Sci-Fi Storm

Alas, BBC America has decided to cancel Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. It was a wonderfully bizarre and quirky show adapted from a Douglas Adams novel, starring Samuel Barnett as the eponymous character who solves supernatural mysteries by simply giving in to fate, helped by Todd (Elijah Wood), a bellhop who helps his sister who suffers from a disease that causes her to have vivid hallucinations. They are chased not only by government agents, who want Dirk back for a secret project, but by the strange Bart Curlish (Fiona Dourif), who believes the universe is directing her to kill people and doesn’t allow her to die.

Admittedly, the show could be hard to follow at times, but it seemed to showcase actors playing more unusual characters – especially in the female characters who were often very odd in a variety of ways, such as The Beast (Emily Tennant) and Mona Wilder (Alexia Fast), along with the aforementioned Curlish.

I will be sad that the show will not be continuing, but it got two good seasons and didn’t leave us hanging.

“Somewhere Dirk is waiting for us to find him, and he’ll know how to fix this…”

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency returns October 14th at 9/8c on BBC America!

Battlestar Galactica‘s Katee Sackhoff and Aliens‘ Lance Henriksen will join Jaeden Bettencourt (Hotel Transylvania 2) as the voice of three supercomputers in the artificial intelligence-driven drama pilot The Machine for Syfy.

Based on a 2013 British cult film, the series will explores humanity through artificial intelligence when a sentient AI is created, but the military wants to use it for war. Caradog James, who directed the film, is an executive producer with Red & Black Films and John Giwa-Amu, the film’s producer, and Andrew Miller (The Secret Circle).

Over at BBC America’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, the series has upped actor Osric Chau, who played Vogel of the Rowdy 3, to a series regular for Season 2. Chau previously appeared on Supernatural.

It’s a long weekend here, so here’s a few more tidbits:

In a conversation with Deadline, BBC America president and GM Sarah Barnett tiptoed around the discussion of who might be the new Doctor to replace Peter Capaldi, but did mention that the Doctor Who spinoff Class, which takes place at the Coal Hill School where there first moments of it’s parent program took place, will debut in the U.S. on April 15th.

On renewals/cancellations, it seems several freshman shows will not survive. Spies have been whispering to us since January that Aftermath will not see a second season and Syfy and SPACE have silently killed the show. Star James Tupper also tweeted, “So sad to report #Aftermath will not be getting a second season. #sobummed”. We were hoping for a renewal and though the ratings and the partnership between Syfy and SPACE would help. No formal pronouncement still, but sadly it seems unlikely.

Also on the bubble are the CW’s Frequency and NBC’s Timeless. Frequency did not have an option to pick up more episodes, leaving the first season at 13, and they did essentially conclude the first season storyline. However, the show is on Netflix now, where it might pick up eyes, but we’re thinking it likely will not return. The Timeless season finale airs tonight, and it’s teetering on the edge. It may depend on what NBC decides on other shows and how many slots are available.

Syfy is still looking for a formula to bring cosplay into the limelight, and it will try again with Cosplay Melee, hosted by self-described “super fangirl” Yvette Nicole Brown. Each week, four world class cosplayers compete to create not only intricate full-body costumes – but fully-formed characters that they must bring to life through their own realistic performance. Guiding and critiquing them are a panel of judges including world class cosplayer LeeAnna Vamp, and A-list costume creator, Christian Beckman (The Hunger Games, TRON: Legacy). At the end of every episode, the winner will walk away with $10,000 … and the right to claim cosplay supremacy.

“As a huge fan of the creativity cosplayers bring to their craft, nothing makes me happier than having a front row seat for the amazing creations set to hit the Cosplay Melee runway,” said host Brown. “These talented artists are going to shine!”

BBC America has renewed Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency for a second season of 10 episodes, up from 8 episodes for the current season, which will air sometime in 2017.

According to BBC America President Sarah Barnett, “Outlandishly different, Dirk Gently has hit a sweet spot with BBCA fans/ With Elijah Wood and Samuel Barnett’s chemistry as oddball detective/sidekick duo, and our creators promising ever greater genius-weird cosmic mystery in the next case, we’re happy to announce more of this truly original and entertaining show.”

The show is based on the Dirk Gently novels from the late Douglas Adams, best known for the crazy Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy series of novels, and follows the eccentric Holistic Detective Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett) and his reluctant bellboy-turned-assistant Todd (Elijah Wood) as they try and unravel a strange mystery.

Per Deadline, Samuel Barnett (Jupiter Ascending, Bright Star) has been cast in the title role of BBC America’s adaptation of Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency novels. The late Adams is best known for his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books and various adaptations.

Robert Cooper, who led the Stargate franchise for MGM, will be showrunner. Max Landis (Chronicle) is writing, and Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) will direct the first two episodes.

Dirk Gently is a serialized comedic thriller that follows the bizarre adventures of eccentric “holistic” detective Dirk Gently and his reluctant assistant Todd, as they wend their way through one big, seemingly insane mystery, crossing unlikely paths with a bevy of wild and sometimes dangerous characters, each episode landing them a few random steps closer to uncovering the truth. BBC America gave a straight-to-series order for 8 one-hour episodes in January, with it expected to debut this Fall.

BBC announced new programming today, which includes a green light on a new adaptation of Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, and they will pick up the BBC Three Doctor Who spin-off Class.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is an adaptation of Douglas Adams’ (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Doctor Who) wildly successful comic novels, and is set in the unexpected world of its hyperactive, absurdist, eponymous detective, Dirk Gently. The straight-to-series order includes eight one-hour episodes. Penned by Max Landis — the mind behind cult classic Chronicle — the series is a co-production of AMC Studios, Ideate Media, and IDW Entertainment, with Circle of Confusion producing.

Sarah Barnett, President of BBC America, commented, “Dirk Gently is a very original series, fresh and unlike anything else. The novels have legions of fans, and with Max Landis’ brilliant and audacious take on this material, we are excited to bring Dirk to life for our BBCA super-fans.”

Dirk Gently is a serialized comedic thriller that follows the bizarre adventures of eccentric “holistic” detective Dirk Gently and his reluctant assistant Todd, as they wend their way through one big, seemingly insane mystery, crossing unlikely paths with a bevy of wild and sometimes dangerous characters, each episode landing them a few random steps closer to uncovering the truth.

In addition to show creator Max Landis, Executive producers include Ted Adams and David Ozer for IDW; David Alpert and Rick Jacobs for Circle of Confusion; and Zainir Aminullah and Arvind Ethan David for Ideate Media.

Class was announced in October by BBC as a spin-off to Doctor Who – although how it ties in is still a mystery. Done as an eight-part series, Class will be co-produced by BBC America marking the TV screenwriting debut of acclaimed author Patrick Ness, best known for his award-winning book [asin=0763660655]A Monster Calls[/asin]. Set in a school in contemporary London, it is executive produced by Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin, the team behind Doctor Who.

Produced by BBC Cymru Wales and filmed in Cardiff, Class will premiere in 2016.

At its Television Critics Association presentation today, BBC America announced that it has renewed its successful original series Orphan Black, along with acquired Kudos/ITV series Broadchurch which stars former Doctor David Tennant. No other details are available at the moment.

BBC America, which co-produces the series Atlantis with the BBC, has renewed the series for a second season after a very strong debut this past weekend, the highest rated Supernatural Saturday show premiere on the network. BBC had previously renewed the show, having aired it earlier this Fall.

Atlantis is a retelling of Greek myths from the creators of Merlin, and has a similar feel and how the characters differ from their traditional myths. Jason (Jack Donnelly), while searching for his missing father in a mini-sub, suddenly finds himself transported to the lost city of Atlantis, where he joins up with Pythagoras (Robert Emms) and Hercules (Mark Addy) as they encounter the myths of ancient Greece.

BBC America is two for two…its second original scripted series, the clone conspiracy drama Orphan Black, has received an order for a second season of 10 episodes. The show stars Tatiana Maslany in multiple roles, starting off as an orphaned street hustler who sees another woman who looks identical to herself commit suicide, and takes over her identity hoping to get money in the process. But instead she learns that she (and the victim) are not the only ones…and someone wants them all dead.

BBC America’s first scripted series, Copper, starts its second season in June.