• by Paul Gough , April 5, 2004

Sci Fi Channel isn't just about aliens and humans in far-flung reaches of the galaxy anymore.

That's evident when you look at what the channel has in store for the next year or so. Sure, you'll still find some spaceships, lasers, great special effects, and all the other requisite science-fiction staples. But Sci Fi has loosened the strict bonds of the species, focusing on more down-to-earth locales with a twist, as Sci Fi chief Bonnie Hammer said.

In other words, Sci Fi has seen the future--and it isn't necessarily the future.

It's hard to argue with the success--the network is among the top 10 in cable households and key demos, and is breaking into the top five for some of them. Sci Fi had a record-setting year in 2003, and the first quarter of 2004 continued the trend. It's done that with miniseries like "Taken"--a 10-parter that ran in December 2002--and last year's "Battlestar Galactica," along with original movies, series, and a new thrust in reality-based programming that is pulling in the adults ages 18-34 compared to the 25-54s that had been the channel's core.

At a press luncheon Monday afternoon in Manhattan, Hammer outlined an ambitious schedule that Universal will pitch to advertisers during the upfront for the 2004-05 season, plus a star-studded list of potential projects for beyond. Sci Fi will renew its association with Steven Spielberg (whose "Taken" delivered big numbers) for a miniseries called "Nine Lives" that focuses on nine people who have had near-death experiences, and their attempts to bridge the gap between now and the afterlife. Each of the three chapters will be six hours, one a quarter. Sci Fi will air a miniseries called "Earthsea," based on the Ursula K. Le Guin series, starring Isabella Rossellini and Danny Glover, in a nod toward the burgeoning field of science fiction/fantasy. Development deals have been signed with Martin Scorsese, Stan Lee, Joel Silver, and Gale Anne Hurd, and projects could be forthcoming from Joel Schumacher and Ridley Scott.

Sci Fi stood at the crossroads a few years ago. Science fiction is a phenomenally popular genre--nine of the top 10 movies have some aspect of science fiction to them--but it also tends to give viewers and advertisers the heebie-jeebies. Add to that the fact that much of the so-called "space opera" genre--read: "Star Trek"--has seen better days creatively, and a study that showed that viewers wanted to see more stories based on present-day Earth than far-off Rigel V (for example). The result: Pushing the boundaries of science fiction by programmers who want quality stories.

"In the past couple of years we've repositioned the channel from one that was closely grounded in space operas and traditional sci-fi to one of imagination," Hammer said Monday.

That direction is apparent with "Five Days to Midnight," which stars Timothy Hutton as a man who finds out that he's going to be murdered in five days, but doesn't know by who. "Five Days" will premiere at 9 p.m. June 7.

"It's a true mystery thriller, but lives in the genre of Sci Fi," Hammer said. "It's trying to grow the channel and look forward in a way that is in the genre--but, in a sense, is bigger than the genre."

Genre expansion is key to Sci Fi's strategy with "Earthsea" and other projects like "Dresden Files," a two-hour pilot executive produced by Nicolas Cage, which features a private detective who just happens to be a wizard too. That increases Sci Fi's real estate in the area of fantasy, which Harry Potter and "The Lord of the Rings" have shown to be fertile ground for viewer interest.

Other programming includes "The Triangle" (first quarter 2005), which fictionally explores the Bermuda Triangle, and others that could just as easily be considered mystery thrillers on other networks. A Clive Barker limited series called "The History of the Devil" is about a lawyer who decides to try to acquit Satan of crimes against humanity in an effort to get him back in heaven's good graces.

Hammer says that the new programming is a mix of "grounded on Earth with a twist or quirk."

"Stargate SG1," which will start its eighth season later this year, is being spun off into another series with a new cast called "Stargate: Atlantis."

And "Battlestar Galactica," which was a miniseries last year, will return as a series in January 2005 with Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, and others from the original cast.

And hard-core science fiction enthusiasts will be thrilled to know that "Farscape" will be concluded in "Farscape: Peacekeeper War."

"Five Days," the mystery thriller, is the result of Sci Fi's partnership with OMD. The agency purchased exclusive advertising and product placement for the series, which it will use for 10 brands including McDonald's, Federal Express and Mountain Dew. Jeff Lucas, president of advertising sales at Universal Television Networks, said the project seemed like a great destination for branded entertainment and the kinds of things that Sci Fi was trying to do in the genre.

"We thought it was perfect for natural integration and because it was set in the present day," Lucas said Monday afternoon.

Monday's press event could be the final stand-alone for Sci Fi, which is on the eve of being absorbed into NBC through its merger with Vivendi Universal. But unlike an old science fiction flick that made such a union a decidedly bad thing, Sci Fi executives said they were excited by the opportunities the merger would create.

"We're really excited about what's to come," Hammer said.