Sci Fi Channel= appaling wasteland

[Themightytom]

This afternoon I flpped on the Sci Fi channel and was treated to Lake Dead http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_DeadI changed the channel after a nice litle scene with a teenage girl being assaulted, beaten, and with the use of an Axe, being impaled through both ankles with a metal bar, which was later attached to a cinder block and dropped in a lake with the girl who with a bit of struggling died.

I flipped back a few hours later and caught the end. OF COURSE it was a story about an incestuous family that owned a motel on a lake, and OBVIOUSLY the girl was killed by two inbred mutants because....

...Because its the fucking Sci Fi Channel and thats what they show. Does anyone have any ideas regarding how to get a TV station to get back in track and stop airing complete trash??

[Coyote]

I flipped back a few hours later and caught the end. OF COURSE it was a story about an incestuous family that owned a motel on a lake, and OBVIOUSLY the girl was killed by two inbred mutants because....

...Because its the fucking Sci Fi Channel and thats what they show.

SciFi channel loved the X-Files (even though it wasn't a SciFi channel show) because it was that highbrow "thought & psychology" science fiction, instead of that lowbrow spaceships & pew-pew lasers type show. So they want more "thought" sci-fi, and because one of the most popular and dramatic episodes of "X-Files" was that episode with the incestuous mutant hillbilly family, they figure that if they basically keep copying that format over and over again, they'll get a winner!

Plus, Sci-Fi Channel is not immune to that TV Executive brainbug that seeks out the most popular and well-rated shows (especially science fiction ones) and drives them into extinction to replace them with pap.

[Havok]

Hmm. "DUH!" comes to mind.

[Pulp Hero]

ECW (Wrestling) is part of their line up. Sci-Fi channel died the day that happened.

I remember reading boards back in the day, when nerds argued over whether or not certain animes were "sci-fi" enough for the channel. Those were the days.

[Patrick Degan]

SciFi has been unwatchable for nearly three years now. Even those classics they still air are unwatchable since they are butchered to squeeze in as many obnoxious and repetitive commercials and network programme announcements as they can cram in before they cram the end credits into a squeeze-box and play the exact same fucking promos at twice the volume.

SciFi is utterly unwatchable shit.

[Uraniun235]

I seriously wonder how long it will be before they abandon the "Sci-Fi Channel" name. At some point you know some executive will finally put together a really smashing slideshow which clearly shows they could gain another 50,000 viewers if they adopted something "less dorky".

But then, nobody seems willing to actually stick to theme channels any more.

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

SciFi has been unwatchable for nearly three years now. Even those classics they still air are unwatchable since they are butchered to squeeze in as many obnoxious and repetitive commercials and network programme announcements as they can cram in before they cram the end credits into a squeeze-box and play the exact same fucking promos at twice the volume.

SciFi is utterly unwatchable shit.

Do a find/replace on 'SciFi' with the word 'TV' and you've nailed exactly why television in general is unwatchable and why Adblock is helping the Internet kick TV's ass forty-nine ways to Sunday and back. Good fucking riddance, I say.

[RogueIce]

This afternoon I flpped on the Sci Fi channel and was treated to Lake Dead http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_DeadI changed the channel after a nice litle scene with a teenage girl being assaulted, beaten, and with the use of an Axe, being impaled through both ankles with a metal bar, which was later attached to a cinder block and dropped in a lake with the girl who with a bit of struggling died.

I flipped back a few hours later and caught the end. OF COURSE it was a story about an incestuous family that owned a motel on a lake, and OBVIOUSLY the girl was killed by two inbred mutants because....

...Because its the fucking Sci Fi Channel and thats what they show. Does anyone have any ideas regarding how to get a TV station to get back in track and stop airing complete trash??

So you've described pretty much every horror movie ever? Finding new and "inventive" ways to kill good looking teenagers and the occasional adult who tries to help them?

I'm curious though: is that scene really any worse than what's been done in SAW? Or are they all just trying to one-up each other now?

SciFi has been unwatchable for nearly three years now. Even those classics they still air are unwatchable since they are butchered to squeeze in as many obnoxious and repetitive commercials and network programme announcements as they can cram in before they cram the end credits into a squeeze-box and play the exact same fucking promos at twice the volume.

How many TV stations even show the damn credits fully, and not squeezed off to the side or bottom for yet more promos? Or better yet when they schedule things so tightly they start to air the next show over the credits of the last one.

How to "save" SciFi Channel? I don't know. I mean SAW, which is basically torture-porn as near as I can tell (havent watched, going off what I've heard) is apparently rather popular, so I'm sure plenty of people will tune in to see Lake Dead or whatever other "teens get killed in horrible ways" movie SciFi gets the rights to air.

I suppose you could try to get them to just air SciFi stuff instead of their horror crap, ECW, and whatever lame fantasy-wannabe "SciFi Channel Original Movie" they crapped out that month. As to the commercials and credits issue well, that's pretty much every network out there these days.

[Pelranius]

Basic cable has generally being going to shit these days. History channel has always been a joke (they've cut back on Hitler at last, only to spam the viewers with all sorts of shit about popular culture that belongs on the Food Network or MTV), the Military Channel is on the level of Sparky stupid and Spike is only good for James Bond reruns. I shudder for the day when USA reaches the Monk finale. Hopefully the Closer and Saving Grace will be around on TNT for a bit longer.

[Samuel]

Basic cable has generally being going to shit these days. History channel has always been a joke (they've cut back on Hitler at last, only to spam the viewers with all sorts of shit about popular culture that belongs on the Food Network or MTV), the Military Channel is on the level of Sparky stupid and Spike is only good for James Bond reruns. I shudder for the day when USA reaches the Monk finale. Hopefully the Closer and Saving Grace will be around on TNT for a bit longer.

What re you talking about? All I have had from history is "2012- end of the world prophecies" for the last couple weeks.

[SirNitram]

Sci-Fi has briefly earned my eyeballs on weekdays.

It's showing 7 Days.

...Fuck you all, I like it.

[JLTucker]

I shudder for the day when USA reaches the Monk finale.

I like the show but it has significantly declined in quality and needs to end already.

The only thing worth watching on the SciFi channel, to me at least, is nBSG, and that is coming to an end in a few months. Everything else I have found sucks ass.

[Stark]

Sci-Fi has briefly earned my eyeballs on weekdays.

It's showing 7 Days.

...Fuck you all, I like it.

Is that the old 'elerium-powered 1-shot time travel device' show? I always felt I never gave that show a chance back in the day.

[Kaiser Caesar]

Was the Sci-Fi channel ever really that good in the first place? This is an honest question, as my family only got the Expanded Cable package it is in two weeks ago-ish, and so far, all I've seen on it is either crap or The Twilight Zone.

[Havok]

Not to my recollection. They sometimes will carry a series that is good, like SG-1 or BSG, but they have always made crap movies. That said, even though it is usually shitty, I can watch it all day. It is like pulp movies like Grindhouse, where you almost have to think they intentionally tried to make silly, bad shows, and then they somehow become entertaining. I mean who doesn't like C. Thomas Howe space movies.

[Gandalf]

Is that the old 'elerium-powered 1-shot time travel device' show? I always felt I never gave that show a chance back in the day.

That was the one.

It was a pretty neat watch in the beginning. Something fucks up, he goes back in time to stop it.

[Pulp Hero]

It used to re-run Star Trek TOS, Quantum Leap, Sliders, Outer Limits and shit like that during the day. It showed sci-fi movies (REAL sci-fi movies, not low budget Sci-Fi channel horror movie productions). It had anime on late nights and on Saturdays (I think?). It got its hands on SG-1 and Farscape.

So yeah, it used to show basically pure sci-fi. Not always great stuff, but no shit like "Scare Tactics" or "Ghost Hunters" or "Hillbilly Spatterfest Teen Titty Massacre Island With Dinosaurs"

[Themightytom]

did you guys read the wiki on lake dead? the only "Sci fi" aspect of it possible was genetics, the plot revolved around an incestuous family trying to snag some new blood.

[TempestSong]

It used to re-run Star Trek TOS, Quantum Leap, Sliders, Outer Limits and shit like that during the day. It showed sci-fi movies (REAL sci-fi movies, not low budget Sci-Fi channel horror movie productions). It had anime on late nights and on Saturdays (I think?). It got its hands on SG-1 and Farscape.

AniMonday's a recent thing; before then, I don't think they showed that much, if any anime at all.

[Pulp Hero]

I know they showed anime super late at night, because I would swap between Adult Swim (which used to be mostly anime) and late night Sci-Fi.

[Alyeska]

When the Sci-Fi channel aired a block of Law & Order SVU (and started the ECW bullshit) I knew it was doomed. They still have some original programing, but its still shit. Instead of looking for good Sci-Fi programing, they get all this other shit. Come on, this is SciFi channel. Get some Star Trek for fucks sake. Get the rights to TOS, TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise. Lets air some of the old school stuff too. Get the classic SciFi movies. Set up scheduels and play the good stuff. Have various programs that feature different things. Get something like AMCs DVD on TV where you air a SciFi movie but with behind the scenes factoids. Lets see The Day the Earth Stood Still. Cater to the freaking SciFi fans out there. If you want to branch out, I can accept Fantasy (that seems to have creeped into SciFi anyway). Get rights to present stuff like Lord of the Rings, or some other Fantasy. Have comedy blocks where you air SciFi comedies.

Gah, its like the SciFi excecs are trying to kill the channel.

[Patrick Degan]

Was the Sci-Fi channel ever really that good in the first place? This is an honest question, as my family only got the Expanded Cable package it is in two weeks ago-ish, and so far, all I've seen on it is either crap or The Twilight Zone.

At one time, it was a paradise for every SF/fantasy series which ever made it into syndication. They even did a few British imports —some of them rather rare— and, for a time, ran the classic Doctor Who as well as The Thunderbirds and Capt. Scarlet And The Mysterons. They had SF commentary programmes with authours and filmmakers in the field and Harlan Ellison providing editorial commentary or memoirs. It was what was advertised —a network for science fiction and fantasy programming. They picked up Mystery Science Theatre 3000 when Comedy Central dropped it. Those were the days. It was actually worth watching.

It all started turning to shit about seven years ago or thereabouts. USA Cable Networks bought out the Channel and from that point onward, cheapness ruled the day. The classical stuff began, slowly, to disappear. The special presentation of uncut Star Trek hosted by first William Shatner, then Leonard Nimoy, was clipped off in the middle of Nimoy's run and never came back. MST3K got nickled-and-dimed to death. Then, oh then, the Channel started putting on it's own "originals" —the crapfest DTV movies which now infest nearly every evening programming hour before they took the next step to crass commercialism and somehow, someway, managed to define ECW Wrestling as "sci-fi".

Your family waited way too late to finally get expanded cable. Everything you might have wanted to see on it is gone now, or soon will be, and it's nothing but unwatchable commercial shit to suit the viewers in Bumfuck, AR and Knuckledrag, TN.

Once upon a time, it was good. Those days are long over.

[Havok]

At one time, it was a paradise for every SF/fantasy series which ever made it into syndication. They even did a few British imports —some of them rather rare— and, for a time, ran the classic Doctor Who as well as The Thunderbirds and Capt. Scarlet And The Mysterons. They had SF commentary programmes with authours and filmmakers in the field and Harlan Ellison providing editorial commentary or memoirs. It was what was advertised —a network for science fiction and fantasy programming. They picked up Mystery Science Theatre 3000 when Comedy Central dropped it. Those were the days. It was actually worth watching.

Holy shit. Really? I don't remember any of that.

Once upon a time, it was good. Those days are long over.

Yeah, I would say so.

[Pulp Hero]

I would loooove to see a block of low budget sci-fi films by amateur directors. An Outer Limits (the movies themselves don't have to be mind fucks though) type deal where they get a two hour block (hour and a half with commericals), but all the scripts are screened so that crappy horror stuff is right out and only actual sci-fi is in. Maybe the writers submit material, and then show has a permanent SFX and camera staff with materials, and each movie is given a modest budget.

[Master of Ossus]

SciFi has been unwatchable for nearly three years now. Even those classics they still air are unwatchable since they are butchered to squeeze in as many obnoxious and repetitive commercials and network programme announcements as they can cram in before they cram the end credits into a squeeze-box and play the exact same fucking promos at twice the volume.

SciFi is utterly unwatchable shit.

I totally disagree. My dad and I love going through their god-awful movies whenever I visit him. True, about half of them fit in that gray-area where it's hard to laugh at them because they're a little too good but FAR too sucky to enjoy, but the ones that go all the way and manage to be funny are so insanely, hilariously awful that you can't help but laugh. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why Sci-Fi funds so many terrible movies in the same "genres," since you'd think they'd every once in a while try to make an actually good movie, but it's easy to make awfully terrible movies, and I still find thoes entertaining. (Although, Tivo helps us skip through the commercials).