Science fiction meets game shows?

Game show fans often complain when GSN tries non-game-show projects. I certainly hollered about Improv-a-Ganza, the (alleged) comedy effort that had nothing to do with game shows. Luckily for me, the show went up in very smelly flames, was quickly cancelled, and will no doubt soon vanish completely from GSN.

But things can work the other way around. A faux tweet noted SyFy's foray into, you guessed it, game shows. The network will try Total Blackout, where contestants face challenges in complete darkness, with creepy-crawlies like tarantulas and snakes thrown in.

I still remember the stink when SyFy changed its name to the current too-cute moniker. Hardcore science fiction fans screamed that the network was losing its focus. They won't scream any less about a game show invading their sacred precincts. It's the mirror image of game show purists like me getting antsy over GSN's ventures into other genres.

I'm really not too hopeful about Total Blackout's prospects. The show does look like a misfit for SyFy even with the tarantulas, and the concept seems hackneyed and derivative: Beat the Clock in the dark, basically.

One thing is certain. A failure wouldn't make science fiction fans unhappy.