RANGER89'S BLOG

Ranger89

The Sci Fi Channel, Crazy or Clouded?
Monday, August 16, 2004

Don’t get me wrong now, I subscribe to the Channel, I buy the magazine, and I watch some of the shows. Even so, I’ll be one of the first to admit Sci Fi has really gone down hill over the last few years.

First Wave, The Invisible Man, Farscape, those are just a few of the shows that have seen Skiffy’s ax. The first two I could live with. I really liked them, but I wasn’t completely broken hearted when they went off the air. Farscape, however, was going too far.

Farscape is one of the best shows Sci Fi television has to offer. It’s got SFX that blow your mind; great actors, brilliant writers, and make up and set designers that put ST to shame. Canceling FS was one of the worst moves Skiffy could have made.

I might have been able to curb some of the anger caused by the cancelation if Sci Fi had given me something equally as amazing to fill the void. Instead, what do I get? Andromeda, a show that’s been going steadily down hill since season two. Stargate: Atlantis which may or may not prove to be worthy of it’s namesake. All of this topped off by a string of genetically engineered killer bug made for TV movies that seem to consist of the same five cookie cutter characters and poorly constructed foam bugs refilmed over and over again. (Let’s not forget Sci Fi’s foray into the reality TV world with shows such as ‘Scare Tactics’ and ‘Mad, Mad House.’)

I’m sick of watching B movies and shows that leave me feeling like something's missing. One of the things that’s made science fiction and fantasy television so great is that it forces you to think. It makes you look at possibilities you’ve never considered before. It makes you consider the answers to questions you’ve never asked. I’m tried of being force fed mindless television. I’m tired of recycled plot lines, two dimensional characters, and contrived tech.

I want more shows like Farscape and Firefly. Television that grips you and drags you into it’s world kicking and screaming. That’s what makes people watch. That’s what heightens their curiosity and pulls them into a show. The Sci Fi Channel used to understand this. They used to see what the fans wanted and give it to them, unlike so many other TV stations out there.

That’s why I have to wonder, have they gone crazy or has soaring popularity clouded their thinking?

I know I'm ranting, but I've spent all day browsing through Farscape web sites, mourning for my canceled show.

COMMENTS

Tuesday, August 17, 2004 1:30 PM

QUICKSAND


The original version of Farscape never really held my attention, and "EarthSea" sort of immediately elicits memories of "SeaQuest," so I dunno if I can side with the Pro on this one.

Sci-Fi was bought a few years ago by... someone. Correct me if I'm wrong, I think it was Viacom (UPN, MTV). And we can tell by the quality programming on MTV that Viacom is truly interested in intelligent programming.

Fly Friendly!

Monday, August 16, 2004 5:18 PM

JEBBYPAL


Hmm, well, think they were crazy for not continuing some of those shows (though never watched farscape myself, have mercy on me)....yet what scares me more, is if they are resorting to Andromeda (which I think finally stopped being syndicated this year on my local WB thank god) and the Stargate clone (again, no cable so can't judge, but still...think they'd done most of what they could after so many seasons), what kind of stuff are the programming people seeing for pilots that they are passing on? is it the next Firefly? Or simply really really bad shows?

Think that SciFi's general lack of wanting to shell out much money for special effects and sets is part of the problem here. Those writers who do go ahead and propose scifi shows (despite the dislike of them by the networks) may or may not see ways to cut their budgets down. Dunno, television is sad...But at least we managed our movie.

On a side note, watched program on ABC tonite called the Best Pilots Never Aired....One cracked me up. Was American version of Red Dwarf! Couldn't believe that didn't get picked up...or revisited after the British version became such a cult hit. Shows once again what the network big wigs know.


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