MGM Hails Strong SGU Ratings

LOS ANGELES: Stargate Universe (SGU) is set to become the most successful installment in the sci-fi franchise, according to MGM, following strong debuts in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia.

The latest season is attracting a large number of younger viewers, the studio said. “With this success, SGU continues to be a very important franchise in the MGM family along with James Bond, Pink Panther, The Hobbit and Rocky,” said Gary Marenzi, the co-president of MGM Worldwide Television. “We anticipate global success for the series as SGU continues its rollout around the world and we are thrilled that younger audiences worldwide are discovering and embracing our very addictive series.”

Brad Wright, the co-creator of SGU, added: "Many of our characters are younger, inexperienced and should not be on this mission. This opens the door to relationships and story lines that younger audiences want to see.”

The show premiered on Syfy in the U.S. with its best numbers in the franchise in four years with more than 2.3 million viewers. In Canada, SGU premiered on SPACE with 565,000 viewers, making it SPACE’s highest-rated single episode ever. In the U.K. on Sky1, 1.04 million tuned in for the premiere, marking the biggest Stargate audience in almost five years. And in Australia, SGU was the best-performing show on the Sci-Fi pay-TV platform, posting a 6.4-percent share. 

Based on the 1994 feature film Stargate, the sci-fi series franchise kicked off in 1997 with Stargate SG-1, first on Showtime and then Sci-Fi Channel, for a total of ten seasons and 214 episodes. Stargate Atlantis premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel and The Movie Network in 2004 and ran for five seasons and 100 episodes.