Season 4 Spoiler Discussion Thread

[kes]

There's a big difference between Sanctuary and Eureka, Eureka is produced by Syfy's parent company NBCU and there seem to be some weird decisions now that Comcast has taken over NBC. Sanctuary will have a whole lot of different reasoning whether they get another season after the 4th.

I get that Sanctuary is different but when they start canceling shows that are doing well and part of a sucessfull (sp) night, it worries me. Specially with Sanctuary airing in such season.

[Skydiver]

For all we know, there may be a totally independent reason for Eureka....such as perhaps their powers that be didn't like the half order for s6 and tried to play hardball, only to have skiffy play back harder.....who knows. I'm sure there's more to it than a random yanking of the show.

I haven't seen any of the ratings, but it was my impression that Monday nights were doing okay generally speaking now that network shows are in reruns

[RealmOfX]

For all we know, there may be a totally independent reason for Eureka....such as perhaps their powers that be didn't like the half order for s6 and tried to play hardball, only to have skiffy play back harder.....who knows. I'm sure there's more to it than a random yanking of the show.

I haven't seen any of the ratings, but it was my impression that Monday nights were doing okay generally speaking now that network shows are in reruns

My thoughts were running along the same lines. Ratings have been decent considering they are on Mondays :

................Eureka.........Warehouse 13.........Alphas
...........Viewers...A18-49..Viewers...A18-49..Viewers...A18-49
11-Jul-11..2,016,000..0.7....2,337,000..0.8....2,515,000..0.9
18-Jul-11..2,162,000..0.8....2,457,000..0.9....2,225,000..0.8
25-Jul-11..1,768,000..0.6....2,041,000..0.8....1,954,000..0.7
.1-Aug-11..2,134,000..0.7....2,252,000..0.8....2,031,000..0.7

[StarSancFar]

My thoughts were running along the same lines. Ratings have been decent considering they are on Mondays :

................Eureka.........Warehouse 13.........Alphas
...........Viewers...A18-49..Viewers...A18-49..Viewers...A18-49
11-Jul-11..2,016,000..0.7....2,337,000..0.8....2,515,000..0.9
18-Jul-11..2,162,000..0.8....2,457,000..0.9....2,225,000..0.8
25-Jul-11..1,768,000..0.6....2,041,000..0.8....1,954,000..0.7
.1-Aug-11..2,134,000..0.7....2,252,000..0.8....2,031,000..0.7

Gotany of those ratings for Sanctuary?

[NumberSix]

SyFy doesn't make errors. They make "creative decisions".

Ohhh, is THAT what they call them?

[RealmOfX]

Gotany of those ratings for Sanctuary?

Yeah, they are all in the first posts of the S3 ratings thread

[ann_sgcfan]

Regarding Eureka: It's currently airing season 4.5 with five more episodes left this season, despite the fact the crew filmed it over a year ago.

CRAZY PRODUCTION SCHEDULES
Season 3 had 18 episodes, but it was split up to air over a 2 year period (8 eppys aired in summer 2008 and 10 eppys aired summer 2009).

Season 4 was similar in that they filmed 20 episodes, but aired them again over a two year period - (9 aired summer 2010 + 1 Christmas eppy + 10 eppys this summer). There was talk of releasing 2nd part of s4 in the fall of 2010 then SyFy wanted to wait until after the first of the year and then pushed it back again to this summer.

They have been on the air for 6 years now with good ratings, despite the fact they are only in season 4. It's really crazy production vs. air times as Syfy decides to hold episodes. I'm more surprised they have been able to keep all the actors throughout the lull in production. Basically you have 5 contracts that span a 7 year span by the time all is said and done.

They announced today on the production staff blog regarding Eureka riding off into the sunset in s5 ... which is a little crazy in that they have already started filming the 13 episodes for s5. It sounds like there is some re-writing going on as they hope to give the show a proper send off.

I think Sanctuary is lucky to get 13 episodes, anything more and I think they would have started doing the same thing they did to Eureka - start holding eppys to span a couple of years. What station wouldn't want to pay one contract and then reap the rewards over a two year period. Hoping Eureka was given enough notice for that proper sendoff!

EDIT: Seriously THIS Thursday they start filming the final episode for Eureka YIKES!! Writers get two days to figure out how to end the show. Wonder how this will play out...

[majorsal]

this was something said on the main stargate page, regarding eureka:

from amy berg, one of the writers:

she tweeted: "I have a lot to say, yet nothing to say. Strange

Everyone is asking why. It’s simple, really. We are the network’s golden child in every way, except profit margins. Fact is, #Eureka is an expensive show to make. And we could not maintain the quality of our show with the cuts it would take to make us profitable for Syfy’s new parent company.

Our creative execs at Syfy fought hard to keep us. Trust me, they LOVE us. We just couldn’t make the numbers work.”

[maxbo]

Regarding Eureka: It's currently airing season 4.5 with five more episodes left this season, despite the fact the crew filmed it over a year ago.

CRAZY PRODUCTION SCHEDULES
Season 3 had 18 episodes, but it was split up to air over a 2 year period (8 eppys aired in summer 2008 and 10 eppys aired summer 2009).

Season 4 was similar in that they filmed 20 episodes, but aired them again over a two year period - (9 aired summer 2010 + 1 Christmas eppy + 10 eppys this summer). There was talk of releasing 2nd part of s4 in the fall of 2010 then SyFy wanted to wait until after the first of the year and then pushed it back again to this summer.

They have been on the air for 6 years now with good ratings, despite the fact they are only in season 4. It's really crazy production vs. air times as Syfy decides to hold episodes. I'm more surprised they have been able to keep all the actors throughout the lull in production. Basically you have 5 contracts that span a 7 year span by the time all is said and done.

They announced today on the production staff blog regarding Eureka riding off into the sunset in s5 ... which is a little crazy in that they have already started filming the 13 episodes for s5. It sounds like there is some re-writing going on as they hope to give the show a proper send off.

I think Sanctuary is lucky to get 13 episodes, anything more and I think they would have started doing the same thing they did to Eureka - start holding eppys to span a couple of years. What station wouldn't want to pay one contract and then reap the rewards over a two year period. Hoping Eureka was given enough notice for that proper sendoff!

EDIT: Seriously THIS Thursday they start filming the final episode for Eureka YIKES!! Writers get two days to figure out how to end the show. Wonder how this will play out...

So, we find out that Eureka won't get a 6th season around the same time they start filming the last episode of its 5th season? That's unfortunate. And, here I was thinking that at least the show got enough notice to plan its end.

I hope Sanctuary is given enough notice before the end. I hope Sanctuary gets a fifth season and that it will be treated as the last season with enough threads left to continue if it got a 6th season.

this was something said on the main stargate page, regarding eureka:

from amy berg, one of the writers:

she tweeted: "I have a lot to say, yet nothing to say. Strange

Everyone is asking why. It’s simple, really. We are the network’s golden child in every way, except profit margins. Fact is, #Eureka is an expensive show to make. And we could not maintain the quality of our show with the cuts it would take to make us profitable for Syfy’s new parent company.

Our creative execs at Syfy fought hard to keep us. Trust me, they LOVE us. We just couldn’t make the numbers work.”

It seems as if Syfy's new owners are running a tighter ship and that Eureka could only continue with a reduced budget, which could have hurt the quality of the show. However, I still don't understand why the show wasn't given those 6 episodes to tie things up. I could understand not wanting to fund a 13-20 episode season for an expensive show, but at this late stage, why not fund a final 6 episodes?

Since Sanctuary is probably cheaper than Eureka, at this point, and because 5 seasons seem to be the magic number for total seasons, Sanctuary may make it to a 5th season. However, if that happened then it should be written as if it would be the last season. If the show got picked up beyond that, there would still be enough in the Sanctuary universe to continue on a season by season basis.

[samcartersg1]

So, we find out that Eureka won't get a 6th season around the same time they start filming the last episode of its 5th season? That's unfortunate. And, here I was thinking that at least the show got enough notice to plan its end.

I hope Sanctuary is given enough notice before the end. I hope Sanctuary gets a fifth season and that it will be treated as the last season with enough threads left to continue if it got a 6th season.



It seems as if Syfy's new owners are running a tighter ship and that Eureka could only continue with a reduced budget, which could have hurt the quality of the show. However, I still don't understand why the show wasn't given those 6 episodes to tie things up. I could understand not wanting to fund a 13-20 episode season for an expensive show, but at this late stage, why not fund a final 6 episodes?

Since Sanctuary is probably cheaper than Eureka, at this point, and because 5 seasons seem to be the magic number for total seasons, Sanctuary may make it to a 5th season. However, if that happened then it should be written as if it would be the last season. If the show got picked up beyond that, there would still be enough in the Sanctuary universe to continue on a season by season basis.

So sad that this happened to Eureka....I thought I read somewhere that Syfy was adding an extra episode onto season 5 to wrap things up. Hope it is true. Not a lot of time but if they did write in any cliffhanger into episode 13 at last that can try to address it. I know season 4 of sanctuary will have a cliffhanger so hopefully we get a season 5 and aren't left hanging

[maxbo]

So sad that this happened to Eureka....I thought I read somewhere that Syfy was adding an extra episode onto season 5 to wrap things up. Hope it is true. Not a lot of time but if they did write in any cliffhanger into episode 13 at last that can try to address it. I know season 4 of sanctuary will have a cliffhanger so hopefully we get a season 5 and aren't left hanging

Yes, it was originally reported that Eureka was given a 6-episode Season 6 to wrap things up and then, suddenly that was axed. And, I just read that the final episode of Season 5 is about to film soon, so it's likely Eureka will end on a cliffhanger. It appears that Eureka became too expensive to maintain with a 20 episode season, so I thought they had resolved the issue by funding only 13-episodes for Season 5. And, because that wasn't announced as Eureka's final season, I thought the 6-episodes for a 6th season was to give the show a proper wrap-up.

It appears that something went wrong during the negotiation for those 6 episodes. From the outside looking in, I suspect that Syfy's new owners not only wanted to cut the episodes per season, but also cut the funding per episode and that this wasn't something the show's creatives could do without sacrificing quality. Especially, since those episodes would be the last of the series.

At this point, IMO, Sanctuary is likely in a better position than Eureka because it's probably not as expensive and it's not yet at that 5-year mark. However, if it gets a 5th season, I hope they treat it as if it could be the last and plan accordingly.

[samcartersg1]

I actually meant that I read somewhere they added an additional episode as a series finale. took me awhile to find the article again but here it is


Eureka Stars, Showrunner React to Shocking Cancellation; Syfy Orders Extra Series Finale Episode
http://www.eonline.com/news/watch_wi...gn=rss_kristin

[maxbo]

I actually meant that I read somewhere they added an additional episode as a series finale. took me awhile to find the article again but here it is


Eureka Stars, Showrunner React to Shocking Cancellation; Syfy Orders Extra Series Finale Episode
http://www.eonline.com/news/watch_wi...gn=rss_kristin

Thanks for sharing this - this is the first I've heard of it. One addition episode is better than nothing, but I'm still puzzled by why they axed the 6 for Season 6. It appears as if the new owners are taking a hard line in the wrong place and I hope Sanctuary doesn't get caught up in this.

[EH-T]

I don't watch Eureka but sorry to hear about the cancellation. From all accounts there were good people involved and it is sad that they have lost their jobs. Also another blow to the BC TV industry.

Impossible to know what this means for Sanctuary. Maybe Syfy is more likely to keep Sanctuary for at least 1 more year since they are losing an established show. Maybe it frees up money that can be spent on season 5 for Sanctuary. Since Sanctuary is an independent production, I would guess that it costs Syfy less and therefore is more likely to get another season. However, since we don't know what goes on and decisions seem to be made by Comcast not Syfy directly, who knows?

I still hope for season 5. Go Sanctuary.

[maxbo]

Yes, there is still hope for Sanctuary because unless one of Syfy's new shows is a Eureka or W13 type of hit *and* cost less, I think Sanctuary has a good chance of getting a 5th season. I also think its chances were increased by having its 4th season return to the less expensive 13-episode format.

Perhaps that will be the wave of the future -- 13-episode seasons. Considering how much fluff 20-episode seasons can contain, that's not a bad idea.