Syfy Dials Docu Realities

Thursday-Night Block Continues Effort to Broaden Its Fare

By Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 3/22/2010 11:44:39 AM

New York — Syfy, which a year ago changed its name from Sci Fi Channel to provide more brand flexibility, will move more toward a general-entertainment play with the launch of a Thursday night block of reality programming.

Hoping to expand its appeal to advertisers, Syfy will launch several new broad-based reality shows over the next several months to go alongside its current lineup of original scripted content, network president David Howe said during an upfront presentation here last Wednesday.

“Our commitment to producing more and more high quality original programming that inspires the imagination of our consumers is providing advertisers with highly creative and innovative environments for their products,” Howe said.

St. Petersburg Times media critic Eric Deggans said the network’s reality push will provide more opportunities to attract non-Syfy viewers who may not be familiar with the network’s scripted fare.

“The strategy of a lot of the networks that are not among the top core players is to use reality shows to advance original schedules,” Deggans said. “Syfy could be looking to establish a beachhead in reality to compliment its original scripted content.”

Among the news reality shows slated for the channel’s new Thursday-night block are Mary Knows Best (working title), a docusoap series focusing on the life of psychic radio host and mother Mary Occhino; Paranormal Investigators (working title), which follows a six-person team as they search for unnatural phenomenon from around the world; and Beast Legends, a new series that brings legendary creatures to life through state-of-the-art computer graphics.

Also on the docu-reality development docket are Force of Nature, which follows the life of feng shui master Ariel Towne; Th e Latimer Project, focused on world magic champion and design-firm owner Jason Latimer; Mr. Impossible, which travels with “rogue inventor” Dezso Molnar; and Paranormal Files, which brings to life the stories of people who have lived through paranormal experiences that defy explanation.

The network will also jump into the adventure/competition reality series genre with Face Off , which will pit several special-effects makeup artists against one another; and an as-yet-untitled artifact search series.

Syfy is set to return several existing series this year, including Destination Truth and Scare Tactics. The reality content will join returning scripted series Warehouse 13, Eureka, Sanctuary, Stargate Universe and Caprica on Syfy’s lineup for 2010-11.

New scripted content include Haven, based on the Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid, and Being Human, a U.S. version of the popular supernatural U.K. series (which airs on BBC America stateside).

On the digital side, the network will launch a new online gaming website, Syfy Games, that will feature several casual and Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG), titles, including War of Titans, Terminator Salvation, Rover Racer and Green Mahjong, said network officials.

Syfy.com’s gaming area has become the most-trafficked section in terms of page views and time spent on Syfy.com since its inception in 2008, according to network officials.