Fantasy vs. Realism: SyFy’s greatest balancing Act

Granted, it’s summer and the channel always brings out the original scripted programming from July to September; still, the lineup is the strongest it’s been in a very long time (since SyFy was Sci-Fi and “Battlestar Galactica” left the airwaves).
It’s possible SyFy hasn’t actually improved by much (I can’t see any of the current series winning a Peabody Award), but the refreshing change of pace from reality TV saturation to scripted drama is a welcome one. “Alphas,” “Eureka,” “Warehouse 13,” and “Haven” provide comic relief, action, thought-provoking sci-fi and some more or less chilly moments.
By far, the strongest show on the lineup is “Alphas,” co-starring Malik Yoba as Bill Harken, a former FBI agent whose gift is super strength. It’s not that SyFy has ditched its reality shows, rather, they’ve souped up the offerings to include entertainment not contingent upon a competition or ghost hunting (sadly, the “Ghost Hunters” franchise is still strong as ever and returns Aug. 24).
USA’s tagline, “Characters Welcome,” could be applied to the run of show’s appearing this summer. The “Alphas” team dynamic makes each week a journey worth taking. Also, the show can be enjoyed week-to-week without the need to watch every episode (a feature which either enhanced or complicated shows such as “Heroes” and “Lost”). Without a doubt, “Alphas” deserves a second season. Despite some growing pain issues (an ailment of many debut series), the show didn’t take long to find its legs. Now it’s a matter of building the show’s mythology in bite-sized servings.
SyFy has been walking the line between scripted shows and reality for awhile now (to the ire of many fans), and for many, the pendulum has swung too far in one direction (reality shows). The truth is, as far as the network is concerned, there’s already a very thin line between reality TV and scripted drama, so they’ve actually embraced this fact by attempting to create reality shows of geek interest.
No, it will never again be the Sci-Fi Channel of its heyday with shows about space travel, comic books, Hugo Awards coverage, and best of all, Harlan Ellison (writer of the “Star Trek” fan favorite, “City on the Edge of Forever,” starring Joan Collins). But SyFy is at least entertaining (me) again.
Welcome back sci-fi TV. We missed you.
– Cornelius A. Fortune, managing editor
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