Dmon4u
04-26-2006, 11:42 PM
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002423854
Sci Fi Upfront: Battlestar Prequel Slated for '07; Sci Fi Pulse Broadband Site Unveiled
Anthony Crupi
APRIL 26, 2006 -
Sci Fi Channel is hoping to build on the buzz generated by its Battlestar Galactica franchise with a slate of scripted series for the 2006-’07 television season, including a prequel to the Peabody Award-winning space opera and a number of shows that don’t strictly hew to the network’s core genre.
At the network’s upfront luncheon in New York Wednesday, Sci Fi executive vp and general manager Dave Howe introduced the concept of “Sci Fi Plus,” a new initiative that will find the channel programming series that are “much broader, much more relatable, much more human, much more fun.” Of the seven new shows slated for this season, four will fall into the new category, which “will help break down the narrow preconceptions” about the network that many people have, Howe said.
The most promising new strip looks to be The Dresden Files, a quirky drama based on the best-selling books by Jim Butcher and executive produced by Nicolas Cage. Paul Blackthorne stars as Harry Dresden, a professional wizard/private investigator who uses his supernatural powers to fight crime in contemporary Chicago. Sci Fi originally picked up The Dresden Files as a two-hour pilot in October 2005.
One of the more traditional science-fiction projects on the network’s slate is Eureka, a 13-episode drama that places a U.S. Marshall (Colin Ferguson) in a small town full of eccentric geniuses, who have been surreptitiously brought together by the government to conduct top-secret research. Sci Fi first announced the Eureka pick-up last September.
Other programs in the hopper include a reality/competition series, Who Wants to be a Superhero, which is a bit like American Idol in tights and a cape; a number of documentary specials co-produced by NBC News under the rubric Sci Fi Investigates; and the aforementioned Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica, set to bow in the first quarter of 2007.
Also in development is the six-hour limited series Chariots of the Gods, based on the Erich von Daniken novel about aliens who tamper with human evolution.
Sci Fi/USA Network Bonnie Hammer said that because TV “is no longer just about ratings or views,” the channel is taking steps to develop more branded content across all digital media. “Genre fans are really early adopters, so if we are to own the genre, then we have to own the digital space as well,” Hammer reasoned.
In keeping with that line of thinking, Hammer unveiled Sci Fi Pulse, a new broadband site that will incorporate original content (i.e., webisodes) and complete episodes of existing Sci Fi series, as well as spin-offs and behind-the-scenes fare culled from the linear network.
The first original Web series set to bow on Sci Fi Pulse is Exposure, a virtual festival of short films that will be judged by visitors to the broadband site. The creator of the best film will see his or her finished product run on the linear network sometime next year.
According to Hammer, each show on the linear net will have a digital component going forward.
Sci Fi Upfront: Battlestar Prequel Slated for '07; Sci Fi Pulse Broadband Site Unveiled
Anthony Crupi
APRIL 26, 2006 -
Sci Fi Channel is hoping to build on the buzz generated by its Battlestar Galactica franchise with a slate of scripted series for the 2006-’07 television season, including a prequel to the Peabody Award-winning space opera and a number of shows that don’t strictly hew to the network’s core genre.
At the network’s upfront luncheon in New York Wednesday, Sci Fi executive vp and general manager Dave Howe introduced the concept of “Sci Fi Plus,” a new initiative that will find the channel programming series that are “much broader, much more relatable, much more human, much more fun.” Of the seven new shows slated for this season, four will fall into the new category, which “will help break down the narrow preconceptions” about the network that many people have, Howe said.
The most promising new strip looks to be The Dresden Files, a quirky drama based on the best-selling books by Jim Butcher and executive produced by Nicolas Cage. Paul Blackthorne stars as Harry Dresden, a professional wizard/private investigator who uses his supernatural powers to fight crime in contemporary Chicago. Sci Fi originally picked up The Dresden Files as a two-hour pilot in October 2005.
One of the more traditional science-fiction projects on the network’s slate is Eureka, a 13-episode drama that places a U.S. Marshall (Colin Ferguson) in a small town full of eccentric geniuses, who have been surreptitiously brought together by the government to conduct top-secret research. Sci Fi first announced the Eureka pick-up last September.
Other programs in the hopper include a reality/competition series, Who Wants to be a Superhero, which is a bit like American Idol in tights and a cape; a number of documentary specials co-produced by NBC News under the rubric Sci Fi Investigates; and the aforementioned Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica, set to bow in the first quarter of 2007.
Also in development is the six-hour limited series Chariots of the Gods, based on the Erich von Daniken novel about aliens who tamper with human evolution.
Sci Fi/USA Network Bonnie Hammer said that because TV “is no longer just about ratings or views,” the channel is taking steps to develop more branded content across all digital media. “Genre fans are really early adopters, so if we are to own the genre, then we have to own the digital space as well,” Hammer reasoned.
In keeping with that line of thinking, Hammer unveiled Sci Fi Pulse, a new broadband site that will incorporate original content (i.e., webisodes) and complete episodes of existing Sci Fi series, as well as spin-offs and behind-the-scenes fare culled from the linear network.
The first original Web series set to bow on Sci Fi Pulse is Exposure, a virtual festival of short films that will be judged by visitors to the broadband site. The creator of the best film will see his or her finished product run on the linear network sometime next year.
According to Hammer, each show on the linear net will have a digital component going forward.