How ironic is it that two days after it was canceled, Stargate Atlantis aired one of its strongest episodes ever with an equally strong performance by star David Hewlett?

It was announced yesterday that Stargate Atlantis has been canceled and will cease airing after the completion of the current season, its fifth. The show's final episode will be its 100th overall and will be broadcast on December 26th. Like the show it spun off from, Stargate SG-1, it will continue as a series of direct-to-DVD films.

I wasn't really shocked by the announcement because the Sci Fi Channel is as notorious as FOX when it comes to suddenly canceling shows. With Battlestar Galactica also set to end early next year, the Sci Fi Channel suddenly looks very light in the original series category with only Eureka and the upcoming Sanctuary left.

It's a conspiracy against Jewel Staite! She was a regular cast member on the canceled far too soon Firefly, then as soon as she joined Stargate Atlantis as a regular cast member it was also canceled.

Review: Stargate Atlantis, Episode 5.1, "Search and Rescue"

The popular spinoff of the late and still missed Stargate SG-1 begins its fifth season (it's the fifteenth season of the Stargate franchise overall) with an episode written by staff writer Martin Gero. The fourth season ended on a big cliffhanger, and this solid episode quickly gets to work resolving it and a key sub-plot from last season. It delivers the action and character interaction that I love and expect from this show, but somehow the resolution feels a little rushed and even a bit anti-climactic. Still, I'm generally pleased by how the season has started.

Partly for my reference, here's a list of returning summer shows I'm looking forward to, listed with premiere dates and networks.

Burn Notice - second season begins July 10th on USA Network
Stargate Atlantis - fifth season begins July 11th on SCI FI
Monk - seventh season begins July 18th on USA Network
Eureka - third season begins July 29th on SCI FI