'Caprica' Canceled, Pulled From Schedule

Posted on by Tom Powers

caprica_cylon_StoltzCAPRICA, SyFy’s spin-off sequel to BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, will not be renewed for a second season, and in a surprising move, has also been removed from the schedule, with five more completed episodes yet to be broadcast.
From SyFy’s Release:

Please note the following change to Syfy’s broadcast schedule:
The remaining first run episodes of Caprica – airing Tuesdays at 10/9c – will be removed from the schedule as of next Tuesday, November 2. These final five episodes of the season will be re-scheduled to air at a to be announced time in the first quarter of 2011, and will conclude the run of the series.

“We appreciate all the support that fans have shown for ‘Caprica’ and are very proud of the producers, cast, writers and the rest of the amazing team that has been committed to this fine series,” said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions. “Unfortunately, despite its obvious quality, ‘Caprica’ has not been able to build the audience.”

Sadly, I’m not surprised at the BSG’s spin-off’s cancellation. It’s a good-looking, well-acted show, but it failed the number one requirement of a TV series: to create characters that the audience want to return to see episode to episode.  Even if a show goes into dark and grim territory, viewers need to have some one to like or identify with,  a reason to remain faithful through rough patches.

CAPRICA gave us complicated, intense characters that were very difficult to warm up to, and the often over-arcing sense of tragedy and despair tended to drain any excitement from the episodes. However, I must note that the production was enormously successful in creating a realistic and convincing science fiction milieu. The planet Caprica  seemed like a real place, an alternate “Earth” turned just slightly askew, with the more Sci-Fi-ish elements like space-travel seeming perfectly mundane, no more exotic than say airplane travel in the 1960’s — though fraught with all the  danger and security-based annoyances of the present.
A TV show about corporate criminals, mobsters, religious fanatics and terrorism is a hard sell to begin with, being stuck with out any clear heroes to root for is a near impossible situation.  
 

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