Having had success with Canadian series like Lost Girl and Continuum, Syfy has gone abroad again, this time to pick up The Almighty Johnsons, a New Zealand comedy drama from indie TV distributor ALL3MEDIA International.
The cable channel acquired the first two seasons, or 23 episodes, of the Kiwi series from South Pacific Pictures. The first 10-part season of The Almighty Johnsons will debut on Syfy in 2014 as the channel continues to hammer out next year’s original series lineup.
The Kiwi dramedy follows the Johnson boys, fun-loving guys that inherited the power of Norse Gods and go in search of love and God-like destiny as they enjoy a few beers with their mates.
“A compelling blend of fantasy and comedy, this quirky series should resonate strongly with our viewers,” Chris Regina, senior vp of programming at Syfy, said Tuesday in a statement.
Besides the New Zealand series, Syfy has looked to Canadian-made shows to help carry its original series banner, including Primeval: New World and Being Human, a North American version of the hit British sci-fi series. The pick-up of foreign series comes as Syfy looks fill out its original scripted lineup behind the second season of Defiance and Ron Moore’s newly greenlighted drama, Helix.
Original scripted projects for 2014 also include the Dominion pilot order from Universal Cable Productions, and a series order for a film adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s Bruce Willis starrer 12 Monkeys.
