Sanctuary: A Sci-Fi Home Run - Amanda Tapping Does it Again

Science fiction fans came to know Amanda Tapping for her role as Colonel Samantha Carter on Stargate SG-1. With the conclusion of that series, she has broken out of the Stargate mold to give Sci-Fi Channel something new. The result is Sanctuary.

Unlike many television endeavors, Sanctuary began as a series of webisodes. In 2007, Tapping distributed the webisodes through the show's website. The success of the series caused the Sci-Fi Channel (US) to pick up the series for 13 episodes, debuting on October 3. Sanctuary is shot largely against a green screen background. The show uses no elaborate sets. Most of the scenery is generated by computer in post-production. Sanctuary is also the first television series in North America to use the RED camera technique, which stores the entire video stream on hard drive, rather than film. This gives production staff instant access to the captured project for editing.

Sanctuary revolves around the lives of a select few individuals working at the titular institution, called "the Sanctuary" in the series. The Sanctuary is the brain child of Dr. Helen Magnus (Tapping), a scientist from England's Victorian Era, blessed with the gift of longevity. She spends her time tracking down bizarre creatures or magical beings, whom she dubs "abnormals." She takes these creatures home, providing them sanctuary, either to protect the human race from them, or to protect them from the human race.

Dr. Magnus is aided by her daughter Ashley and weapons designer/computer technician Henry Foss. In the pilot episode, "Sanctuary For All," Dr. Magnus recruits forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman. Zimmerman exhibits unusual mental abilities of deduction, which earn him the ridicule of his colleagues. In his youth, he saw his mother attacked and left for dead by an "abnormal." He accepts Dr. Magnus's offer at the conclusion of the pilot.

The series is certainly unique. The show features a significantly dark look, almost gothic. The titular building from the outside even shares visible similarities with Notre Dame and other gothic structures. Perhaps borrowing from SG-1, Sanctuary attempts to explain the unknown in our world, specifically mysterious creatures from man's past and present, many that modern science calls "cryptids." Dr. Magnus's butler is none other than Bigfoot. Well, perhaps just a single Sasquatch than has come into her employ.

It's also a rare opportunity to hear Amanda Tapping speak in an accent. The actress hails from Canada, but was actually born in Rochford, England. The British "ahx-cent" she employs may closer resemble her native speech patterns. Tapping's character comes across very naturally, almost as if she's not really acting. It all seems very normal, giving the show a realistic feel.

Some will undoubtedly complain about the extensive use of CGI. Of course, there are moments when it looks fake, as with the child in the pilot episode. But even these moments can be overlooked for the sake of plot. Generating the scenery and effects as such generally gives the show a very unified feel. Not to mention, it saves the staff quite a bit of money. Rising production costs have killed a few franchises already, including Stargate Atlantis.

On the whole, Sanctuary is great addition to Sci-Fi Channel's Friday night lineup. It's unique, but features a very familiar face. With the exit of Stargate SG-1, Amanda Tapping came to bat for the Sci-Fi Channel, and she hit one out of the park.