Farscape

About Farscape

Farscape is an American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced for the Sci-Fi Channel. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon, and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment. The Jim Henson Company was largely responsible for the various alien makeup and prosthetics, and two regular characters — the animatronic puppets Rygel and Pilot — are entirely Creature Shop creations. The narrative follows John Crichton, an astronaut from Earth who enters a wormhole and finds himself at the opposite end of the galaxy, where he meets a bevy of strange creatures. In 2007, over four years after its completion, Farscape was named as #4 on TV Guide's list of "The 30 Top Cult Shows Ever".

Although the series was under contract for five seasons, it was abruptly canceled after production had ended on its fourth season, effectively ending the series on a cliffhanger. Co-producer Brian Henson later secured the rights to Farscape, paving the way for a four-hour miniseries entitled Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, which Henson himself directed. New webisodes are being produced by SCI FI, and are expected to debut in 2009. A new comic book miniseries is due for release in November 2008 that will be in the continuity of both the series and the upcoming webisodes.

Farscape first ran on the Canadian YTV channel[citation needed], then in the U.S. on the Sci-Fi Channel. Originally conceived in the early 1990s by Rockne S. O'Bannon and Brian Henson under the title Space Chase, the series was initially titled "Far Horizon" when it aired in Australia. The series is told in a serialized format, with each episode involving a self-contained story while contributing to a larger storyline. Nearly the entire cast originates from Australia and New Zealand, with the exception of Ben Browder, who is an American actor.