Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Still Hope for Blood Ties!


"Fans, your voices have been heard!


When I posted our TV Throwdown, I asked you guys to email me if a show you loved was missing from the list. Fans of Lifetime's canceled vampire drama, Blood Ties, responded in droves.

If you haven't been watching, here's how fan Tami Z. describes it: "Blood Ties should be on the list of best shows of 2007! It's a great drama about a take-charge woman P.I. that teams up with a sexy vampire to solve 'strange' cases, which also tend to involve her ex-partner/lover cop. The great chemistry among the three main actors (Christina Cox, Kyle Schmid and Dylan Neal) combine with the witty one-liners to make this show completely addicting. You can watch the past 22 episodes on Lifetime's Website. It's a crime drama you can really sink your teeth into! (Pun totally intended.)"

Not that I don't love any show that generates bad puns, but since Blood had been booted from the airwaves, as a dead show it was disqualified from the poll...right?

Not so fast! Because so many of you were so passionate about this series, I did some digging (I've learned never to underestimate a rabid fanbase), and lo and behold, there is hope!
According to Blood Ties executive producer Randy Zalken, even though the show is off the air in the States, all is not lost. When asked about possibly getting the show back into production, he says, "We're hopeful." Why? Because of fans like you. According to Zalken, "We're very happy with the support of the online fans," and he thinks the built-in audience is strong enough to attract new backers to the show.

So, here's the sitch:

Who Can Bring It Back: The series is Canadian, and according to Zalken, "Some of the Canadian broadcasters have said, 'Yeah, we're interested in it; let us know what and when and how.' We're also hopeful that a new home in the U.S. will present itself." The series would likely need financing from both a Canadian and an American network if it were to pull off a second season. Sci Fi? SoapNet? Starz? Which nets do you think should take a look?

Why It Stands Out During the Strike: According to Zalken, "I don't think the strike is going to hurt us, because Canadian writers are not hindered by the U.S. guild rules. So, we can be delivering new shows for the fall... I guess that's more than a lot of producers are saying now." That's good news for fans and Blood Ties staffers, but it's probably less exciting for our local American writer pals, as it could alleviate some of the pressure they're attempting to put on American conglomutainment outlets.

What's at the Ready: Should a vampire-friendly guardian angel with deep pockets happen to fall out of the sky tomorrow, the show could resume production relatively quickly, says Zalken. "The sets are still available—they've not been destroyed—our talent is very eager to come back, and our show runner, Peter Mohan, is standing by."

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