The Sci Fi Channel, Crazy or Clouded?

Tuesday, August 17, 2004 1:30 AM

Don’t get me wrong now, I subscribe to the Channel, I buy the magazine, and I watch some of the shows. Even so, I’ll be one of the first to admit Sci Fi has really gone down hill over the last few years.

First Wave, The Invisible Man, Farscape, those are just a few of the shows that have seen Skiffy’s ax. The first two I could live with. I really liked them, but I wasn’t completely broken hearted when they went off the air. Farscape, however, was going too far.

Farscape is one of the best shows Sci Fi television has to offer. It’s got SFX that blow your mind; great actors, brilliant writers, and make up and set designers that put ST to shame. Canceling FS was one of the worst moves Skiffy could have made.

I might have been able to curb some of the anger caused by the cancelation if Sci Fi had given me something equally as amazing to fill the void. Instead, what do I get? Andromeda, a show that’s been going steadily down hill since season two. Stargate: Atlantis which may or may not prove to be worthy of it’s namesake. All of this topped off by a string of genetically engineered killer bug made for TV movies that seem to consist of the same five cookie cutter characters and poorly constructed foam bugs refilmed over and over again. (Let’s not forget Sci Fi’s foray into the reality TV world with shows such as ‘Scare Tactics’ and ‘Mad, Mad House.’)

I’m sick of watching B movies and shows that leave me feeling like something's missing. One of the things that’s made science fiction and fantasy television so great is that it forces you to think. It makes you look at possibilities you’ve never considered before. It makes you consider the answers to questions you’ve never asked. I’m tried of being force fed mindless television. I’m tired of recycled plot lines, two dimensional characters, and contrived tech.

I want more shows like Farscape and Firefly. Television that grips you and drags you into it’s world kicking and screaming. That’s what makes people watch. That’s what heightens their curiosity and pulls them into a show. The Sci Fi Channel used to understand this. They used to see what the fans wanted and give it to them, unlike so many other TV stations out there.

That’s why I have to wonder, have they gone crazy or has soaring popularity clouded their thinking?

I know I'm ranting, but I've spent all day browsing through Farscape web sites, mourning for my canceled show.

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