SciFi Becomes Syfy In July
Uh, say what now?
“SciFi Channel will change its name to Syfy Channel on July 7th, when it launches the new series Warehouse 13, according to TV Week. The network believes that the new name more accurately reflects content on the channel, which is broader than traditional science fiction. Warehouse 13, about a secret government facility where mysterious relics are stored, exemplifies this broader content. The new name may make it easier to attract audiences not traditionally attracted to science fiction, particularly female viewers.”
The above is from an announcement on icv2.com.
What’choo talkin’ ’bout SciFi Channel president, Dave Howe?
I am baffled by the announcement. I actually checked to see whether there was any indication of it being an April Fool’s gag. SciFi isn’t a great name, but it makes sense when you read it. SyFy, as far as I know, has no kind of recognition visually, but when spoken, it sounds just like “sci-fi”. Okay.
The new motto is “Imagine Greater”. Imagine Greater what? Greater Mongolia? Greater Cleveland?
And “Warehouse 13″ sounds like a real snooze-fest. Most of the SciFi Channel original shows are filmed in a warehouse, so I guess now they are just embracing it. Who saw the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark and thought that they would like to see a show set there? And how does another show filmed in a warehouse–called “Warehouse”–going to attract a new audience? What do I know? Could be the next Battlestar Galactica.
Who saw the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark and thought that they would like to see a show set there?
Are you crazy? That sounds awesome! One week you open up a crate with a time machine in it, then a talking dog, then dracula, then marbles. I mean, seriously, that sounds tremendous!
I could admit that by the time I was done writing “Who saw the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark and thought that they would like to see a show set there?” it had started to sound like a cool idea. Or that I actually remember thinking that I need to see what is in all those boxes as I saw that scene in the theater. But I won’t admit to those things because then I couldn’t be all negative and smarmy about the whole “SyFy” deal.
C’mon, you’ve seen these shows, the only time it won’t take place in a “ready room” or big hangar-looking place, they’ll be transported into a patch of Canadian forest. “Warehouse” indeed.
It’s ridiculous. It’s insulting. Far from gaining new viewers with this move, they are going to alienate the very people that kept them alive this long.
It is very silly.
Yeah I’m sure the 11 people that watched all the giant snake movies they’ve made over the years are going to be right steaming.
Are you telling me you never plunked down in front of the tube for such cheese-fests as Mansquito, or Anonymous Rex, or Supergator? How could you not enjoy the 40-minute showdown in Alien Apocalypse (or was that Alien Lockdown?) that takes place solely in a Canadian lumberyard. Even if you missed those, surely you couldn’t resist checking out Frankenfish?
One reason for the name change is that they could not copyright the logo Sci-Fi, so they had to create their own unique logo. You would not want to rent a film touted as a “Sci-Fi Original” and it not be up to the high standards of the channel. Who wants to see a cheap knock-off of “Spring Break Shark Attack”?