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Cancel SGU: Bad Series, Blame Network or All the Above?

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    Cancel SGU: Bad Series, Blame Network or All the Above?

    http://www.gateworld.net/news/2011/0...ans-from-syfy/

    I've re-read Craig Engler's response to Gateworld on the cancellation of SGU. I agree that his arguments are reasonable: to paraphrase, he's basically saying Syfy gave SGU 40 episodes, unprecedented for new tv series and moved it in the schedule to attract new viewers and because it was not doing well enough (on their terms) to be renewed on Fridays. Syfy gave SGU good support, wanted it to succeed, and was not being vindictive.

    As Brad Wright mentioned, there were probably a confluence of factors that affected SGU. It was a very different series from SG-1 or Atlantis, but Syfy could have eased the transition, by having a 6th season of Atlantis running alongside SGU. Considering episodes like "Epilogue" and "Gauntlet", which offer some closure to the story, the producers of SGU gambled on a renewal, rather than write a series finale. As a response to the open letter noted, though, an open ending to the story allows the audience to imagine their own.

    The series that SGU became by season 2.5 deserved renewal, but I can see that criticsim of season 1 (it was slow, like BSG, soap opera, etc) is valid. The ratings after "Life" aired dropped 33% below the series' high and never recovered. Also, SGU was an expensive looking production(cool sets, cool cgi, large cast) and ratings near 1.5 mil viewers were not enough to pay for this.

    So I would say All the Above, since Syfy could have advertised and started the show on more fertile ground, and also SGU's storytelling had problems, and the ratings reflected this.

    #2
    Put down the can of worms and step away slowly
    sigpic
    ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
    A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
    The truth isn't the truth

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      #3
      I enjoyed SGU despite its bumps (Life, Cloverdale) I would have loved to see where it was going in a third season. I still hope someone will revive it.
      All plot and no character makes for a dull story... All plot and no character makes for a dull story... All plot and no character makes for a dull story... All plot and no character makes for a dull story...

      "Scott isn't out. Actually, he'll probably soon get back in, then out, then in, then out, then in, with rhythm and stamina." reddevil 4/22/2010

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        #4
        The problem with Engler's comments is he was being misleading at best, and simply lying at worst. SGU wasn't given a two season green light, it was given a one season green light, with an agreement to make a second only if the show hit certain ratings milestones. For all intents and purposes that's the same way any series is renewed.

        "Bad series" is a misnomer. Quality can't be quantified, only appeal can. The show certainly had a narrow appeal to the Syfy audience at least, but the situation was made far worse by the way the Syfy (and MGM to a degree) chose to market the show. If you advertise as an action thriller not so dissimilar to what has come before, then don't be surprised when the people who aren't into that take no notice, and the people who want that sort of thing are left disappointed when that's not what they get. If left SGU basically with only the cross-section of viewers who love both.

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          #5
          I agree with KEK on this. I have not seen a good sci-fi show developed from TV in decades. The best they have done is to reinvent Dr Who and that took BBC none main stream funding. Sci-Fi could never have made that work if the criteria for success is ratings!

          Star Trek could be reinvented based on the new movies, which have by passed all the spinoffs and gone back to the original material....But that is being developed on the Big Screen, and may be difficult to transition to weekly TV format.

          Maybe they should do away with weekly formats and go to monthly or just so many per year. Give the production team more time to work on each episode and the audience more time to savor them. The British do it something like that, just a few episodes per season developed over a year period.

          As I said before SGU was the best damn Sci-Fi series to come along in decades.
          SGU. Best Sci-fi show to come along in decades.

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            #6
            Originally posted by KEK View Post
            The problem with Engler's comments is he was being misleading at best, and simply lying at worst. SGU wasn't given a two season green light, it was given a one season green light ...
            Yes, I remember this now. I suspected Mr. Engler was putting Syfy in the best light possible.

            Originally posted by KEK View Post
            "Bad series" is a misnomer. Quality can't be quantified, only appeal can. The show certainly had a narrow appeal to the Syfy audience at least, but the situation was made far worse by the way the Syfy (and MGM to a degree) chose to market the show.
            I take it by misnomer, you're saying quality of a show is subjective, and depends on criteria the audience sets. Early SGU episodes seemed to be a by the numbers crises of air, power, water (even episodes so named), and I've read critiques (not on this site) where it is said to be derivative of Battlestar Re-Imagined, of using style elements from other shows (like musical montages), but with less skill. It's been criticized for telling viewers about characters (Kino interviews) rather than showing through characters interacting.

            By appeal, I take it you mean that the producers achieved the style of show they wanted, but that style didn't appeal to most Stargate fans. It's too bad, then, that the writers, MGM and Syfy did not think more about its audience when they created and marketed the show, if ratings were their guidepost. I fall into the camp of viewers that like some action and some character drama: I definitely wanted SGU to be renewed.

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              #7
              I have only watched half of the first season but it's problems were evident. The people behind Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis had no idea on how to do the character drama they wanted and that shows in the episodes themselves. You may not notice it from watching it but a majority of the characters are unrelatable, many of them have stuff that detracts from them (Young and her wife for example.) and you only care for like three characters in the end. I've watched the majority of the series and I can't remember these character's names; only Young, Rush, Eli, Chloe, TJ and maybe Scott... The fact that I don't know these character's names proves that they're unrelatable.

              It also makes some unaware attempt at mimicking Lost. The show itself seems like a fan of the show almost to the point where it even attempts to replicate it's characters, settings and important set pieces. (place Rush and Desmond in a room together, you can barely notice the difference.) I'm aware that many shows have to have their influence but you can't copy it directly, you have to make it work in your own way. Let's not forget about the various dramatic gimmicks that they used in the series; dramatic gimmicks meaning scenes that are set up in a way to give false expecations or to falsely add flair to a scene where there is none. From lighting affects to the nick of time stuff to even the camera angles who's only purpose is to make a scene look fancy. Good drama is just letting things happen naturally, letting us get engaged in the whole situation without worrying if something is missing or not; bad drama is something that thinks it needs these things to make drama, it needs to make it happen in a certain way to be dramatic. SGU does bad drama more then it does good and as a result, directly impacts the series.

              I do agree that the network (and MGM) has some promotional effect on the series but the point of the matter is this: the series has potential but it's mostly wasted because the creators felt unfamiliar in an environment despite them being excited about the possibilities this series would provide. They didn't feel that SG:A was doing them good plus they didn't want to work on both series at a time (remember, SG-1 and SGA aired at the same time when both were on and they were exhausted because of it.) so one had to go for Universe to be made, thus giving the impression that Syfy & MGM did it when in actuality it was as much of the creators fault as it was the companies. That may have provided SGA a boost but it wouldn't deter from it's overall suckiness, which the series had. The series was trying too hard to impress viewers to the point where it was driving off viewers, it had a beginning and an end but it didn't have a middle to properly guide them and it didn't make an effort to explore the true alien or the true unknown, just take from as many sci-fi tropes as possible and call it a night. (plus, the stuff shown didn't make the series expensive; I mean it looks like every Syfy original movie ever released, how is it that the show is expensive?) I know many people may disagree but SGU is overrated; that may change but from what I've seen of the show, that perception seems to heavily define it.
              Back from the grave.

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                #8
                Sorry, but how often do we have to discuss this topic?
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                  #9
                  Originally posted by myhelix View Post
                  Sorry, but how often do we have to discuss this topic?
                  New posters, new take Myhelix.
                  I for one will just be watching this one from the sidelines
                  sigpic
                  ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
                  A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
                  The truth isn't the truth

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                    #10
                    I think the 5,000 threads on this topic should be merged...
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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Gatefan1976 View Post
                      New posters, new take Myhelix.
                      I for one will just be watching this one from the sidelines
                      oh dear god it's Herbert
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                      Ohhhhhhhh WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM

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                        #12
                        Dean Grr, are you saying SGU is bad?!?
                        sigpic
                        Ohhhhhhhh WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by LT. COL. John Sheppard View Post
                          oh dear god it's Herbert
                          Herbet West- Reanimator
                          sigpic
                          ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
                          A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
                          The truth isn't the truth

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                            #14
                            no mate i'll PM you
                            sigpic
                            Ohhhhhhhh WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by LT. COL. John Sheppard View Post
                              no mate i'll PM you
                              But I prefer Jeffery Coombs as Herbet West
                              sigpic
                              ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
                              A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
                              The truth isn't the truth

                              Comment

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