Fox Television : The Two-Hit Wonder, Maybe Three (firefly mention)

Here’s a list I bet I can fit all on the same line.

American Idol. 24. House.

Those are basically the three television shows that separate the Fox television network from, say, The CW ... or worse yet, Pax. Seriously ! Name me some other show on Fox that is not "The Simpsons" or "Family Guy." Quickly ! Come on ! You can do it !

No ? Well, don’t feel bad. You’re not alone, because there really isn’t much else on Fox that gets people racing home to sit in front of their television by 8 p.m.

It is hard to compete with the other Big Three networks when you have one less hour of programming each night, and because of that, Fox still gets that "little brother" status (compared to the Fox News Channel, which some prefer to call "big brother"), and we all want to protect that little brother because he’s just so adorable ...

But why ? Really, why ? What has Fox ever done for us ? And when I say "us," I mean the science-fiction fans, because take a look : there’s nothing on Fox right now that even comes close.

This network has been a joke in the sci-fi community now for as far back as my teenage years. Not because it has only been able to find substandard programming, but because it has actually had some amazing television shows that instead of nurturing and supporting them, left for the dead.

I know, I know ... I’m preaching to the choir, but please, I just have to memorialize the mistakes of Fox.

I liked "Alien Nation." My dad liked "Alien Nation." Even my dog liked "Alien Nation." Fox ? Nah, they gave it a season and then pulled the plug — right in the middle of a cliffhanger I might add !

What the hell was "Millennium" ? Anyone ?

"Harsh Realm" was supposed to be an exciting new series taking place in a virtual world. It was based on a comic book that didn’t get credit, but it’s OK because no one was watching anyway. Fox apparently forgot they had added this show to the schedule, and subsequently failed to promote it.

Hell, "Dark Angel" gave fans something to tune into, that is, until Fox made sure you no longer had it to tune into.

And then there’s the disaster called "The X-Files." No, no, not "The X-Files" themselves. It was a great series. But why on Earth did the network have to stretch the show so far past its shark jumping that even whatever cast that was left on the show was surprised it was still on the air.

And don’t get me started on "Firefly." Please don’t get me started on "Firefly." There is so much I can say about that fiasco, and both Joss Whedon and everyone at Whedonesque would simply nod their heads, having heard it time and time again. But damn, Fox ... what a stupid mistake.

Last, but certainly not the end of this rant, there’s "Battlestar Galactica." Sure, I’m very happy with the series as it was put together for SciFi Channel, but Fox originally had a chance to resurrect this series as a continuation. I am not exactly convinced I would’ve been a devoted fan of the Bryan Singer incarnation, but what would I have had it to compare to ? There would’ve been no SciFi Channel version, so I never would’ve known what I was missing. But once again, Fox let a perfect sci-fi opportunity slip from their fingers, one that probably could’ve prevented years of warring in BSG fandom over it.

Suffice it to say, Fox has no idea what it’s doing when it comes to programming, especially anything with a sci-fi element to it. The only reason why some of these yucks still have jobs there is because they got lucky with shows like "American Idol" and "24," the latter which almost got cancelled in the first season. Fox has simply been a graveyard of great television, and not just in sci-fi either. "Family Guy" fans got a lucky reprieve, while "Arrested Development" watchers continue to be in mourning.

I cringe at the thought of anyone wanting to broadcast their show on Fox. I mean, sure, it’s better than The CW ... but at least on The CW, you might last a full season, and people will know you were on the air in the first place.

Well, maybe ... I don’t even know what channel The CW is on.

SyBits