First it was Mystery Science Theater 3000. Now the SciFi network has gone and cancelled Stargate SG-1, right after showing the record-breaking 200th episode last Friday. (Actually, word has it that they dropped the announcement on the production as they were gathered to watch it.)
I am most displeased. SG-1 is one of the few shows onTV I don't yell at (e.g., doesn't Dr. House realize that battery is not just a civil tort but also a criminal charge???)... Like Star Trek: the Next Generation, which I also liked, SG-1 has good stories, interesting characters with good chemistry and humor, and a plausible and consistent mythology underpinning the science fiction aspect. I'm not really a sci-fi fan, so these are the things I need to see in such a show in order to be induced to regularly watch it. In fact, they are things I would want to see in any show.
SG-1 is also distinctive because it has one of the strongest female characters on TV. "Lt. Col. Samantha Carter" has been there from the beginning. She is blazingly (but not annoyingly) smart, physically as capable as her peers, pretty - even beautiful - but not a sexualized character. Some story lines have developed romantic interests for her, but they are always with people outside her team and she always stays true to herself. The only time sexual tension becomes a factor with her male colleagues is when alternate realities are in play, and even then there are signs that the writers are being tongue-in-cheek.
Even though there have been some substantial changes to the show in recent history (including the departure of Richard Dean Anderson (formerly MacGyver), whose wry Jack O'Neil character is sorely missed) it still has legs and should have been allowed to run on further. There are some reports that MGM, its production company, might try to shop it elsewhere. It's already survived a cancellation from Showtime, which is how it ended up on Sci-Fi in the first place. Otherwise fans are sending petitions and such to the Sci-Fi network to get them to reconsider. I can't quite get behind that because there are more worthwhile things to do with one's energies, but if Sci-Fi does reconsider I think it would be a good thing. Yes, ratings may have dropped. But Sci-Fi put it on Fridays against Monk, another decent show. (As is the show that follows it, Psyche, although the Dule Hill (from the West Wing) character is underdeveloped. Hill is quite good, with excellent comedic sensibilities, but his character is essentially extraneous.) It's like they were trying to kill it.