Thanks to an NBC press release, Syfy fans finally know the shows scheduled to premiere in the next year and shows currently being worked on for the future. While there are many scripted shows in the works right now, "Defiance" is the only one on the schedule. There are six new reality shows coming out in the near future on the network. With the reality market on a decline, is Syfy placing too much into the genre?
Current Reality Market
"American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars" have both seen ratings slip in 2012. The reality show market has become inundated in the last five years and viewers are beginning to show they are interested in moving away from the genre. While some of the new network shows coming out right now are still in the genre, the move back towards centering lineups on scripted shows has already begun.
Syfy's Differnt Path
The 6-to-1 ratio of reality shows to scripted shows coming out in the near future on Syfy appears unbalanced. "School Spirits," "Paranormal Highway," "Collection Intervention," "Hot Set," "Viral Video Showdown," and "Ghost Mine" reveal how Syfy believes that reality shows will continue the channel's trip into the future. It is hard, though, not to wonder if the channel is making the wrong move.
Similarities?
Right now, Syfy can boast of a schedule with paranormal investigation shows like "Ghost Hunters," "Ghost Hunters International," "Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files," "Destination Truth," "Haunted Collector," and "Paranormal Witness." "School Spirits" will tell the stories of paranormal activity at schools across the country while "Paranormal Highway" will deal with spirits believed to wander the back roads in the U.S. "Ghost Mine" will look at a group hoping to strike it rich in an abandoned mine, but the secondary focus will be on the ghosts the mine is supposed to hold.
"Face Off" is a show currently on Syfy pitting budding makeup artists against each other in a competition. "Hot Set" is from the same creators and will run exactly like "Face Off" but will focus on set design. "Hollywood Treasure" and "Haunted Treasure" already give us looks at people's private collections. "Collection Intervention" will follow a specialist who will help people to decide what portions of their overwhelming collections should be sold.
Too Much Rehash?
Only time, and the ratings, will tell if people are interested in having rehashes and recreations of the shows they already watch on Syfy. If people are turned off by the new shows, some might also tune out from the shows they already watch on the network. Of course it is good to follow up with what works, but Syfy is taking it to the extreme.
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