SciFi Channel Announces New Programming

Sci Fi just announced an ambitious slate of new programming for the 2008-08 season. CI FI’s 2007/2008 original programming roster will feature new offerings from the critically-acclaimed, hit series Battlestar Galactica and collaborations with top-tier creative talent such as Lorne Michaels, Seth Meyers, Michael Shoemaker, Thomas Jane, Steve Niles, Ben Browder and Andrew Prowse. From mythical landscapes and dangerous gods to quirky animated comedies and thoughtful explorations of new worlds, SCI FI’s original programming remains unmatched in its reputation for innovative, high quality entertainment.
Here’s a comprehensive rundown on some of the new Sci Fi programming:

MINI-SODES

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: RAZOR
In anticipation of the premiere of SCI FI’s stunning two-hour event, Battlestar Galactica: Razor, the Channel will whet viewers’ appetites with an eight-week series of exclusive 2-3 minute mini-sodes. Premiering in October on SCI FI during primetime, these promotional shorts will lead into the November 24 premiere of Razor, a special extended episode that will provide a backdrop to events that will take place in the rest of season four of Galactica. Written by Michael Taylor, and directed by Wayne Rose and Felix Alcala, these shorts will provide a sneak peek into the original Cylon War, when a young pilot named William Adama (Nico Cortez) discovers a dangerous Cylon weapon that will come back to haunt him and his crew 40 years later. Filmed as part of the extended episode, the mini-sodes will be included in the unrated Universal Home Video release of Razor. They will also be available on SCIFI.COM after their on-air debuts. Battlestar Galactica: Razor will tell the story of Lee Adama’s (Jamie Bamber) first mission as commander of the Battlestar Pegasus and will reveal the story of how Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) served her ship during the original Cylon attack on the Colonies.

ANIMATED

THE AWESOMES
SuperFriends meets The Office in this animated workplace comedy about a team of past-their-prime superheroes looking to get back onto the justice enforcement A-List. The Awesomes is about America’s first superhero team. Formed in the 1940’s, the team has gone through a revolving roster of the world’s top heroes, gradually losing popularity as other, cooler superhero teams come into favor. The Awesomes, funded by a long-standing U.S. Government contract, may be forced to disband when the current administration requests bids from other teams. Can this motley crew of has-been heroes reclaim their glory days? “The Awesomes” is from Broadway Video Television in association with Universal Media Studios. Seth Meyers (“Saturday Night Live”) and Michael Shoemaker (“Saturday Night Live”) are executive producers/writers; Lorne Michaels is executive producer; Andrew Singer is producer.

MINISERIES:

UNTITLED THOMAS JANE/STEVE NILES MINISERIES
From acclaimed actor Thomas Jane (The Punisher, Killshot) and world-renowned comic/graphic novel author Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) comes an epic tale set 30 years in the future. A private shuttle takes a three-year journey to a newly discovered planet filled with exotic and dangerous creatures. But after an attack, the shuttle is forced to flee, stranding one of its pilots in the midst of this wild new land. After being rescued by a rival tribe, the pilot decides to help his new comrades create a better life for themselves — starting with weapons to defend themselves. Our shuttle pilot becomes the leader of their new society and when humans return to rescue him 10 years later, he’s hesitant to leave. Like Robinson Crusoe in space, this adventure pits the stranded pilot against his fellow humans when his adopted planet is ravaged of its natural resources by his native species. Jane and Niles will executive produce.

GOING HOMER
The Odyssey collides with the 21st century in this six-hour modern day epic miniseries from Ben Browder (star of Stargate SG-1 and Farscape) and Andrew Prowse (Farscape). Greek and Roman deities walk among us, but only twelve-year-old Homer Ulysses Jones can see them for what they truly are. When Homer and his father are forced to flee a custody battle that would likely separate them, they journey from Los Angeles to the home of their ancestors – Ithaca, NY. As they travel through the heart of Americana, Homer’s eyes will be opened to a mystical landscape of capricious Gods; some will help our heroes, some will divert them, and others will try to kill them to prevent them from reaching their ultimate goal – home.

SERIES

GOD, INC. and FRANCIS STOKES PROJECT
What if all the world’s problems were caused by office politics in God’s corporate headquarters? Award-winning filmmaker Francis Stokes created a worldwide viral video sensation when his short web series “God, Inc.” was featured on YouTube’s main page. His deceptively sly concept tackles earthbound social issues as handled by the bored, petty, and overworked pencil pushers in the offices of Heaven. Together with writer Stephen Falk (Not New…But Recommended), Stokes will expand this series into a half-hour, single-camera comedy, exploring such dilemmas as ‘who stole God’s lunch?’ and whether they should hire a consultant to rebrand God’s image.

Additionally, the Channel has signed Stokes to develop an original scripted project, using his unique voice to create a fresh take on the one-hour time travel drama.

REALITY TV

RUN FOR MONEY
Run for Money is an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat reality competition show pitting contestants striving to earn cash and prizes against a group of relentless “Hunters.” Based on a successful Japanese format from Fuji Television, the game takes place over exactly 60 minutes in various landmark locations in major cities around the country. As the clock winds down, the competition gets harder. More Hunters appear on the streets, helicopters begin tracking and pinpointing the location of players, and tasks are assigned that test nerves and create laughs. In the end, only one player will survive to win the cash. Run for Money is executive produced by Scott Messick and Mess Media for Buena Vista Productions and Fujisankei Communications International.

BRAIN TRUST
Why use a fly swatter when you could use a satellite-guided laser beam? Small problems get big solutions in this new one-hour comedy from Idiot Box Productions. Life is full of mundane daily dilemmas: finding a decent parking space, dealing with stress without resorting to Valium, increasing your chances of attracting a mate… What if you had a team of geniuses at your disposal, ready to apply their collective I.Q.s to help you deal with these everyday problems? The Brain Trust is your personal Mensa swat team. Need to park the car? No problem. The Trust will calculate traffic patterns by employing the same satellite technology that the government uses to spy on terrorist groups. They will factor in the chaos theory to evaluate the seemingly random behavior of your fellow parking lot patrons. They will even determine the probability of your car getting dinged in various areas of indoor vs. outdoor parking structures. Armed with way too much time, technology and gray matter, they specialize in results.

WHAT CAN’T IT DO?
Do the everyday products we use really deliver on their promise? What Can’t It Do? takes any and all types of products that we’ve come to rely on in our lives and puts them to the ultimate tests in some extreme scenarios. A mixture of fun, humor and science, each show will feature a number of different well-known products exploring the limits of their claims and warnings. The show is produced by Tiger Aspect USA, Extra Credit Productions and Nicole Perry.

UFO HUNTERS
From the creators of SCI FI Channel’s hit series Ghost Hunters, comes the search for paranormal phenomena of a different kind. UFO Hunters, a series from Emmy Award winning executive producer Craig Piligian, Tom Thayer and Piligian’s Pilgrim Films and Television, sets out to investigate claims of UFO sightings and otherworldly experiences. UFO Hunters will investigate, review and reveal, giving viewers a new perspective on the universe around them. “UFOlogists” have always walked the fine line between science and fantasy. Long objects of ridicule, there’s a new generation of investigators using cutting-edge technology to legitimize the examination of evidence and separate genuine claims from works of fiction. As with The Atlantic Paranormal Society of (TAPS) featured on Ghost Hunters, New York Strange Phenomena Investigators (NY-SPI), led by co-founders Oliver Kemenczky and Ted Davis, and supported by researcher/investigator Dennis Anderson, will bring to UFO Hunters their decades of experience and unquestioned credibility in the UFO community. And for the first time, reality television may reveal evidence that we have been visited…and will be again!