Four Things and a Lizard

“So long, nerds!” The Network-which-shall-not-be-named flips the bird to science fiction fans May 2, 2010

I came across this little item yesterday.  It’s a “must read” for those who enjoy what little quality science fiction programming occurs anymore on the Network-formerly-known-as-the-Sci-Fi-Channel:

So long, nerds!
[The-network-which-shall-not-be-named] doesn’t need you

Particularly worrisome is the news that the best shows on the channel are going to be moved from Friday night to Tuesday night, just so they can put Friday Night Smackdown on Friday night.  Having Caprica and Stargate: Universe on Tuesday is going to suck.

I figure this is the beginning of the end for that network. Or, perhaps more accurately, it’s chapter two or chapter three of the end. Stargate: Universe and Caprica will run their course, probably three seasons each, at which point the powers-that-be at the network will give us a song and dance similar to the cancellation of Stargate: Atlantis, that is, something along the lines of, “we think it would be a great idea to continue this, only as a sequence of individually released DVD movies instead of a weekly series.” Well, have there been any Atlantis movies? No? One is supposedly in the works, but at this point it seems to be entirely vaporware, and it was two years ago already when all of this was announced.

Supposedly they’re having difficulties on the money side of things.  In particular, the unexpected change in relative values of the American and Canadian dollars has made it more expensive to shoot in Canada now than, say, five years ago. Universe, however, is being filmed in Vancouver anyway, as is Caprica, so I am not sure if that argument holds water. [edit: looking back on this, I am no longer sure what my reasoning was for that statement…actually, it sounds as if I may have just been wrong outright…oh well…] Perhaps if they hadn’t made the mistake of canceling Atlantis, it would still be airing just fine and dandy! Ooops!

The thing is, although Atlantis sometimes ventured into the realm of brilliance, on the whole it was a show that never quite lived up to its potential, so I don’t bemoan the loss of it all that much. Mostly I miss David Hewlett’s performances, and I regret that, with its passing, the ratio of quality to crap on the network has gone down once again. Caprica and Universe, on the other hand, are both turning out to be pretty excellent programs.  If, perchance, either one of them was lost just so the network could experiment with new ways to make money, it would be a bitter pill to swallow.  All that would be left of quality science fiction television programming, in that case, would be Doctor Who.

Don’t get me wrong.  The network will still be there.  It will still exist as an entity.  It’ll just be focused on other stuff.   They’ll have to change the name again, too.  Just watch.