Sci Fi TV Update: A New Stargate Series Could Be on the Way, Arcane Enters Netflix Top 10, and More

Sci Fi TV Update: Status updates, news, and developments on sci fi and fantasy television. For breaking news, be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site

Sci Fi TV Development:

Stargate SG-1 co-creator Brad Wright has been working on a new project for the franchise, and he is hoping it could move forward at some point in 2022. It began in 2019 and he has written a pilot script, though previous plans to move forward with the project were put on hold due to the COVID-related shutdowns. But with Amazon on the verge of buying MGM, he is hoping to present it to the new studio’s owners. The details of the script have not been revealed, but Wright has said the following about the direction of the new show:

I think the trick to anything would be that it’s high time the world found out about the Stargate program, for better or for worse. Keeping all of that technology from the world at a time when we could really use it, at a time when climate change is a genuine threat, at a time when there was a pandemic that we sure could have used a fix for, for example. The world needs to find out.

Stargate veterans Michael Shanks and Ben Browder have roles in the pilot, and Amanda Tapping could return as General Samantha Carter. If the series goes forward, other franchise alum could make appearances as well. But for now, fans will have to wait and see how things go with the Amazon/MGM merger.

Digital Ratings:

As I reported in the prior Sci Fi TV Update post, Netflix is now putting out its own Weekly Top 10 based on the number of hours of viewing for its programming. It looks like it is on a delay of about a week or so, and the streamer has back-posted prior weeks going back to Summer. The most recent week reported is November 8th to 14th which is when Arcane had its premiere. That one ranked at Number 2 with 34 million hours viewed for the first three episodes released. That show was just given a second season renewal this past weekend. Also in the Top 10 was Locke & Key Season 2 which placed at Number 7 with 19 million hours viewed. It has been renewed for a third season.

Rating Results:

On Sunday on BBC America, Doctor Who slipped to a 0.06 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 318K total viewers, and from what I understand the viewership numbers are down in Britain as well.  But that one is still on track for a fourteenth season with a new actor taking over the lead role from what I understand.  Over on AMC, The Walking Dead: World Beyond slipped a tick to a 0.08 rating with 527K total viewers.  That one will be ending with its second season.  Fear the Walking Dead held at a 0.16 rating with 880K total viewers as that one could be wrapping up its run this season or next.

I missed reporting on the premiere of Blade Runner: Black Lotus last week. That one averaged a 0.12 rating across two episodes with 262K total viewers which is about in line with the other Toonami offerings it was airing with.  This past Saturday, it slipped a tick to a 0.11 rating with 226K total viewers. On Friday on Syfy, Day of the Dead improved to a 0.06 rating with 221K total viewers, but it still remains firmly On the Bubble. On Thursday, Ghosts improved to a 0.55 rating with 5.4 million total viewers. That one has received a full season pickup from CBS. I covered the ratings from earlier in the week in Friday’s Sci Fi TV Update post, and following are the numbers for all the sci fi and fantasy shows from last week. Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily

Ratings Results for the Week of 11/15/21

Sci Fi TV News of Note:

Ridley Scott has stated that the pilot script for a live-action Blade Runner TV series has been written as well as the writer’s bible and that ten hours are planned for the first season. No network is attached at this point, and currently an animated Blade Runner series is airing on Adult Swim. In addition, the pilot for an upcoming Alien TV series has been completed as well. That one is set on FX and Noah Hawley is attached as showrunner . . . Netflix is working on a television adaptation of the Image Comics series Nocterra by Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel. That follows “a ferryman who relays people and goods through a world enveloped by a lasting darkness that turns the living into monstrous creatures called shades”. Roberto Patino (Westworld) is attached as writer for the series. Be sure to follow r/SciFiTV for news, schedule updates, trailers, discussions, and more.

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