Normally, I do not post things about television. It's one of those things like politics, people get into tizzies if you don't like what they like or have a different opinion of certain series. I will however post something that I think everyone has an issue with: Network Executives cancelling a show because they don't see it as the biggest show on television. Thus far, my favorite television network, the Sci-fi channel, or Syfy as it is rebranded, has cancelled or is in the process of cancelling at least 4 of my favorite television series. A brief description will follow.
One: Eureka- Granted, it was probably a very expensive show to produce, but it was a show about a town of super-geniuses doing alll kinds of cool sciency stuff. It had great characters, a wonderful history that they could have explored at anytime, and a near-infinite amount of material to pull from. I'm the least angry at syfy for this one because it wasn't necessarily their decision, Comcast, the parent company, pulled the plug. They also ended this show the only way it could have ended, with the characters continuing on with their lives. Anger meter: 1 of 10.
Two: Stargate Universe- Once again, probably an expensive show, but it was full of possibility. It was dark and gritty, something that had never been done in the continuity of the world before. I liked it, a lot. Syfy left this show on a cliffhanger, and didn't even try to tie it up. The characters were real people, trying to survive against everything. It was amazing that all these people had to work together, even though there was enough hate to go around. Anger Meter: 5 of 10.
Three: Alphas- A cool subset of the superhero genre, this show ended on another cliffhanger. Most of the effects were CGI, with what looked to be actual locations used in filming. The sets couldn't have been that expensive to build, mostly office building interiors and the like. I am upset that this show ended, because once again the character driven show was great. Anger Meter: 3 of 10.
Four: Haven- This show was an expansion into a Stephen King world, based on one of his short stories, The Colorado Kid. I wanted to see this show go on for a long time because it had such fantastic potenial. The characters were awesome, the history of the town was revealed bit by bit, leaving viewers wanting more. I am unsure whose decision this was, but I am upset, Stephen King does fabulous work and this series pulled for the source material and mixed in unique elements, making me sad to see it go, especially on a ridiculous cliffhanger. Anger Meter: 6 of 10.
Five: Warehouse 13- The season finale aired tonight, with the disclaimer of "The Final Episodes" coming in 2014. This show is once again full of so much potential I feel is being wasted. The characters live in a world of so called "endless wonder". Unfortunately, this endless wonder is gettin a 6 episode send-off with a shortened 5th season. The characters are great, the sets are fantastic, and the nods to real life events make me wonder if there isn't some collection of powerful items in the world somewhere. This one was syfy's call and they chose to pull it. I can only hope that the last season does justice to the Warehouse and it's agents. Anger Meter: Pending, currently 8 of 10.
Syfy has the potential to be the greatest and only real source of science fiction and fantasy entertainment on TV. Their programming line-up has everything, from paranormal investigation shows, to crazy competition series like Face-Off, to fantastic imports like Continuum and Lost Girl, to great original series like Defiance and Being Human. My only hope is that they remember the fans that made them, and unfortunately they have alienated many fans by looking the other way when they should be fighting for what made their station the only one I would tune to during prime time.
The opinion is mine, but I'm willing to share.
Laterz
