Ratings improved a little for last night’s new episode of Stargate Universe, the penultimate installment of the fall season. “Visitation” drew 1.169 million viewers (Live + Same Day).
That’s an increase of 14 percent from the previous week, and almost even with the season premiere.
SGU also increased from a 0.4 rating to a 0.5 rating in the coveted demo of adults 18 to 49.
ABC wrapped up its Dancing With the Stars competition with the season finale, crowning Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey the winner in front of an average of 24.197 million viewers from 9 to 11 p.m. (22.78 million in the 9 p.m. hour). That’s a monster number, and the show’s highest-rated finale in six years.
Next week ABC will move the new genre series No Ordinary Family to the Tuesday time slot, where it will compete with SGU‘s mid-season finale. Though the family superhero drama is watched by less than half of the number of people that Dancing draws (around 7 million), it is a fellow sci-fi/fantasy genre show.
On CBS, a new episode of NCIS: Los Angeles drew 14.959 million viewers. NBC’s The Biggest Loser was good for 6.769 million people (2-hour average), and FOX’s Raising Hope started with 5.699 million at 9 p.m. before falling to 4.339 million for its 9:30 repeat.
In other Syfy ratings news, last Friday’s episode of Sanctuary, “Animus,” drew 1.259 million viewers — down 20 percent over the previous week.
WWE Smackdown continues to lead the network’s ratings, with over 2.5 million viewers in its 2-hour block last Friday.
This is it! Watch the long-awaited, mid-season finale of Stargate Universe live next Tuesday night at 9 p.m. (8 Central). Learn more about “Resurgence” in GateWorld’s Season Two episode guide.
Oh dear, 14 percent up on such low figures to begin with doesn’t save the show.
It’s atleast going in the right direction.
Yay! They are up!
Problem is: this is the second to last episode before yet another pointless mid-season hiatus.
Yeah, the ratings are rising now, but they’ll be back to rockbottom after the break.
@ greenfire: Actually after the mid-season hiatus of season 1 the ratings were higher than the episode before that. If ep 10 is good enough ( and there’s an alien war coming up!! ) people will want to see ep 11.
For ratings today, what’s “rock bottom,” because I don’t think it’s 1 or 1.1 million. At least SGU is’nt like In Treatment, they can’t even get the number of people in a small city to watch the show. 169 thousand is rock bottom. The mid season finale, or episodes after the break won’t hit rock bottom.
If they can hold at, or better these numbers for next weeks mid-season finale, SGU has a good shot at renewal.
I’m pretty optimistic SGU will get a third season. On the bases that it’s one the few things SyFy has going for it. Without Stargate the channel is just B-movies, rednecks in tights, and Sanctuary. Let’s just say the lack of “live” viewers is the issue. How many people watch the show around the world? Download from various sources? If money is the issue, set up some sort of donation account say. “Stargate will continue but the fans have to pay for it”. The MILLIONS of fans worldwide will gladly pay $5-10 each a season. Many would donate MUCH more… Read more »
1.169 million viewers is still squarely in red alert cancellation territory. This show is still far FAR below SGA’s season 5 average, and at the cost of production being higher than Atlantis, I think ita unrealistic to think this show wont be canceled.
SGU’s season 2 budget was $75 million. If a million people worldwide donate that is only $7.50 each.
It costs more than that to download one ep on iTunes!
@Lee_Machine, where did you get that $75million figure? If that is true, I really would worry for a season 3.
I couldn’t find any published numbers for SGU but SG-1 cost around 2 million an episode and Atlantis cost more than that, and SGU more than Atlantis, so I just rounded up to show how little each person would have to pay for an entire season. Not that much considering it cost what, $70 for a season on DVD.
https://www.gateworld.net/movies/02.shtml
@Lee+Machine, thanks for responding. I think Robert Carlyle was quoted once as saying that SGU cost more than $2million an episode, but have never heard any figures as high as the $75mil. Although, there ARE an awful lot of actors on SGU…
The more I think about it, covering cost of productions and even a little profit is not the problem, it’s corporate greed…I should stop thinking about it before I get more pissed off :P
Also, not only is Stargate one the few things SyFy has going for it, but also MGM.
@Lee_Machine yeh thats right MGM have already said they want to make available $500 million for both the stargate files and the tv series so i would assume even if syfy did not want to do a 3rd season MGM would. as i recall both the previous sg-1 films cost around $7 – $8 million each not a lot in comparisson to wot they want to make available for the next 2 films and the tv series. i think they will probabily spend around $20 million on each film and use the rest for stargate universe in wich case there… Read more »
This is what MGM said in a press release when they filed for chapter 11 bankrupcy earlier this month just a small section of the press release. Most significantly for Stargate fans, MGM said that it plans to retain all of its assets during the procedures — and to raise around $500 million in new capital after emerging from Chapter 11, to fund operations “including production of a new slate of films and television series.” Stargate fans have been waiting in particular for a pair of DVD movies in the franchise, both of which are scripted and awaiting a green… Read more »
A 14% boost and it’s still low? That’s not good. Though it is going up, it’ll need much more to survive.
@Lee, wish it was like that, if that was the case, I’m willing to chip in 100 dollars to get a season of SG1. Unfortunetly, that’s not how it works. I don’t think it’s a monetary issue. It’s the fact that ratings are down and they are losing to hard competition.
With SGU being just a million under syfy’s top rated show im feeling better about a third season happening.
They are up thats the main thing!!!
I hope they are higher next week.
I would like to see a third season of SGU especially if improvements are made to the pace of the storylines. ‘Revolution’ and ‘Extinction’ however I would really, really like to see. I think it is too late to hope for an improvement in ratings to determine that. The decision will be made before the second half of season 2 for SGU’s future if it already hasn’t been made.
Ratings up, and in the coveted demo too! Hurray! :) Next week’s episode is gonna be awesome! :) Fingers croosed, and waiting the renewal! :P
Great episode! Go SGC, go!
I am one of those people too lazy (or too busy with work) to actually watch the show live, and end up picking up the show later (internet, dvr). The last time I actually sat in front of a tv and watched the scfy channel A) it was still called scifi, and B) it had that freaking awesome 4 hour block of new shows on friday that I just couldn’t resist (Andromeda, SG-1, SG-Atlantis and Battlestar). (Andromeda was a bit crap, but so what) I will consider putting my ass on a couch for something that will keep me entertained… Read more »
As predicted a minimal increase and it should continue to increase until the last episode perhaps in the 1.4 range. Nothing exciting. The real problem will be 4 months from now when it returns. Depending how it’s advertised it would be likely there will be a considerable drop after such a long period of time.
And then it has to survive the rest of the season and there is always a consistent decline to every series.
The production coast and studio have never been the problem for the SG franchise. They’ve always been able to come up with enough money,through various means. The problem has always been on the side of SYFy,because their profit comes from commercials and that revenue has always depended on the ratings. So nowdays with media world rapidly changing,a new ways of getting the media product to the consumer..the legal ways will simply have to be found..those who do that sooner tham later will be better off in the end and I’m talking abot big players here. So the thought that the… Read more »
Ratings “were” up because “Malice” was a fine episode. Not because this episode was any good.
This episode was awesome. One of SG’s best.
@Sacal LOL… You must also like Dats of our lives too.
This was a good episode, not as good as the 3 before it, but still very good. Almost as good as “Days of Our Lives” :)
If you think that this episode compares to a soap, then you missed the point of the plot and the effect it has on the larger SG mythology.
Consider this: The Ori were powerful enough that the humans in their galaxy worshiped them like Gods, even though they were NOT Gods, they were ascended beings who had once been humans themselves and then evolved into energy beings through the knowledge they acquired. Now on SGU we have an alien race that is older than the universe itself which can create planets, stars, and bring people back to life (or at least their bodies). This makes them MORE powerful than the Ori or the Ancients/Lanteans/Ascended. What we’re seeing on SGU with characters like Caine is similar to we can… Read more »
SGU must return to Friday nights Tuesday isnt helping I think that ratings should go up if viewers had Sanctuary and SGU toguether and would help both shows.
I was a joking comparing SGU to a soap. The show is nothing like a soap.
With Fringe moving to Fridays, it be dangerous for both shows if SGU moved back there as well. One of the two would certantly be canceled.
@ib1117
I know.
I’m a writer, and about 20 years ago I created a story with God-like characters that were created by the Big Bang.
I wish I had been able to publish it in some form or another BEFORE SGU came up with a similar idea, heh.
I’m curious to see where they take it in coming episodes and future seasons.
The thing is that being on the ship is a form of exploration. Sounds like you’ve become desensatized to the fact that they are on an alien vessel, which is no different from being on an alien planet. When an episode of SG 1 was limited to the SGC and Earth it was boring because nothing in it popped. It was a drab military base and the world outside my window. When an episode of SGA took place on the city it was awesome because, no matter what, they were on an alien city in another galaxy. The same holds… Read more »
I am not going to argue with the comic book fanboy expert anymore. This show has been brilliant at times, but mostly slow and boring. You all know it. IF and it’s a BIG if, this show gets a 3rd season, if it doesn’t improve greatly, IT WILL NOT GET A FOURTH. Hopefully they’ll cancel it and make the atlantis movies instead. I hope after they cancel this thing they leave SG alone for awhile until they can get their heads straight and make it fun and entertaining again. If I want this kind of thing I can watch BG… Read more »
At this point, the “IF” really is’nt that big anymore. If you take a look at some of the signs; the writers making plans for the third season, and SYFY green lighting the construction of what is said to be a massive new set for the 17th episode and on, it looks pretty obvious that the network and the show already have plans for a third season.
@waveuponwave: You have pulled that deep from the posterior of your imagination. I’ve watched soap operas (too many). This was nothing like a soap opera. If this is a soap opera then Sons of Anarchy must be a soap opera, The Shield must be a soap opera, Star Trek must be a soap opera, SG1 & SGA must be a soap opera (yup *baby* stuff there too).
The second half of SGA season 4 and some of season 5 was Teyla crying about her baby. I forgot about that.
MGM wasn’t planning to raise $500 million for stargate, it was planning on raising $500 million dollars to fund all existing production and the establishment of new production for both television and film. Stargate would only receive a tiny bit of this. @Lee_Machine – If the budget were $75 million, it would take $75 from each of a million people, not $7.50 from each. While it probably is more around $60 million, $60 is more than most would likely pay for what SGU has been so far. Less people are watching. That means there’s less general interest. That means less… Read more »
Creatively the show is working great, it doesn’t need any retooling.
People just need to accept that this is a different part of the Stargate universe.
@michael Sacal: I agree, we the fans were told that this was going to be a stand alone series. And that’s what it has been so far, it stands apart from the two series before it in all aspects, the acting is better, the writing is better, and the way it’s shot is better. The show is more serious than SG1 and SGA, and that’s what I like about it the most. When I watch a re-run of SGA I just can’t take it seriously and I end up changing the channel. I enjoy SGU’s change of pace, and I… Read more »
Agreed on all points.
I for one appreciate that SGU takes things seriously. It adds to the peril.
@ Michael Sacal
I’m a writer, and about 20 years ago I created a story with God-like characters that were created by the Big Bang.
I’m sure you weren’t the first writer to come up with that idea … there are tons of stories about that plot
4 months break is way too long. What else will I watch?? I am a big fan of science fiction and it seems all my options are movies these days. Movies are great for those 2 hours, but a teevee series can really expand on a story. Stargate, by far, is the best series for my liking. It seems ratings will determine if SGU continues the long run of the Stargate franchise. Personally I would have prefered the continuation of the SG1 series, but if SGU is the only series left I hope it keeps going. Is there another science… Read more »
@Eagalis
Really? I’d be curious to see them. Can you suggest some?
Godlike Aliens: The Forerunner: H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Are Lovecraft’s beings aliens? Interdimensional monsters? Gods? Does it matter? Whatever Lovecraft’s cosmic entities were, they’re awe-inspiring beings of immense power. Cthulhu, for his part, was perhaps born on the planet Vhoorl at a time of immense supernova activity. He since molded the dreams of the first humans to guide their development and ensure the establishment of a doomsday cult devoted to him. And he might not even be the worst of the Great Old Ones.The Iconic: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rendezvous with Rama, and Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke. When… Read more »
@Eagalis: How long did it take to get all of that info, or do you know it by heart?