Stargate Universe Cancelled
Posted on December 16, 2010 Posted by John Scalzi 125 Comments
Here’s the tweet that says it, from Syfy’s Craig Engler, about ten minutes ago:
I’ll have more to say about it at some point soon, but for now I’ll say that it’s a shame, and also that it was a tremendous honor to work with the SG:U folks, particularly Brad Wright and Joe Mallozzi, the two writer/producers with whom I worked the most closely. They put on a really good show, and I was glad to be able to help them.
The good news for you is that you still have ten more episodes to look forward to, and you know what? They’re really excellent episodes. I can’t wait for you to see them.
Quick addendum, 4:17pm: For the people wondering if this means the Scalzi family Christmas is canceled, etc., I’m touched, but I’m fine and the family is fine, and thanks to my philosophy of having multiple revenue streams, we will continue to be perfectly fine for the foreseeable future. So don’t worry about us.
Rather coincidental that I had literally sent you an email about this seconds before twitter alerted me to you posting this :P you can kindly disregard my email then.
sadness
:(
So is this another series that’s going to go out on a cliffhanger? :(
That sucks, man, I’m sorry.
:( And I did my part to help the ratings.
It’s part of Sy Fy’s attempt to completely reimage themselves as having nothing to do with Science Fiction.
Dammit. The show was clearly finding its stride at last and making good on its promise. Hell, how long did it take before the original series managed that? At least this long, but at this point any show that isn’t an immediate hit gets axed to make room for “reality” programming and wrestling. My sympathies to all who worked on the show; SyFy can go soak their heads.
Why can’t TV networks cancel shows with enough warning so that they can have an actual ending instead of a cliffhanger than was supposed to lead into the next season?
Grrrr.
Well, if the folks at Syfy do the same thing they’ve done for Caprica, they will continue to post to the show’s FB page about exciting opportunities to buy “iconic” merchandise (made iconic because now there will be no new episodes). These messages will generate hundreds of angry responses from fans. The only difference will be that SG:U fans won’t use the phrase “frack you Syfy” as often.
I’m really saddened by this, I’m sorry to hear it. SGU was one of my favorite shows on the television (and of the franchise) and I had high hopes for it. I can understand why it’s being cancelled, with the ratings that it’s gotten. Hopefully they’ll be able to end it within ten episodes?
Oh boy, more wrasslin’!
I don’t even know why I bother getting invested in good television shows anymore. All the excellent shows get canceled while the crap shows get renewed year after year.
SG:U was easily the best sci-fi show to come out since Firefly. I will miss it.
Samuel: So, so true.
This is a real shame. Yes, I wasn’t impressed at all with the early parts of the first season. But the show has really come into it’s own, lately, and I’ve really enjoyed it.Not much reason to tune into ‘SyFy’, anymore.
Seriously?
Its just getting good!!!
I am looking forward to more lame monster movies involving ecto-sharks and giant moose with radioactive antlers…
*sigh*
Damn. Sorry. I really liked the show and was getting quite attached to several of the characters. :(
This is aggravating because I was actually getting into it. I never watched any previous Stargate series (or the movie), but was liking this one after checking out the pilot on Netflix. Syfy (horrible name change, BTW) has killed several excellent series in their prime and keep churning out cheap garbage movies by the dozens. Guess I still have no reason to watch that channel.
i wonder why syfy continues to bring us original, smart, intriguing shows only to cancel them in favor of completely idiotic original movies and wrestling. it’s a disappointment and i’m sorry scalzi.
I should stop watching good shows. Everytime I do and fall in love with it, it’s getting cancelled.
Godsdamnit.
Oh good gravy. I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve enjoyed the series.
Hi –
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggh.
Why does SyFy even exist? I guess there wasn’t enough pro wrestling on TV.
My desire not to offend prohibits me from expressing my true sentiments.
Besides, I don’t know that many ways to say “idiots”…
Noooooooooooooooooo!
Dammit. Damn it.
Given that the core audience increasingly prefers to download it rather than watch it on the network or buy it on DVD, it will become increasingly impossible to make a buck producing Science Fiction.
SyFy is smart enough to know that people will watch wrestling and won’t download it later.
I gotta say, this is sad news. SG:U took a sort of campy, unoriginal series, and turned it into something dark, pretty new, with very gritty, tightly plotted stories that left me waiting every week for the next one. I didn’t pay attention to how the ratings were doing (my mistake), but it was really the only show left on sci-fi that was remotely watchable.
As someone else pointed out: At least now they’ll have more time for wrestling. :(
Aw, blankity blank blank.
I liked the show, other than the insanely stupid “communication crystals.”
I think that means there’s nothing on SyFy I watch.
SyFy has utterly killed itself and its brand, I think. I don’t really see how they can be seen as anything other than the ghost-hunting/professional wrestling network and still bring in viewers. I’m just surprised Sanctuary, Eureka and Warehouse 13 have managed to hang on this long. I keep waiting to hear of those cancellations shortly, and I’m sure they’re right around the corner since the writing on those shows has gotten so horrible that I actually feel embarrassed for the actors. I can’t imagine people gravitating toward them.
SGU, on the other hand, was a great show that was just finding its legs. The characters were developing nicely, the dialogue was smart, the situations were both engaging and thought provoking, and it made for excellent viewing. Sadly, SyFy is not the channel for science fiction, and hopefully a much better alternative of a network will spring up soon.
Sorry to hear about this, John. Sounded like a really fun gig.
Hey John, as SFWA president, is there any way SFWA can sue SyFy for, I dunno, the genre equivalent of defamation of character? They’re really giving SF a bad name, and I feel like most fans of the genre would agree that they need to separate themselves from “Science Fiction” permanently. Heck, it’s more or less one of their stated goals anyway, as I recall.
But seriously. Sue for defamation of genre. Fans will gladly pay the legal fees.
:-( Damn.
Bah, freaking, humbug!
Worst Christmas present EVER!
I guess we’ve got a couple of months where the team can TRY and peddle it around to some other channels.
I’m not holding much hope though! :-(
It has been a hell of a ride. Thank you for the part you played in this show’s impeccable run. I had a feeling things weren’t going well based on how slightly rushed things seemed in the last few episodes. I hope the series ends with its chin held high.
That sucks. I really love that show. Guess just more signs that SyFy doesn’t have any Sci/fi… :(
Definitely disappointing news. I admit I had a bit of a time getting into SGU during the first half of the first season, but it’s definitely become a show I’ve looked forward to every week. I still enjoy watching Eureka and Warehouse 13, and am interesting to see where Haven goes from here, but I worry about their future now, too. It’s starting to feel like as not a fan of wrestling or ‘supernatural reality’ shows, I’m no longer in their target audience.
Too bad – this was actually my first XP with the SG series and I really liked it. SyFy has been choking on it lately – Caprica was horrid.
WTF? Are you kidding me? First Stargate series I could watch without grinding my teeth to bits and it gets cancelled? Figures. I guess Syfy prefers crap movie-of-the-week abominations over quality shows.
SG-1 was enjoyable for being funny in its first few years. Atlantis had its moments. Universe actually took almost a full season to produce good shows and eventually they did get pretty consistently good. But in today’s accelerating world of the intertubes and sexting, that just is not good enough any more. I hear they need new writers on The Walking Dead, John. But that just ain’t Science Fiction. And neither is anything else anymore, except Futurama and very indirectly, Venture Brothers.
I’m rapidly reaching the point where I won’t have anything to do with SyFy anymore. Is it too hard to keep one space show on the air? One show that’s clearly science fiction and not set in the present on Earth – or at least not set in a world that’s just like the one we inhabit?
I’m more angered by the news than saddened – and that saddens me.
SBYL, John and everyone else involved with the series. You folks deserve a medal for daring to make something good on TV.
But hope springs eternal. Does this mean you’ll have more time to write stuff for your true-blue fans now?
I am soooooo bummed. This has become such a good series – from the stores, the acting and the VFX, etc. IMHO, these networks keep expecting big numbers for their series when there’s literally too much out there to spread around. If they can’t get those big numbers, they cut bait and run. I understand that’s capitalism – but DAMN. I am profoundly sorry for everyone connected with Stargate from Brad Wright, the producers, writers, actors, VFX people and anyone and everyone connected with this great production. I appreciate all the good TV and science fiction you’ve brought into my life these past 15 years! Thank you.
Well at least the money saved not makingSG:U will let SYFY continue to make new movies of giant things. “When Giant Bed Bugs attack” Humongous Slugs of death”
I don’t hate Syfy for their decisions. I don’t watch them, sure, but business is business.
That’s a damn shame. I had no experience with the Stargate brand before this show, besides the original movie, and actually came to it through your involvement John. I figured if the gent who got me excited about military science fiction (a genre I’d never really read before) was involved, it was worth a shot.
The show was clearly finding it’s footing in the first season (which nowadays is lethal to any new show it seems) but it was playing with some great big ideas in fun ways. Rush and Young had a great bristling dynamic and Eli was just delightful. None of the characters felt like they came out of the tropes box, they were flawed and layered and interesting. This was a show that needed time to grow.
Between this and Caprica, there’s nothing on Syfy for me to watch at this point. I’m in the beloved 18-34 year old male range too. Their loss.
Sorry about his John. I hope you get another gig like this soon.
For your sake, I watched it longer than I would have otherwise. My family refused to watch any more past early season 2, and my waterloo was a character death that just pissed me off. I know that wasn’t your idea, which is why I feel free to complain about it. Too bad they didn’t hire you as a writer.
#25 and #31 – Warehouse 13 and Eureka (which I actually found watchable this last season, and no Magic Reset Button ™) as well as Haven have all been renewed for another season.
And to repeat the general sentiment: Bummer.
People were really worried that this would put you into financial ruin? Geez….
Anyway, it is sad to hear the show is going away. I watched most of the first season and enjoyed it. I had planned to get back into it but now I am curious if it will end with some resolution?
It was that damn kino sled that did them in. The exec’s saw how silly that thing was and cancelled the show. Ignore inertia at your peril!
No really, it was only a matter of time. ‘Rassling is cheap and those insipid movies can be written with a mad-lib, produced by interns and casted with who ever is hanging around the lot that day.
A quality cast and high production values cost money, the other junk, meh, not so much.
The world just got a bit dimmer. It won’t be the same place without the possibility of new Stargate episodes. Oh well, at least there’s another 10 eps (well, 11 I haven’t seen yet).
I wonder if there’s any chance of continuing on another channel?
Dang. I’m sorry to hear this. I had my issues with the show, but the premise and the special effects, combined with the input of one danged fine SciFi author had me watching anyway. Maybe we could get Old Man’s War to be made into a mini series?
The SyFy channel really shouldn’t be allowed to carry original programming. Fox too for that matter. They have no idea what to cancel and what to keep.
Well, that’s just…fine.
Lovely, They cancel an actual Sci Fi show, so they can have more shows like Wrestling? I was just getting into it. I watched from the beginning and wouldn’t give up on it, because I’m loyal to the Stargate Franchise, and I figured it would start to grow on me, and get into a stride. So, it finally does and they cancel. it. I just hope there is an end that can be useful and not something to leave hanging and then make it as it never existed.
Man, that blows. I declare SyFy management to now be totally populated by used cock socks.
Without Universe, I’d never have watched SG-1 or Atlantis. I would have missed out on two of my favorite shows, and my hands-down favorite character ever, Samantha Carter. So, while I never really got into Universe beyond the pilot – which I thought was amazing – I am sad to see it go. Any Stargate is better than no Stargate.
I just wonder if the franchise will be able to move on from this.
Well, THAT puts a damper on my holiday cheer.
Sorry for the bad news John. But It was past time for SGU. It had meandered through countless futile and dull plot points for long enough. I’m sure you will move on the bigger and (much) better things.
That leaves nothing on SyFi (however they are spelling it these days) for me to watch.
I hate to say it, but I saw this coming. The reason isn’t complicated folks.. Ratings. SG:U has not done as well as the cost per episode would call for to make it a money
SG:U started out at around 2.9 million viewers counting timeshift. Good numbers, but tsince then, not so much.
The highest ratings I have found for this season was 1.2 million. Someone once gave me a rule of thumb that a show needs to bring in around 1 viewer for every dollar it costs to make an episode. Sure, there are variables like expected syndication, DVD sales, merchandise, etc, but its a decent starting point.
Based on the costs of SG, I’m going to guess that a per episode cost averaged around 1.5 million at least. (John, if you know and can share, great!)
So that means break even ratings should be about 1.5. The average up to Nov 30 was about 1.1 with no sign of upward trend even if the show was perceived to be better.
Thus, cancellation.
Eureka (about 2.2 million viewers) and Haven (1.5 million viewers) cost less to produce and draw better numbers, so they should be fine. Warehouse 13 (over 3 million), same.
Thanks to the extensive use of CGI and abandoned industrial parks, Sanctuary also is less expensive(sometimes it shows in the CGI as well. So its probably okay with numbers comparable to SG:U.
I’ve said it before and will say it again. If you want a show to stay on the air convince people to watch it. Otherwise, it goes away.
The better the show, the less seem to be watching! What’s wrong with people???
Syfy is really starting to piss me off. First Caprica and now Stargate. They need to focus more on the shows instead of all their bad B movies that they produce. Now I only have V to look forward to.
@XiPhoid (#57) – Well, here’s an example from John’s Facebook feed:
“Bob Bradley It’s sad that SyFy is actively working to be like the many C List Cable Channels. I’ve deleted it from my DirecTV channel lists. I abhor wrestling and avoid reality shows like the plague. Any good show that may come on that channel I can download with bittorrent. A Pox on Universal/NBC I say.”
Bittorrent downloads (among others) don’t count towards ratings. So that becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
That, and in general we seem to have the attention span of hummingbirds, the concept of watching a show long enough to let it find itself if not great out of the gate is alien to many people now.
Condolences. On the other hand, perhaps some other show might pick you up as a consultant.
Also, if the show ends without a resolution, tell the people at SyFy I’m never watching another thing they make.
On another site, I saw a great comment wondering if, in years to come, saying “hey, remember when Syfy was Sci-Fi and actually showed science fiction shows?” will become the new “hey, remember when MTV showed music videos?”
This really sucks. I’m sad to hear this, both for the show being the only thing I really enjoy on the SyFy Channel anymore, and for the loss of work for our gracious host, Mr. Scalzi. Hopefully this means we’ll get more novels and other cool things from you in the next year.
Between this and Caprica getting cancelled, the only thing that is keeping me interested in the SyFy Channel in the near future would be the BSG; Blood & Chrome series. Even that I doubt will last more than a season or two. It will probably be an expensive show to make, as with both Stargare and BSG, they can’t completely skimp on production values and still retain the faithful audiences that followed both of these franchises for so long.
Noooooooooooooo!
SGU was literally the only show I watched on SciFi (I still refuse to use SyFy). Ever since the re-brand it’s been going downhill. Guess they needed more time to show wrestling and other sad non-scifi programming. Maybe getting rid of all the good shows is their way to promote their “original” features like Giant Squid vs. Mega Shark (or whatever it’s stupid name was).
Maybe another channel will be smart enough to pick it up. AMC perhaps? They seem to be having a good run of original shows lately.
I’m sorry to hear this. I hope that you can get another consulting gig like that soon, as long as it’s what you want. I’m sure there are shows that could really use your guidance. I’m glad to hear that there is little financial impact for you and family.
Dude syfy is just shooting themselves in the foot with this one. Stargate Universe was the only show worth watching on that channel.
Well, the syphie channel is true to its new name. Tertiary syphilis has clearly set in.
I have a question, though, John: are the last ten eps already in the can? This is crucial information, because it will let us know whether there’s a possibility of a resolution to the current main plot arc, or whether the whole thing will just fall off a cliff, leaving us fans never finding out what happened to Chloe and Eli and Matt.
And whether there will ever be justice for Rush’s many victims, of course. I really want him to die horribly at the end, but I suppose that’s not in the cards even if they do have a chance to write a real ending!
Noooooo!!!
What is next Eureka & WH13? Those go, nothing more there for me to watch on that channel. I did my part on the ratings end. I guess it is too “smart”, too complex of a show & having plot is a no no now days. More rasling or “attack of the radioactive slug” movies :P
RIP another one down, at lease it got 2 seasons, unlike Firefly :( I know it could not last forever but thought that is would go for 4 seasons then end it out with 2 hour movie to finish off.
BFS
That is all.
Am I the only one who thinks the phrase ‘mid-season finale’ is stupid?
They should call it a semifinale.
Mr. Scalzi, is this the first you’ve heard of the cancellation or did you know before? It sounds like you learned about it via twitter, which would be a really, really crappy way to make that sort of announcement.
And I apologize for the double post, but could you please give any more details as to the series finale that has already been penned and filmed? Where does it fall on the scale of finales from 10 being the most satisfying with everything wrapped up to 1 being a horrible cliffhanger that will have me testing the sturdiness of my TV with airborne objects?
+1 to Pico’s question. Can/will they wrap it up in a respectable fashion?
My condolences. I too, like Pico@70, am curious if you first learned about this by twitter, but I understand if you don’t want to talk about that bit. Regardless, I hope that you get another shot at working in TV if you want it.
Or a tv movie like was done with Far Scape?
A tremendous disappointment. SyFy has made some questionable decisions in recent years with its programming. Renewing Haven and killing SGU makes no sense to me whatsoever.
Well, hopefully another network will start a channel geared toward SciFi fans and then we can all vote with our money and spend our time (and money) there. VOTEWITHYOURMONEY is more than a screen name…it’s a lifestyle. Writing campaigns don’t really work. MONEY does. When we stop being loyal to the businesses that aren’t loyal to us…that’s when they’ll start to pay attention.
I’ll chime in to say that I too enjoyed SG:U. I watched on Hulu for the most part, but that does count, right ? Rush and most of the others were pretty compelling characters. I will definitely watch the final episodes.
Like others have said, it’s pathetic that TV networks either (a) don’t give shows enough time to gather a decent audience/fanbase or (b) change producers who then decide to axe perfectly good shows simply because THEY weren’t the person who brought them in to the network.
Sad to hear about it. Lacking cable, I’d been watching online until they started delaying online episodes so much that it wasn’t worth it any more. But I gather that viewers like me don’t really count in the ratings, even though we watch the authorized, ad-accompanied streams.
I’m glad you’ve got a number of other gigs going, though, and I wish you the best in finding new ones– as I’m sure you will.
Xopher:
I believe that the filming for the season finished within the last few weeks.
wow, this sucks. i liked it at the beginning, and it seemed to be getting really good. another one bites the dust. i will never watch….syfy….hate even seeing that….again.
I suspect that some of the problem is just that a smart group of viewers (which, face it, is what we are) isn’t quite as susceptible to the blandishments of advertisers. So the audience (that is, those people providing the money, the advertisers) demands a dumber show, which leads to fewer watcher, calling for more dumbness … it’s a death spiral.
Sad news, Scalzi. Best wishes for even better gigs in video land, if there are such gigs.
This simultaneously sucks and blows. The first season wasn’t as solid, but was good enough to get me back for seconds. And those seconds have been, overall, delightful and riveting. I loved the more gradual pacing, the sort of slow burn on things like TJ’s baby & Chloe’s transformation (will we at least get a resolution to that storyline in the next ten?). I wasn’t sold on the sort of mythic nature of Destiny’s grand mission, but I was excited for the ride. I’m very sorry to see it go.
Do you think if you’d worked in a bit of pro-wrestling they might have kept the show on? I can picture the melodramatic rivalry between Everett “The Colonel” Young and Nicholas “Scruffy” Rush, complete with trash-talking a glitter. Greer could get completely badass with various opponents. Once a month Chloe, TJ, and Dr Park could dress up in cleavage-enhancing outfits and jump into a kiddie pool filled with Jell-O. Camille and Eli could offer color commentary. That would be so… awesome isn’t an awesome enough word to describe how awesome it would be. And/or substitute “awesome” with “terrifying”.
Syfy channel has nothign to do with sci-fi anymore. First Caprica then this. Stupification of a nation with cheap reality TV….. Syfy managment oughta be fired.
brian f:
Stargate: WWE–awesome!
seriously! ok i wonder what syfy thought they were getting into?! are they actually going to be showing any kind of modern Si-Fi television shows? i mean lord. why do they have to cancel them. this is crazy. now ill have to watch spike tv just to get to watch si-fi. im played out on those too. time for new management! fire all the big wigs and get people in who will make the choice to air science fiction on a science fiction network
At this point si-fi channel has almost nothing to offer. I like Warehouse 13 and Eureka, but they are not on the level of SGU, Caprica, BSG, SG1, or SGA. I don’t give a damn about the wrestling or the stupid reality shows. I am disappointed and actually disgusted at what si-fi channel is turning into. I could look forward to BSG: Blood and Chrome. But what’s the point. They’ll just cancel it after 10 or 15 episodes.
Agree to everything above. The decisions on these shows are being made by people who have no love of the genre and care little for actual ‘quality’ of product. Preferring to air low-brow mass appeal fare. It is the only explanation for putting wrestling, cheap C-grade monster movies, and reality sh*t tv on their station 24/7. Canceling shows like Caprica, Stargate, and even going back to Fox and what they did to Firefly are examples of these companies and corporations pursuing the all-mighty dollar. It pushes their creative and collaborative efforts. Hmmm … sorry .. .only 5.6 million people watch this show … if it’s not 10 million … you get the axe. Which is unfortunate. Quantity over Quality seems to win out with these people. But hey … I got a crazy idea … *Almost as crazy as having a Science Fiction station with no Science Fiction on it!*
Solution: I think it’s about time the millions of Science Fiction/Fantasy fans that have been burned by this channel (and others in the past) got together and created their own rebel broadcast station. Put ‘true’ Sci-fi back on the air with ‘true’ Science Fiction. Perhaps even garnering some canceled shows. I’m sure there are enough talented people out there with the knowledge, skill, and connections to get something like this started. *I not being one of them* With the millions of hard-core fans of the genre … a little 1 dollar contribution every quarter would give 4 dollars a year multiplied by however many fans were willing to fund the project. Even if that was simply 1 million fans … that’s 4 million a year. While I am not naive enough to think that’s anywhere near enough to even get close to producing one quality Sci-fi show like Stargate: Universe … it would be a start in the right direction. Start small … gain support and funding … stay true to real Science Fiction (series television, movies, reruns of old series, maybe some documentaries and true to life interviews with scientists and professionals in the field that are seeing Science Fiction of yesterday turning to Science Fact today and what tomorrow is bringing) … and most of all keep f’in wrestling, and reality TV, out of it.
Blah. It would never work. Just a crazy idea. But it would be nice.
I could see it now. Joss Whedon would be the station CEO … and hard-core fans would make up the board of directors lol … and we could do most of our actor recruitment at DragonCon, ComicCon, and other conventions! Ha!
ahhh man… I just bought an expensive 55″ HDTV to enjoy it as I was really getting into the show now. Figures… everything I like is cancelled. I really do not like all the vampire, fantasy genre shows… hard sci-fi is hard to develop and once a good show comes around… gets good its cancelled. Can I run this channel? Find another network to pick it up.
Joe Laurenti @ #87
That’s a cool idea.
Another idea would be if the Science Channel actually programmed in some science fiction films and tv shows here and there. Hell at this rate, the Science and History channels with programs like Michio Kaku’s Sci-Fi Science, Ancient Aliens, and UFO Hunters are showing just about as much science fiction related content as post Caprica/SGU SyFy.
I also agree a/ everything everyone else has said. I cannot understand why science fiction is not profitable. I realize the shows are expensive, but sci-fi fans are extremely loyal and I believe we represent a pretty good chunk of the viewing/buying audience. I don’t watch television anymore; I wait until I hear about a good program, watch on the computer or borrow a DVD, then I buy the entire series. I am so tired of the commercials and the cancellations and science fiction is my favorite genre. It is very sad to see so many terrific shows cancelled: Firefly, Farscape, Dollhouse, Stargate Universe, to name a few. I would watch those shows forever. I buy the books, attend conventions, etc. and I would pay to watch the programs. Heck, I am paying to watch them. Can’t the powers that be find a way to leverage all that loyalty and enthusiasm?!
It is sad to me that SyFy thinks wrestling is somehow “better” while SG-U is not as good. WTF is WRONG with you people??? I fell in love with all the characters of this series and felt finally I had something to look forward to on TV. As usual SG-U is cut while leaving boring stooooopid and empty crap like wresting. As someone said above, I guess with the weak mentality of this station, Cloe and TJ should jump in a pool of mud and begin wallowing with one of those idiots in WWF and somehow this would be better.
God you people make me mad! I don’t think I can trust you anymore to invest myself in anything good because you will just yank it out and replace it with something so vacuous it makes me want to run to the nearest Law and Order rerun rather than waste my time getting into something you will just whack.
Ex-SyFy viewer
Cat in Seattle
Yet another coffin nail in the crappy network once known as SciFi. The new name sucks, the movies suck and WTF does wrestling have to do with scifi? I enjoyed this series and after the last episodes i will have no reason to turn there anymore. Let’s hope for new leadership for that network. Syfy… Lol
2 promised stargate movies that were never delivered on…
Stargate atlantis canceled in favor of sgu…
I still watched and had high hopes for universe…after watching up until the season 1 midpoint and being dissapointed with the direction and use of sex instead of actual sci fi, i decided to turn it off and stop watching.
Im not sad that universe is getting canned, i gave it a chance and it failed to live up to the quality of either the original series or Atlantis.
Maybe this means there is actually time for the 2 actual stargate movies?
This show was the best thing to come out of SyFy since MST3000, from the bladerunnerish sound scape to the epic CG space scenes and set design. The actors have talent, the characters dimension, the script is believable and the plot isn’t 100% predictable. :<
For anyone who might think that the cancellation of SG:U means that now they can go do more Stargate movies or even bring back SG:A think again — for anyone who wanted other Stargate than SG:U this is the worst thing that could have happened. Studios don’t pay for special movies for series or brand names which fail while new episodes of old series are all but impossible even when we are talking about a wildly successful brand.
The cancellation of SG:U means the likely death of Stargate in general, at least for the foreseeable future. Maybe they’ll do a “re-imaging” twenty years from now, but the only way we get new Stargate before that is if someone with power at MGM (or whomever ends up owning the rights) is willing to take a (by Hollywood standards) giant financial risk. Good luck with that.
Ridiculous! I used to love sci-fi. BSG is my favorite show all time. Now this SyFy is an awful station. They cancel to interesting shows. Never watched any other stargate shows, then Universe came around & loved it. Know people that watch & enjoy. Then they cancel. So they keep idiotic Warehouse crap & cancel good tv. I’m done with Sy-Crap.
This show had the same problem every show on television has, half the fuckin thing was commercials so most people watch it on the internet. With soooooo many commercials that take up half of every show, television is completely unwatchable by any sane human being. My television is off 23+ hours of every day because every time I turn it on its commercial after commercial after commercial after commercial. Flipping through the channels its actually hard to find one that isnt on a commercial break. You cant watch and enjoy anything and even if you use the button on your remote to flip back and forth between 2 good shows 99% of the time they both are on commercial at the same time. On hulu you watch a 30 minute show and only have to watch 30-60 seconds TOTAL of commercials. If television was like that then maybe people wouldnt be so fuckin annoyed that they find it online.
[Deleted for the commenter being an ass — JS]
SGU is/was the only show I look forward to seeing. Now I have a reason for getting rid of the telly.
Fucking Syfy, they put on that wrestling B.S. and cancel an actual decent science fiction series, FUCK SYFY, FUCK YOU!
I think they should leave this sorry excuse for a television network, ohhhh but SG1 got to drag on for how many flippen series, SGU was better.
t(^^t) here’s to you Syfy, god damn Nazis
It’s crazy that studios can’t figure out their own business model to be able to match production costs to a reasonable conservative projection of expected revenues to be able to deliver products that people want.
Thanks for helping made Stargate more credible.
FIrst Farscape, then Stargate, Universe, Atlantis BSG all they show now is crap “less than “B” movies Wrestling?. Bring back the good shows and the old network name….this SyFy thing sounds lame like the programming!
I have put a parental lock on our box to block out SyFy just to boycott the channel…I might miss out on something great but like another poster said, a movie about a moose with radioactive antlers really is about all Sci-Fi has now that the best show is gone.
I’m gonna try my cable company and just see if the channel can be manually blocked from my home. I’m not making a difference for SyFy, but I refuse to ever watch it again.
How ironic that the people who set themselves up as those who know about SF actually know nothing? Now they have nothing but a few low budget, tounge-in-cheek shows, wrestling programs (still don’t get that one), and some really terrible made for TV films. Good luck with your future, SyFy, because I sure as hell will not be watching, and I suspect many others willl make the same choice.
Aside from mass murderers, it’s hard to be happy when people are put out of work, but jeff @56 got it right. If you can’t convince people your product is good enough for them to bother with, then you’re toast, and should be. The only surprising thing to me in this is that it lasted as long as it did. The show would never have been sold in the first place, except for the well deserved popularity of the first two series. Eureka, Haven, and Warehouse 13 aren’t actually GOOD, but they’re pleasant enough and have characters you can sort of care about, which was never true for SGU (and they’re not obviously ripoffs of previous series, other than each other, that is).
I guess I need to find a new hobby. It seems every show I like gets cancelled. Whats the use in me trying to watch a new series when it just gets cancelled. If a scifi show like this can’t make it on the syfy channel. They should change their name to the stupid old horror film channel as that seems to be whats on most of the time.
[Deleted because dropping in just to post a link elsewhere rather than contributing to the discussion here is obnoxious — JS]
I see why “V” went to ABC and not SYFY. Change your name back to SciFi and bring back SGU.FX has better scifi than the syfy chanel. SGU is a great show if it’s possible bring it back!
It’s devastating. I enjoyed SG1 long before I realized it was rather quality-less. This show was top notch. The drama at first seemed misplaced but after a while the edge it what really attracted me to the show, not to mention you have a crew literally lost in space and now willing to further distance themselves from their earthbound lives. I want more and I want to hear season 4 is in the works, not a cancellation! Why don’t the cancel the stupid Amanda Tapping show and bring back SGU and Caprica?! Or on second thought, fire who ever is in charge over there.
Oh and pass along to syfy that since HBO has Game of Thrones coming out in April and the next season of Trueblood, there is no way in hell I’ll be returning my attentions to SyFy. They lost my interest as soon as Battlestar Gallactica concluded.
Most of you guys in here must be the new fans or different kind of fans. You are not really a Stargate fan, at least not in the traditional sense. This show should have never bared the Stargate name. It is nothing like the ones before. Weather SGU is good or not depends entirely on the person watching it. However, the bottom line is if you don’t give them what they want, they will shut you down, Such is the case here.
@Mike:
New Fans? Different kind of fans? Not really Stargate Fans? What are you … some kind of a critic of who can, or can’t be, a fan of a particular show? This show, from the movie, to the multiple TV series, to the movies based off of the TV series, are all different in one form or another. Yet, despite these differences, they are all bound by one theme. The Stargate. It is irrevocably linked, and referenced, throughout each series, and movie, making them all part of the same universe. Therefore … if you are a fan of one … you are most likely a fan of them all. Even if you don’t particularly care for the way one show in the series goes about it’s business. At least a TRUE fan, in the traditional sense, would be. IMHO anyway.
SyFy sucks anymore, I am going to the OWN Network, that will be true fantasy!
Wow, there’s truly no live TV that’s worth watching anymore. When Jersey Shore gets 3 seasons and SGU can’t even get one (uninterupted) season, you know things are bad. I’ll most likely never watch SYFY again. I keep getting drawn in by Firefly, Farscape, Caprica…only to get shut down. They are successfully driving away all thinking viewers but maybe that’s what they want to do.
Well thats it, I’ve seen every good SciFi show end or be canceled since the network started and this is the end for me. I knew the end was nigh when they changed the name to SyFy, and once wrestling came on the channel, I knew the axe had fallen. I’ll never watch the channel again, hopefully someone will start a REAL science fiction channel again. Myself and every other SciFi fan would make that channel the success that SciFi WAS. R.I.P. SGU & SciFi. A true science fiction and SciFi fan to the end.
what happened to the dream of interstellar space travel ????
give the writers a raise and cut down on the doughnuts
GET YOUR FANS BACK
We should start a worldwide petition to keep SGU. This show still was growing its potential.
this sucks. first caprica and then the best stargate series to date. NBC blows and i already know that capcom blows. they do not understand cable, yes capacom doesn’t understand cable, ask anyone who has their service, they all says it is the worst. it is sad to see shows that have slightly higher production values lose because they don;t know how to market or syndicate them correctly. we’re living in a reality television world and it sucks ass. super low production costs, no writers, just shit. the direction syfy is headed really bummes me out. i don’t watch much tele and these shows we’re one of the few i did. no more syfy for me, not
I loved the BSG, Farscape, Andromedia, stargates, trek’s ..etc.. Even if i didn’t hate wrestling, i’ll never understand what it’s doing here, nor do i care. I’ve run out of shows to watch on this channel. i don’t understand why its become so difficult to get my fill of space aged futuristic sci-fi. Perhaps I’m just to old. . SGU wasn’t the greatest of the gates, but it was still something i looked forward to watching. my only problem with it was too little show progress for lots and lots and lots of commercials. I feel like i’m loosing my best friend.
this is sad, another good show cancelled. Like oto know there are alot of unhappy people.
..This really BITES…!!! SGU. was, & IS the only Stargate Series which I ever cared about; so of course it would be “Cancelled”!!!
It really is a shame this series was cancelled so soon. The acting was tremendous and I enjoyed the story line. It seemed more in the vein of BSG than the other Stargate shows. It was really my favorite of all of them and I watched them all.
That’s too bad. As far as I’m concerned SyFy Channel can drop dead. They keep killing the actual SciFi (PROPER SPELLING) programs like Enterprize and Stargate and replacing it with all the SHIT like wrestling, ghost hunters, Scare Tactics (WTF?) and what the HELL does make-up have to do with SciFi programs?!! I could care less. Maybe they need a change in the corporate offices cuz the ones there now sure the hell don’t know what they’re doing! I joining NetFlix to get the programs I WANT, SyFy sure the hell doesn’t have it anymore
Hmmm, might try making the next one without all the homosexuals? You may have pleased them and attracted their friends, but you drove away your biggest allies and fan base, those who appreciated the CLEANLINESS of all the shows until you figured to follow the world into homo land.
Of course, now that Obama has 186 and counting homosexuals on staff, and no longer prosecutes via the Justice department, FCC, etc, for all the sick ilk coming out of smutville, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. Most moral United States who appreciate not having to deal with your filth, will simply stockpile all the historic work of smutville before it bent the knee to sexual perversion. Once its acquired we can shut off the cable and satellite and never have to worry about explaining to our kids and grand kids that the sicknesses they see are really a bunch of perverted people trying to destroy their future by weakening the United States, oops, took care of that too with no more DADT. the latest coming from the Marines is, agree that homosexualism “normal” or get out, and they receive a dishonorable discharge if they don’t stop honoring God. And we were told this was NOT GOING TO HAPPEN?
Why i dont have money to have my own gigant television network? :)