Stargate Atlantis Cancellation News: Another Multichannel article

[wraithfodder]

“There's obviously a passionate audience for Atlantis and the characters of Atlantis,” Howe said. “And yes, they're absolutely going to continue in the movie franchise. But people need to mourn for a while and come to terms with it. I don't anticipate that that will subside quickly. But once Universe is on air and they have kind of their next fix of the Stargate franchise, I think hopefully people will realize that it's in safe hands at Sci Fi, that we really value this franchise and it's in our interest and the fans' interest to let us continue the story and figure out how to retell it for a new audience every few years.”

Yes, this remark about fans "needing a fix" came out of the mouth of Dave Howe, the president of the SciFi Channel. So, he thinks fans are, what? addicts? That we'll curl up into a fetal ball and croak if we don't get our weekly dose of Stargate? Hello? Sure, we're screaming bloody murder. A product many of us like was suddenly taken off the shelf and a new product with a "younger vibe" is going to replace it?

More under the cut, plus link to the article:

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6589804.html?desc=topstory

‘Stargate’ Opens Floodgates

As 'Atlantis' Bows Out, Sci Fi Franchise Heads to New 'Universe'

By Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 8/23/2008 5:53:00 AM

At Sci Fi Channel, the cycle went like this the last few days: cancel Stargate Atlantis on Wednesday, suffer the slings and arrows of outraged loyal fans  — and then announce Friday the creation of a brand new Stargate Universe next year.

“It's kind of hard to cancel one, but it's good news to announce a new one,” Dave Howe, the network's president, said on Friday.

For producer MGM Domestic Television and NBC Universal-owned Sci Fi, the Stargate franchise is big business, one that has now expanded beyond one-hour series to also include two-hour movie “events.”

Atlantis, now five episodes into its fifth 20-episode season, wraps next January but will be followed by a two-hour movie Sci Fi has green-lighted for 2009.

There could be more Atlantis movies after that, as MGM has produced two so far extending the original Stargate SG-1 franchise after it ended a 10-year run of new episodes on cable (lastly on Sci Fi) in 2007.

“I think these things lend themselves to a bigger, kind of high-production-value, two hour event, which is great,” Howe said of Atlantis.

When the network canceled Stargate SG-1, fans reacted sharply, but Sci Fi had already put the spinoff Atlantis on the schedule.

This time, the network not only had the promise of continued life for the show in the form of at least one followup movie — it also said it will have a replacement show from the same creators (Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper) on the schedule next year.Stargate Universe will start with a two-hour movie early next year. Over the summer it will join the weekly schedule, with 18 more one-hour episodes to follow the movie.

Those moves may have muted the fans' reaction to the cancellation — but not completely. One barometer: an online petition to save the show had close to 1,000 signatures the morning after the cancellation news broke at night. By 1 p.m. Friday it had 3,774 names.

“There's no sign of a letup in my e-mail inbox, I can tell you,” Howe said in a telephone interview from England Friday. “I've had to get on with IT because it is so clogged up with e-mails to 'Save Atlantis.'

“There's obviously a passionate audience for Atlantis and the characters of Atlantis,” Howe said. “And yes, they're absolutely going to continue in the movie franchise. But people need to mourn for a while and come to terms with it. I don't anticipate that that will subside quickly. But once Universe is on air and they have kind of their next fix of the Stargate franchise, I think hopefully people will realize that it's in safe hands at Sci Fi, that we really value this franchise and it's in our interest and the fans' interest to let us continue the story and figure out how to retell it for a new audience every few years.”

REST OF THE LENGTHY ARTICLE AT LINK ABOVE

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And, then, there's Brad Wright's itnerview at Gateworld:

http://www.gateworld.net/interviews/all_good_things_....shtml

Wright: All Good THings

excerpt:

GW: Now how do you respond to the Atlantis fans who might be angry that their show is being pushed aside for the "new kid on the block," Stargate Universe?

BW: It's not the case. It's not the case that anything is being pushed aside, any more than SG-1 is pushed aside. Shows have a life, and they live their life ... SG-1 went five years on SCI FI. Atlantis went five years on SCI FI. I'm proud of that, and there are always going to be people -- there were people who were upset after 10 years! As many, I'm sure, as who were upset after the five years of Atlantis. There will always be a point where those people are disappointed.

This is a way of preserving Atlantis going forward in a very strong way

REST OF THE LENGTHY ARTICLE AT LINK ABOVE

I like how axing a show and making one movie is 'preserving Atlantis.'  Sigh sigh.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you haven't written a letter, read this livejournal first - http://amireal.livejournal.com/803064.html - very good advice. The suits at SciFi and MGM truly understand only one thing: $$$$. Tell them how their decision will affect  their bottomline.

Comments

[nenyavilyanenya.livejournal.com]

It seems the people at SciFi have forgotten their first original show. "Deepwater Black" aka "Mission Genesis" from 1997.

It was about a group of young people on a ship traveling through space (for different plot reasons of course).

The show had one 13 episode season.

[tringasolitaria.livejournal.com]

*exasperated sigh*

[toranoko.livejournal.com]

Aren't companies supposed to have PR handle things like this? To prevent, you know, stupid things from being said?

Ugh. D:

[gatedialer.livejournal.com]

I don't think I am addicted to Stargate, but if I ever missed a show on Friday I would get pissy....oh, wait, I guess I am addicted to Stargate!!!

It bothers the hell out of me when these idiots basically tell us to get over their decisions and deal with them. They know there are fans out there that love the show, who spend hundred, even thousands of dollars to go to these conventions, and yet they have no issues with canceling a beloved show.

“There's no sign of a letup in my e-mail inbox, I can tell you,” Howe said in a telephone interview from England Friday. “I've had to get on with IT because it is so clogged up with e-mails to 'Save Atlantis.'

-- well shit dude, what do you expect?!

[nialla]

I can't wrap my brain around how Sci Fi thought it would be a bright idea to announce one show being canceled one day, then the next day essentially say, "Get over it! We've got a bright and shiny new show on the way, and it's all interchangable as long as Stargate is in the title, right? Except we don't want anyone over 30 watching our channel, so don't bother to complain if you're over that age because we don't give a damn."

I think Sci Fi and the Gateverse TPTB are in a competition to see which one can get their foot further into their mouth. I think they're up to the knee by now. But then in recent years, certain members of TPTB seem to get off on insulting fans repeatedly, so I guess this is more of the same.

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

I feel like Ben Stiller's character on Mystery Men. You know he was the angry one. Grrr! They are arrogant SOB's aren't they. Well when we stop buying their product we can say "I told you so".

[sg1scribe.livejournal.com]

Stargate Universe sounds about as appealing as a hole in the head. I don't understand how these people can think fans of one show will just switch allegiance to another and be happy just because the word Stargate appears in the title.

[alyssa22.livejournal.com]

They've shown what Weir fans have known all along. They're a pack of hacks with no clue what they're doing. They're just closing their eyes, blocking their ears, writing crap and hoping for the best.

Funny thing is, all the people who are now upset about SGA being cancelled are the same hypocrites who told the Weir and Beckett fans to get over it.

[findle.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I know what they're saying. I can even understand what they're saying, but geeze, man you're a suit for a studio that just cancelled a show, so- just don't say it.

I'm not sure who this info is supposed to help, but it's not doing them any good. So they really need to just shut up.

Although I can see what Wright means about the 'preserving' thing. Because it really is unheard of in this day, to be able to keep the same sets around and basically the whole production team to be able to make a movie, and insane to think they could even do more than one. Hell when Xena shut down they had the whole studios and sets and props sold in about 6 months. So in a way, I see his point about how different this is.

[xenaclone.livejournal.com]

Stargate:Universe sounds like it's going to blow chunks.

There were heaps more stories that could have been told in SG:A [and should have been] and TPTB blew it. They compounded that by dumping on Becket and Weir for no good reason. And it didn't work [duh]. Unless one of your main cast wants out, dies or sucks majorly in the role, you don't just get rid of them. Hey, you signed 'em in the first place, right? [sigh].

XC

[obsessed1o1.livejournal.com]

When will they realise that with SGA it's not so much about the damn franchise but about the characters! A new show isn't going to make a bit of difference for me because i watched for Shep and McKay and Teyla and Ronon *Luffs team*