Syfy Plans Return To Traditional Science Fiction Drama

[Laxian of Earth]

Hey,

I just read that on the gateworld-site and because I wanted to comment (and discuss) this properly, I just pasted the title here.

Here's the link to the main site, for those of us only comming to the forums:

http://www.gateworld.net/news/2014/0...fiction-drama/

Now, I would like to ask, what you think this means?

Do you think they are really commited to this and might even resurrect some of their "dead" franchises (hm...calling stargate "dead" does not sound quite right, as the community is pretty much alive IMO), like - what would interest us most of course - Stargate?

Or do they still want to produce lighthearted commedy-style science fiction series like Warehouse 13 (not that this show is that bad, it just can't take the place stargate had and while i sometimes do watch that (i need to be in the mood for it, while I can watch stargate in pretty much any mood - with the exception of severe sadness maybe))...I mean, Stargate - at times - didn't take itself all that serious (like the episode "Wormhole Extreme"), but most of the time it did and that was good.

So, your turn, let's discuss

greetings LAX

[blueray]

That is good news, because it seems like these days every time I flip to syfy it is either a reality show or a stupid movie. It seems like their scripted shows are barely on. I really hope they do this and get rite of reality shows and wrestling (which is syfy?)

[Alteran of Atlantis]

I hope this is true. I'm tired of stupid reality shows and ridiculous movies. At the moment, there is no actual scifi on the network that is supposedly dedicated to it.

[Falcon Horus]

Their B-movies make me cringe 3/4 of the time, but are such fun entertainment I really can't stop watching them when they're on. Although I still haven't seen Sharknado...
I mean, they're like bad fanfiction. And I often think they could have used those budgets for more serious and better produced stuff.

I really enjoy(ed) watching WH13 and am very peeved it got cancelled. That is (was) a fun show with fairly good writing and a brilliant cast.

If Syfy wants to return to scifi, they should really drop all the stupid ghosthunter shows, and that other "reality" crap they got going on. If they want to find the next Game of Thrones, they'll have to be open to ideas and smart people who know what they're doing.

And no, I don't think that it's going to include anything Stargate-related, so I wouldn't get your hopes up. Both SG1 and Atlantis fit in the same category as light-hearted with a little drama added category as WH13, and SGU was space opera first class. Battlestar Galactica is probably the sort of thing they want get back to (not the actual show, but stories like it which gets dangerously close to SGU).

I think Syfy needs to take a good look at itself before they can change the direction they're heading for.

[thekillman]

I think Syfy needs to take a good look at itself before they can change the direction they're heading for.

I can't help but think that it's a pipe dream for Syfy.

They changed their programming away from Sci fi and fantasy. Now, other networks have taken that SciFi territory and shown success. Syfy made a decision and it blew up in their face, essentially. There's money to be made and now they go back for the money and pride, not for the end goal. HBO and ABC have a clear vision of money though quality TV. Syfy has a vision of money though...i dont know, being cheap? Stargate was relatively cheap and brought in a nice consistent sum of money.

Syfy gave up their position years ago and getting back to it is going to cost them dearly. I simply don't think they can make such a swing of culture in their organization, it's certainly going to require more than just money and a story.

I really do hope they succeed, my inner realist just says no.

[Iffy]

All I can do is roll my eyes.

[ajay]

First thing they need to do is change their name back. Ever since it got changed to Siffy, the programming has been very iffy.

(Did you see what I did there?)

[mandogater]

Their B-movies make me cringe 3/4 of the time, but are such fun entertainment I really can't stop watching them when they're on. Although I still haven't seen Sharknado...
I mean, they're like bad fanfiction. And I often think they could have used those budgets for more serious and better produced stuff.

I really enjoy(ed) watching WH13 and am very peeved it got cancelled. That is (was) a fun show with fairly good writing and a brilliant cast.

If Syfy wants to return to scifi, they should really drop all the stupid ghosthunter shows, and that other "reality" crap they got going on. If they want to find the next Game of Thrones, they'll have to be open to ideas and smart people who know what they're doing.

And no, I don't think that it's going to include anything Stargate-related, so I wouldn't get your hopes up. Both SG1 and Atlantis fit in the same category as light-hearted with a little drama added category as WH13, and SGU was space opera first class. Battlestar Galactica is probably the sort of thing they want get back to (not the actual show, but stories like it which gets dangerously close to SGU).

I think Syfy needs to take a good look at itself before they can change the direction they're heading for.

Well said Falcon.

I'll only believe it when I start watching the network again after the final Warehouse 13 episodes air.

[keldran]

If they want Game of Thrones in space, then I reckon they want Peter F. Hamilton.

However, none of his characters are secretly Jesus and there are no unwelcome religious undertones in his books so it wouldn't really fit on SyFy.

[Replicator Todd]

I'd love to have a SyFy channel more like the "Sci-Fi Channel" but I don't think its ever going to happen. Even if they try...I think the glory days of exciting science fiction and fantasy is over for the channel. It will have something good now and again, but it won't be as good as what came before I think.

[Skydiver]

I don't know if they'll pull it off.

First, they're more interested in short term profit, not long term sustainability. They want cheap and fast - which is all this ghost hunting crap they got on.

Second, they seem to believe that horror and scifi are one and the same. Being Human as an example. It gets rather gory. And Lost Girl has it's 'adult content' warning. They seem to think that science fiction is ghosts and vampires and werewolves and other mystical creatures...they got the fiction part right, just not much science.

Third, real scifi isn't some hurriedly written soap opera in space. Maybe it was for Star Trek but not any more. People want stuff like BSG, Dr Who and Firefly. Even things like Hunger Games has a bit of a sciif aspect, but that means drama. WHich isn't pretty actresses in tank tops. I honestly don't know if they have the adult mentality to pull it off. They're too focused on appealing to the young male demo and dumbing it down.

I will believe it when there are 5 nights of drama on and only 2 nights of cheap reality ghost shows and wrestling.

[DigiFluid]

So, after spending most of the last 5 years trying to dilute or kill off anything up to and including the very words "sci fi," and ignoring everyone who was yelling at them stop, their grand plan is to backpedal and make...more science fiction.

*sigh*

[thekillman]

So, after spending most of the last 5 years trying to dilute or kill off anything up to and including the very words "sci fi," and ignoring everyone who was yelling at them stop, their grand plan is to backpedal and make...more science fiction.

*sigh*

They thought it was dead, then The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones proved them wrong. Now they think they can jump on the money wagon by going back to it.

They can, but any serious (read: good) sci fi writer is going to any other network first. If they want to attract talent it's simply gonna require money.

Also a complete overhaul of culture.

and money.

So yea, they're jumping ship again ;P

[Skydiver]

Most 'good' (read popular) scifi shows are slow burns. Look at Star Trek which didn't become universally popular (as much as anything is universal) for years after it came out. Or FIrefly that was canned prematurely then is far more popular once it's gone than ti was when it was on.

I don't think the money grubbers at skiffy have the patience to develop smart television with a slow return on investment. They want flash in the pan immediately money.

Game of Thrones existed as books for what? 20 years before it made it to tv? They gonna give up their ghost hunting to read books to find good universes to play in (which takes time you know) and then spend the millions and millions to develop shows that are usually rather expensive (props, costumes, etc) hoping that they hit it? (and even more counter to skiffy's mindset, boobs, butts and bombs do not make good scifi, or at least they're not all that makes good scifi, but that's what skiffy likes to focus on, fanboy titilation)

I'm in the 'believe it when I see it' camp. I think skiffy is too impatient, too greedy and too juvenile to actually pull it off.

[Mike3121]

I bet SyFy is diligently working on a way to combine Sharknado and Stargate into a new series. Maybe add a bit of wrestling on the side. I know a wrestling Hunger Games combination with a Sharknado/Stargate theme.