Why is sci fi now syfy

So even when Syfy tried to reach back out to that audience with shows like Dark Matter and The Expanse , viewers were hesitant to tune in and those shows pulled mediocre at best ratings.

The number of scripted shows the network has to offer each year has been on a steady decline, with the current season having the lowest number of originals in a long time.

Looking back over the past six years, Syfy reached a peak of thirteen scripted shows though some were Canadian imports in the season, but that has dropped each year since then and plummeted this season so far to just three one more might get added to the list if Wynonna Earp airs its fourth season in Summer.

Four out of six of those years, supernatural drama The Magicians was the highest-rated show on the network. That promised returned to science fiction programming for the network is pretty much a thing of the past.

Shows like Krypton , Nightflyers , and Killjoys disappeared from the schedule last season and Vagrant Queen is the only thing that counts as close to science fiction this year. Apart from that, the network has tried supernatural, horror, and comics-based shows, but nothing has really stuck. In fact, Syfy seems to have lost any sort of clear direction as it continues its spaghetti-against-the-wall approach to try and find the next Game of Thrones or Walking Dead. Vagrant Queen appears almost certainly headed to cancellation and perenially low-rated Wynonna Earp can at best hope for a final season renewal allegedly it was already renewed for a fifth season, but the financial struggles of its production company may put the kibosh that.

As far as current development, Resident Alien —based on the Dark Horse comic series and starring Alan Tudyk—is the only thing of interest to science fiction fans originally scheduled for a Summer premiere, but it may be impacted by the production delays. It first debuted with little fanfare in November the network is notorious about not promoting its own shows and is looking to expand when it returns in Summer or Fall.

Several new shows have been ordered to go along with the Futurama repeats that anchor the animated segment. The cable networks in general seem to be backing away from scripted programming as they are finding it harder and harder to compete with the high-dollar productions from the streaming services. Syfy has definitely cut back on its scripted originals and the few shows it has in development will do little to bring the network back to its roots. And with most of the shows it is airing failing to find much of an audience, the future looks bleak.

Does Syfy become another cable network airing mostly repeats of movies and TV shows, or does it shutter its doors altogether as Chiller also owned by NBCUniversal did in ? The Peak TV crunch is taking its toll on the cable networks, and Syfy continues to look vulnerable based on where it currently stands.

Are you still watching the Syfy originals and do any of the shows currently in development interest you? Chime in with your comments below. Keep up with the ratings developments and the status of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Weekly Roundup posts. And join the CancelledSciFiArmy on Twitter to bolster our ranks and help us fight for the struggling and cancelled sci fi and fantasy shows.

Check out our Sci Fi TV Schedule for debut and season finale dates and follow our Weekly Listings for a rundown of the shows airing in the current week. Then, make them special with interview segments of the original cast. Honestly, I could do a better job of programming by simply picking series that would attract Sci Fi fans.

They should have made one more season. SYFY started going down hill after they cancelled the Stargate franchise. They held us for a bit with Kill Joys and Dark Matter. However they have lost there way and in the near future I see them as just plian going by the way side and be just another rerun channel with no original programming.

It appears that MGM has bankrupted this channel. We almost never watch it anymore, there programing pretty much sucks. SiFi was a staple for our family viewing. Oh wait… sigh … fi… I get it. Like science fiction. This is not rebranding. It just adds a layer of translation to trying to figure out what the hell that word is.

The brands, slogans, and package designs that really stick with consumers are pretty rare. If a marketing team is lucky enough to create an identity that does resonate, especially one that becomes familiar enough to achieve catchphrase or pop-culture status, that brand identity is absolute gold.

You wring every possible bit of juice out of it. Howe says "we're not worried," despite the old admonition that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

With the new name, shows such as "Galactica" can be exposed to a wider audience, one not scared away by all that "Sci Fi" connotes "space and aliens and the future," in Howe's words. And, of course, it's about the bottom line, which has been true for a number of cable networks over the past few years. There was a time when the name of a cable network said it all. But over the years, as the cable universe has grown, each network has sought to grab a distinctive slice for itself in hopes of bringing in viewers -- and money.

Some have changed names entirely, such as The Nashville Network, once a country music channel that became TNN and then Spike, devoted to younger males. Others have simply refocused their branding, as in the case of USA -- once a general-interest hodgepodge -- and its slogan, "Characters Welcome," which has allowed the network to cast a wide net with original shows such as "Monk" and "Burn Notice" and reruns of popular dramas such as "House" and "NCIS.

Marketing expert Rachel C. Weingarten, who was part of the team that helped turn TNN into Spike, says the network's old name wasn't attracting the key male demographic or the advertiser dollars that came with it. Changing the name to Spike gave the network visibility and -- thanks to more programming of action movies and combat-oriented shows -- more appeal to men. Having initials that can mean everything -- or nothing -- helps, she adds. Howe, however, says that changing the name was a necessary move.