Are the Days of High Quality Sci-Fi and Fantasy Shows Like Heroes Long Gone From Broadcast Television?

There’s the saying “Too Much of a Good Thing” for a reason, as fantasy and sci-fi fans have recently found out. Broadcast is no longer home to vampires, werewolves, and witches — oh my!

Once upon a time, you could barely change the channel without landing on a fantasy or sci-fi show. Sadly, those days seem to be long gone.

It seems like only yesterday, the whole world was going nuts over the television craze that was Heroes. Or, how about the years spent trying to decode Lost?

Fantasy and sci-fi have been staples of television since the ’50s with Captain Video and His Video Rangers. Oh, how far we have fallen.

These days, fantasy and sci-fi can barely last a season without getting the axe just a handful of episodes in. Is streaming the last hope for these genres, or could broadcast TV see its own Renaissance?

Once Upon a Time, Fantasy and Sci-Fi Had a Firm Grip on Young Viewers Everywhere  

It goes without saying that police procedurals rule the broadcast networks, with juggernaut franchises like Law & Order and NCIS dominating the industry.

However, there was a clear divide in viewership for a time, with the older crowds watching things like Law & Order: SVU and the younger crowds watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Sure, there was a little crossover from time to time. Older and younger viewers all found reasons to watch Charmed.

That would explain why a female-led series went on to air for eight seasons despite starting in the ’90s and wrapping things up in 2006, with fans begging for more.

That was only the beginning, as interest in fantasy and sci-fi stories was at an all-time high.

From Buffy, Angel was spawned, and from there, every series and show on TV had their sights set on franchising.

It was a special time in television when Joss Whedon‘s name shone because of shows like Firefly, and now, that man’s career is as dead as the vampire trend.

To be fair, the undead did last a lot longer than anyone expected. In fact, the trend gained monumental traction before finally fizzling out sometime in the 2010s.

Remember what I said at the start about too much of a good thing?

The Tween Juggernaut Franchise, Twilight, Is Largely Why Most of the World Is Sick to Death of Fantasy and Sci-Fi Shows

For a solid decade, fantasy and sci-fi ruled television from broadcast to premium. Everyone was jumping on the bandwagon, and it ended up producing some spectacular shows.

To be fair, I mean “spectacular” for those who enjoy those kinds of shows. If you’re not into fantasy or sci-fi, you’ve probably wandered onto the wrong article, but welcome either way.

If the Twilight Saga hadn’t created such a worldwide craze over diamond-shining vampires, fantasy and sci-fi shows of today would not be taking a hit.  

Twilight was an atomic bomb of cultural impact that resonated almost as soon as the movie was announced.

Suddenly, we had The Vampire Diaries, which I wasn’t mad about because I had read the books during my freshman year of college to cleanse the palate of my brain from endless academic textbooks.

Most people, including myself, gave the show a passing watch but didn’t think much of it. Cut to The Vampire Diaries Season 2, and everyone is watching it to satiate themselves between Twilight movies.  

Then there was The Originals, and then Legacies. The TVD universe kept expanding because people could not get enough of a pretty girl caught between two dangerous, supernatural dudes.

Not to mention all the other shows trying to play catch-up, like True Blood. Admittedly, the HBO series was incredible, and people still rewatch it.

Around that time, shows like Heroes came out of the woodwork, giving comic book fans an off-brand Marvel show before the MCU was a thing.

“Save the cheerleader, save the world.” Remember that? There were droves of teens outside the TRL building in cheerleader costumes holding up signs that said just that.

God, remember Total Request Live? Now, there is a deep cut.

These trends continued for so long that echoes remained long after viewers lost interest. It’s why some channels are moving shows to their streaming services while streaming-only services are cutting them altogether.

In The Current Age of Television, Fantasy and Sci-Fi Stories Pose a Budgetary Obstacle to Many Networks and Streamers

These days, Netflix can’t wait to give any fantasy or sci-fi show the boot. Dead Boy Detectives barely had a release before the streamer cut the cord on that one.

It’s a miracle The Sandman has lasted as long as it has with the size of its budget, but there’s no denying that Season 1 was a significant win for Netflix.

It’s the only reason Stranger Things is still going multiple years between season drops. What’s crazy is that streaming seems to be where fantasy and sci-fi go to die and thrive.

Funnily enough, the CBS series Evil had a lackluster premiere season before moving to the network’s streaming service, Paramount+. 

Evil saw many more seasons there before concluding on a solid and successful note. And don’t even get me started on the success of Agatha All Along on Disney+.

Perhaps streaming and premium services are the only way lovers of magic and other worlds can get their fix.

Amazon has been cashing in on fantastical nostalgia by adapting The Wheel of Time and bringing in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Not to mention, the Dune movies were some of the biggest films of the last few years.

So, fantasy and sci-fi can still be successful and very popular, but the stories may have become too big for broadcast television.

Audiences expect film and TV to keep up with the times. These days, viewers want the alien to come out of the screen and personally probe them. That’s how realistic they want the visuals.

Until big, realistic magical or sci-fi battles are in the budget, broadcast will likely keep things cost-effective with procedurals, where the only treats to the eyes are the hot detectives and doctors. 

After the SAG-AFTRA Strikes, networks regrouped and strategized ways to get back in the black. We’ll have to wait till the head honchos decide they have money to burn before they start taking chances on CGI again.

Until then, there’s always rewatching Supernatural. There’s nothing Jensen Ackles‘s sexy smolder can’t cure.

Honestly, if The CW brought back Supernatural, that might actually give broadcast the boost it needs.

There’s not a man, woman, or child who wouldn’t tune in to see Sammy shake out those silky brown locks of his.  

What was your favorite broadcast fantasy or sci-fi show?  

Have you watched any of the fantasy or sci-fi shows on streaming? 

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