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TV Wasteland: Standing on the Fringes
How to Keep Genre Shows on the Air By
Rob Vaux
December 06, 2009
TV Wasteland on the Fringe
© Bob Trate
The second week of December holds a pair of finales--Dexter's Season 4 curtain call and Fringe's midseason bow-out--both of which seem to be heading in different directions. Dexter currently serves as Showtime's flagship, with four hugely successful seasons behind it and a fifth already on its way. Fringe, on the other hand, has battled disappointing ratings all year, accompanied by the inevitable rumors that the second season will be its last. It's particularly shocking considering the series' flashy beginning and the general consensus that it plays just like The X-Files only better.
How did it happen? The blame probably lies with one of fandom's favorite boogymen: Fox. By moving Fringe to the most brutally competitive night on television (Thursdays), the House of Murdoch essentially left it to be devoured by shows with a broader demographic appeal. Grey's Anatomy and CSI beat it like a rented mule night after night… unlike The X-Files, which had the very sedate Friday and Sunday night timeslots all to itself during its nine-year run. The timing makes one hell of a difference, as evinced by Fringe's recent surge in the ratings once its competitors went on hiatus. That proves that offbeat shows can thrive if handled properly by the networks. While Fox wants to be king of the hill just like every other station, it needs to recognize the difference between a genuinely flailing show and a scheduling experiment that didn't pan out.
Fringe doesn't deserve a death sentence simply because it has a more select fanbase; airing it on a more forgiving day not only preserves a reliable asset, but demonstrates to the fans that quality programming has ample opportunity to find its way in an increasingly harsh television environment. Fox stuck with The X-Files well after the bloom faded on that rose. While the ratings may not justify the same indulgence, Fringe has earned the right to stand or fall on its own terms, rather than unrealistic corporate expectations.
Monday
Alice (Syfy, 9:00 PM EST)
The Queen of Hearts (Kathy Bates) sets her sights on our world via the Stone of Wonderland as the Syfy miniseries concludes.
Heroes is on Christmas hiatus.
Tuesday
Outer Space Astronauts (Syfy, 9:30 PM EST)
Syfy premieres its new comedy series, placing oversized live-action heads on the animated bodies of eight astronauts aboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma. On a related note, I was within throttling distance of Syfy's director of programming last August. I promise to take more vigorous advantage of such opportunities in the future.
Ghost Lab (Discovery, 10:00 PM EST)
Few places on Earth seem more conducive to supernatural manifestations than the eerie, crumbling halls of Alcatraz island. The show takes a closer look to see what they can find.
Wednesday
Ghost Hunters (Syfy, 9:00 PM EST)
Is it me, or is Pennsylvania just a breeding ground of spooky locales for these guys to poke at? This week entails a farmhouse just outside Willow Grove, as well as the Old State House in Connecticut.
Ghost Hunters Academy (Syfy, 10:00 PM EST)
More squabbling from the Junior G-Man squad as they investigate the purportedly haunted Saint Augustine Lighthouse in Florida.
Nostradamus Effect (History, 9:00 PM EST)
Passages of the Dead Sea Scrolls are examined for news about that whole Armageddon thing which is supposed to be along sometime soon.
MysteryQuest (History, 10:00 PM EST)
We're off to Amityville, where an ugly murder, burgeoning mortgage, and publicity-seeking author ruined everything for the whole damn town. Hopefully, the History Channel will provide a more even-handed look at the evidence than most people are inclined to.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney, 8:00 PM EST)
Sandy Claus has a rockier holiday than normal thanks to the well-meaning citizens of Halloweentown in director Henry Selick's modern animated masterpiece.
Eastwick is off this week so Barbara Walters can ask Lady Gaga what kind of tree she would be.
Thursday
Fringe (Fox, 9:00 PM EST)
The first half of the season comes to a conclusion with the return of William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) and shape-shifters poking at the brains of hapless mental patients. See the top of the article for more.
The Devil's Rejects (IFC, 9:45 PM EST)
If any Rob Zombie film could be called great, it's surely this greasy, gritty and undeniably compelling bit of grindhouse gore.
FlashForward, Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries are all reruns this week.
Friday
Dollhouse (Fox, 8:00 PM EST)
Friday nights are quieting down, but Dollhouse continues rocketing towards that brick wall with two more episodes tonight. Echo (Eliza Dushku) gets lost in the outside world and the Actives begin to lash out against their controllers amid signs that Alpha may be returning.
Sanctuary (Syfy, 10:00 PM EST)
Stargate's Michael Shanks guest stars this week, playing a man with much worse hygiene than Daniel Jackson. Monsters will likely be involved too.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold (Cartoon, 7:30 PM EST)
Those of you who consider this show an abomination to all things Bat won't find any respite with this week's episode, featuring an attack from the always-terrifying Kite Man.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon, 9:00 PM EST)
Cad Bane sets his sights on a Jedi Holocron as part of his ongoing efforts to be a royal pain in everyone's behind.
The Thing (Cinemax, 8:00 PM EST)
Mmmmm… gloppy.
Smallville has two reruns tonight, while Medium features just one. The Ghost Whisperer is off this week and Stargate Universe is on hiatus.
Saturday
Ice Twisters (Syfy, 7:00 PM EST)
Syfy kicks off the evening by rerunning their epic about a sci-fi writer trying to save the world from deadly tornados made of ice. No, seriously.
Annihilation Earth (Syfy, 9:00 PM EST)
Those of you wondering what Marina Sirtis has been up to since her Star Trek gig can tune in to watch her try to stop terrorists from blowing up a pair of supercolliders, or something.
Sunday
Dexter (Showtime, 9:00 PM EST)
The bell tolls for the Trinity Killer as the police close in and Season 4 wraps up for everyone's favorite serial killing forensics expert.
Inkheart (Cinemax, 8:15 PM EST)
Considering the premise--a father and daughter with the ability to bring literary characters to life just by reading aloud--this really shouldn't be as crappy as it is.
Death Race (Cinemax, 10:00 PM EST)
Death Race, on the other hand, sets out to be deliberately crappy and the resulting bit of exploitation is as much of a guilty pleasure as anyone could ask for.
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wow. let me read that article again.
yup, wow! you are seriously saying that fringe is going to get cancelled BECAUSE fox didnt move it to friday or saturday night! after posting countless articles blaming fox for killing the genre-friendly dollhouse by running it on friday night, you are now blaming fox for killing the genre-friendly fringe by NOT running it on friday night. how about we all get honest with ourselves for a moment and admit that genre-friendly content simply does not have mass appeal. I love it, you love it, but it doesnt get ratings. just admit it!