Continuum - "New" series on SyFy

[FatherXmas]

"New" because like Lost Girl, it's an import from Canada which ran last year.

So far it's a fairly intelligent series dealing with a group of "freedom fighters/terrorists" from an oppressive future who time travel back 65 years to our time, and the police officer who accidentally tagged along.  She wants to get back home to her husband and son while the bad guys want to prevent their future through aggressive negotiation by starting the revolution early.

Surprisingly violent series for Canada.

[mikoroshi]

Surprisingly violent series for Canada.

Does someone walk into someone else and not say "Sorry"?

[FatherXmas]

Does someone walk into someone else and not say "Sorry"?

I should have said Canadian stereotypes.

[8 Ball]

Oddly enough our standard television rules have always been more lax than the U.S as to what you can & can't show during a broadcast, violence, (mild) nudity & cussing are pretty much fair game after 9 pm, though I do think they've been getting more conservative over the last few years.

[bmorrison]

I watched it and Liked it also recognized 3 people at least, William B Davis aka Ciggarette Smoking man From X files, Tony Amendola aka Bra'Tac from Stargate SG1, Lexa Doig aka "rommie from Andromeda and Dr Lam from last couple of years of Stargate SG1

[FatherXmas]

I watched it and Liked it also recognized 3 people at least, William B Davis aka Ciggarette Smoking man From X files, Tony Amendola aka Bra'Tac from Stargate SG1, Lexa Doig aka "rommie from Andromeda and Dr Lam from last couple of years of Stargate SG1

Honestly I think most production companies in Canada have a catalog of indexed by genre because of how often actors from previous science fiction series end up in new science fictions series and rarely (seemingly) anywhere else.

Speaking of being type cast in a role, Oded Fehr who I first remembered from The Mummy series (well 1st two films), who recently been playing a Mossad agent in Covert Affairs played the deputy director of Mossad on NCIS this week.

[Aggelakis]

Oded Fehr is hot.

/derail

[HalcyonS]

Well the first episode pulled me in and I've got it set to record for the season, so let's see if it stays interesting.

[Septipheran]

I'll definitely check this out. I wouldn't generally put much stock in any original programing ("original") that SyFy offered but recent events have changed my mind on that a bit.

I just started watching "Being Human" from this channel (US version) after recommendations from friends. This would generally be the type of show that I avoid due to the implied tween culture but it does a great job of steering clear from it so far. Plus the main vampire dude is Starkiller,* so it's pretty hard to dislike him. 

*This guy

[Aggelakis]

I'll definitely check this out. I wouldn't generally put much stock in any original programing ("original") that SyFy offered but recent events have changed my mind on that a bit.

Don't put much stock in Syfy original programming? Are you bleeping kidding me? Eureka? Warehouse 13? You're missing out, mister. Serious stacked awesome in those two shows.

The American Being Human is OK; the UK version is much better. Haven started out sort of weak but it has grown into an AWESOME show. Lost Girl seems to mostly be wank material, but the story isn't half bad...probably their weakest show, but of course it's not technically 'original programming'.

Syfy has managed to claw itself out of the pit of wrestling stank that it sunk into about five years ago. The wrestling money went to good use. I'm hoping the success of their recent shows means they can further cut back on the wrestling crap.

[Septipheran]

Don't put much stock in Syfy original programming? Are you bleeping kidding me? Eureka? Warehouse 13? You're missing out, mister. Serious stacked awesome in those two shows.

Never watched either. :/ The impression I always got from SyFy shows was the same sort of impression that I get from World of Warcraft MMO clones, except with Star Trek.

The American Being Human is OK; the UK version is much better. Haven started out sort of weak but it has grown into an AWESOME show. Lost Girl seems to mostly be wank material, but the story isn't half bad...probably their weakest show, but of course it's not technically 'original programming'.

I've actually heard a bit about the Euro Being Human and watched the pilot and a couple of other episodes before I was turned on to the American version. I'm really glad I read more about the show before getting into it because apparently they gut the whole main cast except the neurotic werewolf guy. Plus, no Starkiller. 

[Aggelakis]

Never watched either. :/ The impression I always got from SyFy shows was the same sort of impression that I get from World of Warcraft MMO clones, except with Star Trek.

This comment obviously isn't talking about Eureka or Warehouse 13.

It sounds like you're talking about Stargate. There's a reason why I didn't mention those: they're an acquired taste. SG-1 was a fantastic series, Atlantis was good, and Universe attempted to be the TV show "Lost" in space, and both hit and missed in turns. However, I don't really get any kind of ST vibe from any of the Stargates, tbh.

[Tenzhi]

Don't put much stock in Syfy original programming? Are you bleeping kidding me? Eureka? Warehouse 13? You're missing out, mister. Serious stacked awesome in those two shows.

The American Being Human is OK; the UK version is much better. Haven started out sort of weak but it has grown into an AWESOME show. Lost Girl seems to mostly be wank material, but the story isn't half bad...probably their weakest show, but of course it's not technically 'original programming'.

I agree with Eureka and Warehouse 13.  I expected those to be horrible but they turned out to be surprisingly good.  I can't stand the US version of Being Human, but I saw the UK one first (and to me even that one was just "watchable").  I stopped keeping up with Haven because I only found it marginally interesting - but it's not a bad show.

I find Sanctuary almost completely unwatchable due to Amanda Tapping's unfortunate accent.  The character of Tesla is entertaining, though.

But when I think of 'Syfy Original programming' I think of the constant stream of awful movies that outweighs the Eureka and Warehouse 13 gems.

[FatherXmas]

The odd thing is in the 20th anniversary of SciFi/SyFy retrospective it turns out those movies are intentionally "bad".  They are striving for a B-movie feeling (although sometimes they barely get to C).  I don't mind a movie done on a shoestring budget.  I get that few films can afford a $150 million dollar CGI/mocap budget.

But what we need to differentiate true SyFy original productions from The Asylum's film clone of the week.

[Tenzhi]

Movies done on a shoestring budget should never, ever use CG FX.

[FatherXmas]

Movies done on a shoestring budget should never, ever use CG FX.

Kinda tough to do ghost tornadoes (tornadoes made of ghosts) with practical effects.  Or matter devouring nanite clouds.  Or dinosaurs. 

Collectively we've become too jaded to accept budget TV or movie productions in the US.

[Tenzhi]

Kinda tough to do ghost tornadoes (tornadoes made of ghosts) with practical effects.  Or matter devouring nanite clouds.  Or dinosaurs. 

Collectively we've become too jaded to accept budget TV or movie productions in the US.

I watch a lot of pre-90s B movie stuff, and I find that while a lot of it looks cheesy the non-CG FX almost always look more acceptable than bad CG FX.  Heck, a lot of classic Sci-Fi (the genre not the channel) series have more acceptable FX than a lot of the CG garbage we get from SyFy original movies.