8 /10 1 Votes8
75% Metacritic First episode date 11 October 2016 | 7.1/10 IMDb 92% Rotten Tomatoes Country of origin United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genre HorrorAnthologySupernaturalDrama Starring Paul SchneiderFiona ShawLuisa D'OliveiraNatalie BrownShaun Benson Cast Profiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Channel Zero is an American horror anthology television series created by Nick Antosca. The series was greenlit for two 6-episode, self-contained seasons, slated to air in the fall of 2016 and the fall of 2017 on Syfy. Storylines for the series are based on popular creepypastas. On February 9, 2017, Syfy renewed the series for a third and fourth season.
Contents
The first announced installment, based on Kris Straub's Candle Cove, stars Paul Schneider and Fiona Shaw and was directed by Craig William Macneill. The series premiered on October 11, 2016. Channel Zero's second season will be based on Brian Russell's The No-End House and will be directed by Steven Piet.
Candle Cove (2016)
A child psychologist (Paul Schneider) returns to his small town home to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his twin brother and a slew of other children in the 1980s, and how it is connected to a bizarre local children's television show that aired at the same time.
The No-End House (2017)
A young woman named Margot Sleator (Amy Forsyth) visits the No-End House, a bizarre house of horrors that consists of a series of increasingly disturbing rooms. When she returns home, Margot realizes everything has changed.
Candle Cove (2016)
The No-End House (2017)
Production
In 2015, Syfy announced that they had greenlit Channel Zero for twelve episodes, which would air as two six episode seasons. The first season would center upon the popular creepypasta Candle Cove and would be based on a script written by Antosca. The second season would focus on a new story, also based on a creepypasta or urban legend story. Universal Cable Production would serve as the production company for the series, with Landis and Antosca both serving as the series' executive producers.
Craig William Macneill was chosen to direct the first season of Channel Zero in February 2016. Paul Schneider and Fiona Shaw were confirmed as starring in Channel Zero's first season in June 2016. Schneider is set to portray Mike Painter, a child psychologist whose twin brother went missing years before and whose mother, portrayed by Shaw, is reluctant to indulge his desire to investigate. Natalie Brown and Shaun Benson were also named as starring in the series. Filming began in Selkirk during May 2016 and wrapped on July 28, after 46 days of shooting.
Season 2 will be called The No-End House. Filming was set to start September 13, 2016 in Oakbank Manitoba, Canada.
Reception
The first season of Channel Zero received generally favorable reviews from critics, with a Metacritic rating of 75 out of 100 based on 5 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 91% approval rating based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Creepy, unsettling, and refreshingly unique, Channel Zero: Candle Cove draws on easily relatable childhood fears while peeling back layers of spine-tingling mystery."