Site Columns

By Antony
March 10, 2003 - 5:14 PM

Hello World!

Today brings a close to one of the best shows on television ever: Farscape. Critically acclaimed, and uniquely fresh, the show pushed every boundary that it could. It's because of this that I'm not overly upset that it's ending. It achieved in four years what some shows could only acrhived in their entire run, and I am proud of it. But more than a loss to Farscape fans, it's a big loss to sci-fi TV in general.

The final episode will air tonight on BBC 2 at 18:45, and gets its US showing on March 21 2003. But at the show comes to a close, it's important to remember the US SCI FI Channel. So supportive of the show, yet so quick to knife the creation they fostered at the drop of a hat.

I leave you with these quotes from the SCI FI Channel, mostly from Bonnie Hammer, and leave you to decide whether so much can change in less than a year... or if they just changed their mind. I believe the latter, without hesitation. It's one thing finding you can't support a show � but to break a promise of a 5th season and to then completely change your views about a show... that just insults every last one of us.

"SCI FI'S ultimate weapon, Farscape, returns for unprecedented 4th and 5th seasons" - 2001
"It's no wonder that it's the top-rated series on SCI FI for three years running. Farscape is the cornerstone of our original series line-up, helping SCI FI to continue attracting new audiences ... Farscape is not only the most ambitious original series on basic cable, we think it's one of the best-written shows on television, period."

"SCI FI Channel ... will not pick up its original series Farscape for a 5th season" - 2002
"Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to reach a broader audience, Farscape has been unable to grow beyond its core fan base." "[It] got very, very serialized. It got very 'in.' They had brilliant and sophisticated writing, but it was so narrow that it basically was an invitation to not tune in if you weren't totally familiar with the show. It was brilliant when you got it, and some of the characterizations were truly amazing, but it took a little too much work."

Excuse me while I give up on life now... it's a "little too much work."

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