‘Continuum’ fails to draw audience on par with ‘Lost Girl’ in America

With “Fringe” ending this week and the following bit of news, now is not a good time be a science fiction show in America. It’s almost ironic in a way given the rise of geek culture, but the genre that is often referenced in such programs like “The Big Bang Theory” is in the middle of a rut.

If you live in Canada, then you already probably know about the extremely popular series there known as “Continuum.” Combining elements of crime drama and time travel, it quickly became one of cable network Showcase’s biggest hits. Unfortunately, the show’s launch in America flopped badly on Monday night, with the airing only drawing a 0.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic. This is less than half of the two other shows on the Syfy lineup in “Lost Girl” and “Haven,” which each drew respectable 0.5 ratings that were equal to The CW average for the night.

So is the future of the show in doubt? If you are living in Canada, not so much. Like with “Lost Girl,” “Continuum” is a show entirely produced in Canada, so it could be like CTV’s “Saving Hope” this past summer in that it could live on even though the American affiliate (in this case NBC) declined to air any additional episodes. (“Haven,” meanwhile, is funded by both countries.) The poor ratings of the aforementioned show is especially surprising given that it was a well-reviewed show north of the border, it was the premiere, and it did not even have to air against “Revolution” on Monday night.

Sadly, we’re not seeing many networks away from Syfy at the moment really giving this genre a chance during the upcoming pilot season. We thought that there could be more people interested in making a “Revolution” copycat; and if it is happening, the networks are keeping it under wraps.

Photo: Showcase