Alphas
Alphas is an American superhero drama television series created by Zak Penn and Michael Karnow. It follows a group of people with superhuman abilities, known as "Alphas", as they work to prevent crimes committed by other Alphas. The series was broadcast in the United States on the cable channel Syfy and was a co-production between BermanBraun and Universal Cable Productions. It premiered on July 11, 2011. After initial reports that the show was canceled, on September 7, 2011, "Alphas" was renewed for a 13-episode second season, which premiered on Monday, July 23, 2012, at 10 p.m. ET . On January 16, 2013, Syfy announced that the program would not be returning for a third season, ending the series with an unresolved cliffhanger. Plot. The series follows five people, known as "Alphas", led by noted neurologist and psychiatrist Lee Rosen (David Strathairn), as they investigate criminal cases involving other suspected Alphas. Rosen and his team operate under the auspices of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the criminal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Defense. While investigating these crimes, it does not take the team too long to discover that a group known as "Red Flag", which was thought  defeated and eliminated long ago, is using other Alphas to commit crimes. Production. Development. Originally known as "Section 8", "Alphas" was initially developed by Zak Penn and co-creator Michael Karnow in 2006. The series was then shopped around to various networks, with some interest from both NBC and ABC. In late 2007, ABC picked up the series with an initial six episode order. However, complications arising from the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike derailed the project. On August 5, 2009, after almost two further years of shopping the show around to the broadcast and cable networks, Syfy placed  a pilot order. Zak Penn and Michael Karnow wrote the pilot. Jack Bender was attached to the project as the director, with Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun serving as executive producers. Casting began in August 2010. Filming of the pilot was done in Toronto, Canada. Alphas was ordered to series on December 8, 2010, by Syfy to air in the summer of 2011. The series is a co-production between BermanBraun and Universal Cable Productions. Along with the series pickup, Syfy also announced that veteran Sci-Fi producer Ira Steven Behr had been picked to serve as executive producer and  showrunner. Reception. Critical reception. "Alphas" has received mixed reviews. It earned a score of 63 on Metacritic. The "New York Post" said of the first episode: ""Alphas" is fun, sure, but it has a 'been there, done that' feel." TV Fanatic gave the show an average review saying, "Everything Alphas brought to the table has been done before." "The New York Times" gave the show a negative review: "It's neither here nor there: low on sci-fi mystery and intrigue and not yet convincing as ensemble drama. Right now it feels like the beta version." "Variety" gave a positive  review: "At first blush, though, give "Alphas" high marks for effort and ingenuity, demonstrating a TV show needn't provide major pyrotechnics or a reinvented wheel to lay the groundwork for solid summer entertainment where the characters, somewhat refreshingly, are only sort-of super." The "Los Angeles Times" gave the pilot a positive review: "Alphas deftly balances all the building blocks of great genrenonhuman abilities, twisty plot, cool special effects, smart dialogue and characters you want to spend more time with. And that's the most impressive superpower of all." After eight episodes had aired, Maureen Ryan of "AOL TV  called it the summer's most promising new drama: Not only has "Alphas" successfully avoided many of the pitfalls that have bedeviled other superhero-flavored projects, it's done a good job of balancing character-driven moments with taut, well-paced storytelling." Ratings. The pilot episode premiered with 2.5 million total viewers, scoring 1.2 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic and 1.3 million in the 25–54 demographic, making it Syfy's most watched debut in two years. Live + 7 day ratings for the series premiere updated those numbers to 3.6 million total viewers, scoring 1.7 million viewers in the  18–49 demographic and 1.8 million in the 25–54 demographic. By the 11th episode (its season finale) however, the ratings had dropped to 1.16 million total viewers. In the UK the show was broadcast on Tuesdays. The first episode had 666,000 viewers altogether, 595,000 live and 71,000 on timeshift. When the second episode aired, the viewer count dipped to 469,000 together, live and on timeshift. Despite the fall in viewers on a Tuesday showing, the show has become popular in the UK with Friday repeats rounding up around 150,000 viewers. U.S. ratings United Kingdom ratings In popular culture. In episode 21  of season six of the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" entitled "The Closure Alternative", the unresolved cliffhanger ending of "Alphas" causes character Sheldon Cooper distress about not having 'closure', as a lead-in to one of that show's plot lines.