Eureka canceled. Season 5 next year, beyond that, nothing.

[Thunderstorm]

True, but point is... Syfy is giving the producers and writers an extra episode to end the series. I've never heard of a network doing that. Usually, when a show is cancelled, it's after the season finale or during production where the writers have time to write a last-minute series finale.

Last I heard, they were still in production filming the last ep of the 5th season. So if they wrote it quick they could film it while everyone is still around.

[maxbo]

Maybe the network figures they owe the show that much at least. After all, it wasn't just a straight cancellation - they renewed the show for a six episode season, and then changed their minds.

Syfy's treatment of Eureka has been weird, though, really ever since the writers' strike. Last year they filmed all twenty episodes of S4, not knowing when the second half was going to air. But comments from the writers and cast indicated that they were very hopeful that it would air in early 2011, and S5 (which they're just getting ready to wrap up filming on now) would air this summer, similar I suppose to how Stargate used to be scheduled. Instead, Syfy held 4.5 until this summer and S5 until next. *shrugs* I don't understand it, but I am thankful at least that they're being nice enough to give them the extra episode to wrap it up.

Interesting. So, this scheduling weirdness is not a recent issue. I'm also pleased that Eureka will have an extra episode to wrap up, but I'm still annoyed by the sloppy way this was handled.

From what you mentioned, it sounds like there were concerns about whether Eureka would continue beyond Season 4 - even with good ratings, so I wish they had declared that Season 5 would be the last season immediately instead of handling it this way. That way, the writers would have had the entire season to prep for the end instead of this bizarre back and forth where, within a week, they gave the show a 6th season to wrap up and then took it away only to then announce an extra Season 5 episode to wrap up.

If the ratings for the current season were bad, I could understand why they changed their mind about a 6th season, but that's not the case here, so I wonder what happened. I know one of Eureka's execs/writers mentioned that although Syfy loves the show, it's too expensive to keep, but they knew that when they approved the 6 episodes for Season 6 and they likely knew that while they began shooting Season 5, so what happened last week to make them decide that this was it?

[Skydiver]

No one knows what happened nor will they ever likely.

It's confusing because it was reported that they got renewed for s5 and 6 episodes for s6, but s5 had to have already been approved months ago since they were in the midst of taping it. they were granted 6 episodes for s6, but then that was cancelled and they were told 'nope, this is it'....well they were taping the s5 finale at the time. There was some stuff they could change, but there's only so much time. So they were given another episode.

This isn't totally unprecedented. How about SG1 and Threads being a 90 minute episode? the Pretender, I think, was cancelled to make room for Saturday Night FOotball, and they were given 3-4 TV movies instead of a new season.

It happens sometimes, and it's often more of a buy out than act of good will on the network's part. Especially if the network is breaking any contracts when they cancel a show.

It could be a situation close to what happened to Corin Nemec. Originally, he was hired for seasons 6 and 7, but then MGM changed their mind and he was 'released from his contract'....the buy out, being in two episodes of s7 plus writing an episode.

the 'extra' eureka episode may be a kind of severance pay, it's also possible that the Eureka producers were close enough to their budget that they had enough money left over to say 'look, give us a bit more and we can squeeze out an extra episode for not a lot more money'

[Killdeer]

They got the Season Five renewal in August 2010 - here's the press release.

LINK

[Killdeer]

I was going back and looking at older comments about scheduling in the ratings & scheduling thread. It looked like initially when S4.0 was airing that they believed that S4.5 would air in early 2011, maybe even January. But then it didn't, and later, when Colin Ferguson was asked about what was going on with the show and the short half seasons, he said this....

We're all disappointed," Colin responded when we shared your concerns. "We're disappointed too. We'd love to be on a show that aired year-round, or 22 episodes. So the fans' feelings are echoed [but we] don't have same resources as a major network."

So it appears that some time after the S5 renewal, the network decided they didn't have the resources to air Eureka more than once a year after all, so to save costs they stretched out their current episodes, which consisted of the S4.5 episodes filmed in 2010 and the S5 episodes filmed this summer.

[Skydiver]

so basically they were told they got 6 episodes, then they were taken back

my PERSONAL interpretation.....eureka powers that be likely weren't too enthused about only 6 episodes and there was possibly some negotiations/debates, etc.

and it may have resulted in something along the line of 'only 6 episodes is garbage we can't do it in 6' and skiffy said 'fine, then dont' do it at all'....but then a compromise of 'ok, give us one more for this season' coupled with fan reactions and PR issues was reached.

[Killdeer]

That could be.

[Briangate78]

so basically they were told they got 6 episodes, then they were taken back

my PERSONAL interpretation.....eureka powers that be likely weren't too enthused about only 6 episodes and there was possibly some negotiations/debates, etc.

and it may have resulted in something along the line of 'only 6 episodes is garbage we can't do it in 6' and skiffy said 'fine, then dont' do it at all'....but then a compromise of 'ok, give us one more for this season' coupled with fan reactions and PR issues was reached.

Someone in Accounting screwed up, lol.

[IcarusAbides]

How about they give them the budget for the six episodes and they make one feature length epic episode with the cash.

[DigiFluid]

As usual, my own interpretation of events matches right up with sky's.

[12OzMouse]

If this has been posted before, forgive me... But, I just saw a quote from Amy Berg, (Eureka producer) where she said that SyFy loves everything about Eureka except how much it costs to make it. She said that, (as we all surmised) the decision to cancel was purely dollars and cents. I just don't understand how they can take one of their most popular shows and make a kill decision before the 5th season has yet to air an episode. Unless they have a pretty good crystal ball, they have no idea how S5 is going to preform against the competition. But, they do know that for another $50 bucks or so they can produce a few more Ghosthunters eps, I guess that's how the new management's going to run it from here on out....

[Skydiver]

thing is, and i don't defend skiffy, but as shows go on and on and on, the cost raises - cast and crew get raises everytime their contract is negotiated usually, and the ratings fall....most shows, over time, shed viewers.

There are a few shows that are exemptions to this 'rule', NCIS for one, whose rating base seems to grow every year, but most of them lose.

[Homer 120]

Aww

Ah well, it had a GOOD run. And at lest we actually GET A FINAL EPISODE! Which is more then SGA & SGU ever got.

[MediaSavant]

thing is, and i don't defend skiffy, but as shows go on and on and on, the cost raises - cast and crew get raises everytime their contract is negotiated usually, and the ratings fall....most shows, over time, shed viewers.

Not only that, but the median age of the show grows older and more viewers are outside what is considered the ideal ad targets of 18-40 or 25-54. Eureka's median age is already 51. It'll probably be 53 in two years.

Smaller ratings with older viewers bring less revenue.

[Browncoat1984]

I wonder if there's a chance of another network seeing the success of the show and picking it up? I mean, its not like it didn't get ratings, the ratings are there...thing is, with it being primarily a SyFY show and not like Stargate (owned by MGM) I have a feeling SyFy wouldn't let that happen unless it was NBC that picked it up, and over on NBC they have the same issues SyFy does (Chuck, Heroes).