A few weeks ago we reported that a fifth season of Stargate Atlantis would be airing on the SciFi network sometime in the fall, just as the fourth season did back in 2007. Well, it now seems like the premiere of the new season will be moving up a couple of months.
A number of online resources, including Gateworld, TV Guide, and the personal blog of Atlantis executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, are reporting that the show will be premiering in July. "The decision on the Season Five premiere date rests with SCI FI," Mallozzi writes in his blog, "However, I'm hopeful that fans won't have to wait until the fall to see the resolution of our Season Four cliffhanger."
Why the change in schedule? Five words: Writers' Strike and Battlestar Galactica. SciFi had planned to air all 20 episodes of BSG during the spring and summer. But, with only half of those episodes completed due to the strike, it looks like the last season of the series will not complete its run until 2009.
This leaves the network in a quandary that may need to be filled by Atlantis, since it will have enough original episodes to air in the summer. See, the strike took place during the show's normal production hiatus. Yet, during that time, writers were able to work on scripts for the show. By the time the strike ended Atlantis had begun filming. The slot can also be filled by new episodes of Eureka, which also dodged the strike bullet due to its production cycle.
Should the premiere of Atlantis move to the summer, fans will only need to wait a scant four months to see the fate of McKay, Sheppard and Teyla as well as the introduction of a new administrator for the city. The downside to this is that there will be a September to January hiatus until the show returns. Personally, I'd rather see Atlantis on during the summer then during the extremely busy premiere month of September, particularly since there is very little original scripted programming airing on the broadcast networks at that time. Let me know what you think in the poll and the comments below.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-10-2008 @ 6:42PM
Elyse said...
Actually, Alex Levilne had posted a July date on his blog on SciFi, yet a day later, that sentence mysteriously vanished. A trade paper (TV week or MultiChannel, forget which) mentioned the July date, but so far there's been confirmation from SciFi. I think they're planning on summer airing, but, I also think it's up in the air.
I'd prefer it in the summer, as I don't care for it being against brand-new prime time network fare, but will take it whenever it airs.
A lot may depend on how other Skiffy shows are produced, and if (fingers crossed it doesn't happen) an actors strike occurs.
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3-10-2008 @ 2:04PM
Jimmy said...
Sci Fi once had a successful night of television on Fridays. Early on with hits like Farscape put together with Stargate SG-1 followed later by SG-1, Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica. When they broke that up and started moving their series all over the place the series started to suffer. These series belong in the summer and early winter because otherwise there's just too much competition from the networks; and that not good for the series or Sci Fi.
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3-10-2008 @ 2:12PM
Jake said...
If Atlantis airs in July it will return to its original cycle of airing 10 episodes in July, but still waiting until late January to air the back 10. So the good news will be fans won't have to wait as long for the conclusion to the last episode of season 4, but will have to wait longer than the mere month fans did this season for the back 10.
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3-10-2008 @ 3:16PM
Mack Swift said...
I'm tore up about this. See, during the summer, particularly on Friday-Sunday; I'm out on the Harley. It's nice out, warm out, the ladies are running around. I just can't seem to sit down and just watch a TV show in the nice summer months. Granted, I have Tivo and really only watch one or 2 shows overall, but still.
And that January to September hiatus just bites. Show the whole season in it's entirety.
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3-10-2008 @ 3:44PM
Oreo said...
It doesn't matter when Sci-fi moved things around. Sci-fi Channel's ratings hit a peak and then were going to drop off anyways.
However who cares about this years season finale, it sucked.
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3-10-2008 @ 4:25PM
Akbar Fazil said...
So now you are psychic in the neilsen/ratings department? Man Oreo, your powers never cease to amaze me. I would like to point out you were completely wrong some time ago about the finale having anything to do with a specific cast member coming back.
I enjoyed the finale but found the end to be rather forced in it's need to set up a cliff hanger. I will freely admit I am a sucker for "what if" story lines even if this one felt a little too much of a "It's A Wonderful Life in Atlantis" I personally would have liked it if they ended the show with John coming back and saying "I know where Teyla is" and stopping it there.
As for the show coming back in the summer, I am fine with that. I got used to new scifi in the summer from what they have done before. In a perfect world, I would get Atlantis this summer and BSG 4.5 in the fall followed by Atlantis 4.5 in Jan.
3-10-2008 @ 6:24PM
Franklin said...
Akbar,
Oreo's not psychic at all. He's just the tvsquad version of "Mikey" from those old Life cereal commercials; he hates everything. He thinks it makes him cool.
3-11-2008 @ 2:03AM
Oreo said...
I'd like to point out that you are making shit up, but that's nothing new for you.
And I don't hate everything, if you actually read close to everything of mine you would see that Franklin.
But why base things on facts when you can just say bullshit lies.
3-11-2008 @ 9:19AM
Franklin said...
Ouch...hit a nerve, did I?
Ya, I suppose I'm making everything up, just like all the other commenters in the past who've called you on doing the same thing. All one has to do is look back on your comments to see how you like to call most shows crap. But acting aloof and too-cool-for-everything is the hallmark of the young, American male.
3-11-2008 @ 11:13AM
Akbar Fazil said...
Was that "making shit up" comment towards me? If so, please offer a bit of proof of what exactly I am making up.
4-08-2008 @ 7:32PM
conrad said...
I can clearly remember when SG1 season 7 premiered in July some years a back it was awesome. Me thinks they should set July as the date again; it would work wonders.
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