G4TV Is Canceled: Good Riddance

© Copyright Techtv 

I frequent an internet forum occasionally and in the "Gaming" section I saw a thread, made a week prior, created on G4 getting the axe from all cable providers. I have AT&T U-Verse and the channel, until the end of 2014, is still ghosting on U-Verse's pay-per-view menu; airing re-runs of "Cops" and "American Ninja". Many ex-fans of the network have brought up the channel's so-called "Golden Years" of "X-Play" with Adam Sessler and Morgan Web, and "Attack of the Show", however that network, as far as I'm concerned, officially died when it ceased to be called "Techtv".

Originally, "G4TV" was known as "ZDTV" back in the 90's. Named after Ziff Davis's computer and tech publications, the network heavily focused on those aforementioned things. I first knew of the channel due to my elder brother whom used to watch the shows "Call for Help" and "The Screen Savers" with Leo Laporte and Patrick Norton. I firmly got hooked on the network when my brother and I discovered they had a videogame show called "Gamespot". The hosts were Adam Sessler and Kate Botello, whom had great hosting capabilities, and knowledge about the games and industry. Personally I liked, even at that young age, seeing a  fellow female whom also played videogames.

© Copyright Techtv

The network was later renamed "Techtv" in 2000 and I remember being confused when I saw the changed name on Directv. However the network still stayed focused to its tech or "geeky" audience. In fact, I did enjoy a lot of the new programming that was enacted during this change such as "Cinematech", "Anime Unleashed" and even Martin Sergent's "Unscrewed", where the infamous "Man Faye" was discovered.

When Techtv merged with G4 and ultimately became G4TV that's when the channel croaked. Instead of the focus of the network being about tech and other shows that would interest this demographic, the programming became heavily dumbed-down with ridiculous shows like "Video Game Vixens". All of the beloved shows that gave this network an audience in the first place were systematically axed over time. The only lasting show that survived the merger was "X-Play", formerly Extended Play/ Gamespot, yet that show became quite dumbed-down as well with slapstick comedy now being a part of the format, a new "hot" female host, and an Adam Sessler that, unlike previously, acted like he was on Speed during the filming of the episodes.

Viewer's of G4tv know what ultimately happened next with the syndicated re-runs of "Cops", "American Ninja", and "Hereo's" being aired. Then the eventual firing of Adam Sessler, the lone staff member whom was with the network since ZDTV, and later on the ultimate cancellation of the last original ZDTV/ Techtv show (and thrice renamed) "X-Play".
I, and other fans of Techtv/ ZDTV have long ago said our good-byes to this network years ago. I'm not sad to see the wannabe Spike TV channel that it became die an agonizing, and second-hand embarrassing death.