All signs indicate that 2016 is going to be a monster year when it comes to exciting sci-fi and fantasy TV shows. After it's been announced the shows like American Gods and Hyperion will air next year, with potentially George A. Romero's zombie series as well, another title has joined the list of promising projects. Fox has ordered the first season of Houdini & Doyle, a supernatural adventure Series that will feature two iconic figures from history, namely Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as they join forces with New Scotland Yard to solve unimaginable crimes which are seemingly plagued with the supernatural.
Master magician and escape artist Houdini will be played by Michael Weston (House, Six Feet Under), while the role of the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Doyle, has befallen to Stephen Mangan (Episodes). Rebecca Liddiard (Man Seeking Woman) also joins the cast as Constable Adelaide Stratton, who is the first female constable to serve in the London Metropolitan Police Force.
The plot will be inspired by true events, but will mainly focus on the relationship of the two main characters. As David Shore, the show's executive producer mentioned, the rumoured friendship between Doyle and Houdini has always fascinated him, and he is quite excited to present this story to the audience with two excellent actors.
The other fantastic news is that Houdini and Doyle will premiere spring 2016 on ITV Encore in the UK and Global in Canada before airing on Fox in the US, meaning that the curious viewers don't have to wait too long to get a glimpse at the show which, based on what we know so far, looks more than fantastic. The first season will consist of ten episodes, which is also good news since it allows the project to spend enough money on visual effects and high-quality story throughout the season, just like if it was a cable TV show.
While Hollywood is suffering from the lack of success from original stories, TV series are gaining dominance in this field, and Houdini & Doyle is just the latest example for this new trend. Whether it can continue the success of Game of Thrones, Walking Dead or True Detective remains to be seen.
