Not many people will publicly admit this, but I will: there’s a soft spot in my heart for the SyFy Network (formerly “SciFi”), and always has been. But just because I’m sympathetic to the cause doesn’t mean I unilaterally support your decisions, which is why this is being written.
Over the years, you’ve produced alot of great content that’s sadly balanced by a similar amount of trash: Stargate: SG-1 vs. Eureka, Battlestar Galactica vs. Scare Tactics, Warehouse 13 vs. all non-Stargate “original movies”. There are a few mini-series that managed to be decent, but your best content has always been TV shows – not movies, not mini-series.
The main problem lies in potentially good ideas that lack sufficient funding - “Android Apocalypse”, a movie based on a Terminator-like premise, with poor acting, shoddy special effects, and lackluster camera work. But this is not limited to your movies alone; the first season of Stargate: Atlantis, especially the first few episodes, suffered the same fate.
In the Hollywood world, larger budgets generally equate to a better overall product, something you should have realized over the course of your sixteen year history. While this isn’t always true (*cough* NBC *cough*), it does bring more talented actors, more believable special effects, and higher quality camera work – all essential pieces to a successful science fiction release.
You do occasionally get it right though: Battlestar Galactica was all-around amazing from the start, and its already-significant financing obviously increased as the show progressed to its natural conclusion this past Spring. Stargate: Universe looks to be a mix of the different Stargate styles (SG-1 vs. Atlantis) and BSG, with enough money to do it properly – I’m waiting with baited, but excited, breath.
Maybe you should focus on what you’re good at, and ignore the rest: produce quality science fiction television, ignore reality shows, and release only a fraction of the “original movies” you currently do. If you follow this simple equation, you’ll have enough money to fund what people actually want to watch, rather than attracting small, loyal audiences. This flies in the face of the recent name change, something else I can’t agree with, since you seem to be intent on producing more fantasy (read: medieval magic) and paranormal (read: vampires) content, but you should consider it all the same.
Hopefully your dedication to the Stargate, BSG, and other worlds will continue: their shelf-life shouldn’t be dragged out further than necessary, but rather reinvigorated with new chapters in the continuing saga. Just stick with what works, ignore what doesn’t, and keep an eye out for ways to expand your audience without ruining your already precarious reputation – the TV adaptation of Terry Goodkind’s “The Sword of Truth” series would have been perfect for your network, and may have actually been worth watching, as opposed to its current incarnation.
If you learn anything in your new incarnation and quest for ratings, it should be this: a large audience is not necessarily a great audience. Don’t let Battlestar Galactica be the pinnacle of your success, because scifi nerds worldwide are secretly rooting for you.
Sincerely,
Kyle Brady, sympathetic to the cause
p.s. I actually liked “Cube 2: Hypercube”.
Guest post from Kyle Brady - a student, entrepreneur, and writer living in California who’d like a writing gig somewhere. Until then, he can be found at his blog.