NBC Universal has made it official:  Stargate: SG-1 has been canceled.  As I said earlier, the writing was on the wall, but it’s still sad.  There are few good science fiction series out there these days. 

According to GateWorld, The SciFi Channel has canceled flagship series Stargate SG-1 and renewed sibling series, Stargate: Atlantis.  It’s seems like a real shitty thing for SciFi to do immediately following the airing of SG-1’s 200th episode, but I have to say the writing has been on the wall.  With the departure of Richard Dean Anderson (really the heart of the show) and the introduction of boring villains in the Ori, the show has been dwindling in US viewers even though it remains a huge hit internationally.  I think the writers and producers have done what they can with SG-1 and hopefully they’ll go out with a bang.  Atlantis’ renewal, on the other hand, was a good choice by the corporate muckety-mucks at SciFi.  The show has really come into its own over the last two years with plot and character development, and their is still a lot of room for growth.  Can it last seven more years and reach 200 like SG-1?  I doubt it, but I could easily see another 3, 4, even five years.  SG-1 was helped by the fact that it was the best thing SciFi had and that’s just not the case anymore with the channel’s bigger hits in Battlestar Galactica and Eureka.  Not to mention the success they’re having with stupid series such as Ghost Hunters and Who Wants to be a Superhero. 

It’s still sad.  I’ve been watching SG-1 since it began airing as part of  Showtime’s own version of Sci-Fi Friday.  Ten years is a long time to invest in a show.  I feel the most sorry for Ben Browder and Claudia Black.  Once again, SciFi has canceled a show out from under them.  Black especially has really invigorated the show.  Hopefully someone will snatch her up for another series because she’s a damn fine actress who is equally adept at both drama and comedy.

Of course, nothing is written in stone.  SG-1 could easily, and more economically, survive as a series of television movies and there is once again talk of doing a remake of the original Stargate film, but outside of the history created by the current show.  Time will tell.

Now I wonder what SciFi will replace it with.  The SciFi Channel hasn’t had much luck creating really good science fiction television over the years, and even the shows they’ve had success with are more sci-fi-like than out and out science fiction.  Battlestar Galactica has been their best creation and even it struggles in the ratings — even for cable.  Farscape is a close second to BG, but SciFi canceled the show before its time.   Eureka is a great and funny show, but it’s more of a comedic genre show than real science fiction.  Unfortunately, the SciFi Channel has gotten away from the successes it had with Dune, Children of Dune, and Earthsea; opting instead for slasher flicks and B-movie sci-fi trash.  There are any number of great science fiction and fantasy book series that could be turned into great TV shows, but I doubt SciFi will give us anything good.  Again, time will tell.

I’ve been watching ER from the beginning and I was always a huge, huge fan of Julianna Margulies.  She was great as Nurse Carol Hathaway and deservedly won her fair share of Emmys for the role, but since leaving ER her career has seemed to go nowhere.  Why would such a great actress need to do crap like Snakes on a Plane?  For that matter, why does a great actor like Samuel L. Jackson need to do the same? 

If you ever thought Pat Buchanan was a complete nut job this should clinch the deal.