This is pretty easy for me; the announcement of the Sci-Fi channel's creation I initially greeted with great enthusiasm. Then I saw the kind of drek they intended to broadcast; initially the schedule was full of made-for-tv monster and fantasy, stuff that made Xena and that ilk look like high theater. Every now and then they'd run something worthwhile; they prolonged MST3K's run for a couple of years, occasionally they'd go on a vintage Twilight Zone marathon, and they graciously ran a season of Firefly. It took a good friend's pleading to get me to watch Firefly, but after a couple of episodes I made the adjustments to accept Joss Whedon's milieu and actually liked the show, over all.
That being said, what was the obvious and inexcusable omission? SCI-FI! Why was it, only once in a blue moon, that they would run CLASSIC SCI-FI? I have a few recorded films to prove that they did that...VERY FEW. Mostly it was crap like Alligator II, Gremlins, and then, oh Asimov save us all, they got enough funding together to put out THEIR OWN DREK! Made-for-crappy-cable-network shite...it breaks the heart. Oh, the pain, the pain...
So the name change? GOOD! There was precious little Sci, and only crappy Fi, so they might as well brand this waste of a channel for the kind of gap-tooth knuckle-dragging mediocretins who think "Snake King" and "Dragon Fighter" constitute worthwhile cinematic experiences. And the poor souls who have to watch this channel for the Star Trek TNG fix, I suppose they won't care; I guess some of us can't afford to buy the DVDs, so there's one redeeming feature. Maybe the only one. Hell, even the Twilight Zone vintage episodes are out there for the owning...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'll take you word for the channel occassionally playing a science fiction movie. I've never actually seen it. They have shown a few sci-fi TV shows but I've not seen a movie.
ReplyDeleteIt's really the Horror Channel. Virtually everything they show (like Alligator 2) is a horror movie. I have no idea what syfy means other than they are trying to be cute, but it doesn't describe the channel.
Maybe it should be Hy-fy or cahm-r-us? (Cheap Ass Horror Movies-R-Us)?
Well, I just rendered a copy of "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" that I recorded from Sci-Fi (many years ago), so I DO have proof (scant, but there.) And what I hate most is, if it's not crappy horror, it's crappy fantasy. Now, I'm a big fantasy fan, but CRAP IS CRAP! And, no, I won't watch crap just because I like the particular genre...that's what they seem to think.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious from watching the programming that the people in charge think all sci-fi, horror, and fantasy are the same and they are all crappy. They can't tell the difference because they don't think there is one. So they grab up anything cheap to air plus it explains the horrible made-for-sci-fi channel stuff they make.
ReplyDeleteThe people running the sci-fi channel holds its audience in complete contempt. They are a bunch of fools who will watch garbage to them.