SYFY DEVELOPING TWO CLASSIC SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS TO MINISERIES
LARRY NIVEN’S RINGWORLD FROM MGM TELEVISION AND UNIVERSAL CABLE PRODUCTIONS
ARTHUR C. CLARKE’S CHILDHOOD’S END WITH MICHAEL DELUCA AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND UNIVERSAL CABLE PRODUCTIONS
NEW YORK – April 10, 2013 – Syfy announced today it is developing miniseries based on two of science fiction’s greatest novels: Larry Niven’s Ringworld and Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End. They join the previously announced Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle from Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions, writer/executive producer Frank Spotnitz, Headline Pictures and FremantleMedia International, Stephen King’s Eyes of the Dragon, from Universal Cable Productions (UCP) and Ostar Productions, and Darkfall, also from UCP and Jim Henson Productions, as long form productions.
SYFY RENEWS ORIGINAL DRAMA BEING HUMAN FOR FOURTH SEASON
New York, NY – April 10, 2013 – Syfy is ordering a fourth season (13 episodes) of its hit drama series Being Human, it was announced today by Mark Stern, President of Original Content, Syfy and Co-Head of Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. The announcement comes on the heels of the Season 3 finale which aired Monday, April 8 and in time for Syfy’s Upfront presentation this evening in New York City.
Being Human stars Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath, Sam Huntington and Kristen Hager as vampire Aidan, ghost Sally and werewolves Josh and Nora. Together they struggle to suppress their supernatural secrets and temptations and live their lives as close to normal as possible.
The specter of death hangs all over this episode. Unlike last season, where the winds of change were a clear threat, death has been present at least since Lane Pryce hanged himself in the offices of SCDP. That happened almost a year ago by the show’s chronology, yet there are many overt signs present now in the premiere. It’s also interesting to me that the episode takes place at the beginning of 1968, with several characters (and even a newspaper headline) noting that the country had just gotten through a violent summer to start anew in another year. They have no idea what is in store for them. It’s going to be tumultuous, though the premiere doesn’t offer any hints of that. It will unfold as the season goes along. We’ll just be content to go along with all of the main characters on their journey through their lives and jobs. For all the talk about how the wave of change is coming, the premiere makes it feel like many of these people are at a standstill, though. That has to be a major concern going forward.
One of the rebels gets a reprieve, albeit very temporary, while one of the most hated characters in theSpartacus franchise gets what he has coming to him. Oh, and Spartacus and his friends get to have one last hurrah before setting forth on the battle they know will mean the end of the line.
Having Rosalee back in the swing of things is a joy to behold, as Bree Turner is just plain gorgeous, and the chemistry between Rosalee and Monroe is one of the best things about Grimm. Sadly, this episode doesn’t quite pull out all the stops, as it continues the recent tendency to deliver a tired trope as a “A” plot, so the ongoing subplots have a little more time to advance.