Checking Out the Haunted on the SciFi Channel

SciFi Channel might have a moderately successful show with the premiere of the one-hour show, Haunted, that aired Wednesday (09/26) night (9PM Central, 10PM Eastern).

The show features Matthew ("Lost") Fox as Frank Taylor, an ex-cop haunted by misplaced guilt over the disappearance of his young son which broke up his marriage. Then he undergoes a near death experience that mentally links him with real hauntings.

In the premiere, we have Taylor, at best indifferent to the subject of psychic influences, dragged into acceptance with little understanding while investigating a young boy's disappearance. He's anxious to find the boy and avoid the same outcome he had with his own son. After his near death experience, some mysterious force is affecting him, providing him clues with voices, visions, and the like that lead him to finding the boy.

However, the new experiences include physical attacks by a phantom Simon, a scary criminal involved in the kidnapping, killed early on in the episode. Simon's vengeful ghost appears to be hanging around, making sudden appearances, once appearing as his ex-partner before changing into Simon and struggling for the wheel of Taylor's car.

Taylor's ex-wife, Jessica, works for the District Attorney's office and is played by Lynn Collins. His friend on the force is ex-partner Marcus Bradshaw (Russell Hornsby). Playing bald, vicious Simon is John F. Mann, lead singer for the Canadian pop folk band Spirit of the West who definitely does his job well.

The strength for SciFi Channel must be in the scripts. It's not in the budget. A low budget is certainly no sin. As a result, it isn't a flashy show, uses common sets...offices, living quarters, basements...along with a cast made up of somewhat familiar but inexpensive actors. The debut itself was low-key with little promotion.

The story did go over well. It was engaging and might even develop into something lasting.