Syfy has done it again.
The cable outlet changed its mind on a final season for Eureka yesterday and has canceled the show.
The fifth season is currently in production and will wrap soon. It is scheduled to air next year. Syfy initially signed on for a six episode sixth season to bring the series to a close, but reversed that decision yesterday.
“After painstaking consideration, we have had to make the difficult business decision to not order a season six of Eureka. But Eureka is not over yet. There is a new holiday episode this December and 12 stellar episodes set to debut next year, marking its fifth season and six memorable years on Syfy. The 2012 episodes are some of the best we’ve seen, and will bring this great series to a satisfying end. We are very grateful to Bruce Miller and Jaime Paglia, their team of incredible writers, and an amazing cast and crew who have consistently delivered a series we continue to be very proud of. We thank the fans for their support of this show and know they will enjoy its final season in 2012,” Syfy said in a statement.
As of this report, there are no details on how and why the series was given the pink slip. Alpha Airlock reports series producer Jamie Paglia was surprised about the shortened order, and was told that those final episodes were meant to give him the latitude to wrap the series. Whether Paglia resisted a wrap-up in such a way is not clear.
More details as they’re available. And you can bet we’ll be discussing this on week’s Slice of SciFi.
And as we turn it over to comments, please feel free to vent your frustrations below. But keep in mind that Slice is a PG-13 site and any comments violating this policy will be edited or deleted.
Sorry to say but Eureka has been getting weaker and weaker. It is a shame because the first few seasons were great
Okay, I get it, shows get cancelled. But why does SyFy always have to do it in the most unrespectable way possible: Promise a next season then after current season has been filmed, cancel it anyway.
I hate to see it go since I like it so much, but it does seem to have gotten a little weaker this second half of season 4. It’ll be interesting to see how they wrap up all the plot lines and characters at the end of next season. I can always watch the DVDs at home.
SyFy taking another page out of the old Fox playbook. Assholes.
As far as the show getting weaker, I say nay. Last night’s episode was one of the best in the show’s run.
How is this taking a page out of the FOX playbook? It’s not like the show was run out of order and canceled before the end of the first season. It will have run for a full five seasons before the end. That’s a respectable run by any measure.
Clearly this was a business decision. By the fifth season, networks carry the vast majority of the cost of producing a series. The show maintained most of its core cast, which meant salaries were rising. Ratings were slipping, so less ad revenue to offset the costs. The news of a potential 6-episode final season pretty much said it all: the network couldn’t afford to give the show a full final season, so it floated as much as it could justify…and that didn’t pan out. How is that screwing over the fans?
As a fan, I get the disappointment, but I think it’s ridiculous to expect a network to keep a show on the air when it’s no longer financially viable. (Or, in the case of SGU or Caprica, when hardly anyone besides the devoted is watching.)
A business decision? It was their second most rated show. If a show with a strong loyal following can get the axe, what about other shows that aren’t as popular? I’m not buying that this was a business decision. How do you know it wasn’t financially viable? Do you have a copy of the budget? Did they tell the cast, “Look you’re costing us too much money. Either everyone has to take a pay cut or the show gets canceled.”?
If it really was a business decision, then the way they made and announced the decision is going to hurt their business. Why should I watch any more Syfy series or anything on that channel if it means that at any moment the executives can do to it what dogs do to trees? Disrespecting your customers is not a way to keep them and will only cause short and long term harm to your business.
I know it wasn’t financially viable because, based on the ratings, if it were, it would stay on the air. No network is going to take a show that is making them money and cancel it just to screw over fans. That’s just silly.
Besides, just the fact that they floated a reduced number of sixth season episodes tells us a lot. Why only 6 eps, if they normally do 10-20? Because that’s all they thought they could afford. And then they determined it wasn’t going to work out.
But as for seeing the budget, I don’t need to. Plenty of producers for Syfy and other cable network drama shows have discussed the way that the network/studio product cost formulas work, and the standard terms. They are similar to traditional network formulas, but less favorable to the networks overall.
Consider this: Eureka would have been the first Syfy non-reality show to last beyond five seasons. There’s a reason for that, and it has nothing to do with disrespecting fans.
I just think the vitriol is out of proportion. Every new show on every new network has to be successful by some measure to justify its continuance, and any show can be cancelled or ended at any time. Syfy is hardly unique in that regard. By your logic, why watch anything at all?
I agree with you, John Keegan. I love Eureka, but it is economically unsound for a network to continue showing a series that is costing them too much money. I would love to see the show continue, but the network can’t thrive on well-wishes and loyal fans alone, they need money and more money.
On the subject of money, I wonder if the network added wrestling and reality shows because they needed more money. Or if sci fi channel budget was cut.
Just deleted Warehouse 13 season pass, just deleted Alphas which I hadn’t watched yet, and cleared my DVR of any show recordings on SyFy. Removed from the guide.
Scorched earth. I’m so sick of this worthless station. They lure you in, and then kick you in the nards
5 seasons? I would say they did a little more than lure you in. They lured you in, gave you multiple years of a decent series, then finally put it to an end. Dag… that’s more than what SGU got.
Sorry, but you overreacted.
They are a pretty s****y station that bastardizes the idea of “SciFi” and then has the balls to say “imagine greater” and kill off good shows like SGU, Farscape, Dresden Files and Eureka in favor of crap like Ghost Hunters and Wrestling. Yes these other shows are cheaper to produce but why even spend the money and pander to a non-sci-fi audience? The made-for SyFy “movies” that SyFy puts out could be money far better spent on creative content like Eureka, etc. I hope Eureka has a fervent fan-based that will try to save it and move it to a network that can (1) afford it, and (2) can allow it to have a natural story arc ending when the time comes.
These business owners don’t really care about their viewers, just the bottom-line. If they do care, they need to show it by give us less junk and more commitment to quality.
Also Alphas is excellent BTW.
While I’ll be sad to see it go, they gave the show a good run. You can’t argue that 5 years is good length for a show.
And as actors make more with each new season, it gets more and more costly. So, they’re probably going to replace this with a new show like H.G Wells’ spinoff of Warehouse 13, maybe.
As John said, in the world of cable deals, the transition from season four to five is when the price tag goes up and the network is generally charged with picking up more of the tab, if not all of it.
That said, Eureka has been pulling in solid ratings this year. But is it enough to justify the continuation?
I think had Alphas tanked, Eureka would have got a nod. But Alphas is the new shiny product and costs less, for now.
Warehouse 13 fans should start worrying next. The show will hit its fourth season next year and then it will face the same potential fate as Eureka.
If the syphilis channel does decided to cancel Warehouse 13 then I’m officially done with the channel. As it is Eureka and WH13 are the only shows I watch on it anymore. I only tune in for Alphas because it falls in that block of shows. With out the other 2 I don’t have really any desire to be bothered with it.
Have to remember that the show is filmed in Vancouver, and the US dollar has been getting a lot less Canadian Dollar in the last few years. Coupled with the ever-increasing wage of the cast/crew, I don’t doubt that Eureka would become a financial burden to the network.
I agree. If they ditch WH13, I am done with the wrestl…err SyFY channel!! I am also tired of people saying “oh it ran 5 year. That is a good run!” I call BS on that! SG1 ran for 10 and was still going strong. Give me a good reason, and I mean good reason not a “financial cop-out” reason why a show can’t go past 5 years.
Moving on and will stop watching all Syfy scripted shows since they are only interested in reality shows.
“The 2012 episodes are some of the best we’ve seen”—-Really? And the numb-nuts still cancelled it?
They didn’t have to go down this road. Haven’t they learned it doesn’t take much to send a show off right? Give them their episodes to finish up the story! The worst thing you can do is give it to them, have them finish filming with those expectations, and then take it away. They did the same with Farscape. They ordered two seasons to finish the show off and at the end of the first promised season they canceled the second so the show didn’t have time to end. By all means end shows. It has to happen eventually. You just have to end them the right way. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver and let them have an ending.
Way to go. Isaac Asimov wept.
Maybe now they can schedule another few hours of WWE wrestling followed by another badly scripted reality show.
Heaven forbid they stick with an established, well liked franchise. I guess I’ll just wait for them to run WH13 into the ground next.
This is a shocker. Anything that costs more than $1.98 for CGI/visual effects is now too much for “SyFy”, much less actually paying the actors for their work.
Much cheaper to run wrassling programs and recycle direct-to-DVD papermache monster movies, and they stimulate the imagination just as much, don’t they?
I Fear for Warehouse 13, as it actually uses some special effects here and there, has been improving and is actually worth the money…
What awful news. I love Eureka, and even if the latest season spun the story quite a lot, it’s still been great. I even introduced a friend to this season, and she loves it.
I am definitely concerned for Warehouse 13. As it happens, these are the only two American shows I’m even keeping up with lately… fantastic, excellent, fun-but-storyful shows. It’ll be a major loss if they vanish.
With Torchwood’s future in the air and the sputterings of Doctor Who production… I may not have any new TV left soon!
It’s a page from the Fox playbook because Eureka still had life in it, was getting respectable ratings which still made it appealing to advertisers, thus justifying the cost of a measly 6 extra episodes to give the series a well deserved send-off. I have no problem with canceling a failing show (Caprica), a successful one that has had a good lengthy run but is showing signs of age (C.S.I anyone?); but to nix a show in good stead and cut short it’s promised closer episodes is just plain dirty tricks and defintely Fox-like.
No Syfy non-reality show has lasted beyond five seasons. Eureka would have been the first. The fact that they were even talking a 6-episode final season tells me that they were reaching to make it work, and couldn’t make it happen.
If Syfy screwed up, it was in making announcements before the deal was sealed. But their PR department is abysmal as it is.
Mr. Keegan:
The show had a following; the viewers were emotionally involved (what every show-runner hopes); they expressed their distress at cancellation in emotional terms; you denigrate their response; you invalidate their emotions; they respond in kind.
Move along; nothing to see here.
Gerry M. Allen
No Syfy non-reality show lasted more than 5 seasons? What about SG1?
i don’t understand any network!
They keep canceling good shows with good ratings and then replace them with some new crap that has much lower ratings and then gets canceled right away.
What’s the point??
SyFy changed their name for a reason. They have not been true Science Fiction for a long time. Cancelling one of their highest rated shows seems to show a lack of insight into what the viewers actually want to watch. To be perfectly honest, I miss the days when a season was more than only 12 episodes. Apparently the writers don’t have the focus to keep a show entertaining past 12 a year. This is nuts. Why do they keep trying to destroy their own network. Next we will be reading that SyFy is closing up shop.
Well, tweets from executive producer Amy Berg make it sound like it was a matter of Eureka being an expensive, unprofitable show and Syfy’s new parent company wanting so much in budget cuts that the quality of the show would suffer. She says Syfy loves them and fought hard to keep them.
Syfy has a new parent company? As in, someone other than NBC/Universal? Did we miss something major?
I think they’re referring to the recent merger between NBC/Universal and Comcast.
Oh fer heaven’s sake, you’re kidding… Comcast is going to run the programming side of that conglomerate, too, and not keep their hands to themselves? Didn’t anyone learn one damned thing from the AOL-Time Warner fiasco?
I love to hate on the Syfy channel as much as the next person but I don’t think it’s warranted in this case. In the end we’ll get five full seasons which is a lot more than most shows get.
I also don’t understand the whole “I’m going to stop watching the Syfy channel shows because they cancelled Eureka” approach. Doing that may make you feel like you have some control over the situation but the cold hard fact is that you don’t. This is how sponsor based TV works and we all need to realize that. If you don’t like the other TV shows on the Syfy channel then don’t watch them but if you stop watching them just to spite Syfy who’s the one losing out in that situation? Here’s a hint…it’s not the corporate entity. It’s you. Well to the real world. 🙂
I’d agree with you if they had let it end after the six episode sixth season that was ordered. But cancelling those six episodes shows that they don’t care about giving fans a satisfactory ending to a series we’ve been watching so long.
No…trying to get them made in the first place says that they did want to give the producers an opportunity for a grand send-off, but the cancellation made it clear that the numbers didn’t add up. Context matters.
As for me, yes, I’m going to stop watching the SyFy channel when Eureka goes off the air because they literally don’t have any programming that interests me. I’m not greatly upset over Eureka because it’s not the sort of thing I’ll get emotionally invested in, but I’ve been a sci-fi fan for around 40 years & this used to be the Sci Fi channel for heaven’s sake.
I agree entirely. “SyFy” isn’t as great or as loved as SciFi. It’s been slowly falling down. And the shows they have are not near as good as it used to be. I barely see any kind of science fiction shows on there any more. It makes me sad thinking about it.
I read this page more than I watch “SYFY”. Even the name is BS. I stopped watching 2 years ago when I realized the shows were lousy and the show runs even shorter. The programming isn’t worth it.
I say they should show all infomercials. Better TV.
What a shame. This was a wonderfully creative and fun show. I read that it couldn’t be made cost effective to the new parent company NBC. First they destroyed the weather channel, now SCI FI — I can’t believe that there are that many people who really would rather watch wrestling! Let’s hope another network picks it up.
My question is, why put wrestling on a science fiction channel!!! It’s retarded. They should have stuck with what their name used to meen. It’s not the same, and SyFy is not worth it. I miss the times when there were actual good science fiction shows. It’s just not the same.
Yet again Syfy does it, they barely have any shows that has ANY viewers anymore, are they even thinking about the viewers? Dont they want views? God!
Can’t say I’m surprised the way Syfy cares more about wrestling than science fiction. Wil Wheaton said they didn’t even notify the cast before releasing the announcement. How douchey is that? Once they decide to get rid of Warehouse 13, I won’t have any more reasons to watch syfy.
I have a problem with the people who say, “Hey, it’s a business.” because it gives a blank check for a business to do whatever they want in the name of profit. That excuse may fly in other industries, but this is an entertainment industry where things can take time and there is an implied obligation to the fans. If the show was honestly loosing money, first ask the people with the highest salaries to take a pay cut. Other industries did it. I worked for a company that did it. If you treat your employees fairly, they will understand most of the time. AFAIK they made no cost-cutting measures to keep the show going long enough to satisfy the fans.
And since fans are this company’s bread and butter, there’s an implied promise to be honest and show respect to them. Breaking promises is not the way to keep fans and will only do more harm to the business.
We’ve seen this before. Executives muddle with what works to take credit for any success then when their bad ideas fail they suffer none of the consequences. We and the cast and crew suffer for their mistakes. This is not how business should be done. The business needs to change.
Thank you
PS I do like Alphas and wish it well. It is not to blame for Eureka’s cancellation so please stop the hate. It isn’t helping.
Another hour freed up for wrasslin’ or ghost hunters: Brisbane.
Sigh.
STOP WATCHING ALPHAS! Its a crappy show anyway…
So… SyFy is basically getting rid of all of its valuable programming? I don’t like Warehouse 13, somehow I just don’t feel it. SGU was my favorite. Eureka close second… What’s left?
Like most tv shows, after a few years they go stale. I would prefer more new shows more often than getting bored with the same crap day in and day out.
Eureka’s been cancelled! I hate the SYFY channel now. This has been such a charming show, great cast, writers, all. The SYFY channel was one of THE main reasons I stuck with cable or satellite. I like Warehouse 13, Alpha’s ok, but it’s not enough to keep me there, once Eureka is gone. All the actual, good, well written scifi series are gone, it leaves just “junk”. At first it was a GREAT channel, lots of cool stuff. Now all those junk-special-effects, poorly written movies, ghost hunters, ew. Just like cancelling The Dresden Files after 1 very-well reviewed season, and good ratings. Just stupid. Not good business, to lose viewers.
I’d thought SciFi ( I will not call it SyFy) was pulling the plug on season 5, remember 5 and gone is SOP for SciFi(SG1 was 5 on Showtime 5 on SciFi) and since the notoriously sci-fi hating NBC owned SciFi are we truly surprised?
The numbskull NBC put in charge of was supposed to have complained about too much sci fi on a channel called SciFi so we got grade Z monster movies,reality shows, NBC network castoffs and wrestling.
They took the Stargate franchise of heroic action/adventure and gave us the whiney,angst ridden downerfest called SGU (or Dawson’s Stargate as I called it)Caprica had potential but it took a season and a half before it started getting beyond the “if not for the robot in the background you’d be hard pressed to even know it was a sci fi show” build up.
I’m still holding out hope that the Comcast take over will improve things at SciFi and the axing of Eureka’s season 6 is a “from hell’s heart I stab at thee” spoilsport move by some of the soon to be booted to the curb NBC goofs.
At least now I can mark my calendar for the exact day I remove SyFy from my channel line-up. Tuning in to watch Eureka also got me watching Warehouse 13, Alphas and several other shows preceding/following Eureka. None of these shows are worth watching without Eureka accompaniment. Sorry SyFy, you just lost a single, professional, male age 25-35 with disposable income to spend on DvDs, merchandise and the non-essentials your advertisers pitch. I’m sure advertisers will flock to your network now that you have turned your attention to the already over saturated ghost show and wrestling markets. Perhaps you should stick to advertising for prestigious business schools like the University of Phoenix rather than hiring their graduates as your programming executives?
This season seemed to me to have some more oomph to it after I thought it jumped the shark with the whole time thing. Obviously I am disappointed that it will end, but even the best shows eventually run their course. This is not like some shows that have a need for a specific ending either. MASH had to end the war, the fugitive had to find the one arm guy, but some shows just end. Gilligan never got in Mary ann’s pants or off the island.
I hate to say it, but the show has lost some of its momentum. I think that they changed directions so many times–first giving up on the original Beverly Barlowe story arc, then giving up on the artifact story, and now they are living in this alternate reality–may have been one of the shows downfalls. I also think that the show suffered when they killed off Nathan Stark. I’m sad to see it go, especially since syfy channel finally made a show that I enjoyed, except farscape of course.
It’s all in the math people. Cost of production subtracted from total income = profit or another way to look at it; Eureka cost say 1 million per episode to make and it brings in 2.5 million with a profit of 1.5 million. Now take Ghost Hunters with a cost of 30,000 per episode and it brings in 1 million with a profit of 970,000.
So would you rather have one Eureka or 12 crap shows that are cheap and make a bigger percentage?
ps Syfy, you can bite me! Took every show off I liked.
Well this just ruined my week. First farscape, just when I was getting into it. Then SG-1 my all time favorite, then Atlantis. Now Eureka, WH13 cant be far behind. They dont care about their viewers, if they did they wouldnt be feeding us with wrestling and horrible B-monster movies and ghost. I think someone needs to explain the definition of sci-fi to them. Oh wait they changed the name from sci-fi to get away from the whole sci-fi idea to get more viewers. They dont want to be the network known for “geeks” and “nerds” and people who think outside the box. No, its more fun to watch grown men make fools of themselves fake fighting. Well this makes perfect sense now. What was I thinking?!? Cancel all the shows with any hint of sci-fi. The notion “we shouldnt complain cause its a business decision” is BS. Last time I checked, I pay for the sy-die channel. Once wharehouse13 is over sy-die is dead to me!
If SyFy is cancelling SCIFI shows as a business decision, then they need to rethink their business plan of SCIFI shows. This does NOT include “wraslin”. SyFy has been making terrible decisions as of late. Is Eureka SyFy’s best show? Not likely. But is heads & shoulders better then “wraslin” and many/most of their “made for TC Scifi movies”. I don’t think SyFy can make a good business decision. Unless they are moving away from scripted scifi shows altogether. Which seems to be the case the last couple of years.
Shows like Haven, Warehouse 13 & Alphas need to be shopping for other networks ASAP!!
I’ve cut all ties with SyFy now. If you have let yourself get hooked into Alphas, WH13, “wrasslin”, reality ghost chasing, and the worst Sat night movie time wasters ever imagined … well I pity you.
Syfy just cancelled all the SciFi on SyFy. Time to Boycott the SyFy channel, after all we may as well, there is no SciFi left to watch. Let the CEO wonder where the **** his audience went.
That’s terrible ! I love this show and have been a fan since day one. It seems all the good shows get canceled ! I am really sorrry to hear this and I will miss the show terribly ! Not fair !!
Oh man! I really LOVE Eureka. Watch out WH 13-Comcast is gonna getcha! No more SyFy for me.
So they business solution in short is a bullet, its a great show terrible to see it go, at least season 5 is airing so they dont have to end it with you puzzled with whats going on, hopefully season 5 goes well and they change their mind
Why is it that every time I enjoy a tv show, they cancel it. I am sick and tired of the police shows that have been on for several years and the shows that have spun off to another city etc… Why not learn from those shows, why change a good thing?
OH GOOD! Now we can have more Wras-el-ing! and a ton more reality TV with B-List washout actors filming morons! YAY! There SO is not enough of THAT on already…
Now shut up and eat your grul kiddies, the Big Boys couldn’t afford a 10th or 11th Limo this year and it’s all Eurekas fault it didn’t make enough money. Oh, you didn’t know it MADE money, just not enough to suit the Suits? Silly me, I thought shows that have consistantly grown every year they are on, have a fan base of loyal followers and MAKES money, get to stay on.
I’m done with this channel. They continuously cancel their best shows.
The show was profitable, but not making enough money… Nice logic there. Ratings were rising, but why would they care about that.
Do they even consider that without a few good ‘anchor’ shows, many of us will just take the channel out of our guide? I have no reason to leave it there any longer. Should of done it when SG-1 and atlantis got the axe…
I thought Eureka started off weak, but since they shuffled it returning from 1947 it is a great show! It keeps getting better, a perfect mix of adventure and human interaction. I can’t wait to see what happened to the crew from the cliff hanger of the end of season 4!
This news is hopefully hype. People who love Eureka must start a petition to return Eureka! Please and then it will return or another network will pick it up!!!
Sure, cancel the last great SCI-FI show, now there is no longer a reason o subscribe to the SCI-FI channel. Really tired of the Reality shows and the like.
Too bad some other broadcaster doesn’t pick up the series.
Funny, interesting and great charisma between the characters.
It will be missed, but at least I have them on DVD.
Shades of Star Trek!!!!!!!!!!! Canceled after 3 years, and we all know what happened after that. Who are these jerks that do ratings still neilsons or whatever CLOWNS all. This is a great sci-fi show clever funny never a dull ride. get rid of the crappy wrestling does not belong on sci-fi.ghost shows crap,a bunch of people walking around in the dark trying to scare each other,come on. SCI-FI CHANNEL STICK TO SCI-FI. It’s just such a darn shame. Esp. when viewers can’t do squat about it.
Why is it, everytime a great show comes along, people want to cancel them for some stupid reason?
My wife and I really enjoy Eureka. We’ll miss the show. What do fans have to do to keep it going?
think about what it means to a creator, that creates an show from an idea and get this kind of attention from its fans, must be greatly satisfying…Thank you for creating this show for me. and i will live in the reruns forever. this was my favorite show,i ‘ll miss it !