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Sci-Fi And TV — A Perfect Marriage

Outside of novels, the medium of television is a perfect conduit for telling long-form, sweeping narratives.

The best sci-fi tv series take full advantage of this opportunity by creating intriguing universes populated with compelling characters who often grapple with provocative themes.

A prime example is Babylon 5 created by J. Michael Straczynski.

This ambitious, sprawling space opera set in humanity’s far future was notable for possessing an overarching plot that had a definitive beginning, middle, and end point.

During its five-year run, Babylon 5 examined many explosive issues including genocide, governmental corruption, xenophobia, gender roles, addiction, and racism.

This type of visual storytelling was so grand in scope that it couldn’t have happened in any other medium, save tv.

The more recent Farscape and Battlestar Galactica are other space operas rich in ambition and vision.

Sadly, since these series have left the airwaves, there has been a dearth of challenging, provocative science fiction on tv.

The marriage between sci-fi and tv seems to be in serious trouble.

The Main Problem With Sci-Fi On TV

The main problem with sci-fi on television is the network business model.

This model depends on advertising revenue. The main way advertisers are obtained is by producing shows with high ratings. Ratings that will guarantee ads will be seen by the largest number of eyes possible.

This insatiable hunger for shows that will be huge ratings hits, often leads network executives to green light programming they believe will appeal to the broadest audience possible.

Bottom line, network executives are only concerned with ratings, not by how well-written or creatively brilliant a show is.

If a television show just consisting of a dog chasing its own tail were to get high ratings, then that’s what we would see on the air.

This ratings-centric tunnel vision has lead to some truly misguided and bone-headed programming decisions by network suits.

The Little Firefly That Could

One of the most egregious examples of network executive bone-headedness is the cancellation of Joss Whedon’s much lamented sci-fi series Firefly.

Firefly originally aired during the 2002 fall season for only 11 episodes (out of 14 produced) on FOX — a network infamous for deep-sixing promising genre series.

The show was cancelled due to low ratings.

Remember, low ratings equals less appeal to advertisers.

After Firefly was cancelled, fan outcry was deafening.

When the complete series was released in a collected dvd set the next year, something quite remarkable happened.

The dvd set garnered huge sales numbers.

This, combined with the constant campaigning by fans and series creator Joss Whedon himself, convinced Universal Pictures to greenlight Serenity — the official motion picture continuation of Firefly that was theatrically released in 2005.

To this day 13 years after it originally aired on television, Firefly remains one of the most beloved sci-fi series ever produced.

All this from a low-rated series that didn’t even last a full season on the air.

The network executives didn’t get it — and they still don’t.

Imagine Far Greater

The cluelessness of network executives in regards to sci-fi explains why the SyFy Channel - which is supposed to be a bastion of sci-fi on tv — is struggling to rehabilitate it’s brand.

For years now, the channel has failed to live up to its tagline of Imagine Greater.

Instead of continuing its tradition of showcasing groundbreaking sci-fi tv programming such as Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, Sanctuary, and Steven Spielberg’s Taken, the channel tried to broaden its audience by filling its schedule with reality series, wrestling(?!), and terrible D-grade movies on Saturday nights.

When sci-fi fans speak of the SyFy Channel, it’s with deep undercurrents of derision and ridicule.

To their credit, the current regime at the network has recommitted to high-quality genre programming.

There are several ambitious projects in development, including an adaptation of the best-selling and critically acclaimed James S.A. Corey sci-fi book series The Expanse.

As of this writing, it’s too early to tell if their strategy is working.

I sincerely hope it does, because I also deeply yearn for more exciting, intelligent, and imaginative sci-fi tv.

Still, if these new projects are not massive ratings hits, The SyFy Channel’s recommitment may falter. Their recent mini-series event Ascension failed to perform ratings wise, and won’t be going forward as an ongoing series as planned.

A Promising Alternative

I think it’s very likely that sci-fi and genre programming may be too small of a niche for the ratings-dependent network business model.

We genre fans are a niche — but a very passionate, vocal and supportive one (see the Firefly example earlier).

However, maybe we shouldn’t look to networks to provide us with the rich, meaty sci-fi programming we so crave.

But if not the networks, where else can we turn to other than books and the movie theater?

The Web!

In the past few years, there has been an explosion of creative energy in a relatively young new medium — the web series.

A web series is a series of (often) scripted videos, usually episodic, that are created exclusively for viewing online via computer or mobile device.

The advantages of a web series over traditional tv programming are many including: low technological barriers to entry, relative lack of censorship, direct access to target audience sans gatekeepers, immediate audience engagement and feedback, opportunities for marginalized groups to be accurately represented.

Fortunately, these many advantages make web series and online short films a perfect medium for the production of visionary and exciting sci-fi.

Sci-Fi web series have exploded because filmmakers have realized they possess unfettered freedom to create in that medium.

I can attest to this creative boon because I founded a web site dedicated to promoting the best in sci-fi web series and online short films out of frustration with the networks.

My site, www.The7thMatrix.com, features dozens of sci-fi web series whose quality and scope rival almost anything seen on broadcast or cable television.

These web series are produced by talented filmmakers from across the globe, and are available for you to watch at anytime. All that is required is an internet connection, and a device on which to view the videos.

There are sci-fi web series (as well as short films) spanning every theme and sub-genre you can imagine — time travel tales, post-apocalyptic dramas, horror stories, epic fantasies, hilarious satires, steampunk adventures, superhero sagas, space operas, and so much more!

In fact, I was inspired to create a central, downloadable resource that contains 200 of the best sci-fi short films free to watch on the web.

More importantly, sci-fi web series can’t be canceled by ratings-obsessed, clueless network executives who don’t understand the genre anyway.

If you are fed up with not finding well-written, challenging, provocative, and exciting sci-fi on tv, please do not despair.

Just turn on your computer or mobile phone, and head to the web.