TVSquad

Friends telling you Lost is the best thing since sliced bread? Everyone laughing at you at work because you're lost when they talk about that wacky island? Don't know who Jack, Kate and Sawyer are and whether or not John Locke is more than just some old dead philosopher? Ridiculed for being a Lost-less moron but too cheap of a bastard to go out and pick up those DVD sets? Well, good news.

Rarely does a show hit television that's so serialized it's almost impenetrable to come late into. And even more rarely does a network let it last past ten episodes; FOX'll yank it in one if they think they can get enough videos of aquatic life attacking compiled in time for a special. Well, never fear ... it's Sci Fi to the rescue!

That's right, starting September 15th, you can catch four episodes of Lost every Monday on Sci Fi. And Lost is a show that works even better in large chunks like that. I recorded the entirety of season three to my DVR before I even started it and wolfed it down in a weekend! But wait, there's more ... like what that picture has to do with this story!

The rest of Sci Fi's fall line-up was announced, and it includes the return of Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth, both starting Wednesday, September 5th, as well as ECW taking Eureka's slot on the schedule starting Tuesday, September 30th, followed immediately by the season premiere of Scare Tactics (with 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan). The remainder of Eureka's season will air sometime next year. When did we reach a point in television where seasons are just blatantly split in half like this? We'll air the first half of the season and then four months later the second half. Four months? That's like a summer hiatus? That's how long there generally is between season?

Well, I guess in the case of cable the gaps between seasons can be longer (*ahem*Sopranos*ahem*), but the scheduling thing is getting really weird to me. Why call them halves of the same season? Let's just call them all different seasons. Survivor and The Amazing Race have two seasons apiece each year, and there's only a month or so gap between them.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot. How insulting is it that the only part of Sci Fi's fall schedule to make the front page was the reruns of Lost? I'm such a jerk. But maybe that's because I wanted the parting thing for you to think about is the premiere of Sanctuary. It's taking the place of Stargate: Atlantis, which is also stopping mid-season because ... well, that's what we do. Maybe they fear viewer fatigue, but then how do you explain 24 straight weeks of 24 being such a rousing success. How do you -- [the wife from the other room: "I can hear you typing angry. Remember your blood pressure, dear."]

As I was saying. Sanctuary premieres on Sci Fi Friday October 3 with a two-hour launch. They're billing it as "the first television series to feature live-action actors against primarily virtual sets." I guess they missed Drew Carey's Green Screen Show? Sanctuary started life as a web-only series featuring Stargate's Amanda Tapping. A hit online, it's been retooled for broadcast air and given a 13-episode commitment to find an audience. And it looks like the entire cast will be featured in the newer made-for-TV episodes as well.

I like that Sci Fi is looking to emerging technologies to enhance the television experience. It was a bold move when they launched Sanctuary online, as it was given a much bigger budget than most web series, and managed to create a virtual reality every bit as surreal and captivating as films like 300 and Sin City managed with their green screen techniques. Hopefully, this series can do well and we can see more original programming from Sci Fi that has less to do with wrestling and reality and more to do with science and fiction (together).

[via PopCandy]