Scare Tactics
Spook Yourself on Halloween with 'Paranormal Witness'
This Halloween, if you want to give yourself a good scare, you've got options. You can get down with AMC's flesh-eating 'The Walking Dead' on Sunday, or take in the Canadian debut of 'American Horror Story' on brand-new FX Canada channel on Monday, but for my money, the most genuine chills to be had are over on Space (Mondays at 10PM), with 'Paranormal Witness.'Quietly growing its audience from week to week, this reality series is surprisingly effective considering the tools in its arsenal are pretty familiar. It retells scary and unexplained stories using a mixture of reenactments, interviews with actual people, archival audio and video and lots of spooky sound and lighting effects. So basically, things 'America's Most Wanted' wasn't doing. But the show transcends the sum of its parts, and I think it comes down to great writing and great casting.
'Jersey Shore' Italy Production Delayed, Bravo Adds Seven New Shows and More TV News
Italy might be safe from a 'Jersey Shore' invasion after all.According to E! Online, production troubles might cause the MTV series' planned season abroad to turn into a short-term vacation. Though E! reports there have been difficulties getting the proper filming permits, an Italian Film Commission rep said nobody from MTV has applied for any yet.
The real delay? Probably contract negotiations, as several cast members have not yet signed deals for the new season.
In other TV news ...
• 'Desperate Housewives' star Brenda Strong will play Ann Ewing, wife to Patrick Duffy's Bobby, on TNT's 'Dallas' reboot. The show will start shooting in Texas next month. [TV Guide]
• 'Mad Men' might be on hiatus until 2012, but we'll still be able to see the show this summer. Netflix announced that the show will be available to stream on its Watch Instantly service starting July 27. [Variety]
• Eleven new shows apparently weren't enough for Bravo. The network is developing two scripted and five new reality series, including 'Women of Wall Street' (about, well, the women of Wall Street), 'Gallery Girls' (about 20-something art gallery workers), 'The Annabel Tollman Project' (about a fashion editor–turned–celebrity stylist), 'Jason of Beverly Hills' (about a jeweler), 'The Kristoffer Winters Project' (about a house-flipper) and 'Face Down' (about a makeup artist). [THR]
TV Casting: Tracy Morgan to 'Scare' Again
Emmy-nominated funnyman Tracy Morgan ('30 Rock') will return as host of the popular Syfy prank series 'Scare Tactics.' The upcoming season will feature 13 brand-new episodes, with a premiere date planned for the fall. Meanwhile, the network also announced a slew of new reality series, including 'Paranormal Investigators' and 'Mary Knows Best.' [Hollywood Reporter]More casting news after the jump.
What's On Tonight: Biggest Loser, Better Off Ted, Chopped, Joe Buck Live

- At 8, ABC has A Charlie Brown Christmas, followed by Disney's Prep & Landing, a new Scrubs and the season premiere of Better Off Ted.
- NBC has the two-hour season finale of The Biggest Loser at 8, then a new Jay Leno Show.
- FOX has a new, two-hour So You Think You Can Dance at 8.
- The CW has two new episodes of 90210 and Melrose Place.
- ABC Family has The Year Without A Santa Claus at 8, followed by A Miser's Brothers Christmas and Rudolph's Shiny New Year.
- At 9, Food Network has a new Christmas Chopped.
- Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9, followed by a new Ghost Lab.
- Syfy has a new Scare Tactics at 9, then the series premiere of Outer Space Astronauts and a new ECW.
- History Channel has a new How The Earth Was Made at 9.
- VH-1 has 2009: That Really Happened at 9.
- Spike has a new Super Dave's Spike-Tacular at 9.
- Also at 9: IFC has two episodes of Arrested Development.
- At 10, HBO has a new Joe Buck Live.
- Bravo has a new Tabatha's Salon Makeover at 10.
Check your local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
'Scare Tactics' Season 4 Episode 7: 'Toxic Shock' (VIDEO)
There's nothing like toxic ooze to let you know your workplace is hazardous. On 'Scare Tactics,' a worker believes he's been exposed when he accidentally drops a barrel -- and at a mad scientist's party, a caterer serves up more than he's bargained for when he meets a serial killer.
What's On Tonight: Hell's Kitchen, 90210, The Good Wife, Sons of Anarchy
At 8, ABC has a new Shark Tank, followed by new episodes of Dancing with the Stars and The Forgotten.- CBS has a new NCIS at 8, then new episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife.
- NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser at 8, followed by a new Jay Leno Show.
- FOX has the two-hour season finale of Hell's Kitchen at 8.
- The CW has new episodes of 90210 and Melrose Place.
- PBS has a new Nova at 8, then a new Frontline.
- ESPN has a new 30 For 30 at 8.
- At 9, Syfy has two new episodes of Scare Tactics, then a new ECW.
- Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9, followed by a new Ghost Lab.
- At 10, FX has a new Sons of Anarchy.
- Food Network has a new Chopped at 10.
- A&E has two new episodes of Parking Wars at 10.
- MTV has a new episode of The Hills at 10, followed by a new episode of The City.
- Travel Channel has a new Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre World.
- Also at 10: ESPN has a new World Series of Poker at 10.
Check your local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
New TV on DVD releases this week
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.Not only is The Lola Falana Show on DVD now, I didn't even know there was a Lola Falana Show. I knew that there was a Lola Falana (that's a fun name to say: Lola Falana Lola Falana Lola Falana). She was a dancer and actress who was pretty well known back in the 70s, but her TV show escaped my radar. This set includes guest stars Dick Van Dyke, Bill Cosby, Sonny and Cher, and Muhammad Ali.
There's also a Heeere's Johnny: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson "Holiday Set." It looks like the same set that I've owned for a couple of years (several DVDs split up into different categories: Timeless Moments, Standup Comedians, Carson Country, and the original Ultimate Collection disc), but with a special Christmas disc thrown in, with three classic episodes.
- Ally McBeal - Season 1 and Complete Series
- Astroboy - Vols 1 and 2
- Blood Ties - Season 2
Stargate Universe to premiere in October
Now that Eureka is back to deliver my weekly feel good sci-fi fix, I'm eagerly anticipating the death and darkness promised by the producers of the upcoming Stargate Universe. The wait will be over October 2 when the series premieres with a two-hour episode on Syfy. Tentatively titled "Air," the premiere will follow a research team that gets cut off from Earth after boarding an Ancient ship with failing life support and a steampunk Stargate. The premiere will feature appearances by franchise vets Richard Dean Anderson and Michal Shanks and will, of course, introduce us to the new crew, including Robert Carlyle, David Blue and Lou Diamond Phillips. (Does anyone else out there have the feeling that LDP is gonna bite it, Robert Patrick style, in the premiere?)
Syfy also announced fall premiere dates for returning shows, including Sanctuary and Destination Truth. Check out the schedule:
What's On Tonight: NCIS, Presidential Debate, Scare Tactics, Leno
At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars.- CBS has a new NCIS at 8.
- NBC has a new Biggest Loser at 8.
- There's a new Nova on PBS at 8.
- The CW has a new 90210, then a new Privileged.
- ABC Family has a new Lincoln Heights at 8, then a new Greek.
- TCM has The Graduate at 8, followed by Bonnie & Clyde.
- At 9, another Presidential Debate, which will air on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, CNBC, CSPAN, PBS, and BBC America.
- Bravo has the premiere of The Real Housewives of Atlanta at 9.
- Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9.
- Food Network has a new Food Detectives at 9.
- Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 9, followed by two new episodes of Scare Tactics.
- Also at 9: ESPN has two new episodes of The World Series of Poker.
- At 10, FX has a new episode of The Shield.
- A&E has a new episode of The Cleaner at 10.
- Travel Channel has a new Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern at 10.
Check your local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk show listings.
Sci Fi has their most watched summer ever
NBC Universal has issued a press release touting the successes of the Sci Fi Channel over the summer. According to the numbers, the lineup of original programming led to the most watched summer the network has ever enjoyed. Among the highlights are Eureka, with 3.4 million viewers, which is the best performance for the show since it premiered in 2006. Ghost Hunters International checked in with 2.4 million. Scare Tactics and the Saturday original movies both impressed with averages of 2 million viewers.
What's On Tonight: Great American Dog, Architecture School, Dinner: Impossible
NBC has the Olympics all night.- At 8, CBS has a new Great American Dog.
- ESPN has more Little League World Series coverage at 8.
- At 9, Bravo has a new Project Runway, followed by a new Shear Genius.
- Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters International at 9, then two new episodes of Scare Tactics.
- Sundance has the series premiere of Architecture School at 9, followed by the series premiere of On The Road In America.
- At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter, then two new episodes of Criss Angel Mindfreak.
- At 10, Food Network has the season premiere of Dinner: Impossible, with new host Michael Symon.
Check your local TV listings for more.
What's On Tonight: Big Brother, Click and Clack, Ghost Hunters International
At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother. - FOX has a new, two hour So You Think You Can Dance at 8.
- PBS has a new Click & Clack's As The Wrench Turns at 8, then a new Nova scienceNOW.
- Versus has more coverage of the Tour de France at 8.
- At 9, NBC has a new Baby Borrowers.
- Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters International at 9, followed by two new episodes of Scare Tactics.
- A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter at 9, then a new Criss Angel Mindfreak.
- History Channel has a new MonsterQuest at 9.
- Also at 9: Bravo has a new Project Runway, followed by a new Shear Genius.
- At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
- At 10, ABC has a new Primetime: Crime.
- TruTV has a new Black Gold at 10.
- TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne at 10.
- At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia.
Check your local TV listings for more.
What's On Tonight: So You Think You Can Dance, Scare Tactics, Black Gold
At 8, FOX has a new, two hour So You Think You Can Dance. - PBS has a new Click & Clack's As The Wrench Turns at 8, then a new Nova scienceNOW.
- At 9, NBC has a new Baby Borrowers, followed by a new Celebrity Circus.
- History Channel has a new MonsterQuest at 9.
- HGTV has a new Deserving Design at 9, followed by a new Design on a Dime.
- Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters International at 9, then two new episodes of Scare Tactics.
- At 10, ABC has a new Primetime: Crime.
- There's a new Black Gold on TruTV at 10.
- TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne at 10.
- Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
- MTV has a new Real World at 10.
- Also at 10: Bravo has a new Shear Genius.
- At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia.
Check your local TV listings for more.
Feeling Lost? Need Sanctuary? Sci Fi can help!
Friends telling you Lost is the best thing since sliced bread? Everyone laughing at you at work because you're lost when they talk about that wacky island? Don't know who Jack, Kate and Sawyer are and whether or not John Locke is more than just some old dead philosopher? Ridiculed for being a Lost-less moron but too cheap of a bastard to go out and pick up those DVD sets? Well, good news.Rarely does a show hit television that's so serialized it's almost impenetrable to come late into. And even more rarely does a network let it last past ten episodes; FOX'll yank it in one if they think they can get enough videos of aquatic life attacking compiled in time for a special. Well, never fear ... it's Sci Fi to the rescue!
That's right, starting September 15th, you can catch four episodes of Lost every Monday on Sci Fi. And Lost is a show that works even better in large chunks like that. I recorded the entirety of season three to my DVR before I even started it and wolfed it down in a weekend! But wait, there's more ... like what that picture has to do with this story!
Tracy Morgan and Scott Hallock talk Scare Tactics

Tracy Morgan is a busy man. Along with his role on the NBC comedy 30 Rock, now entering its third season, Tracy is also taking on the reigns of host of the SciFi Channel program Scare Tactics, also in its third season. Premiering on July 9th, Scare Tactics is a hidden-camera, reality-comedy hybrid that allows friends and loved ones to set up unsuspecting victims into a series of horror hoaxes that are staged with movie-style special effects and makeup.
Earlier this week, Tracy, who is the third host of the program after Shannen Doherty and Stephen Baldwin hosted the first two seasons, joined Tactics' Executive Producer Scott Hallock on a conference call to talk about this upcoming season.
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