SyFy – ‘Haven’ Renewed For Fourth Season (UPDATE: PRESS RELEASE INCLUDED)

Since I can’t find a press release to confirm this, I’m just going to have to trust Deadline because they don’t screw things like this up. There’s also this issue that SyFy has a tendency to bury important announcements in other press releases and I just don’t want to go through a month’s worth of them finding the official announcement.  So, as noted, and not surprisingly, SyFy has renewed the hit drama, Haven, for a fourth season.  If you followed us from the beginning you’d know that one of my earliest reviews was of Haven and to say that I was non-plussed would be putting it mildly.  I didn’t make it through the second episode. Now, it is true that some of the most horrible shows have lasted forever (see: Two and a Half MenCSI) but normally when a series has the kind of successful run that Haven has had, there is usually something to it.

So, what do you think?  Should I give Haven another shot?

Here’s my original review of Haven.  Feel free to call me an idiot if it’s warranted, just like Connie, the queen of grammar and spelling, did at the end of the review (I’m also a “moran,” apparently).

Read Deadline’s piece, here.

UPDATE: PRESS RELEASE BELOW…

SYFY RENEWS HIT SERIES HAVEN FOR FOURTH SEASON WITH 13 NEW EPISODES 

SERIES IS THE #1 CABLE PROGRAM AMONG ADULTS 18-49 AND ADULTS 25-54, FRIDAYS AT 10PM 

NEW YORK – November 9, 2012 – Syfy’s hit series Haven, the #1 cable program among Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 in its Friday 10-11PM (ET/PT) time period (based on Live +7 data), will return for a fourth season of 13 new episodes in 2013, it was announced today by Mark Stern, President, Original Content, Syfy, and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions.

The current third season is Haven’s best ever in Adults 25-54, averaging 1.2 million viewers, jumping five percent from season two (Live +7 data). Overall, season three of Haven is averaging 2.4 million total viewers and 942,000 Adults18-49. The September 21 season premiere attracted 2.8 million total viewers, a series record and up ten percent from the season two premiere.

Said Stern, “We couldn’t be happier to see the story of Audrey Parker and the creepy, quirky town of Haven continue next year. Season three has hit a creative and critical high and we’re very excited to see where the talented production team takes our colorful cast of characters led by the perfect trifecta of Emily Rose, Eric Balfour and Lucas Bryant in season four.”

Haven, based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King, follows former FBI agent Audrey Parker, who becomes a cop in the small town of Haven, Maine, and soon discovers the town’s many secrets, which also hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of her lost past – This season the story behind those secrets is finally revealed and all of Audrey’s questions will be answered leading up to Haven’s shocking Season three finale.

From leading independent studio Entertainment One (eOne), Haven is co-commissioned by Shaw Media in Canada and globally via Universal Networks International (UNI).

The creative team behind Haven includes executive producers John Morayniss (Rookie Blue, Hell On Wheels) from eOne Television and David MacLeod (Legends of the Fall, The Ray Bradbury Theater) of Big Motion Pictures, who are joined by Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, Scott Shepherd (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone, Greek) of Piller/Segan/Shepherd and Matt McGuinness (Journeyman, Dark Blue) as well as Sam Ernst & Jim Dunn (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone), who also developed the series.

Haven is produced by Entertainment One and Big Motion Pictures in association with Piller/Segan/Shepherd and airs on Syfy in the U.S., Showcase in Canada and internationally on Universal Networks International’s channels. Entertainment One controls the worldwide distribution rights to the one-hour series and concluded a deal with Germany’s Tele München Group (TMG) for the television rights in Continental Europe.

About Syfy

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.)

CONFIRMED: Haven Season Three Return Date Announced

Even though it’s not one of our favorite shows (convince us, ‘Tastic fans!), we know a lot of you are fans of the SyFy series Haven, and have been looking forward to news about a return date for season three for some time, now (and non-stop hammering us about it).

Well, as the result of another question on another one of our pieces we actually came across a couple of sites online claiming a return date of September 21st, but we weren’t able to find a press release announcing that… until we dug a little deeper.

It just so happens that two days ago SyFy actually did announce the return date offically but they buried it in a press release about a special guest appearance by Iain Glen (Game of ThronesDownton Abbey) which is why it went under our radar.

Via Press Release:

IAIN GLEN (GAME OF THRONES, DOWNTON ABBEY) WILL SEEK REVENGE DURING GUEST APPEARANCE ON SYFY’S POPULAR SERIES HAVEN

NEW YORK – July 11, 2012 – Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey) will portray a troubled man bent on vengeance during the upcoming third season of Syfy’s popular series Haven, which returns Friday, September 21 at 10PM (ET/PT).

Glen guest stars as Roland Holloway – a refined yet bitter man who has been trapped inside his house for more than 27 years – in the series’ sixth episode on Friday, October 26 at 10PM (ET/PT).

Season three of Haven picks up immediately following the events of the gripping season two finale with Audrey (Emily Rose) having been brutally kidnapped; Nathan (Lucas Bryant) warned against pursuing a romantic relationship with Audrey; and Duke (Eric Balfour) seemingly engaged in a fight to the death with Nathan after he discovers his family lineage is to kill Haven citizens with troubles.

Haven, based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King, follows former FBI agent Audrey Parker, who becomes a cop in the small town of Haven, Maine, and soon discovers the town’s many secrets, which also hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of her lost past.

From leading independent studio Entertainment One (eOne), Haven is co-commissioned by Shaw Media in Canada and globally via Universal Networks International (UNI).

The creative team behind Haven includes executive producers John Morayniss (The Firm, Hell on Wheels) from eOne Television and David MacLeod (Legends of the Fall, The Ray Bradbury Theater) of Big Motion Pictures, who are joined by Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, Scott Shepherd (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone, Greek) of Piller/Segan/Shepherd and Matt McGuinness (Journeyman, Dark Blue) as well as Sam Ernst & Jim Dunn (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone), who also developed the series.

Haven is produced by Entertainment One and Big Motion Pictures in association with Piller/Segan/Shepherd and airs on Syfy in the U.S., Showcase in Canada and internationally on Universal Networks International’s channels. Entertainment One controls the worldwide distribution rights to the one-hour series and concluded a deal with Germany’s Tele München Group (TMG) for the television rights in Continental Europe.

About Syfy

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.)

About Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 24,000 film and television titles, 2,700 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.

http://www.entertainmentonegroup.com/

About Universal Networks International

Universal Networks International, the international channels division of NBCUniversal, is one of the world’s premier entertainment portfolios, delivering quality content and compelling brands to over 176 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific. The brands in the portfolio include Universal Channel, Syfy, 13th Street Universal, Studio Universal, E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network, DIVA Universal and Golf Channel. These unique brands deliver a full range of entertainment experiences to local audiences across the globe. Universal Networks International also operates Movies 24 and has a controlling interest in the KidsCo joint venture.

Universal Networks International is a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

About Shaw Communications Inc.

Shaw is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.4 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 18 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, History Television and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX – SJR.B, NYSE – SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit http://www.shaw.ca.

SyFy: Summer 2012 Schedule FINALLY Announced… Premiere Dates for ‘Alphas,’ ‘Warehouse 13,’ ‘Face Off’ (Where’s ‘Haven?’)

Well, Syfy decided to play it a little different this year by announcing their development slate for 2012 – 2013 at their upfront in April while waiting to announce their summer schedule for their returning shows until the NBC upfronts, today, effectively leaving us all hanging.  So, here it is, your SyFy Summer 2012 schedule (see press release below).

Highlights:

  • Again, no word on a release date for the Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome pilot or digital premiere.
  • The Eureka series finale will be on July 16th at 9:00 p.m.
  • Lost Girl will move to Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. beginning on July 20th.
  • The semi-annual Twilight Zone marathon returns again, this fourth of July (yay!).
  • Warehouse 13 season four will premiere Monday, July 23rd at 9:00 p.m.
  • Alphas season two will premiere Monday, July 23rd at 10:00 p.m.
  • Curiously, no word on a Haven season three premiere date, despite that it was renewed in October, 2011.
  • Face Off season three will premiere on August 21st at 9:00 p.m.
  • The ridiculous and ridiculously low-budget guilty pleasure SyFy original film slate this summer includes Jersey Shore Shark AttackPiranhaconda, Arachnoquake and of course, Big Foot.

Via Press Release:

SYFY SUMMER 2012 FEATURES RECORD NUMBER OF PRIMETIME ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING HOURS
ALL-NEW SEASONS OF WAREHOUSE 13, ALPHAS,
FACE OFF, DESTINATION TRUTH AND HAUNTED COLLECTOR

PREMIERES OF UNSCRIPTED SERIES SCHOOL SPIRITS, PARANORMAL HIGHWAY AND INSANE OR INSPIRED?

NEW SYFY SATURDAY ORIGINAL MOVIES JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK AND BIGFOOT

NEW YORK – May 15, 2012 – Featuring a record number of primetime original programming hours, Syfy’s hot Summer 2012 will be highlighted by the premiere of the new unscripted series School Sprits (from executive producer Mark Burnett), Insane or Inspired? and Paranormal Highway (working title) starring Jack Osbourne; new seasons of hits Warehouse 13, Face Off, Alphas, Destination Truth and Haunted Collector, along with the eagerly anticipated Saturday Original Movies Jersey Shore Shark Attack and Bigfoot, plus the series finale of the beloved Eureka.

Syfy will also present a Memorial Day weekend movie festival highlighted by the premiere of Super Shark on May 26th, followed by the semi-annual Twilight Zone marathon on July 4th.

Lost Girl will move to Fridays at 10PM beginning Friday, July 20.

Highlights of Syfy’s 2012 Summer Programming Schedule (All Times ET/PT)

MAY

INSANE OR INSPIRED? (NEW ORIGINAL SERIES)
Premieres Friday, May 25 at 10PM
This new series features the most exciting videos from the Internet that celebrate the world of imagination, invention, and extreme experiences. Actors Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Samm Levine (Freaks & Geeks), Brooke Hogan, Ralph Garman, as well as television personality Josh Gates, host of Syfy’s Destination Truth, join comedians Ben Gleib, Owen Benjamin, Jodi Miller, Elliot Chang, Jermaine Fowler, Adam Ray, Christiana Pazistky, KT Tatara and Janet Varney to provide their unique commentary on each of the clips. The result is a fast-paced hour-long countdown of hilarious viral videos. Insane or Inspired? is produced by Comcast Studios with Jay James, Betsy Rott, and Sean Olsen serving as executive producers.

JUNE

HAUNTED COLLECTOR (SEASON 2 PREMIERE)
Premieres Wednesday, June 6 at 9PM
Haunted Collector features eminent paranormal collector John Zaffis, who searches for objects that have become home to paranormal spirits and/or energy. Each week Zaffis and his family help someone who’s terrorized by something strange in their own home, using the latest technology to identify the source of the paranormal activity. On the season 2 premiere of Haunted Collector, the team heads to Warsaw, Kentucky, where a woman’s home is suffering hauntings, possibly from two steamboats which crashed in a fiery collision, killing more than 60 people in 1868. Next, they travel to Huron, Ohio, in a race against the clock to remove the dangerous energy from an abandoned silo, scheduled to be destroyed in 48 hours. Haunted Collector is produced by Gurney Productions. Executive producers are Scott Gurney and Deirdre Gurney.

SCHOOL SPIRITS (NEW ORIGINAL SERIES)
Premieres Wednesday, June 20 at 10PM
From executive producer Mark Burnett, School Spirits travels to schools and universities all across the country to recount the true ghost stories experienced on these academic campuses. 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 Voice) and Seth Jarrett & Julie Insogna Jarrett (Celebrity Ghost Stories).

SATURDAY ORIGINAL MOVIES (ALL-NEW MOVIES)
Jersey Shore Shark Attack – Saturday, June 9 at 9PM – Led by an all-star cast of Tony Sirico (The Sopranos), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Jack Scalia (Dallas), Joey Fatone (‘N Sync), William Atherton (Die Hard) and Vinny Guadagnino (Jersey Shore) the movie unfolds during the July Fourth weekend at the Jersey Shore, where angry sharks are on a rampage, devouring residents, leaving it to the local Guidos to save the day. The movie also stars Jeremy Luke as The Complication, Melissa Molinaro as Nooki, Joey Russo as Donnie, Daniel Booko as Balzac, Audi Resendez as B.J., and Alex Mauriello as J-Moni. Jersey Shore Shark Attack is a production of Hybrid Entertainment. The director is John Shepphird. Jeffrey Schenck, Barry Barnholtz and Peter Sullivan are the producers.
Piranhaconda – Saturday, June 16 at 9PM – Part fish! Part snake! All killer! In B-movie icon Roger Corman’s latest, a hybrid creature – half piranha and half anaconda — attacks a movie crew on location near her nest when her egg is stolen. Now they must outrun and kill the deadly piranhaconda as well as stop the mad scientist who stole the egg – before they all become dinner. Stars Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: I & II) and Rachel Hunter (The Benchwarmers). Piranhaconda is a production of New Horizons, directed by Jim Wynorski.
Arachnoquake – Saturday, June 23 at 9PM – In Arachnoquake, starring Tracey Gold (Growing Pains), massive earthquakes unleash giant albino spiders. Freed from their ancient subterranean prison, the spiders go on a murderous rampage through New Orleans. Joining Gold will be Bug Hall (The Little Rascals), Ethan Phillips (Star Trek: Voyager) and Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day). The movie is a production of Active Entertainment. Arachnoquake is directed by Griff Furst.
Bigfoot – Saturday, June 30 at 9PM – Television legends Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family) and Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch) star as life-long rivals battling over Bigfoot. Howard Hesseman (Head of the Class), Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks), Andre Royo (The Wire) and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper (School’s Out) co-star in the movie, which is directed by Oscar and Emmy nominee Bruce Davison (X-Men). Bigfoot is a production of The Asylum.

JULY

DESTINATION TRUTH (SEASON 5 PREMIERE)
Premieres Tuesday, July 10 at 8PM
Season 5 opens with two special back-to-back episodes, as Josh Gates and his team lead viewers on a chase into one of the world’s biggest caves in the jungles of Vietnam to search for Bigfoot. Then, at the overwhelming request of fans, they’ll travel to Romania for a return visit to the haunted Hoia Bachu Forest, the site of their most terrifying investigation to date, and then explore the reportedly haunted Mayan ruins of Tikal in pursuit of a monster known as the Belize Goblin. They’ll also lead viewers into a remote Transylvanian village on a hunt for vampires and journey to Kazakhstan (a Destination Truth first) to search for the legendary Kazakh monster. Destination Truth is executive produced by Brad Kuhlman for Ping Pong Productions (1000 Places to See Before You Die, Celebrity Rehab, FM Nation). Josh Gates and Erin Ryder serve as co-executive producers.

PARANORMAL HIGHWAY (NEW ORIGINAL SERIES)
Premieres Tuesday, July 10 at 10PM
Paranormal Highway puts the pedal to the metal as Jack Osbourne and his friend Dana Workman do their own first-person investigations of the most frightening claims of paranormal activity along America’s remote back roads. Fueled by eyewitness interviews and evidence collected by Jack’s state-of-the-art equipment, he and Dana will travel alone, self-documenting their harrowing face-to-face encounters with the paranormal. Production company: BASE Productions. Executive producers: John Brenkus, Mickey Stern, Ron Ziskin.

EUREKA (SERIES FINALE)
Airs Monday, July 16 at 9PM
After five seasons, Syfy’s long-running original series comes to an end and the remarkable residents of Eureka say their goodbyes. During the thrilling final season, the town is reeling after the Astraeus and her crew mysteriously vanished just before their planned launch to Titan. As the town copes with the shocking personal changes caused by the Astraeus ordeal, they continue to uncover the truth about the forces behind the crew’s bizarre disappearance — with shocking results. Eureka stars Colin Ferguson (Sheriff Jack Carter) Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Joe Morton (Henry Deacon), Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo) and Niall Matter (Zane Donovan). Co-creator Jaime Paglia and Bruce Miller are executive producers. The series is produced and distributed by Universal Cable Productions.

WAREHOUSE 13 (SEASON 4 PREMIERE)
Premieres Monday, July 23 at 9PM
Season 4 kicks off with the Warehouse Team still reeling from the shocking events of the climactic season three finale – the loss of Agent Steve Jinks (Aaron Ashmore), Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder), H.G. Wells (Jaime Murray) and the destruction of the Warehouse itself. Their only hope lies in racing to the other side of the Earth to hunt down an obscure artifact, which may or may not even exist – and if it does exist, what consequences will they face for using it? The most successful series in Syfy history, Warehouse 13 follows a team of government agents who work at a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and preternatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse’s caretaker Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock), Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) and Claudia Donovan (Allison Scagliotti) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the Warehouse itself. Sam Huntington (Being Human) will be among the star-studded array of season 4 guest stars. Warehouse 13 is produced for Syfy by Universal Cable Productions. Jack Kenny (The Book of Daniel) is executive producer and showrunner.

ALPHAS (SEASON 2 PREMIERE)
Premieres Monday, July 23 at 10PM
In Syfy’s action-packed hit drama series, an unlikely team of ordinary people with superhuman physical and mental abilities – known as Alphas – takes on mysterious cases the CIA, FBI and Pentagon are unable to solve and go head-to-head with criminal Alphas.

Season 2 picks up eight months after last year’s finale with the stage set for an explosive turn of events at the Binghamton facility (the Guantanamo of the Alpha world) that could have devastating, far-reaching consequences. Dr. Lee Rosen (Emmy Award-winner and Academy Award-nominee David Strathairn), having exposed the existence of Alphas to the unsuspecting public, finds himself discredited and imprisoned by a government desperate to cover up his revelation. The rest of the core team has disbanded and some, without Rosen’s guidance and care, have regressed to their old, destructive ways. They must now battle their individual demons in order to reunite and try to save their own.

Alphas also stars Malik Yoba, Warren Christie, Azita Ghanizada, Ryan Cartwright and Laura Mennell. Erin Way (Detroit 187, Private Practice) joins the cast this season as “Kat” a mysterious young loner whose Alpha ability allows her to pick up any skill at a glance. But while her skills are permanent, her personal memories are short-lived. The series is produced by Universal Cable Productions and BermanBraun Television with executive producers Bruce Miller, Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun, Gene Stein and Zak Penn. Penn and co-executive producer Michael Karnow are series creators.

AUGUST

PARANORMAL WITNESS (SEASON 2 PREMIERE)
Premieres Wednesday, August 8 at 10PM
Using a mixture of intimate first-hand testimony, actual home video and gritty realistic drama, the hit series Paranormal Witness returns to transport viewers into a world turned upside-down by extraordinary, terrifying and sometimes life-threatening paranormal events. Paranormal Witness is produced by Raw TV (Locked Up Abroad and Gold Rush Alaska). Executive producers are Dimitri Doganis and Bart Layton.

FACE OFF (SEASON 3 PREMIERE)
Premieres Tuesday, August 21 at 9PM
Syfy’s hit competition reality series returns for season 3 with 12 aspiring special effects make-up artists and their unlimited imaginations, competing to create amazing works of living art. The eleven-episode season will feature some of the most difficult challenges ever attempted and high power special guest judges. It all culminates in one winner and one $100,000 grand prize that will launch a career. McKenzie Westmore returns as host. The second season finale became the most watched unscripted telecast in the channel’s nearly 20-year history, transforming 3.58 million total viewers, based on Live+7 data. This also established a Syfy original series record – for scripted and unscripted programs – for most Adults 18-34 viewers with 1.01 million. Face Off is a production of Mission Control Media with Dwight D. Smith, Michael Agbabian and Derek Atherton serving as executive producers.

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.)

SyFy Acquires Canadian Supernatural Hit Lost Girl

On May 18th, SyFy announced that they were picking up both seasons (26 episodes) of the Canadian supernatural hit, Lost Girl for broadcast in the U.S.  We’re not familiar with this show however it seems rather interesting and at least it’s another new scripted drama added to SyFy’s very light new schedule for 2011 – 2012.  No word on a premiere date as of yet.

Via Press Release:

SYFY ACQUIRES SUPERNATURAL DRAMA SERIES LOST GIRL FROM PRODIGY PICTURES

NEW YORK – May 18, 2011 – Syfy has acquired both seasons (26 episodes) of the hit Canadian supernatural drama Lost Girl from Prodigy Pictures, it was announced today by Thomas Vitale, Executive Vice President, Programming and Original Movies, Syfy.

Lost Girl stars supernatural seductress Bo (played by Anna Silk/The Ghost Whisperer), a Succubus (a powerful female entity in folklore) who feeds off sexual energy. Raised by human parents, Bo had no reason to believe she was anything other than the girl next door — until she “drained” her first boyfriend to death.

Bo has since hit the road alone and afraid. She discovers she is one of the Fae, creatures of legend and folklore, who pass as humans while feeding off them in secret, as they have for millennia. She is faced with choosing an allegiance between the Dark or Light Fae clans. Bo decides to take the middle path between humans and the Fae while embarking on a personal mission to unlock the secrets of her origin, protecting humans along the way.

Lost Girl co-stars Kris Holden-Ried as Dyson, a shape-shifting Fae, homicide detective and Bo’s love interest; Ksenia Solo as Kenzi, Bo’s human confidante and street-smart survivor, Zoie Palmer as Lauren, a human doctor who competes for Bo’s heart; Rick Howland as Trick, the mysterious owner and bartender at The Dal Riata tavern, with a secretive past that is yet to be unlocked, and K.C. Collins as Hale, a handsome male “Siren” who is the eternal bachelor, ultimate wingman and Dyson’s partner on the force.

Notable guest stars include Emmanuelle Vaugier as “The Morrigan”, the leader of the Dark Fae.

Said Vitale: “In one year, Lost Girl has electrified viewers in Canada and around the world. We’re delighted to bring this fascinating, high-octane series, which depicts a unique world and memorable heroine, to the Syfyaudience.”

“We’re thrilled to have Syfy on board as our broadcast partner in the U.S. Lost Girl is a unique series that thrusts a strong, independent female lead into uncompromising circumstances. It’s a series that takes risks with unconventional storylines and provocative character development,” said Jay Firestone, Executive Producer.

This series is developed and produced by Prodigy Pictures, in association with Shaw Media and Showcase. This acquisition agreement was brokered by Tim Mudd of Mudd Media.

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 99 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

About Prodigy Pictures
Founded in 2006 by Jay Firestone, Prodigy Pictures leads the way in the production of quality film, television and cross-platform media. Its credits include the critically acclaimed feature Stuck and the television series XIII, currently airing on Showcase in Canada and Canal Plus in France.  Prodigy’s hit series, Lost Girl, has recently started production on its second season. The company has several feature film and television projects in development, including William Gibson’s Neuromancer, and Weapon, in partnership with Studio 37.

SyFy 2011 – 2012 Complete Schedule

Again, like the Summer schedule, we are very late on the draw on this, however, here’s the full scoop on all of the programming for SyFy for 2011 – 2012.  There’s not a whole lot more that we can say about this that we didn’t say in the article about the Summer schedule, except that new scripted drama is represented by a grand total of two shows this season, Alphas, premiering in July, and the highly-anticipated Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, which does not have an official announced date for release but we expect it in early 2012.

Although we don’t subscribe to the nonsense that there is no Science Fiction on the former SciFi network anymore, it is very curious that there are only two new scripted dramas (and SyFy has picked up the first two seasons of the Canadian hit, Lost Girl although they haven’t announced a premiere date for it as of yet) and three, what appear to be science fiction-themed comedies (seriously?).  The rest of the programming is made up primarily of goofy Saturday movies and reality series.  This disappoints us and seems a little odd as well, considering that every other network out there has drastically cut the amount of reality shows from their schedule and cut the amount of reality shows that they have ordered and put into development status.  This schedule is VERY reality-heavy and it’s not a matter of this not appealing to science fiction audience, it’s a matter of it not appealing to any audience.  Seriously, how many reality shows can an audience take?  For preview videos and trailers of the shows that will be airing this summer (including some full episodes) check out the our article on the SyFy summer schedule.

CORRECTION: Due to the obnoxious length of SyFy’s press release below, we completely missed the announcement regarding the new live-action, scripted action series/massive multiplayer online game (MMOG), Defiance. Due to this development, we are a whole lot less disappointed in the lack of new scripted drama.   Read all about it, here.

Via Press Release:

SYFY UNVEILS LARGEST ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING SLATE IN HISTORY FEATURING 14 NEW SERIES AND EVENTS

LED BY PREMIERE OF ALPHAS, FOUR SCRIPTED SERIES LAUNCH IN JULY – MOST EVER IN A SINGLE MONTH

UNSCRIPTED DEVELOPMENT SLATE INCLUDES PROJECTS WITH TOMMY LEE AND DEEPAK CHOPRA

NEW YORK – March 22, 2011 – Continuing the sizzling momentum of the Syfy global brand evolution, which has sparked imagination-driven hit series and double-digit growth in younger, upscale audiences as well as diverse new business ventures, Syfy President Dave Howe today will introduce the largest original programming slate in the channel’s 18-year history, highlighted by 14 new original series and events comprising more than 100 hours.

The 2011 Syfy Upfront will be presented at the Foxwoods Theatre, where the channel is hosting a live performance of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off the Dark for the advertising community. Syfy is the official media partner of the Broadway show.

Remarking on Syfy’s announced development slate, Mark Stern, President Original Content, Syfy, and Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions, said, “Our ambition in development is to push the boundaries of imagination, creativity, and story-telling.  We want to transport our audience with high-quality, thought-provoking experiences that allow them to explore the un-explorable, to believe the unbelievable, and to truly… ‘Imagine Greater.’”

Riding high on 15 consecutive years as a Top 10 channel among Adults 25-54, Syfy‘s viewership has continued to grow in 2011. In January prime, Syfy rose 12% in Adults 18-49/$75K, while experiencing a significant drop of two years (46) in the median age.

During First Quarter-to-date (vs.1Q’10) prime, Syfy has jumped 17% in Adults 18-34, 13% among total viewers and seven percent among Adults 18-49, led by the freshman hit series Being Human and Face Off, both of which have been renewed.

In July, Syfy launches four scripted series in the same month — for the first time ever — when Alphas premieres along with returning powerhouses Warehouse 13 (Syfy’s most watched series ever), Eureka and Haven.

The second season return of the heralded reality show Hollywood Treasure kicks off Summer 2011 unscripted programming in June, paired with the premiere of Haunted Collector (working title), followed by the debuts ofLegend Quest in July and Paranormal Witness in September.

The robust reality development slate includes projects from unique perspectives such as rock musician Tommy Lee, author Deepak Chopra and photographer Tyler Shields, along with a family that creates movie monsters and the world’s top stunt artists.

On the scripted side, Syfy is developing Battlestar: Blood and Chrome, set in the 10th year of the First Cylon War. As well as three single-camera, half hour comedies including the Lee Majors vehicle Me and Lee from the creator of Weeds, In the Dark featuring a team of wannabe paranormal investigators, and a new adaptation of Three Inches.

Keying the latest roster of popular Saturday Original Movies will be Red Faction: Origins, based on the highly successful video game franchise; 1970s TV icons Barry Williams and Danny Bonaduce butt heads in Bigfoot; Shannen Doherty headlines a re-imagining of the classic fairy tale Gretl; Roswell, the story selected by fans through the Syfy and IGN.com B Movie Mogul contest; and in Jersey Shore Shark Attack, who knows who might be a victim?

This October, Syfy will become the first ever, official sponsor of the city’s Halloween celebrations, partnering with NYC & Company for 31 Days of HalloweeNYC. Then in December, Syfy celebrates the holiday season with its second annual Countdown to Christmas Week (highlighted by the movie event Neverland with Keira Knightley asThe Voice of Tinker Bell).

Syfy Ventures is launching a new publishing business of completely sponsorable genre games under the SyfyGames banner.  Available initially on Facebook in the United States, the suite of high quality games will embrace the sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, action/adventure, and superhero genres, ranging from original content to games based upon Syfy programming. These first round of games are scheduled for launch later this year. As well, Syfy is partnering with game developer Trion Worldwide for a new entertainment franchise, Defiance, that will seamlessly pair a primetime series with an online video game, scheduled for 2011.

Among the new opportunities for advertisers to partner with the Syfy brand is Imagination Spotlight, a groundbreaking, multi-platform brand initiative celebrating the world’s imaginative achievements and innovative ideas.  Advertisers will have the opportunity to join the celebration through an array of multi-media partnerships that showcase imagination.

Syfy is currently available in 75 countries, reaching nearly 150 million households globally.

NEW SCRIPTED SERIES

Alphas – Premiering in July – Alphas follows a team of ordinary citizens whose brain anomalies imbue them with extraordinary mental and physical abilities. Taking the law into their own hands, the unlikely team, led by Dr. Leigh Rosen (Emmy Award-winner and Oscar nominee David Strathairn) investigates cases that suggest other Alpha activity to uncover what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able, or willing, to solve. These gifted individuals must balance their quirky personalities and disparate backgrounds with their not always visible powers as they work to solve crimes, stop the ticking time bomb and catch the enemy.

Alphas also stars Malik Yoba, Warren Christie, Laura Mennell, Ryan Cartwright and Azita Ghanizada, and is a production of Universal Cable Productions and BermanBraun Television. Executive Producers are Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein for BermanBraun, Zak Penn and Ira Steven Behr.

NEW REALITY SERIES

Haunted Collector (working title) — Premiering in June — Ghosts and spirits inhabit more than just homes and buildings — they can also live in objects. John Zaffis and his family are renowned paranormal investigators, tracking down haunted items like paintings, guns, jewelry and dolls. Once identified, the items are collected and stored in their museum, helping John’s clients bring normalcy back to their lives. Produced by Gurney Productions. Executive producers: Scott Gurney and Dierdre Gurney.

Legend Quest — Premiering in July — This fast-paced action-adventure series follows Ashley Cowie, a real-life symbologist, as he travels the world in search of some of history’s greatest relics and artifacts, all of which are believed to hold hidden powers and mystical significance for ancient and modern cultures. Each episode will include Indiana Jones-type adventure and Da Vinci Code-style connections as the hidden truths and alternative theories of these mythical objects are explored. Legend Quest is executive produced by John Brenkus and Mickey Stern for BASE Productions, and is a co-production with Universal Networks International.
Paranormal Witness – Premiering in September — From Raw TV, the acclaimed creative team behind Locked Up Abroad and Gold Rush Alaska, this tense, filmic and high-octane drama-documentary series brings to life the stories of people who have lived through paranormal experiences that defy explanation. Using the mixture of intimate first-hand testimony and grittily realistic drama that Raw TV is known for, Paranormal Witness will transport the audience into a world turned upside down by extraordinary and terrifying events. Paranormal Witnessis produced by Raw TV. Executive producers: Dimitri Doganis and Bart Layton.

SCRIPTED DEVELOPMENT/DRAMA

Battlestar: Blood & Chrome – Luke Pasqualino (Skins-UK) and Ben Cotton (Hellcats) star in Battlestar: Blood & Chrome, which takes place in the 10th year of the first Cylon war. As the battle between humans and their creation, a sentient robotic race, rages across the 12 colonial worlds, a brash rookie viper pilot enters the fray. Ensign William Adama (Pasqualino), barely in his 20’s and a recent Academy graduate, finds himself assigned to one of the most powerful ships in the Colonial fleet…the Galactica. The talented but hot-headed risk-taker soon finds himself leading a dangerous top secret mission that, if successful, will turn the tide of the decade-long war in favor of the desperate fleet. Executive producers: David Eick and Michael Taylor. Written by Michael Taylor from a story by David Eick, Taylor and Bradley Thompson and David Weddle. A production of Universal Cable Productions.

SCRIPTED DEVELOPMENT/SINGLE CAMERA HALF-HOURS

Three Inches – In Three Inches, professional daydreamer and underachiever Walter Spackman is struck by lightning and develops a unique “super” power — the ability to move any object using just his mind… but only a distance of three inches. He’s soon immersed in a world of extraordinarily ordinary people like himself and learns that “super” is just a state of mind.  The pilot is written by Harley Peyton (Twin Peaks), who also serves as executive producer.  Fox Television Studios is producing with executive producer Robert Cooper, through his company Landscape Entertainment.

In the Dark – In the Dark follows a misfit group of third tier Ghost Hunters whose misguided efforts tend to highlight their incompetence rather than any paranormal activity. From Universal Cable Productions, In the Darkis executive produced by Dan Taberski through Idiot Box Productions, Michael Davidoff and Bill Rosenthal.  Teleplay by Michael Davidoff & Bill Rosenthal.

Me and Lee — Me and Lee is about a down on his luck 20-something who goes in for back surgery, but the procedure doesn’t go well. Enter Lee Majors, who claims he has the perfect solution. He entices the young man into his ultra high-tech lab and makes him bionic. Majors becomes the unlikeliest of mentors helping the young man get his life back together. Jenji Kohan, the executive producer and creator of Weeds, serves as the executive producer of Me and Lee along with the writer Matthew Salzberg, Allan Loeb and Steven Pearl. Produced by Lionsgate.

REALITY DEVELOPMENT

Culture Shock with Tommy Lee – This one-hour investigative travel show follows Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee as he attempts to uncover the various rituals, symbols and other mysteries of secret societies around the world. Tommy Lee will dig into the history behind the secret society, search out its meeting locations and members, and meet with former members to reveal the society’s rituals and deepest secrets. A production of ITV Studios America. Executive producers: Tommy Lee and Carl Stubner. Supervising producer: Jenna Barnes.

Monster Man – When Hollywood studios want a bizarre creature, monster prop or out-of-this world alien, they turn to Cleve Hall and his very unique, family business. This series goes behind the scenes of Cleve’s workshop, where the craziness of this fun family is matched only by the insane monsters they build.  Produced by Gurney Productions. Executive producers: Scott Gurney and Dierdre Gurney.

Stunts Unlimited — Stunts Unlimited is an elite and exclusive fraternity of artists committed to a very imaginative, creative, unique and dangerous craft — movie stunts. This series takes audiences behind-the-scenes into a world rarely seen, unveiling the innovations and problem solving necessary to accomplish the most spectacular stunts in Hollywood. With their lives on the line with every stunt, the members of Stunts Unlimited form a close-knit work family, helping them balance the challenges of their jobs and their families. Executive producers: Ric Roman Waugh and Gary Binkow.

Hi Tech Hoaxes — The series where the supernatural, the mythical and the astonishing leave the big screen and step into people’s everyday lives. Each week two teams will go head-to-head to provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience for an unsuspecting pair of people, who are about to have their world turned upside down for a brief, thrilling moment.  Teams of engineers, tech geniuses and pranksters will draw their inspiration from requests sent by ordinary people who want to execute the hoax on friends, family, colleagues, customers, kids, parents or even pupils. They’ll rely on the technical know- how and the resourcefulness of the teams to make it happen.  But it needs to be hyper-convincing because these hoaxes are going to be happening in the real world In Plain Sight. Produced by North One Television.

Dinner with Deepak — If you could invite three people to dinner, who would they be? Best selling author and spiritual teacher Dr. Deepak Chopra dines and joins in conversation with some of the greatest minds and creators in the world today. In every episode, Chopra brings together a group of noteworthy guests to share a meal and a conversation ranging in topic from the spiritual, political and scientific to supernatural, designed to challenge our standard conventions and push the boundaries of viewers’ imaginations and intellects. Executive producers: Deepak Chopra, Gotham Chopra, Tim Piper and Sharad Devarajan.

Tyler Shields – A docu-series featuring unconventional photographer Tyler Shields and his team as they create worlds that are always surprising, shocking, and totally surreal. This Los Angeles-based artist is one of the most creative and original photographers working today. His subjects are celebrities, actors, models, and everyday people captured in magical, beautiful, and often dangerous situations. His eye-popping, jaw-dropping photos are designed to elicit the subject’s purest emotion right in the moment using no special effects. A production of RelativityREAL. Executive producers: Tom Forman, Tyler Shields and Zach Quinto.

Overthunk — A one-hour series that follows two teams of four talented creators as they compete to design, build and set off massive chain reaction machines. The best gizmo gladiators across America will face off in a weekly contest testing their mettle through gears and metal. Each week visits a new city, where natural rivals race against the clock and each other to brainstorm and build a fantastic apparatus that completes a specific task and keeps viewers holding their breath to see if these contraptions will actually work. Along the way, surprise “monkey wrenches” will challenge their minds and their patience. Produced by 25/7 Productions. Executive producer: Dave Broome.

Change the Day You Die — Change the Day You Die is an inspiring new reality series that uses state-of-the-art science to dramatically transport its participants into the future to face their own self-inflicted demise. Each of the seemingly healthy, unsuspecting candidates — nominated by friends, family and loved ones — will go on a 10-week transformational journey where they must master a series of mental and physical challenges designed to reverse their bad habits and add back valuable lost years to their lives.  Through medical-condition simulators, life-enhancing technology, unique graphics and special effects, each participant will experience firsthand the grim reality of their potential future so that they have the opportunity to change their ways before it’s too late. Produced by 3 Ball Productions/Eyeworks USA. Executive Producers: JD Roth and Todd A. Nelson (3 Ball Productions/Eyeworks USA) and Danny Fenton (Zig Zag Productions).
Imagination Nation — The innovators behind Hammacher Schlemmer, America’s oldest continuously published catalog that offers imaginatively unexpected and innovative products, go on the road to meet inventors from all walks of life to find fresh offerings for their inventory. Produced by North South Productions. Executive producers: Charlie DeBevoise and Mark Hickman.

America’s Smartest Kids — A thought provoking, reality competition show where the country’s most imaginative, innovative teenagers are challenged to invent a better future while competing for the title of America’s Smartest Kid. Executive producers: David Zelon and Michael Sardo.

SATURDAY ORIGINAL MOVIES

Red Faction: Origins — 2011 — Robert Patrick (Terminator 2), Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe) and Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica) star in Red Faction: Origins, based on the hugely successful Red Faction video game franchise. Twenty-five years have passed since Alec Mason (Patrick) led the Martian Colonies to freedom …and 12 years since vengeful enemies killed his wife, kidnapped his daughter Lyra (Tamzin Merchant), and left a broken hero in their wake.

Jake Mason (Smith), Alec’s only son and an officer in the Red Faction Militia, has his world turned inside out when he discovers that now, 12 years after her kidnapping, his sister is still alive.  As a powerful new enemy swarms across the planet, Jake goes out to find her, only to learn that his lost sister is one of them…a cold-blooded soldier sworn to destroy the Red Faction. Red Faction: Origins is produced by Universal Cable Productions and UFO Films.

Zombie Apocalypse (working title) — October 2011 — Months after a zombie plague has wiped out 90 percent of the American population, a small group of survivors fight their way cross-country to a rumored refuge on the island of Catalina.  A production of The Asylum.

Gretl — November 2011 — As an adult, a witch hunter (Hansel) returns to the village where he lived as a child to find and kill the witch who killed his sister, Gretl (Shannen Doherty), only to find that Gretl is not dead and danger lurks around every corner.  Produced by Chesler/Permutter Productions & Vesuvius Productions.

Snowmageddon (working title) – December 2011 — A story about a mystical snow globe that makes very bad things happen in the real world when it is shaken.  A production of Cinetel.

Bigfoot – 2012 — 1970’s pop culture icons Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family) and Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch) face off in the hunt for the legendary mountain creature.  A production of The Asylum.

St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun (working title) — St Patrick’s Day, Saturday, March 17th, 2012 — An evil leprechaun who has been imprisoned within the roots of a majestic old oak tree, is accidentally set loose on St. Patrick’s Day.  Once free, he takes out his bloody revenge on the descendants of the people who originally imprisoned him.  A production of After Dark Films.

Roswell — June 2012 – The story selected by fans for Syfy and IGN.com’s B Movie Mogul project, 65 years after the original UFO crash at Roswell, another ship from the same far-off civilization comes to rescue their downed comrades – and continue their preparation to invade the earth. Directed by Jason Connery (Area 51, The Devil’s Tomb). A production of After Dark Films.

Jersey Shore Shark Attack — 2012 – While everyone else runs scared, vacationing Jerseyites fend off shark attacks on the shore.  A production of ARO Entertainment.

Dungeons and Dragons 4 (working title) — September 2012 – A princess and a rogue knight become reluctant heroes  inside a magical kingdom.  A production of After Dark Films with Silver Pictures.

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 99 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

SyFy & THQ Original Movie Red Faction: Origins To Premiere This Saturday, June 4th At 9:00 p.m.

Via Press Release:

SYFY AND THQ ORIGINAL MOVIE RED FACTION: ORIGINS TO PREMIERE ON SYFY SATURDAY, JUNE 4, AT 9PM (ET/PT)

ALL-STAR CAST LED BY BRIAN J. SMITH (Stargate Universe), ROBERT PATRICK (TERMINATOR 2) AND KATE VERNON (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA)

RED FACTION ARMAGEDDON VIDEO GAME SET TO BE RELEASED MAY 31

New York, NY, and Agoura Hills, CA – April 15, 2011 – Part of a first-of-its-kind transmedia deal, the THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and SyfyOriginal Movie Red Faction®: OriginsTM, based on the highly successful Red Faction® video game franchise, will premiere on SyfySaturday, June 4, at 9PM (ET/PT), less than a week after the Red Faction® Armageddon™ video game is released.

Red Faction: Origins follows the children of rebel hero Alec Mason, set during a period between the Red Faction®Guerrilla™ and Red Faction Armageddon video games.

Directed by Peabody-Award winner Michael Nankin (Caprica, Battlestar Galactica, CSI: Crime SceneInvestigation), Red Faction: Originsstars Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica), Danielle Nicolet (The Starter Wife), Gareth David-Lloyd (Torchwood), Tamzin Merchant (The Tudors) and Devon Graye (Dexter).

RED FACTION: ORIGINS

Twenty-five years have passed since Alec Mason (Robert Patrick) led the Martian Colonies to freedom …and 12 years since vengeful enemies killed his wife, kidnapped his daughter Lyra (Tamzin Merchant), and left a broken hero in their wake.

Jake Mason (Brian J. Smith), Alec’s last surviving son and an officer in the Red Faction Militia, has his world turned inside out when he discovers that now, 12 years after her kidnapping, his sister is still alive.  As a powerful new enemy swarms across the planet, Jake goes out to find her, only to learn that his lost sister is one of them…a cold-blooded soldier sworn to destroy the Red Faction.

Jake must now battle the relentless regime and somehow reunite a family torn apart by war.

Kate Vernon portrays The Matriarch, leader of the tribal Marauders sect.

Red Faction: Origins is produced by Universal Cable Productions (UCP) and UFO Films (Lake Placid 2 & 3).

The Red Faction: Origins screenplay was written by notable writer and producer Andrew Kreisberg (Warehouse 13, Fringe, Eli Stone), based on a story developed by THQ Director, Fiction Development Paul DeMeo (The Rocketeer, The Flash, Viper) and THQ Executive Vice President, Core Games, Danny Bilson (The Sentinel, Human Target, The Flash). Kreisberg also serves as executive producer.

RED FACTION: ARMAGEDDON

Half a century after the Red Faction resistance freed Mars, the red planet again becomes a battleground. Colonists struggle for survival in the underground mines after the surface is rendered uninhabitable. When Darius Mason, grandson of revolution heroes Alec Mason and Samanya, unknowingly releases a long-dormant evil, Armageddon is unleashed on Mars. As settlements are torn asunder, only Darius and the Red Faction can save mankind. The battle will take them to the core of the storm-blasted planet through ice caves and lava flows until they are face to face against the unspeakable threat. Red Faction: Armageddon expands on the critically acclaimed, best-selling franchise with new, groundbreaking challenges.

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 (SyfyVentures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 99 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

Universal Cable Productions creates quality content across multiple media platforms for USA, Syfy and other networks.  A leader in innovative and critically acclaimed programming, UCP is the studio behind USA’sRoyal Pains, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Psych, In Plain Sight, Covert Affairs and Fairly Legal, as well as Syfy‘sEureka, Warehouse 13 and Alphas. The studio also produced the long-running series Monk andBattlestar Galactica, as well as the series Caprica.  UCP is a division of NBC Universal.

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found atwww.thq.com.

THQ, Red Faction, Red Faction Guerrilla, Red Faction Armageddon, Red Faction Origins and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SyFy Summer Schedule With VIDEOS!

(Scroll Down and Pause The Hulu Video For Ghost Hunters International That Just Autoplayed!)

Yeah, yeah, yeah… we know that we are very late with this but before the Summer Cable season heats up, we had a moral obligation to get out SyFy’s Summer schedule.

A few notes:

  • First, we simply do not tolerate this garbage notion that’s promoted  on other blogs and by the fanboys that there’s no Science Fiction on SyFy anymore because they have one hour of wrestling per week and the final nail in the coffin was when the net work changed it’s name from SciFi to SyFy. We’re preparing an entire piece dispelling these particular myths but if you feel a need to peddle this crap, bring it on and we’ll be glad to embarrass you.
  • Great to see returning scripted dramas Warehouse 13 and Eureka coming back (even though we knew a long time ago they were).  We didn’t care for Haven, but we are willing to give it another shot and we’ll update our review accordingly if appropriate.
  • New scripted drama series Alphas will premiere on Monday July 11th along with WH13 and Eureka.  It doesn’t look like a particularly original concept, but it does look like a lot of fun.
  • The reality shows are the reality shows.  SciFi does a pretty good job with them and they are hugely successful for the network but it’s nothing for us to get excited over.  We’ll pick up an episode here or there, but that’s about it.
  • Of course, the one thing that SyFy excels in is guilty-pleasure, over-the-top, ridiculous original SyFy/Horror films.  This summer is no different and although a lot of our friends love these dopey things, we generally pass, however…
  • We have to say that Red Faction: Origins based on the popular video game franchise looks pretty damned good, all things considering.  We’re not suggesting Emmy nominations but the production values look like they are up there with BSG production values so we’ll definitely be watching.  Having Robert Patrick as your lead doesn’t hurt you either.
  • Alright, we admit it, Age of Dragons starring Danny Glover looks pretty good as well although it’s got that Reign of Fire feel to it.  The thing is that ROF is actually a pretty good flick and grossly underrated (check it it out.  FUll film of ROF on YouTube, here!) We’ll give this retelling of Melville’s Moby Dick (no kidding… not only is it billed as such but all of the characters names are straight of the classic novel) a shot.
  • Although we missed the the Star Trek film marathon (pfffbbbt… who cares?  we have them all on Blu-Ray to begin with), the perennial Twilight Zone marathon will return on July 4th as it should.  If you can’t wait until then, Netflix has all 138 episodes in glorious HD availabel for streaming.  We’ve really re-discovered this epic series as of late thanks to Netflix and we’ll be doing a piece on the twenty greatest episodes of TTZ in the near future and our choices and omissions may surprise you.

SYFY’S SIZZLING SUMMER 2011 WILL FEATURE PREMIERE OF ALPHAS, RETURN OF Warehouse 13, Eureka AND HAVEN

DEBUT OF REALITY SERIES HAUNTED COLLECTOR AND LEGEND QUEST

NEW SEASONS OF Hollywood Treasure AND Ghost Hunters INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY ORIGINAL MOVIES INCLUDE RED FACTION: ORIGINS AND ICE ROAD TERROR

NEW YORK – April 15, 2011 – Syfy will heat up Summer 2011 by launching four scripted series in July — the most ever in a single month — with newcomer Alphas joining powerhouses Warehouse 13, Eureka and Haven.

Along with expanding its popular scripted franchise, Syfy is building on successful reality programming such asGhost Hunters, Face Offand Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files by introducing two new series. Haunted Collectorwill be paired with the second season return ofHollywood Treasure on June 1, while Legend Quest debuts in July following the third season premiere of Ghost Hunters International.

Hot weather Saturday Original Movies will include Red Faction: Origins — based on the popular Red Faction video game franchise –Swamp Shark and Ice Road Terror.

Syfy Summer 2011 kicks off with a Star Trek movie marathon on Memorial Day weekend and will also include a July 4th Twilight Zonemarathon.

Highlights of Syfy Summer 2011 Programming

June 2011

HAUNTED COLLECTOR **NEW ORIGINAL REALITY SERIES**

Wednesday, June 1, at 9PM (ET/PT) — Ghosts and spirits inhabit more than just homes and buildings — they can also live in objects.  In the new Syfy reality series Haunted Collector, a family of paranormal investigators hunt down haunted items bedeviling their owners. For 30 years John Zaffis, eminent paranormal researcher and demonologist, has been consulted on countless hauntings for clients all over the country, desperate to return their lives to normalcy. Author of the critically acclaimed book “Shadows of the Dark,” Zaffis has amassed thousands of possessed objects that reside in the bizarre museum which he built next to his house in Connecticut. Along with his son Chris, daughter Amy, and paranormal investigators Beth Ezzo and Brian Cano, Zaffis tracks down haunted items such as paintings, guns, jewelry and antiques. Once identified, the items are collected and stored in the museum. Haunted Collector is produced by Gurney Productions. Executive producers are Scott Gurney and Dierdre Gurney.

Watch the Complete First Episode!

Hollywood Treasure MID-SEASON RETURN

Wednesday, June 1, at 10PM (ET/PT) — All new episodes of Hollywood Treasure, which premiered its first season in October, introduced Joe Maddalena, owner of Profiles in History and the world’s largest auctioneer of original movie, television and pop culture collectibles. In these new episodes, Joe tracks down one-of-a-kind pieces from Forbidden Planet and Lost in Space.  He also works with Debbie Reynolds, who entrusts Joe with the task of selling her multi-million dollar collection. Hollywood Treasure is produced by Zupon Entertainment, LLC.  Mark Zupon is executive producer. Joseph Boyle is co-executive producer.

July 2011

ALPHAS **NEW ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES**

Monday, July 11 @ 10pm (ET/PT)  – Alphas follows a team of ordinary citizens with extraordinary mental and physical abilities. Taking the law into their own hands, the unlikely team, led by Dr. Leigh Rosen (Emmy Award-winner and Oscar nominee David Strathairn) investigates cases that suggest other Alpha activity to uncover what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able, or willing, to solve. These gifted individuals must balance their quirky personalities and disparate backgrounds with their not always visible powers as they work to solve crimes, stop the ticking time bomb and catch the enemy. Alphas also stars Malik Yoba, Warren Christie, Laura Mennell, Ryan Cartwright and Azita Ghanizada, and is a production of Universal Cable Productions and BermanBraun Television. Executive producers are Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein for BermanBraun, Zak Penn and Ira Steven Behr.

LEGEND QUEST **NEW ORIGINAL REALITY SERIES**

Wednesday, July 13 @ 10pm (ET/PT) — This fast-paced action-adventure series follows Ashley Cowie, an archaeological explorer and expert in ancient symbols, as he travels the world in search of some of history’s greatest and most mysterious artifacts. From King Arthur’s famous sword to the Lost Ark of the Covenant, all of the elusive items are believed to hold hidden powers and mystical significance for ancient and modern cultures. Each of the six episodes will include Indiana Jones-type adventure and Da Vinci Code-style puzzle solving as the secreted truths and alternative theories of these mythical relics are explored.  Cowie and his team leave no stone unturned as they hack through dense jungles, squeeze through tiny caves and trek through forbidding deserts to find their next clue. Their expeditions will reveal secrets that have been guarded for centuries and are still being protected today. Legend Quest is executive produced by John Brenkus and Mickey Stern for BASE Productions.

(No Video Available)

Eureka SEASON 4.5

Monday, July 11 @ 8pm (ET/PT) — In the season 4.5 return of Eureka, as the timeline changes from their trip to 1947 continue to surprise Carter, Allison, Henry, Jo and Fargo, an accident of astronomical proportions launchesEureka’s most ambitious project yet.  The entire town rallies to go where no man has gone before, pitting scientist against scientist to be one of the chosen few.  But our heroes’ new relationships are tested as secrets begin to surface. And the competition grows fierce when darker forces threaten to bring everyone down if they fail.During its fourth season, Eureka averaged 3.16 million total viewers, 1.40 million Adults 18-49, 1.58 million Adults 25-54 and a 2.25 household rating, based on Live+7 DVR data. Eureka stars Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Joe Morton, Erica Cerra, Neil Grayston and Niall Matter. Co-creator Jaime Paglia and Bruce Miller are executive producers.  The series is produced by Universal Cable Productions.

Warehouse 13 SEASON 3

Monday, July 11 @ 9pm (ET/PT)  Warehouse 13, Syfy’s most successful series ever, returns for a third season with a key question looming from the gripping season two finalehas Myka (Joanne Kelly) left the Warehouse for good? Joining the Warehouse team is Steve Jinks (Aaron Ashmore, Smallville), an ATF agent with an innate ability to detect when someone’s lying.

Warehouse 13 follows a team of government agents who work at a massive, top-secret storage facility in South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and preternatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse’s caretaker Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock), Myka Bering (Kelly) and young apprentice Claudia Donovan (Allison Scagliotti) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache. During its second season, Warehouse 13 averaged 3.43 million total viewers, 1.51 million Adults 18-49, 1.80 million Adults 25-54 and a 2.4 household rating, based on DVR Live +7 data. Warehouse 13 is produced for Syfy by Universal Cable Productions. Jack Kenny (The Book of Daniel) is executive producer and showrunner.

HAVEN SEASON 2

Friday, July 15 @ 10pm (ET/PT) — Last season, when FBI agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) arrived in the town of Haven, Maine on a routine case, her knack for unraveling mysteries proved an asset when she discovered that the seemingly sleepy town was, in fact, a longtime refuge for people with supernatural afflictions.  Now, in Season Two, Audrey must not only stay on top of Haven’s many afflictions –which continue to be revealed in every episode – but also solve her most challenging case yet: the secret of her own lost past and its ties to Haven.

With the help of Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant), a handsome local cop with his own trouble, and Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour) a local smuggler and reluctant aide in solving Haven’s troubles, Audrey digs deeper into uncovering her identity.  Guest stars Jason Priestley (who will also direct an episode) and Vinessa Antoine join the cast for season two, which is currently in production on 13 episodes in Nova Scotia. Haven, from leading independent producer Entertainment One (eOne) is co-commissioned by Shaw Media in Canada and globally via Universal Networks International (UNI).

The creative team behind the second season of Haven includes Executive Producers John Morayniss (Hung,Goodnight for Justice) and Noreen Halpern ( Call me Fitz, Rookie Blue) from eOne and David MacLeod (Legends of the Fall, The Ray Bradbury Theater) of Big Motion Pictures, who are joined by Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, Scott Shepherd (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone) and Matt McGuiness (Journeyman) as well as and Sam Ernst & Jim Dunn (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone) who also developed the series.

Haven is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Big Motion Pictures in association with Piller/Segan/Shepherd and airs on Syfy in the U.S., Showcase in Canada and internationally on UNI’s multipleSyfy Universal channels. Entertainment One controls the worldwide distribution rights to the one-hour series and concluded a deal with Germany’s Tele München Group (TMG) for the television rights in continental Europe.

Sorry, this is the best we could do!

Ghost Hunters INTERNATIONAL SEASON 3

Wednesday, July 13 @ 9pm (ET/PT)  Ghost Hunters International – The GHI team kicks off the third season traveling deep into the rainforest of Trinidad, where it’s reported that the spirit of Count Lopinot, a cruel slave master, rises from the grave of his cocoa plantation.Ghost Hunters International features a squad of paranormal investigators who use their principles of scientific techniques to explore some of the most legendary haunted spots around the world. Each week the team travels to the far corners of the globe, searching for answers to bizarre supernatural mysteries.  The team of investigators is led by Barry FitzGerald and Kris Williams and also stars Joe Chin, Susan Slaughter, Paul Bradford and Scott Tepperman. Ghost Hunters International is produced in association with Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Films and Television (Dirty Jobs, The Ultimate Fighter, My Fair Wedding). Piligian and Thomas Thayer, along with Rob Katz and Alan David, serve as executive producers.

Saturday Original Movies

Red Faction: Origins – Saturday, June 4, at 9PM (ET/PT) — Robert Patrick (Terminator 2), Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe) and Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica) star in Red Faction: Origins, based on the hugely successfulRed Faction video game franchise. Twenty-five years have passed since Alec Mason (Patrick) led the Martian Colonies to freedom and 12 years since vengeful enemies killed his wife, kidnapped his daughter Lyra (Tamzin Merchant), and left a broken hero in their wake. Jake Mason (Smith), Alec’s only son and an officer in the Red Faction Militia, has his world turned inside out when he discovers that now, 12 years after her kidnapping, his sister is still alive.  As a powerful new enemy swarms across the planet, Jake goes out to find her, only to learn that his lost sister is one of them — a cold-blooded soldier sworn to destroy the Red Faction. Vernon portrays The Matriarch, leader of the tribal Marauders sect. Red Faction: Origins is produced by Universal Cable Productions and UFO Films.

Ice Road Terror – Saturday, June 11, at 9PM (ET/PT) — Truckers (Brea Grant, Michael Hogan) face a deadly ice creature on the frozen roads.  A production of ARO Entertainment.

Swamp Shark – Saturday, June 25, at 9PM (ET/PT) — Kristy Swanson, D.B. Sweeney and Robert Davi star in the story of mutant sharks terrorizing the Louisiana bayous. A production of Active Entertainment.

Age of Dragons – July – Danny Glover stars in a re-imagining of Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick, set in a mythical realm where Captain Ahab and crew hunt dragons for the vitriol that powers their world. A production of Dragon Quest Productions LLC.

Super Eruption — July — A scientist and a park ranger (Juliet Aubrey, Richard Burgi) try to stop the eruption of a massive volcano under Yellowstone Park.  A production of MarVista Entertainment.

(No Video Available)

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 (SyfyVentures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 99 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

‘Haven’ (SyFy – Friday, 10:00 p.m.)

 

Syfy’s all-new one-hour drama series Haven, starring Emily Rose (Jericho, Brothers and Sisters) is based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King. The series follows the shrewd and confident FBI agent Audrey Parker (Rose) who has a lost past, and arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case. Before long, her natural curiosity lands her in the epicenter of activity in this curious enclave, which turns out to be a longtime refuge for people that are affected by a range of supernatural afflictions.  As the townspeople’s dormant abilities begin to express themselves, Audrey helps keep these forces at bay while discovering the many secrets of Haven — including one surrounding her own surprising connections to this extraordinary place. – SyFy

3 out of 10

As noted in the show description, SyFy’s new show Haven is based on a Steven King 184 page novel titled The Colorado Kid.  From what I read at iMDB before I saw the pilot, the title is one of the few things the show and the book actually share in common.  The Colorado Kid was a departure from Stephen King’s normal fare of the supernatural and just a straight-up mystery/crime novel.  Haven is exactly the opposite and apparently it was this way at the direction of King himself who wanted this television version of his story to have a science fiction premise to it.  That’s really all the interesting information I can provide about this show because there really is nothing more interesting about it except for the fact that for some reason, out of all of the Stephen King stories, SyFy chose to make a series out of the one that was universally panned by the critics. 

Haven is what I like to call a poor-man’s attempt at The X-Files except for instead of the cases taking place all over the country, all of these cases take place in small, mythical town of Haven, Maine, which I guess is just one big X-File.  Unlike other attempts to capture the spirit of The X-Files  while still remaining unique (such as FOX’s Fringe or even SyFy’s Warehouse 13) Haven makes absolutely no attempt to be original whatsoever.  I’ve now watched 1.75 episodes (I was so annoyed by the second episode I turned it off early ) and all I’ve seen is poorly recycled and predictable plots from old X-Files episodes, a bunch of supporting characters that don’t do a thing for me and a “who’s-who” of Canadian character actor casting (which is the only reason occasionally one of them sounds like they might actually be from Maine).

Our leads are Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) and Officer (Detective?) Nathan Wournos (Lucas Bryant) and let’s just put it this way:  they’re no Scully and Mulder.  They have absolutely no on-screen chemistry and neither one of their parts is very well-written.  By the time I got halfway through the second episode, Butterfly, I wanted to punch Supercop (and I mean that literally… the character doesn’t feel pain) Nathan right in the face.  I think it’s safe to say that one of the benchmarks for good TV is that you shouldn’t want to punch the protagonist in the face by the second episode, so you can kind of see where all of this is headed.  The only redeeming factor of Butterfly was the absolutely stellar performance by one of my favorite character actors of all-time, Stephen McHattie, who is better known to Star Trek fans as Senator Vreenak from  arguably the best Trek episode ever made, Deep Space Nine‘s In the Pale Moonlight.  But even McHattie’s brilliant performance is not enough to save this dud of a series.  Yes, this series is so bad that I have to throw in a Star Trek reference just to bring some level of excitement to an otherwise awful review experience.

I am very disappointed in Haven.  When I watched the pilot, I wasn’t very impressed but I wanted to give it another chance because there was so much buzz about it and it was so eagerly anticipated by SyFy (and Sci Fi) fans.  Unfortunately, though, it didn’t just not improve from the pilot to the second episode, it actually got much worse.  The writing is lackluster and flat and the audience simply cannot empathize with any of the characters and I have to say that even by SyFy’s standards, these are some of the worst CGI effects I’ve ever seen.  The only reason I even gave it a 3 is because of McHattie.  I’m sorry, but I simply have no time for bad TV.

That being said, if you don’t trust me and want to watch this mess for yourself to decide, SyFy has all of the episodes available to view online for free here.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.