Memorable TV

MARTIN SHAW ON APPARITIONS

2008-10-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

Apparitions is the new BBC One series about a Roman Catholic priest, played by Martin Shaw, involved in exorcisms. Here he reveals his thoughts about the series.

What kind of character is Father Jacob?

Jacob is a priest who is just trying to do his job, which is to promote people for sainthood. He is undeniably a good man. His bosses feel that he embraces exorcism but he is actually quite wary of it. He feels so strongly that we are all susceptible to the forces of Satan, that there are times when it is the only option.

What attracted you to the role?

Well I had the original idea to play an exorcist and I've felt for a long time that we need something very different on television. Nowadays it's very difficult to find producers who are willing to take a chance on something that challenges the norm but Tony Wood at Lime Pictures was prepared to take that chance and we've managed to create something that I think viewers will like, but will also force them to think and engage in the programme rather than view it passively.

This is quite a different role to what viewers will know you for, do you enjoy challenging yourself with different characters?

I not only enjoy it but I think it's absolutely vital. It's very easy to forget that acting is actually an art form and you have to train for it. You do need to explore, it's all too easy just to stay in the same place and stay in the comfort zone

Who do you think is the most intriguing character in Apparitions?

I think all of the characters in Apparitions are very complex and multi-dimensional. Michael (Rick Warden) is particularly intriguing because when we first meet him he is so fully possessed that he doesn't actually know who he is any more. His actions, his words – none of it is really him and there are times when he actually wants to be saved from himself. Liam is also an interesting character as initially many people probably wouldn't consider him to be possessed. He represents the anti-religious views of many people and he is a good father, although he is possessed by demons I feel that the audience will empathise with him in a way that just isn't possible with Michael.

How have you found filming?

I've been working with a great cast, crew, producer and director so you can't really ask for better than that. We've all worked incredibly hard to ensure that we do justice to this fantastic script and create something that is believable.

Which scene did you find most difficult/interesting to film?

The exorcism scenes were possibly the most difficult, particularly as in one of them I was connected to a high wire! I had to be thrown across a room and hit a wall with quite a bit of force so we needed the special effects to make it look completely real. The second exorcism was also interesting as everyone involved in the scene was so submerged in the words and the actions that their reactions were almost instinctive – it almost felt like we were doing it for real!

Does religion and spirituality play a part in your personal life?

Religion doesn't play a part in my life but spirituality does. I follow a spiritual path which is right at the centre of my life. I believe in God and I have a huge respect and love for all religions so from that respect it plays a part in my life but not the man-made, ceremonial and controversial aspects of religion.

AARDMAN JOINS UP WITH YOU TUBE

2008-10-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Aardman Animations has joined forces with YouTube to launch a channel called Aardman's Darkside. The channel will show some of the company's more surreal content including The Adventures of Jeffrey, Rex the Runt, A Town Called Panic and Angry Kid. The move follows last month's launch of The Aardman Channel - which offers more mainstream content such as Wallace and Gromit: Cracking Contraptions and Creature Comforts.

DAILY NEWS 21/07/08

2008-07-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

DAILY NEWS
Are You Being Served S7 DVD
Before the days of “Suits you sir!” came “I’m free!” the well known and Much-repeated catchphrase of British comedy favourite Are You Being Served?. The catchphrase was made famous by Mr Humphries, the camp senior sales assistant played by John Inman. Enjoy the seventh series of this classic sitcom on DVD from 25th August 2008.

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Vampyr (Masters Of Cinema) Is Released On DVD On 25 August 2008 A new digital transfer of master Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer's horror masterpiece in its original aspect ratio, which has only previously been circulated incomplete and in tattered prints is presented in the latest film restoration for the first time on DVD in the UK on the Masters of Cinema Series from Eureka Entertainment.

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Wild At Heart Is Back For A Fourth Series
The Trevanions are back at Leopard’s Den for a fourth series of the much-loved, ratings winning ITV drama WILD AT HEART and this series there is

a new vet on the scene.

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2 Stories From Armchair Thriller
Network have announced the next two DVD installments in the hugely popular ITV suspense anthology. Armchair Thriller: The Girl Who Walked Quickly (12) and Fear Of God (PG), will be released on 11th August 2008.

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Alfred Hitchcock's Sabotage
Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock is best known for his high profile thrillers, horrors and espionage chillers and use of icy, beautiful, blonde Hollywood movie stars. But before Hollywood, his huge body of work in England is as much masterpieces of their own right as his better known oeuvres from Hollywood. Network is releasing Alfred Hitchcock’s Sabotage (PG) on DVD on 18th August 2008

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Julie Walters (Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story; Mamma Mia!) is set to star in A Short Stay In Switzerland for BBC One, a drama inspired by the true story of Dr Anne Turner by award-winning writer Frank McGuinness.

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Starting on August 1, Channel 4 is to broadcast a month-long season of shows designed to break new creative talent. Dubbed Generation Next, the season will commence with a broken comedy series called Tonightly. There will also be seven dramas from new writers and directors in a strand called Coming Up and a run of 12 documentaries from emerging film-makers in the First Cut strand. Film4 meanwhile will show films from directors who specialise in low-budget, self-distributed films shot on digital cameras.

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Writer Alan Bleasdale (Boys From The Blackstuff; GBH) has been signed up to write his first drama for the BBC in 22 years. The new project, called Laconia, is a two-part drama for BBC2 based on factual accounts of the attack and sinking of RMS Laconia in 1942. It will be produced by talkbackTHAMES and Teamworx for BBC Wales.

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London's Burning Series 8
The brave men and women of Blue Watch blaze back into action with riveting results in London's Burning – The Complete Eighth Series (15), released by Network as a four-disc set on 4th August 2008. All fifteen tension-filled episodes are included.

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The Barbara Taylor Bradford Collection On DVD 15 September
Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE, is the first author in publishing history to record 23 consecutive best selling novels in both the UK and US and has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide. Proof of her extraordinary talent lies in the popularity not only of her books, but all the onscreen adaptations of them. The Barbara Taylor Bradford Collection will be released on 15 September 2008, courtesy of Acorn Media.

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ITV Commissions Major New Event Drama Serial From Greenlit Rights iTV has commissioned a major new event drama serial from leading UK producer Greenlit Rights. Called Collision, the 5x60’ series is Peter Fincham’s first new independent drama commission,

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Black Five The Last Days Of Steam
Three films by Paul Barnes that celebrate and regret the final days of steam on the railways – preserved by the BFI National Archive and newly re-mastered for DVD release to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of steam in Britain.

DAILY NEWS 16/07/08

2008-07-16T00:21:00.001-07:00

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through A Lens (Out On DVD 8 September 2008)
A fascinating portrait of the life and work of the iconic American photographer, Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens is set for DVD release on 8 September 2008 courtesy of ICA Films. Directed by Annie’s sister Barbara Leibovitz, the film takes us on a journey of discovery in which a highly talented young art school student becomes the premiere photographer and chronicler of her generation.

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Asterix At The Olympic Games On DVD From 18 August
Dynamic duo; Asterix and his big friend Obelix are back on another one of their action-packed adventures...but this time they are going to take on the Olympic Games! Starring Gerard Depardieu (Green Card, Vivaldi) and Clovis Cornillac (Bellamy, Cash), the hilarious family comedy ASTERIX AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES comes to DVD on 18 August from Pathe Distribution Limited.

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Stargate Continuum On DVD On 18 August 2008
The eagerly anticipated multi-million dollar sci-fi production Stargate: Continuum is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 18 August from MGM and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Stargate: Continuum sees the return of past and present cast members including the reunion of Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O’Neill with Stargate favourites Amanda Tapping (Colonel Samantha Carter) and Beau Bridges (Major General Hank Landry).

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In Production: Trinity ITV2
From Roughcut TV, Ash Atalla’s (The Office, The IT Crowd ) new production company, comes Trinity, a brand new drama for ITV2. Set in the gothic, oak panelled halls of residence and lecture theatres of the fictional Bridgeford University, Trinity College, the 8 part series will bring a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘first term nerves.’

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New giveaways now live include Saving Grace and The Closer.

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DAILY NEWS 15/07/08

2008-07-16T00:16:00.000-07:00

A Year In Tibet On DVD
Discover the lives of ordinary Tibetans across one extraordinary year in this landmark five-part documentary. This breathtaking series opens a window on the medieval Gyantse, Tibet's third largest town, and the beautiful Baijin monastery. Examining the reality of life today for Tibetans living under Chinese rule and giving remarkable insight into the significance of Buddhism in everyday life, A Year in Tibet is released as a double-disc DVD on 28th July 2008.

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Animal Planet September Highlights
Shamwari: A Wild Life gives viewers the chance to 'live their dream' as the series follows the amazing work of a very special group of people who are lucky enough to call Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa both work and home. Their office is 45,000 acres of pristine wilderness, teeming with the world's most incredible animals and their houses are surrounded by electric fences to keep out the lions and elephants.

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"Stargate Atlantis" ratings blast off
The fifth-season premiere of Sci Fi's "Stargate Atlantis" on Friday night attracted 1.8 million total viewers, a 6% increase over the premiere of its fourth season. The show drew 1.05 million viewers in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic, the fourth-best performance in the demo that night.

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A&E hoping to clean up with new series
A&E tonight will debut "The Cleaner," a hard-hitting drama series starring Benjamin Bratt as a tough guy who battles his past addictions while helping others with theirs. The program is part of a five-year campaign by the network to reinvent its image, lower the age of its key demographic target and increase ad revenue.

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DAILY NEWS 14/07/08

2008-07-14T02:53:00.000-07:00

CSI Miami Season 5 Part 2 On DVD From 8 September
The pace hots up as the barometer reaches boiling point in the climactic episodes of CSI: Miami, Season 5 as the final episodes are released on DVD by Momentum Pictures on 8 September. CSI Miami is the second most watched drama around the globe, only runner-up to the original series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Susan Sarandon And Burt Lancaster: Atlantic City
Winner of two BAFTAs and nominated for five Academy Awards™, Network has announced the release of Louis Malle’s poignant but strangely sweet tale of a decaying city and the dreams of the deviant characters that reside within its walls with the release of Atlantic City (15), out to buy on DVD on 4th August 2008

Peter Owen Publishers release 'Godfather of the Revolution' on July 14th, 2008, Bastille Day in France. This is the first English-language biography of arch-anglophile Phillipe Egalité to be published for many years. While there are hundreds of books on Louis XVI, Marie Antionette et al, the crucial role of the Duc Orléans - the man who actually funded the French Revolution - has been inexplicably overlooked.

Criminally overlooked in the years since its initial theatrical release, the first big budget movie from controversial director Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant; The Driller Killer), KING OF NEW YORK is set to re-establish itself as a gangster genre classic on a par with the likes of Scarface, Goodfellas and The Godfather this September when it is released as a two-disc Special Edition steelbook DVD, boasting fully remastered image and audio, plus a definitive audio commentary by Ferrara.

Cool Hand Luke, the searing prison drama starring Paul Newman in one of his quintessential roles as a defiant chain-gang convict suffering a "failure to communicate," will be released as a Deluxe Edition in both Standard Definition and Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def on September 15 2008 from Warner Home Video. Newly remastered, the film boasts all-new featurettes, including "The Making of Cool Hand Luke," a profile of novelist, co-screenwriter and the real "Cool Hand Luke" Donn Pearce.

DAILY NEWS 13/07/08

2008-07-13T03:19:00.000-07:00

If you are in the big smoke tomorrow then to celebrate Monday’s release of The Cottage on DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Reece Shearsmith (The League of Gentlemen) and Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton) will be appearing for a signing at Zavvi on Oxford Street, central London from 6pm 14 July 2008.

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Jon Green, author of (Match Wits with the Kids: A Little Learning with All the Family) and the Icon Books team are planning on giving away 500 free copies of Match Wits with the Kids outside the Department for Children, Schools & Families on Tuesday 15th July. It certainly is a PR stunt that ties in with the advent of the Summer hols but also promotes a really good book to boot!

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Acclaimed expedition leader Sir Ranulph Fiennes, will be signing copies of Portraits of Adventure at its exclusive launch at Stanfords on 21 July, 12.30-1.30pm.

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A new online competition to promote the UK launch of Charlie Bone and the Shadow of Badlock by Jenny Nimmo is now live on www.charlie-bone.com.

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New competitions now live include The Hunt For HMAS Sydney, Charlie Jade, Medium Season Three, Numbers Season Three.

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COMP AND GIVEAWAY NEWS

2008-06-18T17:16:00.004-07:00

Lots of new competitions and giveaways at the moment over at mission control with a chance to win Framed photos from the archives of Warner Bros, Weeds and Secret Diary of a Call Girl goodies, as well as DVD's featuring Gumby, Spooks and Gordon Ramsay, plus lots more...

MICHAEL PALIN ON ART

2008-06-18T17:16:00.003-07:00

Michael Palin combines his passion for travel and art in three fascinating films on great forgotten artists in a new 2 disc DVD set Michael Palin on Art.

The set features Michael Palin on The Colourists, Palin on Redpath and Michael Palin and The Mystery of Hammershøi. Coinciding with the first EVER Hammershøi exhibition to go on public display in the UK, Palin On Art is released on DVD from 7th July 2008.

TV PILOT FOR BBC THREE

2008-06-18T17:16:00.001-07:00

Danny Cohen and Lucy Lumsden have commissioned a pilot for BBC Three featuring Japanese silent comedy sensation Gamarjobat. The half hour show will be shot in September after their Edinburgh Fringe run and will be co-produced by Komedia Entertainment and Baby Cow (producers of the highly acclaimed The Mighty Boosh and Gavin and Stacey).

The Life of A Long Distance Writer: The Authorised Biography Of Alan Sillitoe

2008-06-18T17:15:00.005-07:00

Peter Owen Publishers publish their lead non-fiction title for 2008 on September 15th. Written with the close co-operation of Alan Sillitoe himself, The Life of a Long Distance Writer is not only the definitive work on the legendary writer in his 80th birthday year, it promises to be perhaps the most controversial literary biography of the last decade.

Turner Classic Movies to Pay Tribute To Musical Star Cyd Charisse

2008-06-18T17:15:00.003-07:00

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will devote its Friday, June 27, primetime lineup to a three-film tribute to legendary dancer and musical star Cyd Charisse. The tribute will include Singin’ in the Rain (1952), in which she joins Gene Kelly for the famed “Broadway Melody Ballet” sequence; The Band Wagon (1953), Vincente Minnelli’s colorful backstage musical that pairs Charisse with Fred Astaire; and Silk Stockings (1957), a musical remake of Ninotchka that features another sterling Charisse-Astaire collaboration. Charisse died in Los Angeles on Tuesday at the age of 86.

“Cyd Charisse was one of the few who managed to have it all: a great career, a place in movie history, respect from her peers and a husband who adored her,” said TCM host Robert Osborne. “My last time seeing her just a few months ago in New York said it all, with photographers snapping pictures of the movie star while she smiled brightly on the arm of her husband of 60 years, Tony Martin.”

The following is the complete schedule for TCM’s June 27 memorial tribute to Cyd Charisse:

8 p.m. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor.

10 p.m. The Band Wagon (1953) – starring Fred Astaire, Oscar Levant and Jack Buchanan.

Midnight Silk Stockings (1957) – starring Fred Astaire, Janis Paige and Peter Lorre.

Billy Wilder's classic movie The Apartment gets cinema re-release

2008-06-18T17:15:00.001-07:00

Billy Wilder's bitter sweet comedy classic The Apartment (1960) is making a welcome return to cinema screens in a newly restored version.

Jack Lemmon stars as C.C. Baxter, an office clerk who carries favour with the executives in his office by giving them the key to his small apartment for the odd afternoon dalliance. Among them is his callous boss, J.D. Sheldrake, who Baxter eventually learns is using his place to sleep with Miss Kubelik, the sweet elevator operator the clerk has loved from afar. Lemmon and MacLaine both give career performances and Fred MacMurray is memorable as the blandly smiling snake. The Apartment was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won 5, including Best Picture.

The Apartment will be opening from 11 July at Curzon Mayfair, Screen on the Green, Screen on the Hill, Filmhouse Edinburgh, IFI Dublin and key cities.

USA 1960, 125 minutes, BBFC Certificate: PG

HARD TIMES AT DOUGLASS HIGH

2008-06-18T17:14:00.003-07:00

HBO Documentary HARD TIMES AT DOUGLASS HIGH: A No Child Left Behind Report Card Premieres Monday, June 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

The No Child Left Behind Act was created to boost academic levels of American schoolchildren by setting standardized goals across the nation – and holding states, districts and schools accountable for performance. For urban schools in high-poverty areas, reaching these goals has proven to be a daunting task, and many now face the real possibility of being taken over by the state – or being shut down altogether.

Produced and directed by Oscar-winners Alan and Susan Raymond, Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card reveals troubles and triumphs in the classrooms, hallways and offices of Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore, MD – from the celebrations of drum lines and debate teams to the worries of faculty who know that 50% of their freshman will not return for their sophomore year. This immersive documentary cautions that education is inevitably an achievement of people, not policy.

ROBIN'S NEST - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SERIES

2008-06-18T17:14:00.001-07:00

Network is releasing ROBIN’S NEST – THE COMPLETE FOURTH SERIES on 21st July 2008. This humorous ITV sitcom from the 1970s tracks the ups and downs - both personal and professional - of married couple Robin and Vicky. Included are all seven episodes from Series 4 plus a Christmas special, complete and uncut.

Spitting Image Series 2 On DVD 28th July 2008

2008-06-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

Network have announced the release of the entire second series of SPITTING IMAGE on 28th July 2008 for the first time. Many critics argue that this is when the show really found its feet.

All eleven episodes of SPITTING IMAGE – THE COMPLETE SECOND SERIES will be available in a two-disc set.

Other upcoming Network releases include a third volume of episodes from Pipkins, all 13 episodes of Doctor At Sea, the third and final volume of episodes of the Fenn Street Gang and the complete series of Jason King.

7 New Giveaways

2008-05-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

We've got a septet of great giveaways for you to ogle over at
Memorable TV.

THE UNTOUCHABLES SEASON ONE VOLUME ONE
THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO SEASON ONE VOLUME ONE
CRISS ANGEL MINDFREAK COMPLETE SERIES TWO
SECRET ARMY SERIES ONE
DAME EDNA'S WORK EXPERIENCE
JUDI DENCH BBC OSCAR WINNERS COLLECTION
HELEN MIRREN BBC OSCAR WINNERS COLLECTION

And don't miss our Bionic Woman giveaway coming next week.

"Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont" From Acorn Media Released On DVD July 7th

2008-05-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

Region 2 DVD News...
ACORN MEDIA have announced a date, 7 July 2008, for the UK DVD release of Dan Ireland’s award-winning bittersweet comedy-drama Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont, a heart-warming tale of an unlikely friendship, starring esteemed actress Dame Joan Plowright and up and coming star Rupert Friend.

Berry And Fulcher's Snuffbox, Available On DVD, June 16th

2008-05-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Region 2 DVD News...

Twisted anti-heroes Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher met when they both starred in The Mighty Boosh, and from there the world of Snuff Box was born. Set in a gentleman’s hanging club, Berry and Fulcher guide us through an array of surreal scenes and musical clips which interweave to form one of the most unique sketch shows you've ever seen.

ITV Epic TV Mini Series Masada Starring Peter O'Toole

2008-05-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

Region 2 DVD News..
Universal Playback have announced the release of the multi-award winning, epic TV mini-series Masada, starring screen legend Peter O’Toole. The drama will be presented as a fantastic two-disc set featuring more than six hours of action and will be released on 7 July 2008.

Naked Lady Godiva's In Hyde Park

2008-05-19T23:19:00.001-07:00

The young film director, Vicky Jewson, caused quite a stir in Hyde Park today as 20 women stripped off all their clothing and rode through Hyde Park naked. The naked ride raised money for Maggie’s Cancer Support Centre; and launched the release of Vicky Jewson film, Lady Godiva, on DVD.

Fiona's Story On BBC One

2008-05-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

In Production News...
Bafta-nominated Gina McKee (The Street, Tsunami) and acclaimed actor Jeremy Northam (The Tudors, Gosford Park) will star in Fiona's Story – a powerful one-off drama for BBC One exploring one woman's fight to hold her family together after her husband is accused of downloading indecent images of children from the internet.

Purves & Pekkala - New Scottish Drama For BBC One

2008-04-15T01:00:00.002-07:00

Filming has begun in Edinburgh on Purves & Pekkala, a new 75-minute murder mystery written and directed by acclaimed writer Annie Griffin (The Book Group, Festival) – her first drama for BBC One.

Grand Designs - Series 4 Released On DVD 5th May

2008-04-15T01:00:00.001-07:00

Property shows have come and gone but one constant with us since 1999 and stronger and bigger than ever is the elite home design Channel 4 television show Grand Designs, presented by design expert Kevin McCloud. Now the fourth series of "The only worthwhile property related programme on television" (The Times) comes to DVD on 5th May courtesy of Fremantle Home Entertainment, just in time for the Grand Designs Live show at the Excel centre in London from 3rd through to 11th May.

UK premiere of SANCTUARY

2008-04-15T00:59:00.000-07:00

ITV4 today announce that they have acquired the UK premiere of SANCTUARY, a new sci-fi series from the creators of Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis.

The 13-part series is based on the world's first high-definition science-fiction Web series and will be the first television series to use live-action actors against mostly virtual sets.