As Stargate SG-1 rolls on its 10th season, even the head of programming at its U.S. broadcaster is surprised at the series’ continued success.

‘Every year we keep thinking this is the last year,’ says Mark Stern, exec VP, original programming at cable outlet Sci Fi Channel, which took over the series from Showtime after season five. ‘The sixth year we were sure was the end, then the seventh and eighth, so now we have all basically given up trying to guess.’

And once the series hits the 202-episode mark, it will eclipse The X-Files (which was also lensed in B.C.) to become the longest-running sci-fi series in North America.

‘It is an amazing accomplishment,’ says Stern. ‘And the really exciting thing is that the show feels as interesting and funny and energetic as it did in the first season.’

It also continues to lead in the ratings. The series – which follows a tactical team at a U.S. army base that travels instantaneously through an ancient portal to other planets – is among Sci Fi’s top three series.

Battlestar Galactica – yes, also shot in B.C. – currently holds the number-one position on the cable channel, followed by SG-1 and spinoff Stargate Atlantis.

In fact, when Stargate Atlantis debuted in 2004, it actually bolstered ratings for SG-1.

‘It was a real surprise to us,’ says Stern. ‘Originally, Atlantis was supposed to replace SG-1, but they have actually turned out to be amazing partners and have lifted each other up. There is a lot of crossover between the shows. About 60 percent of the Atlantis audience is SG-1 viewers.’

He also points out that the show has as many women viewers as men.

‘That is surprising for a science fiction series, but it shows that there really is a broad spectrum of people who watch Stargate SG-1,’ he notes.

The series is also a consistently top performer in Canada on Space: The Imagination Station, which runs SG-1 as a daily stripped program in the afternoons and broadcasts new episodes in primetime.

‘It has solid ratings every single day – Monday through Friday,’ says Isme Bennie, director of programming and acquisitions for Space. ‘On a day-to-day basis, it is the most successful long-running stripped program in our schedule. And when we run new episodes, they are among the highest-rated shows in that particular week.’

SG-1 also has a strong international following. Sony Pictures Television, which handles distribution of the series, has sold the series into over 120 territories, including the U.K., Australia, Germany and France.

The Stargate franchise has also spawned DVDs, books, merchandise, magazines and comic books for the company, with a video game in development.

‘Some shows develop a cult audience, and that is what has happened with Stargate SG-1,’ says Bennie. ‘They are really loyal and devoted viewers.’

Stern believes the secret to the show’s popularity is in the chemistry between characters.

‘Yes, Stargate SG-1 has interesting science fiction stories and it has action adventure, but many sci-fi and action adventure shows haven’t lasted half a season, much less 10 years,’ he says. ‘This is a family of characters you want to come back to every week. They have so much fun together. The humor and wit is so great, and that is key to why the show works.’

In terms of Cancon, not only are the Stargate shows shot in B.C., but they are also posted locally, and series showrunners Robert Cooper and Brad Wright are Canadian, as is most of the crew.

Bennie finds it interesting that the show – which is certified Canadian by the CRTC – doesn’t have the stigma of other dramas made in this country.

‘One of the great things about a series like Stargate is that science fiction as a genre doesn’t get badmouthed for being Canadian, for being ‘boring Canadian drama,” she says. ‘We are one of the few countries who do science fiction really well. We really have the expertise and experience.’

It was the decision of original SG-1 production company MGM to shoot the series in B.C., where it was already producing the sci-fi series The Outer Limits. Stern was an exec producer on that show.

‘I have found an amazing amount of talent and dedication here,’ Stern says. He also gives a lot of the credit on SG-1 to the local geography.

‘I don’t think you could make this show anywhere else and have it look the same,’ he says. ‘The production makes great use of the Vancouver area, and the show has this interesting atmospheric look you can only get shooting in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past 10 years, SG-1 has become woven into the fabric of Vancouver.’

www.scifi.com/stargate/

www.spacecast.com