TV Review: Sanctuary (Syfy)
3/5 stars
The show was originally an 8-episode series that ran free through the internet beginning in early 2007. Sci-fi picked up the series afterwards for a standard 13 episode season.
The show revolves around Dr. Helen Magnus, an English scientist who, at the age of 158 years old, has great firsthand knowledge of things that civilians can only read about in history books. Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne ) who was recruited by Magnus for his brilliant forensic psychiatrist background, joins her to help attend to her more emotionally disturbed abnormals. Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins ) is a werewolf-like abnormal who is the first line of defense against those who are looking to enter the sanctuary for not-so-honest reasons. Bigfoot a.k.a. "Big Guy" (Christopher Heyerdahl ) was previously a patient, but after Magnus removed numerous bullets from, him he recovered then refused to leave. Helen, the ever habitual mother, put him to work within the sanctuary as a bodyguard with additional duties as chauffeur and butler. Ashley Magnus (Emilie Ullerup ) is Dr. Magnus's daughter from a previous relationship with John Druitt. She is less of a protector figure than her mother and exemplifies more of her father’s expert hunting skills.
The amount of production on a sound stage in the first season is minimal as most of the backgrounds were created in the CGI technology format. The first season is estimated to have cost $21 million in Canadian dollars. Bridge Studios, located in Burnaby, British Columbia Canada, is the home of filming for the series. The studio has been home to many movies and TV shows since its start in 1982. Conversion of the lot to a permanent studio home was financed by the government of British Columbia and opened its doors in 1987.
The humor is subtle and at times almost seems written in the heads of the cast during the scene. This gives the show a bit of an edge as everyone has to stay on their toes and in character until the director ends the scene. This also gives the show a startlingly different feel than most science fiction shows. The dark, often blue, tint to the scenes is a flavor used in science fiction-based film but rarely done on a television series. No matter how big my TV screen gets, the dark night scenes that most shows film for effect leave too much unseen. The blue tint allows the viewer to feel the distress of the characters without the lack of visual. This approach is a refreshing change to watching black screened TV shows that leave the viewer to wander mentally away from a potentially frightening clip.
This is a great fit for the sci-fi network as the channel has come a long way since its first original series in 1997, Mission Genesis. Soon after that came the powerful new addition when the station premiered Ghost Hunters , bringing paranormal investigation out of the woodwork and gave the team of TAPS a platform to present apparitions, elementals and ghosts.
The stories are intriguing and the cast seems to have embraced their characters. In combination with the sets and the CGI work, the show is unique and with potential added characters will be a good fit in the family of sci-fi.
