We all know it is very expensive to produce a TV show; sets have to be built, writers and actors to be paid, and advertising to be performed to draw a crowd. Unfortunately it costs a lot more to do a Science Fiction show based in outer space or in the future, because besides the normal sets (which are more extensive in themselves), a lot of computer graphics also come into play and that's where a lot of money ends up being spent.
Even before the economy down slide studios were cutting these shows because of cost. Some prime examples are Dark Angel, Space Above And Beyond, Futurama, and our favorite show all time FIREFLY.
Now unfortunately even shows that have made it two, three, even five years are looking at an end. Battlestar Galactica is in its final season, there are currently no new Star Trek TV series, and though FOX hasn't admitted it just yet, we are probably seeing the final season of The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
The only gleam of hope at the moment for this brand of entertainment is the upcoming Stargate Universe series that will be airing on the SciFi Channel.
The effects of the economy are not only affecting the small screen, but the silver screen as well. As studios look into what should be cut back it's almost a guarantee that space operas are to be dropped, just for the simple fact that they do not produce the same results stupid fart joke movies do.
The much anticipated Halo movie has already become one such casualty in this time of economic crisis, and thus lays the foundation of many other movies to be shelved.
But we can always hope for a huge economic surge towards the better, one that will allow studios to go ahead with plans to make those shelved movies, someday we may yet get our Halo, along with others like Gears of War, Robotech, or any other space opera our minds can imagine.
And here's hoping. -GJ
