# Please, mommy! Make them stop!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 7, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469 "2010-08-07T00:53:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/1 "2010-08-07T00:53:15Z")
This Saturday at 9pm:
_ **Frost Giant** _
What is ScyFy doing to us? Are they trying to achieve an Ed Wood status, or do they really think their viewers like this stuff? What’s next, wrestling?
Do you know how many 3-star movies I rented from Netflix actually turned out to be ScyFy crapfests? It’s annoying.
Oh, to have a real Science Fiction network…
Thank you all for listening.
---
### Author:  [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/2 "2010-08-07T01:02:31Z")
And what’s with the recycled actors from other Scyfy series (defunct and not)?
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/3 "2010-08-07T01:08:11Z")
There are a few gems, most notably _Eureka_ . . . but overall, sometimes I think 24-hour _Lost in Space_ reruns would be an improvement.
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### Author:  [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/4 "2010-08-07T05:58:29Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#):
>
> There are a few gems, most notably _Eureka_ . . . but overall, sometimes I think 24-hour _Lost in Space_ reruns would be an improvement.
I don’t think I could stand that movie for 24 hours.
(I know you meant the series)
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/5 "2010-08-07T13:43:18Z")
Sometimes these movies have slight highbrow pretensions-like the one I caught a few scenes of the other night-involved a cursed Christian artifact and a demon which was connected to it…somehow. Ended up being terribly boring vs. terribly cheesy (well the demon’s CGI was total crap at least).
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/6 "2010-08-07T14:52:40Z")
I’ve never understood sci fi channel. There are so many great films from the 40’s, 50’s etc. that never seem to air. I much rather see a 1950’s B film than the garbage I see sci fi running. The new stuff is all gore and violence. They forgot the best sci fi uses suspense.
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### Author:  [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/7 "2010-08-07T15:26:29Z")
> [@dmatsch](#):
>
> This Saturday at 9pm:
>
> _ **Frost Giant** _
>
> What is ScyFy doing to us? Are they trying to achieve an Ed Wood status, or do they really think their viewers like this stuff? What’s next, wrestling?
>
> Do you know how many 3-star movies I rented from Netflix actually turned out to be ScyFy crapfests? It’s annoying.
>
> Oh, to have a real Science Fiction network…
>
> Thank you all for listening.
I’d prefer a station which aspired to Ed Wood status. What Ed lacked in professionalism, he made up for in SOUL!
---
### Author:  [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/8 "2010-08-07T15:29:42Z")
I agree that Syfy (and what an abomination that name is) is a bit hit or miss. The hits are fairly solid, and the misses are … misses.
I’ve only started watching \*Eureka \*this season, and I like it a lot. I also like \*Haven \*and _Warehouse 13_. Those count as hits for me.
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### Author:  [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/9 "2010-08-07T16:01:48Z")
I’m not talking about the series there. With the exception of the aforementioned wrestling and that idiotic Ghost Hunters. Those are just pandering to the zombies.
I’m talking about the crappy CGI/acting/directing/editing/producing Saturday night movies they run. Like mentioned above, some seem like a good premise that might be worth a shot, but always end up two hours wasted.
What, does some one at SF have an old, beat up copy of the Monster Manual and picks one at random for this week’s offering?
Before SyFy got big and was a fledgling SciFi, they used to show all kinds of old TV series, sometimes every day for a week or so until the episodes were all shown. UFO, Buck (Wilma!), the original Outer Limits, etc. And they used to show crappy movies, but they were crappy movies that made it to the Theater! Hammer films, Full Moon Entertainment, the early Lions Gate.
…and the Wrestling. I hate pro wrestling so much, I watch it religiously on a Science Fiction channel once per week just to prove to myself how stupid it is.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/10 "2010-08-07T16:31:51Z")
Well, I have _UFO_ and _Lost In Space_ and _Space: 1999_, and _Thunderbirds_ and _Stingray_ on DVD, so I don’t need SyPhie. (That can be treated with penicillin, right?)
I’ve got an Aaton super-16, plenty of lights, DAT deck, and grip equipment. I say we get together, get one of the LawDopers to find a few hundred thou of funding, and make our own movie. It’s bound to be better than anything that channel can produce.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/11 "2010-08-07T16:49:20Z")
The biggest problem is that TPTB don’t care. Not one little bit. They send out mouthpieces to try to spin things, but lately they have stopped doing even that. They figure that as long as they have hits like _Eureka_ and _Warehouse 13_, they can fill the rest of the week with dreck and they’ll still make a profit. The change seems to have come at the same time the network became part of NBC Universal.
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/12 "2010-08-07T17:01:05Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> Well, I have _UFO_ and _Lost In Space_ and _Space: 1999_, and _Thunderbirds_ and _Stingray_ on DVD, so I don’t need SyPhie. (That can be treated with penicillin, right?)
>
> I’ve got an Aaton super-16, plenty of lights, DAT deck, and grip equipment. I say we get together, get one of the LawDopers to find a few hundred thou of funding, and make our own movie. It’s bound to be better than anything that channel can produce.
There are so freaking many GOOD SF books that have never been made into a movie, that would be fantastically easy [especially with the current ability with CGI]
I would be willing to bet that if one had around 100 mil as a budget, you could crank out 10 good movies for the SF channel from books - keeping close to the book that would be great. I always wanted to make [Who’s Afraid of Beowolf](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_Afraid_of_Beowulf%3F) … [Wasp](Wasp by Eric Frank Russell) would also be interesting, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress would make a great miniseries.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/13 "2010-08-07T17:04:18Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> They figure that as long as they have hits like _Eureka_ and _Warehouse 13_, they can fill the rest of the week with dreck and they’ll still make a profit.
Never heard of 'em.
See, the absolute crap they’ve been showing for the past several years have made me stop watching the channel. I don’t even check the listings for the possibility that there might be something good on.
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### Author:  [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/14 "2010-08-07T17:07:52Z")
Kill TV - read books. This solution has worked for me. 🙂
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/15 "2010-08-07T18:50:17Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> > [@silenus](#):
> >
> > They figure that as long as they have hits like _Eureka_ and _Warehouse 13_, they can fill the rest of the week with dreck and they’ll still make a profit.
>
> Never heard of 'em.
>
> See, the absolute crap they’ve been showing for the past several years have made me stop watching the channel. I don’t even check the listings for the possibility that there might be something good on.
Check out Season 1 of both series on DVD. They are quite funny, and quite good.
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### Author:  [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/16 "2010-08-07T21:32:45Z")
SyFy has figured out that there are people out there who will watch anything labeled as “sci-fi”… no matter _how_ bad it is.
These are probably the same people who will automatically go to really crappy sci-fi and comic book movies, like _Man-Thing_, thereby guaranteeing enough box office on opening that further movies like that will be made.
While these people continue to watch SyFy, then crappy stuff like “Mansquito” or whatever will continue to get made. With the state of the CGI they’re using, and the Q-List actors, these movies are essentially free. But still draw in that guaranteed demographic for the ads. Why _wouldn’t_ SyFy keep making them? – it’s a perfect setup!
Note: if you find yourself watching these SyFy movies, then you’re That Guy.
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### Author:  [@Kylede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kylede)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/17 "2010-08-07T21:38:47Z")
Yeah the movie are bad
but here is the catch…they are played weekend daytime and saturday evenings…
Oddly enough these get respectable ratings for a cable network for those time slots.
A network is there to make money…if it makes them money , why stop
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### Author:  [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/18 "2010-08-07T23:12:51Z")
Yeah, the sci-fi channel is crap now. So is the history channel and even Animal Planet sucks big time now.
I think Turner Classic Movies is the only cable channel beside the sports ones to keep true to the original ideal.
Yeah, TV mostly blows these days. Better to read.
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### Author:  [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/19 "2010-08-07T23:30:14Z")
> [@dmatsch](#):
>
> What, does some one at SF have an old, beat up copy of the Monster Manual and picks one at random for this week’s offering?
_Night of the Flumph_
_Demon, Type IV_
_Land of the Lamia_
_Rust Monsters vs. Detroit_
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-mommy-make-them-stop/549469/20 "2010-08-08T21:55:07Z")
Travel channel shows mostly shows about food but I guess most Americans are too fat to travel so that makes sense.
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