TV critic Andrew Liptak notes that while Syfy has produced some great shows like Battlestar Galactica, recent offerings like Sharknado have turned the network into something of a punch line.

"Syfy has gotten beat up over the last several years for airing some crappy shows and really turning their back on the classic space opera stuff," Liptak says in Episode 180 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "A lot of people really didn't like that about Syfy, and really thought they were turning their back on their roots."

Fans of TV space operas have had little to enjoy the past few years, ever since the premature demise of shows like Farscape and Firefly. Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, creators of The Expanse, told interviewer Liz Shannon Miller that studios are leery about the high cost of space opera shows.