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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph Dark Matter

Discussion in 'Community' started by Abadacus, Oct 24, 2015.

  1. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001

    Like Four's whole plot?
     
  2. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 1998
    Just finished s2. It's alright, but not great. The Firefly influence is undeniable, but DM lacks the Whedon touch. IMO, it's like old BSG compared to Firefly's SW; it has the form, yet lacks the substance.
     
  3. Jabba-wocky

    Jabba-wocky Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 4, 2003
    I never actually was enamored with Firefly. Of the two, I much prefer this program.

    And yes, that guy's whole plot.
     
    Alpha-Red likes this.
  4. Lord Vivec

    Lord Vivec Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Apr 17, 2006
    What about The Expanse?
     
  5. Jabba-wocky

    Jabba-wocky Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 4, 2003
    The Expanse is just about a bunch of Republicans in space. Everyone is mean to one another and no one acts honorable at all. It doesn't make me uncomfortable like some other programs but there is very little that is pleasant about it at all.

    They should have some moral characters like Single Mom. That goes for both shows.
     
  6. Alpha-Red

    Alpha-Red Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 25, 2004
    Ugh...I fell behind because I couldn't figure out how to get the episodes to play on the Syfy website (turns out it only runs on Microsoft Edge...) and now the episodes I need to see have been taken down.
     
  7. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001
    And cancelled. Clearly Wocky's fault.
     
  8. Jabba-wocky

    Jabba-wocky Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 4, 2003
    Maybe if they had kept the robot as an honorable character as originally intended.
     
  9. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 1998
    I haven't seen any of Season 3. How many episodes did they make?
     
  10. Jabba-wocky

    Jabba-wocky Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 4, 2003
    It's a full season. I actually thought it was decently interesting, too.
     
  11. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Right, can anyone tell me why a commercial operator, which Syfy supposed to be, keeps cancelling shows, with the story incomplete? As this just keeps undermining the appeal for anyone to get the DVDs.

    Tie up the story, conclude it well and you can keep selling it again and again.

    No conclusion? No one's going to care you stupid bastards.
     
  12. Alpha-Red

    Alpha-Red Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 25, 2004
    What. Canceled? I still haven't finished the third episode.
     
  13. Healer_Leona

    Healer_Leona Squirrel Wrangler of Fun & Games star 9 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2000
    Well damn...
     
    Jedi Ben and soitscometothis like this.
  14. Zeta1127

    Zeta1127 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I have missed a lot of Season 3, I guess I will have to catch the rest of it on Netflix.
     
  15. Jedi Master Scorpio

    Jedi Master Scorpio Star Wars Television star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 24, 2015
    I enjoy the Expanse. Bummed about Dark Matter though. I also enjoyed this show.
     
  16. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 1998
    It never had a chance. It was too much like Firefly.
     
  17. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    [​IMG]

    DAMMIT!

    Well, I still have 7 episodes left on my Tivo, so I can try to make them last. Probably won't though- I really liked this show.
     
  18. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 1998
    I'd bet the hardcore fans are already starting a petition for a two-hour movie to wrap up the loose ends. It worked for Firefly and Farscape, right?
     
  19. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001

    Honestly, I think Space owns half of the show and they definitely don't have the money to do it... it's one of the "Canadian all-star" sci-fi shows...
     
  20. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Mallozzi has gone into some details of the cancellation on his blog while also keeping fans updated on fan campaigns (mostly centered around tweetstorms being organized every friday through @DarkMatterFTL on twitter and this petition which has rapidly exceeded 30k+ signatures) and actual efforts to save the show.

    The short of it is:

    -DM's ratings were pretty good, especially factoring in time delayed viewing. It had only dropped 10% from last season, which is better than the industry average of around 25%.
    -DM wasn't owned by Syfy like Killjoys, so the lack of future streaming revenue, etc worked against its renewal.
    -Mallozzi did pitch a 6 episode wrap-up season as an alternative to Syfy, which was also rejected.
    -The fan reaction has caught the attention of several executives.
    -Mallozzi has been in contact with interested parties.
    -The fourth season will focus on
    the alien invasion and android uprising
    .

    Here are longer excerpts from his blog posts on the subjects (I'll use spoiler tags to make them collapsible)

    As we rolled through Dark Matter’s third season, I was feeling cautiously optimistic about a renewal. Although the ratings had dipped, it wasn’t a huge fall, ultimately less than 10% off last season’s numbers when all was said and done. Compared to the industry average (the last stats I saw pegged the average drop-off at 25%!) I thought we were looking pretty good – especially when you factor in time-delayed viewers (the DVR crowd). Dark Matter was consistently ranked at the top of cable percentage gainers in overall viewers and the key demos. And, perhaps most heartening at the time was the fact that we were nevertheless one of SYFY’s most-watched shows in 2017.
    Working against us was the fact that we weren’t a SYFY original. We were an acquisition. For those not in the know, an original is a series that is developed by the network and, more importantly, owned by the network, allowing them to monetize the show through things like international sales, streaming, etc. The network pays a lot more but presumably reaps the benefits down the line. Ideally. An acquisition, on the other hand, is a show that will cost a network considerably less, but doesn’t offer those alternate revenue streams because there is no ownership stake. Due to the costs of originals, networks may go the acquisition route to round out a programming schedule. Also, at the end of the day, audiences generally don’t base their viewing habits on whether or not a show is an original series or an acquisition. They watch what they like. And the more who watch, the higher the ratings. And the higher the ratings, the more broadcasters can charge advertisers. So, at the end of the day, there are pros and cons, risks and rewards to both approaches.

    Dark Matter was an acquisition and, as such, didn’t have the type of money typical of an original series. As such, we had to run a very tight ship – producing on the page and running a highly efficient production. This way, we made sure that as much of the money we had ended up onscreen:

    So, despite the fact that we were an acquisition, our ratings were holding (and, I pointed out, really delivering in the +3’s and +7’s delayed viewers). From a creative standpoint, we were ending the season in a BIG way: a space battle and an alien invasion. Season 4 would promise to be all about that massive alien armada and the burgeoning android insurrection. Androids and Aliens! I mean, how much more SYFY scifi can you get than that?!

    When we found out we were on the bubble, I offered to fly down to SYFY’s L.A. offices and take them through what we had planned for season 4: “Androids! Aliens! Dr. Shaw! Sarah! Kyrden! Wexler! TWO’s daughter! FIVE’s sister!” They thanked me but informed me that the decision would not be based on the show’s creative, so there was no point in going down to pitch.

    If it wasn’t creative then, by process of elimination, one would assume it was financial. I’d heard that SYFY had invested in a lot of original programming for 2017-2018, and the recent announcement of their supernatural slate would seem to confirm as much. The production reached out to see if there was anything we could do to help on that front but, again, it was a no-go.

    What do? Well, I knew that Earpers had been instrumental in getting a pick up for their show, so I rallied Dark Matter fans to make some noise. And they did in a big way. But still, we remained on the bubble.

    The nature of the show I created and developed over many years wouldn’t allow for a nice, neat wrap up at season’s end. Dark Matter’s narrative was designed as a series of set-ups, developments, and payoffs, with multiple parallel storylines that would eventually cross and converge. Season 1 begins with our crew discovering they are criminals and ends with them being hauled off to prison. Season 2 begins with them inside the Hyperion-8 galactic prison and ends with their failing to head off a corporate war and deny a former ally. Season 3 begins with the crew facing off against that former ally amidst the backdrop of corporate war and ends with the alien invasion. Season 4 will begin with our crew, and humanity’s, response to the alien threat… The fact that I have a five year plan (rather than just making it up as I go along) means I know exactly where the various stories are headed. I know all the answers to all of the questions. And having that foreknowledge allows for a much more satisfying narrative when all of the pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place. It also means that no matter how much I could try to wrap things up in a season finale, many questions would remain unanswered. Still, I figured as a final alternative, I could try my damnedest and offer fans some degree of closure by pitching SYFY a 6-episode miniseries to wrap it up. This, unfortunately, was not an option either.

    We, on the Dark Matter production team, tried our damnedest. And you, the fans, tried your damnedest. We ALL tried our damnedest. And still we were cancelled.

    So, where does that leave us? Besides cancelled of course? Well, as many of you have pointed out, there are other options we could pursue, although finding someone to step in and take SYFY’s place is easier said than done (for reasons I’ll save for another blog entry).

    For now, know that we’re doing everything possible to save the show. It may take weeks before we have our answers but I promise to let you know as soon as I hear anything. In the meantime, do you part by keeping Dark Matter alive.

    Tweet, retweet, post and respond! Let ’em know what they’re missing!
    You ready to do this?


    Since putting it all in perspective for you yesterday, we’ve reached out to several possible new homes for our little series and are presently awaiting word. As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, the odds are long – but the initial conversations have sounded very promising. I also mentioned that these things take time, so I don’t expect definite word for another week, maybe two. But again, as soon as I know something, YOU’LL all know something. I promise.


    A glimmer of hope! I’ve heard that executives at a few of the other broadcast options we are reaching out to have taken note of the huge fan response. The tweets, the comments, even the petitions (https://t.co/5bqcMXdpSI – which, frankly, won’t convince Syfy to change their minds but still serves a great purpose) have caught the attention of the decision makers. However, grabbing their attention is one thing; convincing them is something else. That’s going to take a lot more fan noise – so keep it up, especially during this most crucial week. Let them know how much Dark Matter means to you! See if we can net us another season or two.
    At this point, the biggest thing we’ve got working against us is time. The longer this goes, the more likely we are to lose some of our greatest assets –

    CREW: I’ve often said that Dark Matter owes an enormous debt to the people behind the scenes. Everyone from painters to PA’s, designers to department heads – these incredibly talented individuals are the heart of our show. These are people with families to support who can’t afford to wait and see how things play out. They are, like every one of you, a part of our extended Dark Matter family and I hate the thought of losing any of them.

    CAST: They’re in much the same boat. It’s unfair of us to ask them to wait indefinitely, let other opportunities pass them by, as things drag out.

    SETS: We rent the stages which hold our various sets. The longer they sit idle, the more money is lost and, sooner or later, a decision must be made. The costs of rebuilding would be prohibitive, so once those sets come down, that will in effect be it.

    But, as I said, all is not lost. Moving forward, I’m going to use this blog to keep you apprised of the fan campaigns to save the show and, specifically, the plans of what I will hitherto refer to as The Dark Committee, made up of fans like you who are spearheading these campaigns.


    The odds may be long and time may be short, but people are taking notice. I received a call yesterday from an old friend who has put me in touch with some interested parties. Although a positive development, one of the biggest hurdles we now face is the various pre-existing deals that complicate matters. For example, after ABC cancelled Agent Carter, there was a push for Netflix to pick it up, but one of the reasons they ultimately didn’t was because of the pre-existing deals:
    “Netflix also tries to own and distribute its titles worldwide, releasing seasons globally and simultaneously, and the structure of Marvel’s existing international deals for Agent Carter made that tricky. “They also have some output deal complexities,” he adds. “So when you pick it up, being able to pick it up globally is difficult even after it’s canceled.

    Some of those output partners still had it on the air, so they would argue its covered by their output [deals]. Unfortunately, it was a business decision more than a creative one.”

    Dark Matter’s is as a somewhat different scenario, yet no less tricky. But it’s still not going to stop us from trying to make this work! So at your battle stations!
     
  21. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    They cancelled it?! Philistines! Like somebody else already said, just like Firefly - They cancelled it before it had a chance to suck. But at least it managed to last a little longer.
     
    Sarge likes this.
  22. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 1998
    At times like this, I remind myself that there are worse things than cancellation for good shows. Ever watch Andromeda? That was a pretty good show and getting better, then they fired the head writer halfway through season 2 and the shark-jumping began. They dragged it out for 5 seasons, and by the end it was practically unwatchable.
     
  23. jabberwalkie

    jabberwalkie Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2014
    This was absolutely nothing like Firefly, which really wasn't given a chance. The network (I believe it was cooperatively produced between SPACE and Syfy) actually wanted it and showed it in proper order. Fox didn't want Firefly and pretty much made sure it was never given a fair shake. Dark Matter didn't help itself when rather than push a narrative and do stuff with characters, you had some characters around for a couple of episodes then they leave or kill them off. This season lost my interest when it felt like it was written by someone that couldn't keep a coherent thought from episode to episode, so we got a bunch of new story lines introduced when the main narrative of the crew and/or Ishida stagnated. I understand wanting to have complex and integrated stories, but I can't say that was really accomplished in Dark Matter. That's just my two cents on it from my end as a viewer, so YMMV.
    Oh man, the final season was unbearable. IIRC the production was halved the final season, which is why they pretty much ended up where they did for the entire season.... Then the finale was just everything rushed together. I actually decided to go back and finish out the final season....

    ******* awful.
     
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  24. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 1998
    Yeah, I only saw parts of a couple of the 5th season episodes, and never even cared enough to watch the series finale. And I love the first season and a half.
     
  25. jabberwalkie

    jabberwalkie Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2014
    Save yourself the time and read a summary. You'll be happier.