Sounds like of like a Heroes Re-boot...
Syfy Gives Greenlight to Alphas
Source: Syfy
August 5, 2009
Syfy has ordered the action-adventure 90-minute pilot, "Alphas" (working title) from writers Zak Penn (X-Men: The Last Stand, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk) and Michael Karnow, it was announced today by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions, which is the studio for the project. "Alphas" is executive produced by Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun for BermanBraun Television and is expected to commence production in early fall 2009.
"Alphas" follows a team of ordinary citizens who possess extraordinary and unusual mental skills. Using physical feats and mental trickery, this elite force of heroes take the law into their own hands and uncover what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able or willing to solve. Each possessing their unique and not always visible power, they alone solve the crime, stop the ticking time bomb and catch the enemy.
"Alphas' unconventional approach to the traditional superhero genre couldn't be a better fit for Syfy as we continue to build a programming slate of fun, imaginative entertainment," said Stern. "Zak and Michael's dry, naturalistic humor, combined with Gail and Lloyd's incredible producing leadership promise to make this a very special project."
"We are pleased to be in business with Syfy and delighted to be extending the reach of our relationships within the NBC-Universal family," said Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun. "Zak and Michael have created a unique and compelling story which we believe the Syfy audience will find both intriguing and entertaining."
Alphas, starring David Strathairn as the leader of a team investigating unsolved cases that stump the CIA, FBI and Pentagon, will premiere Monday, July 11 at 10 p.m
Interesting, thanks Kenny!
Looks good
Syfy's Alphas - Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zHxFaFAU1w#ws)
Lots of mini promos
Alphas - Impossible Crimes - S1 Promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn2USTqwZy4#ws)
Alphas - Top Secret - S1 Promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb0Ln4SE0gI#ws)
Alphas - Scratch the Surface - S1 Promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjZtXzk7eaI#ws)
Really looking forward to this!
I'm still up in the air about this show, but I will check it out when it starts.
DVR'ed this last night hope to check it out today. After seeing more promos for this it has peeked my interest more.
Same here. It looks like the premiere was more than an hour long. Didn't realize that.
I didn't notice that either. I hope I had enough room on the DVR then because I also DVR'ed The Pick, The Pawn, and the Polish off of History. They were on at the same time as the Sci-Fi shows so had to put them on the DVR.
I thought the premiere was a little slow. I don't think they needed the 90 minute time slot - the pace might have been better, imho, if it had just been 1 hour. I'm not invested in the characters yet, and I found myself getting distracted. Maybe I just have a problem staying focused with TV in the 10-11pm timeslot (when "Falling Skies" is, too)? Or maybe that's too many shows in a row for my brain to handle? I don't know. But I'll definitely be back for more.
One observation...
[spoiler]Synesthesia is not the hightening of senses. It's an actual condition where sensory inputs are kind of cross-wired. Here's the wikipedia on it - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia)
The condition was featured on NPR's Science Friday a while back, and I found it fascinating. I saw a couple comments about this on Twitter, too, during the show, and some from synesthetes. I wonder if they'll actually address that character's "power" by that name again in the show. It'll be interesting. [/spoiler]
I finally had some time to watch this last night and liked it more than I thought I would. The powers are pretty cool and I thought it was a good first episode. I like the kid who can read the whole EM spectrum - that's a cool power! I'll keep watching.
Currently in my Hulu queue (also available on iTunes for free ;)) so...we'll see.
King
I'm enjoying this. Episode 2 was really good, and I'm warming to these characters. There seems to be a story arc building already which is quite intriguing.
Agreed, Dan. I thought the second episode was much more interesting than the first. And the characters are starting to get some depth.
Unless Episode 2 of Alphas shows up on Hulu, I'm giving the show a pass. (Which so far it has not....) I found the characters annoying and the plot uninteresting/predictable. Its a mix of CSI with heroes (though I agree with what Rico said, that EM guy's power is quite cool) and that isn't a great sign. Plus, still feeling burned by SYFY's decision to kill SGU so....if Episode 2 comes out, I'll give it a watch, otherwise, been burned too many times to waste on a show that doesn't appeal on the first episode.
Especially after The Cape....
King
Jonathan Frakes has just tweeted that Brent Spiner is to appear on Alphas! :)
Have these on my DVR.. but looking forward to watching them.
This show has really been growing on me. I'm liking both the stories and the characters and it has a cool vibe to it. I just watched the episode with Summer Glau in it which was really great. I think Brent Spiner is coming up in an episode soon too. Give this series a look if you haven't yet and watch a few of them. I think you guys will enjoy it.
If it was available online...
King
Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on September 02, 2011, 04:33:07 PM
If it was available online...
King
The internet is your friend Tim. ;)
Hulu - Alphas: Catch and Release - Watch the full episode now. (http://www.hulu.com/embed/sgO1r4VzZqoXM_6NaSU1gA)
That episode must have just come up, but as I can see, they are lacking 2-6. Which means I'm missing a lot of the story.
I realize there are other ways to obtain episodes of this show....but I just cannot be bothered to obtain the show this way. If this is the way that SyFy wants to do it, fine, but its not how I like to do things.
King
Tim - there are ways to see this. Hulu tends to have episodes up and then they rotate in the new ones which means you need to keep up, if that's the way you plan to view it. This is the way my friend Mark watches much of the cable series he enjoys now since he dropped paying for cable. This shouldn't impact your opinion of the series itself - especially if you really haven't watched much of it yet.
Quote from: Rico on September 02, 2011, 04:48:37 PM
Tim - there are ways to see this. Hulu tends to have episodes up and then they rotate in the new ones which means you need to keep up, if that's the way you plan to view it. This is the way my friend Mark watches much of the cable series he enjoys now since he dropped paying for cable. This shouldn't impact your opinion of the series itself - especially if you really haven't watched much of it yet.
But it does. I'll keep an eye and see if they rotate back to episode 2. Tbh, I've been really questioning watching new cable series because by all indications, they don't want it on anything but your TV and I can find new forms of entertainment if that is their future.
King
Tim - they don't typically rotate back. That's why you need to keep up if you want to watch things in this way. It takes a little effort and commitment. I'm not going to take up anymore of this thread on this topic. I just wanted to point out that this is a cool series that I thought many of the members here might enjoy.
Quote from: Rico on September 02, 2011, 05:51:18 PM
Tim - they don't typically rotate back. That's why you need to keep up if you want to watch things in this way. It takes a little effort and commitment. I'm not going to take up anymore of this thread on this topic. I just wanted to point out that this is a cool series that I thought many of the members here might enjoy.
Well, I didn't see them put out episode 2 so I figured they were just going to show only episode 1 and make you watch it on TV. Hulu does not make this clear and neither does Syfy. Otherwise, I would have kept up.
Sorry to take up the thread with this conversation.
King
This is what it says for "Alphas" on Hulu:
"Episodes are available after the end of the on-air season. 5 episodes will be available at a time."
Again, sorry to take up the thread but:
To me, that makes it sound like the episodes will be available after the entire season airs on TV. I must be misreading it, but I keep trying and it sounds like its after the final episode of the season is done.
But I guess misreading it is my fault.
King
No, I think you are reading it correctly now. After the season end. Except for some reason they have the pilot and Episode 7 up now. Must be an odd deal for this one. Anyway, I'm liking the show a lot.
And Gary is awesome on it! Watch this clip!
Alphas 1x03 - Gary and the Buzz (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-I8Qqm8Xfg#ws)
Brent Spiner guests on next week's new episode.
Alphas episode 9 'Blind Spot' promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EECoDH0xyuc#ws)
i heard! might just need to see this one.
Renewed for a second season! Awesome news!
Syfy announced today that it has ordered 13 more episodes of the superhuman drama series "Alphas" for 2012:
Syfy's new super-powered original drama series Alphas, featuring a team of superhuman investigators, will be returning for a second season, it was announced today by Mark Stern, President, Original Content, Syfy, and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. Syfy is ordering 13 episodes of the breakout scripted summer hit from series producers Universal Cable Productions and BermanBraun Television to air in 2012.
"Alphas' smart, innovative approach to a superhero franchise has clearly caught on with our audience," said Stern. "From the first-rate writing to the outstanding cast lead by David Strathairn, we're very proud of what was achieved in its first season and look forward to seeing this series fulfill even more of its creative potential in a second season."
Alphas debuted on July 11th and became Syfy's most-watched original scripted series premiere in two years. To date, premiere episodes which air Monday nights at 10PM ET/PT have averaged 3.3 million total viewers (including all available Live +7 DVR data).
Comparatively, in both key demos, Alphas has outperformed other new and returning scripted series this season including Teen Wolf, Rescue Me, Hawthorne and The Killing. Alphas also tops Memphis Beat in Adults 18-49.
Alphas has scored impressive numbers with on demand viewers since its July launch averaging over 240,000 plays within 7 days per episode. Alphas is also Syfy's most popular series in digital downloads.
Alphas, airing Monday nights at 10PM ET/PT on Syfy, follows a clandestine group of ordinary people whose unique neurological condition equips them with extraordinary physical abilities. Led by preeminent neurologist and psychiatrist Dr. Lee Rosen (Emmy Award-winner and Academy Award-nominee David Strathairn (Temple Grandin, Good Night, and Good Luck) and operating within the Defense Department, the team investigates cases involving other Alpha activity. The ensemble cast also stars Malik Yoba (New York Undercover, Why Did I Get Married?), Warren Christie (October Road), Azita Ghanizada (Castle), Ryan Cartwright (Bones) and Laura Mennell (Watchmen). Valerie Cruz is a recurring guest star.
Notable guest stars this season include Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope), Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman), Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Rebecca Mader (Lost) on September 12th and John Pyper Ferguson (Caprica) on September 26th.
Created by Zak Penn and Michael Karnow, Alphas is a production of Universal Cable Productions and BermanBraun Television.
Read more: Syfy Renews Alphas for Second Season - ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=81826#ixzz1XJ8Z5Ywu (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=81826#ixzz1XJ8Z5Ywu)
Looks like we're getting episode 1 of thise (season 1) over here on a channel called 5* tonight. I'm possibly going to be out but I'm interested enough to set the DVR to record it.
(Actually, it's at 10:00 so I think I'll be back by then.)
Quote from: Feathers on October 18, 2011, 05:54:25 AM
Looks like we're getting episode 1 of thise (season 1) over here on a channel called 5* tonight. I'm possibly going to be out but I'm interested enough to set the DVR to record it.
(Actually, it's at 10:00 so I think I'll be back by then.)
I just don't understand who or how UK television networks make buying decisions about US shows. 5*? Really? Either Sky had other things to deal with or the 5 network scooped a great deal here! You watch, i bet season 2 will go to Sky.:)
Season one was pretty cool and ends with a pretty major "event." I still highly recommend this series for all to watch. Cool characters and interesting stories with some cool guest stars showing up too. Including a very evil Brent Spiner!
Quote from: Dangelus on October 18, 2011, 06:15:43 AM
I just don't understand who or how UK television networks make buying decisions about US shows. 5*? Really? Either Sky had other things to deal with or the 5 network scooped a great deal here! You watch, i bet season 2 will go to Sky.:)
Flash Forward went to one of the '5' channels... I therefore expect Alphas to be cancelled.
(Yes, I know it's already been renewed)
I don't think UK ratings for TV shows are taken into account at all when it comes to renewing or canceling a US made program.
No, I know. I was just proposing that 5* would gain a reputation for adopting shows with no future. Clearly that's not really true here.
Finally starting to watch Alphas.. I have the entire season saved on my DVR.. got through the first two episodes so far and loving it.. I hear the season get's better as it goes.. can't wait to see it.
I think you will really enjoy it Kenny. Definitely gets more detailed and interesting as the season goes on.
Only have two more episodes left.. really enjoying this series from the beginning. So happy it got a season two.
Yes, I know this is an old thread but I don't see one for season two.
I never quite knew how to class this show but given the recent news I guess I don't have to better any more ;(. I don't have the news article to hand but the current theory goes that this has now been cancelled so we won't be getting a season 3.
The move from episodic to arc-based TV is great but it really makes news like this harder to take.
Yeah, there won't be a season three. It's too bad since I really enjoyed this series and liked the concept a lot.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/01/16/alphas-cancelled/ (http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/01/16/alphas-cancelled/)