The Almighty Johnsons is the latest international acquisition for Syfy, which has used the tactic quite frequently in recent years, mostly to strong results. Among the internationally produced genre series to air on Syfy are Lost Girl, Merlin, Continuum, Sinbad, Primeval: New World, and Bitten, with four of the six earning additional seasons on the network. Syfy has been ratcheting up its original content in recent months, going after harder science fiction and steering away from the content that has defined their last few years, but acquiring international product is still a cost efficient way of building up a scripted slate and one that will allow them to focus on series they produce while still increasing their number of scripted hours.

In addition to Skilton, The Almighty Johnsons stars the likes of Tim Balme (Dead Alive), Dean O’Gorman (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Jared Turner (30 Days of Night), Ben Barrington (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), and Alison Bruce (The World’s Fastest Indian).

You can check out a trailer for The Almighty Johnsons below.

Will you be watching The Almighty Johnsons? Do you think the show will improve on the performance of Continuum and Helix in the Fridays-at-10:00 slot? What other internationally produced science fiction/fantasy/horror series would you like to see end up on Syfy?

The post The Almighty Johnsons to Premiere Friday, July 11th on Syfy appeared first on TVHackr.

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Chris Regina, Senior Vice President, Programming, Syfy, said: “We’re delighted to introduce quality New Zealand programming to the Syfy audience. A compelling blend of fantasy and comedy, this quirky series should resonate strongly with our viewers.”

“We are thrilled with the deal that ALL3MEDIA International has done. The Almighty Johnsons will be the first wholly New Zealand originated and produced drama series to be broadcast in the United States, which is a terrific accomplishment and reflects the quality of the series,” said Kelly Martin, CEO, South Pacific Pictures.

This marks yet another step for Syfy in its relationship with international programming, as the network is currently home to the likes of Continuum, recently renewed for a third season, and Lost Girl, renewed for a fourth earlier this year. Recently, Syfy acquired (and subsequently burned off) one-season wonders Sinbad, which originally aired in the UK, and Canadian production Primeval: New World. There’s been no indication of when or where the first season of The Almighty Johnsons would air, but given Continuum‘s success on Fridays, it would make sense for them to use the action dramedy there, especially as it sounds like it would be a good match for WWE Smackdown.

The Almighty Johnsons stars Emmett Skilton, Siobhan Marshall, Tim Balme, Dean O’Gorman, Jared Turner, and Keisha Castle-Hughes. You can check out a trailer for the 10-episode first season below.

Does The Almighty Johnsons sound like something that would fit in with other Syfy programming? Which other Syfy series do you think it should air along with? Is there another international program that you think the network should acquire for next year?

The post Syfy Acquires New Zealand Dramedy The Almighty Johnsons appeared first on TVHackr.