WTF is Space thinking? The thing about Space is that its raison d’être is to air science fiction and fantasy, which also apparently includes horror. Even the ghost stories and other similar nonsense sort of fits, especially if you believe ghosts and the paranormal are the bunk they actually are. So what does a garden variety detective show have to do with any of that?
Apparently, it’s now sufficient that a lead actor on a show once starred in a genre program to define a program as science fiction. So just because Nathan Fillion starred in Firefly, now Space is showing Castle. Come on folks, get a clue. You cancel the Primeval show (a genre program!) after one season but decide to show a detective show instead? Really? Methinks some executives need to be separated from their jobs.
Now don’t get me wrong. Castle is a great show, combining elements of the modern police procedural with Murder She Wrote and the notion of an amateur sleuth aiding the police regularly. In fact, it is one of my favourite shows. But it is so far off-mission for Space that it has no business being on the channel. Though I suppose it’s better they’re showing Castle than wrestling or something equally stupid.
I had the same reaction. Making a commercial which references Firefly only emphasizes how inane this is. Space is a pathetic channel. The worst however, is being subjected to “Inner Space”. As if watching the two men banter wasn’t bad enough, somehow they managed to make it many times worse by adding a vacuous woman, and adopting topics like “let’s talk about the Oscars for half an hour….even though it has nothing to do with science fiction this year”. Sickening.
I can remember when Space first came on the air, it held so much promise and for a few years it delivered. It has been sliding steadily away from what it once was though
It has, rather, hasn’t it? Remember when they used to have that riff on A Trip to the Moon (1902) by George Méliès for their station identification sequence? Or when they didn’t show all those nonsense shows that purport to examine the “paranormal” in a “scientific” manner?
Aw, I loved that “Trip to the Moon” sequence! And also the little hubcap flying saucers on obvious strings that they used to introduce “movies from SPAAACE!” You’ve made me nostalgic. 😛
Also, I realise I’m replying to a comment from a million years ago, but I just caught Castle on Space (it’s still on!) and decided to finally google this phenomenon and figure out what the deal is.
Ahh, yes. I remember that movies from space bit. It fit into the whole “we’re nuts” brand they had going.
At least Castle is a decent show. If that’s what it takes for them to bankroll shows like Orphan Black, I think I can put up with it.
I honestly think that the cost of real shows versus reality shows is forcing these companies to reuse content from elsewhere or switch to reality shows themselves because all they need is a cameraman and a commentator to make drama out of nothing. Its cheap to edit because they can just shoot all sorts of irrelevant scenes and glue them together to try to sell something. I think we will have to start paying for the content if we actually want something worth watching.
Space is dead to me.
Stargate followed by Stargate Atlantis followed by Stargate followed by Stargate. It’s absurd. A sub par Canadian produced show, I get it, they need Canadian content but is rather watch The Littlest Hobo than this poor mans scifi. Brutal.
At least play a decent Scifi Canadian show like Battlestar Galactica or Continuum.
Rot in a bucket Space.
Space channel is okay if they just stuck with reruns of sci-fi shows. I mean, i hated stargate and star trek but because of having nothing else to watch and it constantly on space i ended up watching the shows often and then grew to like them.
Now that i like the shows they have been switching to non-science fiction shows. As it is now, i literally find that castle is on CONSTANTLY instead of just being on the channel. I’m pretty sure its on at for at least 6-8 hours of their weekday programming.
I can’t watch the paranormal reality shows as they are fake reality about something that doesnt exist. I think anyone who watches these shows are the lowest quality tv watcher, and i wish they all died. Its because of their “guilty pleasure” shows like jersey shore (“I only watch it to laugh at the idiots!”) that we arent going to see quality tv on regular cable anymore.
As it is now i can only stomach shows from HBO and the like. Space channel is a joke, and sci-fi in general is contained in Doctor Who. Anything else is complete garbage if you ask me. It’s too expensive to justify, when reality shows cost like 1000 bucks per episode where as sci fi is like 1 mil per episode. TV is about making money, not about giving us quality.
At least companies like HBO take our money but do something with it.
I love the space channel but I cant stand that castle is now a part of the programming. If I want to watch castle I would watch it in a different channel that showes it! I like space because its different. If space starts showing C.S.I. And simillar crap like that then ill be cancelling my cable.
You do realize that cancelling your cable just because one channel does something you don’t like is rather like throwing out the baby with the bath water, right? Of course, if the only channel you watch on cable is Space, then it might be the thing to do.
Ok ok…maybe thats a bit excessive. But I spend countless nights watching TV with my wife. We watch shows like castle, greys and what not. I like spending time with her and watch these shows.. When I get so pick the channel I turn on space because I love the programming. Now it doesnt seem to matter what channel is on castle is playing. Whats next for space? Cancel startrek re runs to make room for some new show that Jerry Ryan plays on? Even if it is some space channel unrelated show? So ya I wont cancel cable but im sertanly going to watch a lot less of it..
I sent a complaint to the CRTC about the use of Castle on Space Channel. There are licensing requirements for specialty channels that are supposed to regulate what kind of shows go on specialty channels. I suspect that Bell Media (the new owner of the Space Channel license) is trying to play fast and loose with the license restrictions applicable to Space Channel. If all it takes to qualify as science fiction/fantasy is that one of the stars of the show is Canadian born used to be in a science fiction series (Nathan Fillion was in Firefly) then in theory we can expect to see TJ Hooker and Boston Legal reruns soon on space channel as well (since William Shatner appears in both of those series). The government employees at CRTC responsible for watching over this probably do not know (or ever watch) many (most?) of the shows that the network owners choose to put on the specialty channels. If this is brought to their attention by enough people they might do something about it. It is easy to lodge a complaint on line with the CRTC at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/rapidsccm/register.asp?lang=e. Anyone who also believes that Castle does not meet the license requirements for Space Channel content should fill out a complaint on the CRTC site.
I think it has to do with the channel’s “re-branding.” I remember reading a few months ago that their new motto would be “space: it’s all around you,” with the idea being that they’ll switch to more “down-to-earth” programming. Basically, they’re very intentionally turning their back on science fiction, or at least toning it down. And yes, I do think this is silly and ridiculous, and I can only hope that the decision will bite them on the posterior in the end.
It might bite them, but it might not. It seems there’s some original type programming that is in the right genre around. See Orphan Black and the upcoming Bitten. And then there’s that Atlantis show they have on right now (feels a bit like those Hercules and Xena shows from way back, actually). They also don’t seem to have missed the boat on the whole Doctor Who thing lately, either.
I wonder if they aren’t using Castle as a means of attracting views and simultaneously increasing their bankroll for other things. Hard to say, really. It did take the place of interminable reruns of some show or other.
The purpose of not filling up a channel with everything you want is to intentionally drive you to purchase more channels and/or bigger channel packages.
The show Castle is not suitable for the Space Channel. Looking around old buildings pretending to find ghosts is also not suitable for the channel, and the same goes for dressing up and makeup artist game shows. Further, after 2.5 episodes of the new “Sci-fi” show The Last Ship, I am bored and don’t care one way or another what happens to any of the characters.
I actively refuse to watch any of the aforementioned programs because 1) I don’t want to watch such shows, and 2) it’s deceptive advertising.
The Space Channel is barely recognisable as being a channel dedicated to science fiction; and that’s because it isn’t.
You guys are right. The space channel kinda sucks now. It used to be better. I don’t mind the stargates and endless reruns of Star Trek (even though I’ve been watching Star Trek reruns for more then a decade on that channel) – most of the other shows kinda suck and aren’t very science-fictiony. Weekend movies are okay sometimes. Sharknado or two-headed monster shark anyone? Actually, these movies are kind if a bad joke too. Canada needs a new it better sci-fi channel again.
I personally only watch Space for the reruns of Castle because no one else does. As far as there other shows i’m intrigued from time to time but make no commitment to watch them on a regular basis. I am however a space/scifi geek.
I have been a big Space fan since inception. Originally it was an exciting original and refreshing new channel.
A few years ago I awoke to find it had changed by added too many off themed programs.
When the Scream went bust,Space seemed like a great place to dump its horror content.And Castle ! Really on Space!!
I wrote Space a critical letter a few years ago but to no avail not even an acknowledgment.
What was once my favourite daily watched channel has turned into a pathetic rarely watched channel now. Good job Space!