off…
View Comments
The JMS/Babylon 5 approach: make a long-term plan and stick to it no matter what. There's a very real danger of the show ending before the story is finished, but if it works, it pays off dividends and becomes a brilliant example of what the medium of television can be.
"Mallozzi said. “Ideally, we’d get five years to tell the entire story in satisfactory fashion but, if it came down to it, we could pay it off over the course of a single season.”"
You see, you just don’t say that. People will take it to mean that what you currently have planned is so bloated with filler and not watch it or that you don’t have enough confidence in your own show that if it came too it you can cut enough content to fill 20 episodes and again, people wont want to watch something that cut up. Its rule number 1 in everything, you make your audience believe you are 100% for what you are pushing.
“which don’t mean much to the advertisers who pay to keep Syfy’s programming on the air.”
Unfortunately this is quite true and chances are it will get worse, for all shows, before it gets better, as more people buy DVR, TiVo boxes or download from the internet. I’ve heard rumors that there are talks of making it so DVR’s cant skip over ads but seeing as that is a primary reason people buy such equipment I doubt anything will materialize.
“It would terrific if the television industry found a way to catch up with the modern media’s technological advancements, find a way to make sure everyone is counted in those ratings — but barring a major miracle, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”
Product placement. I’m serious. I wouldn’t be surprised if in some future episode you see someone in the mess hall reach for a multigrain bar with a shot clearly showing the label (didn’t they do that in the pilot episode with Greer pocketing some protein bars?). Maybe they find some crashed alien tech that Rush compares to a G.E. d345 generator or something
This sounds like desperation to me. Its like they're saying to the audience 'stick with us PLEASE, we will eventually get to the point honest gov, after all we've got to, the show's only going to last another 3 years please please please please please (with a cherry on top)' secretly behind the scenes they're saying 'if we can get away with selling this for 5 years we're geniuses'. I've loved stargate since the start but we've been short changed on this one guys. The producers, directors and writers are suffering from battlestar envy and we're being made to suffer for it. Granted Battlestar was truly awesome but so was stargate at point in its own way.
the bbc did a star trek night 10 or 15 years ago or so and there was a song on there that sums up exactly how I feel about the produces of the new stargate show. Its a brilliant song by the brilliant adam and joe, just type in adam and joes star trek song into youtube and look for the numpty dresses like a klingon sat in front of a keyboard and enjoy, its pure class!!
The fact that the producers have a concrete plan for SGU is exactly what I want to hear. The absence of a plan in SGA was blatantly obvious and what took away from an otherwise entertaining show. A perfect example is the complete lack of a long-term story-arc solution to the Pegasus replicators.... half of S.4, really? ok... we did that... uhm... where do we go now???
I would absolutely love for this show to be told the proper way, unlike "Ark of Truth" for SG-1, which screamed for an 11th season.
i agree, JM is surprisingly frank, too frank. Saying they could pull it off in one season is probably true and Joe knows if they get anything, it will be a one season and thats it. A show with this kind of ratings doesnt go on for five seasons.
I sincerely hope that SGU gets its 5-years. I'm enjoying the show immensely and definitely feel that this story NEEDS to be told.
Is it me or do they beg us to watch the show or stop putting out our opinions that "taint SGU" or the Atlantis fans who are "Punishing SGU" but this seems like another way to beg viewers.
@Eagalis: Don't put words in people's mouths.
@Gaeth i'm not putting words in their mouths they blamed sga fans for punishing sgu.