Sci-Fi - Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal

...as the basic for this Sci-fi series. Dan Aykroyd along with his brother Peter went on to make the series, peter being one of the original executive producers.

THE SERIES

In 'PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal' the essential elements of the real life OSIR investigations have been dramatised and in many cases expanded on. The show first aired in 1996, each half-hour episode concentrated on a supposedly real life ...
...Rod sterling on the classic Sci-fi show 'Twilight Zone' he presents each case and rounds things off at the end sometimes highlighting some moral or ethical insight to the story just witnessed.

AN OVERALL VIEW

After a somewhat inauspicious beginning this show gradually grew in to an above average example of the X-files type genre of Sci-fi. To begin with the half hourly format of the show coupled with the decision not ... more

This Canadian produced series was inspired to some extent by the X-Files phenomena but managed to be interesting addition to the genre rather than yet another bland copy.

PSI PHENOMENON

Any events that cannot seemingly be understood or explained by the accepted laws of nature can be described as Parapsychological events or PSI phenomenon. Parapsychology is concerned with studying such events. A privately funded organisation called the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research (OSIR), comprising of over 3000 scientists and researchers, actually exists. Its main purpose is to use scientific disciplines to explore incidents that might be considered paranormal in nature. These events would include UFO sightings, time travel, cryptozoological phenomena, possessions, miracles, geophysical mysteries, astral projection, psychokinesis, precognition, altered states, near-death experiences reincarnation and telepathy, basically the kind of things that Mulder and Scully would be involved in. The O.S.I.R. has been around for a number of years but they always kept a low profile only occasionally entering the public domain to serve as paranormal 'experts' for news media, television programmes and various magazine.

The OSIR have always had a strict policy of confidentiality relating to their investigations but the story goes that the actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd, a lifelong student of the paranormal finally persuaded them to allow some of their case files to be used as the basic for this Sci-fi series. Dan Aykroyd along with his brother Peter went on to make the series, peter being one of the original executive producers.

THE SERIES

In 'PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal' the essential elements of the real life OSIR investigations have been dramatised and in many cases expanded on. The show first aired in 1996, each half-hour episode concentrated on a supposedly real life case from the OSIR files. The programmes didn't feature a regular line up; instead the cast alternated with different episodes. Not helped by the low budget and its unusual format the first series proved to be only a moderate success. The producers decided to re-wamp the show for the second series, they introduced more conventional one hour storylines allowing better character a theme development and brought in some new faces as well a regular character line up. The following series proved to be more successful and the show lasted for a total of 4 seasons over four years.

CAST

Dan Aykroyd - The Host
Paul Miller .... Professor Connor Doyle (1996-97)
Nancy Anne Sakovich .... Lindsay Donner
Barclay Hope .... Peter Axon
Matt Frewer .... Matt Praeger (1997-1999)
Colin Fox.... Professor Anton Hendricks
Maurice Dean Wint .... Dr. Curtis Rollins
Soo Garay .... Dr. Claire Davison
Nigel Bennett .... Frank Elsinger (1996-99)
Peter Blais .... Lennox 'L.Q.' Cooper (1996-99)
Lisa LaCroix .... Natasha Constantine (1996-97)
Peter MacNeill.... Ray Donahue (1996-99)
Michael Moriarty .... Michael Kelly (1997-98)
Joanne Vannicola .... Mia Stone (1999-2000)
Elizabeth Shepherd .... Dr. Marian Smithwick (1996-97)
Tamara Gorski .... Dr. Alexandra Corliss (1996-97)
Jeffrey Knight .... Dr. Sandor Winkler (1996-1997)

CHARACTER PROFILES

Professor Connor Doyle

Professor Doyle was the original Case Manager in season one. He was a laid-back former Navy Commander with degrees in psychology and geophysics. Although he acted as an objective observer to the Psi events he frequently became emotionally involved due top his desire to help the so-called 'experiencers' of the paranormal events. He was a strong leader but also managed to be part of the team. Doyle mysteriously disappears at the end of season 1 while on a routine case in Russia. His whereabouts are never discovered and he is presumed dead. He was greatly missed by the rest of his team.

Peter Axon

Peter Axon is the Australian chief scientific investigator with the O.S.I.R. He served as a sort of right-hand man to Doyle and expected to take over as case manager on Doyle's disappearance. Axon began his work at the OSIR as a sceptic but eventually accepted the existence of paranormal phenomena. He has a knack of coming up with some extraordinary theories in an attempt to explain the PSI events but these are always backed up with scientific knowledge. He takes his job very seriously and can come across as being a very intense person. His speciality is hyper-dimensional physics.

Matt Preager

An ex- F.B.I. operative Matt Preager takes over from Connor Doyle at the start of season 2. Preager is a brilliant criminologist and has had years of experience in the field. He is sceptical of the paranormal but insists on a thorough investigation taking place. His leadership style is very different from Doyle and at first the team in particular Peter Axon does not readily accept him.

Lindsay Donner

Lindsay Donner is the chief data analyst of the team. She is the daughter of a Nobel Prize-winning chemist and has master's degrees in psychology and biology. She is smart, beautiful and totally committed to her job. She is a good team member but often questions the secretive policies adopted by the OSIR chiefs. She can be quick tempered and unpredictable. She also provides the 'Babe' factor on the show!

Anton Hendricks

Hendricks is the longest serving members of the team and serves as the medical expert. He can be relied upon to take the side of the experiencers and to protect their rights above the interests of the investigation. In his own life he has experienced paranormal events when his wife and daughter disappeared without trace after serious car crash. In an episode of the series he finally solves this mystery. Although he begins in the series as Chief of Medicine he later becomes Director of Operations. As the oldest member of the team her also acts as an advisor and councillor to other members of the team when they are in need.

Frank Elsinger

Frank Elsinger was the original Director of Operations at OSIR. He was a mysterious character who always seemed to know more than he let on. One always suspects that he was really working to an ulterior secret agenda. He came across as a soft-spoken charming individual but he always let the members of the team know he was in charge. He finally left OSIR at the end of the third season; the reasons for his departure were never fully explained.

Curtis Rollins

Curtis Rollins is a specialist in mathematics and chemistry; he is also the youngest OSIR case manager. Rollins is very ambitious but doesn't believe in cutting corners. He also worked in the FBI for several years as a behavioural scientist before joining the OSIR. At times we are unsure of his real motivations and suspect that his agenda might be similar to Elsinger's rather than the rest of the team.

Lennox 'L.Q.' Cooper

Cooper is the OSIR's leading zoologist. Cooper is passionate to the point of obsession about his work. He is brought in to study any unusual or alien life forms that the OSIR come across during their investigations. Sometimes his interests can be at odds with the procedures laid out by his case manager.

Claire Davison

Dr. Claire Davison is the senior pathologist for the O.S.I.R. People would describe her as a sceptic when it comes to the paranormal preferring to use scientific methods and analysis to explain unusual events. She always strives to get to the truth and her dedication to her work and the rest of the team is obvious.

Natasha Constantine

As a former journalist Natasha is a tough hard-nosed investigator who will not let anyone stand in her way. She is also a trained anthropologist.

Ray Donnahue

Donnahue is the team's liaison officer with the police. He himself was a Chicago homicide police officer and so knows the procedures necessary to let the investigations run smoothly. There is a mystery connected with his past and some connection with the military is hinted at.

Mia Stone

Fresh out of college, Mia Stone joined the O.S.I.R. straight from college. She has a doctorate in parapsychology. She has always been a loner and sometimes has difficulty blending in to the team

Dan Akroyd

Dan Aykroyd is the host of Psi factor. Similar to the role of Rod sterling on the classic Sci-fi show 'Twilight Zone' he presents each case and rounds things off at the end sometimes highlighting some moral or ethical insight to the story just witnessed.

AN OVERALL VIEW

After a somewhat inauspicious beginning this show gradually grew in to an above average example of the X-files type genre of Sci-fi. To begin with the half hourly format of the show coupled with the decision not to use a regular cast for each show didn't allow a proper exploration of the stories nor did it allow for much in-depth characterisation. The show really began to improve once the one hour episodes stated. The introduction of Matt Preager played in his usual quirky fashion by Matt Frewer (formerly Max Headroom) also introduced a little tension in to the relationships within the team. Since Praeger took over from the popular Connor Doyle he was initially viewed with suspicion by the rest of the team. Anton and Lindsay soon accepted him but Peter Axon still had many reservations although he finally accepted hi authority. This uneasy truce between the two served as an interesting backdrop to the series and was a continuous theme through series 2 and 3.

Although almost all the episode was self-contained certain story lines did resurface from time to time. The best of these involved the discovery of the 'Arch' and ancient maybe alien artefact that seemingly allowed the laws of nature to be broken and acted as a gateway in to a parallel world where time and space were held in limbo.

Other stories developed more personal aspects of the characters lives making the characters themselves more believable and allowing the audience to connect more directly with them. These factors helped to make this show stand out form the numerous X-file copies that were attempted in the 90's.

Although a fairly low budget was used in the making of the series and although this was noticeable in the special effects used it did not adversely affect the entertainment value of the show. Although the quality of the stories was sometimes a bit hit and miss overall the acting and scripts were of a high standard. The idea that the stories themselves were based on real life cases also added some interest to the series and made it unique.

The series was finally axed in 2000 after a variety of personnel changes had taken place in series 4. The shows fortunes seem to take a turn for the worse when Matt Frewer left and event he addition of some new bright characters like Mia Stone didn't help matters.

Despite the worsening ratings the show had a very loyal and committed fan base that instigated a campaign to try and get a further series or a movie made. Unfortunately this as so far come to nothing and the show's producers as well as some of its star have publicly stated that there is no possibility of the show being resurrected.

Whilst never reaching the heights X-files, Psi Factor makes entertaining viewing for fans of the genre.

THE EPISODES

Season 1 (30minute episodes) - Oct/May 1996/7

1 The Underneath
2 Phantom Limb
3 The Transient
4 Two Lost Old Men ker
5 Ufo Duplication 6 Clara'S Friend
7 The Hunter
8 The Healer
9 Dream House
10 UFO Encounter
11 Possession
12 Man Out Of Time
13 Reptillian Revenge
14 Ghostly Voices
15 Creeping Darkness
16 The Power
17 Freefall
18 The Presence
19 Infestation
20 Human Apportation
21 The Curse
22 Angel On A Plane
23 Anasazi Cave
24 Devil's Triangle
25 The Undead
26 Stalker Moon
27 The Forbidden North
28 Reincarnation
29 Greenhouse Effect
30 The Buzz
31 The Light
32 The 13Th Floor
33 The Believer
34 The Fog
35 House On Garden Street
36 Second Sight
37 Chocolate Soldier
38 The Fire Within
39 Fate
40 Death At Sunset
41 Collision
42 Perestroika

Season 2 (22x60minute episodes) - Sep/May 1997/8

43 Threads
44 Donor
45 Wish I May
46 Communion
47 Frozen in Time
48 Devolution
49 The Warrior Rick
50 The Grey Men
51 Man of War
52 The Damned
53 Hell Week
54 The Edge
55 Bad Dreams
56 Kiss of the Tiger
57 The Haunting
58 The Night of the Setting Sun
59 The Labyrinth
60 Pentimento
61 Frozen Faith
62 Map to the Stars
63 The Endangered
64 The Egress

Season 3 (16x60minutes episodes) - Sep/May 1998/9

65 Jaunt
66 Comings And Goings
67 Heartland
68 The Kiss
69 Absolution
70 All Hallows Eve
71 Palimpsest Palimpsest
72 Return
73 Harlequin
74 Little People
75 The Winding Cloth
76 Chango
77 Solitary Confinement
78 Valentine
79 Old Wounds
80 The Observer Effect

Season 4 (22x60minute episodes)-1999-2000

81 Shocking
82 Sacrifices
83 Happy Birthday, Matt Praeger
84 Soul Survivor
85 883
86 Once Upon A Time In The West
87 Body And Soul
88 Temple Of Light
89 Inertia
90 Nocturnal Cabal
91 'Til Death Do Us Part
92 Tyler/Tim
93 Super Sargasso Sea
94 Persistence Of Vision
95 Geo Core
96 Gone Fishing
97 Chiaroscuro
98 Regeneration
99 Wendigo
100 Elevator
101 Force Majeure
102 Stone Dreams

AVAILABILITY

All the episodes are available on VHS video (3x 1 hour episodes per tape) at £11.50 each
Or on DVD (3 x 1 hour episodes per disc) at £15.99 each.

The show is often repeated on Satellite/cable TV last seen twice weekly on the Sci-fi channel.

Thanks for reading and rating this opinion.

© Mauri 2002
 

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