| FARSCAPE. AWARD WINNING, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED. CANCELLED. |
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Farscape: It Won't Go Down Without a Fight September 25, 2002 Producer David Kemper
announced during a chat last week that there may yet be hope that the cable network could renew the
science fiction series. The conditions were steep – the series needs to average a 2.0 rating during the broadcast
of the final 11 episodes which begin in January. During a radio interview
on the program Interstellar Transmissions last week, Kemper talked about the reactions of the network
in light of the fan crusade to save the series. "I
said to Sci-Fi, 'Put us back on in re-runs at ten o'clock. There'll be so much buzz that new people
are going to tune-in and get hooked on the show.' They're gonna tune-in and say, 'What's this fuss
about?'" Kemper told the audience. "They (Sci-Fi
Channel) said, 'Well the repeats of Stargate are getting higher ratings than the repeats that you
would get at ten.' And I said, 'But you don't want to be the all Stargate network. Here's an
opportunity to have new people sample our show, so even if for the next four weeks our rating and
re-runs are down a bit compared to what Stargate will get you, you might be getting new fans who'll
stay with your whole network, which aggregately over time, is a benefit.' And there was a bit of
deafness there." While speaking to the fans
of the series during an online chat last week, Kemper remained upbeat despite the destruction of the
sets and seemingly final decision by the network. "...sets
can be rebuilt. We've photographed them and have all the
blueprints. No biggie." During that chat, Kemper
advised the fans to focus their efforts on the broadcast of the final 11 episodes of the fourth
season, which would send a strong message to the network and, without stating it emphatically,
indicated that the magical 2.0 rating would be very likely to get the series a fifth season. Kemper emphasized why the fifth season was so important. "The unwritten 22
episodes of (Farscape) are the best because they are THE END OF THE DAMN STORY. It's why we've all
worked and watched so hard. To see the end." A 2.0 rating would make
Farscape the highest rated series ever on the Sci-Fi Channel, beating out the 1.8 rating by Stargate:
SG-1 earlier this year. When asked about whether or not the network would consider renewing the series if it
achieved this rating, a representative of the network responded with a "No comment." But others in the television community agreed that it might
sway the network. "If any program
suddenly got the highest rating our network had ever gotten for a first run series, renewing it would
have to be something to think about," one television programming executive told IGN FilmForce. "It wouldn't make sense not to. But that 2.0 may be harder to get than the fans think." Possibilities of the
series going to another network are getting slimmer. Broadcast
network UPN confirmed this week to TV Guide that the network had no interest in picking up the series. A representative from the network told IGN FilmForce last week
that the cost of purchasing the rights to the series may have been a factor in the final decision. The world of Farscape may
not be ending even if the series goes out of production. ADV
Films, the distributors of the DVD releases, have been informing the media that they will be starting
a promotional push for 22 episodes of a Farscape anime series. There
has also been talk of a film and other possible marketing tie-ins. |