Sanctuary Premieres Friday Night, 9 pm
The long-awaited arrival of Sanctuary as a broadcast television series arrives Friday night, with a two-hour premiere on the US Sci Fi Channel beginning at 9 pm/8 pm Central.
Sanctuary is populated with Stargate alumni: it was created by writer Damian Kindler, and is produced by Kindler, actress Amanda Tapping, Stargate director Martin Wood, and Stargate producer N. John Smith. Stargate set designer Bridget McGuire works on the show as well. The cast is familiar too, with Amanda Tapping as the lead, Christopher Hyerdahl as a villain, Ryan Robbins as a recurring character, and guest appearances by Kavan Smith and no doubt other Stargate veterans.
The show attracted great attention when it was launched as a web-only, pay-per-download series. Sci Fi picked it up partly because of its web-based success and notoriety. Those original webisodes were filmed with virtually no sets; all of the scenery was inserted as special digital effects. For the move to television, the show still retains 70% of its sets as effects, while 30% are “real”. The show uses new digital cameras that shoot at double the resolution of high-definition cameras, and reportedly the results are very impressive.
Story-wise, as described on the Sci Fi page for the show, the series follows the adventures of Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), a scientist who holds the secret of a clandestine population — a group of strange and sometimes terrifying beings that hide among humans. Along with her new recruit, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), her quirky tech wiz Henry (Ryan Robbins) and her fearless daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup), Magnus seeks to protect this threatened phenomena as well as unlock the mysteries behind their existence.
Much has been written about the show building up to the premiere. Some early reviews are even out already. Here is a sampling of sites for further reading.
Sites and Stories
Sci Fi Official Site
Amanda Tapping on “Today Show” Friday October 3
Q&A with Amanda Tapping
Winston-Salem newspaper story on filming methods
Globe and Mail On-Set Report
Official Site, under construction
Early Reviews
IGN Review
South-Bend Tribune
SciFi Universe
Don’t forget to watch the show, live if you can, and support your Stargate cast and crew in their new endeavor!