Syfy is currently airing the second half of season four and the cast and crew are filming the 13 installments of season five. Word is that production will finish at the end of August and then cast and crew will return in October to film the final six episodes — or maybe they won’t be the last ones.
After the news of the cancellation broke, Syfy programming head Mark Stern issued the following statement: “Bruce Miller and Jaime Paglia have brought a creative vitality to Eureka that has kept it fresh and inventive. Although we do not have a commitment beyond six episodes for the sixth season, we are hopeful that this will not be the end of the franchise.”
The ratings for Eureka have remained fairly consistent and it remains one of the cable channel’s top shows. The first part of season four averaged a 0.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.38 million viewers. The four episodes of the second half of the season have averaged a 0.7 in the demo and 2.02 million. As we all know, TV shows typically get more expensive as time goes on and that may be a deciding factor in this case.
While Syfy says that they haven’t made a final decision about the future of Eureka, it certainly sounds like this is the end. If Syfy follows their usual schedule, the six episodes of season six won’t air until Summer 2013. That’s an awful long time away. If they wait to see how those episodes perform, they’d probably have a hard time reassembling everyone to make more.
That being said, Stern’s statement does speak of Eureka as a “franchise.” A franchise is usually more than just one TV series. This could be an indication that the cable channel is considering keeping the show going in some new and cheaper way — perhaps a spin-off or an original movie. If the ratings hold up, it seems likely that Syfy won’t want to let the town of Eureka fade away completely.
What do you think? Is it time for Eureka to end? Would you like to see season seven or would you prefer a spin-off or a movie?
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