''Channel Zero'' is an American

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

television series created by

Nick Antosca Nicholas J. Antosca (born January 23, 1983) is an American film and television writer, producer, and novelist. He is the creator and showrunner of ''Channel Zero (TV series), Channel Zero'' (2016–18) and ''A Friend of the Family (miniseries), A ...

, who serves as writer, showrunner, and executive producer. The series was

greenlit In the context of the film and television industries, to greenlight is to give permission to proceed with a project. It specifically refers to formally approving its production finance and committing to this financing, thereby allowing the project ...

for two 6-episode, self-contained seasons, which aired in late 2016 and late 2017 on Syfy. The storylines for the series are based on popular

creepypasta A creepypasta is a horror-related legend which has been shared around the Internet. The term ''creepypasta'' has since become a catch-all term for any horror content posted onto the Internet. These entries are often brief, user-generated, par ...

s. On February 9, 2017, Syfy renewed the series for a third and fourth season. The series premiered on October 11, 2016. The first installment, based on

Kris Straub Kristofer Straub (born January 17, 1979) is an American web cartoonist, performer, and content creator. His key web comic projects include ''Checkerboard Nightmare'', ''Starslip'', ''Chainsawsuit'', ''Broodhollow'', and ''F Chords''. Other notabl ...

's '' Candle Cove'', stars Paul Schneider and

Fiona Shaw Fiona Shaw (born Fiona Mary Wilson; 10 July 1958) is an Irish film and theatre actress. She did extensive work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, as well as in film and television. In 2020, she was listed at No. 29 o ...

and was directed by Craig William Macneill. It centers on Straub's story of one man's obsessive recollection of a mysterious children's television program from the 1980s. The second season premiered on September 20, 2017, is based on Brian Russell's ''The No-End House'' and was directed by Steven Piet. The third season, ''Butcher's Block'', premiered on February 7, 2018, is based on Kerry Hammond's "Search and Rescue Woods" and was directed by

Arkasha Stevenson Arkasha Stevenson is an American filmmaker and former journalist. She has directed episodes of ''Legion'' and '' Briarpatch'', as well as the third season of ''Channel Zero''. She made her feature directorial debut with the 2024 horror film '' ...

. The fourth season, ''The Dream Door'', was broadcast between October 26 and 31, 2018, is based on Charlotte Bywater's "Hidden Door" and was directed by E. L. Katz. On January 16, 2019, Syfy cancelled ''Channel Zero'' after four seasons.

Series overview

Plot

Season 1: ''Candle Cove'' A child psychologist returns to his hometown to determine if his brother's disappearance is somehow connected to a series of similar incidents and a bizarre children's television series that aired at the same time. Season 2: ''No-End House'' A young woman and her group of friends visit a house of horrors only to find themselves questioning whether it is a tourist attraction or something more sinister. Season 3: ''Butcher's Block'' A young woman and her schizophrenic sister move to a city haunted by a series of disappearances and, after suspecting that they may be connected to a baffling rumor, they must work together to discover what is preying on the city's residents. Season 4: ''The Dream Door'' Newlyweds Jillian and Tom have each brought secrets into their marriage. When they discover a door in their basement, those secrets start to threaten their relationship — and their lives.

Cast and characters

* * *

Episodes

Season 1: ''Candle Cove'' (2016)

Season 2: ''No-End House'' (2017)

Season 3: ''Butcher's Block'' (2018)

Season 4: ''The Dream Door'' (2018)

Production

In 2015, Syfy announced that they had greenlit ''Channel Zero'' for twelve episodes, which would air as two six-episode seasons. The first season would center upon the popular

'' Candle Cove''. The second season would focus on a new story, based on the creepypasta ''The No-End House''. Universal Cable Production would serve as the production company for the series, with

Max Landis Max Landis (born August 3, 1985) is an American filmmaker. He is the son of director John Landis. He wrote scripts for the films ''Chronicle'' (2012), '' American Ultra'' (2015), ''Victor Frankenstein'' (2015), and '' Bright'' (2017). He wrote ...

and

both serving as the series' executive producers. Craig William Macneill was chosen to direct the first season of ''Channel Zero'' in February 2016. Paul Schneider and

were confirmed as starring in ''Channel Zero'''s first season in June 2016. Schneider was set to portray Mike Painter, a child psychologist whose twin brother went missing years before and whose mother, portrayed by Shaw, is reluctant to indulge his desire to investigate. Natalie Brown and

Shaun Benson Shaun Benson (born January 16, 1976) is a Canadian actor and director. He acted in several theatre productions in the 1990s before embarking on his film and television career. In 2002, Benson appeared alongside Harrison Ford in the American sub ...

were also named as starring in the series. Filming began in

Selkirk, Manitoba Selkirk is a city in the western Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba, located on the Red River of the North, Red River about northeast of Winnipeg, the provincial capital. It has a population of 10,504 as of the 20 ...

, Canada during May 2016 and wrapped on July 28, after 46 days of shooting. Filming for Season 2 was set to start September 13, 2016, in

Oakbank, Manitoba Oakbank is an unincorporated community in Manitoba, Canada located about 15 km east of the provincial capital Winnipeg, in the Rural Municipality of Springfield. It has a population of about 5,000, making it the largest List of communities i ...

. An advance screening of the first episode premiered at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

. Creator Nick Antosca revealed on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

that season 2 would premiere on September 20, 2017. Filming for Season 3 took place from July to August 30, 2017, in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Canada. Filming for Season 4 began in early May 2018 and wrapped that July.

Music score

In season 2, "Bathysphere" by Cat Power plays at the end of the first episode. "Concrete Walls" from

Fever Ray Karin Elisabeth Dreijer (born 7 April 1975) is a Swedish singer-songwriter and record producer. Dreijer was one half of the electronic music duo the Knife, formed with their brother Olof Dreijer. They released their debut solo album unde ...

's eponymous album plays during the end of the third episode and "Between the Bars" from

Madeleine Peyroux Madeleine Peyroux (born April 19, 1974) is an American jazz singer and songwriter who began her career as a teenager on the streets of Paris. She sang vintage jazz and blues songs before finding mainstream success in 2004 when her album ''Carele ...

's ''

Careless Love "Careless Love" is a traditional song, with several popular blues versions. It has been called a "nineteenth-century ballad and Dixieland standard". The death referenced in an old version was the son of a Kentucky governor. Although published acc ...

'' plays at the start of the sixth episode. In season 3, portions of "

Koyaanisqatsi ''Koyaanisqatsi'' is a 1982 American non-narrative documentary film directed and produced by Godfrey Reggio, featuring music by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron Fricke. Described as an "essay in images and sound on the state of American ...

" by Philip Glass play during the fifth and sixth episodes. Some of the Kyrie from

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

's Requiem is also heard during the sixth episode. Selections from The Caretaker's ''

An Empty Bliss Beyond This World '' An Empty Bliss Beyond This World'' (stylized as “''An empty bliss beyond this World''”) is the ninth studio album by the Caretaker, an ambient music project of English musician Leyland Kirby, released on 1 June 2011 through History Always ...

'' also recur as motifs throughout all six episodes of the season.

Broadcast

Showcase broadcasts each season in Canada after Syfy has finished airing it within the United States. The horror streaming service Shudder streams all four seasons of the series as of October 10, 2019.

Reception

The first season of ''Channel Zero'' received generally favorable reviews from critics. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, it has an approval rating of 86% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 6.83/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Creepy, unsettling, and refreshingly unique, ''Channel Zero: Candle Cove'' draws on easily relatable childhood fears while peeling back layers of spine-tingling mystery." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

it has a rating of 75 out of 100 based on 5 reviews. The second season received highly favorable reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 100% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "''No End Houses central mystery is stronger and scarier than Channel Zero's first, solidifying its status as one of TV's scariest horror offerings." The third season on Rotten Tomatoes has an approval rating of 100% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Creepier than ever, ''Channel Zero: Butcher's Block'' delivers the disturbing elements a good horror demands, with the added bonus of a solid narrative.".

Ratings

Season 1: ''Candle Cove'' (2016)

Season 2: ''No-End House'' (2017)

Season 3: ''Butcher's Block'' (2018)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Urban Legends 2016 American television series debuts 2018 American television series endings 2010s American horror television series Adaptations of works by Kris Straub 2010s American anthology television series Fiction about filicide Fiction about fratricide Fiction about mind control Television series about parallel universes Syfy original programming Television series based on short fiction Television series about fictional serial killers Television series about missing people Television series about television Television series based on Internet-based works Television series by Universal Cable Productions Television shows filmed in Manitoba Television shows set in Ohio Works about psychology Works by Max Landis Creepypasta Internet memes introduced in 2016