You know what? Fuck you.
Okay, that's it. When Haven and Warehouse13 is gone? So am I.
Fuck you, SyFy. I liked Eureka. I don't give two shits about your shitty ghost hunting (lived in a haunted house, they don't come a-calling cause you ask), wrestling (very, very loosely fantasy much?), or your godawful inability to be smarter than a damn used condom.
Money decision my ass. I bet you're owned by the same people who own the local NBC affiliate. You know, the one that quietly fired the local meterologist while pimping out the new guy at the same time. And announced it very SyFy-like by way of internet? Yeah, classy. Waaaay classy. I love how you ORDER SIX EPISODES AND THEN DECIDE NOPE.
You suck. Worse than Al Bundy's toejam on Toaster Leavins.
I've been a fan of the channel for awhile, as in probably since the first addition to cable tiering, and I have to say that I'm finally too tired to fight my unease with the programming decisions. I've managed to get attached to shows on the channel, after the Stargate debacles (announcements at celebration dinners, via social media) but with misgivings. Now I have nothing but contempt for the channel.
This is not about money. If it were, you would not have announced a shortened 6th episode. You would not have messed with the scheduling, sometimes 6 months apart in showing the two halves, or retooled the line ups ill-advisedly. You would not have ignored your viewers insisting on great dramas. You have these incredible cornerstone shows that you cut off at the knees in order to produce things that hold no long-term interest. The C- and D-rated movies might be great for one night a week...but it's only one night. The move to Monday for the new block is ridiculous since many people I know forget on Monday since it's the beginning of the work week, and trying to catch up with the missed opportunities. You are leaving consumers feeling unimportant and taken for granted. I hate to tell the programming and moneymakers this but we're the target audience. Not a nebulous 1960s target demographic.
The heart of science fiction has all been lost. Now I'm starting to feel like I'm watching Spike 2.0. Instead of using the advantage of culling the nerds to a single place, you're dispersing us. Maybe no one informed the accountants and executives the basic facts but nerds have a lot of cash to spend. We go to conventions. We pay for things outright, not bootleg. We enjoy using our fannish interest in free promotion. We willing part with a lot of cash. Just ask any Doctor Who fan about the price of the DVDs and still we buy.
For the last 15 years, I've noticed the stronghold on cheaper-to-produce reality hitting SyFy's airwaves. The problem is that I don't need that. There's no balance. A few shows here and there with an amazing production is rare. It's incredibly rare. You have this amazing team on Eureka that makes darker tones seem light, airy, enjoyable. The writing of Grace living with the wrong Henry would normally ping my radar as completely disgusting and misogynistic. But it doesn't. Why? Because the writing and production team are so entertaining and weave a story that doesn't ignore that aspect but stay true to the characters. That is immense talent.
I like watching BBC and UK shows because of the clever writing and gelled casts. Eureka has that. Without the quirky, amazingly talented actors on hand, your show would have failed quickly. I decided to try again after enjoying Stargate SG-1, then Atlantis, without disastrous results. I decided to try again and give good will. That good will? Has been blown to smithereens. Now I'm just waiting for my other shows to be canceled because of a lack of clear vision within the company's goals. You know what's worse? I was starting to give Being Human a chance since I've fallen for the UK version. Now I'm not going to bother.
I've been down this road before. Many times. I watched WB shows. I remember Angel's abrupt end (shades of SG-1 cancellation there). I watched Veronica Mars. I watched Primeval and Roswell. I watched shows like One Life to Live. I still watch Days of Our Lives. I actually liked comics at one point. I realize that the allmighty dollar is effecting the production of the shows I love. But you know the problem with that? I'm now giving money to projects on Kickstarter, or watching web-based series, because frankly I don't want to contribute to SyFy's pot anymore. It's a sad thing to say. But I don't want more cheese and lack of well-rounded characters. I want Fargo, Carter, Jo, Zane, Henry, and the rest of the cast to stay on my TV. I want to be so emotionally invested in characters that I care about the unfolding arcs.
If you don't want my cash, be honest. Because I can and will move on to other networks and companies.
After all, there's 200 channels on my TV. I'm more than willing to explore those channels thoroughly. Even if it's not in a language I understand. Because the loyalty to SyFy is so eroded it can never be found again. First we get a shortened season, a final one many fans thought since it was apparent the network has no use for ongoing sci fi, then no season and now the announcement is so heinously done that no one I know is willing to openly support the network. Maybe Current TV will have better results.
And goodness knows the international market provides a veritable buffet of sci fi choices.
Fuck you, SyFy. I liked Eureka. I don't give two shits about your shitty ghost hunting (lived in a haunted house, they don't come a-calling cause you ask), wrestling (very, very loosely fantasy much?), or your godawful inability to be smarter than a damn used condom.
Money decision my ass. I bet you're owned by the same people who own the local NBC affiliate. You know, the one that quietly fired the local meterologist while pimping out the new guy at the same time. And announced it very SyFy-like by way of internet? Yeah, classy. Waaaay classy. I love how you ORDER SIX EPISODES AND THEN DECIDE NOPE.
You suck. Worse than Al Bundy's toejam on Toaster Leavins.
I've been a fan of the channel for awhile, as in probably since the first addition to cable tiering, and I have to say that I'm finally too tired to fight my unease with the programming decisions. I've managed to get attached to shows on the channel, after the Stargate debacles (announcements at celebration dinners, via social media) but with misgivings. Now I have nothing but contempt for the channel.
This is not about money. If it were, you would not have announced a shortened 6th episode. You would not have messed with the scheduling, sometimes 6 months apart in showing the two halves, or retooled the line ups ill-advisedly. You would not have ignored your viewers insisting on great dramas. You have these incredible cornerstone shows that you cut off at the knees in order to produce things that hold no long-term interest. The C- and D-rated movies might be great for one night a week...but it's only one night. The move to Monday for the new block is ridiculous since many people I know forget on Monday since it's the beginning of the work week, and trying to catch up with the missed opportunities. You are leaving consumers feeling unimportant and taken for granted. I hate to tell the programming and moneymakers this but we're the target audience. Not a nebulous 1960s target demographic.
The heart of science fiction has all been lost. Now I'm starting to feel like I'm watching Spike 2.0. Instead of using the advantage of culling the nerds to a single place, you're dispersing us. Maybe no one informed the accountants and executives the basic facts but nerds have a lot of cash to spend. We go to conventions. We pay for things outright, not bootleg. We enjoy using our fannish interest in free promotion. We willing part with a lot of cash. Just ask any Doctor Who fan about the price of the DVDs and still we buy.
For the last 15 years, I've noticed the stronghold on cheaper-to-produce reality hitting SyFy's airwaves. The problem is that I don't need that. There's no balance. A few shows here and there with an amazing production is rare. It's incredibly rare. You have this amazing team on Eureka that makes darker tones seem light, airy, enjoyable. The writing of Grace living with the wrong Henry would normally ping my radar as completely disgusting and misogynistic. But it doesn't. Why? Because the writing and production team are so entertaining and weave a story that doesn't ignore that aspect but stay true to the characters. That is immense talent.
I like watching BBC and UK shows because of the clever writing and gelled casts. Eureka has that. Without the quirky, amazingly talented actors on hand, your show would have failed quickly. I decided to try again after enjoying Stargate SG-1, then Atlantis, without disastrous results. I decided to try again and give good will. That good will? Has been blown to smithereens. Now I'm just waiting for my other shows to be canceled because of a lack of clear vision within the company's goals. You know what's worse? I was starting to give Being Human a chance since I've fallen for the UK version. Now I'm not going to bother.
I've been down this road before. Many times. I watched WB shows. I remember Angel's abrupt end (shades of SG-1 cancellation there). I watched Veronica Mars. I watched Primeval and Roswell. I watched shows like One Life to Live. I still watch Days of Our Lives. I actually liked comics at one point. I realize that the allmighty dollar is effecting the production of the shows I love. But you know the problem with that? I'm now giving money to projects on Kickstarter, or watching web-based series, because frankly I don't want to contribute to SyFy's pot anymore. It's a sad thing to say. But I don't want more cheese and lack of well-rounded characters. I want Fargo, Carter, Jo, Zane, Henry, and the rest of the cast to stay on my TV. I want to be so emotionally invested in characters that I care about the unfolding arcs.
If you don't want my cash, be honest. Because I can and will move on to other networks and companies.
After all, there's 200 channels on my TV. I'm more than willing to explore those channels thoroughly. Even if it's not in a language I understand. Because the loyalty to SyFy is so eroded it can never be found again. First we get a shortened season, a final one many fans thought since it was apparent the network has no use for ongoing sci fi, then no season and now the announcement is so heinously done that no one I know is willing to openly support the network. Maybe Current TV will have better results.
And goodness knows the international market provides a veritable buffet of sci fi choices.