History Creator / SciFiChannel

Creator/{{Syfy}}]]

[[redirect:Creator/{{Syfy}}]]

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scifi_orginal_300w_748.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:"Imagine Greater"]]

The Sci-Fi Channel (or "Sci Fi", as it would later be called) is a channel owned by Creator/{{NBC}}/Creator/{{Universal}}. It available in the United States, the UnitedKingdom, Germany, France and a dozen or so other countries.

Founded in 1992 the network's remit is to air various kinds of SpeculativeFiction, from science/fantasy and paranormal to their own produced movies and shows. Their original series tend to be {{Cult Classic}}s, and the network has a history of salvaging cancelled shows from other networks and renewing them. Unfortunately, they also have a history of [[ScrewedByTheNetwork canceling their own cult classic shows prematurely]].

Today, the network has expanded to include even more fantasy-based programming. [[NetworkDecay Such programming has included]] [[{{Anime}} Japanese animation]], action movies, crime dramas, reality shows and, at one point, ProfessionalWrestling from Wrestling/{{WWE}} (which, naturally, caused a '''heavy''' fan backlash).

They were also the American broadcaster of ''Series/DoctorWho'' and had gotten a lot of flack for cutting out 4 or 5 minutes from every episode to jam more commercials in. [[note]][[Creator/TheBBC BBC America]], which [[http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/05/28/goodbye-sy-fy-doctor-who-on-bbca/ became current home of the series in May 2009]] (after being a repeat broadcaster of the Sci Fi episodes), does not, or does so to a lesser extent.[[/note]] They also got the same flack from anime fans for doing the same thing to the anime they air. [[note]]This was particularly bad with ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', as every single episode's [[TheStinger post-credits scene]] was cut, despite several of them being essential for the story to make any sense at all.[[/note]] Said anime was aired under a programming block called ''Ani-Monday'', which was hailed with much fanfare when it premiered in the summer of 2007. But after a few scheduling hops to Tuesdays and Thursdays, and abandoning the "Ani-Monday" moniker with no replacement title, [[ScrewedByTheNetwork it quietly ended during the summer of 2012]].

The channel changed its name to '''Syfy''' in 2009 (in the US, the UK and France (see BiteTheWaxTadpole below)). As said executive Tim Brooks: “The name Sci-Fi has been associated with [[TakeThatAudience geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that]], as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular." Sci Fi Channel president David Howe added, "It gives us a unique word[[note]]Which is trademarkable and does improve Google searches[[/note]] and it gives us the opportunities to imbue it with the values and the perception that we want it to have." Unsurprisingly, the renaming was almost universally ridiculed, especially since "Syfy" is pronounced exactly the same as "Sci Fi", the term the executives think has such negative connotations. Some mockingly suggested that they should've renamed it "Skiffy"...which was what critics already called the channel. Fans continue to state that the real reason they changed it was so they could simply [[MoneyDearBoy get copyright royalties from a word no one else uses.]] Said fans have also taken to calling the channel "Syphilis" (see BiteTheWaxTadpole below).

Along with the new name, the NetworkDecay which has been slowly developing for a decade became more prevalent in TheNewTens. However, [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/syfys-plan-more-space-operas-687454 comments from the network president, David Howe, about the channel's state in 2014]], along with [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/syfy-returns-event-series-orders-688419 plans for more sci-fi programming]] has heralded good fortune for the channel's fans. In recent years, actual sci-fi programming has made a resurgence, thanks to shows like ''Series/{{Defiance}}'' and ''Series/TwelveMonkeys'', while non-fantasy shows have been downplayed. Only time will tell whether or not things stay like that.
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!!This network contains examples of:

* {{Anime}}: The channel aired Japanese animation beginning in TheNineties, with notable shows and movies including ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'', ''Manga/{{Appleseed}}'', ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' (with the Creator/StreamlinePictures dub), ''Anime/ProjectAKo'', ''[[Anime/EighthMan 8th Man After]]'', and ''[[Anime/{{Gigantor}} The New Adventures of Gigantor]]''. Eventually, such programming was phased out.
* ArmiesAreEvil: All "Syfy Original Movies" set in anything even close to the modern era will feature the American military in an antagonistic role, no matter how much shoehorning is necessary to do so.
* BiteTheWaxTadpole: The reason why the Polish channel will not be renamed--nobody wants to watch a channel called "syphilis."
** Specifically, "syf" approximately translates to "filth/dirt", and is used as slang for syphilis. The additional 'y' at the end is the correct construction to make the "syf" word plural. Reasonable translations from Polish to English for "syfy" would include "filthy things" and "syphilitics". The plural word, "syfy", is most commonly used as a slang for "pimples."
** In the US, most of the former fans of the network pronounce the new name "Siffy", a slang/shortened term for a syphilitic.
* MarathonRunning: Back in its early days, and even today, the channel has aired movie marathons. ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' movies, Creator/RayHarryhausen movies, and Fantasy-themed and Horror-themed movies are just a few examples.
* NetworkDecay: Currently considered to be in "{{NetworkDecay/Slipped}}" status as a result of a new batch of sci-fi shows. With the network president's comments as stated above, there's hope the network may eventually [[NetworkDecay/TemporaryShifts fully turn to its roots]].
* ThreateningShark: They've shown various shark movies ever since the channel's early days, but ''Film/{{Sharknado}}'' becoming an unexpected smash hit resulted in a massive surge in both shark movie marathons and the commissioning of new shark movies.
* XtremeKoolLetterz

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Sci Fi produced original films vary greatly in quality, from fan favourites like the ''Firestarter'' films and adaptations of lesser known comic books like ''ComicBook/PainkillerJane'' to the more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_movie#C_movie C grade]] {{disaster movie}}s and AttackOfTheKillerWhatever movies. The label funds many film developments - directors and producers go to Sci Fi for funding for SpeculativeFiction works where they would have trouble gaining network attention. Sci Fi movies are made with a budget of only 1 or 2 million dollars making their development surprisingly profitable. Unsurprisingly, these movies are very divisive.

See SyFyChannelOriginalMovie for more.

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!!List of Sci Fi Channel Series:
[[index]]
* ''Series/{{Alice 2009}}''
* ''Series/{{Alphas}}''
* ''Series/{{Andromeda}}''
* ''Series/AscensionMiniseries''
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''
* ''Series/BeingHumanUS''
* ''Series/BionicWoman'' (the 2007 remake)
* ''Series/{{Bitten}}''
* ''Series/BlackScorpion''
* ''Series/{{Caprica}}''
* ''[[Series/ChaseGameShow Cha$e]]''
* ''Series/ChildhoodsEnd''
* ''Series/TheChronicle''
* ''Series/{{Continuum}}''
* ''Series/DarkMatter''
* ''Series/{{Defiance}}''
* ''Series/DestinationTruth''
* ''{{Series/Dominion}}''
* ''DreamMachines'' Syfy's answer to ''American Chopper''
* ''Series/TheDresdenFiles''
* ''Series/{{Dune}}
** ''Series/ChildrenOfDune''
* ''Series/{{Earthsea}}''
* ''Wrestling/{{ECW}}'' (WWE version)
* ''Series/EstateOfPanic''
* ''Series/{{Eureka}}''
* ''Series/{{Exit}}''
* ''Series/TheExpanse''
* ''Series/{{Exposure}}''
* ''Series/{{Face Off}}'' (reality series not related to the [[Film/FaceOff film]])
* ''FactOrFakedParanormalFiles''
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}''
* ''Series/FirstWave''
* ''Series/FiveDaysToMidnight''
* ''Series/FlashGordon'' (2007 series)
* ''FTLNewsfeed''
* ''GhostHunters'' / ''Ghost Hunters International''
* ''Series/GoodVsEvil''
* ''Series/HauntedCollector''
* ''Series/{{Haven}}''
* ''Series/{{Helix}}''
* ''HollywoodTreasure''
* ''Series/InvasionEarth'' (with Creator/TheBBC)
* ''Series/TheInvisibleMan''
* ''Series/{{Killjoys}}''
* ''Series/{{Krypton}}'', a {{prequel}} to ''Film/ManOfSteel''
* ''LegendQuest''
* ''Series/LostGirl''
* ''Series/TheLostRoom''
* ''MadMadHouse''
* ''Series/TheMagicians2016''
* ''MarcelsQuantumKitchen''
* Anime/MarvelAnime (in Australia)
** ''Anime/{{Blade}}''
** ''Anime/IronMan''
** ''Anime/{{Wolverine}}''
** ''Anime/XMen''
* ''WebVideo/TheMercuryMen'' (web serial)
* ''MissionGenesis''
* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''
* ''Series/{{Neverland}}''
* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963''
* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995''
* ''WesternAnimation/OuterSpaceAstronauts''
* ''Series/PainkillerJane''
* ''Series/PoltergeistTheLegacy''
* ''Series/ProofPositive''
* ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}''
* ''Series/ScareTactics''
* ''The Sci Fi Series Collection'': Umbrella title for a slot in which '''very''' short lived series like ''[[ShortRunners Otherworld, Logan's Run, The Immortal, Probe, and Future Cop]]'' were run, with commentary by the creators/stars of said series.
* ''Series/TheSecretAdventuresOfJulesVerne''
* ''{{Sightings}}''
* ''Series/{{Sliders}}''
* ''Series/StargateSG1''
** ''Series/StargateAtlantis''
** ''Series/StargateUniverse''
* ''Series/{{Taken}}''
* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''
* ''Series/{{Timecop}}''
* ''Series/TinMan''
* ''Series/TotalBlackout''
* ''Series/{{Treasure Island|2012}}''
* ''Series/{{Tremors}}''
* ''WesternAnimation/TrippingTheRift''
* ''Series/TwelveMonkeys''
* ''WelcomeToParadox''
* ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}''
* ''WCG Ultimate Gamer''
* ''Series/WhoWantsToBeASuperhero''
* ''Wrestling/{{WWE NXT}}''
* ''Wrestling/WWESmackDown''
* ''Series/WynonnaEarp''
* ''Series/ZNation''
[[/index]]
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They were also the American broadcaster of ''Series/DoctorWho'' and had gotten a lot of flack for cutting out 4 or 5 minutes from every episode to jam more commercials in. [[note]][[Creator/TheBBC BBC America]], which [[http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/05/28/goodbye-sy-fy-doctor-who-on-bbca/ became current home of the series in May 2009]] (after being a repeat broadcaster of the SciFi episodes), does not, or does so to a lesser extent.[[/note]] They also got the same flack from anime fans for doing the same thing to the anime they air. [[note]]This was particularly bad with ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', as every single episode's [[TheStinger post-credits scene]] was cut, despite several of them being essential for the story to make any sense at all.[[/note]] Said anime was aired under a programming block called ''Ani-Monday'', which was hailed with much fanfare when it premiered in the summer of 2007. But after a few scheduling hops to Tuesdays and Thursdays, and abandoning the "Ani-Monday" moniker with no replacement title, [[ScrewedByTheNetwork it quietly ended during the summer of 2012]].

Along with the new name, the NetworkDecay which has been slowly developing for a decade became more prevalent in TheNewTens. However, [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/syfys-plan-more-space-operas-687454 comments from the network president, David Howe, about the channel's state in 2014]], along with [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/syfy-returns-event-series-orders-688419 plans for more SciFi programming]] has heralded good fortune for the channel's fans. In recent years, actual SciFi programming has made a resurgence, thanks to shows like ''Series/{{Defiance}}'' and ''Series/TwelveMonkeys'', while non-fantasy shows have been downplayed. Only time will tell whether or not things stay like that.

* ''TheSciFiSeriesCollection'': Umbrella title for a slot in which '''very''' short lived series like ''[[ShortRunners Otherworld, Logan's Run, The Immortal, Probe, and Future Cop]]'' were run, with commentary by the creators/stars of said series.

The Sci Fi Channel is a channel owned by Creator/{{NBC}}/Creator/{{Universal}}. It airs in the United States, the UnitedKingdom, Germany, France and a dozen or so other countries.

Founded in 1992 the network's remit is to air various kinds of SpeculativeFiction, from science/fantasy and paranormal to their own produced movies and shows.

Since then the network has expanded to show [[{{Anime}} Japanese animation]] and ProfessionalWrestling (which caused a heavy fan backlash due to the [[NetworkDecay non Sci Fi nature]] of the Wrestling/{{WWE}}[[Wrestling/{{ECW}} CW]] show).

Sci Fi's original series tend to be {{Cult Classic}}s, and the network has a history of salvaging cancelled shows from other networks and renewing them. Unfortunately, they also have a history of [[ScrewedByTheNetwork canceling their own cult classic shows prematurely]].

They were the American broadcaster of ''Series/DoctorWho'' and had gotten a lot of flack for cutting out 4 or 5 minutes from every episode to jam more commercials in. [[Creator/TheBBC BBC America]], which [[http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/05/28/goodbye-sy-fy-doctor-who-on-bbca/ became current home of the series in May 2009]] (after being a repeat broadcaster of the SciFi episodes), does not, or does so to a lesser extent. They now get the same flack from anime fans for doing this to the anime series they air. This was particularly bad with ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', as every single episode's [[TheStinger post-credits scene]] was cut, despite several of them being essential for the story to make any sense at all. Said anime was aired under a programming block called ''Ani-Monday'' which was hailed with much fanfare when it premiered in the summer of 2007 but quietly ended (after a few scheduling hops to Tuesdays then Thursdays abandoning the "Ani-Monday" moniker with no replacement title) during the summer of 2012.

The channel was renamed '''Syfy''' in 2009 in the US, the UK and France (see BiteTheWaxTadpole below). As said executive Tim Brooks: “The name Sci Fi has been associated with [[TakeThatAudience geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that]], as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular." Sci Fi Channel president David Howe added, "It gives us a unique word[[note]]Which is trademarkable and does improve Google searches[[/note]] and it gives us the opportunities to imbue it with the values and the perception that we want it to have." Unsurprisingly, the renaming was almost universally ridiculed, especially since "Syfy" is pronounced exactly the same as "Sci Fi", the term the executives think has such negative connotations. Some mockingly suggested that they should've renamed it "Skiffy"...which was what critics already called the channel. Fans continue to state that the real reason they changed it was so they could simply [[MoneyDearBoy get copyright royalties from a word no one else uses.]] They've also taken to calling it "Syphilis" (see BiteTheWaxTadpole below).

Along with the new name, the NetworkDecay which has been slowly developing for a decade is becoming more prevalent in TheNewTens, with more and more SciFi programs being phased out for more reality shows. However, [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/syfys-plan-more-space-operas-687454 comments from the network president, David Howe, about the channel's decay]] and [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/syfy-returns-event-series-orders-688419 plans for more actual Sci Fi programming]] indicate that the channel could have a bright and better future.

* {{Anime}}: The channel aired Japanese animation beginning in TheNineties, with notable shows and movies including ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'', ''Manga/{{Appleseed}}'', ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' (with the Creator/StreamlinePictures dub), ''Anime/ProjectAKo'', ''[[Anime/EighthMan 8th Man After]]'', and ''[[Anime/{{Gigantor}} The New Adventures of Gigantor]]''. Eventually, the programming was phased out, but was brought back in 2007 with the channel's new Ani-Monday block. Unfortunately, as a side effect of the channel's descent into Network Decay, the block was moved to Tuesdays, and then to Thursdays (both times without changing the name), before it was eventually removed from the network completely.

* MarathonRunning: Back in its early days, the channel would air movie marathons, with ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' movies, Creator/RayHarryhausen movies, and Fantasy-themed and Horror-themed movies being a few examples.
* NetworkDecay: Currently considered to be in "{{NetworkDecay/Slipped}}" status as a result of a new batch of sci-fi shows (which are nonetheless outnumbered by the non sci-fi programming), and with the network president's comments as stated above, the network may eventually [[NetworkDecay/TemporaryShifts fully turn to its roots]].

* ''WCGUltimateGamer''

* ''Literature/TreasureIsland''

* ''ProofPositive''

* ''Series/TheMagicians''

* ''Anime/IronMan'' (in Australia)