TV Forum

Syfy Channel’s Development Slate: September 2012



Syfy Channel has announced several new projects in the works at various stages — some of which are coming to a TV screen near you and others that will inevitably not see the light of day.

Here is a round-up of the cable network’s announced development slate, and where things stand with each show as of September 2012:

BLOOD & CHROME

From: Michael Taylor, David Eick, Bradley Thompson, and David Weddle

Status: Not moving to series; Web release in limbo. Syfy originally conceived it as a Web series, but liked the script so much they made it a pilot for a new BSG series. After an incredible “sizzle reel” promo was leaked onto the Internet, the network announced it wasn’t going forward with the series but may pursue a Web series. The 90-minute pilot will air on Syfy at some point.

Story: The Battlestar Galactica prequel follows young pilot William “Husker” Adama (Luke Pasqualino) in the early days of the original war between the Cylons and the Twelve Colonies.

BLAKE’S 7

From: Marc Rosen, Joe Pokaski, Martin Campbell, and Georgeville Television

Status: A script-to-screen deal means that if Syfy likes the pilot script, they will commit to a 13-episode series

Story: Blake’s 7 is a remake of the classic 1970s British series about a crew of hardcore renegades and criminals who escape from a prison planet, battling both humans and aliens alike (story).

CLANDESTINE

From: Todd Stashwick, Dennis Calero, and Universal Cable Productions

Status: Pilot Script

Story: “A swash-buckling space drama/adventure and revolves around mercenaries who masquerade as part of an Intergalactic fleet” (story).

DEFIANCE

From: Kevin Murphy, Michael Nanki, Rockne S. O’Bannon, and Universal Cable Productions

Status: Filming commenced in July for an expected premiere in April 2013

Story: “Set in the near future, Defiance introduces a completely transformed planet Earth, inhabited by the human and alien survivors of a universal war. Forced to co-habitate, the disparate group struggles to build a new society among the devastation.”

The series stars Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene, Mia Kirshner, and Fionnula Flanagan.

GHOST PROJEKT

From: Brett Matthews and CBS TV Studios

Status: Pilot Script

Story: “A female KGB agent and male American weapons inspector form an unlikely partnership when a deadly force is unwittingly unleashed from a Siberian research facility.”

HIGH MOON

From: Jim Danger Gray, Bryan Fuller, Robert Halmi, and Reunion Pictures

Status: 90-minute pilot to begin production in Vancouver this fall

Story: “High Moon creates a future where the countries of Earth have established colonies to mine the Moon’s resources. When a new life form is discovered, chaos erupts as various factions race to uncover and exploit its powerful secrets.”

PROOF

From: Marti Noxon, M. Night Shyamalan, and Universal Cable Productions

Status: Pilot

Story: “After the tragic accident and sudden death of his parents, the son of a billionaire tech genius offers a large reward for anyone who can find proof of life after death.”

REWIND

From: Justin Marks, Tom Spezialy, Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun, and Gene Stein

Status: Pilot began production in April 2012

Story: “Rewind revolves around a team of military field operatives and civilian scientists who must use untested technology to travel back in time to alter past events in order to change the future and avoid a devastating terrorist attack.”

SEEING THINGS

From: David Slack and Fox Television Studios

Status: Pilot Script

Story: “A cop becomes a ghost after his violent death and the only person who can help close his last case is a socially awkward man who realizes that the hallucinations he’s had all his life may not be a figment of his imagination.”

UNTITLED ROBERT HEWITT WOLFE PROJECT

From: Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Universal Cable Productions

Status: Pilot Script

Story: “After decades of war, the newly formed Unity Democracy orders a volatile mix of humans and trans-humans to lead the Starship Defender on an expedition in search of lost worlds requiring law and order.”