Channel Zero ran for four seasons, but it felt, and still feels, like it was only getting started. That was outstanding horror television, and nobody saw it.
That would be a strange reason, since there are already a countless number of channels that use common English words: Antenna TV, Aspire TV, Bravo, Discovery Channel, Fox, Fuse, Ion Television, Ovation, Oxygen, Rewind TV, Lifetime, Animal Planet, Comedy Central, Comet, Showtime, Grit, Court TV, The Weather Channel, etc.
But how many of those are a commonly used term for a genre of fiction?
Also, many of your examples are two words. "Animal" and "Planet" are both common terms, but if you call your product "Animal Planet" you are using a distinct brand name.
>But how many of those are a commonly used term for a genre of fiction?
You left this bit out from your original post. I'm not saying you're wrong either. I literally just said it's a strange reason and provided examples with common words.
Anyway, learned something new. But apparently my comment was enough to upset a few people for some strange reason. Sorry for not knowing all the nuances of trademarking laws I guess? 🤷🏻
10 years ago, I heard that the team was doing bits for other shows. Know anything about it? Would love to see them do it for a more modern movie like Titanic.
Check out Rifftrax, they record audio commentary tracks so you can pick one up for movies you "own". Since they're not playing any movie content themselves, there's no licensing/copyright issues like with MST3K
As others have said, Rifftrax is great! It’s Mike and Kevin and Bill. If you’re a Joel-type, there’s Cinematic Titanic. They’re all still chugging along, hilarious as ever.
I remember the viral videos they did as promos when they started. There was a found footage style video of a UFO being filmed from a helicopter and one of a boy who seemed to suddenly become magnetic.
Does anyone else remember the pre-launch testing they did? It was just a bunch of weird computer animation that played 24/7.
https://youtu.be/oByaXDasC5g?si=RksmXpn6MvA4lO_Q
There was this little Irish bar right near my apartment in college we would go in all the time. Kind of place where the bar tenders got to know us and poured a drink when we walked in. Anyway, they used to reserve a spot with a TV for us and would play the weirdest sci fi channel movies with the volume at full blast just for us. Sharktopus was a long time favorite when we made it into a drinking game.
My stepdad lost his mind when they added this channel to our cable line up Lol I wasn't into anything science fiction in middle school, but he made me watch the premiere of the channel. Was a fun memory. I swear I think they debuted on Halloween? My memory is foggy.
All I can remember is watching a Raptor/dino low budget movie around the time of the Syfy change, and my brother telling me the old guy and girl in the movie were in softcore porn lol
Niiiiiice! Deep cut here. Damn. Grew up in the 80s and most of the 90s without cable so it wasn’t until I went to college in the late 90s did I finally experience the joys of cable and I had this channel on a lot.
Before we got cable, there was this one channel that was just an information channel for the cable company. At some point they decided to put cartoon network in the morning and sci fi channel in the evenings.
As a 12 year old I was very hyped for cartoon network, but suddenly I was more interested in the sci fi channel.
I can't remember what caught my attention, maybe it was the outer limits or the twilight zone, but I remember falling in love with old sci fi, especially anything by Alfred hitchcock
Worst spelling change ever
yeah, wish they kept it SciFi
I think they changed it because you can't defend a trademark on "SciFi" because it's already a commonly used term.
I remember reading at the time that they wanted to branch out into other genres which prompted the name change.
Yeah, reality TV :/
Yep, I watched a lot of Sci-Fi, not so much ScyFy, because it wasn’t sci-fi anymore, lol.
So once again, the reason we can't have nice things is *lawyers*.
We can't have nice things because SyFy cancels everything after two seasons.
Channel Zero ran for four seasons, but it felt, and still feels, like it was only getting started. That was outstanding horror television, and nobody saw it.
XD
To clarify, your idea of "have nice things" is to let them trademark **Sci-Fi**?
No, that is not my idea of having nice things.
That would be a strange reason, since there are already a countless number of channels that use common English words: Antenna TV, Aspire TV, Bravo, Discovery Channel, Fox, Fuse, Ion Television, Ovation, Oxygen, Rewind TV, Lifetime, Animal Planet, Comedy Central, Comet, Showtime, Grit, Court TV, The Weather Channel, etc.
But how many of those are a commonly used term for a genre of fiction? Also, many of your examples are two words. "Animal" and "Planet" are both common terms, but if you call your product "Animal Planet" you are using a distinct brand name.
>But how many of those are a commonly used term for a genre of fiction? You left this bit out from your original post. I'm not saying you're wrong either. I literally just said it's a strange reason and provided examples with common words. Anyway, learned something new. But apparently my comment was enough to upset a few people for some strange reason. Sorry for not knowing all the nuances of trademarking laws I guess? 🤷🏻
This guy doesn't TM law
Well almost immediately after the rebrand they went to having tons of wrestling on all the time so that may not be it
I've literally pronounced it 'Siffy' ever since.
To me it always looked like it's pronounced "siffee".
Memories of MST3K
I always thought it was cool of them to switch the logo to the left for MST3K so it didn’t overlap with Mike and the Bots.
Dirty Mike and the bots
10 years ago, I heard that the team was doing bits for other shows. Know anything about it? Would love to see them do it for a more modern movie like Titanic.
Check out Rifftrax, they record audio commentary tracks so you can pick one up for movies you "own". Since they're not playing any movie content themselves, there's no licensing/copyright issues like with MST3K
As others have said, Rifftrax is great! It’s Mike and Kevin and Bill. If you’re a Joel-type, there’s Cinematic Titanic. They’re all still chugging along, hilarious as ever.
Rifftrax!! Definitely get Road House and Batman & Robin.
I miss the old Sci-Fi channel. Would watch reruns of X-Files, Twilight Zone, and obscure horror films
Don't you remember when SciFi broadcast everything but the crap they do now?
I remember the viral videos they did as promos when they started. There was a found footage style video of a UFO being filmed from a helicopter and one of a boy who seemed to suddenly become magnetic.
they use to have some good shows also
Shout out to the Lost Room, we hardly knew ye
There are dozens of us who remember. Dozens!
I miss The Scary Door
Loved that ‘92 logo, instantly reminds me of anime on Saturday.
That was my introduction to Akira!
That first image is one of my favorite episodes of the twilight zone! The twist is epic.
“The Silence”
“The way it’s spelled now it’s ‘siffy’.”
Bonnie Hammer ruined everything
They could not trademark sci fi since it is a commonly used term but they could trademark the syfy as a unique name.
I've always hated the *Syfy* change- and I still hate it all of these years after.
Anyone else catch the visualizations prior to sci Fi premiering? I had a lot of fun pretending to pilot a spaceship through those.
My first real exposure to Anime was their Saturday Anime block.
I still don't get it, is SyFy to get distance from science fiction? Like the one thing they were supposed to do?
Does anyone else remember the pre-launch testing they did? It was just a bunch of weird computer animation that played 24/7. https://youtu.be/oByaXDasC5g?si=RksmXpn6MvA4lO_Q
haha nice! Had no idea this existed and that they did this
There was this little Irish bar right near my apartment in college we would go in all the time. Kind of place where the bar tenders got to know us and poured a drink when we walked in. Anyway, they used to reserve a spot with a TV for us and would play the weirdest sci fi channel movies with the volume at full blast just for us. Sharktopus was a long time favorite when we made it into a drinking game.
The Sega Saturn Channel
LOL
2002-2009 variant will forever be ingrained in my brain
Yet another channel that used to be cool that I’ll never watch again. TCM is about the only one left.
yeah the only time I watch that channel now is for the Twilight Zone marathons on New Years and July 4th
They’d quit doing those right before I cut the cord. Unless they started again.
nah they're still doing them. It's in HD of course now too.
The golden years of SciFi. Farscape, MST3K, Battlestar, first wave, Lexx, Stargate, Andromeda, Eureka and others! I really like Resident Alien.
wowww core memory unlocked with that farscape mention
Fuck yeah someone else who remembers Lexx
Love the old logos
Reminds me of the Fuddruckers name changes on the movie Idiocracy
My stepdad lost his mind when they added this channel to our cable line up Lol I wasn't into anything science fiction in middle school, but he made me watch the premiere of the channel. Was a fun memory. I swear I think they debuted on Halloween? My memory is foggy.
Siffi
That Saturn one really brought me back. That had to be mid 90s.
All I can remember is watching a Raptor/dino low budget movie around the time of the Syfy change, and my brother telling me the old guy and girl in the movie were in softcore porn lol
That twilight zone episode is my favorite one actually.
nice. Yeah "The Silence" has a special place in my heart. Not my most favorite but very nostalgic connections to it
Memories of watch Child’s play for the first time on SciFi, and Lexx, oh and tripping the riff
lol oh yes remember tripping the rift
I definitely miss the Saturn planet logos for sure and watching Dark Shadows on there in the mid 90s.
2002-2009 looks like a phone company
LOL
A pre-Halo Master Chief (Steve Downes) was the voice of the production bumpers in its early years. “Produced in association with the Sci-Fi Channel.”
huh didn't know that
[Timestamped for your viewing pleasure.](https://youtube.com/watch?v=xseO3uX9Sv0&si=Ajx3oBy_VY7iiiNH&t=1h30m0s)
Niiiiiice! Deep cut here. Damn. Grew up in the 80s and most of the 90s without cable so it wasn’t until I went to college in the late 90s did I finally experience the joys of cable and I had this channel on a lot.
I loved that episode of the Twilight Zone. He made a bet to not talk for a year. Great ending. SciFi is the better spelling imo.
What a trip.
SeeFee?
Syence? Gtfo.
soyence
“The consultants said people like 4-letter words”
Before we got cable, there was this one channel that was just an information channel for the cable company. At some point they decided to put cartoon network in the morning and sci fi channel in the evenings. As a 12 year old I was very hyped for cartoon network, but suddenly I was more interested in the sci fi channel. I can't remember what caught my attention, maybe it was the outer limits or the twilight zone, but I remember falling in love with old sci fi, especially anything by Alfred hitchcock
My uncle was a big stargate fan. Whenever I was over there at his house, the tv was locked on sci fi. Man, great times.
haha i ditched TV when it was still the first one