SyFy Has a Successful Show?

It's Channel 0

Surprised? Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a good show on the Syfy channel that wasn't a ghost hunting show or the rare Twilight Zone episode. But I think Syfy has finally caught lightning in a bottle, and it's Channel 0. Well, it's not on channel 0, the show itself is called... never-mind.

In all seriousness though this show has something special that future horror series should pay attention to. And that something is a subtle yet tension building approach to its story that has enough substance to lean on, without relying on jump scares and cable-grade-gore. However, are the writers behind Channel 0 the true driving force behind the eerily creative monsters and plot points? Well, no, but that doesn't make it any less haunting to the viewer or any less of a successful show.

The true source material this show has chosen to pull from is Creepypasta.com, which has become the internet treasure trove of horror stories. The most recent season used Candle Cove which is unique in the fact that it's less of a story and more of a forum post that pieces the creepy details together, one reply at a time. I knew this going into the first season, and was hopeful but sceptical that a show could use such a simple yet creepy story as the basis of a whole season. And although there were some cringe-worthy scenes, that I've come to realize can't be avoided on SyFy, it was generally pretty good. At the very least it was a good proof of concept that made me want to see what they'd do with another story and a slightly better budget.

Thankfully, season 2 was just recently announced along with season 3 and 4 getting the green light. And along with the new season, the series seems to have gotten a bigger budget as well. So all the pieces are falling into place for this series to truly be the start of something special for the SyFy channel. But honestly the it's a little surprising that the internet and creepy pasta specifically hasn't been used before. After all, these are horror stories written by fans of horror, many of which exceed expectations and have even created YouTube channels. Yes, there are channels devoted to the narration of creepy pasta stories, some of which grab the attention of 6 digit views.

I look forward to not only the new season, but where this show can go. I mean American Horror Story has become immensely popular over the years despite divided opinions on certain seasons. And who knows, maybe a channel that bases itself on Science Fiction will take over the throne of horror. The newly released trailer for the second season is promising, check it out below!

What do you think? What Creeypasta should they choose for season 3?