Alphas‘ Nina just may have gotten the ear of a Syfy bigwig, because the network has renewed the successful sci-fi series for Season 2, TVLine has learned exclusively.
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“Alphas’ smart, innovative approach to a superhero franchise has clearly caught on with our audience,” Mark Stern, Syfy’s president of original content, says of the pick-up. “From the first-rate writing to the outstanding cast lead by David Strathairn, we’re very proud of what was achieved in its first season and look forward to seeing this series fulfill even more of its creative potential in a second season.” Thirteen episodes have been ordered for Season 2, to air in 2012.
Syfy Sets Sanctuary Return Date, Finales for Eureka, Alphas, Haven and W13
Alphas stars Strathairn (an Academy Award nominee for Good Night, and Good Luck) as Dr. Lee Rosen, a neuroscientist/quasi-therapist who oversees a collection of “alphas” with unique abilities. Among them: Warren Christie (October Road, pictured above) plays Cameron, who boasts superhuman agility; Malik Yoba (New York Undercover) is strongman Bill; Laura Mennell (Watchmen) is Nina, a beauty possessing the power of suggestion; Ryan Cartwright (Bones) plays, young man living with autism who can “see” airborne data streams; and Azita Ghanizada (Castle) is Rachel, a gal who can super-amplify any one of her senses.
Season 1 guest stars included Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman), Alaina Huffman (Stargate Universe), John Pyper-Ferguson (Battlestar Galactica), Summer Glau (Firefly), Garret Dillahunt (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Rebecca Mader (Lost) and Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation).
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After giving Syfy its most-watched scripted premiere in two years with its July debut, Alphas has averaged 3.3 million weekly viewers (with Live+7 DVR data factored in).
Airing Mondays at 10/9c, Alphas wraps its freshman run on Sept. 26.
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Really? Alphas, but not Eureka?
Really? You think Eureka is better than Alphas? That is so sad. Eureka was embarrassing.
Agree! Alphas is way better than that ridiculous Eureka!
Eureka was brilliant until the end… where as Alphas is all… mer mer mer emotions… mer mer mer… what are we doing?… mer mer mer… awesome moves… excellent premise… mer mer mer teenage girl chick flick moments
What exactly is “mer mer mer” supposed to represent?
I think mer mer mer is dkcritic’s version of blah, blah, blah. LOL!
I like them both quite a lot actually
i agree
I tried to like Alphas, I really did, but it bored me. I only made it a couple of episodes in before I had to give up on it. Did it get better?
And seriously, the out-of-nowhere Eureka cancellation still smarts. Snark about it all you want, but I LOVE that show.
Agree completely. Gave up on Alphas after episode two, and really, I had a hard time getting thru episode one. Love love love Eureka! It’s bad enough the seasons are so short.
Addendum: I did really like Gary. He was the one sparkly character in an otherwise dull show. (Can we just transplant him into a show I’m actually going to watch?)
Eureka gets better ratings
i dont know how any of u like eureka but not alphas i watched half the pilot episode of eureka and thought how unrealistic it was. alphas combines realistic situations with characters that are unique and at the same time amazing. i think you should try and watch another episode of alphas and see HOW FANTASTIC THE SHOW IS
Boo! They should’ve renewed Eureka instead. Alphas sucks. I’ve stuck around for 5 episodes, but it just got too ridiculous and boring.
Alphas was boring from the beginning.
Agreed. I was hoping it’d get better. :-/
eureka is renewed and that is what syfy website says. it seems like they first decided to renew it for six episodes then cancelled their plan to renew it and now they decided again to renew it.
Es que eres un pendejo!
YES! I NEED MOAR GARY IN MAH LYFE!!
Gary: “I’m a baller.” Nina: “How do you even know that word?” Gary: “It’s the RIGHT word.”
Gary: “No Bill, no more talking. It’s time for action. Give me the gun, I’ll shoot it.”
Bill: “Gary, I’m not giving you my gun, okay?”
Gary: “Yeah give me- No you’re right. Give me a grenade”
Gary = awesome.
He really is the best character on the show, even if his power is weird to see used. They should just call it “The Gary Show”.
I don’t know how he delivers his lines without cracking up.
The finale was great, but my favorite episode was #6: Bill and Gary’s Excellent Adventure. GREAT episode! Laughed most of the episode.
gary is funny as hell
Glad to hear it- really enjoyed the first season. After the several failed super-hero shows last season, it was great to finally see one succeed!
Alpha’s was terrible… it was a poor man’s bargain bin superheroes fail.
Excellent news! Such a great show, though no surprise being headed by Zak Penn. And Ryan Cartwright is even better here than he was on Bones – such an underrated actor.
So they renew Alphas because it is cheaper to produce than Eureka, a show that has been around for five years. That only leaves Haven and Sanctuary that are untouched. Once they go I am gone.
You’ll be sorely missed, I’m sure.
Warehouse 13 and Being Human were also renewed.
Alphas is boring and a huge disappointment.
I never cease to be amazed by the viewing tastes of “mainstream America”…..Shows such as the Simpsons and King of the Hill, which are totally mindless and moronic are renewed season after season, but imaginative shows such as Alphas (which also fall into the realm of believable) which are also decently portrayed are inevitably categorized as “boring” or uninteresting. Its not the shows which are “embarrassing”, as one comment put it, what’s embarrassing is the fact that millions of people watch such trash religiously. It’s no small wonder that Americans are the “punch line” of so many foreign anecdotes…….We are judged by, among other things, what we read and what we watch…..I’m embarrassed to admit I’m American……..
BORING
Oh hush, you’re just PO’d about Eureka. No need to take it out on other shows.
Alpha reminds me a bit of Warehouse 13 and Haven in their first seasons – a bit shaky, but with promise. I’m hoping that Alphas will mature and deepen as Warehouse 13 and Haven have. – John
As attached as I am to Eureka, I think Syfy made the right call – Alphas is simply a better show, flat out – the writing is sharp and the cast consistently delivers great performances across the board. Whereas most Syfy shows tend to be surreal and almost cartoonish at times, Alphas has a surprising streak of realism that I find really fascinating.
Maybe that’s why I didn’t care for it. I *love* Syfy’s trademark streak of surreality (and Eureka has it in spades). Alphas just seems to take itself too seriously, in my opinion.
Exactly! I loved Eureka, but as time went on everything became less and less real. If movies were made with the same feel as most Syfy shows, they would get awful reviews! Whereas Alphas doesn’t get silly and stupid.
Have to agree with others. Alphas is just okay. Last few episodes I fell asleep in the middle of it. Haven’t bothered to catch up.
Now Eureka, I love completely! I can’t get enough of that quirky town & the people in it.
I don’t think Alphas is boring, but I do think it’s basically a rehash of X-Men (even my 13yo daughter picked up on that). I think it’s gotten better as it’s gone along… the first 3 or 4 eps were not good. My biggest problem is Strathairn’s character, who seems to lead the team by whining at them instead of being confident and decisive. I’m still watching… for now. But I’d MUCH rather see another season or 2 of Eureka.
I was thinking it was more along the lines of another HERO show.
I feel Alphas offers quite a bit more than a re-hash of X-men. For one, the paranormal abilities of the subjects are much more realistic than X-men, which is certainly offered as a fantasy. Many of the Alpha traits are things which could realistically occur according to some scientists. It is a well done show, in my opinion and I look very much forward to it’s second season….
People getting upset that this was renewed, while Eureka was not, seem to miss the statistics. SyFy rarely keeps a show longer than 5 seasons! I love Eureka as much as anyone else but I like Alphas, too. I’m very happy it got renewed, and I hope they give it a 5 season run.
I used to like Eureka, until they started bringing all those new characters on and then one of the main characters left the show when he was an intriguing character with different facets to him. Then the slapstick stuff with Allison and Carter.
Alphas cast is well put together. I enjoy Bill and Gary’s banter. Nina is awesome. Dr. Rosen is a fine leader for his team, even though he can use some fun in his life.
i want to now if docter rosen has a alpha ability
Yippee! I’m thrilled – I love this show! Now if Syfy will renew “Haven” for a third season, I’ll be ecstatic.
Would love for Haven to be renewed!
Haven did get renewed it comes back in June
Most likely Syfy is stuck with this over-hyped boring show.
Any news on Haven?!?!
great news i was hoping i would see more Gary in the future he has got to be the best new character on TV this year
I usually do not comment for TV shows.. but I am kind of surprised to see all these disparaging comments in regards Alpha.. which i find very entertaining, with intelligent writing and one of very few TV shows I watch..
Kudos to SyFy for renewing it..
Lots of bitter, bitter EUREKA fans.
And by “bitter” you no doubt mean “viewers with some standards” or “those to disagree with YOU”.
Eureka wasn’t great, but was above average Sci-Fi, Alphas on the other hand is lacking in originality, tedious and with characters / story lines which are knock-offs of far better shows and movies. I have no issue with Eureka being cancelled… it had a good run and is showing signs or becoming tired, but to renew Alphas pretty much sums up what is the SyFy channel – pandering to the lower common denominators, e.g. cheap, unoriginal and repetitive scheduling.
It _would_ have been nicer if it was Eureka instead. I tried watching Alphas and was so bored that I found myself only vaguely paying attention. I liked the main character, but the rest just had no real depth and were actually more annoying then interesting.I actually got 8 episodes in but it just seems like the writers are trying too hard to make them worth it.
I’m sure the only reason it has such high ratings is because so many people watch Warehouse 13 and Eureka then just stick around for Alphas cause they don’t want to change the channel. If they changed the time frame or when it was on, I don’t think it would be doing so well. Now that Eureka is going I just don’t see the numbers being the same for them unless they find another way to circumspect it with more depth.
or maybe ppl just enjoy Alphas and watch the show without the need to watch the preceding shows.
NOT
“so many people watch Warehouse 13 and Eureka then just stick around for Alphas cause they don’t want to change the channel.”
Lol. Have you heard of a little device called a remote control ?
A quick analyse of the recent ratings show that the audience don’t overlap that much.
Two weeks ago, Alphas ratings were up and it gained viewers whereas both Eureka and Warehouse 13 loosed viewers (Summer Glau effect).
Ok Swell. But Warren Christie has to let his hair grow out, because that buzz isn’t doing it for me.
No. His cut looks nice the way it is.
Glad it was renewed but not ecstatic. The show is entertaining, but I only watch because of Eureka and Warehouse 13. I’ll keep DVRing, but we need Haven news/renewal! I want some Audrey/Nathan or Audrey/Duke hook-up news soon!
I am all for the Audrey/Nathan hookup. Maybe a little Duke, too.
Great news! The interaction between the characters has improved greatly since the first episode.
Re Eureka – not sure what all the complaints are about. It lasted a full five seasons, that is a lot longer than most sci-fi related shows last. And the show was a whole lot of fun in its first season but went downhill after that.
I agree Pam.
agreed
I’m glad that this got picked up for a second season. And Eureka did get picked up for season 5, it just happens to be its end date as well. And as much as I like Eureka, I think not having it run for eons is a good thing.
Hello, Syfy…Where is the Haven renewal?
Why not both, they are different & I like both!
I can’t believe this show got renewed. This is one step above the saturday crap movies. Really sad since this is the channel that had BSG and Firefly
The only sense in which Syfy “had” FIREFLY was that they showed reruns.
To all those who think Eureka should have been renewed you are right. Unfortunatley, it wasn’t being watched as much as this show. The way to get Eureka renewed is to get more people to watch it. It the ratings go up, I bet it would get renewed! I do like Alphas too. Its a fun show and has great potential.
Not entirely true. EUREKA’s ratings have generally been a smidge higher than ALPHAS’s… but after five seasons, EUREKA is significantly more expensive to produce, and thus no longer provides value for money. (Sorry, EUREKA fans, but there’s a reason they call it show BUSINESS.)
Um can everybody just shut up about Eureka i love the show but this news is about Alphas! plus Eureka was renewed for a fifth and final season of 14 eps so it will have closure!
I loved Alphas, kinda reminded me of a slightly more realistic Heroes, also I lost interest in Eureka somewhere around season 2
Love the take on “superheroes” this show has, and the performances are great too BUT…If you can’t afford to shoot in NYC, or afford to make it LOOK like NYC (a la CSI: NY) then don’t pretend it’s NYC. Make up a fictional city.
Nothing in Alphas looks or feels like NYC — the streets, the silly parking lot outside their little building, even the lensing is all wrong for a place that’s supposed to be NYC. And the third episode, which was supposed to take place on a NYC subway…WTF?! Not even close.
I just can’t watch a show that gets its own setting THAT wrong. Heck, Friends was closer in its portrayal of NYC. FRIENDS for heaven’s sake!!
Sigh…
@Phlegmbot – do you live in NYC? Hmmm….In any case, their office is NOT In NYC – it’s in Queens…completely different borough and yes in Queens that parking in front in totally plausible. (I should, I lived in Queens once a upon time :-) ) The lensing is wrong? Huh? What do you want a Law & Order feel? Coz that would make it a totally different show.
Great news – its an awesome show.
I’ve really enjoyed Alphas this season so this is good news, BUT I’m MORE interested in HAVEN getting a pick-up. Now THAT’S a show with some seriously stellar writing and top-notch performances! Please Syfy? Give us Haven fans some good news to celebrate already and pick-up our series!
yay, I love Alphas, it is the best new show of the summer
Both the hubby and I watched the first episode – we thought it was just ok but we decided to give it a shot and added it to the season pass on the TIVO. We did not really find the Alphas that likable and the pilot was slow. The episodes (I think there are 7 or 8 right now) are just sitting there – we don’t really feel compelled to watch them. For me, Eureka usually gets watched either later the night it airs or within the next day (ditto for Being Human). There are few shows I watch that fast. Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary are tend to build up to 2 or 3 episodes and then I watch (my husband lets it go longer). Sanctuary – sometimes it goes more than 3 episodes. Haven I don’t watch.
I’m gonna be honest here, I was expecting a LOT more from Alpha’s when it first aired. I only watched a few episodes just hoping it would get better as it went along. That wasn’t the case. I find it very boring, and pretty much the same as what every other network has been trying to do.
I think Syfy needs to drop Alphas and do a new space opera (i.e farscape/firefly). As for Eureka, I absolutely LOVE the show and wish it would continue, but as usual Syfy dropped the ball on that one.
I love the show alphas ever since it came out my week has been better. I think it reporsens real life with how ppl have disability and there stronger together and how everyone is different . Well but that’s my thought!!
“Alphas” and “Haven” are my two favorites on the syfy channel. They are both exciting shows with talented actors that bring us totally awesome entertainment each and every week. I look forward to watching and I hope they renew for many more seasons. These two shows help me get through the week. I applaud the actors and writers that work so hard at their craft. These two shows get a 5 ✰✰✰✰✰ star rating from me. A Pennsylvania fan :)
Come on SyFy! You really need to renew Haven for a third Season. There really needs to be something on television for adults with half a brain. I’m sorry but wrestling, talent shows, reality TV and mansquito just doesn’t do it for me. The character development and the writing in general on Haven has been good all season, considering they only have 40 minutes a week to tell an entertaining story. The actors have settled into their characters nicely. Please reward a talented staff and quality production by giving them a third season.
It was a smart move to renew “Alphas”; it’s gaining momentum with each episode which is a promising thing when starting a show.
SyFy NEEDS to renew Haven because that is one of the best written, acted, and produced shows out there on any network at the moment. If they don’t renew Haven, it should go to a different network because I’m sure someone would jump at the chance to snatch it up if SyFy is stupid enough to not renew it.
I need Alphas and Haven renewed. They both keep glued me to the channel.
Typo: me glued
Alphas. All the freaking way!!!
Agree Pam. Eureka used be my favorite show first few seasons were great but I’ve noticed this season Im not into it. I DVR almost everything and Eureka used to get 1st play ASAP, now it’s Alphas and I have at least a months worth of Eureka to catch up on, the show is no longer keeping me guessing and looking forward to the next week anxiously waiting for the next catastrophe to strike! Honestly Eureka jumped the shark w/the altered timeline thing, making every detail/story/episode of the previous seasons ultimately non cannon with their non existence in ‘this’ timeline. Alll that time learning about people and the town for the writers to start over and undo anything they decided shouldn’t have been written annoys the hell out of me (and of course most sci-fic fans know the doom of timetravel all too well).
catastrophe!
As for the watching Alphas b/c of it’s timeslot I have to say that’s been the reason for several of my favorite syfy shows. I started Warehouse 13 b/c I saw tons of trailers before the series started during the shows i was was watching. I started watching Alphas b/c a particular episode (a few weeks in to the season) caught my attention while watching. I was behind about a half an hour in the show and decided to give it a try since I wouldn’t have commercials.. I hate commercials and didn’t want to loose the fast forwarding I had accumulated, so the timeslot was the reason I started watching Alphas.
I continued watching b/c the show is awesome and one of the better produced and better acted shows on syfy. The timeslot may have gotten me there that day but if i’d seen the same previews in other shows i watch i would have gotten around to the show eventually. I think the ‘abilities’ may be a little X-men ish but the story and the characters make them different. Every one of the Alphas is deeply flawed and mal-adjusted, and strikes the right cord between ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ iwith out making the characters angsty annoying ‘special people’ you can’t stand a la Heroes
(and at times Tony Stark;/)
Awesome news im loving Alphas, Garys brilliant “Respect the badge you dont ask the questions we ask the questions.” I look forward to when its back also i hope they do a third season of Haven because that kicks ass aswell.
Love Alphas!!! Great season, great show, cant wait for season 2.
really, eureka. this is your comparison.. eurkea is passable. firefly was way more interesting bt greedy execs cut the cord to soon…alphas not only well delivered and makes me proud to be a fan of the genre but it engenders and myb even gives a voice to those who are austic. I think this is exceptional as anyone who knws an austic person , they R alphas. I’m actually surprised it has taken
this long for there to b a show bases on
xmenish characters. this and warehouse 13
are my awesome breaks from the daily grind.
sure the story line is a slow boil bt this is rare in a I want it now society. anyway the finale was excellent !
Melbourne
Australia
frm
Melbourne
all u crying about that lame show eurkea its pretty sad i love syfi and thought eurkea was one of the worlds sh!tys show ever dont know what all the hype was about it im glad it got canceled the syfi company would of lost so much money cuss in the last sesons rateings drop so bad the show sucks, now on the other hand alphas is a great show i just watched all the episodes back to back and couldnt get enough of it and cant wait for the next season so great job syfi and all of u babys crying about that crap show go buy the dvds and sit in a corner and watch it over and over cuss it well never get renewed thanks have a great day.
Love Alpha’s! It had an amazing plot, great characters (Mr. Bill and Mr. Gary-Best), and a great story line. The finale was a shocker. It had me glued to the screen the entire time. Areas that they can improve in are definitely the green van (lol) and more one on one with each character with their personal lives. They dwelled on it to a minimal, but when Bill passed out at the end of the 10 EP I was like what happened to him? They touched on it a little in the next EP, but he just popped back up popping pills? Why? So yes just a tad more elaboration. Being Human rocks I’m glad there’s a season 2… can’t wait!
Gary is amazing. Did anyone else know Ryan Cartwright is BRITISH!? that only makes him 10x cooler.
Here here!!?
Alphas is the first and only show I like on syfy everything else on syfy makes me feel like a complete idiot. If you actually listen to what dr Rosen says they’re all facts. Rather with shows like Eureka where every thing is just a bunch of fake nonsense and crappy graphics.