The Greatest American Hero Marathon is Garnering ALOT of Angry Mail to SyFy! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 07-03-2010, 05:36 PM

Is it now the official policy of Syfy to piss off hard-core fans of what was once the SciFi Channel? First the network changed its name in an attempt to widen its reach beyond its core demographic of basement-dwelling video-game fanatics between the ages of 25 to 54. Then it followed up the groundbreaking genius of its Battlestar Galactica reboot with endless Saturday night B-movies (Sharktopus!), the acquisition of WWE Smackdown!, and cheesy reality shows like Ghost Hunters. And now? For the first time in about fifteen years, the network has decided not to run a 4th of July marathon of The Twilight Zone, replacing one of the greatest TV series of all time with twenty hours of The Greatest American Hero. Is this any way to serve man, Syfy?

The network announced the switch nearly a month ago, but as the big day has grown closer, Rod Serling's army has mobilized, launching the obligatory Facebook protest group and posting heated comments on Syfy forums ("What do you expect from a company that can't even spell 'SciFi' right?" sniffed NYPDRetired; another predicted a Manimal marathon was next). Some have taken to Twitter to vent; even actor Kevin Pollak (whose sci-fi credentials are in order, having starred in Willow) has registered his disgust by retweeting three anti-Syfy posts.

When Vulture contacted a Syfy spokesman to ask why the network insisted on spitting in the face of tradition, he said the channel wasn't abandoning Twilight Zone; Serling’s tales would be seen as per usual on the New Year’s marathon. But for the Fourth, Syfy simply wanted to "freshen things up a little this year by presenting Hero, since it hasn't been seen (nationally) in nearly twenty years."

But as disappointed as many diehards will be by the loss of classic creepiness this holiday weekend, there are some William Katt fans who can’t believe their good fortune — including, one would assume, the Family Guy writers. (And if you squint, doesn’t Katt’s 'fro look like a firework explosion? It’s holiday-appropriate!) Sure, we’ll admit that GAH boasts a pretty awesome, timeless, and frequently parodied theme song. But so does Twilight Zone, though that has the advantage of being a true TV classic, rather than just a campy childhood memory.

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment..._marathon.html

Retro4Life · 07-03-2010, 06:11 PM

Hmm, I disagree with almost every point made in this article.

I didn't like the BG reboot, I find the cheesy B movies kind of charming and I adore TGAH. I loved Twilight Zone too, and hope that it will stay on SyFy, but it's way past time for Ralph, Bill and Pam to strut their stuff!

Oh, I do think having wrestling on a SyFy channel is ridiculous, and I am getting a bit weary of all the reality ghost hunting stuff.

MacLeaper · 07-05-2010, 01:50 AM

Being very surprised to suddenly see a marathon of The Greatest American Hero on SCIFI today (sorry, I don't care to call it SyFy- that just looks stupid) was by far the best thing I've seen on that channel in a long time! While The Twilight Zone is cool, they've done that marathon year after year for a long while. This is the first time I've ever seen TGAH on there and I love that show- it would be awesome if they would air more classic sci-fi/fantasy shows like that more often.

MikeLutton · 07-05-2010, 02:55 AM

is anyone else enjoying the marathon iam

07-03-2010, 05:36 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	The Greatest American Hero Marathon is Garnering ALOT of Angry Mail to SyFy! Is it now the official policy of Syfy to piss off hard-core fans of what was once the SciFi Channel? First the network changed its name in an attempt to widen its reach beyond its core demographic of basement-dwelling video-game fanatics between the ages of 25 to 54. Then it followed up the groundbreaking genius of its Battlestar Galactica reboot with endless Saturday night B-movies (Sharktopus!), the acquisition of WWE Smackdown!, and cheesy reality shows like Ghost Hunters. And now? For the first time in about fifteen years, the network has decided not to run a 4th of July marathon of The Twilight Zone, replacing one of the greatest TV series of all time with twenty hours of The Greatest American Hero. Is this any way to serve man, Syfy? The network announced the switch nearly a month ago, but as the big day has grown closer, Rod Serling's army has mobilized, launching the obligatory Facebook protest group and posting heated comments on Syfy forums ("What do you expect from a company that can't even spell 'SciFi' right?" sniffed NYPDRetired; another predicted a Manimal marathon was next). Some have taken to Twitter to vent; even actor Kevin Pollak (whose sci-fi credentials are in order, having starred in Willow) has registered his disgust by retweeting three anti-Syfy posts. When Vulture contacted a Syfy spokesman to ask why the network insisted on spitting in the face of tradition, he said the channel wasn't abandoning Twilight Zone; Serling’s tales would be seen as per usual on the New Year’s marathon. But for the Fourth, Syfy simply wanted to "freshen things up a little this year by presenting Hero, since it hasn't been seen (nationally) in nearly twenty years." But as disappointed as many diehards will be by the loss of classic creepiness this holiday weekend, there are some William Katt fans who can’t believe their good fortune — including, one would assume, the Family Guy writers. (And if you squint, doesn’t Katt’s 'fro look like a firework explosion? It’s holiday-appropriate!) Sure, we’ll admit that GAH boasts a pretty awesome, timeless, and frequently parodied theme song. But so does Twilight Zone, though that has the advantage of being a true TV classic, rather than just a campy childhood memory. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment..._marathon.html
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07-03-2010, 06:11 PM	#2
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,706	Hmm, I disagree with almost every point made in this article. I didn't like the BG reboot, I find the cheesy B movies kind of charming and I adore TGAH. I loved Twilight Zone too, and hope that it will stay on SyFy, but it's way past time for Ralph, Bill and Pam to strut their stuff! Oh, I do think having wrestling on a SyFy channel is ridiculous, and I am getting a bit weary of all the reality ghost hunting stuff.
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07-05-2010, 01:50 AM	#3
MacLeaper Child of the 80s Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 20, 2001 Posts: 3,355	Being very surprised to suddenly see a marathon of The Greatest American Hero on SCIFI today (sorry, I don't care to call it SyFy- that just looks stupid) was by far the best thing I've seen on that channel in a long time! While The Twilight Zone is cool, they've done that marathon year after year for a long while. This is the first time I've ever seen TGAH on there and I love that show- it would be awesome if they would air more classic sci-fi/fantasy shows like that more often.
	__________________ "Oh boy!" - Dr. Sam Beckett "You can do anything you wanna do if you put your mind to it." - MacGyver "Have mercy!" - Uncle Jesse "Ha, I kill me!" - ALF "I am The Way, The Truth and The Life. No man comes to The Father but by Me."- Jesus Christ (John 14:6)

07-05-2010, 02:55 AM	#4
MikeLutton Mike Lutton DVD Legend! Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 05, 2005 Location: usa pennsyvania Posts: 6,870	is anyone else enjoying the marathon iam
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