Upfront season is finally upon us and to kick it off, SyFy, in typical fashion, held theirs ahead of the pack, this time at the American Museum of Natural History. As you can imagine, of course, SyFy is adding a ton of unscripted series, but what’s really interesting is the news of the upcoming scripted programming, for what was announced and what wasn’t announced. Though SyFy is not launching any new scripted series this summer and have only one officially announced to premiere in 2013, they have 12 – count ’em – 12 new scripted series in development currently with huge names attached to them. We’re looking at Rockne O’Bannon, Michael Taylor, Kevin Murphy, George Nolfi, Bryan Fuller, Greg Berlanti, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Neil Moritz, Mark Verheiden, The Jim Henson Company, Naren Shankar being involved directly with these projects, all of whom are legends or are rising stars in the genre. Most surprisingly, none of these projects look like crap. Here’s our analysis of SyFy’s upfront news, you can read the full press release below.
Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome… not even mentioned. Elephant in the room time, or lack thereof, as it were. As you know, we’ve been following the development of B & C for some time now and last month we noted that the upfronts were where we’d find out what’s really going on with this series, despite the fact that SyFy announced that they would officially be moving forward with it as a digital series. We expected one of two things to be announced; first, that the pilot movie would be aired this summer and in which case, all bets were off and it would be considered a backdoor pilot and its ratings would determine whether it would receive network or digital treatment. The other option was that they would announce a mid-season 2012 – 2013 airing and that would confirm that the show would be indeed going digital (not that going digital is a bad thing). The third, “WTF?” option that we didn’t even want to consider because we didn’t think it would be possible but we threw it out there just in case is exactly what happened. SyFy gave us crickets, “I knowz nothingz,” and “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” and although we didn’t expect that they would go the route of pretending that B & C doesn’t exist, they did and just like we predicted in last month’s piece, this course of action has left us completely perplexed as to what SyFy’s intentions with it are, although we are leaning toward accepting that it is indeed going digital, when exactly still remains a mystery, however, it should be noted that IMDb has a release date of 2013 listed on the show’s page.
(UPDATE 10/28/2012: IMDb now has a premiere date for the BSG:B&C pilot as March, 2013)
To keep it simple, here’s a list of all of the new series that SyFy has in development for 2013 and beyond and what we think of them so far.
Defiance Defiance is in collaboration with Trion Worlds, with the Syfy series and Trion’s multi-platform shooter MMO poised to debut simultaneously. The series stars Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Fionnula Flanagan, Mia Kirshner and Oscar-nominee Graham Greene. Set in the near future, Defiance introduces a completely transformed planet Earth, inhabited by the survivors of a universal war. Forced to co-habitate, the disparate group struggles to build a new society among the devastation. The dramatic tapestry of the series and the intense action of the game will exist in a single universe where their respective narratives will inform one another and evolve together into one overall story. – Not surprisingly, the centerpiece of the upfront event was the groundbreaking “transmedia” (we like that made-up term soooo much more than “cross-over.” Congratulations, SyFy, you’ve permanently impacted the pop-culture lexicon.) series/MMORPG, Defiance. Announced at last April’s upfront, we have been reporting on this project since last summer and just last month more news was released about its development and casting. Good stuff, indeed, and very risky and progressive. We are in love with this project.
Rewind Rewind revolves around a team of military field operatives and civilian scientists who must use untested technology to travel back in time to alter events and change the future — and avoid a devastating terrorist attack. Shane McRae stars as Sean Knox, ex-Special Forces who ranks as a field operative in a special division of the Department of Homeland Security. – Proving our theory that there are no original concepts in SciFi any more, just recycled and repackaged concepts. Yep, thanks, SyFy, but we already saw this show. It ran from 1998 – 2001 on UPN right before Star Trek: Voyager on Wednesday nights and was called Seven Days and it was one of the greatest and most underrated SciFi programs in history. Not that we’re complaining, mind you, because we don’t mind recycling/repackaging provided it’s done well, but what we find notable is that this type of programming is in direct contradiction with the network’s stated intention of avoiding this particular genre which is what prompted the name change from SciFi to SyFy three years ago to begin with…. and it’s not the only entry at this year’s upfront to do this.
The Adjustment Bureau In this drama, based on the hit movie starring Matt Damon, guardian angel-type agents work to keep the world according to The Plan. They create everything from plane crashes to coffee spills in order to steer people to realize their true destiny. But there is one thing the operatives and their Chairman can’t control — free will. – Ditto what we just said about no original concepts in SciFi, however we’ll let this one off the hook because when the incredibly underrated SciFi Action – Thriller starring Matt Damon hit theaters in 2010, it was certainly one of the most original concepts that the genre had seen in years (sorry, fanboys, as good as Inception was and is, there was nothing original about the concept). Last year, we felt that there were two recent feature films that would make great scripted television series; 2011’s Source Code and, of course, The Adjustment Bureau. We’ve actually known about The Adjustment Bureau being picked up for series treatment by SyFy for a long time but we didn’t have much to go on until now which is why we didn’t report on it, but we certainly think that this project has a tremendous amount of potential and we’re looking forward to it. Film to television adaptations haven’t always fared so well in the past but one thing to note is that George Nolfi, the director/screenplay writer/producer of the film is one of the two executive producers on the show so you can imagine that the show won’t stray far from the original vision. Oh, and, by the way… in case you haven’t heard, Source Code was also picked up for series treatment by CBS.
High Moon Based on the novel, The Lotus Caves, by John Christopher, this imaginative, out-of-this-world series explores a world where the countries of Earth have established colonies to mine the Moon’s resources. When a new life form is discovered, chaos erupts as various factions race to uncover its powerful secrets. – Even though we’ve never read The Lotus Caves, we absolutely love the idea of bringing classic Science Fiction from the “space age” generation to contemporary audiences. This is old school, big theme, cerebral SciFi the way it should be. - Grave Sight From the best-selling author of True Blood, this Charlaine Harris book series follows Harper Connelly – a young woman with a unique gift. After being struck by lightning as a teenager, Harper can sense the location and last memories of dead people. She teams up with her protective stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, to help find a missing teenage girl — only to uncover a network of lies and murders throughout a small town in the Ozarks. – For the ladies in the house.
We’re not really sure what to make of this. There’s a couple of big gimmicks going on here. First, the obvious is the need to take advantage of the Charlaine Harris brand when that may not necessarily be a recipe for success. Yes, True Blood is an incredibly popular series based on the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse novels but that has far less to do with the author and the source material and far more to do with Alan Ball and his ability to HBO-ize a concept. The other issue here is the recycled nature of every aspect of this. It seems a lot like Ghost Whisperer meets Haven meets True Blood, oh and the whole notion of being able to see the dead’s last memories has been done on both Star Trek: Voyager and Torchwood. That being said, it seems pretty safe and generic, which means it will probably be a big hit.
Untitled Booster Gold Project Based on the best-selling DC Entertainment Comic, this is the story of a washed-up athlete from the future who travels back to the present in hopes of becoming the greatest superhero of all time. But instead of chasing criminals, his main priority is chasing fame and money. Booster Gold discovers that being a hero takes more than just a megawatt smile. – We know absolutely nothing about this comic book but it seems like a pretty fun concept (but there they go again… doing a project that focuses on the forever shunned time travel premise) and we like the fact that SyFy is finally putting its toe into the waters of the comic book genre. It certainly seems a lot more appealing than The CW’s upcoming Arrow (based on DC Comic’s Green Arrow which by chance, Greg Berlanti is also producing). To our shame, we didn’t get into Smallville during first-run but apparently Booster Gold made an appearance on that fan favorite, as well.
Seeing Things Based on the comic Grey Legion from Platinum Studios, after a cop meets his violent demise, he returns as a ghost to close his last case. But the only person who can help him is a socially awkward man who is realizing for the first time that his hallucinations may not be all in his head. – More of the recycling/repackaging but, again, another comic book adaptation for the network. Kinda like Ghost and A Gifted Man made into a police procedural (or serial… perhaps?). It’s got our attention.- Defender In the aftermath of an intergalactic war between humans and transhumans, the starship Defender, populated by a combustible mix of former enemies, is sent on a seemingly simple goodwill mission, which turns into a fight for their lives and for the safety of the Universe at large. – Our type of show… period, but again, for those keeping score, that’s four series so far that are in development that violate the policy of limiting space-based, aliens and time travel themed shows.
- The Family For generations, an alien family has hid amongst humans in plain sight using their advanced intellect to carve out a life for themselves as their family grew. But when the family patriarch that kept peace amongst the factions dies, a war begins to brew with some members believing the time has come to reveal themselves, and their superior power, to the inferior human race. – Ditto and that makes it five.
- Darkfall When, without warning, modern forms of power and technology become a thing of the past, Los Angeles, and the world at large, becomes a place where magic rules and life as we know it is turned upside down. – OK… this is a weird one. Not that it doesn’t sound cool, but it sounds like a premise for a video game.
- One Mile Straight Down When a powerful earthquake hits California and opens up a chasm bigger than the Grand Canyon, it reveals an enormous hidden ocean lying deep beneath the earth’s crust. Billionaire adventurer James Exeter works with the government to take an advanced nuclear submarine down to explore it and discovers more than he ever could have imagined. – What we like about this one is that even though it’s a hodgepodge of several repackaged concepts (Lost, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The River, Terra Nova… to name a few) it’s high-concept and it seems like the kind of show that would work perfectly on the niche cable network.
Eyes of the Dragon Based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel. A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must battle for the throne. Pitted against an evil wizard and a would-be rival, Prince Peter makes a daring escape and rallies the forces of good to fight for what is rightfully his. – Is it just us or does this seem like another attempt by SyFy to capitalize on the popularity of an HBO show and a famous writer. The first thing that came to mind with this was Game of Thrones and the second thing that came to mind was “When the Hell did Steven King start writing Medieval Fantasy?” The project seems amibitious though a tad bit obvious and we question SyFy’s ability to come anywhere close to HBO’s GoT production values just simply based on the limited budget that the show will have being on a basic cable channel, but, hey, then again, Merlin has been working out quite well for the network.
Via Press Release:
SYFY IGNITES THE IMAGINATION WITH MOST ORIGINAL PRIMETIME PROGRAMMING HOURS IN HISTORY
RECORD 28 SCRIPTED AND REALITY PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT
EPIC TRANSMEDIA EVENT DEFIANCE TO PREMIERE IN 2013
NEW YORK – April 24, 2012 – Coming off Syfy’s most watched First Quarter ever in total viewers, Adults 18-34 and key women demos, Syfy and Chiller President Dave Howe today ignited the imagination of the advertising community by unveiling the next phase of the channel’s largest original programming slate in history. This will feature Syfy’s most original primetime hours ever, a record 28 scripted and reality development projects and the 2013 premiere of the highly-anticipated Defiance, the visionary transmedia experience that will unite television and Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) gaming for the very first time.
Said Howe: “Syfy’s Upfront celebrates the power of Igniters, our influential audience who has the highly coveted ability to move brands forward faster. This audience Imagines Greater and, as a result, we will be bringing them the most groundbreaking entertainment phenomenon in 2013. Nearly four years in the making, Defiance is the first ever, weekly scripted television and Massively Multiplayer Online game, converging to create a singular, interactive and epic story. Along with this unprecedented experience, we will be unveiling our most ambitious development slate ever of relevant and contemporary original programming.”
The diverse Syfy reality slate features six new series: School Sprits, Paranormal Highway, Collection Intervention, Viral Video Showdown, Ghost Mine and, from the producers of the Smash hit series Face Off, Hot Set. Unscripted development projects include a chilling “found footage” paranormal experiment; an extreme concierge company; Destination Truth’s Josh Gates transforming awesome ideas into awesome reality and the unearthly challenges of selling haunted houses.
Among the scripted development projects are adaptations of popular works by best-selling novelists such as Stephen King (Eyes of the Dragon), John Christopher (The Lotus Caves) and Charlaine Harris (Grave Sight), as well as the hit movie The Adjustment Bureau and the DC Entertainment Comic Booster Gold. Syfy further announced shows about a Fifth Column of feuding aliens and a time-traveling elite military squad.
This record expansion, including eight scripted development projects from Universal Cable Productions, builds upon the channel’s powerhouse lineup of hit series such as Warehouse 13, Being Human, Alphas, Face Off and Ghost Hunters. These programs have transformed Syfy into a top 10 cable entertainment network among Adults 25-54 for 16 consecutive years.
Said Mark Stern, President Original Content, Syfy, and Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions: “Over its 20 year history, Syfy has always pushed the boundaries of our genre and the entertainment experience. This new crop of innovative, thought-provoking, emotionally-charged programming will propel us even farther as we imagine all the greater possibilities ahead for the powerful Syfy brand.”
For the gala, star-studded Upfront event at the American Museum of Natural History, Syfy created an opportunity for guests to live like an Igniter – highly imaginative people who move brands forward as showcased in the channel’s groundbreaking study with Simmons/PSFK — along with celebrity Igniters from the worlds of business innovation (Sir Richard Branson), music (Young the Giant, DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid) and the culinary arts (Marcus Samuelsson).
Syfy is also expanding its multi-platform growth. Syfy Ventures announced a partnership with Hasbro to develop the first online social game based on the iconic G.I. JOE franchise. G.I. Joe: Special Ops, published by Syfy Games, will debut in June on Facebook and Syfy Games.com, among other platforms worldwide.
Continuing its expansion of original video content, mobile reach to new platforms and commitment to cutting edge technology, Syfy Digital unveiled four new initiatives, from its first ever unscripted program, new apps for Windows Phone and Roku and the upcoming addition of sync-to-broadcast functionality to its successful Syfy app for iPads and Android tablets for season three of the hit series Face Off.
A global brand, Syfy is currently available in 75 countries, reaching nearly 150 million households.
NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Defiance – 2013 – Defiance is in collaboration with Trion Worlds, with the Syfy series and Trion’s multi-platform shooter MMO poised to debut simultaneously. The series stars Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Fionnula Flanagan, Mia Kirshner and Oscar-nominee Graham Greene. Set in the near future, Defiance introduces a completely transformed planet Earth, inhabited by the survivors of a universal war. Forced to co-habitate, the disparate group struggles to build a new society among the devastation. The dramatic tapestry of the series and the intense action of the game will exist in a single universe where their respective narratives will inform one another and evolve together into one overall story. Defiance is directed by Scott Stewart (Legion, Priest) and written/executive produced by Rockne O’Bannon (Farscape), Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives, Caprica, Hellcats) and Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica). Kevin Murphy serves as showrunner. Defiance is produced by Universal Cable Productions.
NEW REALITY SERIES
School Spirits – Premieres June 2012 – School Spirits will tell true ghost stories of hauntings that have happened at schools across the country. The stories will be told in first person narratives through the testimonials of real students, teachers, parents and staff that have encountered the paranormal activity, blended with bone-chilling cinematic reenactments to further bring the haunting experiences to life. Executive producers: Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) and Seth Jarrett & Julie Insogna Jarrett (Celebrity Ghost Stories).
Paranormal Highway – Summer 2012 – Paranormal Highway puts the pedal to the metal as Jack Osbourne and Dana Workman investigate the most frightening claims of paranormal activity along America’s remote back roads. Fueled by eyewitness interviews and evidence collected by state-of-the-art equipment, Jack and Dana will travel alone, self-documenting their harrowing road trip while coming face-to-face with paranormal legends. Production company: BASE Productions. Executive producers: John Brenkus, Mickey Stern, Ron Ziskin.
Collection Intervention – Collection Intervention follows Elyse Luray, a sharp and to-the-point collectibles expert as she helps couples who are divided over what to do with an overwhelming collection of memorabilia. Whether it’s a husband’s collection of mint-condition G.I. JOE action figures worth thousands of dollars or a girlfriend’s treasure trove of Star Wars movie posters, Elyse helps couples decide what’s worth keeping and what they can sell. For each couple, their new cash windfall will make their dream come true, whether it’s an engagement ring, a down payment for a home, or the honeymoon they never had. Production company: High Noon Entertainment. Executive producers: Pam Healey, Elizabeth Grizzle Voorhees, Jim Berger.
Hot Set – From the producers of Syfy’s hit series Face Off, Hot Set is an extreme design challenge pitting two Hollywood production designers each week in a head-to-head battle to design, build, decorate and ultimately create an original and signature movie set that transports the viewer into an immersive world. Production company: Mission Control Media. Executive producers: Michael Agbabian and Dwight Smith.
Viral Video Showdown – The greatest viral video creators on the planet go head-to-head each week in an epic battle for bragging rights and a cash prize. Two teams will have to dig deep into their bag of viral tricks to create a video that best captures that week’s theme and impresses the expert panel of viral video judges. Production company: 495 Productions. Executive producers: SallyAnn Salsano, Kevin Pereira.
Ghost Mine – In the remote woods of Oregon lays one of the richest gold mines in the United States. For the last 100 years, it has remained abandoned — until now. Soon to be re-opened by a scraggly group of miners, these hardy souls will battle the elements to find their fortune. But with a rich history of paranormal activity surrounding the mine, they may just find something else. Production company: 51 Minds. Executive producer: Mark Cronin.
SCRIPTED DEVELOPMENT/DRAMAS
Rewind – Rewind revolves around a team of military field operatives and civilian scientists who must use untested technology to travel back in time to alter events and change the future — and avoid a devastating terrorist attack. Shane McRae stars as Sean Knox, ex-Special Forces who ranks as a field operative in a special division of the Department of Homeland Security. The pilot also stars Jennifer Ferrin, Academy Award nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Robbie Jones and Keon Mohajeri, and is currently in production in Toronto. Jack Bender (Lost, Alphas) is directing the pilot, written by Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li), who will also executive produce with Tom Spezialy, Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein. A production of BermanBraun and Universal Cable Productions.
The Adjustment Bureau – In this drama, based on the hit movie starring Matt Damon, guardian angel-type agents work to keep the world according to The Plan. They create everything from plane crashes to coffee spills in order to steer people to realize their true destiny. But there is one thing the operatives and their Chairman can’t control — free will. Writers: Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer (Melrose Place, Smallville). Executive producers: George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau, The Bourne Ultimatum), MRC, Slavkin and Swimmer. A production of Universal Cable Productions.
High Moon – Based on the novel, The Lotus Caves, by John Christopher, this imaginative, out-of-this-World Series explores a world where the countries of Earth have established colonies to mine the Moon’s resources. When a new life form is discovered, chaos erupts as various factions race to uncover its powerful secrets. Executive producer: Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies). Co-executive producer: Jim Danger Gray (Pushing Daisies). Writers: Bryan Fuller and Jim Danger Gray. Executive producer: Granat Entertainment. A production of Universal Cable Productions.
Untitled Booster Gold Project – Based on the best-selling DC Entertainment Comic, this is the story of a washed-up athlete from the future who travels back to the present in hopes of becoming the greatest superhero of all time. But instead of chasing criminals, his main priority is chasing fame and money. Booster Gold discovers that being a hero takes more than just a megawatt smile. Writer: Andrew Kreisberg (Arrow, Warehouse 13). Executive producers: Greg Berlanti (Green Lantern, Arrow) and Andrew Kreisberg. Producers: Greg Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television. The Booster Gold comic book series is published by DC Entertainment, which will also act as an executive producer.
Grave Sight – From the best-selling author of True Blood, this Charlaine Harris book series follows Harper Connelly – a young woman with a unique gift. After being struck by lightning as a teenager, Harper can sense the location and last memories of dead people. She teams up with her protective stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, to help find a missing teenage girl — only to uncover a network of lies and murders throughout a small town in the Ozarks. Writer: Kam Miller (Law And Order: SVU). A production of Universal Cable Productions.
Seeing Things – Based on the comic Grey Legion from Platinum Studios, after a cop meets his violent demise, he returns as a ghost to close his last case. But the only person who can help him is a socially Awkward man who is realizing for the first time that his hallucinations may not be all in his head. Writers: David Slack (Person Of Interest, Lie To Me) and Gabrielle Stanton (Haven, The Vampire Diaries). Executive producers: David Slack, Robert Cort and Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. A production of Fox Television Studios.
Defender – In the aftermath of an intergalactic war between humans and transhumans, the starship Defender, populated by a combustible mix of former enemies, is sent on a seemingly simple goodwill mission, which turns into a fight for their lives and for the safety of the Universe at large. Executive producer/writer: Robert Hewitt Wolfe (Alphas). A production of Universal Cable Productions.
The Family – For generations, an alien family has hid amongst humans in plain sight using their advanced intellect to carve out a life for themselves as their family grew. But when the family patriarch that kept peace amongst the factions dies, a war begins to brew with some members believing the time has come to reveal themselves, and their superior power, to the inferior human race. Writer: Dan Harris (Superman Returns, X2). Executive producers: Neal Moritz (21 Jump Street, Total Recall), Mark Verheiden (Falling Skies, Battlestar Galactica). A production of Sony Pictures TV.
LONGFORM SCRIPTED DEVELOPMENT
Eyes Of The Dragon – Based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel. A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must battle for the throne. Pitted against an evil wizard and a would-be rival, Prince Peter makes a daring escape and rallies the forces of good to fight for what is rightfully his. Writers: Michael Taylor (Defiance, Battlestar Galactica) and Jeff Vintar (I, Robot). Executive producers: Michael Taylor and Bill Haber. A production of Universal Cable Productions and Ostar Productions.
Darkfall – When, without warning, modern forms of power and technology become a thing of the past, Los Angeles, and the world at large, becomes a place where magic rules and life as we know it is turned upside down. Writers: Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (Kung Fu Panda, Sleeper Cell). A production of The Jim Henson Company and Universal Cable Productions.
One Mile Straight Down – When a powerful earthquake hits California and opens up a chasm bigger than the Grand Canyon, it reveals an enormous hidden ocean lying deep beneath the earth’s crust. Billionaire adventurer James Exeter works with the government to take an advanced nuclear submarine down to explore it and discovers more than he ever could have imagined. Writers: Skip Woods (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Naren Shankar (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and Deran Sarafian (CSI: NY). Executive producers: Skip Woods, Naren Shankar and Deran Sarafian. A production of Universal Cable Productions.
REALITY DEVELOPMENT
The Genie – The Genie follows Steve Sims and his extreme concierge company, Blue Fish, as they make outlandish experiences and imaginative adventures come to life for their clients. Whether it’s rebuilding the chocolate river from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory or experiencing life as a Hobbit, making the impossible possible is the job of “The Genie.” Production company: Smart Dog Media. Executive producer: Craig Plestis.
Stranded – In each episode of this frightening paranormal social experiment, a family or group of friends moves into an infamously haunted location, self-documenting their experience in total isolation. Production company: Ping Pong Productions. Executive producers: Brad Kuhlman, Casey Brummels, Josh Gates.
Awesome Foundation – In this new project starring Destination Truth’s Josh Gates, each week inventors, artists and regular people from all over the country pitch their amazing and imaginative ideas to the Awesome Foundation, a group dedicated to turning awesome ideas into awesome reality. The members grant their own money to the lucky three people with the best ideas, leading to a race to complete the projects in the given time and budget. Production company: Idiot Box Productions. Executive producer: Dan Taberski.
Exit – Based on the hit Japanese format, Exit is a nail-biting game show where two teams of contestants battle to escape three diabolical rooms. To do so, they must beat the clock while solving rapid-fire brain games and navigating booby-traps and bottomless pits. Production company: Zig Zag Productions. Executive producer: Danny Fenton.
Buyer Beware – What does someone do when they need to sell their house — but it’s haunted? They call in a real estate professional who specializes in matching haunted properties with eager buyers. In each episode, viewers will see what it takes to sell a home — still occupied by the spirits — and what kind of buyers have the guts to take it off the market. Production company: Zodiak USA. Executive producers: Natalka Znak, Claire O’Donohue.
Untitled Mark Burnett Project (wt) – From acclaimed producer Mark Burnett comes a competition show where fans of science fiction/fantasy books and movies compete to create the most flavorful and inspired dishes from the foods featured in the imaginary worlds that they love. Production company: Mark Burnett Productions. Executive producer: Mark Burnett.
Deadfinder – When the morgue drawer closes on a Jane or John Doe, rarely is it reopened. Deadfinder follows a group of mediums as they search through the vaults of cold cases using their paranormal skills to bring the mysteries of the murdered back to life. Production company: NorthSouth. Executive producers: Charlie DeBevoise, Mark Hickman.
Ghost Town, USA – Settled in 1677, Mount Holly, New Jersey, is a town teeming with reports of paranormal activity. And for the residents of this town, that’s just the way they like it. Ghost Town, USA follows the colorful characters and real drama that plays out among the town’s living residents, from renovating a haunted house to organizing the annual Witches Ball. Production company: Cream Productions. Executive producers: David Brady, Christopher Rowley.
The Wrights – Joe and Chris Wright are relatives of the famous Wright Brothers, but instead of building airplanes, this father-and-son-duo build paranormal contraptions to communicate with the dead. Each week the show follows the Wrights as they use their inventing ability to gain answers from the “other side.” Production company: Jarrett Creative Group. Executive producers: Julie Insogna Jarrett, Seth Jarrett.
Chris Cox Project – Young and charming, Chris Cox is the mind reader who can’t read minds. Cox has the mind-manipulating abilities of Derren Brown, the mischief of Ferris Bueller and the comic eccentricity of Mr. Bean all wrapped in a style uniquely his own. In everyday situations and locations – at a coffee shop, the post office, or just walking down the street – Chris amazes and confounds real people. Production company: Mission Control Media. Executive producers: Dwight Smith, Michael Agbabian, Erich Recker.
Divas of Dress Up – This program follows the six hottest cos-play stars as they push the boundaries of creativity and costuming in this docu-series that takes viewers inside the amazingly creative world of cos-play competition. Each week, the top women competitors transform themselves into fictional characters with visually arresting costumes, pushing the boundary between fantasy and reality. Production company: Skip Films. Executive producers: Skip Chaisson, Brian Gallagher.
Fan Girl/Fan Boy Project – From the producer of Jersey Shore comes a docu-series that celebrates the incredibly unique, often misunderstood and infinitely fascinating fan girl and fan boy cultures. Production company: 495 Productions. Executive producer: SallyAnn Salsano.
Limitless – Limitless is a cutting-edge series that recounts firsthand, true-life tales of ordinary men and women who discovered hidden powers – that they never knew existed – when faced with extreme life and death circumstances. Every story will explore the often unexplainable potential of the human body and psyche, leaving viewers to wonder what hidden abilities humans might possess. Production company: Karga 7. Executive producers: Kelly McPherson, Miriam Leffert, Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin.
Superhumans – Superhumans uncovers the secrets of unbelievable stunts, record-breaking abilities and exceptional feats of human power and skill by putting real people through physical on-location challenges and a series of tests in a high-tech lab to answer the question: “How did they do that?” Production company: BASE Productions. Executive producers: John Brenkus, Mickey Stern.
Toy Traveler – Shane Turgeon, the Indiana Jones of toy collectors, travels to remote corners of the world to find the rarest and most valuable toys and collectibles. Whether it’s in an old toy warehouse in a remote Guatemalan town or a small swap meet in the Ukraine, Shane will go to all lengths to find the most unique and collectible toys. Production company: Jarrett Creative Group. Executive producers: Seth Jarrett, Julie Insogna Jarrett.
Master Control – Master Control is a weekly competition that pits user-generated videos against each other in a battle for viewer popularity. Each week, self-submitted videos must entertain the host, celebrity panel and the entire viewing audience, who are all simultaneously rating the video and anointing a winner. Production company: The Gurin Co. Executive producers: Phil Gurin, Kevin Pereira.
Stranger than Fiction – Stranger than Fiction is the only viral video clip show where comedians compete for laughs while commenting on and arguing over the strangest clips from the web. Good jokes earn points, while lame jokes lose them. At the end of the show, one comedian is crowned the irreverent victor. Production company: BASE Productions. Executive producers: John Brenkus, Mickey Stern.
Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)
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Note how there is no word on whether or not there will be a series to follow the movie, so like everything else with SyFy, we’ll just have to wait and see. That being said, this is a unique approach in releasing this series on three outlets so close to each other and is promising simply for the fact that SyFy is trying to get as much revenue and buzz about this series as quickly as possible which suggests that they do want it to do well so that they can justify bringing it to full series.
Hitting us like a shovel to the face, we just found out that not only is Eureka‘s fifth and final season starting tonight, but the second season of the Canadian transplant and now SyFy hit, Lost Girl will begin immediately after the Eureka premiere. In the annals of television history that has to be the quickest transition between seasons a show has ever had in the U.S. If you’ll recall, Lost Girl‘s first season just premiered in January and it just wrapped up a few weeks ago. Yes, we are aware that the show has been on in Canada sice 2010 and we are just catching up with it here in the states, but still, SyFy S.O.P. on imports is to wait and have them air a season behind their 
country of origin. This tells us that SyFy is very high on this show and that they are scrambling to get the season two episodes aired so that they can air season three episodes simultaneously with the Canadians. Good for them as short breaks between seasons only help to keep audiences interested. Read the full press release for more details below.
We suspect that B & C will most likely wind up on Hulu after the pilot airs on SyFy and available ad-free/limited ad-supported for Hulu Plus subscribers (and video game consoles, TV’s and other devices that have the SyFy App) simply because of the fact that NBC-Universal has a stake in that company. We think they will probably use the broadcast of the pilot movie to promote subscriptions to Hulu Plus which will be the exclusive content provider for B & C. We don’t currently subscribe to Hulu Plus because we have no need for it and we suspect a lot of consumers feel the same way. Our cable package includes an HD DVR, every channel that Cox Communications offers as well as all of the premiums. If we want to watch a show that we have missed or isn’t on the DVR, we go to Cox’s VOD service. If we want to see older shows, we simply go to Netflix. That being said, if Hulu Plus carried B & C we’d subscribe tomorrow and there is no question in our mind that if SyFy does bring full series treatment of B & C to Hulu Plus, they would immediately gain one to two million new subscribers.
3.) Smoke and Mirrors? Possibly.
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