A massive hurricane is currently tearing up the ocean just off the coast of Mexico, and the surf here in Southern California is huge. Waves between fifteen and twenty feet have been common, and on Wednesday, Anne and I went down to the beach to see them for ourselves, and take a long walk along the sand.
School has just started, so there weren’t many people down there. Parking was easy, and after a quick walk across the hot sand, we got to the edge of the water. We stood there for a few minutes and watched enormous waves explode into foam, before the ocean seemed to completely flatten out into deceptively serene beauty between sets.
We walked about four miles down the sand, and another four miles back. We shared a meatball sub for lunch, and a little after 2pm, we got in the car to head home.
We were about a quarter mile from our house when my cell phone rang. I vaguely recognized the number, so I picked it.
“I have [Syfy Network Executive] for you,” a disinterested assistant said.
“Okay,” I said. The line fell silent, and I knew that my work with Syfy was over.
“How are you?” He asked me.
“I’m fine,” I said, honestly. “I just got back from a nice long walk with my wife, and it’s been a pretty great day.”
“Well, I’m about to make your day less great,” he said. Then, he told me that Syfy will not be ordering more episodes of The Wil Wheaton Project.
He assured me that it wasn’t the quality of the show. He told me again and again how much he loved it, how funny he thought it was, how much he liked me, how much he wanted to find other things to do together.
Ultimately, he told me, the executives in New York just didn’t think we had enough viewers to justify more episodes. I didn’t say anything about the total lack of promotion off the network, or point out that our ratings were on par with The Soup, or that ratings are always lower in summer than the fall. I didn’t bother saying any of that, because I know he knows that. I was reasonably confident that he made those arguments with New York when he was trying to get the show renewed. I presume he fought hard for us, but ultimately couldn’t sway executives in New York who never seemed — in my opinion — to really understand what kind of show we were doing, who I was and why I was hosting it, and how to engage with and promote to the audience who would like it.
I thanked him for the call, thanked him for the opportunity to do a show that Syfy had never tried before, and sincerely thanked him for all his creative support. He’s a good guy in an industry full of bad guys, and I genuinely enjoyed working with him. I know that he’s trying really hard to put the sci-fi back into Syfy, and if anyone can do it there (which is going to be incredibly difficult, I think), he’s the guy who can make it happen.
I hung up the phone, and told Anne that we weren’t being renewed.
“How do you feel about that?” She asked me.
“I’m really okay with it,” I said. “I’m super sad that I won’t get to work with my writers and producers, and I’m sad that we don’t get to keep writing jokes, but I did everything I could to help the show succeed. I promoted it the best way I could, I worked hard to write stuff that was funny, and I tried so, so, so hard to get the network executives in New York to understand how they could help the show succeed.
“I can only do so much, and we didn’t get a lot of promotional support. I did everything I could, and I’m proud of the work we put on the screen. On the one hand, it’s a shame that they stopped us right when the show was hitting its stride, but on the other hand, we went out with some great episodes.”
I’m disappointed that I won’t get to keep working with people I really like and respect. I’m sad that we won’t get to do more silly segments like How Will They Bite It? and Skeletor Reads Angry Tweets. I’ll miss the scarecrow most of all.
I’m grateful, though, to the people at Syfy who believed in us and gave us a chance to succeed. I’m grateful for the creative support we got, and I’m grateful that I got to spend my summer working with wonderful, talented, funny people. I grew a lot of levels in comedy writing over the last 18 weeks or so, and I owe it all to the amazing people I got to work with.
I had made a decision the day we wrapped the show, that I was going to be okay whether Syfy picked us up, or not. I can honestly say that I am really okay with where I am today. I’m looking forward to doing Tabletop and our upcoming RPG show. I’m looking forward to writing more stories, getting excited, and making more things.
Thank you to everyone who watched our show. Thank you for your kind words, and for being part of a pretty great summer.
Until next time: Play more games!
Oh, and let me just stop this before it starts: we nerds have a penchant for letter-writing campaigns and stuff to try and save shows we like. Please don’t do that here. It’s not going to happen, and we should instead put that energy into something else, like getting #butts to trend.
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I’m sorry to hear that your show is done. I guess that a scifi oriented show just isn’t a good fit on Syfy these days.
I do respect you for the way you’re dealing with it. It sounds like you’ve got a good support system.
I guess all that’s left to do is ‘Relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew.’
“What was that?” she asked, her voice barely making it out of the basement.
“I said nevermind about getting the barrel of ink. He doesn’t want us to do a letter writing campaign.”
“Dammit! I really wanted to vent my anger at SyFy for canceling yet another show that we really liked. And what are we going to do with all this ink and reams of paper?”
“Well, I know what Wheaton would want us to do. He’d want us to use it to play more games. But… it’d make me feel better if we used it to send the New York execs at SyFy 100,000 photocopies of our butts.”
She paused. “That’s the worst idea you’ve had so far this week. Including your idea for 3D-printed movie producer action figures.”
I sighed. “Play more games it is, then.”
New show pitch: The Shia Labeouf project with guest hosts Wil Wheaton and Skeletor. The New York dude bros won’t make it past Shia Labeouf before giving the greenlight.
class act
I think one problem inherent with the format was, the more likely someone was in the target demographic, the less likely that person would want to watch a daily tv show.
As much as I loved having a way to catch up on news of the geek world, and found the show funny, I confess I didn’t get time to watch it much.
Now, were it weekly, and online? I’d watch the hell out of that.
Oh, I guess it WAS weekly… Shows how much I know. I just thought my DVR was set to save 1 ep.
Well I’d still watch if it was online.
It’s also online. That’s the only way I was able to watch it. Although the SyFy player is… less than great. That’s the one silver lining I have, I don’t have to fight that player anymore.
You’re going to get a lot of support, Wil, but the show wasn’t very good.
I really enjoyed the show! It ticks me off that there won’t be a second season. It was a very funny and enjoyable series. I deserved more from the network.
A lovely attitude to have about changing opportunities. Thank you for setting a positive example and being a true class act.
Will, from a sci-fi indie writer on the east coast, my condolences. So many great shows, have been cancelled by such short-sighted executives, that TV in general, is rapidly becoming a waste land. It’s all about the Benjamins these days. The art has played second fiddle to the revenue streams. Sadly, this is now prevalent in the book publishing world, radio, television, basically, all media.
Maybe an indie web series might be a better route for you? Anyways, good luck with whatever your future holds.
Oh come off it. It’s ALWAYS been about the Benjamins. It’s ALWAYS been about the money. Why do you think actual running times of shows have been decreasing and commercial breaks have gotten longer and longer? MONEY.To sit there and say it has suddenly become about the money or that you just now became aware that it is about the money proves how utterly and completely naive you are. I’m surprised you aren’t dead’ cause the kids in the neghborhood got you to drink lye or something.
As for so many GREAT shows being cancelled by such short-sighted executives, please just stop.
Firefly was NOT anywhere near great. You are never going to get another five seasons of it. You got your Serenity movie which SHOCKER, cratered at the box office. Hell you even got your Serenity comic book. If the show was even moderately good, Scify would have picked it up and would be running it, maybe instead of wrasslin’.
Many Great shows being cancelled.
Please.
Take your meds lately?
Sadly you know nothing of what actually happened with trying to move Firefly from Fox. The major sticking point was that Fox would not release the dvd or rights to the show beyond allowing them to make episodes and air them on SciFi. Nobody was going to spend money on a show just to watch Fox make millions for doing nothing.
I’m a 76-year-old fan or “real” scifi, and I enjoyed the way you used inside jokes to poke fun at current shows. I would have watched your show every week, but I don’t have DVR and have to schedule around conflicts and repeat showings to catch the series that I wanted to follow. Often your show was just not on at a time when I could watch it without missing a network show that didn’t repeat. I know your material was topical, so they probably won’t rerun any episodes. But I did enjoy watching when I could. (I remember 17-year-old Wesley Crusher and Captain Kirk without a toupée.)
I haven’t had the chance to even see this show.: ( where can I go to see it?
Maybe Hulu or Netflix has it. Or even Syfy.com has the videos. Worth a try.
Not sure how hard it is but… Have you thought about turning it into a web series? I guess the pay won’t be as high as a full network can pay, but it could work, right?
Wil your show is one of the few that made me laugh out loud!!! I am so disappointed that SyFy didn’t do more to promote it (in fact little or nothing). I hope to see you in other things very soon. I am fortunate to have a DVR so I watched every episode. Thanks for all the joy and fun!
I’m really sorry to hear that. I was hoping that some day I’d actually get to see your show here in Canada. 🙁
I pouted for a good fifteen minutes when I saw that your show had been cancelled. My sister and I never missed an episode.
Those network executives are tools, of the very highest order. They’ll probably fill your vacated time slots with a weekly Sharknado series, or something. Morons. 😛
Anyway, you have my deepest and most heartfelt condolences, Mr. Wheaton. It was fun while it lasted!
Loved the show; sorry it was canceled. Would love to see more if there’s something we as fans can do.
I am very disappointed in this news. The Wil Wheaton Project was a show that my entire family watched together. We all enjoyed it so much! Its too bad that networks don’t seem to want to put in the time and effort to promote good shows. I know that you are OK with it Wil and that makes me happy for you. However, I think it sucks.
My girlfriend and I love the show and looked forward to it every week. You have many true fans of both you and your show. It will be missed.
(PS: My girlfriend would like me to add she has been a fan of yours since she was 12, and we can’t wait for Tabletop.)
So sorry to hear this. It’s hard when you’ve invested of yourself into a project and it ultimately doesn’t turn out how you had hoped. But it has to be gratifying to know you put good work out there and to know that you have a good rapport with that particular gentleman. Hopefully, that will be a fruitful connection for future projects. And if not, at least you had a great experience. You are such a diverse talent…your show really was funny. I’m hoping that you get more opportunities to showcase that in the near future. In the meantime, can’t wait for Tabletop, Round 3. Have a great holiday weekend…be safe!
I will miss your show. Perhaps you could do it on another network? Maybe somewhere where “characters are welcome”?
Good idea Elizabeth. TBS, or Maybe FX? Or G2?
Good for you Wil! Keep doing what you love.
I really enjoyed the show, but am sad it won’t continue. ON the otherhand though, you do know some great YouTubers who have channels that can air such shows as “how will they bite it” or “Skeltor reads angry tweets”.
Are you bound by contract to not use those ideas outside of the show/off network (now that the show wasn’t picked up?)
That’s really disappointing. Your show was one of the highlights of my week. I was looking forward to another season. I guess I’ll just have to be happy with Tabletop. Thanks for all your hard work!
🙁
Wil, I’m sorry your show got cancelled but thank you for sharing the news first. The Wil Wheaton Project was an enjoyable half hour and your guests were loads of fun. May this short foray be a launching pad to even more exciting projects.
You’re correct, terrible promotion – I discovered your show by chance through Charter on demand and only watched it there. Please consider doing a weekly YouTube-type show, built on the momentum you’ve created for yourself over the past few months where you rack up a million viewers each week, have the time of your life with complete creative control and pocket all the money.
Sorry to hear this! Saw it posted on Twitter and thought it had to be a prank. This was my new favorite talk/clip show.
While I appreciate your positive approach to all this…it sucks. I enjoyed the show and will miss it. Thanks for making it and for sharing it with us.
I had a crazy idea, I’m sure there’s no way of could happen, #butts if it could, a tabletop episode with all ST:TNG cast members would be nerdgasmic.
Sorry to hear the show wouldn’t get a second season. Hoping we can see season one soon on the Australian SyFy channel.
How you have handled all this vicissitude is admirable.
Sorry Will, I really liked your show, but stopped watching as it was so current that I was afraid of seeing spoilers on shows I had recorded, but hadn’t watched yet. It was a tough decision, but I really dislike spoilers. I suspect there may have been others like me.
You may be a victim of technology, which I find ironic to the enth degree!
Keep up the good work. You have a bright future somewhere in comedy.
Uh would this be an appropriate place to say I just recently discovered Tabletop and I love it with burning passion that rivals the sun itself in intensity and also life giving force?
Well I do and if it isn’t then ……My Bad.
Keep being awesome bud and sorry about your show being cancelled, but the internet is the future anyway. Soon all those Network execs will only be useful for making Torgo’s Executive Powder and then who will be canceling who! Huh? You get me?!>!@# good. #Yolo
As one of the (I suspect) many who was not able to find a way of purchasing the series in my country of residence (and yes, I did email SyFy about it), but found an “alternative” viewing angle, I’m sad that you didn’t get better coverage.
Glad that you’re managing to stay positive – hope that all our goodwill helps on the days when you’re less so – and I hope that it’s not a financial blow for your family.
That’s a real shame. The show was getting better and better as it went along. Very annoying. Your passion for the genre and the humor was great.
I have a question. If you could create a similar show again, and assuming someone provided the financial resources, how would you change it?
What would your dream show be like?
I really enjoyed watching you on TV. Your show was truly hitting its stride. I look forward to seeing you in your future endeavors.
So sorry to hear they made that decision, but you put together a great show and gave it your all. You can always be proud of that, and use that experience to new and better things in the future.
Wil, I am sorry to hear about the show. I am from England, and live in Thailand and so the only way to watch your show is over the internet. I felt connected with other fans of the same genre, because here in Thailand, Sci-Fi isn’t really common as it is in the western world.
Thank you for a great show.
Super classy post. Just another reason why wilw is such a stand up guy. Incredibly sad to hear about the lack of renewal, as my boyfriend and I felt like the show really hit its stride in the last few episodes.
Why don’t we ask E! To pick it up and air it after The Soup?
Wil –
I thought you did did just fine with your show but if you really felt okay with your decision not to be renewed you wouldn’t have had all the caveats on what the executives in NYC knew, did or didn’t do. I follow you because I like your insight , sometimes your wit and your tenacity. But don’t make excuses. It’s a sign of maturity to do so. If you truly feel okay with it, then accept it and move on. if you don’t feel okay with it, then say so and make those caveats. But don’t try to disguise your excuses. It’s unseemly. Having said all this, I appreciate you, whether you realize it or not.
john K.
Yeah, you clearly don’t get the idea that one can be okay with something because of all the bull that went along with having to get it done. He can totally think the reasons are dumb, but if he figured it was going to happen anyway, and was tired of jumping through their hoops, he can totally be okay with not being renewed, and still think their reasoning was stupid.
Agree with Fin Alyn here: what is an actual sign of maturity in this scenario is understanding the reasons the show didn’t get the push it needed, and at the same time, not being emotionally unhinged because it didn’t get picked up for more episodes. People are complex and are entirely capable of having conflicting thoughts without it being some kind of failing or “excuse.”
You truly are a class act. We enjoyed your show.
Loved the show Wil. It was different, it was topical and it was news and commentary I wanted. Having worked in TV for 20 years they never cease to amaze me how shortsighted execs can be.
Thanks Wil — the show was fun, and your attempt to bring sci-fi back to SyFy was much appreciated. I’m glad you’re at peace with their decision, but be patient while the rest of us work through all those stages of grief.
I will miss the show and I will miss Skeletor. Thank you for giving us a season of fun and jokes.
My husband and I really enjoyed the show, and we really need to get caught up via On Demand while the episodes are still available.
I’m really bummed that we won’t have a chance to see a taping while visiting California later this year.
Oh, So bummed. I agree that they did a terrible job promoting to include continuously changing the time it was seen (at least on the west coast).
It was a source of entertainment and laughter for us and will be missed.
Thank you!
Would it be too much to do this on your own as a podcast with everything else you do?
Maybe somebody knows the answer to this one (Wil or otherwise): Can segments like “How will they bite it?” be re-used in something like the Geek & Sundry channel on YouTube? Or does it all become properties of SyFy and therefore Wil can’t use it in any other project?
Love you and follow you so don’t get this the wrong way, but I think the show didn’t have the best focus it could have had. It was too much about jokes and less about nerdy stuff. I even sent an email to SyFy asking them to extend the duration of the show to 1 hour, and have a more ‘serious’ section after the jokes, in which you would have guests and talk about nerdy stuff (sort of like how The Nerdist was specially on season 1).
Disappointing news, I’d rather have the show as it was than no show at all. Well, looking forward to Tabletop season 3 and the RPG season though!
Isn’t there a third option? Create or kickstart a similar show on youtube to do after tabletop and the RPG show.
Shaka, when the walls fell! 🙁