Why do most of the Sf shows on mainstream Tv not last?

[LeeAnna]

Huge buffy the vampire slayer fan (pretty much cultish) I love everything whedon and there have been some flops (sorry dollhouse). i just joined this group and this thread was started 3 years ago so I'm gonna say it depends on the times. A show like fringe and dollhouse came at a time when jersey shore and real housewives dominated television. That's what people wanted. Fast forward 3 years later and the Big Bang theory is on every channel, suddenly it's so cool to be uncool. Fantasy/sci fi comes back into the mix and we have shows like Grimm, lost girl, defience, true blood, being human and probably so many more that I'm not naming! I just watched Orphan Black on BBC on a whim and was addicted instantly, clones?? Yes please.

[Juniper]

Without having read previous comments, my immediate thought is that it simply is too expensive to run them. A proper sci-fi or fantasy is very expensive, as so much has to be invented and created, far more than for other genres, as the story usually takes place in a reality that differs vastly from ours.

There is settings, locations, art direction, costumes, make-up, special effects... endless list. The more money fed into those mouths, the less is fed into those of other crew, writers for instance. Just as an example, and as TV has a status today it didn't have 10-15 years ago it will cost way more to make TV at all today than earlier, as the competition is harsher.

I do think there still is a geek factor that has a role to play here, although perhaps lesser than before, given recent successes as for instance Game of Thrones. Fantasy is becoming more accepted, and my guess is that sci-fi will ride along on this train (but I can't think of a sci-fi series that has achieved that kind of status among the general public, Doctor Who perhaps).

[Nathaniel]

Part of the reason is it usually costs more to make a SF show...special effects. This mean they need higher ratings to make the margin the studio expects. This is the reason the original Battlestar G didn't last long.

[Trike]

Steve has it right.

"Corneal imaging."

Enhance!

Let's enhance those ballcaps.

[Morgan]

Some SciFi starts out strong, then loses it appeal--at least for me--when it gets too 'shticky,' cheesy, or the dialogue starts to sound scripted, when it starts to sound like an old B movie, as a viewer I am gone. I started watching Lost Girl when it first came out and while it was a bit out there in premise (kind of the point), I liked the idea of a female who wasn't going to take anything from anyone, stood up for others, and was sexually free. And who could resist a succubus and a werewolf pouring on the heat. Then, her dialogue went the way of the Dodo and it fell into that twilight between comedy and drama and didn't quite reach either effectively. The market changes so rapidly in the SciFi genre, you just never know what will pop up next. Sharknado? Really?

[Baelor]

There are many reasons -- budget issues, continuity lockout, general lack of interest among the populace...

People want something comprehensible. Game of Thrones is fantasy, but it is still primarily about humans in terms of screentime, if not themes. Science fiction is often about stretching the limits of comprehensibility, and that can be a turn-off (unfortunately). Consider BSG Reimagined, which was definitely sci-fi, but focused on the humans. What made it so good (in my opinion) is that it treated a variety of moral and political issues, not to mention religious and philosophical ones. But it still was not too out there.

Also, much science fiction is just awful and badly-written/scripted. I cannot stand camp or cheese, so that eliminates a lot of the genre. Even among science-fiction authors, it is clear that many have no training in writing at all. Good ideas, good characters, bad style. Same thing happens in TV.

[Al "Tank"]

I've noticed that most of the hard SciFi stuff that's out there is crud.

Under the Dome is nothing more than a soap opera that could be told without the "dome" being there.

Primeval: New World is the same story each week (anomaly springs up somewhere, prehistoric monster emerges and starts eating people, our heroes show up to shove it back into the past).

All the really good stuff is gone (Battlestar, Firefly, Eureka, B5, etc.). Only Defiance is hanging on and might continue for a season or two (not many special effects, just makeup) until the original writers move on to another project and the hacks take over.

I'm getting depressed over this trend. I'm not a vampire/werewolf fan, so I can't fall back on that.

I suspect the answer is to spend more time reading and less time in front of the tube (or wait for football season to roll around).

[Rob]

Al wrote: "All the really good stuff is gone (Battlestar, Firefly, Eureka, B5, etc.). "

Depends on how you define it. I'd consider Person of Interest and Orphan Black to both be Sci-Fi. And both shows are excellent.

Both focus more on the people than science, but the science behind both seems sound if not, then possibly in the near future.

Plus neither show could work without the (AI Supercomputer/Clones) of their premise.

[Al "Tank"]

Rob wrote: "Al wrote: "All the really good stuff is gone (Battlestar, Firefly, Eureka, B5, etc.). "

Depends on how you define it. I'd consider Person of Interest and Orphan Black to both be Sci-Fi. And both s..."

Okay, I'll give you Person of Interest - barely. The technology is pretty close to happening now, but (as far as I know) not ready yet. I have no idea what Orphan Black is nor where it airs.

[Rob]

You're missing out then. Orphan black is great. It's being distributed by BBC. In the US it was airing on Sat nights after Doctor Who.

Not sure about other countries.

[Al "Tank"]

Rob wrote: "You're missing out then. Orphan black is great. It's being distributed by BBC. In the US it was airing on Sat nights after Doctor Who.

Not sure about other countries."

That explains it. I don't get BBC America in my package.

Thanks for the info anyway.

[Rob]

You can probably rent the first season now/soon. It came out last week I think.

[Trike]

Yeah, Orphan Black is pretty amazing. Not the least reason the lead actress Tatiana Maslany plays all the clones and manages to give them each distinct personalities without resorting to gimmicks. It's one of the most impressive acting feats I've ever seen. (She's up to what, seven different characters? Amazing.) All of the actors are great, in fact, easily the strongest cast since Firefly.

The writing is also terrific.

[Arabella]

Okay---Time slots are the main reason and the main reason for the slots being moved around is ratings.
We all hate them.
But this is what TV decisions are made on. Do they make money? Popularity would say well--they're popular isn't that making them money...
Not usually. SF fans are vocal--but not multitudinous
I did a story on this once for the LA Times --my surprise was: think of all the BIG SF and fantasy films that made zillions of dollars for their respective studios. Why doesn't this translate to TV?
They are more based on advertising...and ratings. I blame the Nielsens. ..My favorite show shot down was Beauty and the Beast. That show---I thought had a ton of fans and it did last three seasons...But the numbers dropped and it got scheduled later and later....
So seriously it is all about money.

[Ron]

Most of them aren't any good. The Star Trek ones being the most obvious exception. And, even then, I thought Voyager was, in many respects, inferior to others in that family.

Firefly and Battlestar Galatica are other good ones. However, both are now gone. I'll read more posts here to see what is happening on TV now. My TV reception is very limited but do have access to HBO series. Also, a site called HuluTV has a lot of series there.