Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows

We told you earlier this week that the syndicated action show 'Legend of the Seeker' had been canceled. ABC Studios still won't comment officially on the status of the show, but multiple sources, including Entertainment Weekly, say that because of the number of stations around the country that dropped the show and the state of sci-fi/adventure shows right now, the studio is just not going to do a third season. (The show is currently in its second season.)

Overseas sales of the show aren't strong, either -- a surprising fact, considering that a lot of syndicated action shows do better overseas than they do in the United States.

It's game on at Syfy.

'Red Faction,' the popular first-person shooter, is getting a two-hour movie treatment from Syfy that could lead to a series, according to a report in Broadcasting & Cable.

The movie is part of an effort by the NBC Universal-owned Syfy to delve deeper into gaming culture via a collaboration with 'Red Faction' publisher, THQ. The venture also seems likely to produce a kids' show based the 'de Blob' Nintendo Wii game.

Sorry, 'Legend of the Seeker' fans. It looks like the syndicated fantasy show couldn't cast a spell over enough viewers to earn a third season, as the Ausiello Files is reporting that Sam Raimi's swashbuckling series has been canceled.

'Seeker' was having a tough time pulling in decent numbers for local stations associated with its distributor, Tribune Stations Group. Apparently, not even a steamy girl-on-girl kiss between 'Buffy' alum Charisma Carpenter and hottie Tabrett Bethell could generate enough interest to keep the show alive. A number of Tribune stations dropped 'Seeker' last month, and the networks have shown no interest in picking it up, leading to its cancellation.

Now is not a great time for action-oriented cult TV shows. With 'Seeker' on the chopping block and last year's cancellation of 'Stargate Atlantis,' it seems like the tube is being scrubbed clean of light, fun, geek-friendly series. It's definitely not the '90s anymore, when shows like Raimi and Robert Tapert's 'Hercules' and 'Xena' could go for six seasons. Let's hope one of the better action-packed shows to debut this year, Fox's 'Human Target,' can beat the current trend.

Adam Kane, who directed episodes of 'Heroes' and 'The Mentalist,' is diving back into genre TV with Stephen King's 'Haven.'

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the director has singed to helm the pilot for Syfy's upcoming supernatural series, based on King's novella, 'The Colorado Kid.'

The project, which centers on an FBI agent investigating a murder in a creepy town in Maine, has snagged Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour and Richard Donat for key roles. Rose, who chatted with us about the show last week, plays the agent who, she said, is also trying to solve a personal mystery that's "driven her whole life."

'Haven' has some strong ties to the 'The Dead Zone,' the last TV show adapted from King's work. Show producers Shawn Piller, Lloyd Segan and Scott Shepherd are all 'Dead Zone' vets who guided that series through six respectable seasons on USA. Time will tell if 'Haven,' which is also being pitched to networks abroad, will have a similar shelf life.

The series is set to premiere later this year.

Stephen King stories practically never get turned into weekly television shows. Adaptations have almost always been done as theatrical or television movies or mini-series, and only one has gone the weekly series route: 'The Dead Zone'. At least that lasted a good six seasons. The eight-episode 'Nightmares and Dreamscapes,' which was based on eight short stories, sort of counts, while the planned adaptation of the epic book 'Under The Dome' might get a 10- to 12-episode cable run. Neither of those, however, had or has long-term potential.

Set to begin shooting in April and hit the airwaves in July, Syfy's 'Haven,' inspired by the King novella 'The Colorado Kid,' aspires to become only the second King adaptation in regular TV series form. Perhaps it will generate a paradigm shift?

According to star Emily Rose, who spoke to AOL at last week's Syfy Channel Upfront, there are 13 episodes of 'Haven' planned for season one, and she hoped it might extend beyond that.

Most people know the recently-knighted Patrick Stewart from his movie and TV roles, many of which are of the sci fi / fantasy variety. Of course, there's Jean-Luc Picard of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' but there's also Charles Xavier in the 'X-Men' series and the voice of Avery Bullock on 'American Dad.'

But back in his native England, Sir Patrick is just as well known for his Shakespearean work, both on-stage and on the screen. Some of that work will be on display on April 28, when he reprises the role of Claudius (he first played the role on TV 30 years ago) in PBS's production of 'Hamlet' on 'Great Performances.' As Nick mentioned yesterday, the production, with David Tennant in the title role, mixes the classic dialogue with modern dress and settings to give the play a more contemporary feel.

Stewart will also perform in the title role of 'Macbeth' for a similarly-staged production airing on PBS later this year. I sat down with Sir Patrick in January, when he presented at the TCAs; we spoke about the two productions, what his classic training brought to his 'Star Trek' role, his guest turn on 'Extras' and how his first ever IT guy was none other than Wil Wheaton.

(S05E17) "What is happening to me?" - Damon

What's happening to you, Damon? You are the haunted character of the week that Melinda and company try to help. Same old, same old. This week's installment of 'Ghost Whisperer' was pretty much a filler episode that didn't offer character or show mythology development. I know, I know, not every single episode can move the year's main storylines along.

Luckily, the culprit of the week was not that easy to pinpoint and the comic book theme was pretty cool, especially when the last shot before each commercial was comic-book panel style. Sadly, these cool tidbits were overshadowed by a really badly done fantasy sequence.

Your assignment: say that headline five times fast.

TV used to be a lot easier. We'd have TV from, say, September until May, and then the reruns would kick in. Sure, there have always been summer shows, but now it seems that the months of June, July, and August form a major TV season themselves. In fact, some of the best shows on TV right now actually start in the summer, not the fall. 'Mad Men' immediately comes to mind.

There are a lot of good shows on Syfy too, and they've announced when they're going to debut this summer.

I can't believe the mid-season finale of 'Caprica' is only a few days away. It seems like the show just found its footing and now its going on a break with an official return date yet to be announced.

We have a sneak peek of this Friday's ep, titled "End of the Line" that features Barnabus (James Marsters) clashing with Clarice (Polly Walker). Watch it below and see if you can tell which one of these fanatical religious terrorists is crazier than the other.



Friday's season-ender will offer plenty of STO action, but we'll also see some major drama between Daniel (Eric Stoltz) and Zoe (Alessandra Torresani) at Casa Graystone. According to Syfy, Daniel plans to "reset" the Zoebot, which could end Avatar Zoe's existence for good. She tries to escape before the shutdown, but not everything goes to plan.

Here's more proof that Tim Burton has transitioned from creating original films to grafting his signature freaky style onto well-established franchises: Burton is directing a 3D stop-motion movie based on 'The Addams Family.'

We've seen countless iterations of Charles Addams' all together ooky clan since the classic 1960s TV series left the air. My favorites are Barry Sonnefeld's clever '90s Addams flicks starring Raul Julia and Anjelcia Huston as Gomez and Morticia (let's not talk about the straight-to-DVD sequels). There were also two animated shows, a second live-action TV series in the late '90s, and a Broadway musical starring Nathan Lane and 'Frasier's Bebe Neuwirth (previewed by our very own Brad Trechak).

One man bands have always creeped me out. They never brought joy or happiness to my life. Even as a very, very small (in height, not width) child, they always looked like steampunk jukeboxes trapped inside some kind of twisted mechanical music machine that mocked their every step with annoying oompah-pah tunes.

One man, or rather two of him, have changed my perception on that phobia forever. Musician Fredrik Larsson has put together a beautiful rendition of TVs greatest tunes using nothing but a keyboard, an acoustic guitar and a DNA perfect clone of himself.

Trust me when I tell you this: the 'Charles in Charge' theme never sounded this, well, listenable.


[via Buzzfeed]

Bad boy for hire James Marsters has landed his next villainous role. The former 'Buffy' bloodsucker and current 'Caprica' cult leader will play Steve McGarrett's nemesis in the new 'Hawaii Five-O.'

Marsters announced the big news on his official Facebook page. Sadly, he's only signed for a guest spot in the CBS pilot, produced by uber-geeks of the moment Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman ('Fringe,' 'Star Trek'). Of course, the guest gig could turn into a recurring role if the producers like what they see (fingers crossed!).

SyFy has picked up a new pilot called 'Three Inches,' according to The Hollywood Reporter. The premise is that the central character can move anything with his mind, but only for a distance of three inches. This character recruits a team of similarly underachieving mutants. It sounds a bit like a knock-off of The Inferior Five.

The article also mentions the network's plan to expand it's 'Battlestar Galactica' empire with a strong possibility for a second season of 'Caprica' as well as another spin-off series of the franchise. Another spin-off series? Honestly, where else can the show go? They covered the war with the robots and they're now covering the origin of the robots. Are they going back to the original planet of the Five ... a prequel of the prequel?

Okay, there are probably a ton of other concepts and topics to cover in the 'BSG' universe, but SyFy should be wary. An overabundance of spin-offs is what killed the 'Star Trek' franchise until the recent movie reboot.

'Caprica' continues to deliver its own unique blend of intriguing sci-fi drama while also adding to the mythology of 'Battlestar Galactica'. So far, we've seen the "birth" of the first Cylon, explored Admiral Adama's Tauron roots, and discovered the origins of the Cylons' monotheistic leanings. But how far will 'Caprica' take us? What will the series' end game look like? Will it conclude with the first Cylon war? The eventual fall of the thirteen colonies?

In a recent video interview (embedded after the jump), series creator Ron Moore said that the end point of the series isn't clear yet. The writers still haven't decided how far they want to take the story. Moore did promise that we'd see Zoe's avatar "progress." He also revealed that we might eventually see her "in the flesh as it were, in the real world."

'Battlestar Galactica' fans can probably stop worrying about James Callis' career. The former Gaius Baltar won't be stuck in Z-grade TV movies forever. He recently scored a pivotal role in ABC's 'FlashForward' and, according to Syfy, Callis has officially joined the cast of 'Eureka'.

Callis will play Dr. Grant on the fourth season of the quirky sci-fi series. Grant is described as a former town resident who returns to (possibly) reignite an old romance with Allison (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) that turns life in Eureka upside down. (Sounds like the show has found yet another way to postpone the eventual Allison-Sheriff Carter hookup for another season.)

No matter how bleak it got aboard the Galactica, Callis usually managed to lighten things up with his portrayal of the scheming and selfish Gaius Baltar. I'm sure he'll fit in perfectly with the charming aww-shucks tone of 'Eureka'. He might even add an edge that is sometimes sorely missing from the show.

'Eureka' returns to Syfy with new episodes on July 9. And remember to catch Callis on 'FlashForward', which returns this week.