Sci-Fi Storm

This June, Syfy furthers its commitment to premium scripted programming by dedicating an all-new night to original dramas. Beginning June 19, Syfy will kick off its new Thursday night block with the one-two punch of the season two premiere of Defiance at 8/7c, followed by the series premiere of Syfy’s newest scripted series, Dominion, at 9/8c.

As the story of Defiance resumes, the lives of the townspeople are in drastic turmoil. The Earth Republic has assumed control of the town, with far-reaching consequences including a new mayor. Nolan (Grant Bowler) traverses the badlands to find a lost Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas), Amanda (Julie Benz) has an unexpected new role in the town as she searches for Kenya and the Tarr family desperately tries to keep control of their criminal empire in the midst of dramatic changes. Joining the cast this season are James Murray as new mayor Niles Pottinger, Anna Hopkins as Earth Republic soldier Jessica “Berlin” Rai and William Atherton as Earth Republic official Viceroy Mercado.

Immediately following the return of Defiance, Syfy will air the 90-minute series premiere of Dominion at 9PM ET/PT.

Based on characters from the hit theatrical film Legion (2010), Dominion is an epic supernatural action drama set 25 years after the events of the movie and picking up in the aftermath of a catastrophic war between an army of angels and mankind that has transformed the world. The series follows the perilous journey of a rebellious young soldier, set against a backdrop of the ultimate celestial battle as it touches down on earth.

Dominion stars Christopher Egan (Kings), Tom Wisdom (300), Roxanne McKee (Game of Thrones), Alan Dale (Lost), Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Luke Allen-Gale (The Borgias).

Just hours before the season finale airs in the U.S., Syfy announced that it has renewed freshman show Helix for a second season of 13 episodes. Production is expected to start later this year, with it likely to premiere in Winter 2015.

Bill McGoldrick, EVP of Original Content at Syfy, said, “Helix has built one of our most loyal and consistent audiences in its first season on Syfy. The incredibly talented writing and producing team have crafted a thriller that consistently delivered suspense, twists and high quality drama. We look forward to growing this passionate audience in what promises to be an even more memorable second season.”

Helix premiered on January 10, 2014, as the top cable scripted entertainment program in the time period, and helping Syfy rank as the #2 cable entertainment network among both Adults 25-54 (1.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.3 million). Since its premiere, Helix has averaged 2.1 million total viewers, 1.1 million Adults 25-54 and 1 million Adults 18-49.

Helix is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander), Steven Maeda (Lost, The X-Files) who is also showrunner, and Lynda Obst (Contact, Sleepless in Seattle). The series is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Kaji Productions and Lynda Obst Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television.

Helix, which was created by co-executive producer Cameron Porsandeh and features Billy Campbell (Killing Lincoln, The Killing), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine, 47 Ronin), Kyra Zagorsky (Supernatural), and Mark Ghanimé (Emily Owens, M.D.), as well as guest stars Jordan Hayes (House at the End of the Street), Meegwun Fairbrother, and Neil Napier (Riddick), will air its season one finale on Friday, March 28 @ 10pm.

Syfy is looking to get back into epic science fiction, and their first step looks to be Ascension, about a secret 1963 U.S. space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, a mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

Ascension is an ambitious original drama created and written by Philip Levens (Smallville) who will serve as Executive Producer and Showrunner. The series will be produced in Montreal, QC by Sea To Sky Studios in association with Blumhouse Productions. Jason Blum (Stranded, The River, film franchises Paranormal Activity and The Purge) and Mark Stern are Executive Producers on the project along with Ivan Fecan, Tim Gamble and Brett Burlock on behalf of Sea To Sky Studios. The event series will be co-financed and distributed by Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television.

Said Dave Howe, President at Syfy, “Syfy is more committed than ever to bringing to life epic event television. We have a rich history in this arena, from Steven Spielberg’s ‘Taken’ to the highly acclaimed mini that launched the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ series, to reimagined takes on classic tales such as ‘Alice’ and ‘Tin Man.’ In keeping with that grand tradition, we are delighted to bring this thrilling, provocative and intelligent event to our fans later this year.”

Ascension is slated to launch in November 2014 and air through December.

Said Bill McGoldrick, Executive Vice President of Original Content, Syfy, “Phil Levens has crafted a bold and surprising spin on the space opera. We are equally excited to embark on this journey with our partners at UCP, Sea To Sky, Lionsgate, Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions and also with Mark Stern who shepherded this project while at Syfy.”

Syfy unveiled their Spring lineup today, with the return of Continuum, the farewell of Warehouse 13, and several new shows and specials.

The final (and short) season of Warehouse 13 will start on Monday, April 14th, at 9/8c. Claudia’s (Allison Scagliotti) epic battle with Paracelsus (Anthony Head) will unleash an unexpected horror — and the Warehouse may never be the same. In the new season, the entire Warehouse team confronts old questions – and new revelations. From a painful realization that Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) must face, and Artie (Saul Rubinek) accompanying Claudia on a soul-searching journey about her sister, to Steve (Aaron Ashmore) colliding with his past, the final six episodes of Warehouse 13 takes viewers on an emotionally-charged roller coaster ride.

Continuum will return for it’s third season on Friday, April 4th, in the 10/9c time slot. At the end of Season 2, Alec Sadler made the Earth-shattering decision to hijack Kiera’s (Rachel Nichols) chance to get home, in order to save Emily, the girl he loves, from certain death. This act of desperation not only jettisoned Alec into the near past, but it condemned Kiera to incarceration by the Freelancers, who are ‘collecting’ time travelers in order to protect history. Now, Kiera must face the consequences of Alec’s betrayal and somehow escape the Freelancers. Even if she can, has Alec’s decision to time travel already changed the future in ways Kiera couldn’t even imagine? What will Kiera sacrifice to ultimately survive – and how will Liber8 factor into this challenge?
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Producers and writing partners Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer have signed on to Syfy’s new supernatural drama Dominion as Executive Producers and to be co-Showrunners along with Executive Producer Vaun Wilmott, the channel announced today. The series is from Universal Cable Productions and Bold Films, and is slated to premiere on Syfy in June of this year.

In joining Dominion, Slavkin & Swimmer extend a long-running creative working relationship with Syfy and Universal Cable Productions. They are Executive Producers and writers on the upcoming second season of Defiance, having been consulting producers for groundbreaking show’s first season in 2013. They were also consulting producers on the second season of Syfy’s original drama, Alphas from UCP.

They join Executive Producers Scott Stewart, who co-wrote and directed the feature film Legion, on which the series is based, Michael Litvak and David Lancaster of Bold Films who produced the original film, and their new Showrunning partner Vaun Wilmott who wrote the pilot.

After a career in feature screenwriting, Slavkin & Swimmer began their foray into television on Smallville (WB/CW), where they spent seven seasons, eventually becoming Executive Producers and Showrunners. They left the show in 2009 to develop and run the reboot of Melrose Place for the CW. Their credits also include No Ordinary Family (ABC). In addition to developing for television, Slavkin & Swimmer wrote the 2004 thriller Control starring Ray Liotta and Willem Dafoe. The two first met at Palms Junior High School in Los Angeles, in Mrs. Kvitky’s sixth-grade science class and have been friends ever since.
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It may be the slowest executive shakeup, but it seems to still be happening…after Universal Cable Productions/Syfy’s Mark Stern departed in November, Syfy seemed to be relatively untouched since while Universal’s parent company Comcast continues its reorganization of roles in the company, at least until today.

Tom Lieber, who oversaw project development at Syfy for Universal Cable Productions, appears to be following Stern into an producer role for a TV series for Syfy, in the case the upcoming Dominion, leaving his role at the corporate level, and heading to South Africa where the series is being filmed.

Dawn Parouse Olmstead was named a few weeks ago as the Executive Vice President of Development at Universal Cable Productions, overseeing all development for the cable networks.

While Helix might have been a bit soft at the start, it certainly appears to be picking up momentum. And with the shocking end of episode 4, it certainly seems to be making surges. Helix is setting DVR records for Syfy, leaping 82% among Adults 18-49 (1.34 million), 74% in Adults 25-54 (1.55 million) and 64% in total viewers (3.0 million) for the premiere on January 10 – the largest increases ever for a Syfy scripted series in L7 viewing.

Helix also rose 102% in Adults 18-34 (454K), while posting strong gains among women viewers, up 85% in Women 18-49 (541K), 73% in Women 25-54 (649K) and 232% in Women 18-34 (166K).

The series also grew 81% among Men 18-49 (797K) and 75% in Men 25-54 (903K).

Ready to find out what’s in “The White Room”? What star Catherine Lemieux has to say about last week’s episode? And all the moments that made us go, “What the hell?” Check out these videos…
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Good news whether you are a member of the Guard or avoiding the Troubles…Syfy has renewed Haven for a fifth season, but not just that, it’s supersized the order, asking for a “full season” of 26 episodes this time around – the biggest season for Haven yet, after having posted gains in the Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49 demos last year. The season will be split, with production to begin this Spring and 13 episodes to air this fall, with the remaining 13 to air in 2015.

Tallying its best season ever in social mentions and Twitter activity, Haven’s recently wrapped fourth season was up 11% among Adults 18-34 (314,000) and up 3% year-to-year among Adults 18-49 (926,000). Overall, Haven averaged 1.1 million Adults 25-54 and 2.3 million viewers per week and ranked second in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 among original cable series in its Friday 10PM ET/PT time slot. (All data Live +7).

Series stars Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant and Eric Balfour will reprise their roles of Audrey Parker, Nathan Wournos and Duke Crocker, respectively. Production on 26 all-new episodes is set to begin on location in Halifax, Nova Scotia this spring.
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Programming alert: Syfy will be swapping the time slots for Bitten and Lost Girl on Monday nights starting next Monday January 27th. Bitten will now air at 8/7c, while Lost Girl returns to the 10/9c slot. Being Human will remain in the 9/8c slot between the two.

The ultimate celestial battle between good and evil will descend to Earth in 2014 as Syfy officially greenlights the scripted drama Dominion (working title) to series, it was announced today by Syfy President, Dave Howe. The series is produced by Universal Cable Productions and BOLD Films, and filmed in Cape Town, South Africa.

“Following the critical success of ‘Defiance’ and the upcoming Ron Moore thriller ‘Helix,’ ‘Dominion’ will be the next major addition to Syfy’s growing slate of high quality scripted series,” said Howe in making the announcement. ”‘Dominion’ will continue Syfy’s new strategy to commission stand-out genre series that deliver the high stakes, sci-fi/fantasy experience our audience demands and embraces.”

Based on characters from the hit theatrical film Legion (2010), Dominion is an epic supernatural drama set in the year 25 A.E. In this transformed post–apocalyptic future an army of lower angels, assembled by the archangel Gabriel, has waged a war of possession against mankind. The archangel Michael, turning against his own kind, has chosen to side with humanity against Gabriel. Rising out of the ashes of the 25 year-long battle are newly fortified cities which protect the human survivors. In Vega (formerly Las Vegas), the largest of these cities, two houses vie for control and the stage is set for political upheaval and a dangerous power shift. Meanwhile, a rebellious young soldier begins a perilous journey as the war between the human race and the fallen angels hell-bent on their domination escalates.
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