Two new sci fi and fantasy series – Primeval: New World and Sinbad – along with season two of Continuum (pictured) comprise Syfy’s primary scripted entertainment for summer 2013. Eight unscripted series, including the returning Face Off and Ghost Hunters – along with new series Exit, Cosworld and Joe Rogan Questions Everything – will play to fans of reality TV.
Independence Day-saster is the July 4th Syfy movie event.
For time, dates and taglines, follow the jump.
SYFY LAUNCHES A SUMMER OF IMAGINATION AND ADVENTURE
PREMIERES OF REALITY SERIES JOE ROGAN QUESTIONS EVERYTHING, COSWORLD, NOTORIOUS HAUNTINGS AND EXIT
ALL-NEW EPISODES OF FACE OFF, PARANORMAL WITNESS, TOTAL BLACKOUT, GHOST HUNTERS AND CONTINUUM
PREMIERES OF SCRIPTED SERIES PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD AND SINBAD
NEW YORK – April 22, 2013 – This Summer, Syfy’s new original programming will transport viewers into imaginative worlds and extreme adventures with the premieres of reality series Exit (June 4), Joe Rogan Questions Everything (July 16), Notorious Hauntings (July 16) and Cosworld (August 27); the series returns of Total Blackout (June 4), Paranormal Witness (June 5), Continuum (June 7), Ghost Hunters (June 12) and Face Off (August 27), and the debuts of Sinbad (June 8) and Primeval: New World (June 8).
As part of its annual July 4th tradition, Syfy will air a Twilight Zone marathon as well as setting off fireworks with the Original Movie Independence Day-saster.
Syfy will kick off Summer 2013 with a Memorial Day (May 27) Roger Corman movie marathon highlighted by Piranhaconda and Sharktopus.
Highlights of Syfy’s 2013 Summer Programming (All Times ET/PT):
JUNE
TOTAL BLACKOUT (ALL-NEW EPISODES)
Returns Tuesday, June 4 at 9PM – Hosted by Jaleel White (Family Matters), the half hour, extreme game show Total Blackout returns with “Parental Blackout” – a special parent-child episode where three mother-daughter teams and one mother-son team square off to conquer challenges in pitch black. After contestants guess the weight of several objects, they must then reach in and identify whatever lurks in the mystery tanks. The remaining teams then attempt to identify a range of innocent – and not so innocent – objects placed inside bubble helmets for a chance to win $5,000! The international hit series is produced by FremantleMedia North America (American Idol, The X Factor) and was created by Henrik Nielsen (Can You Duet?, Danish versions of The X Factor, Got Talent and Pop Idol). Nielsen and Scott St. John (Deal or No Deal, America’s Got Talent, The Choice) are executive producers.
EXIT (SERIES PREMIERE)
Premieres Tuesday, June 4 at 10PM – Based on the Nippon Television Network’s hit Japanese series Dero!, Exit is an all-new six episode series hosted by Curt Doussett (America’s Lost Treasures, Hazard Pay). In each nail-biting episode, four teams of two contestants will battle to escape a series of mind-bendingly diabolical rooms, each more challenging than the last. The team that manages to find their way out will win the $10,000 prize. Exit is produced by Smart Dog Media in association with Zig Zag Productions. Craig Plestis (Minute to Win It, America’s Got Talent), Michael Binkow (1 vs. 100, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire), Danny Fenton (Scam City, Cheryl Cole: Where Did It All Go Right… and Wrong) and Scott St. John (Total Blackout, America’s Got Talent) serve as executive producers.
PARANORMAL WITNESS (SEASON 3 PREMIERE)
Returns Wednesday, June 5 at 10PM – In its third season, Paranormal Witness will continue to offer up truly spine-tingling tales of everyday people’s real-life paranormal experiences! These terrifying moments defy explanation with gritty cinematic reenactments and actual evidence of the events that occurred by seamlessly weaving their shocking firsthand testimonials. The 20-episode season explores inexplicable paranormal phenomena including hospital-dwelling “black angels,” demons, werewolves and ghosts. Paranormal Witness is produced by Raw TV (Locked Up Abroad and Gold Rush: Alaska). Series producers are Sam Starbuck and Sam Hobkinson. Executive Producers are Mark Lewis and Bart Layton.
CONTINUUM (SEASON 2 PREMIERE)
Returns Friday, June 7 at 10PM — Moving into its new Friday 10PM time period, the 13 all-new episodes of Season 2 picks up following the gripping Season 1 finale when Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols/Criminal Minds, Alias) fought a ticking clock to prevent a cataclysmic act of terrorism. Cameron is a cop from the future who finds herself trapped in the present day, swept along when a group of fanatical terrorists escaped their planned execution in 2077 by vaulting back in time. Continuum co-stars Victor Webster (Castle, Melrose Place) as detective Carlos Fonnegra and Erik Knudsen (Jericho, Scream 4), who plays teen tech genius Alec Sadler.
Executive producers of Continuum are series creator Simon Barry (The Art of War), Pat Williams (Smallville) and Tom Rowe (Tin Man). Continuum is a Showcase original series and is produced by Reunion Pictures in association with Shaw Media.
SINBAD (SERIES PREMIERE)
Premieres Saturday, June 8 at 9PM – The 12-episode Sinbad follows the epic sea journey of the flawed hero Sinbad, played by newcomer Elliot Knight, who embarks on a quest to rid himself of a curse and embrace his destiny, as he is forced to flee from his home town of Basra. On board The Providence, an intriguing band of travelers is thrown together, including taciturn Norwegian sailor Gunnar (Elliot Cowan/Marchlands), agile jewel-thief Rina (Marama Corlett/The Devil’s Double), and haughty and aristocratic Nala (Estella Daniels/Thorne). Completing the ship’s complement is the odd-ball cook (Junix Inocian/The 51st State) and the cerebral doctor Anwar (Dimitri Leonidas/Grange Hill). Sinbad is a British Sky Broadcasting presentation of An Impossible Pictures Production. Producer is Grainne Marmion. Executive producers are Tim Haines, Sophie Gardiner and Andrew Woodhead. The series is distributed by BBC Worldwide.
PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD (SERIES PREMIERE)
Premieres Saturday, June 8 at 10PM — The 13-episode series stars Niall Matter (Eureka), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries) and Danny Rahim (Eastenders) as a team of animal experts and scientists investigating paranormal events, while battling both prehistoric and futuristic creatures. Amanda Tapping, who starred in the Syfy series Sanctuary, will direct several episodes.
Based on the original series from Impossible Pictures, Primeval: New World’s creative team is led by executive producers Martin Wood (Sanctuary, Stargate: Atlantis) and Gillian Horvath (Sanctuary, Highlander). The spin-off was created by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens (Star Trek: Enterprise, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World) and written by Gillian Horvath, Peter Hume (Charmed, Flash Gordon), Jon Cooksey (The Collector, The Outer Limits), Sarah Dodd (Flashpoint, Arctic Air), Katherine Collins (Endgame), and Judith and Garfield Reeve-Stevens.
Primeval: New World is produced by Omnifilm Entertainment. Executive producers for Omnifilm are Gabriela Schonbach and Michael Chechik. The series is produced and developed in association with Bell Media, German free-to-air broadcaster ProSieben, and UKTV channel Watch, with the participation of the Canadian Media Fund, The Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC, The Canadian Film & Video Production Tax Credit Program, and British Columbia Film. Leading independent studio, Entertainment One, holds the international distribution rights.
GHOST HUNTERS (SUMMER PREMIERE)
Premieres Wednesday, June 12 at 9PM – Amy Bruni’s back! Ghost Hunters kicks off five brand new episodes with the return of its old friend “Red,” as TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) founder Jason Hawes fondly calls her. Amy joins the team for her first investigation since going on maternity leave last year. In the summer premiere, TAPS is invited to Louisiana’s Shreveport Auditorium to investigate claims of paranormal activity at the famed venue where Elvis Presley played his first professional gig. Did the King of Rock ‘n Roll really leave the building or will TAPS find evidence that Elvis’ spirit is still performing for an audience of apparitions? Ghost Hunters is produced for Syfy by Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Studios (Dirty Jobs, The Ultimate Fighter, Top Shot). Piligian and Thomas Thayer, along with Mike Nichols and Alan David, serve as executive producers.
JULY
INDEPENDENCE DAY-SASTER (NEW ORIGINAL MOVIE)
Premieres Thursday, July 4 at 9PM — An alien invasion cripples America’s conventional defense forces. When the President’s helicopter is shot down, his brother (a small-town hero) and a renegade scientist must find the aliens’ weakness and defeat them. The movie stars Ryan Merriman (Final Destination 3), Tom Everett Scott (Southland), Emily Holmes (Snakes on a Plane) and Andrea Brooks (Supernatural).
JOE ROGAN QUESTIONS EVERYTHING (SERIES PREMIERE)
Premieres Tuesday, July 16 at 9PM – Life-long unexplained paranormal mystery-addict Joe Rogan ventures into unknown worlds and untapped territories to search for answers to life’s most startling theories. Having explored these questions for years on his podcast, Joe now takes his journey to the next level, traveling the country and knocking on any door necessary to find the truth. In his own unique and inquisitive style, Joe will stop at nothing to quench his curiosity for the unknown. Production company: A. Smith & Co. Executive producers: Arthur Smith, Joe Rogan, Kent Weed, Frank Sinton, Michael Braverman, Tod Mesirow, Barry Bloom, Jeff Sussman and Chandra Keyes.
NOTORIOUS HAUNTINGS (SERIES PREMIERE)
Premieres Tuesday, July 16 at 10PM — Produced by Pilgrim Studios – the company behind Syfy’s Ghost Hunters, the most successful paranormal franchise on cable – Notorious Hauntings features a globetrotting group of researchers who investigate reports of extreme and dangerous supernatural activity around the world. In each of the six self-contained episodes, viewers will follow the investigators as they research the otherworldly activity at each site and explore the gruesome history of the infamous and heinous individuals. The team will stop at nothing as they dig deep into their crimes and victims to determine if they are the cause of the present-day haunting. Through the gathering of evidence and the uncovering of little-known history, Notorious Hauntings will explore some of the world’s most enduring mysteries, including the case of Jack the Ripper in London, Dracula-inspiration Vlad the Impaler in Romania and the bloodthirsty Borgias in Italy. Notorious Hauntings is produced by Pilgrim Studios with Craig Piligian and Mike Nichols serving as executive producers.
AUGUST
FACE OFF (SEASON 5 PREMIERE)
Returns Tuesday, August 27 at 9PM– Syfy’s critically-acclaimed hit reality competition series Face Off returns for a fifth season of mind-blowing special effects ingenuity, offering a new group of rising SFX make-up artists the opportunity to compete and showcase their imagination and creativity. As a member of the multi-generational family dynasty whose name is synonymous with the make-up effects field, actress McKenzie Westmore brings expertise to her role as host of the series. Some of SFX world’s most celebrated figures return to judge the competition — multiple Academy-Award winner Ve Neill (The Hunger Games, Pirates of the Caribbean), industry veteran Glenn Hetrick (CSI: New York, Heroes, Legion), and creature designer Neville Page (Avatar, Prometheus). World-renowned Hollywood makeup artist Michael Westmore serves as the contestant mentor. Face Off is a production of Mission Control Media with Dwight D. Smith, Michael Agbabian and Derek Atherton serving as executive producers.
COSWORLD (SERIES PREMIERE)
Premieres Tuesday, August 27 at 10PM — Cosworld is a tantalizing six-episode docuseries that lifts the veil on the imaginative world of cosplay competition. The series follows some of the hottest cosplay stars as they make a splash at comic book conventions around the country. The show dives deep into their lives, following their process as they create extravagant and visually arresting costumes each week. These individuals will constantly defy odds and race against the clock to transform themselves into amazing fictional characters that push the boundaries between fantasy and reality, all in hopes of impressing the convention judges to win a cash prize and the chance to become a cosplay legend. Production company: 51 Minds, an Endemol Company. Executive producers: Mark Cronin, Courtland Cox and Dave Caplan.
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