When it was first announced that FRINGE would be moving from Thursday nights to Friday nights, everyone was relieved. It was believed that if there was a night specially designed and protective of sci-fi shows, it was Fridays. After all that was the night that Fox’s THE X-FILES flourished for many years (before moving to Sundays) and it used to be the sci-fi “go to” night for Syfy channel as well, back in the hey-days of STARGATE: SG-1, STARGATE: ATLANTIS, EUREKA and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
But, in the past few years, an interesting trend developed. Fridays were no longer deemed “sci-fi” Fridays. It was not the sanctuary and safe haven for sci-fi shows. (All puns intended since Syfy still airs both SANCTUARY and HAVEN on Friday nights.) So with the abandonment of Syfy, which took its hardcore sci-fi shows to Monday and Tuesday nights (in order to secure more lucrative advertising and which ultimately killed off such sci-fi staples like STARGATE: UNIVERSE and CAPRICA), very few other broadcast networks wanted to venture into the forbidden territory of Friday nights – known for the past couple of decades as the Death Slot. It has been few and far between that TV shows could succeed on Friday nights. CBS’ GHOST WHISPERER managed to eek out a few years, and BLUE BLOODS also seems to be flourishing on Fridays – but both those series had big-name stars drawing the crowds. Plus, neither show is arguably considered sci-fi. [Read more…]