Long Past Sci Fi Prime

Since I mentioned SyFy Channel in my last series on Stargate Universe, I thought I'd do a little blurb on them.

Despite anyone's idealized version of history, Sci Fi Channel was not created so science fiction television would have a permanent home.  It was a business venture of USA Networks (then owned by Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios) to create an outlet for the large volume of classic sci-fi shows and films that the studios had in their archives but had no place to air.  These included Dracula, Frankenstein, Night Gallery, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, etc.  Now this provided a moderate income, but with its success, some original programming was added to draw even more viewers.  This eventually led to the Sci Fi Prime lineup on Friday nights (hosted by that wonderfully creepy lady).  The network aired their flagship original programming during this time block, as part of the "counter-programming" approach I mentioned.  Most networks don't air shows on Fridays because they figure most people will go out to the movies, parties, dates, etc.  Sci Fi Channel could get away with it since it could be argued their viewer demographic was a bunch of nerds/geeks who don't have a life.  This is a gross generalization to be sure, but not without merit.  



When I first started watching, the lineup consisted of Farscape, Sliders, and First Wave.  This is a pretty broad spectrum when it comes to science fiction, but all were entertaining enough.  I stayed loyal to the time block as it expanded and changed to include The Invisible Man, Lexx, The Real Adventures of Jules Verne, Tremors, Doctor Who and my longtime favorite, Stargate SG-1.  Around the early 2000's, the original programming began to outgrow the three hour block, so the network moved several shows to various weekdays, but most stilled aired in the summer or winter among lighter competition.  I'm sure Pierre Bernard would agree that the finest era was during the mid-2000's with Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica.  This golden age didn't last long though and the lineup began its fall from grace.  BSG was separated from the others (resulting in a ratings drop for all three) and put on a different airing schedule so that the networks original programming would air year round, no more counter-programming.  Then reality programming began to appear in force, with Scare Tactics being added to the lineup.  The network's current flagship show, Ghost Hunters, appeared shortly thereafter on Wednesdays.  Now the reality programming didn't bother me too much at first.  It's true I'm not a fan of Ghost Hunters but I can see the appeal.  I had high hopes for Proof Positive even though it didn't last too long, and Who Wants to be a Superhero? was a wonderful riot.  Most of these maintained at least a loose tie to science fiction so I didn't have any problems with them.  The greater menace was something no one saw coming.

I first remember seeing ECW on the programming schedule somewhere in the mid-2000's, that "golden age" I was talking about.  It usually aired Fridays around midnight after Sci Fi Prime completed its re-airing.  I didn't really understand why it was there, but since it didn't affect my shows too much, I didn't think too much on it.  Most networks switch to a few hours of full advertising during the red eye hours, but Sci Fi stuck to programming, so I figured if they wanted to fill some time with wrestling, that's fine, someone somewhere will probably watch it.  It's just one of those things that seemed innocuous, but brought about the downfall of something great; the proverbial mouse that roared, and then body slammed.  ECW began to move earlier in the time slots until it was an official part of the lineup, oddly coupled with Stargate Atlantis and Sanctuary.

The final nail in the coffin came in 2010 when WWE Smackdown was added to the, now SyFy Channel, programming.  Only Sanctuary and the still new Stargate Universe were defending Friday nights at the time, so wrestling moved in and Sci Fi Prime was disbanded.  The former shows were moved to other nights and, with the overcrowded reality programming, put into heavier competition time slots.  We already know what happened to SGU and now the popular Sanctuary is suffering as well.  (For those who don't know, Sanctuary was created by and stars several Stargate alums, so in a way it's the last remnant of that franchise).  Friday nights on SyFy are now dominated by WWE and various reality shows.  SyFy still tries to air some traditional sci-fi programming, but like George Lucas, their hearts just aren't in the right place for it.  It's a little difficult to remember this is the same network that tried to save the Babylon 5 spinoff, Crusade, from cancellation (a sad story if you've ever heard it), and actually did save Stargate SG-1.  The same network that brought us Dune, Children of Dune, Taken, and Battlestar Galactica.  Alas, Sci Fi Prime has gone the way of the dodo, Toonami, and, er, JFK.