Joseph Mallozzi's Blog! (SPOILERS For All SG Shows and Dark Matter)

[Pegasus_SGA]

Below is from JM's Blog.

Well, I’m hopeful. We’ve produced what I know is our best season yet, have the full support of the MGM and SciFi machines, and, despite the fact that we’re 1) up against a network premiere, 2) airing in the Fall against the new network shows, 3) still suffering from DVR/Tivo bleed-off, 4) finally returning with new episodes after a fairly long hiatus.

Thanks, I read that. I'm just wondering why you felt they were excuses? Are you saying that those reasons aren't valid?

I've said it from the start that there will be a season 5, my spidey sense has been tingling for a long time. I'm just curious as to why you feel that these are Joe's excuses, when they are valid factors in determining a pick up or not. I'm sure elsewhere other shows look at these points to, when assessing future season pick ups. I don't personally think it's endemic to SGA.

[Mandysg1]

I meant the ratings were very good for Season 1-8 and TPTB never had to ask people to watch the show. There was no talk of DVR or schedules or long breaks. TPTB created a quality show and people watched.

Yes I agree they created a quality show and I also preferred S1-8, but to be fair to SGA, SG1 would premier in the summer, going against all the reruns from the other networks. SGA is for the first time (I think) going against the Fall TV Premiers, of some highly rated shows...so it maybe an excuse, but to me it looks like a good one.

[ses110]

I'm just not sure why Joe would even mention those factors. There will be other shows competing with Atlantis. That's show business. You cannot have Atlantis on by itself. I'm sure SG-1 Season 1-8 had to face the Same DVR issues. I just think TPTB have gone too far looking for any little factor instead of looking at decisons they made. They seem insulted if anyone tries to mention any other reasons for the shows struggles besides DVR schedule and network shows.

[ses110]

Atlantis was also on in the Summer before now. It just seems the Summer is no good and now the Fall is no good. Maybe I'm being too critical I would be more understanding if TPTB mentioned there bad decisons as well as DVR schedule and network shows.

[Pitry]

I'm just not sure why Joe would even mention those factors. There will be other shows competing with Atlantis. That's show business. You cannot have Atlantis on by itself. I'm sure SG-1 Season 1-8 had to face the Same DVR issues. I just think TPTB have gone too far looking for any little factor instead of looking at decisons they made. They seem insulted if anyone tries to mention any other reasons for the shows struggles besides DVR schedule and network shows.

He mentions this because he *knows* he's going to get a thousand "see? SGA's ratings are bad because of Carter/ Weir/ Carson/ Whatever" - so he's just having his say first.
Whether these things are going to be a factor? Probably. More than the reasons JM mentioned? I doubt it.

[ses110]

JM is doing a good job trying to cover his bases. It just seems to me TPTB have gone down this road too many times in the last few years.

[Pegasus_SGA]

I'm just not sure why Joe would even mention those factors. There will be other shows competing with Atlantis. That's show business. You cannot have Atlantis on by itself. I'm sure SG-1 Season 1-8 had to face the Same DVR issues. I just think TPTB have gone too far looking for any little factor instead of looking at decisons they made. They seem insulted if anyone tries to mention any other reasons for the shows struggles besides DVR schedule and network shows.

maybe he mentioned them because they do play a part in SGA's future, and it's not simply because of character changes, particularly when we don't know how the change over will impact on ratings. It is a 'wait and see approach'. I agree the long hiatus hurt SGA in a lot of ways, hopefully now that part of it is rectified we'll see a more steadier ratings. Who knows, until it airs it's very much a "your guess is good as mine, or JM's" The thing is, DVR's do play a large part of things in the ratings, but people work, people go out, so they use other methods to satisfy their needs and for some that's Tivo/DVR. From previous figures it shows that this can account for as much as 22%. I may be wrong on that figure, but that's a hell of a lot, so that's what JM was saying, these play a part in whether it's picked up or not.

He mentions this because he *knows* he's going to get a thousand "see? SGA's ratings are bad because of Carter/ Weir/ Carson/ Whatever" - so he's just having his say first.
Whether these things are going to be a factor? Probably. More than the reasons JM mentioned? I doubt it.

Really? How do you know that's what he knows? How do you know it's 1000's of people saying it's because of the changes?

JM is doing a good job trying to cover his bases. It just seems to me TPTB have gone down this road too many times in the last few years.

You're right they do know, nothing is a certainty in this game, but the thing is, if people want it renewed, they need to watch it, and that's what's being emphasised constantly. Slightly OT, but relevant, there was a Connor Trinner vid not long ago, that gave a great example of fans and viewings and cancelling of shows, and he said it is down to the fans, and he's right. But it's also down to those that monitor ratings to look at other ways people are watching and move with the times.

[Pitry]

Really? How do you know that's what he knows?

Because he's been aroudn fandom long enough, he's read this forum, other forums and the commentary in his own blog, other producers tend to pop up and read as well, and in short, he knows fandom. Just like now people are already saying he's lining up excuses for the ratings before hte episode even aired so obviously before there are any ratings, iut stands to reason he knows people are saying/ going to say it.

How do you know it's 1000's of people saying it's because of the changes?

That was an expression. I think you need to relax a bit, Peg.

But it's also down to those that monitor ratings to look at other ways people are watching and move with the times.

No,m it isn't. We've been through this a thoiusand time (expression, not actually counted) and JM has, in fact, referred to it in his own blog, also confirming my suspicions, if the iTunes news wasn't enough confirmation.
SciFi only get their money from advertisers. Which mean that the only income they're getting is from how much advertisers are willing to pay to have their products advertised during Stargate Atlantis, which in turn depends solely on how many people watch live in that specific slot. Even the second viewing doesn't matter here.
MGM earn money from DVD sales. MGM earn money from iTunes, and conventions, and metrchandise, and what not. But no SciFi.
So either SGA delivers the right amount of live viewers per episode or SciFi won't want to renew it cos they'd be losing money if they did. MGM can push to continue SGA all they want- just as the did with SG1 because they earned a lot of money from the stuff I've mentioned earlier, but if no network will carry the show they won't continue it, either.

[PG15]

...As long as you won't get assissnated by a disgruntled fan!

Pfft, it's gonna take more than disgruntled fans to bring me down. I think my postings in the Atlantis Season 4 forums shows that off VERY WELL!

Below is from JM's Blog. IMO it just comes off as whinning. I've heard other TPTB of other shows admit when decisions they made did not work out and they just fixed things.

Well, I’m hopeful. We’ve produced what I know is our best season yet, have the full support of the MGM and SciFi machines, and, despite the fact that we’re 1) up against a network premiere, 2) airing in the Fall against the new network shows, 3) still suffering from DVR/Tivo bleed-off, 4) finally returning with new episodes after a fairly long hiatus.

I don't understand. Why CAN'T he use these reasons if they are indeed causing the majority of the ratings drop? I mean, you can't really call a 22% decrease due to DVRs an excuse; it's a bleeding fact, that is!

I'm just not sure why Joe would even mention those factors. There will be other shows competing with Atlantis. That's show business. You cannot have Atlantis on by itself.

Sure you can! I'm sure a night where all other "competition" are old movies and reruns will result in better ratings than if they were all new episodes of CSI or something.

I'm sure SG-1 Season 1-8 had to face the Same DVR issues.

Can you prove that? It's so easy to just say "I'm sure that I'm right" without backup.

I don't know why quality of writing is weighed so much more heavily than other factors in terms of causing the drop in ratings, when those factors are now so important. Besides, quality is usually in the eye of the beholder.

[prion]

http://josephmallozzi.blogspot.com/2...r-26-2007.html

>>>>>All about food today. Photos too.

Today's pics: Nuevo Latino Cuisine - Cobre style!

Today's video: Nada. Sorry. (yes, no video, gasp!)

Today's mailbag:

Susan writes: “Question: Would it behoove us fans without ratings boxes and/or living in other countries to write letters to the advertisers who support the show and tell them all about how we're going to go out and buy their product because they advertise on Atlantis?
Answers: 1) Fire away!

Mrs. B108 writes: “1)Will any alliances shift this season? 2)Will this season be full of hard decisions and tribulations?”

Answers: Yes on both counts. Reunion, The Seer, and Miller’s Crossing come to mind.

Herbert writes: “When a problem in a sci-fi show is resolved by an ancient race who are far more technologically advanced than us and we just can't understand their thinking, isn't that fantastical thinking as well?”

Answer: Yes, however the fact that they are technologically advanced (rather than simply magical) makes it science fiction in my books. But you bring up some very good points concerning the very fine line between science fiction and fantasy. Much depends on the individual writer.

Anonymous #1 writes: “Why do you guys feel you need to be romancing everyone to make this show interesting?”

Answer: Could you offer up some examples of the “everyone” we’ll be romancing this season?

IamJohn writes: “Hey, thinking about the (hopeful) new season, how soon do you start constructing stuff for an episode after starting to write it?”

Answer: It depends on the production schedule. When we write scripts over the hiatus, they will be banked for months before we get around to prepping them. As we near the end of the season, we may get the Art Department started as early as the concept stage.

IamJohn also writes: “ Also for set pieces like the puddlejumper, do you move them to create a set, or do you constuct a needed set around it, or is it something where the picture that the viewer sees is almost always computer generated so it doesn't matter and have a ready made one that's always there?”

Answer: It depends on the set piece. In the case of the puddle jumper, we’ll use green screen when we shoot out the front of the jumper to give us a glimpse of what we are flying toward, be it space, a planet, or tree tops. If we’re shooting out the back, we may use green screen or we may have our Green Department create a forest-like backdrop. Still other times, we may take our traveling puddle jumper on location or, if we don’t need to see our characters actually boarding, have our visual effects team create the jumper.

Keirberos writes: “Hey, what were some of your numbers? Closer to Brad's or Rob's?”

Answer: Being the eternal optimist I am, my numbers were closer to Brad’s.

Anonymous #2 writes: “Since when did Dr. Lee become more important to the franchise than Jack?”

Answer: By that logic, you can ask “Since when did Chuck the technician become more important to the franchise than Jack?” or “Since when did McKay’s lab chair become more important to the franchise than Jack?” Simply put, it’s a hell of a lot less complicated to secure the lab chair for a guest appearance.

Nathan writes: “When will Stargate step into the modern era and declare one of their characters, if not openly gay then "sexually ambiguous" as to their choice of partner?”

Answer: If the opportunity presents itself, why not? But the reality is we haven’t delved much into our character’s sex lives to begin with. We found out about the woman Ronon left behind on Sateda a full year after he’d been introduced and have yet to learn anything about Teyla’s private life. Heck, it wasn’t until three years into the show that we found out Sheppard had an ex-wife.

Michelle writes: “Will Rodney be in the finale, or is David off for the rest of the year in anticipation of little Hewlett 2.0?”

Answer: Rodney will be in the finale.

[PG15]

Food photos, food review, no videos...it's like Old School Joe's Blog!

[Pitry]

Pfft, it's gonna take more than disgruntled fans to bring me down. I think my postings in the Atlantis Season 4 forums shows that off VERY WELL!

Nonono, I dind't mean disgruntled Stargate fans, I meant disgruntled PG15 fans!
We want flocking, damnit!

Can you prove that? It's so easy to just say "I'm sure that I'm right" without backup.

Actually, I can prove it's wrong, methinks. DVRs hardly existed in the vast majority of the years in question, especially the first years. I mean, get real. Who had DVr in 1997? A lot of people didn't have DVD players in 1997.

[PG15]

Nonono, I dind't mean disgruntled Stargate fans, I meant disgruntled PG15 fans!
We want flocking, damnit!

Bring it ON!

[Pitry]

Bring it ON!

What, the flocking? Thought that was your job!

[Mandysg1]

Oh no...it's a FLOCKING war