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Farscape Finale Tonight
Sim9 writes "Just a reminder that Farscape, the critically acclaimed sci-fi television show, is having its *series* finale Friday night! Showing times are 8PM and 12AM ET/PT (7PM and 11PM Central) on SciFi Channel. Catch this great show one last time before it's gone!" Thanks to everyone involved in producing this show. One of my favorites. All I have left on Sci Fi now is SG1.
This show is one of the best running series I have ever seen. And it saddens me that I have almost no reason to watch SCI-FI other than mcguyver... I mean who watches that dumb show with the 90210 actress anyways.
It's a pity that even their commercials make it look like this is a series wrap-up instead of what it is, which is a season-finale cliffhanger. I'm hoping that a brave network like Showtime or TNT will pick it up and resurrect it. The show simply deserves to be seen.
Goodbye Family Guy, goodbye Firefly, goodbye Firefly...
Hello Hot or Not TV show and American Idol...
bah
If you're upset at SciFi for canceling the show now, just wait until you see tonight's episode.
Completely unsatisfying, it's cliffhanger that will probably never be resolved.
Here's to hoping UPN ends up picking up the show for a fifth season.
The future isn't what it used to be.
That they'd rather put up money for shows like Tremors: The Series instead of Farscape. I mean.. it's Tremors for crying out loud!
Farscape is the only reason why I have a subscription to cable TV.
Ahh, the wonders of SVCD, Usenet and the BBC.
...posting cowardly...
No spoilers, but to make your viewing experience more enjoyable, turn the TV (or your brain) off for the last.. oh.. 60 seconds.
Unless they cut the last 60 seconds in the US version to give closure.
Can anyone who watches this tonight (No Sci-Fi in Canada) confirm that there is "To Be Continued" at the end? It's in the UK version, but there were suggestions it could have been edited out but they ran out of time at the BBC.
SciFi is rerunning the entire series from the start beginning March 31, 4 or 5 days a week at midnight.
While I may not have seen very many episodes, this has always been a great show and will be missed by many geeks out there.
Remember, a TV series is not like a movie. A series lives and dies as much with the characters and the writing as it does with the plot and overall concept. You may think the idea is silly, or even stupid, but that doesn't necessarily mean the show as a whole isn't worth watching. Anyone cynical enough can take the plot to any movie or series, twist it around, and make it sound like crap.
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
I've been watching Farscape since the very first episode, and I will truly miss it. There are too few truly ground-breaking television shows on these days.
Yep, pretty much all that's left is Star Gate SG-1.
No matter where you go... there you are.
Saddam: (dejectedly) *sigh*
IraqiGeek: Dude, you look really depressed. Are you okay?
Saddam: I guess so. Recent events. You know. I'm very worried.
IraqiGeek: Yeah, I hear ya...
Saddam: I mean, what if this really is the last night I have to grind my citizens into the dust?
IraqiGeek: (*incredulous*) *huh*? (thinking to himself) At least you'll be gone in time for me catch the last episode of "Farscape"...
Call me an optimist, but I think the Save Farscape campaign has the ability to bring this thing back. Most likely not on Sci-Fi, but maybe something like showtime. I'd subscribe to showtime for Farscape.
One of the best quotes I can remember about Farscape was something along the lines of "Farscape is a 5-season novel, and we won't rest until we get to find out what happens at the end." That makes this more than a "we want more" campaign. We want the resolution!
I have heard rumors of a Farscape movie. Can anyone post any info on that?
For the record, I never watched farscape until a few weeks ago, now I'm watching it from the beginning, and I think it is a wonderful series. I haven't yet done anything to help the campaign, although I'm thinking about it. I did hang up one of the posters on my door. (his one)
Get Firefox!
Farewell, Farscape. Maybe SciFi will pick up Enterprise eventually (what, with its falling ratings on UPN and all).
If it wasn't for MST3K, there would be no reason to turn to SciFi anymore.
-Valiss
Please don't bother to post links to the save farscape petitions. Anyone that cares knows about them and the rest of know that online petitions don't work for anything anyway.
At least we still have MST3K, oh wait that's gone too. So, yea, Tremors...
Hey, Dune! yea! Sci-fi has become the 'watch us for a good miniseries once and a while' channel!
Brought to you by the Artificial Idea Factory.
This is the high quality programming they are replacing it with:
Bigfoot on the Loose!
Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way...
I've seen the episode and I can honestly say that SciFi should have left the show with Episode 21 which actually tied up things reasonably well.
This Episode 22 will really piss people off and SciFi will be dealing with very angry fans for a few weeks. Hopefully that anger will lead to constructive results like renewing the show on SciFi or another channel.
Where the Music Matters
I first ponied up the bucks for extended cable to watch the SciFi channel and Farscape rivetted me. I kept watching, even as my cable cost went from 25 USD/m to 41. The final straw was when the cable company moved four of the five cable channels I watched to their digital package at 51 USD/m. I couldn't afford that change, and missed the entire third season. Finally, I moved to a different apartment, where satellite became viable (it faced south) and for 24 USD/m, I was once again following the adventures of John Crichton and crew. And then the cancellation was announced...
A month from now I'll be cancelling the satellite, after I catch the season I missed in re-runs. Forget "Tremours". Forget the half-baked, half-replacements. Good-bye Vivendi and SciFi. I'll let someonelse pay for your remaining tripe. Who's with me?
I thought that Sci-Fi said the ratings were fine, they just weren't *growing* enough to justify the high cost of production.
I had a sucky sig.
With a failing (failed?) ratings system, there is no way to tell which shows are actually grabbing viewers attention.
There are about 5000 families participating in ratings surveys at any given time. A fraction of those have subscription TV. A fraction of that fraction watch a niche network such as SciFi. I've heard that 6 families in the entire survey could have saved Farscape.
Unless these stations stop using a ratings system designed for national broadcast networks, expect more bad decisions.
Farscape R.I.P.
If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. - James Madison
Space: The Imagination Station in Canada is running the finale next week.
Their behavior is incomprehensible. They kill Farscape, and pick up Tracker. Tracker? Tracker?
.
I really wanted to like a show staring both Adrian Paul and Geraint Wyn Davies. But damn, Wyn Davies hasn't been in anything this bad since Bionic Showdown
And then, what's this John Edwards and "The Dream Team" crap? What does that have to do with SciFi? Just what is their mission statement? To make the world think that SciFi fans are drooling morons with no taste and no ability to separate fact from fiction?
It's somewhat hilarious that TNN has better SciFi than the SciFi channel these days. My TV used to be programmed to skip over TNN, back when it was "The Nashville Network". Now it looks like it's trading places with SciFi. I guess there's a "law of conversation of preprogrammed channels" or something.
'I am a full-blooded Luxan, and ladies, I have so much cash in my pocket that I can assure you that the three of us will crawl out of here on our hands and knees come sunrise tomorrow morning. I've been arrested for saying exactly the same thing on four different planets.' D'Argo
'I don't think Pilot's in a Leviathan for Dummies mood right now..' Crichton
I may be small but allow me to remind you that only serves to put me at castration level.' Rygel
Scorpius: Kill her! Then we can have some pizza and some margarita shooters. Kill her John! Do it..Do it..
John: (laughing) Nobody has margaritas with pizza!
Back in the 80's I participated in a Nielsen (sp?) survey.
I have yet to hear of ONE other person who has been asked to participate. It is such a tiny fraction of viewers that a decent representation is impossible.
Any Slashdotters who have participated, please post.
Thanks
If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. - James Madison
"Save Farscape!"
Save it? It had a good run. Let it go before it gets tained, Voyager style.
"Derp de derp."
Uturama. :(
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
"I thought that Sci-Fi said the ratings were fine, they just weren't *growing* enough to justify the high cost of production. "
... oh I don't know the word ... it could capture an audience and grow. But in it's current state, you really have to invest more time than most ppl are willing to in order to be rewarded.
It's a valid point. No idea if it's true or not, but I can see that happening. Farscape was probably a victim of it's own ambition. Make a show too involved, and you lose the ability to grow your audience. Frankly, the show's too weird for newcomers.
I just started watching the "We're So Screwed" trilogy from my Replay. (Sniff sniff damn SonicBlue.) BORING. Down right boring. I could see myself enjoying it more if I understood the importance of one of the characters. And here I am, the type of guy easily gets into new shows.
If the show had taken a step back and tried not to be too
Know what bothers me, though? This is the type of thing that could drive series DVD sales. I'm spending $100 a month for DS9 on DVD. It earned my fandom and now they're getting loads of cash from me. Wouldn't it be cool if Farscape went off the air, but continued making straight to DVD eps?
"Derp de derp."
Farscape didn't fail; it got excellent ratings, considering that it was on an obscure genre cable channel, and considering it had almost no promotion or support from the Sci Fi Network, and that it was not on the air at all for six months every year, with hardly any repeat airings, etc. Sci Fi Network is to blame, not Farscape. They prefer cheap and nasty shows that do nothing to build the network long term, but make their quarterly reports look good. Classic short term thinking.
For those of you feeling a little frustrated, here is a list of Farscape swear-words. Ideal if you ever meet a Sci-Fi executive.
See my journal, I write things there
How good could Zev possibly be?
790 turned gay on her !
After 21:00 EST on Friday, March 21 I no longer have a reason to tune in the Sci-Fi channel. I refuse to watch a once good network degenerate into a goofy "Reality Channel" as they seem to be headed. I wonder if I can have my cable system unsubscribe me from a free channel??
Jaime
Buzzing the information Superhighway at Warp speed
Nielsen and TiVo should team up, or Nielsen and TiVo should figure out a way to come together and find out what REAL people are watching.
Let's face it, if you own a TiVo, you like TV more than the regular joe, and MAYBE good shows like this (and Firefly, F'n FOX) wouldn't be cancelled so quickly.
Tell me I'm not the first to come up with this.
P.S.
SAVE FIREFLY!!!!!!!!
I've been pondering getting the DS9 DVDs. DS9 seemed to be the best of the Star Trek series because of a more contiuning story that you sorta had to follow, because it was competing with Babylon 5 at the time.
DS9 you could kinda pick up mid way though. Babylon 5 you could kinda pick up, but was a whole lot more interesting if you caught it from the beginning.
Farscape is just...out there. You really need to watch from the begining or at least watch the recap episodes to have a clue about what the frell is going on and why you should care...
I'm going to go back in my box and will think within the limits of my box: MS Sucks Linux Good I read too much Slashdot.
i'd like to see gigi edgley in star trek enterprise as a green oprion girl.
when religion is no longer the opiate of the masses, governments will resort to real opiates.
Is it just me, or is SciFi (with a few notable exceptions such as Farscape) a fairly big diappointment? They're getting rid of Farscape, but not crap like Beyond Belief and Crossing Over with whatever-that-fraud's-name is?
Anyone remember the end of Married... with Children and how you could tell that it was obviously not intended to be the show's conclusion but (like Farscape) a season-ender? And as far as I can remember it was for similar reasons: the show was popular but not the "direction" the channel (Fox in this case) wanted to go. Forget the fact that Married... with Children and The Simpsons helped put Fox on the map. But then Aaron Spelling came along and Fox decided to try and become like the other Big Three.
Sad when a media outlet is doing good product but thinks that by De-flavoring their shows will help them become a Mainstream channel. I mean, isn't that why people don't watch the big channels? That they are all derivative and generic?
What is music when you despise all sound?
Spoiler!
Well, I thought it was a very good ending to the series. He got to say bye to his daddy. Earth is safe. The baby is gonna be born. They're engaged. Pilot survived. Everybody is happy. What else would be necessary for an incredible ending for an incredible series.
What's that you say? Kill them off? uh... ok!
Karma: NaN
It wasn't supposed to end. SciFi cancelled season five so this is how it ends. They bloody cancelled on the FINAL FRELLING DAY OF SHOOTING for season four. No time to tidy things, oh no. SciFi had to go for maximum sadism.
Will this low-cal f-word substitute find its way into the geek lexicon, like rtfm and grok? Anybody remember other alien profanities from Farscape?
They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...
I didn't just cancel the cable - I severed the cord leading to my house and ripped it out of the ground! I don't want that them connected to my TV in any way. I'm going to tie it in a noose and send it to the head of Sci Fi who canceled my reason for living. ;o)
"I don't like SG 1. It annoys me." This gets modded up to +5 Insightful? What am I missing here?
I know this because Tyler knows this.
For those of you on the west coast that haven't gotten to see the finale yet, start popping the popcorn and crack open a cold one (or 12). It's a frelling fitting end to an incredible series.
After it was over, I hit the farscape website and it looks like they're planning on trying to continue the show with a movie, an anime project and possibly a series with another network. Let's cross our fingers because this was quite possibly the most best show on television over the last four years. Never have I seen a show with such dynamic characters and a writing team willing to take extreme risks with their "formula".
I hope everybody involved in the show is proud. They deserve to be.
Sci-Fi flashed this on the screen at the end. Bear in mind, they CANCELLED the show on the final day of shooting the season finale:
"The SciFi Channel thanks the cast and crew of Farscape for four great years."
Bastards. Sci-Fi, you are truly dead to me.
I miss LEXX too. I won't be watching anything associated with SciFi channel or USA for the forseeable future. That was a really cool Battlestar Galactica ad they ran tonight. I care FUCK ALL for that now. I'll fucking steal the series off USENET before I'll give SciFi/USA my ad-watching viewership.
"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
Virginia Hey was in Road Warrior with Mel Gibson.
Mel Gibson was in Mad Max with Lulu Pinkus.
Lulu Pinkus was in Young Einstein with Yahoo Serious.
Yahoo Serious was in Reckless Kelly with Martin Ferrero.
Martin Ferrero was in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles with Kevin Bacon.
I don't remember what my original point was.
Good points and bad points... calling a group of devoted fans assholes was probably the worst point especially when it appears that you are also a devoted fan in another camp and wouldn't appreciate being called asshole by someone else.
Yes Farscape was typically rebroadcast. Unfortunately after the first year or so it ended up just being rebroadcast on the same night an hour after the first show, not making it easy for a larger audience to get involved. Plus since none of the episodes were available on tape/dvd you couldn't exactly run to the store and get caught up with the story arc.
People gripe and complain about "oh the story arc killed it" "it was too hard to get into if you didn't know the background", etc. You don't hear people saying that about '24' (1st season available at any blockbuster. Released almost immediately after the end of the first season.)
SciFi has moved towards lower budget projects and looking for mass appeal. Dune was a prime example of low budget. While some people threw some money into this thing they skimped on all the wrong parts. Sets and costume design were lackluster and the mix of good actor here horrible actor in the supporting role gave a very unbalanced feel. The mass hype, continual reminder of how bad Lynch's version was, and constant demand that this was going to be THE DUNE - just like the book - left some fans feeling a little betrayed when the show actually aired.
Moves like this give patrons who have watched for years a feeling of abandonment. Especially when SciFi starts running DreamTeam, ScareTactics, BraveHeart, Scream, IKWYDLS/ISKWYDLS, Halloween, etc. ---- not even close to scifi. When you alienate your fan base you lose. Even if you gain a million more viewers you lose because all of those new viewers are transitory. They have no brand loyalty because you produce nothing to be loyal to. They could care less about the merchandise you sell because to them you're filler while the football game is on commercial or because they cancelled tonights ER due to Bush speaking. In essence the channel becomes a parking lot for all the crap not shown elsewhere.
For awhile SciFi seemed to have a good run. They came out with some new and very interesting series - some did well and others stunk. In the end Farscape was the only one left and now it's gone. It got rave reviews and a solid fanbase. Unfortunately they really really dropped the ball on merchandising the product. There were millions to gain by proper merchandising. Quickly released DVD sets for special episodes and seasons, extended box sets, etc. Posters, prints, statuettes, pictures, transcripts, graphic novels. EVENTUALLY they did this. Unfortunately most of it came too late to generate either interest or profit. Timing means alot. And when a customer has to wait two years to get what they want they tend to get absent minded about why they wanted it in the first place.
There was nothing there that said "BY ME", "PAY FOR MORE SHOWS", "WE WANT A PROFIT". They wasted more advertising space pushing their own brand name then promoting product.
The toys at the store were childish (for a show whose fanbase did not consist of children). DVD's were nowhere to be found at local stores/rentals, likewise any other media that might make someone say "HMMMM that looks interesting".
I can't believe with all the money that was spent and all the talent brought to bare that they didn't have some forethought on the merchandising. I mean most of it appeared to be geared towards the 8-13 year old market, which isn't exactly the market watching the show, right?
Somehow they managed to pick up SG1 and they'll retain some of the old viewers from that and maybe keep some of the readers attention by doing specials like Dune, RiverWorld, and Children of Dune. They might keep a few others hanging waiting on Galactica. Unfortunately they're just as likely to alienate even more viewers with those shows as we can see with the mixxed reviews from Dune (I saw almost a 50/50 split on
"Do not be swept up in the momentum of mediocrity." - anon
This is so fucking stupid. They could have done this for the last year in order to build up the viewership they claimed was lacking due to the show's serial storytelling. Start Season 1 running at 9pm Eastern and Season 3 at 12pm Eastern and enable people who want to watch the show to catch up! Market the hell out of it and BAM! Perhaps they could have enabled enough people to get up to speed to enjoy the final season blow-out while massively increasing viewership. The Sci-Fi channel's actions lead me to believe they wanted to bury this show all along.
This is one Sci-Fi fan they have pissed off and alienated - I'll lend my eyeballs to more deserving channels and, as others have already declared, I'll swipe all their programming off the Internet before I ever watch their channel again.
We want some answers and all that we get
Some kind of shit about a terrorist threat
- Ministry
Do you want to help to try and SAVE FARSCAPE?!
:)
If so then go here: http://www.savefarscape.com/
Or you could go here: http://www.watchfarscape.com/
They're both actually the same site, which unfortunalty seems to be slashdotted or having other issues at the present time.
There is a lot of good stuff on the site from campaigns to get another network to pick up the show to an actual viewer funded consortium who's goal is to raise the funds to partially finance Season 5 as incentive for another network (or Sci-Fi i guess) to pick up the show.
So copy down that URL and take a look when the site is responsive once again!