SciFi and the SciFi channel - why so bad?

[ghostrunner]

I'm almost embarrased to be a fan of the genre. The crap:quality ratio is so high. Why is this? Most westerns are halfway decent at a minimum. Comedies are maybe 50/50. Straight drama about the same. SciFi is maybe 20% good.

The SciFi channel has had two great original shows - Galactica and The Lost Room miniseries. After that, there's a couple decent shows (Eureka - still the TV equivalent of a B-Movie) and a lot of horrible, horrible original movies like Mansquito. My theory on these movies is that they make one whenever they want to try out a new Avid or Final Cut Pro filter.

[Arthur Dent]

The problem is partially with the definition of the genre. To most people, it seems to mean having a setting in space or using a lot of futuristic looking technology. A lot of sci-fi is really action with an exotic setting. To me, the core of science fiction ought to be a "what if" concept.

[Joe Wells]

To me, the core of science fiction ought to be a "what if" concept.

Yes, this. SF on television hasn't been the same since the original Twilight Zone went off the air.

Harlan Ellison will tell anyone who'll listen that he isn't an SF writer. He writes speculative fiction.

[ufoNorth]

I'd admit to liking Stargate SG1 on here, but then that might give me away.

[G. Keenan]

The thing about all the bad sci fi movies is that they're supposed to be bad. They keep making them because they make a lot of money, believe it or not, from DVD sales.

[Arthur Dent]

The thing about all the bad sci fi movies is that they're supposed to be bad. They keep making them because they make a lot of money, believe it or not, from DVD sales.

Like which movies?

[G. Keenan]

The thing about all the bad sci fi movies is that they're supposed to be bad. They keep making them because they make a lot of money, believe it or not, from DVD sales.

Like which movies?

Total crap ones. Stuff that never even makes it to theaters. You'd be amazed how much money they make. Not like $100 million or anything, but when you consider how low budget they are the return is quite good.

[cpebbles]

Sci-fi and horror movie fans have a long, long history of being willing to sit through crap. Hard to blame the Sci-Fi Channel for churning out the kind of crap that sci-fi fans have shown a willingness to sit through for 60+ years.

[G. Keenan]

My brother is working on some sort of project to track horror movie box office receipts. Not sci-fi, but similar I think in that fans of the genre will watch just about anything. So, since 2000 there have been, give or take, 101 horror movies released. Their theatrical take, over $7 billion. $7,041,665,676, to be exact. And that doesn't include DVD sales.

http://horrorsnotdead.com/wpress/2008/i ... ox-office/

[AdmiralKird]

My brother is working on some sort of project to track horror movie box office receipts.....Their theatrical take, over $7 billion. $7,041,665,676, to be exact. And that doesn't include DVD sales.

What a pansy; if he's going to go down to the exact dollar he might as well go all out and give us the final tally down to the cent. Wuss.