SG1 - TV Guide Online: Ask Matt August 25th
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ASK MATT - August 25, 2006
Question:
Do you know why Stargate SG-1 isn't being renewed for a new season? I was an original fan of the movie, but didn't get into the series until Ben Browder made the leap from the still-missed Farscape. The occasional episodes I saw before that were usually not that great, but lately, with Claudia Black as Vala and with the new story lines, they seem pretty entertaining. I know that its ratings are supposedly down, but I was under the impression SG-1 was still a solid performer. This move seems even more incredible given the fact that Stargate Atlantis has been renewed. Why couldn't Sci Fi just say, "No more bugs-chasing-the-team episodes" (always the worst) instead of canning the series? Also, I know the studio that produces Stargate SG-1 is shopping for a new home. Do you think there's a chance someone else could pick it up? Maybe G4 or Spike? — Abbie G.
Matt Roush:
You may be relatively new to Stargate, but that makes you the exception. From what I gather, the main contributor to Stargate's being shut down is its age (10 seasons old), which translates directly to its cost. It's all about the numbers, and that doesn't always strictly mean ratings, which may be down a bit but not enough to diminish the show's achievement in reaching 10 seasons and 200 episodes. For the spin-off to continue while the mother ship shuts down is not unprecedented. That's pretty much how the various Star Trek series operated (none of which went past seven seasons). Lesson to be learned here: No show is meant to last forever, and as I noted in my Dispatch earlier this week, it's hard to think of a show that actually got better after its 10th season (and Doctor Who doesn't really count, since it reinvents itself in each incarnation).
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Question:
I have to say congratulations to Stargate SG-1 for reaching 200 episodes, a milestone for any show. But my question now is: In a world of Internet, downloads and increased competition, will any other shows reach that 200-show mark? I mean, does Grey's Anatomy have the staying power of Stargate? Even though I love both shows, I don't believe it does. — Geoff
Matt Roush:
Before anyone criticizes Geoff, this question came in before Stargate's cancellation was confirmed. It's even more timely now, don't you think? It's an excellent question, and one that really got me thinking, because there are so many considerations at play. For a regular series to hit 200 episodes, that usually means it must stay on the air for 9 to 10 seasons, depending on the number of episodes ordered per year. Given today's more cluttered TV environment, I have to think it may be even more likely for certain sorts of shows to hit the 200-episode mark. If they've broken through and become a franchise, the networks will do anything possible to keep them around, especially in an environment that's all about network "branding," which requires brand names. For instance, CSI is going into its seventh (already!) season this fall, and I can't imagine the show disappearing until well after the 10th season has come and gone (though maybe not with the entire original cast). Same with many of the procedurals (Law & Order: SVU is going into its eighth season), if they continue to be as popular with the audience as they are now. Also, animated comedies from The Simpsons to South Park can keep going as long as their creators feel like it. But to address Grey's Anatomy specifically, and serialized dramas in general: I doubt it has Stargate's (or Law & Order's or CSI's) "staying power." The show is burning so bright right now that it's only a matter of time (I'm thinking the magical five-season mark) before it naturally begins to diminish and, more to the point, before some of the principal cast will be tempted to move on. Unlike ER, which might have been well advised to call it quits a few years ago, I don't see Grey's evolving into a show about Seattle Grace Hospital, regardless of who's wearing the scrubs. This is Grey's Anatomy, meaning Meredith and her friends. I don't see them doing this 10 years from now. As I always like to say: Enjoy it while it lasts. (And that goes for shows like Lost, which I imagine will have to wrap things up in a few seasons, if only because fans are so impatient for answers and resolution.)
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Morjana
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(Please follow the link for the complete column.)
ASK MATT - August 25, 2006
Question:
Do you know why Stargate SG-1 isn't being renewed for a new season? I was an original fan of the movie, but didn't get into the series until Ben Browder made the leap from the still-missed Farscape. The occasional episodes I saw before that were usually not that great, but lately, with Claudia Black as Vala and with the new story lines, they seem pretty entertaining. I know that its ratings are supposedly down, but I was under the impression SG-1 was still a solid performer. This move seems even more incredible given the fact that Stargate Atlantis has been renewed. Why couldn't Sci Fi just say, "No more bugs-chasing-the-team episodes" (always the worst) instead of canning the series? Also, I know the studio that produces Stargate SG-1 is shopping for a new home. Do you think there's a chance someone else could pick it up? Maybe G4 or Spike? — Abbie G.
Matt Roush:
You may be relatively new to Stargate, but that makes you the exception. From what I gather, the main contributor to Stargate's being shut down is its age (10 seasons old), which translates directly to its cost. It's all about the numbers, and that doesn't always strictly mean ratings, which may be down a bit but not enough to diminish the show's achievement in reaching 10 seasons and 200 episodes. For the spin-off to continue while the mother ship shuts down is not unprecedented. That's pretty much how the various Star Trek series operated (none of which went past seven seasons). Lesson to be learned here: No show is meant to last forever, and as I noted in my Dispatch earlier this week, it's hard to think of a show that actually got better after its 10th season (and Doctor Who doesn't really count, since it reinvents itself in each incarnation).
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Question:
I have to say congratulations to Stargate SG-1 for reaching 200 episodes, a milestone for any show. But my question now is: In a world of Internet, downloads and increased competition, will any other shows reach that 200-show mark? I mean, does Grey's Anatomy have the staying power of Stargate? Even though I love both shows, I don't believe it does. — Geoff
Matt Roush:
Before anyone criticizes Geoff, this question came in before Stargate's cancellation was confirmed. It's even more timely now, don't you think? It's an excellent question, and one that really got me thinking, because there are so many considerations at play. For a regular series to hit 200 episodes, that usually means it must stay on the air for 9 to 10 seasons, depending on the number of episodes ordered per year. Given today's more cluttered TV environment, I have to think it may be even more likely for certain sorts of shows to hit the 200-episode mark. If they've broken through and become a franchise, the networks will do anything possible to keep them around, especially in an environment that's all about network "branding," which requires brand names. For instance, CSI is going into its seventh (already!) season this fall, and I can't imagine the show disappearing until well after the 10th season has come and gone (though maybe not with the entire original cast). Same with many of the procedurals (Law & Order: SVU is going into its eighth season), if they continue to be as popular with the audience as they are now. Also, animated comedies from The Simpsons to South Park can keep going as long as their creators feel like it. But to address Grey's Anatomy specifically, and serialized dramas in general: I doubt it has Stargate's (or Law & Order's or CSI's) "staying power." The show is burning so bright right now that it's only a matter of time (I'm thinking the magical five-season mark) before it naturally begins to diminish and, more to the point, before some of the principal cast will be tempted to move on. Unlike ER, which might have been well advised to call it quits a few years ago, I don't see Grey's evolving into a show about Seattle Grace Hospital, regardless of who's wearing the scrubs. This is Grey's Anatomy, meaning Meredith and her friends. I don't see them doing this 10 years from now. As I always like to say: Enjoy it while it lasts. (And that goes for shows like Lost, which I imagine will have to wrap things up in a few seasons, if only because fans are so impatient for answers and resolution.)
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Morjana
