My god. I've never so completely disagreed with the majority of posters here tonight (Ok, unless I'm the only guy in the room defending Studio 60, which happens more than it should).

"Direct to video seems an act of desperation." Yeah, and winning that Peabody was just another last ditch effort.

So they want to try a new medium. They tried webisodes, which I think worked quite well. DTV isn't new, but its new to first run dramas (I'm assuming, unless someone pulls out a random "Hill Street Blues did it" comment, which, hey, I'm not perfect). Why not give it a shot. Its a chance to be a bit more edgy than they can be on SciFi. They can do more FX, and possibly bring in some different guests.

If they can craft a movie as impressive as the mini series was (Which, sold its on DVD (Which, I will say, pissed me off, as it was included in the S1 Box Set)), then why not? Desperation? I think not.

corbett: Yeah, I'm not saying its a given, I will say though that its a fairly prevalent argument around here when we get what overs would call subpar episodes (I think Hero this year got some of it, I KNOW Black Market, and others during that same 3 week stretch last season).

Jessup and Joel, please remember that the announcement posted here about a 4th season renewal is only rumor. No official word has come from SciFi yet and probably won't for at least a month.

Toner - you are right, Tivo and the rise of the DVR are just another reason why Sci Fi should not rely on the nielsons for determining whether or not BSG continues. I've seen BSG listed on the Tivo site in the past has being in the top 25 (or top 10, whichever they release publicly on the site) most recorded shows. The nielsons aren't everything they are thought to be and shows like BSG that deliver huge on DVD, dvr-recording, and iTunes prove that.

Dorv: You're right. The full season is 20 episodes, separated evenly by this month-long hiatus. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that a higher episode count per season leads to a greater percentage of sub-par episodes though. The ratio seems to be about the same to me, but that's just me.

I'm a huge Battlestar fan but would not buy a dvd of a tv show...that is why a guy has 6 possible channels that can be recorded via TIVO at any given time. So I never really have to pay for entertainment other then my TIVO and sat fees.

The show is not in trouble, despite the rumblings of bad ratings. I think a direct to DVD movie gives Moore and Eick the chance to push the envelope just a bit more, which I think could be really cool.

David: Akbar, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this season 20 episodes? There have been very valid complaints that the longer seasons have been at the expense of the production of sub-par episodes.

I agree with Corbett, some of the other shows SciFi puts out have audiences comprised entirely of the cast and shut-ins who can no longer reach their remotes. SciFi has got a good thing going. I'd guess that BSG would be their highest rated series, anyone know for sure? Say the ratings plumetted though, my speculation is that NBC would just reduce BSG's per episode spending budget.

All this talk of declining ratings and whether the show would be cancelled absolutely fails to take into account the other factors involved in SciFi making the right decision to keep the show on the air. Which include the incredible DVD sales - Season 2.5 is currently #39 on amazon's sales ranking, Season 2.0 is #55, and Season 1 is #33 - AND how well the show sells on iTunes, where new episodes typically take more than one spot in the Top 10 tv downloads.

Ratings for shows on basic cable are especially over-rated. Look at your own reports of Nielsen's ratings for basic cable - they are dominated each and every week by Spongebob (Monday), Spongebob (Tuesday), Spongebob (Wednesday), and so on and so forth.

What is SciFi's highest rated original show? I don't honestly know the answer to this, but I can say that if it's not BSG, then it will be after Stargate SG-1 takes its final bow.

Jussup, you're right about that; I added the link to my post.

wasn't it just reported on here yesterday that it did get picked up for a fourth season?

Direct to video seems an act of desperation. Make as much money as you can before it airs on TV. Meanwhile, anyone buying or renting the movie is unlikely to watch the version that appears on TV, possibly affecting the ratings.

Direct to video works on the level of curiosity or for major well known brands. I guess it could work, but it's a shame it has to be this way.