Source: NBC / Universal
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 as Ghost Hunters, Face Off and Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files by introducing two new series. Haunted Collector will be paired with the second season return of Hollywood 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 Zone marathon.
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.
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.
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 launches Eureka'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 finale: has 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 multiple Syfy 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.
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 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. 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.
See Also:
The First Look At SNOW BEAST Coming Soon To SyFyAllison Scagliotti Joins The Cast Of DESTINATION TRUTH For First Ever Live InvestigationSyFy Begins Production On BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: BLOOD & CHROMEMore Giant Monster And Alien Mayhem From SyFyIts Debbie Gibson vs Tiffany (Oops) I Mean Mega Python Vs Gatoroid On SyFy
Written By: Ken Hulsey
