Sci Fi to gather more 'Ghost Hunters'

[MORE DEVELOPMENT NEWS FROM THR: HBO picks up "Hung" ... ABC orders "Family" pilot]

Sci Fi Channel is expanding its "Ghost Hunters" franchise with a new multipart agreement with creator Craig Piligian that includes dozens of hours of reality programming.

The network has given the green light to six episodes of a college edition of the paranormal series, tentatively titled "Ghost Hunters: New Generation." Sci Fi also has ordered a sixth season of the "Hunters" flagship and a second season of the "International" spinoff.

In addition, Piligian has signed an agreement for an as-yet-undetermined series separate from the "Hunters" brand with an eye toward a 2010 premiere date.

"Craig is a star performer who's been a great partner," Sci Fi executive vp original programming Mark Stern said. "You want to be in business with people like him on a consistent basis."

"Hunters" has been one of the network's top ratings performers and has grown its audience each season. The most recent season averaged 2.8 million viewers per week.

The newest series seeks to capitalize on the reality show's popularity among college students.

"It's going to be more of a teaching format," Piligian said. "We're going to try to have a little more fun with the franchise."

The spinoff features franchise regulars Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango training students who will accompany them on paranormal investigations. Episodes also could include stops in thematic locations, like spring break hot spots.

"What's cool about 'Ghost Hunters' is it has tried to rely on empirical science," Stern said. "This is an opportunity to delve into that a little deeper and take the show into a more academic setting."

In addition to the "Hunters" franchise, the reality series "Scare Tactics" and "Estate of Panic" have performed well for the network, though a renewal verdict has not been made for "Chase," another reality show. The network has a half-dozen other reality projects in development and hopes to expand its unscripted lineup.

Comments

[ChrisNPG]

Love Ghost Hunters! Not a fan of GH:International and can pretty much already say I'm not going to watch the frat boy version of Ghost Hunters.

"Episodes also could include stops in thematic locations, like spring break hot spots."

This sounds like it's going to cause TAPS and GH to lose any credibility it has as legit scientific paranormal researchers.

What makes the show is Jay and Grant. The International cast is not appealing to me at all and while I like Steve & Tango a show with them leading the way doesn't sound good.

Such is the entertainment industry most of the time. Milk something until it is no longer enteraining or interesting.

Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel seems to be the new "torch bearer" of deep, interesting and enteraining ghost hunting.

Chris - Northwest Paranormal Group

[ted]

/Agree. Jay and Grant are the primary reason to take it halfway seriously.

The International group is too easily spooked and too goofy for their own good. They hear a noise and say things like "Oh, they're getting angry - we better give them space. Let's leave." No.. thats what you're there for, remember? Go after them! Make them angry and get it on film.

Paranormal State and that stupid British show both suck. The British show relies too heavily on a psychic. Who couldn't walk around in a dark room and say "oh, I feel a man watching me. He's an old man. He's angry." Ohh... great evidence. Now I believe.

[John D. Long]

What makes GH different from GHI or Paranormal State is that fact they rely so much on hard evidence and eschew the touchy-feely stuff like mediums. It's real, hard-science based investigation; and Grant and Jay are the originators of that format, as well as embody it. Whenever you throw a medium into the mix you lose all credibility, even though the GH show where Jay was trying to be read by the medium was awesome for the evidence it produced.

Don't get me wrong; GHI is pretty awesome too, but that's from the unseen influence of Grant and Jay. I think GHI deals more with inhuman situations where GH does mostly intelligent haunts or repeating apparitions; and the GHI crew is wise not to taunt the inhumans too much. Hopefully GH: NextGen will lead more of these nubile teenaged investigators in bikinis towards scientific research, rather than the Paranormal State touchy-feely stuff.

I mean, how wrong could you go with bikinis? Just don't put Steve or Jersey in a bikini, PLEASE.

~~JD~~
http://jdlong.wordpress.com

[C.DiBiase]

Have to agree. GHI finds more "haunted" locations than J & G. I am most impressed with J & G because the use the equipment and their brains like on the ship where the woman said the hot water tank was haunted and J & G used the camera to show that the tank was hot.

[Handsty]

Take an objective view at GH. Losing credibility by the show. GHI is still in its toddler stage and will soon lose credibility. Only reasons to watch these shows? To make fun of them and go on the sites the next day to compare notes. The new spin-off will be entertaining only because Tango and the "tat" boy are entertaining in themselves.