More Caprica or More Than Caprica?

It's not just about Caprica. While I love the show and I would love to see it continue, the Save Caprica Campaign is about so much more. For most avid science-fiction fans, saving Caprica is about saving the science-fiction genre itself. Over the years, we have seen science-fiction shows come and go. And being a niche genre, we understand that it is par for the course. But lately it seems that most of our niche genre shows are dropping like flies. Since Syfy announced that they were cancelling Caprica we have seen Medium and Ghost Whisperer dropped by CBS, The Event pulled from NBC's line-up, and after the close of the summer TV season ABC announced the cancellation of The Gates. Now fans are concerned for the future of shows like FOX's Fringe and Syfy's Stargate: Universe.


I am by no means advocating that all of these were amazing, intelligent, or ground-breaking sci-fi series. Some of them were awful. And a few of them barely qualified as "sci-fi". However, we need to look past the shows individually and see the trend. All of the major networks, and a subsidiary network dedicated to the genre itself, have all dropped sci-fi programming at some point in this past year.


So where is the disconnect? Why are "reality" TV shows (and I use the phrase lightly) so much more popular that intelligent, thought-provoking dramas? I refuse to believe that the majority of the population are just mindless drones, content to watch drivel in place of entertainment that leads to thought, contemplation, and conversation.


I realize that not everyone is a science-fiction fan and for those truly not interested in the genre, I accept that. However I also know that there is a large enough science-fiction fan-base out there to support more than a handful of shows on 1-2 networks.


I would contend that it comes back to advertising. Advertisers want people to watch TV live. The types of programs that receive the highest number of live viewers are sports, news, and reality TV. People watch sporting events live, for obvious reasons. While some people DVR some news programs, most people watch news live, also for obvious reasons. Most people also watch reality TV live, especially if it is contest-based reality TV, in order to vote or be a part of the "live reality experience". Consequently, dramatic and comedy programming has a harder time retaining live viewers.


As discussed in my previous post, networks are not counting non-live viewers in their total viewer-ship numbers because they don't get the big advertising dollars for them.


Bottom line, the sci-fi genre struggles with a 2-fold problem of not only being a niche genre but also being lumped into a category of programming that many viewers record or stream to watch.


We need to make it clear to advertisers and networks alike that this is not acceptable. We want quality, intelligent, though-provoking entertainment. We want it supported, promoted, and properly aired. We don't care if ad companies don't like that we don't view it live. Their greed will not change our viewing habits.


Support the shows you love but don't feel like you have to view them live or lose them. Be vocal with the networks you watch and let them know that you are watching. The Nielsen box does not know all.