Warehouse 13 Makes Syfy Channel Ratings History
First Season Beats Galactica, Stargate in Viewers, Key Demographics
Oct 21, 2009
Following its Sept. 22 season finale, Warehouse 13 became the all-time Syfy channel leader in total viewers (4.1 million), adults 25-54 (2.1 million) and household ratings (2.9), as measured by 7-day DVR data, making it the most successful series in Syfy's 17-year history, according to a news release from the cable channel.
The recent debut of Stargate Universe and the second season premiere of Sanctuary, both original series in first-run on Syfy, have only served to bolster the channel’s viewership: Sanctuary leaped 18 percent over its prior season averages in adult viewers age 18-49 and 7 percent in adults ages 25-54, grabbing nearly 1.9 million viewers (1.85) on Friday, Oct. 9, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT).
And Stargate Universe beat FOX’s sci-fi-friendly Dollhouse in total viewers and key demographics head-to-head at 9 p.m. (eastern and pacific). The numbers improved on SGU’s already record-setting performance as the highest rated franchise premiere in four years on the former Sci Fi Channel. Stargate grew 22 percent in adults 18-49 (1.37 million) and 13 percent in adults 25-54 (1.49 million), garnering 2.4 million total viewers with a 1.8 household rating, according to numbers from Syfy.
Shared Origins of Hit Franchises Build Viewership
Created by Damian Kindler (whose previous work includes the series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis), Sanctuary is produced in association with Syfy and is distributed by Tricon Films and Television. Season 2 of the series is executive produced by Damian Kindler, star Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood, Keith Beedie and Tricon Films.
Robert Cooper and Brad Wright, also formerly of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, serve as executive producers and writers of Stargate Universe, which is distributed by MGM Worldwide Television Distribution.
Warehouse 13 is produced for Syfy by Universal Cable Productions, and executive produced by Jack Kenny (The Book of Daniel) who also serves as showrunner. David Simkins (Dresden Files) is executive producer; and Stephen Surjik (Monk, Burn Notice) is producer/director of the series.
Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal.
Triumph of Fresh Storytelling over Franchise Familiarity
But while SGU has its family name and franchise from which to build viewers, and Sanctuary has the fan base of Amanda Tapping (also a Stargate alum) as well as the pre-existing fans from its debut season, Warehouse 13 in its first outing has been carried by its quirky characters, suspenseful situations, and finely balanced drama and comedy elements.
Warehouse 13 follows two Secret Service agents, Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly), who find themselves abruptly transferred to a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government.
The Warehouse's caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete and Myka with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the warehouse itself.
The show takes familiar tropes and spins them: A male and female government agent investigate the paranormal (The X-Files) in order to capture or contain objects of power (Friday the 13th: The TV Series) in a containment vessel (Ghostbusters) to be hidden away in a vast government-run warehouse (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and catalogued by a mysterious specialist in the arcane (The Librarian).
The actors are engaging, making the best of the clichés they’re given to work with, appropriately chewing scenery and playing with wacky gadgets that don’t always work as advertised. They make the right jokes at the right moments, and they man up to play tough when necessary. There are also hints about deeper, darker storylines behind their humorous facades.
Coming Back for More in Year 2
For its entire freshman season, Warehouse 13 topped Battlestar Galactica's high mark set in its first year (2005) of adults 25-54 (just over 2 million) and household rating (2.4), while bettering the 3.0 million total viewers record established by another Syfy original series, Eureka, in 2008-09.
In total viewers, Warehouse 13 beat new cable series such as TNT's Hawthorne (4.0 million) and Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva (3.1 million), finishing second in the 2009 freshman class behind only USA's Royal Pains.
Warehouse 13 claimed eight of the top 10 most-watched Syfy series telecasts ever, including the top three series telecasts in the network's history. The August 11 Warehouse 13 episode ranks at the top with 4.37 million viewers.
The series has been renewed for a full sophomore season and is expected to debut new episodes in the summer of 2010.
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