Sci Fi TV Network Scorecard: Syfy

Network Scorecard: Scoring the networks based on their history of airing and supporting sci fi and fantasy television shows.

Network Overview

Syfy first came into existence in 1992 as the Sci Fi Channel, dedicated to programming focused on the science fiction and fantasy genre. At first, the network aired only acquired movies and TV shows, offering an extensive slate of genre titles. Later in the ’90s the network expanded into scripting programming starting with Mission: Genesis and then picking up Mystery Science Theater 3000 from Comedy Central and Sliders from FOX. By the early 2000s, the network was airing several notable sci fi originals like Farscape, Stargate: SG-1 (picked up from Showtime) and the reboot of Battlestar: Galactica. In 2009, the network rebranded as Syfy in an attempt to reach out to a larger audience beyond just sci fi and fantasy fans. Since then, it has continued to air scripted genre programming, but the quality has varied greatly and few of its shows have proven successful.

What Type of Sci Fi Shows Does the Network Air?

When Syfy first rebranded in 2009, it focused its output on “sci fi lite” enries like Warehouse 13, Being Human, and Haven. Those proved successful at first, but diminishing returns set in as sci fi fans started tuning out with not enough new viewers were tuning in. The network also made a push into reality/competition shows before taking a 180 and trying to woo genre fans back. It promised a return to more science fiction oriented programming and fulfilled that with shows like Defiance, Dark Matter and The Expanse. But the ratings remained tepid and all three shows were cancelled after three seasons (though The Expanse was saved by Amazon). The network then started scheduling shows that ranged across the spectrum from superhero (Krypton) to fantasy (The Magicians) to supernatural (Wynnona Earp) to sci fi (12 Monkeys) to zombie-pocalypse (Z Nation) to grindhouse (Blood Drive), and more. It also acquired several Canadian shows for U.S. broadcast such as Continuum and Lost Girl. And while all of these might be appropriate for the network, they represent a spaghetti-against-the-wall attempt to find the next Walking Dead or Game of Thrones. Some shows had success, some became cult favorites, some disappeared quickly. And Syfy’s audience has continued to fade as have its scripted offerings. Only three scripted shows aired on the network during the 2020-21 season (not including the Saturday TZGZ animated block or the Canadian acquisition SurrealEstate), and two of those were in their final seasons (Van Helsing and Wynonna Earp).  The network also become known for cheesy monster romps over the past ten years like the Sharknado films and mashups such as Lavalantua (love ’em or hate ’em), but those have mostly disappeared as well. And to make it just a little bit worse, it appears that wrestling is returning to the netwok.

How Quick is the Network to Cancel Sci Fi Shows?

Over the past ten seasons, Syfy’s cancellation rate has been lower than that of the Big Four broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC). Only 40% of new shows were cancelled after one season, 16% after two seasons, and 12% after three seasons. However, that is skewed as the network tended to be more patient with shows early in the 2010s but has been much quicker to cancel over the past five years. Since the 2016-17 season, 67% of its shows have been cancelled after one year and 17% have been cancelled after two. Only one new show made it to four seasons during that timeframe (Channel Zero), after which it was cancelled. And there is only one active scripted show on the network’s slate as of the end of the 2020-21 season (Resident Alien). So sci fi and fanatasy entries that have landed on the network’s schedule over the past five years have not fared very well.

Does The Network Have a Five-Season Wall?

I do not know if Syfy has a set policy that no show will last longer than five seasons, but since it ventured into scripted programming in the ’90s, none have. And for those who will point out that Stargate: SG-1 amassed a total of ten seasons, the first five were on Showtime, so the Sci Fi Channel itself only produced five seasons before ending the series. Every other show that has aired on the Sci Fi Channel and/or Syfy has come to an end by its fifth season. In general in the entertainment industry, television shows have escalation clauses around the five year mark that see the cast and crew getting raises (and possibly more money going to the production company), so perhaps it is a cost issue for the network. But shows like Eureka, Haven, Warehouse 13, and even Battlestar: Galactica could have benefited from at least one more season to make them more attractive to the syndication market, where shows really start to turn a profit.  So it seems odd that the network would squabble over short-term costs when the long game could easily make up for that. But for whatever reason, no show that has aired on the network has surpassed the five-season threshold, nor is there any show close to challenging that in the near future.

Network Score

I give Syfy a score of ½ a point on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest). That may seem rather harsh, but the fact is that this is the science fiction and fantasy network, but it has failed to do much to promote the genre over the past ten years.  The shows that have engaged fans like Dark Matter, The Expanse, and Wynonna Earp have been cancelled.  And many of the other shows it has put out have been mediocre genre entries at best.  It also does little to promote its own programming, especially after a show has aired its first season.  For the first half of the past ten years, it was more patient with its shows and at least gave most of them a second season.  But over the last five years it has been quick to cancel as it focuses primarily on same-day ratings results and its scripted programming choices have diminished to just a few selections per year, with little of note in the upcoming production queue.   Syfy is not even the Sharknado network anymore (whether that is a good thing or bad), so it does not have much of an identity these days at all other than a second-tier (at best) cable network throwing out random scripted entries to make itself appear viable in an over-crowded television market. It could still redeem itself, possibly by following a similar model to The CW. That network does not put out high-budget productions, but it has found a niche with genre entries and it has shifted focus away from same-day ratings to digital viewing as well as streaming partnerhsips to remain viable. The sci fi audience tends to prefer those platforms, and if Syfy were to follow the lead of The CW while also putting out more science fiction oriented shows, it could become a contender in scripted programming again. But for now, the network continues to languish.

Sci Fi/Fantasy Shows Over the Past Ten Years

This is a list of the sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on Syfy since the 2011-12 season sorted by how many seasons they lasted. This does not include Canadian acquisitions such as Continuum and Bitten, but it does include co-productions like Dark Matter and Killjoys. Resident Alien is the only active Syfy show at the moment and it is carrying over to the 2021-22 season (new entry SurrealEstate is a Canadian acquisition).

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