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A source confirmed to Matt Mitovich at Fancast over the weekend that Caprica definitely didn't get renewed in August:
With the ‘Caprica’ actors’ contracts expiring, executive producer David Eick said we’d hear a decision on Season 2 by August 15. It’s now almost September. Is the show canceled? – Pete
That deadline came and went, yes, but a source very close to Syfy’s ‘Caprica’ told me during Emmys weekend that NBC Universal worked out an “extension” that bought them until November to make a call on a pick-up. So hold out hope, Pete.
Of course, all this really means is that the actors' contracts have expired, that the show definitely didn't get picked up for a second season, and we won't be hearing anything else on the matter before the DVDs go on sale (October). A bizarre situation for a show like this one, really, to have its fate sealed after only nine aired episodes, whether we hear about the decision tomorrow or in November.
So as of August 31, 2010, this is it: One season. 18 episodes. Three years to air them. Three separate DVD releases. You'd think anything short of a season two order would be pushing the boundaries on shameless. And yet here we are.
Granted, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this "extension" is real and not just more BS from the network. But if there really is any hope at all for this show, Syfy's PR people are sure as hell doing a disastrous job selling it.
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UPDATE: Okay, the contract extension has been confirmed by Alessandra Torresani.
And, since Matt Mitovich is (rightfully) protesting the spin I put on his source's words both on Twitter and in the comments, just a quick explanation why I'm not changing the title of this post or taking any of it back: I don't doubt that his source is impervious. I didn't doubt Airlock Alpha's sources either when they said that we'd hear something concrete by the end of June, that the show has been picked up for a shorter second season, and that we'd probably get an announcement at the TCAs. It certainly never occurred to me to doubt David Eick's word when he said we'd hear something by August 15.
And you know what? I'm sure not all of those people were out to deliberately mislead. The sad fact is, as much as their heart may have been in the right place, tomorrow is September 1 and all we have is another frakking deadline. They just don't count for much anymore. Has the show been officially cancelled? Obviously not, that's probably been the most worn out phrase on Twitter in recent months. But has Syfy given us a single shred of hope that there is a second season on the horizon or any indication that they give a flying frak about Caprica's future beyond protecting those DVD sales? No. All they said via official sources is that season 1.5 is getting pushed back to January and that the DVD will be out in October.
Bottom line, the only real bit of news I saw in Mitovich's article is that no, the actors' contracts did not get picked up this month. The contract extension bit was coming from another anonymous source and I blew it off as BS. I am not apologizing for that, I'd do it again in a heartbeat with any anonymous source giving more no-news at this point, impervious or not. I am, however, sorry if this post has upset a few people who were new to this blog and the whole renewal soap. I hope Alessandra's tweet has reassured them that there is still cause for optimism, with the contracts now extended till November and all, and that the soap is not over but will indeed continue for another couple of months at least.
30 comments:
I just want to cry reading your post. Caprica is such an awesome show that really hasn't had a chance to show us all it can do. I'm crossing my fingers that the November thing works out.
I wish a real network like HBO had this series. SyFy has mis-managed Caprica from day one. Why do they have wrestling on their schedule and not Caprica? It's a good show with a great cast and certainly deserves better. What needs to be cancelled is the contracts of those running this "network".
Amen brother
If Caprica doesn't get a second season, those greedy shits at SyFy and NBC deserve to rot! My gods, to not even give this show a chance, especially after everything that's been said only a few months ago! I can't believe the level of sleaze and lies and bullshit they are allowing themselves.
You're a tad late to the party. SyFy have announced that this would come back in January (late I believe) a couple of months ago.
So, I would dump your "source" and stop spreading rumours. Also, follow Craig on Twitter ( @syfy ) because he has answered it in Q&A's repeatedly.
Thanks.
From Alessandra Torresani's Twitter: "To all my Cylons: THIS IS FALSE! It is NOT cancelled, we have just pushed out the contracts a few months! Can't believe words were twisted!" http://www.twitlonger.com/show/3e43q1
If you are going to reference my legit reporting, please don't go out of your way to put some distorted spin on it.
The contract deadline got extended to November, so NBCU/Syfy has more time to consider a renewal.
Matt Webb Mitovich
Executive editor, FANCAST.com
^ Daniel: The episodes that are "coming back" were filmed over six months ago and are part of the first season. The issue at hand is whether or not the show is getting a second one. The actors' contracts just expired and there is no season two in sight. The show may not have been cancelled, but it hasn't been picked up either. They don't ever have to officially cancel it.
This show needs to be renewed, dammit! It's better than BSG in so many ways... Oh, wait, there are no spaceships, so it sucks. And it's intelligent and makes you think versus serving up some banal episodic happy ending with willy nilly pseudo science, so it sucks. David and Ron, farm this to Showtime or HBO and get away from an idiotic network that can't even spell Sci Fi.
Sasha Roiz also said today it wasn't canceled. The executive producers don't seem to be worried either. It'll get renewed. This is just SyFy and their slow pace and their slow bureaucracy at work.
Don't blame Fanshawe for SyFy's bad information politics. It's just the conclusion everyone must come to, who takes a look at what happend at what did NOT happen.
Lots of things were said that didn't happen. So what shall we think? I really want to be optimistic, but that isn't easy in this situation and that's just the same conclusion I came to in the last weeks.
Most importantly @SergeGraystone did stop to twitter. ;-) He stopped at exactly 700 tweets (some of them are lost for some reaseon, though I have seen a round number there a few weeks ago. I'm sure it was exactly 700), which implies, the writer was paid per hundred tweets and he's not paid anymore. This is just one of many signs...
I appreciate the update and cautious skepticism of sources. I've been worried about this since the deadline passed, too.
The problem is that Ron Moore has to get back to rewriting the show. It's not living up to his vision without him; it's not dramatically unique enough and not challenging in terms of political insight and explaining the causes of terrorism. Also, the female characters are snoozeville. Zoe and Lacey were great in the pilot Moore wrote; then they quickly fizzled out. Amanda is painful and boring to watch.
These great actors deserved his full attention. Mr. Moore, if you want to do a drama, then do it! Don't hand over the reins to others. Caprica has been depressingly dull, despite being far better than most shows, including "Lost."
Caprica is ok.. not great but ok.. BSG IS great, and that is why Caprica is ok. On its own..Caprica- not so good. IF they go the route of the old day scenes from BSG Razor, Caprica has hope. However, Syfy is not great and losing more and more. I want ScienceFiction, not "SUPERMONKEY" or "GIANTFISH" cheapo backlot movies. Go back to SCIFI, bring back Firefly, remake BuckRogers or Space1999, or go live action with StarBlazers or Robotech.. or even pay the BSG people to make GALACTICA 2080..something.. please, you guys Killed Flash Gordon!!!! Make SciFi and embrace what you were supposed to be.. Loyal fans means more money, now I'm talking your language right? Cash money.. like oh I dont know.. STAR WARS,STAR TREK, are they really that stupid over there?? I give it 6 more months and I am cancelling extended cable..SCIFI was the only reason we got it.
I'm sure that most of this is to do with creative accounting - which financial year the cost of a new season, a different year for the second batch of season 1. Tax dodging and creative accountnacy. On the other hand, if shuffling budgets from one year to the next gets us a season 2 then I'm all for it!
NBC has a history of canceling shows that provoke thought and require intelligence. Last year they canceled Kings and now Caprica hangs in the balance. I don't hold a lot of hope, but I continue to pray that smarter people start making decisions. I don't think I can take any more "reality" or wife shows.
The sooner someone puts a fork in it, the better IMO, the writing is so horrible. It smacks of the last two seasons of BSG, but worse. Enough with the "hazy philosophizing", random direction, and religious zealotry pretense. It's Lost on steroids. Intelligent? You can't be serious. The parallels with radical Islam are hackneyed. If we can't have compelling drama, please give us back ass-kicking fighter pilots (male or female) and a cause worth getting behind. I've removed it from my DVR schedule and replaced it with "Bored to Death", no pun intended.
I had high hopes, too, but the writing is horrible and they don't know their audience well. Really, did they think BSG fans would buy into this? I keep watching thinking that they'll come ton their senses, but apparently that's just wishful thinking.
WTF! Why are the best shows always cancelled? What’s next? SGU? This is why I have to go to BBC America to see good “SyFy”! They would have cancelled Doctor Who in season one if it was up to those stupid Neilson ratings that are stuck in the 1980′s.
WE DON’T JUST WATCH SHOWS VIA TV ANYMORE MORONS!
ITS BULLSHIT BTW, and if SYFY cancells this show... I WILL NEVER WATCH SYFY AGAIN. I PROMISE, THAT I WILL TALK EVERYBODY I KNOW OUT OF WATCHING ANY PROGRAMMING ON SYFY. SYFY WILL FAIL MISERABLY IF THIS SHOW IS CANCELLED I PROMISE, YOU WATCH.
Well, Siffy has officially cancelled the series, pulled the remaining episodes, and moved them to January 2011. I hated Siffy when they changed the name, but have stuck with the channel because it's really the only one I watch any new shows on, such as SGU, Sanctuary, and even Eureka. They've screwed around with the schedule, and now are cancelling the most ground-breaking, thought provoking series they ever produced. Sorry, but I gotta say it: frakking assholes.... :0(
Is Caprica officially cancelled? Instead SciFi broadcasts pretend wresting for juvenile boys with daddy love issues (i.e., latent homo-erotic). Ooooh! Look at all the big almost naked men with all their body hair shaved off like giant prepubescent boys. Look at them pretending to wrestle! Can't we get wrestling-for-morons moved to the Country channel (CMT) where it belongs? Honestly, the SciFi channel is worthless.
No wonder I can't find a torrent. It [s]is[/s]was the only American TV worth watching:(
And people in the "biz" wonder why piracy is consuming their industry? Well here is another great example of leadership and management that do not hit "HOME" with us the FAN's and most important the consumers.
I was waiting for the series to develop. Now I switch channels as soon as SGU is over. Can't stand (so Called) professional wrestling. I don't see the philosophy. Professional (Fake) wrestling as science fiction. Give me a break! Fiction, yes, but there's no science in this so called pro wrestling. They are presenting the wrong genre for the channel..nacid
I just learned that Caprica has been canceled. I am very disappointed to learn that. The show's exploration of religion, technology and culture is very significant, especially given the current political and religious state of affairs on our planet. The writing is brilliant. I was very much looking forward to seeing how the story played out. What a shame.
I am not surprised that they cancelled an intelligent show, something that took people to thing. Every since they changed the name they have been more about bad movies on Sat. and Wrestling than actual decent programming. There is so much good SciFi/Fantasy out there and they resort to movies than Bella Lugoisi would not have been in and wrestling? Wake up people, the BBC has more insight in 1 hour of programming than you have in your whole Board of Directors.
This show had great potental and was getting somewhere and you cut it. This is typical of the networks now, if they can not get great nielson ratings (So useless) in a couple of months than pull the plug.
Every year I find less and less that I want to watch on SciFi Lite and more on the BBC.
I was surprised to read today that Caprica has been cancelled. It was a very enticing show, and I am still very curious to know how Cylons evolved in 60 years to conquer mankind in BSG.
SyFy has been a disappointing channel otherwise. Fake wrestling? Give me a break! Scare Tactics? Ghost Hunters and the like? Mars Aracnophobia Gigantopuss? Not a-one good truly SciFi show...
I am disappointed. I so loved Galactica and wanted this story to work up to the mini-series of Galactica. I thought this show had more quality than most TV shows and certainly more than most of what's on Syfy. I don't even watch Syfy except for shows like Galactica and Caprica. Ron Moore's creative intelligence is underappreciated on this channel. I am an educated professional woman. As a network like Syfy throws shows away like Caprica they lose the viewership of an under-represented demographic on that channel. I wish I could find a network that really tells a great story in a real way and can add in elements of science fiction. Something intelligent. I guess HBO is my only hope.
I am disappointed. I so loved Galactica and wanted this story to work up to the mini-series of Galactica. I thought this show had more quality than most TV shows and certainly more than most of what's on Syfy. I don't even watch Syfy except for shows like Galactica and Caprica. Ron Moore's creative intelligence is underappreciated on this channel. I am an educated professional woman. As a network like Syfy throws shows away like Caprica they lose the viewership of an under-represented demographic on that channel. I wish I could find a network that really tells a great story in a real way and can add in elements of science fiction. Something intelligent. I guess HBO is my only hope.
I think they cancelled the show way too early, but as I found today there is an option to view older episodes for free at www.dishonline.com. A benefit to being a DISH Network customer and employee is that I can watch thousands of shows for free at www.dishonline.com, this includes some Caprica episodes.
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