[Television] The television landscape

With TNT Falling Skies ending on a high note, not to mention getting picked up for a second season, I was going to post something about how it looked like science fiction shows were doing pretty good this season until SyFy announced last night that instead of picking up Eureka for 6 episodes for a 6th season, the upcoming 13 episode run would be it’s final season.
The Twitter Warehouse/Eureka/Stargate List served itself well even if I heard 8 hours later what happened.

The double shot Monday of Eureka and Warehouse 13 worked well and reminded me of WB’s Buffy and Angel back in the day, so much so, characters crossed over in the same night. The idea is great because on the one side you have technology and geniuses and on the other you have the mythical, weird stuff of Warehouse 13.
And, both shows had evened out last season, Eureka started well and then it got a little too techy then it found itself (and then premiered later than normal) and now Warehouse 13 is in it’s 3rd season with the entire cast has gelled well.
I had mentioned previously in a Stargate Universe post that happy and cute sells instead of dreary and realistic but I guess in Eureka’s case, happy and cute is expensive and while it was getting the ratings it wasn’t high enough which in this day and age with enough content being streamed in one ear and out the other one must ask: Why the frak do we have Neilsen Ratings again?
Did Doctor Horrible’s method of deployment fail or does still no one take the web seriously? Shows like The Guild are still doing well and gathering quite a crowd at SDCC. So, obviously someone is going something right. Why not just webisode it?
In the end, shows like Star Trek, Eureka, Torchwood and others will obviously live on in other media, probably books but the question now remains: Who does Warehouse get saddled with? Sanctuary? Being Human?
Let’s look at SyFy’s Website of shows: 9 script shows: 3 canceled (including Eureka, SGU and Caprica) so 6 scripted. One of those is Reise. So we’re talking 5. 2 of which I don’t watch so: 3. And 1 of those shows is Mercury Men which is web only. So, 2 shows that could be saddled with Warehouse. There aren’t many scripted programming left, currently, that may change once BSG: Blood and Chrome comes along.
And, to give you a total # of “reality programs” on SyFy: 11. All of which I don’t watch.
Of those 4, Alphas and Haven are shows that have never really appealed to me. I stuck with Haven for half a season and the weirdness was too much with not enough answers and Alphas subject matter did not thrill me to watch an entire episode. I’d rather watch another 6 episodes of BBC’s Outcasts. And, Sanctuary I lost interest in once the daughter died. Being Human being rebooted so quickly doesn’t interest me.
As for last nights Warehouse 13’s Victorian Era Space Flight, it was great to see a page being ripped from Warren Ellis’s Planetary and not breaking the budget. Now if only those faux documentary shots never be used again…