Peak TV Crunch: Does Syfy Still Have Anything to Offer to Sci Fi Fans?

Syfy was once the home of Farscape, Stargate: SG-1 and its spin-offs, the Battlestar: Galactica revival, Eureka, and more back when it was known as The Sci Fi Channel. Even after rebranding as Syfy, it still put out some notable entries like The Expanse, Dark Matter, and 12 Monkeys. But over the past five years its output of scripted originals has diminished, with even less in the way of true sci fi entries. Even the supernatural/fantasy shows have been sparse, and the direction of the network seems uncertain as the Peak TV Crunch continues to take its toll on the linear channels.

Syfy Is No Longer Sci Fi, But What Is It?

The Sci Fi Channel entered into scripted programming in the late 90s by saving shows like Sliders and Poltergeist: Legacy while also producing original entries like Mission Genesis, First Wave, and Farscape. It would then pick up Stargate: SG-1 from Showtime in the early 00’s and produce two more shows in the franchise while also bringing us the Dune mini-series, Battlestar: Galactica, Eureka, and more. After changing to Syfy in 2009, the cable net shifted to “sci fi lite” shows like Warehouse 13, Haven, and Sanctuary, as well as supernatural dramas like Being Human, Lost Girl, and Bitten. Around 2015, network execs signaled a change back to more of an emphasis on sci fi, and that was apparent with shows like Dark Matter, Killjoys, 12 Monkeys, and The Expanse. But that did not last long, and by the end of the 2020s, Syfy was taking a spaghetti-against-the-wall approach trying to find the next Walking Dead or Game of Thrones with shows like The Magicians, Wynonna Earp, Krypton, Nightflyers, and more with diminishing degrees of success.

During the 2010s, Syfy also became know for its critters-run-amok films like Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, Sharktopus, Lavalantula, the Sharknado franchise, and more. But those have all disappeared and the network’s scripted output has reduced to a trickle. It never re-established itself as the network for sci fi programming (not even airing much in the way of reruns of movies or TV shows of interest to genre fans), nor did it ever find its signature TWD-like franchise. Syfy is still better known for what it used to be with many pining for its glory days when Farscape, Stargate, and BSG were running new episodes along with other genre entries. Syfy is not even the Sharknado network anymore with that lurid series of films having run out of steam in 2018. It has basically become yet another faceless cable net running some genre entries along with the same movies you see on other every other channel such as John Wick, Fast & Furious, The Expendables and more.

Can Syfy Survive the Peak TV Crunch?

The glut of programming from the past ten-plus years is definitely having an impact on all of the networks and streaming services, with the basic cable channels getting hit the hardest. We have already seen other cablers like TBS, TNT, and A&E back away from scripted programming, and that trend seems to be continuing. FX remains in the scripted game with American Horror Story, What We Do in the Shadows, Fargo, and the upcoming Alien series. But that network could be up for sale as Disney continues its cost-cutting measures. AMC is still cranking out TWD spin-offs, but those are delivering diminishing returns on viewership and the new Immortal Universe franchise (comprised of the Ann Rice shows Interview With The Vampire and Mayfair Witches) has hardly lit up the Nielsen ratings.

Syfy remains in the scripted programming game for now, but its output is down to just a few shows a year. It had some early success with Resident Alien and Chucky, but viewership for both of those dropped off in their second seasons (both were still renewed for a third season). Last season’s The Ark looked like a possible return to science fiction seeing as it came from Dean Devlin, the writer of the original Stargate movie. But while it did get a second season nod, opinions on the show were mixed at best, and it hardly looks like the next major sci fi franchise.

The basic cable channels can’t compete with the money that the streaming services are putting into their productions, so they have to look for the niche audience. And there was a time when Syfy did attract a lot of sci fi fans. But its output has mostly disappointed over the past decade or so, and it has failed to support the shows that have developed some buzz like Dark Matter and The Expanse. The network has not managed to establish much of an identity or a following in recent years, so it is possible that the likely bursting of the Peak TV bubble could lead to the end of the channel or at least the end of original programming beyond the occasional acquisition.

A Look at the Sci Fi and Fantasy Shows on Syfy

As mentioned above, the scripted programming output has slowed for Syfy over the past few years. It has only put out ten shows since the 2018-19 season with half of those getting cancelled after one year. Going back to the 2013-14 season, the network has cancelled 40% of its shows after one season and 60% after two. Following is the list of shows that have debuted over the past five years:

Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates. And for the latest news and discussions on sci fi and fantasy television, follow r/SciFiTV

Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.