Universe 'Is a Five Year Story' according to Malozzi

Overheal

The producers of Stargate Universe hope that the show will live on for five full seasons, according to executive producer Joseph Mallozzi. He told fans at his blog that the writers have five years’ worth of story, building up to the final pay-off and conclusion of SGU.

“There are a number of arcs and elements that will figure into the ultimate finale we have planned,” Mallozzi said. “Ideally, we’d get five years to tell the entire story in satisfactory fashion but, if it came down to it, we could pay it off over the course of a single season.”

Stargate Universe is the first show in the franchise to be conceived as a single, arc-based story with a beginning, middle, and end, rather than an episodic series that could go on as long as the ratings would support.
At this point, Mallozzi also said, the studio is not thinking about a back-up plan for finishing the story in another medium, should the show be canceled without sufficient warning to pay off the story. Right now “the plan is deliver the ending at the conclusion of Season Five,” he said.

The show’s ratings in its new Tuesday night time slot, however, may threaten that 5-year story. Last month Syfy Channel canceled Stargate‘s lead-out show Caprica for low ratings. Meanwhile WWE Smackdown and Sanctuary are thriving on Friday nights, blocking the likelihood of returning SGU to that night on the schedule.

The network is expected to announce its decision about SGU Season Three in December or January, following next week’s conclusion of the first half of Season Two. The second half should pick up in the spring, after production on Season Three would need to have already begun.
The show does benefit from a larger number of DVR-delayed and online viewers … which don’t mean much to the advertisers who pay to keep Syfy’s programming on the air.

“I think our audience is there but simply growing more diffuse,” Mallozzi said of the ratings. “It would terrific if the television industry found a way to catch up with the modern media’s technological advancements, find a way to make sure everyone is counted in those ratings — but barring a major miracle, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

“The only alternative to ensuring a third season is to bring more viewers to Tuesday nights, be they SG-1 fans, Atlantis fans, or fans of Celebrity Circus.”

Stick with GateWorld for the very latest, and be sure to watch the final episode of the fall season this Tuesday night at 9 p.m. (8 Central)! Visit GateWorld’s Season Two episode guide to learn more about “Resurgence,” and be sure to visit Joe’s blog for more from the SGU writer/producer.

http://www.gateworld.net/news/2010/11/mallozzi-stargate-universe-is-a-5-year-story/

Dan_Solo

Crap, that means another 3 years before they can cancel it and make a good SG series.:D

GSPfan

Would love 5 years of SGU. Its a great show. The word RATINGS fills me with rage. Such a schitty way to solely decide a shows faith.

red dave

GSPfan wrote: »

Would love 5 years of SGU. Its a great show. The word RATINGS fills me with rage. Such a schitty way to solely decide a shows faith.

Yeah totally agree. SGU really is a top show with some great stories and good characters. I'd be totally gutted if this gets canned.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

GSPfan wrote: »

Would love 5 years of SGU. Its a great show. The word RATINGS fills me with rage. Such a schitty way to solely decide a shows faith.

it is the only way. Tv channels dont air programs to be nice, they do it to make money. Advertisers don't advertise on tv channels whos programs dont draw viewers, so the tv channels don't get money to make more programs.

off.the.walls

They should let this go threw it'd be such a good story to tell..

GSPfan

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

it is the only way. Tv channels dont air programs to be nice, they do it to make money. Advertisers don't advertise on tv channels whos programs dont draw viewers, so the tv channels don't get money to make more programs.

I know. It just stinks that a show like SGU can get cancelled when you have complete schit on tv everywhere you look. It's a sad day if this show gets cancelled because the day is coming when no tv channel will even bother making these type of shows.

johnnysmack

what about the ratings it gets on sky or any other channel or does it solely rely on the american ratings?

Dan_Solo

johnnysmack wrote: »

what about the ratings it gets on sky or any other channel or does it solely rely on the american ratings?

I'm sure that's the vast majority of their audience so yes.

Anita Blow

Not directly. Syfy is the main financier of it and they don't see any of the money channels like sky would get. If the ratings in other countries are good, it would mean MGM might do more to try and keep it on the air so they would reduce the fee they charge to Syfy which would mean Syfy would make more of a profit on it.
This looks like a likely result because while ratings are pretty low on Syfy, they huge in Canada and pretty meh over here, but it's the digital downloads that count. SGU is regularly no.1 each week in iTunes downloads in Canada, top 10 in UK (currently no.6 i think) and regularly makes it into the top 5 in the US iTunes each week and then lingers around the top ten. When I checked yesterday it was 11 and that was 5 days after airing so it's pretty good.

It's also down to the target demo which SGU isn't doing too badly in. It's actually ahead of sanctuary in 18-49 demo even though sanctuary rates higher overall

BigDuffman

I'm trying to figure out how the will have the manpower to get through 5 years? Playing catch up at the minute and have just finished ep after they were boarded by the Lucian alliance.. the military personnel on Universe seem few and far between!

As a lot of the grunts only get brief face time its hard to determine numbers! How many are on the ship to date?

TonyD79

BigDuffman wrote: »

I'm trying to figure out how the will have the manpower to get through 5 years? Playing catch up at the minute and have just finished ep after they were boarded by the Lucian alliance.. the military personnel on Universe seem few and far between!

As a lot of the grunts only get brief face time its hard to determine numbers! How many are on the ship to date?

Sure isnt it like Lost? about 30/40 surviving characters with only 10-15 you only ever see? Plus like Lost loads of other characters can be introduced and they dont have to come through the Stargate from Earth. The Lucian's may turn out to be like The Others/Tail section survivors in Lost.

MBateson

David Hewlett and others posting that it has now been cancelled. Sorry, if this has been posted elsewhere.

Dan_Solo

There's a thread on it somewhere.

BigDuffman

MBateson wrote: »

David Hewlett and others posting that it has now been cancelled. Sorry, if this has been posted elsewhere.

What?!?! NOooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tar.Aldarion

would have loved 5 years of this, it was starting to get pretty good

off.the.walls

" Universe 'Is a Five Year Story' according to Malozzi" not anymore its not .... but seriously some of the **** that sci fi show and they cancel one of the best shows thats on!!

Overheal

off.the.walls wrote: »

" Universe 'Is a Five Year Story' according to Malozzi" not anymore its not .... but seriously some of the **** that sci fi show and they cancel one of the best shows thats on!!

MGM is already scouting for another buyer. Its not dead yet.

hightower1

<walks into MGM head offices>


Ammmmmmm.... eeeeeehhhhhh.... how much SGU can I get for .... THIS... much?????????

GSPfan

There's a lot to be said for a show that gets to finish its story. I mean 5 years is a lot to ask for if the ratings are bad but even if the show was a ratings success they should always finish a show when they mean to.

Imagine if LOST had of been cancelled and we would never have found out any of the answers to the mysterys!! Wait a minute...... we didn't anyway.

off.the.walls

Although i really hope that it gets to finish the story off. Kinda **** that were going to be left with a unanswered cliffhanger at the end of this series.

SirenX

I really hope that we get to at least find out the plot ending

I would be absolutly gutted if they don't even give us that