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[Kagus]

I'm quite certain that several of you have experienced firsthand the phenomenon I am about to describe, as you folks seem just about weird enough to have a few TV viewers among ye.

Let me tell you a little something about television...   For all the cut-and-dried channels and networks that are out there on the air today, there remains one channel that, interestingly enough, is an unfathomable mystery of modern entertainment.

Allow me to present the Science Fiction Channel.  This channel, specializing in the mysterious, the unknown, and the outright unknowable, is itself a peculiar beast.

This channel will always present shows and movies with the absolute lowest budgets, worst acting, most confusing cinematography, and with plots that are so flimsy and full of holes that they begin to resemble fishnets (although fishing nets are notably more solid than these stories).

And yet, as you watch these abominable displays of every filmmaking mistake in the book, you begin to realize something.

You're still watching it.


That's just it.  No matter how bad the shows are, the SciFi channel will never cease to entertain.  You can spend hours, even entire days sitting in front of the TV and just soaking in all the pitiful films that make it onto this channel.  For ridiculous amounts of time you can subject yourself to the monotonous dialog, the idiotic storylines and the sometimes hilarious special effects.

And through it all, you'll still be eager for more.


It's difficult for me to adequately describe the SciFi Effect, but it is undeniably there.  I myself have spent far more hours than I would care to number sitting in anticipation of the next batch of audiovisual sewage that will spread itself across the TV screen.

How is this possible?  We are supposed to be repulsed by poor films, and attracted to the better-crafted alternatives.  How is it that a channel that seems to almost exclusively host the absolute worst have such a hypnotic effect on its viewers?


So, please...  Those of you who have also been touched by the SciFi, come and share your accounts with us.   Share how you too were swept up by the dark forces residing within that network.



Also, talk about how ridiculous this proposed name change to the "SyFy" channel is.

[JoshuaFH]

It was indeed the Scifi Channel that introduced me to the Doctor Who series, as well as the MST3K series, and I've always appreciated it.

and yes, SYFY is a ridiculous name.

[Sensei]

Actually, sometimes I TRY to watch their crappy movies, but usually I end up switching to the history channel just to put something else on my screen while I look at the schedule...

And the name change isn't proposed, it's already done. I'm not sure what they were smoking. They were probably smoking something they made up.

[Rilder]

Well one things for sure, the Syfy channel has more facts in their shows and movies then the history channel. 

[Leafsnail]

The weird thing about Doctor Who is that, in spite of being Sci-Fi, it's actually mainstream drama in Britain.  Odd, isn't it?  Probably something to do with the huge amounts of money thrown its way (as nostalgic as the old series is, objectively it doesn't compare to the new one).

[Kayla]

It's because even in the most horrid series and made-for-tv movies, Scifi has 'camp' or 'cheese' blasted so hard on it, that it's hard to not watch it.

Look at the Rocky Horror Picture Show, a holy forgettable movie, and crazy filled. But it was cheesy enough that, thirty some years later, people are still doing the time warp...again. Scifi has the same basic thing. They make these horrible movies, that make you wince and go 'ugh', but deep down inside, a part of you is laughing at how cheesy and crazy it is.

So it's not attraction or detraction to/from quality, it's attraction based on curiosity. You want to see the next funny moment, or, the next gut wrenching piece of poo they fling, just to see how low they can go. Like uwe boll movies, but still better.

- Kayla

edit: I seem to only post as soon as I wake up, so if I don't make sense, blame the lack of caffiene.

[LegoLord]

and yes, SYFY is a ridiculous name.

Two words:

Marketing potential

[Cthulhu]

Explain.

[LegoLord]

You can't copyright SciFi, but you can copyright SyFy - and can therefore sell t-shirts and stuff with the SyFy logo on it.

[Akigagak]

Who the Hell would buy a T-shirt with 'SyFy' on it?

I mean, really.

[LegoLord]

No one ever said the SyFy channel was run by intelligent people.

[Duke 2.0]

 They will buy a Doctor Who shirt with the SyFy logo on some corner of it.

[Akigagak]

Or just a plain Dr Who shirt.

[Duke 2.0]

 Like the SyFy channel will let there be normal Dr. Who shirts out there.

[Akigagak]

Dr who is OWNED BY THE BBC. I'd say they have the choice about who sells t-shirts, and what those shirts look like, not SyFy.