SYFY NAMES ANDIE BECKERMAN AS NEW VICE PRESIDENT, ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION

NEW YORK – January 22, 2015 – Syfy today announced the appointment of Andie Beckerman to the position of Vice President, Alternative Development and Production.

Beckerman, who developed and oversaw current programming on a wide range of successful unscripted series such as Talking Dead, Comic Book Men and Game of Arms, will be based in the channel’s Los Angeles office.

She will report to Heather Olander, Senior Vice President, Alternative Development and Production, Syfy.

SYFY SYNC WINS BEST CONTENT EXTENSION MADE FOR MOBILE AWARD AT 7^TH ANNUAL MOBILE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

NEW YORK – January 21, 2015 – Syfy Sync won a Best Content Extension Made for Mobile Award at the 7^th Annual Mobile Excellence Awards.
 
The Mobile Excellence Awards honored industry leaders and rising stars at its annual gala on January 13 at the recently inaugurated YouTube Space LA, sponsored by Hilton Worldwide, Intel and Fathom Events.

Syfy Sync allows consumers to go inside their favorite Syfy shows in a unique new way. The Syfy Sync app listens to the episode and delivers contextual photos, videos, behind the scenes trivia, games and more to the user’s mobile or tablet device. For those with Philips Hue personal wireless lighting, pairing the Syfy Sync app with Philips Hue bulbs while watching the program creates a specially designed "light track" – marrying the action on the screen to the lighting in the room.

Tomorrow FOX premieres its new detective series Backstrom. The show stars Rainn Wilson as Everett Backstrom, an offensive and unorthodox, yet brilliant, detective, who always sees the worst in everyone and is quick to speak his mind.

Last week, in preparation for the premiere, Wilson talked to the media about his new role.

The actor talked to SciFi Vision about being inspired by old school detective shows. “I would say the only inspiration that I had is growing up watching Columbo and watching The Rockford Files; I was really excited about the kind of old school nature of the show. There’s nothing slick about this show. Well, you know, I have a few little montages here and there, but it really is old school; it’s kind of cut from the 70s kind of detective show. You know, a quirky character that is not a leading man, who is struggling to get by in the world, kind of an anti-hero, and with some really major flaws, who happens to be pretty brilliant at solving crimes. So that would be my only inspiration, my main inspiration.

“Other than that, it was really figuring out who this guy was; doing the acting work, the rich, detailed acting work. I’m not saying that I was very good at it. I tried to do the rich, detailed acting work that was exploring who this guy is, how he sees the world, how he sees the world through his particular work lens and his choices accordingly - where does that come from? What’s it like to really be in his shoes and see the world the way he does? There’s a lot of pain there, but there’s also a lot of humor.”

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED 12 MONKEYS DELIVERS HIGHEST L+3 LIFT EVER FOR A SYFY SERIES PREMIERE, LEAPING 85 PERCENT TO ONE MILLION ADULTS 18-49

NEW YORK – January 21, 2015 – Syfy’s critically acclaimed 12 Monkeys shattered channel records for a series premiere, soaring 85 percent among Adults 18-49, the highest lift ever based on L+3 data.

12 Monkeys delivered 1.0 million Adults 18-49, 1.1 million Adults 25-54 (+73 percent) and 2.3 million total viewers (+73 percent) from its Live+SD deliveries on Friday, January 16.

12 Monkeys also scored the highest Men 18-34 delivery for a Syfy series premiere since Helix in January 2014.

The series, which airs Fridays at 9PM (ET/PT), ranked as a top 10 cable telecast in prime among Adults 18-49, Adults 25-54 and total viewers.

Next month NBC's hit series The Blacklist returns for all new episodes for the second half of season two. The series stars James Spader as ex-government agent Raymond "Red" Reddington, a fugitive who now works with the FBI to identify and catch a "blacklist" of criminals. Part of the condition of him staying out of prison, is that he keeps working with partner, Elizabeth "Liz" Keen, played by Megan Boone.

Star Boone and executive producer Jon Bokenkamp recently talked to the media about what's to come on The Blacklist, which returns February 1st to NBC.

ZACHARY LEVI ON BOARD FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ‘HEROES REBORN’

Former “Chuck” Star Cast for NBC’s Upcoming Event Miniseries

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — January 16, 2015 — Zachary Levi is making his long-awaited return to television in NBC’s upcoming event miniseries “Heroes Reborn” to play a key yet undisclosed role.
 
Levi is best known for his popular starring role on the NBC series “Chuck,” which ran for five seasons as well as his role as Fandral in the Marvel franchise “Thor: The Dark World.” Levi also made his Broadway debut in the musical "First Date" for which he received critical acclaim. 

Production Begins on Season 9 of BBC AMERICA’s Doctor Who

Cardiff, Wales – January 15, 2015 – Filming has begun in Cardiff for season nine of BBC AMERICA’s Doctor Who and includes a star-studded guest cast. Starring Peter Capaldi as the twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as his companion, Clara Oswald, the new season returns fall 2015.

The episodes currently being filmed are written by Toby Whithouse (The Game, Being Human), produced by Derek Ritchie and directed by Daniel O’Hara (Silent Witness 2015, The Game, Being Human).

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer said:  “An amazing guest cast for a brilliantly creepy two-parter by Toby Whithouse. Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are back in Cardiff, back in the box, and back in action for one of our scariest adventures yet!”

On set filming for the new series, Peter Capaldi added:  “The adventures begin again for myself and Jenna and I’m delighted to be back filming my second season of Doctor Who.”

SYFY AND THE ASYLUM ANNOUNCE IAN ZIERING AND TARA REID WILL STAR IN SHARKNADO 3

ANTHONY C. FERRANTE TO DIRECT SCREENPLAY BY THUNDER LEVIN

PASADENA, CA – January 15, 2015 – Syfy and The Asylum today announced that the original Sharknado survivors will return for the most epic shark attack yet! Ian Ziering and Tara Reid will reunite for the global pop culture sensation Sharknado 3, reprising their roles as Fin and April, respectively.

Anthony C. Ferrante will once again direct, based on an original screenplay by Thunder Levin.
Sharknado 3 is a production of The Asylum.

Premiering on Syfy in July, Sharknado 3 will cause mass destruction in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., than roar down the Eastern Seaboard.

When it aired last July 30, Sharknado 2: The Second One became Syfy’s most-watched Original Movie ever with 3.9 million total viewers.

SYFY TAKES JIM UHLS FOR SPIN

Acclaimed Writer to Adapt Robert Charles Wilson’s Hugo Award Winning Novel Into Six Hour Miniseries

Universal Cable Productions To Produce, Along With Rob Morrow And Leslie Urdang
 
PASADENA, CA- January 15, 2015- Syfy announced today that Jim Uhls (Fight Club, Semper Fi, Jumper) has signed on to adapt Robert Charles Wilson’s Hugo Award novel, Spin, into a six hour miniseries. The widely acclaimed novel centers on a young scientist trying to save humanity from the impending apocalypse of a mysterious, impenetrable cloud that has enveloped the entire Earth, blacking out the stars.
 
Spin, originally published in 2005, is the first of a trilogy in the best-selling series that also includes Axis and Vortex.
 
Universal Cable Productions will produce the project, along with Rob Morrow’s Bits and Pieces Picture Company and Olympus Picture’s Leslie Urdang. Jim is represented by Paradigm, Anonymous Content and Bloom, Hergot, Diemer.