Syfy Megathread - Hey, they're trying. At least it's not wrestling.

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > Syfy Megathread - Hey, they're trying. At least it's not wrestling.

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Notgothic: May 24, 2003; Thanks for the input, Jeff!

I didn't realize next week was going to be the final, are short seasons usually a reality-show thing?

# ? Mar 10, 2011 05:23

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 09:24

Teek: Aug 7, 2006; I can't wait to entertain you.

Depends on the show, since this was the first season, I'm sure SyFy didn't want to dump too much money into it yet. This seems to be popular though, and actually did a tiny bit better in the ratings than Ghost Hunters last week, so I figure season 2 is a lock. Which might mean a longer season next time around, possibly going final 3 rather than final 4.

# ? Mar 10, 2011 05:39

Notgothic: May 24, 2003; Thanks for the input, Jeff!

Yeah, I was just looking and was kind of shocked to discover that Who Wants to be a Superhero only had 6 episodes in the first season, and 8 in the second. I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing, but it seemed like a lot more in my mind.

Notgothic fucked around with this message at 07:56 on Mar 10, 2011

# ? Mar 10, 2011 07:52

Young Freud: Nov 26, 2006

Considering how much G4 padded the gently caress out of American Ninja Warrior this year, keeping your reality shows short really needs to be the rule.

# ? Mar 10, 2011 08:06

the-jam: May 20, 2003; Kick Out the MC5

Syfy is making another of their so bad they're awesome classic tale reimagining miniseries this year. The new one is apparently a prequel to Peter Pan called Neverland and well let me just post the description:

quote:

Written and directed by Nick Willing, Neverland centers on Peter (Charlie Rowe) who, along with his pals of young pickpockets, have been rounded up by their mentor Jimmy Hook (Rhys Ifans) to snatch a magical orb which transports them to another world - Neverland. Filled with white jungles and imposing cities formed out of trees created by Dr. Fludd (Charles Dance) and inhabited by a colony of tree spirits led by Tinker Bell (Keira Knightley), this mysterious realm welcomes unknown friends and enemies snatched from time. These include power-mad Elizabeth Bonny (Anna Friel) and her band of 18th century pirates who search for the answer to eternal youth, a secret guarded by a Holy Man (Raoul Trujillo). As the fight to save this strange and beautiful world escalates, Peter and his crew consider that growing old somewhere in time could be less important than growing up�right here in their new home called Neverland.

There's always the danger this might swing back over into being just bad but should be worth checking out just for the ridiculousness.

# ? Mar 10, 2011 09:01

Young Freud: Nov 26, 2006

Keira Knightley? really?

I'd say the same for Charles Dance, but he's slummed around in the Ali G movie and I, Claudius was such a long time ago.

# ? Mar 10, 2011 09:23

Chairman Capone: Dec 17, 2008

the-jam posted:

Syfy is making another of their so bad they're awesome classic tale reimagining miniseries this year. The new one is apparently a prequel to Peter Pan called Neverland and well let me just post the description:
There's always the danger this might swing back over into being just bad but should be worth checking out just for the ridiculousness.

I thought that Alice was so-so but not terrible, but I really liked Tin Man, so if they can keep more in the spirit of that I'll probably like this.

Kiera Knightly is surprising but remember that they really plugged the fact that Richard Dreyfuss was in Tin Man and Tim Curry was in Alice and they each had about 5 minutes of screen time total. Although I guess it would be hard to basically excise Tinkerbell from Peter Pan.

Fake edit:

According to IMDB Bob Hoskins is going to be in this also, so that is a big plus. And it's also both directed and written by the guy who directed both Alice and Tin Man and also wrote Alice (but not Tin Man, which makes me a bit less enthusiastic - although he also wrote a British miniseries, The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells , which I really enjoyed so hopefully he'll channel more of that writing spirit than Alice).

# ? Mar 10, 2011 17:05

Vilthuril: Mar 30, 2004

Chairman Capone posted:

I thought that Alice was so-so but not terrible, but I really liked Tin Man, so if they can keep more in the spirit of that I'll probably like this.

I really liked Alice, and thought Tin Man looked wonderful but the plot got so silly I kinda lost interest in following what would happen.

And back to Face Off - Megan is gone! I'm looking forward to the final.

# ? Mar 10, 2011 18:13

the-jam: May 20, 2003; Kick Out the MC5

Young Freud posted:

Keira Knightley? really?

I'd say the same for Charles Dance, but he's slummed around in the Ali G movie and I, Claudius was such a long time ago.

She's only providing the voice. Actual Tinker Bell will be CG, so it's a minor commitment.

# ? Mar 10, 2011 18:15

TheBigBudgetSequel: Nov 25, 2008; It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.

Tin-Man was lots of fun, but ultimately real stupid. Alice had the same issue, except without the fun part. I think thats just because they were trying to cash in on Wonderland fever that they assumed would sweep the world at that time because of the then-upcoming Tim Burton film.

Then again, Alice was way better than the Burton film, so I guess it's a wash.

On Face Off: I am excitied for next week because all four contestants are awesome and I kind of want everyone to win. That rarely happens in a reality show. I am rooting for Sam or Tate, but Gage or Connor wouldn't disappoint me either.

# ? Mar 10, 2011 22:34

Johnny Longtorso: Nov 24, 2007; The Man Who Comes In Pieces!

In last night's "The Battle of Los Angeles", one of the 'stars' was a guy who started out in gay porn, moved on to a terrible gay horror drama called The Lair (produced by Here!), and is now in Sci-Fi Original Movies. I can't decide if that's a career upgrade or downgrade.

# ? Mar 13, 2011 21:44

Philthy: Jan 28, 2003; Pillbug

I'm thinking Connor has been the most consistent through all the challenges. Maybe not as original, but there hasn't been a single challenge that I can remember that was really horrible. Gage has been great as well with a few stumbles.

I haven't seen it yet, but Battle of LA has been described as a Sci-Fi original movie that made it's way into a theater somehow...

# ? Mar 14, 2011 06:04

TheBigBudgetSequel: Nov 25, 2008; It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.

Philthy posted:

I'm thinking Connor has been the most consistent through all the challenges. Maybe not as original, but there hasn't been a single challenge that I can remember that was really horrible. Gage has been great as well with a few stumbles.

I haven't seen it yet, but Battle of LA has been described as a Sci-Fi original movie that made it's way into a theater somehow...

Connor was in the bottom one other time besides this past week (which was kind of crap that they put him there, but whatever) and that was during the body paint challenge.

# ? Mar 14, 2011 07:54

Magnus Condomus: Apr 23, 2010

TheBigBudgetSequel posted:

Connor was in the bottom one other time besides this past week (which was kind of crap that they put him there, but whatever) and that was during the body paint challenge.

To be fair, he really didn't do as much as he could have during that paint challenge.

# ? Mar 14, 2011 16:17

TheBigBudgetSequel: Nov 25, 2008; It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.

Magnus Condomus posted:

To be fair, he really didn't do as much as he could have during that paint challenge.

No he didn't. I actually know some of Connor's work from one of his day jobs, and he's really awesome at prosthetics and rubber work, but airbrush/body paint stuff does not seem to be his strong point.

He's probably going to win, which isn't a bad thing, but I'd rather it go to Sam or Tate.

# ? Mar 14, 2011 16:54

Manos del Sino: Apr 12, 2004; Original Pony; Soiled Meat

I don't know if any of you watch Haven but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have its own thread so I figured I would mention it here:

Jason Priestly is joining the cast (and crew.)

That's not actually bad news is. When I saw him in Tru Calling and Medium, he looked so haggard that it took me quite a while to even realize it was TV's Jason Priestly that I was looking at. Given those roles, I think he'd be a good fit for Haven.

# ? Mar 14, 2011 21:28

Teek: Aug 7, 2006; I can't wait to entertain you.

Was happy with the top 3 in Face Off. Connor's came off a lot better than I thought it would, as his original statement that it would be a basic witch didn't seem to be him pushing himself. The elemental wood nature of her though worked well.

# ? Mar 17, 2011 05:42

Magnus Condomus: Apr 23, 2010

I really wish they'd show more of the in progress footage. I had no idea that Connor was even working on a witch. Much less an original design wood witch. Instead they focused down on his frog mask collapsing, which turned out not to matter.

# ? Mar 17, 2011 14:38

TheBigBudgetSequel: Nov 25, 2008; It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.

Magnus Condomus posted:

I really wish they'd show more of the in progress footage. I had no idea that Connor was even working on a witch. Much less an original design wood witch. Instead they focused down on his frog mask collapsing, which turned out not to matter.

They tended to do that. "Oh, something went wrong, EDIT THAT INTO A PLOT POINT"

I liked all of the final products for the evening, even the Little Mermaid one. I knew it wasn't going to win, but it sure was cool.

Gage loving knocked it out of the park. It's a shame Connor is so skilled technically, because that witch in Gage's scene was terrifying.

# ? Mar 17, 2011 14:45

screech on the beach: Mar 9, 2004

Yay, Face Off season 2 is confirmed!

http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/syfy/2011_Mar_16_face_off_renewed

# ? Mar 17, 2011 15:12

Teek: Aug 7, 2006; I can't wait to entertain you.

Awesome to see a quick renew.

Just a couple scheduling notes. Destination Truth is having a Ghost Hunters-esque live show tonight for Saint Patrick's Day in Ireland. They'll be doing a live investigation of a castle for four hours starting at 6 PM CST. After tonight's live show, the series will start airing new episodes on Tuesdays at 8 PM.

Also Fact or Faked will return next week with new episodes.

Marcel's Quantum Kitchen will premiere next week after Destination Truth, having not seen it I can't fully judge, but it seems like a blatant play to get non-genre viewers to the channel.

# ? Mar 17, 2011 15:56

Philthy: Jan 28, 2003; Pillbug

Was really happy with Face Off. Gage would probably have won that if Gretle didn't have a static face. His was more of a static art piece that looked loving amazing but it couldn't be used in a film at all. Connors was not as original, but everything he did with his was tip top. Everything. The painting, costumes, the crazy wood/dirt witch. They looked REAL. Loved it, and knew he was going to win it.

Can't wait for season 2! Really great show.

# ? Mar 18, 2011 02:37

Astroman: Apr 8, 2001

Manos del Sino posted:

I don't know if any of you watch Haven but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have its own thread so I figured I would mention it here:

Jason Priestly is joining the cast (and crew.)

That's not actually bad news is. When I saw him in Tru Calling and Medium, he looked so haggard that it took me quite a while to even realize it was TV's Jason Priestly that I was looking at. Given those roles, I think he'd be a good fit for Haven.

Haven is pretty cool and last time I saw Priestly was his guest slot in Jeremiah and he was great, so this should be a win. :toot:

# ? Mar 19, 2011 20:09

Notgothic: May 24, 2003; Thanks for the input, Jeff!

^^^ I remember that episode, that was great. Jason Priestly is ok in my book.

My dvr forgot to record Face Off, thank goodness for On Demand!

I'm kind of torn about how it all turned out, because I really wanted Tate to win, and I think Gage actually put out the best piece overall -- the hands on the witch's belly, Christ. Conor's makeup was amazing (and Frank helped out and wasn't an rear end in a top hat!), but I'm not sure how it was "haunting" exactly.

That said, all four of them should feel really proud for how good their work was, I hope they all get some good work from this.

Notgothic fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Mar 19, 2011

# ? Mar 19, 2011 22:12

TheBigBudgetSequel: Nov 25, 2008; It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.

Notgothic posted:

That said, all four of them should feel really proud for how good their work was, I hope they all get some good work from this.

Most of the talented bunch have some big movies on their credits already. Hell, even Megan worked on Tron and the upcoming Thor. (She makes molds for the studio she works at now, according to IMDB)

# ? Mar 20, 2011 00:55

Notgothic: May 24, 2003; Thanks for the input, Jeff!

TheBigBudgetSequel posted:

Most of the talented bunch have some big movies on their credits already. Hell, even Megan worked on Tron and the upcoming Thor. (She makes molds for the studio she works at now, according to IMDB)

I should've realized I can IMDB these people.

Nifty, Sam worked on The Signal. And Tom is apparently a machine, goddamn. Conor's work includes Jackass and Freddy Got Fingered. Oh Anthony, "The Erotic Mirror", really? Tate was the Minotaur in something, and Gage played a bartender in this, uh, in this!

# ? Mar 20, 2011 04:34

Teek: Aug 7, 2006; I can't wait to entertain you.

Coming to Syfy after being passed over by Travel Channel, Discovery, VH1, Bravo, etc., etc..

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/21/tommy-lee-syfy/

I made up the last part, but I have a feeling it's probably true in some form.

# ? Mar 21, 2011 20:45

Philthy: Jan 28, 2003; Pillbug

He's going to gently caress the hell out of those cultures.

# ? Mar 22, 2011 00:07

bango skank: Jan 15, 2008; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

So they want their own version of An Idiot Abroad?

# ? Mar 22, 2011 00:45

Young Freud: Nov 26, 2006

Teek posted:

Coming to Syfy after being passed over by Travel Channel, Discovery, VH1, Bravo, etc., etc..

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/21/tommy-lee-syfy/

I made up the last part, but I have a feeling it's probably true in some form.

bango skank posted:

So they want their own version of An Idiot Abroad?

I hate to say, this would be great if it Tommy Lee exploring various fandom subcultures.

# ? Mar 22, 2011 05:11

Teek: Aug 7, 2006; I can't wait to entertain you.

Even more reality on the way:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110322/tv_nm/us_syfy

Syfy via Hollywood Reporter posted:

"Haunted Collector," a working title, centers on a family of renowned paranormal investigators who spend their time tracking down haunted items. The family then houses its collections -- think guns, jewelry, paintings and dolls -- in its museum.

The series will be paired with the second season of "Hollywood Treasure," beginning in June.

A month later, Syfy will roll out "Legend Quest," an action-adventure series that follows real-life symbologist Ashley Cowie as he travels the world in search of hidden, mystical artifacts. Each episode is designed to combine Indiana Jones-style adventure and Da Vinci Code-type connections as theories are explored.

Finally, "Paranormal Witness," a drama-documentary series, will bring to life the stories of people who claim to have lived through paranormal experiences. Episodes will feature a mixture of first-hand testimony and gritty drama. It is set to premiere in September.

Haunted Collector sounds ridiculous. "Yeah man, my old Atari is totally haunted." Actually that would be fun if it's like that episode of Aqua Teen.

Legend Quest sounds passable, it's been done before, but really, how many of these items can they ever hope to find? You're not going to find the Ark of the Covenant, but maybe they can find Sankara Stone level items.

Paranormal Witness just sounds boring. Though if they could do it like Unsolved Mysteries, that might work. Though you'd need to resurrect Robert Stack first.

# ? Mar 22, 2011 22:56

Astroman: Apr 8, 2001

Didn't I see a commercial for a cooking show as well?

I think it's time they just go ahead and do a Nashville Network style rebrand and let the "Science Fiction Channel" die, and have somebody else start up a new Scifi/Paranormal network.

# ? Mar 23, 2011 00:38

Philthy: Jan 28, 2003; Pillbug

Sounds like they are throwing every dart and hoping for some bullseyes. After absolutely loving the hell out of Face Off, I'm pretty happy they're at least trying a bunch of stuff, even though most of it is and will probably be total and absolute poo poo.

Can't stand these paranormal witch hunting night vision scripted shows at all, though. The Tommy Lee (He has a great personality) and Legend Quest shows sound worthwhile to check out.

A bit pissed they canned SG:U for these. Just hope they can wrap it up and not leave it hanging.

Did not care for Hollywood Treasure. I was expecting to like it because it had a lot of cool poo poo in it, but it was just so boring.

Philthy fucked around with this message at 00:45 on Mar 23, 2011

# ? Mar 23, 2011 00:41

Teek: Aug 7, 2006; I can't wait to entertain you.

Hollywood Treasure gets annoying with the "So how about we auction item X that you own?" "Nah, not for sale." That seems to happen each episode. Maybe those will work better when the collector finally comes back in a later season and actually has them auction it, otherwise it seems like pointless filler to try and make up for some of the crap they're left auctioning.

Teek fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Mar 23, 2011

# ? Mar 23, 2011 01:04

Teek: Aug 7, 2006; I can't wait to entertain you.

Here's Syfy's upfront:

Syfy posted:

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 IndianaJones-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 Witness is 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 Dark is 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 Montley Crue'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 Hollywoodstudios 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.

TylerShields -- 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 Americawill 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.

JerseyShoreShark 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.

You certainly have a lot of winners there Syfy... :downs:

Most of the reality shows in development they list there will probably suffer from the one thing I hate in "reality" shows. Artificial conflict and drama within the cast to give some weight to the proceedings. I don't give a poo poo that person X is fighting with person Y, especially in non-competition based shows. That and artificially imposed deadlines. "We only have two days to do it or we'll in trouble!" SHUT UP, it's your own drat show, which takes weeks of prep and development, you didn't just start the process 3 days before X happens.

Shows which may have promise: Alphas, BSG Blood and Chrome, Three Inches, Legend Quest and Overthunk. Hi Tech Hoaxes sounds like a behind the scenes Scare Tactics on steroids, which could be cool.

What I'm also seeing is a lack of real genre busting series ideas. Where's the next Farscape or Lexx? Something which pushes the boundaries of what they can do? With so many series it seems like they're just throwing crap at the wall and hoping it sticks. I would gladly trade in 4-5 of those reality shows for one solid try at a new series which goes beyond "everyday life + weirdness" that they do on the cheap.

Teek fucked around with this message at 15:35 on Mar 25, 2011

# ? Mar 23, 2011 17:04

Johnny Longtorso: Nov 24, 2007; The Man Who Comes In Pieces!

I didn't know Freddie from Skins was going to be playing Adama. That's... an interesting choice.

Alphas sounds like it could be good, but it could just be another Heroes. They've surprised me with how good Being Human has been, so I may give it a shot.

# ? Mar 24, 2011 03:03

Astroman: Apr 8, 2001

The only show there I would be remotely interested in watching is Blood and Chrome. And knowing that it's "in development" and thinking of how they used to schedule BSG/how every other network does shows now here's what I think we'll get:

2 hour movie in 2012

14 episode seasons starting in 2014, airing 7 episodes a year by half season.

It's not worth all that other dreck to fund 30 new eps of BSG that will take 5 years to be shown and probably the last 5 will be DVD only.

I feel that every day "Syfy" exists is one less day somebody else could be trying to do a REAL Science Fiction channel. Like that "Space" thing they have up in Canada.

# ? Mar 24, 2011 05:35

GreenNight: Feb 19, 2006; Turning the light on the darkest places, you and I know we got to face this now. We got to face this now.

I may catch a few shows but SyFy died for me the day they canceled MST3K.

# ? Mar 24, 2011 15:09

Manos del Sino: Apr 12, 2004; Original Pony; Soiled Meat

GreenNight posted:

I may catch a few shows but SyFy died for me the day they canceled MST3K.

I'm still more steamed at Comedy Central about that than SciFi. For me, SciFi is the channel responsible for giving MST3K a few extra years. Comedy Central will forever be the bastards that took away my Turkey Day marathon.

# ? Mar 24, 2011 21:22

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 19, 2024 09:24

Simstim: Mar 16, 2005; You just gave me a great idea buddy.

Teek posted:

What I'm also seeing is a lack of real genre busting series ideas. Where's the next Farscape or Lexx? Something which pushes the boundaries of what they can do? With so many series it seems like they're just throwing crap at the wall and hoping it sticks. I would gladly trade in 4-5 of those reality shows for one solid try at a new series which goes beyond "everyday life + weirdness" that they do on the cheap.

I'd love for SciFi to do a series based on the Dumarest saga. The scripts could write themselves, just follow the books chronologically.

And I would LOVE for SciFi to do a miniseries on Ringworld.

# ? Mar 24, 2011 22:54

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > Syfy Megathread - Hey, they're trying. At least it's not wrestling.

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