"Why does this keep happening to me...?"

They've done it again.
Sci Fi has opted to drop another unique, inventive, fun and thoroughly entertaining show. They're about to launch another re-tread of '80s sci-fi camp, they're still grinding out their so-called "Sci Fi Reality" shows, importing stuff like Mind Control with Derren Brown, and what -- what -- is ECW doing in their schedule?

But they're not giving The Dresden Files a second season.

Bastards.

Just when I was about to enthuse about the great second season of Eureka that they're currently airing, I get news that they're pulling this shit again.

Now, I'm not faulting Sci Fi for pulling the plug on Stargate SG-1 after ten years (although not all of them actually on Sci Fi). True, it would have been nice if the show'd had time to really wrap things up, but there was no hiding the fact that its time had come. And they did get to do a real finale.

I'm talking about the channel's snuffing shows at the top of their game. We'll never really know what was up with axing Farscape without warning. And now they've dropped what I think was one of their best original shows. (Painkiller Jane? Puh-leeze...) Dresden Files had hit the ground running, and looked to keep getting better. It was, certainly, a far more fully realized (and much more entertaining) show than that wretched remake, update or whatever the hell it was that ABC was calling Night Stalker. And I would rather spend an hour with Harry Dresden and the characters in his world than with those mopey whiner guys in Supernatural (no matter how cute the one is).

But Sci Fi dropped the show. After only twelve episodes. Apparently it didn't perform up to their expectations, which, it seems, were initially high. They'd ordered the dozen episodes without ever having aired the pilot; actually before, if I understand correctly, the pilot was even finished. But they say the show wasn't pulling in the ratings, or that its audience base wasn't increasing enough, to justify spending more on new episodes, once they ran the numbers. I don't know whether this means that Dresden Files actually wasn't paying for itself or just not performing up to expectations.

Okay, I can't argue that networks should continue making shows that lose money. It just upsets me that so many good shows fall so quickly to that excuse, while so much crap (which is, I know, I far cheaper to produce) continues to stink year after year.

It kinda makes me want to ditch cable and broadcast TV in general, and just get myself a Netflicks subscription.

Ah, Harry. We hardly knew ya'.