Sci Fi shows can have a huge fanbase and still not be saved. A million fans got together writing to paramount to save enterprise and they still got the axe, and a similar situation happened with Journeyman.
They don't care that there may be millions of potential viewers or fans. They want these shows to get the same ratings as puke reality shows like American Idol. I am surprised just how idiotic and dumb the average american is and how they all have add. Even in the 2lst century they don't get science fiction. But then again this would explain why younger generations ate up the substanceless prequels and indy 4 and clone wars, Our technology gets better generation while the kids get dumber.
Not only do these stupid excutives cancel these sci fi shows and replace them with inferior ones, but when they dump the cancelled shows to dvd like paramount and charge 120 dollars a season and say see the dvd sales there never was any audience for this show to begin with.
Fox are morons they cancelled futurama because it was not the simpsons in outer space, and they cancelled Space Above and Beyond because it was not Star Wars for tv that they wanted. X-files should have been canceled after the first few seasons.
Many Cotto could have saved enterprise though the show died because of the firing of rick berman as star treks head honcho. Because of the lackluster nemesis movie and they also cancelled the romulan wars movie penned by the screenwriter of band of brothers. They went in a completely different direction with a reboot and jj movie. and are currently in talks for a sixth television series.