TELEVISION: Syfy Picks Up Home Made Sitcom Outer Space Astronauts!

And now for something completely different – Outer Space Astronauts, a sci-fi sitcom that mixes CG and live action in a new and twisted way.

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The series, which premieres on Syfy on December 8th, is a futuristic comedy series about eight vaguely courageous, highly distractable military personnel who journey to the far reaches of the galaxy, seeking knowledge, adventure and whatever else they can come up with.  On board the O.S.S. Oklahoma, this legion of misfits are led by a lackluster captain who would rather be planning the next “margarita Monday” than leading a mission against evil, much to exasperation of his by-the-book second-in-command.  Regardless of being a comedy of errors, this team will surprise even themselves as they navigate their way around the solar system.

Outer Space Astronauts is the brainchild of Russell Barrett – who created, executive-produced and stars – developed, executed and edited the series right in his very home. He also enlisted childhood and hometown friends as the show’s cast.

”Syfy fans have never seen animation quite like this before! The graphics may be basic and simple, but combining them with live-action elements has never been done in a series before. To say that it was a grassroots endeavor is an understatement. Russell literally produced this in his basement for more than a year, and that allowed him to create a unique series with a sharp, sly sense of humor.” said Mark Stern, EVP Original Content Syfy & Co-Head Universal Cable Productions.

Outer Space Astronauts was created by Russell Barrett, and is executive produced by Barrett, Scott Puckett [Aeon Flux, I Heart Huckabees]] and David O. Russell [Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees].

Meet the series characters:

Captain Bruce Ripley (Russell Barrett) is the worst captain in the fleet with the best reputation.  He’s uninterested, bored and sloppy, yet manages to always get the job done. 

Commander Dick Amos (Adam Clinton) should be the leader of the ship since he holds the most credentials than anyone, but even with his top performance record, Dick is always stuck behind the eight ball.  

Lieutenant Sunny Hunkle (Stephanie Clinton) With a name that equally matches her ‘sunny’ disposition, the sweetest girl in the galaxy gets along with everyone.  She doesn’t mind that her ‘secret relationship’ with Dick should remain a secret, she’s cool, calm and easy going.

Intern Jimmy Peck (Peter Burns) has been Captain Ripley’s right-hand man since their college days.  A bit simple-minded, or just eternally naïve, Jimmy has a way of coming through just when you thought  he was completely useless.  

Pilot Johnny Boothe (Benjamin Nurick) shouldn’t be flying or driving anything as he holds the most citations for reckless piloting out of anyone (a record he states proudly!).  Boothe’s disregard for safety and his addiction to speed however has saved many a day on board the O.S.S. Oklahoma.

Kyle 14 (voice: Jay Wendorff) is one of the first artificial humans to be given a post on an OSA ship.  He’s the most state-of-the-art android in existence and “waaaay better than the Kyle 13 model.” 

Chief Weapons Officer Andy Matheson (Laura Valdivia) has saved the life of every crewman on the ship more times than they can count.  His enormous stature and history of big time whuppin’ sometimes intimidates his fellow crewman except for Brimley. 

Weapons Officer Chad Brimley (Tony Bravo) likes to find other’s weak spots and poke at it with a stick.  He has excellent skills, and is highly intelligent in weapons development and ammunition science, but his motivation for work isn’t always top notch.   

Operations Officer Donna Kennedy (Dana Kirk) and technology don’t mix.  She tries in vain to hide her ‘fear of all things that plug in and beep’ from the crew, but on a ship which functions solely from the latest technology, her technophobia gets the best of her.

Chief Mechanic Pinto (Steve Millunzi) is a human monkey wrench.  If something is broken, Pinto can fix it – which is great, because things tend to break quite frequently! 

Ka’ak (Jacey Margolis) is from another planet and skilled in all areas of space travel. Despite her super-model looks, her mangled use of English is a good tip-off to her alien roots; not to mention her blood-red skin!