Anti-Heroes

February 16, 2006
Whether or not you notice them anti-heroes are some of the most common characters found on television. Often known as the people we love to hate they are some of TV’s guiltiest pleasures. But have you ever wondered why you like anti-heroes so much.

An anti-hero is typically one of the main characters of a story who generally exhibits positive traits but also shares many traits that an antagonist would have. Dr. House from House, Al Swearegen from Deadwood, Sawyer and Ana-Lucia from Lost, Tommy Gavin from Rescue Me, The entire cast of Desperate Housewives and The Sopranos, and Vic Mackey from the Shield are just a few of TV’s anti-heroes. Though anti-heroes aren’t usually bad people they are often driven mad by something that has happened in their past. A good example is how Sawyer’s guilt often causes him to do bad things. There’s a pattern of shows with anti-heroes and shows with good ratings here.

I think that the main thing why anti-heroes are so successful is that they liven things up. There are many more dimensions to the characters than there are with a lot of normal characters. We also always want to see their next move so we keep tuning in to see what they will do next. Anti-heroes are often unpredictable and the outcome of their actions is always surprising. Cult shows often include an anti-hero because of the addiction some people have with the character. Got to love them got to hate them but they do keep things worth watching.

This Year’s Most Likely Candidates to Enter TV Hell

February 12, 2006
It’s that time again folks. TV Hell usually gets pretty busy this time of year and this year will be no exception. While no actual cancellations have been announced yet I have looked at all of TV’s finest and I drafted a list of shows that aren’t likely to return. I did it by network. Because of the UPN/WB merger I omitted both networks from the list. If you have any questions about them see my CW article or e-mail us. Here’s the list.

CBS – While the network is in no trouble it does have some weak points. The Amazing Race gave us a weak performance this year. I doubt Love Monkey will come back either. The entire Sunday, Thursday, and Friday line-ups should be expected to return. I don’t know what CBS plans to do with Yes Dear and Still Standing and the only other thing on their line-up I would question is Out of Practice. Other than that it’s been a fairly good year.

NBC – You can’t really say the same thing for NBC however. Of its new shows, My Name is Earl is the only one that would definitely be returning. I think that they will be more inclined to renew their two new shows, Conviction and Heist than they would with Surface or E-Ring. Originally E-Ring wasn’t doing too badly but it’s unlikely that it will return. Surface is really a 50/50 but there isn’t really a spot that it will do well in. Four Kings hasn’t been doing well so I think that Scrubs will be renewed over it. Scrubs will be the oldest comedy that NBC has if it gets renewed. Joey is most likely to be cancelled as well. Once again a poor year the once hot network.

ABC – The thing about ABC is that it’s fueled by a couple powerhouse shows and then the rest of its line-up does alright. It has a very strong Sunday line-up but its Monday night line-up could use some work. Wife-swap and The Bachelor are solid but not great performers. The biggest show in question is Commander in Chief. It has lost over six million viewers since its very strong start. It also got its season order cut by four episodes. I can’t really predict what will happen but I doubt Commander will bounce back from being slaughtered by American Idol. Invasion stands a very good chance at being renewed and they should give their Friday night line-up another chance.

FOX – FOX is on fire this year. Prison Break and Bones are both most likely to be renewed and even though the Friday night curse is still around, the network has produced a lot of hits this year. One thing they need to work on is comedy. Arrested Development failed two years in a row so you can’t really blame FOX for getting rid of it. It’s also hard to say whether or not Bernie Mac will be renewed but it hasn’t been doing too well this year. Family Guy and American Dad also got the thumbs up for new episodes. If FOX is smart then they will get rid of Stacked. FOX had a great year but they still need to work on their comedies.

If I forgot anything that you have a question about then feel free to E-mail us.

The Cable Wars

February 06, 2006
Cable Television has really taken a big jump in quality over the years with a lot of additions of original programming. The channels that originally just gave us re-runs now offer quality shows to compete with the trash network TV offers. But with new shows comes new competition. Networks like USA and FX which have held the crown for some time are now facing competition from TNT, TBS, and Spike TV.

Original programming on cable networks is still a fairly new thing. The numbers were very scarce in the 90’s but it really has started to catch on. Some of the shows have even started to air in the fall and winter, directly against network TV and Nip/Tuck, Monk, and The Shield do just fine in it. FX is being called the new HBO despite its limitations and it’s known for its over the edge provocative programming. So what makes cable TV different than network TV? First of all the overall number of episodes is usually shorter. A standard season would be between 13 and 16 episodes. With the exception of the Sci-fi Friday line-up, any scripted programming on any cable network generally follows this rule. Because of this rule, many shows have one major plotline with several subplots in it. So you might be wondering which network will have the bragging rights as to who is the cable king.

I chose to omit Sci-fi Channel and Comedy Central from this comparison because they are genre-specific networks limiting what programming will go on the channels. The big three of cable television are FX, USA, and TNT. Even though TNT launched The Closer last summer, putting it in the running, it still can’t compete with FX and USA. Though the network has not officially canned Wanted it is unlikely that they will keep it on their roster. FX currently has the biggest line-up with six shows. While USA only has three shows it can be said that Monk, The 4400, and The Dead Zone put up a strong fight against The Shield, Nip/Tuck, and Rescue Me which are FX’s three main hits. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and 30 Days are the two weaker shows that are on FX’s line-up. FX has a new show called Thief which will debut this summer. I don’t think that USA has any new shows planned for this summer. Thief joins Spike TV’s first scripted show Blade, Sci-Fi’s Eureka and The Dresden Files, and TNT’s Saved. USA and FX are really the two cablers that are fighting for first place. FX three major shows draw more consistently high ratings that USA’s do so for now I’d give the crown to FX but it is still early in the game and I still say the title could be considered up for grabs. May the best network win (yea I know I already used that line).

The CW: What’s the Point?

January 30, 2006
As some of you have probably found out, UPN and The WB will be merging at the start of the 06-07 television season. I’ve been against this for several reasons. First of all their averages will either stay the same of slowly improve a little bit but no one should expect drastic changes immediately. My other strong case is that many shows will be victim to cancellation during the merger. A proposed 13 hour plan will be enough to save most of the shows but it isn’t really fair to fans of shows like Cuts or One on One which will probably not be part of the merger. I also have a lot of problems with proposed line-up plans so I decided to make my own. I might also add that Arrested Development will not be joining the network despite Entertainment Weekly’s decision to put it in their line-up version. My line-up depicts what time-slot is best for each shows based on past experiences.

Monday – This is the one thing everyone can agree on. I think a night starting off with Everybody Hates Chris followed by a new show then Girfriends and another new show. UPN and The WB have some pretty bad comedies and its time that the forever unfnny Reba bites the dust. The WB will most likely cancel Related and ironically 7th Heaven goes off the air the year the network does leaving this slot to happen.

Tuesday – Everyone wants a Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars pair up and that does make sense. However Veronica Mars should get the 8:00 slot because last year it barely survived in the 9:00 position. There is no real reason that it should go back there. If Gilmore Girls does go off the air then I would let this spot go to a new show. This could be a pretty powerful night.

Wednesday – For the 8:00 slot I would go with a rotating Beauty and the Geek/ America’s Next Top Model. For the 9:00 I would give it to either the Aquaman project or a new show. The CW’s success will come from its new programming as opposed to the old ones so I left a lot of slots open.

Thursday – I think pairing a 7th Heaven spin-off with Everwood could be a good duo considering the competition. The CW pretty much has to forfeit the night and even though Smallville does well I think that Thursdays could be a good family night given what the other networks have. If the 7th Heaven thing falls through I might be inclined to put Reba and Out of Sync on but that would be a last resort.

Friday – This one was really hard. I don’t want to put on anything Sci-fi because of Sci-fi Friday. I also do not want Smack Down to be continued for a couple of reasons. I always thought that UPN only used it to fill their decrepit line-up and I’ve always found it unprofessional. To donate a complete night to wrestling is something The CW should not do and it should focus on scripted programming to gain viewers. It’s unlikely that Smack Down will get any more viewers. I chose to put the new show Cult on even though it goes against my instincts and I would leave the 9:00 slot to either a new show or a combo of some of The WB or UPN comedies that wouldn’t make it (Eve, What I Like About You, Twins). Saturday would be a good night fir the WWE if they havea big enough budget.

Sunday – This is a bold move but I think it’s a smart one. I would air a three hour sci-fi block that starts with Charmed followed by Supernatural and ending with Smallville. Smallville beaten the odds so many times that its fans will help it survive against Desperate Housewives. I don’t think Supernatural would be able to survive against it and this line-up would be different than any of Sunday night on the other four networks.

This is just my opinon on what should happen but I did try and create the best possible combinations. If you want to make your own fantasy line-up you can post it on our message board or you can e-mail us.

Sci-Fi Bounces Back on Cable Networks

January 29, 2006
My first article as TV Hell’s reporter was about whether or not Sci-fi was dying. When Sci-fi recently announced its list of new programs I was amazed at how many were on the list and I’m still wondering where a genre based cable network is getting the money for all these new shows. Here the list of new shows.

Eureka – a show about people who live in an ordinary town but are really scientists performing experiments. The whole superpower thing makes me think of The 4400 and I’m looking forward to this one.

The Dresden Files – the story of detective Harry Dresden who posses supernatural powers and solves crime. This one makes me think of Millennium and I think it could be good.

Who Wants to be a Superhero? – One of Sci-Fi’s three new reality series. Comic book legend Stan Lee hosts a Project Runaway like competition where people must make there own superhero.

Medium at Large – This one looks like a version of the Pet Psychic. It follows the adventures of psychic Char Morgolis. I’m not that into the whole psychic thing but if Ghost Hunters works than I guess this could.

The Gift – the last of the three reality series. This one follows contestants who compete with each using their psychic abilities. I don’t know how this one will do but weirder things have stayed on the air.

The Bridge – Sort of a Dead Like Me kind of dramedy about people who are trapped in purgatory. It could be pretty funny.

Warehouse 13 – a show about a bunch of federal employees and an attorney who are trapped in a storage facility.

Sci-fi also got the rights to air the latest "Doctor Who" adventures from the BBC and it also has teamed up with Stephen Spielberg for a twelve hour minis-series called "Nine Lives" about people who reconnect with the dead by going through experiences that can almost kill them. Spielberg last teamed up the Sci-fi with his mini-series "Taken" which got good ratings. Sci-fi will come out with "Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King" its newest mini-series later this year. Spike TV also entered the Sci-Fi business with its first scripted series about "Blade", which will come out this summer. Wesley Snipes will not be in it though. My one concern is that Sci-fi will now have as many series as UPN and I wonder if all of them get good ratings, what Sci-fi will do. The new shows join "Stargate SG-1", "Stargate Atlantis", "Battlestar Galactica", "Ghost Hunters", and "Tripping the Rift". They will have 13 series to air which is more than the number of shows that USA, FX, and TNT have. Not all of them will survive but Sci-Fi is making a statement with its new programming and hopefully it draws the attention that it deserves.

Time To Say Goodbye: A Tribute to the Shows of the 90’s

January 22, 2006
Since the dawn of the new millennium we have lost a lot of shows from the 90’s but this year took a lot of them away. 7th Heaven, Will & Grace, and The Sopranos are a few of the ones we’ve known about for awhile but recently it was announced that and That 70’s Show will be joining them. Malcolm in the Middle will also end its run. Wikipedia also says that King of the Hill will end this year as well though that has been kept quiet by Fox. The West Wing is also most likely in its final frontier. I wanted to take the time to reflect on each of these programs as all of them have been with us a very long time. Of the six shows I mentioned only two of them are going out naturally; The Sopranos and Will & Grace.

7th Heaven – Easily The WB’s most successful show ever. It got too expensive to keep around but it has become the longest running family show of all time. It also aired in the Monday 8-9 slot its entire run which is something few shows can say. Who knows what the WB’s line-up will look like next year but it will lose a bit of its history.

Will & Grace – One of NBC’s funniest sitcoms and even though it didn’t draw spectacular ratings it still remained one of TV’s best shows. I always hated the laugh track but I never stopped watching and I’m glad it finally got to kick off the Must See TV Thursday line-up as it always deserved to.

The Sopranos – HBO’s most successful show ever. I really don’t know what HBO will do without The Sopranos but it has been one of TV’s best. Redefining the term provocative it was a pioneer and TV will never be the same without it.

King of the Hill – It fell victim to the 7:00 timeslot and it was never as good as Family Guy or The Simpsons but where would we be without something to compare it to. It had a lot of funny moments in its ten year run and I’m sad that it won’t be around if Futurama returns giving Fox the opportunity to air a full 3 hour comedy slot with the addition of another show.

That 70’s Show – Of the six shows on this list I think I’ll miss this show the least but I do think the idea was original and it was funny at times. It’s couldn’t bounce back form losing Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher and I think it’s time for it to go.

The West Wing – Not officially cancelled but NBC would be stupid to renew it because of its high production. It’s sad because it was actually interesting this season and it really had potential with the election.

Conviction: Law & Order Spin-off or Not?

January 15, 2006
I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately regarding Conviction a new show by Law & Order creator Dick Wolf that bears a shocking resemblance to the most recent L&O spin-off Trial by Jury which was cancelled last year. It does not bear the Law & Order name is it is supposed to be more character driven which is something that no Law & Order has ever really had. With that being the evidence I would have to say that it would not be considered part of the franchise but new evidence has been brought into play. Stephanie March has signed on to reprise her role as Alexandra Cabot from Law & Order: SVU.

A spin-off usually is achieved by two ways. One is a character from a show gets their own show. If it came directly after the first ended it would be considered a sequel series such as Joey was a sequel series to Friends. A show like Angel or Stargate Atlantis would not be sequel series but companion series to Buffy and Stargate SG-1. The other way a spin-off can be achieved is when an idea introduced on one show is made into a show like how CSI introduced Miami and New York. Conviction would fall under this category but the original Law & Order would be more of a grandfather to it. Surprisingly enough so would Homicide” Life on the Street due to the fact that Richard Belzer is on Law & Order: SVU as Detective John Munch.

Whether or not Conviction will be a canon part of the franchise or even bare the same name it is part of the L&O family. It’s unlikely that it will bear the name due to the resemblance of Trial by Jury. Hopefully it will live up to the franchise and maybe pull NBC a little more out of the can.

Crime Dramas: Why the Mass Numbers Remain Successful:

January 10, 2006
One of the most interesting things on television is how all the Law & Orders and CSI’s continue to survive despite the fact that there is very little to no character development on the shows. They follow a plotline that is referred to as an every plot, or show where the plot is almost exactly the same in every show. Anyone who has watched Law & Order over the years can tell you how each case gets solved without seeing the episode. CSI and Law & Order aren’t the only ones who use this format however. Without a Trace, Crossing Jordan, NCIS, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, NUMB3RS, and Bones are the other shows where almost every episode is basically the same except for different scripts, characters, and the occasional plot twist.

No critic out there can give you a solid reason why NCIS’s numbers have jumped so much but there is a pattern going on. All of CBS’s crime dramas are doing extremely well. Crime dramas make up half of CBS’s primetime line-up (Sun-Fri). Many people enjoy that the plot is resolved within an hour and that you can start watching whenever you want because the characters are not the main focus. Others are just attacted tocop shows. Each show has its own thing that differs it from the rest which explains how all of them are relatively successful. One thing is for sure, at this rate there will be a lot of crime dramas on TV for a very long time.

Back to the Futurama:

January 06, 2006
As a devoted Futurama fan I felt it my duty to report this news as quickly as possible. While only talks of its return are being negotiated, this is good news for the show. It will be the second time that Fox will revive one of its cartoons. Family Guy which broke records and made history came back last May. There were talks of a Futurama DVD release but Variety reported today that there are talks for new episodes of the cult television show.

While Futurama hasn’t done as well as Family Guy has, it has still performed very well as part of Adult Swim and the DVD sales have been solid. Since Family Guy’s return, it has been performing very well even against Desperate Housewives. It was only a matter of time before viewers started to wonder when Futurama would also get its day of glory. Even the Family Guy movie had a shout out to the possible revival. The odds are very good that Fox will order new episodes.

If Fox is smart they will add Futurama to their “Animation Domination” slot right after The Simpson’s where The War at Home currently lies. The War at Home show has been critically bombed and it would make sense to air a full two hour animation block. Unfortunately for all you King of the Hill fans, the show will not be returning for an eleventh year so by the time Futurama returns it will likely be off the air.

While I can’t really think of any other shows that this new trend of reviving old shows could affect, I think it has made the networks pay more attention to DVD sales. They have become an important part of the television industry and I hope they continue to help shows survive.

TV On DVD:

January 05, 2006
The TV DVD has revolutionized the way we watch and enjoy television. Entire seasons can be watch in one sitting thanks to them and they even contributed to the rebirth of Family Guy. But how much should we have to pay to get our hands on our favorite shows?

A TV DVD generally sells between twenty and fifty dollars depending on which genre. It’s a good deal when you figure that you are paying two dollars to see an episode but you can watch them as many times as you want and most of them contain bonus features. However, Science fiction television DVDs typically cost you between seventy and a hundred and twenty dollars for a regular twenty to twenty-five episode seasons with some exceptions. Why is it that these shows cost three times more than a typical show of another genre?

Star Trek DVDs are the worst offenders of trying to rip off fans. A Deep Space Nine Season currently costs a whopping 117 dollars on amazon.com and the entire Trek library costs over 3,000 dollars. Farscape is also notorious fro insanely high priced sets. The most likely reason for the high price is because Trekkies are some of the most loyal fans ever. Is this the way Paramount thanks its supporters for 39 years of loyalty? It seems to have worked though. Of the top fifty best selling TV DVDs of 2004 nine of them were Star Trek. It tells you that you can get away with ripping off your fans but the prices sure turned me off and I’m an owner of over thirty television DVDs, none of which I paid over fifty dollars for.

It’s not just Trek though. HBO’s dramas usually cost sixty dollars for a half seasons worth of episodes. Babylon 5, Andromeda, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World are some of the other offenders of over-priced merchandise. Check out the list below.

Note: All prices come from Amazon.com

Family Guy Volume 3 - $25.98
Law & Order: The Fourth Year - $36.99
Farscape The Complete Fourth Season - $134.99
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season 1 - $116.99
Angel: Season 1 - $44.99

As you can see, you can add Angel Law & Order and Family Guy’s prices together and it’d still cost you less that Farscape or Trek. Why should we have to pay four times as much for the same amount of episodes? Someone told me that the numbers of DVDs in the set come into play but that hardly makes sense. If Angel can fit 22 episodes on six discs why does Carnivale and Deadwood need the same amount for twelve? For that matter Stargate SG-1 finds it possible to use only five discs so the price range really makes no sense at all. Until prices go down I refuse to pay that much money and I encourage you to do the same.

Friday Night Death Slot:

December 23, 2005
If any of you watch primetime every night then you know how many shows fear Friday nights and how it’s the night with usually the most line-up changes in the whole week. One show from NBC and CBS came back to see another day and FOX’s entire Friday night was scrapped. ABC only had two shows return and UPN moved wrestling to that night getting rid of Star Trek: Enterprise. The WB usually does pretty awful with its comedy block on that night as well. FOX’s Friday night line-up is famous for its shows that usually only last a couple weeks but get a popular cult following. Firefly, Wonderfalls, Fastlane, Johnny Zero, and now Killer Instinct are just a few of the failed shows. I’ve even started calling it the FOX TV show of the week due to their short lived lives. However some shows have done well on that night. CSI and Law & Order: SVU are their networks top rated programs and each of them started on Friday. The X-Files also started on a Friday before being moved to Sunday. NUMB3RS which airs on CBS, is the top-rated program of the night and actually does pretty well.

So why is it that these shows fail so miserably? The answer is that most people aren’t watching TV on a Friday night but with DVRs playing a big role in Television these days, you would think that these shows could do a little better. The death count so far is five (Inconceivable, Three Wishes, Hot Properties, Killer Instinct and Threshold which debuted on Fridays but was moved and then axed). That number is pretty much on par with last year's death count on that night as well. The cancellations on this night have gotten so bad that when a show is moved there it usually means its entering its final season. CBS’s trio of Ghost Whisperer, Close to Home, and NUMB3RS is so far a winning trio but who knows how long this success can go on for. Sci-Fi Channel enjoys huge success from its Friday night line-up of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica. Friday’s seem like a good night for Sci-fi though it couldn’t save Enterprise. We can only try to help them but Friday is and will be for quite some time, a death slot for all those who venture into it.

NBC Makes a Step towards Redemption:

December 19, 2005
For those of us who remember the good old days of actual “must see TV” that was on NBC have been left waiting for its return ever since The Apprentice took its first tumble starting in season 2. Thursdays now belong to CBS which has been dominating with Survivor, CSI, and Without a Trace. NBC finally made a smart move and sucked up its pride and removed Joey from Thursdays. The Apprentice has also been relocated in favor of My Name is Earl and The Office. Four Kings also joins Will & Grace and ER in NBC’s return to it’s classic four comedies and a drama line-up which was successful for 20 years.

Must See TV Thursday which has been captivating audiences since 1984 with The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court, and Hill Street Blues as the first classic line-up. Hill Street Blues is often regarded as the best cop show ever and some of the biggest comedies ever have aired on it including Friends, Seinfeld, Will & Grace, Just Shoot Me!, Frasier, and Veronica's Closet. Scrubs aired on it until it was moved to Tuesday s in favor of The Apprentice which ran on it for the 03-04 midseason until now. Most critics regard that as the end of Must See TV partially because CBS’s Thurday night line-up was killing it in the ratings. As far as reviving it goes, it’s the best decision made by NBC is a long time. Reverting back to its comedy line-up was smart because competition is going to get ugly with hour and a half installments of Dancing With the Stars entering the already crowded battlefield. UPN already tried that strategy and so far it has worked out pretty well. It’s going to be fierce competition but 'My Name is Earl' and 'The Office' are loved by critcs and they get fairly good ratings. 'Four Kings' is likely to share the same fate as 'Committed', 'Coupling', 'Leap of Faith', 'Good Morning Miami', and countless others. In fact a good percentage of the comedies listed in TV Hell under NBC aired on that night in the infamous 9:30 slot. The battle for Thursday night is going to get ugly and all I can say is, May the best network win.

HBO Channels:

December 16, 2005
With digital cable and 150 channel premium packages sweeping the nation it can become pretty had to keep up with what is on each channel. Take HBO for instance. HBO offers 12 channels including Hi-Def and its On Demand Channel. When I first looked at it I was stumped at what each one of them aired. It’s confusing but not too hard to grasp once someone actually explains it to you, which the channel itself is unable to provide.

Note: The following channels air on digital cable and I am following east coast time. I didn’t include HBO, HBO On Demand, and HBO Hi-Def because they are self explanatory.

HBO2: The most diverse of HBO’s sub channels. New episodes of original programming are re-ran on this channel and popular new releases. Originally it was made as HBO on a two hour delay but has gone on to become its own channel. It focuses more on original programming than the original HBO.

HBO Signature: Basically HBO Signature is a channel focusing on the movies and programming that appeals to women. HBO sometimes stretches the true feminine appeal to air movies you wouldn’t consider feminine at all but generally it’s the most romantic of HBO’s channels.

HBO Comedy: Kind of self explanatory. Anything in HBO’s current library that is considered comedy can be found on this channel. Curb Your Enthusiasm airs at 7:30 (eastern time) every night and shows like Entourage, Da Ali G Show, The Comeback, and Sex and the City can be found on this channel.

HBO Zone: The HBO channel with more masculine appeal than all the rest. Oz and the Chris Rock show are aired and action movies are mostly found on this channel. Sort of HBO Signature for men but a little different. It airs some original programming but usually short and low quality.

HBO Family: The one HBO Channel to really air original programming. Other programming includes family movies and it very rarely airs something PG-13 or above. The safe HBO channel for your kids to watch.

HBO Latino: HBO in Spanish. That’s all it is.

NOTE: HBO, HBO2, HBO Signature, and HBO Family all have other channels with the name WEST added to them. This is just the same channel on a two hour delay.

Science Fiction in the Tank?:

December 15, 2005
Over the past couple of years, the number of science fiction shows has really been declining. It got so bad that even Star Trek couldn’t survive. So why is it that the Sci-fi Channel has been steadily improving its ratings and its stable of shows.

There are thirteen sci-fi shows that are currently running on the TV and six are from network TV, Lost, Invasion, Surface, Medium, Ghost Whisperer and Supernatural. There were six new sci-fi shows that came on network TV this year so only two thirds have made it to midseason. Over on cable we have USA’s The Dead Zone and The 4400 and Sci-fi’s Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica, Ghost Hunters, and Tripping the Rift. Two new shows are also joining Sci-fi Channel this summer. Of the six network shows however none of them revolve around space travel. Andromeda, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Dead Like Me bit the dust last year even though all three had more seasons left in them. We must ask ourselves is Sci-fi dead. There always have been heavy sci-fi casualties each year as TV Hell shows. Critics usually have negative feelings against new Sci-Fi shows and it’s a wonder how this batch has gotten any positive response. Also channels like UPN and Sci-fi have a new policy of “not picking up other networks scraps” which explain UPN opting not to renew Angel and it possibly explains why Sci-fi didn’t pick up Dead Like me and Enterprise which both had pretty good fan campaigns trying to save them. Sci-fi might be a little more lenient that UPN but considering Stargate SG-1 beat Enterprise on many occasions, Sci-Fi probably wouldn’t want it. Both channels have renewed other shows that have been cancelled in the past and a lot of them have been successful. Roswell and Sliders are examples of shows that should’ve stayed dead but the fans got their way.

Shows like Tru Calling and Point Pleasant have been being sacked by the dozen but that really isn’t any reason to give up hope on sci-fi itself. Lost gets huge ratings and right now there isn’t a Trek or a Babylon 5 to draw in the uber-fans. Sci-fi fans are given stupid names and its considered dorky in some cases. However we can’t deny the ratings and all the network shows minus Supernatural get above ten million so next time someone tells you that sci-fi is dorky you can name to them the number of shows that have survived in this world.

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