Thursday, May 6, 2010

Boing Boing: Syfy's Craig Engler: Save Your SciFi Show From Cancellation

At Boing Boing:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

How to REALLY save your favorite sci-fi show from cancelation

Craig Engler May 6, 2010

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Legend of the Seeker

How can fans of a struggling sci-fi show save it from cancelation? It's a question I get a lot, partly because Syfy has from time to time saved shows from cancelation, and partly because like every TV network we cancel our fair share of shows.

The No. 1 method of choice for fans trying to save a show is writing letters/e-mails to the network that airs the show. This worked back in the '60s to keep the original Star Trek on the air for a while, and according to this article it may have had an impact on a few shows since then.

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Dollhouse

It's not your best bet though, because today EVERY canceled show has a write-in campaign, often accompanied by some clever item...Jericho fans sent peanuts, Lexx fans sent dragonflies, etc. It's so pervasive that it's become background noise. People even start write-in campaigns if we change a show's timeslot, or if an actor leaves a show. Right now there are containers of Fluff in the kitchen of our sibling network USA because fans are protesting the fact that Vincent D'Onofrio is leaving Law & Order: Criminal Intent. I took a picture of the Fluff with my iPhone so you can see [photo at the link above]. To save a show you need real impact, and you can't get that by doing the same thing everyone else is doing...

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Dead Like Me

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