Sci-Fi Storm

The SCI FI Channel has announced the end of Stargate SG-1. Right on the heels of a record-breaking 10th season and the 200th episode, SCI FI says they will not renew the show for an eleventh season – but Stargate Atlantis will continue. Hmmmm…perhaps the end of “200” could provide a clue as to what’s next… 🙂 Update: To clarify, SG-1 is currently only in the first half of its 10th season. There is still a second half to air in the new year (I hear March instead of January though). Also, Gateworld reports that producer Robert C. Cooper has said they are looking for it to go on in some way – fueling speculation at several levels, but making the feature film seem more likely.

Apparently, the BBC actually commissioned and budgeted a spinoff series of Doctor Who to start Billie Piper, called Rose Tyler: Earth Defence – but writer/producer Russell T. Davies scuttled the idea. Torchwood, the previously announced spinoff starring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, is still moving forward and should air this fall on BBC3.

Variety (via SCI FI Wire) is reporting that NBC has picked up a new SF series which doesn’t even have a title yet, created by Kevin Falls (The West Wing). The premise: “The story revolves around a man who travels back in time to correct wrongs, with a romantic storyline as well.” OK, aside from a more obvious romantic thread, it sounds a bit like Quantum Leap to me…

I really should have posted this at least yesterday, but for various (non-technical) reasons couldn’t. But if you didn’t see last night’s episode of Stargate SG-1, “200”, catch it next time its on (Aug. 25th at 6pm ET). There is also a “Sci-Fi Inside” special on before it. “200” picks up where “Wormhole X-treme” (the 100th episode) left off, with Wormhole X-treme becoming a feature film, and Martin (Willie Garson) wants SG-1 to help. In the process, they make fun of a number of other shows (including a certain show a couple of the current stars appeared on), Richard Dean Anderson’s absence, and even themselves. And the production of WXT even mimics the show itself…they even replaced the lead actor. I was laughing out loud.

Fans in the U.S. rejoice! The SCI FI Channel has finally announced it will air the second series of the new Doctor Who starting September 29th starting with a two-hour special that includes “The Christmas Invasion”, which introduces the newest Doctor, David Tennant. Beware of Cybermen…

This year’s Christmas Special, “The Runaway Bride”, is in the can, and filming has begun on the third new Doctor Who series. As previously mentioned, Freyma Agyeman is joining full time as medical student Martha Jones. No word if any other classic bad guys will return, but we will see William Shakespeare, and travel to New York circa 1930…

20th Century Fox Television and UHD have announced that the short-lived but well-loved series Firefly has been remastered from the original prints into 1080i high-definition, and will debut on Sept. 24th on the UHD channel.

The SCI FI Channel has announced a deal with CBS Paramount for rights to a number of properties, including Star Trek: Enterprise, Haunted, Jake 2.0, Threshold, and a number of other series, miniseries, and made for TV movies.

The SCI FI Channel’s “broadband channel” site SCI FI Pulse is now offering original webisodes of its new series Eureka, with its own plot line. Read More for the press release.

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Superman Returns honcho Bryan Singer will develop three series for ABC, with at least one guaranteed to be given a pilot. Unusual in the deal is that there is nothing tying him to a specific studio – he can get writers from anywhere. One wonders how much deeper the Logan’s Run remake is in the pile now…