Sanctuary cancelled

Die hard fans of Sanctuary, the cult tv series starring Amanda Tapping, may want to skip this and hope it isn’t true but unfortunately the popular show was officially cancelled today which means the series will not have a definitive ending and unlike Eureka, another cancelled SyFy channel show which was given an extra episode in its final season to wrap things up, this won’t be happening with Sanctuary.

This is the fourth SyFy made series starring Amanda Tapping to be cancelled, the others being Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe but fans of the sultry star will no doubt see her back on their screens in the not too distant future with SyFy announcing that they plan to work with Tapping (along with Sanctuary creators Damian Kindler and Martin Wood) on a future project.

Will SyFy do the same with Sanctuary as they did with Stargate SG-1 and continue the series with a tv movie? While it hasn’t been announced yet this is always a possibility although in the case of Stargate SG-1 the movies were spurred on by rights holder MGM, unfortunately Sanctuary doesn’t have quite the following of that series and so a tv movie could be seen as too big a gamble.

Lovers of mutant themed science fiction need not be too downhearted though, SyFy did renew Alphas last year and this year gave the go ahead for another series of the impressive US version of the BBC’s Being Human which means there’s still at least two reasons you might want to stick with SyFy.

That being said it may be a good thing if SyFy don’t make a tv movie of Sanctuary, given their less than exciting movies featuring everything from flying sharks that eat airplanes to the upcoming Arachnoquake (about killer albino spiders unleashed by an earthquake!) they might make things worse.

Body of proof and Alcatraz – one cancelled, one renewed

UK TV fans will be glad and possibly also sad at news this week of the fate of popular shows Alcatraz and Body Of Proof.

Body Of Proof gets a third series so we will find out exactly what happens to the main character left bleeding out at the end of series two. Strong sales outside the US helped sway ABC, the network responsible for the show, into renewing it.

Sadly for fans of mystery JJ Abrams Alcatraz has officially been cancelled by Fox, the series will not be returning although there is hope for those still keen to know the answers to questions the show raised with the news that it may live on as an internet comic or story series though this has not been officially announced and is an idea suggested earlier this year by one of the shows main writers who was asked what would happen were the show to be cancelled.

So good news and bad news for tv fans but hopefully body of proof can keep those viewers who returned for the finale and come up with a strong third series.

Body of proof – cliff hanger ending may secure shows future

In the UK alibi’s popular crime drama Body Of Proof is heading into its final two episodes, this week viewers find out what happens to Kate and a week later the series reaches its conclusion with a cliff hanger ending that will have fans desperate for a third series.

The series, made for the American ABC network, had a good first series and while slightly less viewers returned for the second series it still averaged nine million per episode for series two. Figures dropped by two million for seven of the new episodes and the series still faces possible cancellation but the final three episodes of the series saw a large number of viewers return.

This and a campaign by fans to save the show seem to have had a positive effect with sources at ABC reportedly cautious but optimistic that it will indeed be renewed and the series producers have already started looking for new writers for a third season.

While nothing is confirmed, and it is believed to be very close as to whether the show is renewed or cancelled, the series is popular outside of the US in a number of European countries and it’s possible, in fact more probable than not, that this sale-ability may swing the decision in the shows favour.

The gripping two part story “going viral” began the shows recent turn around. The story, in which a terrorist unleashes a deadly virus on Philadelphia, saw the ratings boosted by over two million and the finale (which sees a serial killer unleashed on one of the main characters) did a god job of keeping the majority of those viewers hooked.

This upsurge of viewers combined with strong international sales of the series could mean that ABC will renew the series. As one of those viewers who wants to know just what happens to a certain character (and yes it is one of those in the picture seen earlier in this article), here’s hoping they do.

Alcatraz – net may hold the answer if series is cancelled

Note: If you haven’t seen the last episode then you may not want to read this article as it will contain spoilers. If you don’t want to spoil the ending before you get to see it then skip to a different page. Otherwise, read on….

Executive producer, and writer, Daniel Pyne

After a disappointing two hour finale that saw some viewers so uninterested they turned off half way through, the series executive producer (who is also one of it’s writers) Daniel Pyne has suggested that if a second series doesn’t materialise the fans could still get their answer…..thanks to the internet.

Pyne mentioned the possibility of revealing the answers to fans in the form of short stories that could be published online in the event that the series is indeed cancelled, a way for fans to get the answers they’ve been seeking.

Unsure of the shows future he doesn’t want to give anything away but he did reveal the obvious, that the gold has gone and that Harlan double crossed the Warden. He also said it was possible that Rebecca has the same unique blood as Tommy, and that the knife wound has activated it but would not confirm or deny it.

While this would provide a convenient way to bring her back from the dead it would make a large hole in the plot.

Rebeccas father, Tommys son, could not have the “colloidal silver” in his blood because he was born long before Tommy’s blood was tampered with and so, while in theory she could inherit relevant genes from him she could not have the healing silver because this was not part of Tommy’s genetic makeup but was instead added to his body much later. For her to be bought back in this way would therefore require having some sort of blood transfusion from Tommy to her or her father, something only possible if Tommy was around during their childhood years.

The logo for the series Alcatraz

This would of course also mean that Tommy does not age, and could also be the reason no one gets to see ex con millionaire Harlan…after all, if he doesn’t age it would be easier to hide away from public scrutiny than to try explaining his abnormal longevity.

Will Alcatraz be cancelled? It seems we’ll have to wait a little while before we get an official answer but it seems ever more likely that yes it will in fact be declined a second series.

The problem with Alcatraz is that it offers a fascinating idea, people time travelling into the future en masse at the hands of a mysterious mastermind, but it fails to deliver any real answers. It’s all to easy to bring Rebecca back by doing a blood transfusion from one of the captured 63’s, so even the shock ending can be reversed, and the series as a whole has gently plodded along with not much revelation of the mystery behind it.

The man behind Alcatraz, JJ Abrams

JJ Abrams biggest success, Lost confused many viewers right until the big reveal in the final episode six years after it started and it feels as if he is trying the same tactic with Alcatraz, dragging out the plot for as long as possible without really knowing what the plot is or where it’s headed. Unfortunately Lost left many people feeling a little let down with its big reveal and perhaps as a result of that viewers are less inclined to let a series go on for as long without giving a few concrete answers along the way, something Alcatraz fails to do.

Should it be renewed? Yes, the series has a good cast and a promising story, but it needs to shift up a gear and reveal more. As it stands the big question of how the 63’s time travelled could easily be left unanswered until the final episode of a third or even fourth series if before then viewers get to find out why Tommy and Rebecca have been so important, how Hauser knew the missing people would return, what made those responsible carry out the experiment in the first place (was there a previous test subject who time travelled, un noticed, leading the powers behind it all to try again on a larger scale?), why Lucy and the doctor seem to be the only 63 ‘s that haven’t been given orders, how the keys could be cut with post 1963 technology, why Tommy stabbed his grand daughter and why Lucy is so important that she will always be a target for the 63’s.

Alcatraz could be in a good situation if it plays its cards right. Viewers already know the outcome, that people from the past disappear and reappear fifty years later, what the series can do is take the obvious questions and reveal them over several seasons. One season could concentrate on why the 63’s are worldwide, what happened to the warden, how they knew Tommy was important, maybe tease the existence of a previous test subject (perhaps even Rebecca herself, she could heal from the wound and find a photo of herself in 1960 as a child – after all there seemed to be a girl outside at the house with Tommys son). Another could reveal the mastermind behind it all, perhaps tie the experiment in to the story of the civil war gold with maybe a civil war soldier being the first test subject and waking up in 1960’s alcatraz, etcetera.

It has the power to be a gripping long running series IF it sets aside certain issues and addresses them series by series. As it stands there are lots of questions and very few answers, now what’s needed is for Fox to take a chance and commission a second series rather than play things by the numbers.

Being Human – series five to have less episodes, but why?

When the first series of the BBC’s Being Human hit our tv screens in 2009 it ran for six episodes. The BBC were rightly hedging their bets and giving it a shorter run, long enough to gauge popularity but not the full eight episode run that series two three and four would later be given.

With the show now a firm fan favourite and with viewing figures averaging, despite an overall down turn, around 950,000 per episode it would seem straightforward that series five would again have eight sixty minute episodes so it comes as a surprise to find that instead the BBC are giving it just six, two hours shorter than usual.

In with the old and out with the new? Annies exit leaves room for new ghost Alex to join the cast

But why?

The lower audience figures for this series did put the shows future in doubt, though they did improve a little it’s clear a number of people were put off of viewing this series for whatever reason with figures suggesting that some fans returned only for selected episodes and with talk on a number of internet forums suggesting that some were put off by the Eve story in which a time travelling ghost sought to change the future by affecting events in her past.

There are two equally valid reasons for series five having less episodes than normal. One is that the BBC are being cautious, seeing if the fans return but spending less on the show in order to be able to cut their losses if it doesn’t work out. The other is that series five could be the end, that the BBC are giving the show one last series to wrap up the Being Human story.

The original Annie (Angela Riseborough) in a scene from "The Devils Whore"

To be fair that second option is less likely, the BBC could have ended the series as it stands. The main characters have all now left the series and as such there are no loose ends that really need wrapping up, those that remain could be comfortably concluded in a one or two part special, so it seems more likely that the BBC are hedging their bets a little and giving the series a chance to re establish itself now that the cast has changed and now that the potentially off putting story of Eve has been resolved.

It’s been confirmed that Annie (Lenora Chrichlow) will not be returning for series five, which will be shown in 2013, but that Vampire Hal and werewolf Tom will be although no confirmation as yet on whether new ghost Alex also returns – although it’s highly likely she will indeed be the shows new resident ghost (but perhaps played by a different actress as happened with the character of Annie who was originally played by Angela Riseborough before Lenora Chrichlow took over after the pilot episode).

So it’s good news and bad news for fans of the series, good news – it is coming back, bad news – all the original characters have left and it will have less episodes. It’s not unusual for a series to have less episodes than eight (the popular Sherlock only has a three episode series, although each episode lasts longer than those of Being Human) but it is unusual for a series used to eight episodes to suddenly have its run shortened. Hopefully it is indeed just a case of the BBC adopting a cautious wait and see approach to the shows new dynamic.

For those who want a little more of the lovely Lenora she can be seen discussing the character she plays in a BBC video about Annie on the Being Human website, which can be seen below.

It’s official – Being Human gets fifth series after shock finish, teases new plot

The BBC’s supernatural drama, Being Human, has been officially renewed for a fifth series after what was, to say the least, an interesting final episode last night. If you haven’t seen it then you won’t want to read any further as it will spoil the ending. If you have seen it, or if you don’t mind spoilers, read on….

Will Annie be back making her cups of tea in series five?

As expected Annies door finally appeared after her unexpected act of heroism in which she saved the world from the old ones, wrapping up the Eve situation in a shocking and unexpected act of self sacrifice that saw Annie being responsible for the baby meeting a very violent end, something that will no doubt divide some fans but which was definitely a brave and unexpected move, and one that opens the door for a new enemy to emerge in series five – as teased yesterday on the official Being Human blog with an interesting new photo.

Posting a picture of the cryptic phrase “he will rise” written on a scrap of vampire parchment it’s the BBC’s nod towards the plot of series five, but just what does it mean? It’s written on what appears to be the same material as the war child prophecy so the first thought would be that it refers to a vampire, that Mister Snow will somehow rise from the dead (it happened with vampire Herrick in series three so it is possible).

But is it really mister Snow?

Eagle eyed fans may have noticed the presence of a young girl (possibly an old one) being taken out of the building before the explosion. It could well be that she has something to do with the person who “will rise”, she was certainly important in some way given that she was being protected from harm.

Could it be the mysterious mister Rook? Perhaps but then he isn’t meant to be nasty, after all he never harmed any of those who saw Tom transform, and if the mystery figure hinted at is indeed the new bad guy Mister Rook would seem an unlikely choice although it is clear he will play a key role in it.

Will Hal and Alex be more than friends in series five, as Mitchell and Annie were in series three?

Whatever secrets series five holds there will of course need to be an explanation as to just how vampires such as Hal still exist given that Eve is dead, but it’s probable that the answer will be tied in with the new mystery character and that with Annie gone Alex will take over as the shows resident ghost.

But fans of Annie needn’t be downhearted as she may well return, when telling her that she couldn’t go back Eve added that all important line “but then you were never one for following the rules”, hinting that she will indeed be brewing her tea in Barry again sometime in the future.

Will the new series continue with the trips between future present and past or will it return to form with a formidable new enemy for what is effectively “being human – the next generation” to confront?

Time, of course, will tell but the final episodes have shown that there’s still life in the show and it’s good to see that, as fans hoped, the BBC still have faith in it.

Snow joke – the old ones return as Being Human aims for fifth series with a big finish

Being Humans audience share fell again this week, after a brief increase for recent episodes, back to the low level it hit with episode three which has so far been one of the lowest rated episodes of the series. Of course these are based on overnight figures which do sometimes get amended later but it’s a surprise given that Sundays penultimate episode was a return to form for the series.

What will happen to Eve as Annie makes her choice?

The Eve plot featured heavily as expected but it was Cutlers plans for werewolf Tom that made the episode a must see and resulted in the gripping cliff hanger ending between Hal and Tom, it was also proof that the new Being Human can still cut it without needing the use of contrived and ill fitting sub plots such as the time travelling ghost. The interplay between new ghost Alex and vampire Hal was fun and introduced a character that if she became a regular would be a welcome addition and (die hard fans close your ears for a moment) could fill in the ghost gap if Lenora Crichlow (Annie) were later to leave the show. Indeed it felt to me that Alex was introduced for just such an eventuality and that perhaps Annie will finally get her door in the series finale.

In a recent interview Being Human creator Toby Whithouse confirmed he has been sketching out ideas for a fifth series but that nothing has been confirmed. With overall viewing figures lower than usual but not really dismal, and with Whithouse full of ideas for a fifth series, it makes sense for the BBC to give the show a chance and renew it for a fifth series and while it’s only speculation I would be surprised if it didn’t return for a new series next year.

It’s likely the series finale will see the Eve plot resolved (probably by Annie not killing the baby) and set the scene for an Eve free series five where the old ones, led by the sinister mister Snow, finally take centre stage and, with a strong enemy, a new series would undoubtedly find more viewers than the current one has.

Mark Gatiss stars as the evil vampire mister Snow

This week we see Annie make her choice, Hal under the influence of head vampire mister Snow, and of course we find out what happens with werewolf Tom.

What secrets does the final episode hold?

Well it’s only speculation but I expect that Annie will come to realise that she mustn’t kill Eve, and that by doing so may even get her door while Cutler will go underground and reappear in a new series as leader of a new set of vampires (a group who may even end up fighting against the old ones).

Although actress Lenora Chrichlow has not announced any plans to leave the show I can’t help thinking that new ghost Alex may replace her as Annie gets her door, walking through it to be reunited with Eve at the same time that mister Snow makes a surprise decision involving former comrade Hal.

As for the Tom and Hal cliffhanger from last week and how that will be resolved well there are a few ways for that to be resolved. Hal could fight him (unlikely), ghost Alex could lock the doors and have Tom trapped until the sun rises (strong possibility), Tom could spill some of the vampires blood and retreat injured as a result or even have Tom realise what he is doing and stop himself.

If I had to guess I’d say the doors get locked and / or Tom gets injured but that’s part of the fun, there are plenty of possibilities and as usual the show may surprise everyone with something unexpected.

What is certain is that the final episode will be one well worth watching, and a big, shocking, finish could be just the thing needed to swing another series.

Alcatraz to end on cliffhanger? – Fox posts synopsis for two hour finale

As the number of viewers for the latest episode of Alcatraz dropped to five million in the US, down from an initial high of ten million for the pilot (suggesting moving it to Monday nights wasn’t a good idea), Fox published the official synopsis for the two hour series finale which suggests a cliffhanger ending rather than, as fans hoped, a definitive reveal…

What secret is the warden keeping, and just who is behind the 63's disappearance?

“Doc and Rebecca close in on a man who may be the key to revealing the secrets behind all the returning criminals. Meanwhile, Hauser makes a discovery beneath the halls of Alcatraz that brings him ever closer to the truth. Then, revealing doors are opened and lives hang in the balance as Rebecca will stop at nothing in pursuit of the man who killed her partner in the all-new special two-hour season finale”

It doesn’t say “all will be revealed” as some claimed it might but it does give an interesting hint as to what will happen, the discovery beneath Alcatraz would seem to be related to the mystery door opened by the keys (the first of which we saw in episode one) especially in connection with the phrase “revealing doors are opened”, and the use of “lives hang in the balance as Rebecca will stop at nothing” makes it clear Tommy has a big part to play (that and of course the fact that the final episode is appropriately called “Tommy Madsen”).

The fact it doesn’t offer any hint of a definitive ending points to the likelihood that we will be told a key part of the story but not enough to give a proper answer as to just what is going on at Alcatraz, and with the series having now lost literally half its viewing audience and most experts believing the series will be cancelled it’s looking ever more likely the whole story will never be revealed.

So, just what will be revealed? UK viewers might want to skip the next four paragraphs as they deal with episodes not yet aired in Britain but for the rest of us here’s what is likely…

Is Lucy really a 63?

The one thing that recurs in Alcatraz is the 63’s blood, particularly that of Tommy Madsen, and so it makes sense that (given the write up and episode title) the final episode will reveal just what has been happening to the prisoners blood but just as with Abrams other series about a mysterious island (Lost) we won’t get a full answer because it will simply bring up more questions. Tommy Madsen clearly holds the key but we know the warden is hiding a secret of his own (other than the gold), something hinted at in episodes such as “the Ames brothers”. While fans will want to know how the warden had laser cut keys before the technology even existed, and exactly who is sending the 63’s through time (and how they are doing it) these answers are unlikely to be revealed in the finale.

Instead we are likely to find out what was put into the prisoners blood, that the warden isn’t actually the one behind it all, and that there is more to Lucy than we thought.

Why Lucy? Jack Sylvane said that he doesn’t dream anymore since he left Alcatraz, and the doctor said the 63’s heal very quickly and are abnormally healthy. Yet not only is Lucy not recovering as quickly as the 63’s but she still dreams, which begs the question is she really a 63 after all? The only way for a laser cut key to be in the wardens possession before the technology was invented is simple, someone had to make the key after 1963 and travel back in time for the warden to have it. Could that someone be Lucy?

It would be a gripping finale indeed if we found that Lucy isn’t a 63 as we suspect but is instead someone from the present who somehow went back in time, that Tommy Madsen had an evolutionary defect in his dna that was utilised to help the others survive time travel or even make it possible (maybe this is why Rebecca is so important?), that the warden is working for someone we already know of but never suspected and that what lies behind the locked door will turn what we thought we knew of the series on its head just as happened with Abrams Lost.

Fans look set for a mouth watering finale that will reveal some answers only to raise more questions, and a dramatic cliffhanger that as the screen fades to black will leave us open mouthed and praying to the tv gods that Fox don’t give up on the series.

Alcatraz wraps up filming – without a conclusion?

A key scene in the shows final episode was filmed recently in San Francisco, recreating the infamous car chase from the film “Bullitt”. During filming producer Jack Bender gave an interview to KTVU (which you can watch by clicking here) in which, speaking of filming in the area, he said:

“If I had my way, we would have been shooting more of the episodes, or pieces of the episodes, in San Francisco, We decided to give that up this year. But hopefully if there’s a future of the show we will be back to San Francisco to shoot scenes with our characters in the city.”

American promotional poster for the series Alcatraz which premieres in the UK on Watch at nine pm on March thirteenth

The last part of that interview makes it clear that the producers still don’t know if the series has a future, hence the mention of “if there’s a future”. Because they’ve now filmed the final episode, without being told if the series will be renewed, they haven’t filmed a conclusive ending and this means fans will be left looking for answers in the increasingly likely event that the show is cancelled.

Viewing figures for the most recent episodes have been lower than for previous ones but have, for the past few weeks, remained consistent which suggests that of those left watching the series most are keen to stick with it in the hope that it survives for a second season.

With news that Terra Nova was recently cancelled, and that Fox have made schedule changes that put Alcatraz in a better position to attract a wider audience (temporarily replacing House MD), it’s been suggested that Fox are giving the show one last chance to boost it’s ratings before making a final decision.

Others have made the more probable observation that Fox is cutting its losses and using Alcatraz to extend the run of the more popular House series (which it replaces in the eight pm slot starting today). Right now it’s still touch and go for the show but it seems more and more unlikely that fans will ever get the answers they’re after when the final episode airs in the US on March 26th.

UK fans can catch the first episode on Tuesday the twelfth of March at 9 PM or repeated Wednesday at eight and again Thursday at ten on Watch (Sky channel 109) and Watch HD (Sky channel 233).

Alcatraz episodes shown in wrong order – but does it matter?

News broke recently that Alcatraz episodes are in fact being shown in the wrong order, for example viewers in America saw episode eight on February thirteenth, yet a week later were being shown episode four.  Because of this viewers are actually finding things out in some episodes that were intended to be known at a different point in the series, meaning some things may make less sense or have less impact when viewed out of sequence.

For example, and trying my best not to give away any episode details, there is a development regarding one particular inmate and his time in the infirmary that works best when seen in the order it is intended. When you reveal a story bit by bit it makes sense to show it in the right order.

This has given rise to accusations that Fox have already given up on the series because the same thing has also happened with other series that they later went on to cancel such as Firefly and the cult show Sliders. With no official word on its future, and with the series finishing (in the US) this March (the same month it premieres in the UK) there is a strong chance of fans getting hooked by a series that will ultimately leave them wanting answers it cannot deliver.

With filming of the series ending in Vancouver on March 7th producers don’t have long, if the show is cancelled, before it’s too late to reveal the answers that fans are hoping for.

Based on past actions it seems unlikely Fox will inform producers of the shows fate just yet but may instead wait and see how the final episodes are received when they air. If this is the case, and they do cancel Alcatraz, it will unfortunately be yet another promising series that hooks some viewers but leaves them none the wiser at the end thanks to a lack of faith by those in charge.