By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
There’s no doubt that sci-fi fans are the most dedicated in the world, after all, Star Trek fans popularized fan conventions and brought the short-lived series back from the dead decades after cancellation, which is why when the streaming wars began, every studio pulled out a flagship sci-fi series to get eyeballs on their new service. HBO Max brought over Doom Patrol and Titans, Paramount+ gave us a new generation of Star Trek, Disney introduced the world to Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian, and AppleTV+ has turned into the destination for prestige sci-fi thanks to Severance, Silo, and Foundation.
Which explains why NBC’s Peacock streaming service is often an afterthought for sci-fi fans, and given its recent mishandling of Resident Alien, for some reason, the parent company of SyFy is pursuing live events instead of what’s worked for every other service: Nerds.
When Peacock was first launched by NBC, it was immediately popular thanks to easy access to complete runs of the network’s classic sitcoms, including The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and, through Bravo, enough reality TV shows to make you flip a table. But like after Michael left Scranton, and Scrubs moved to the medical school, the audience eventually migrated for other services. Sitcom fans, procedural fans, and sports fans can go anywhere to find enjoyment, but sci-fi fans are the ones to stick around and champion their latest favorite.
Peacock’s lack of decent sci-fi originals is even more bizarre given that NBC Universal owns SyFy. The cable network may not have had the greatest run of success since its mass cancellations of Eureka, Warehouse 13, and Haven a decade ago, but then Resident Alien caught fire and crossed over to become a mainstream hit. Even then, Peacock isn’t the show’s only streaming home, with the first three seasons available on Netflix.
It isn’t only the lack of current sci-fi shows that exposes the streamer’s inability to reach the sci-fi audience, but the string of broken promises in NBC’s wake. A Battlestar Galactica reboot was in development hell for years before it was unceremoniously canceled. The Quantum Leap reboot took too long to find its audience after a dismal first season, Brave New World barely finished its first season, and Resident Alien was canceled while at the peak of its popularity.
Peacock’s SyFy arm did launch a new space series called The Ark. They gave it two seasons, no promotion, and then never bothered to let fans know if there’d be a third season or not. We still don’t know.
Peacock sci-fi shows are cancelled too early, or buried, or trapped in a hell of studio notes. Meanwhile competitor CBS has no problem churning out Star Trek entries on Paramount+, even if Section 31 turned out to be a mistake, a misfire is better than nothing.
The best reason for a sci-fi fan to subscribe to Peacock can be found in the streamer’s archives, where tucked away, beyond Season 17 of Below Decks, you can find the criminally underrated SeaQuest DSV, the best multiverse series, Sliders, one of the greatest sci-fi shows ever made in Farscape, and Season 1 of Heroes. On the lighter side of genre television, Charmed, Highlander, and the original run of Dark Shadows are all available.
What’s not available? SyFy hits, including Eureka, Lost Girl, Warehouse 13, Haven, Killjoys, and The Magicians. While some were co-productions, it’s odd that NBC hasn’t added them to its streaming lineup. Sci-fi fans are up in arms over the cancellation of Resident Alien, and Peacock isn’t giving them any reason to stay unless you want to binge Farscape for the third time like a well-adjusted adult.
