Average season rating: 7.6

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I can't help but think that _Atlantis_ would have been better off if its continuation film(s) hadn't been canceled. That was a major advantage in _SG-1_'s favor, beyond having double the episode count.

In some ways, though, it might have been the better decision not to continue. _Atlantis_ never quite managed to capture the same feeling of adventure that _SG-1_ had in its heyday. It's telling that my favorite characters (except for Ronon) weren't even part of "the team" that went out on missions every week. There was actually a _ton_ of potential for character dynamics that went undeveloped because we almost never got the kind of "home front" episodes that really showed who SG-1's members were outside of their jobs.

_Atlantis_ also never developed the individual characters to the same degree as _SG-1_ had in the same amount of time—which, admittedly, is a reasonable prerequisite for developing dynamics between characters. Flat characters can't riff off each other _nearly_ as well—and _Atlantis_ is chock full of flat character archetypes:

- Tough-guy soldier — two of them, really
- Arrogant genius
- Magical/mystical foreigner
- Doctor cinnamon roll

They don't seem like real people, except for (maybe) Rodney. It's really hard to relate to them most of the time, which was not an issue I had with SG-1. (Anyone I've not listed above is because they were even _more_ forgettable than these.)

In short, I can understand why the show's ratings declined enough that it got canceled. Still worth the ride, but probably not a rewatch.