Sci Fi Channel has announced that it's ordered a pilot for Ghost Hunters: College Edition, the working title of a second spinoff of the network's popular Ghost Hunters reality series.
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Sci Fi Channel premiered Ghost Hunters International -- Ghost Hunters' first spinoff -- in January. Similar to the franchise's original edition, Ghost Hunters International follows investigators from The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), a Rhode Island-based group, as they investigate alleged hauntings and bizarre occurrences. However instead of investigating American locations like Ghost Hunters does, the International edition investigates European locations.
The network renewed Ghost Hunters International for a second season in August.
Ghost Hunters' original edition -- which features investigators led by TAPS founders and real-life plumbers Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson -- premiered in October 2004 and was renewed for a 25-episode fifth season in July. After several years of ratings growth, Ghost Hunters now ranks as one of Sci Fi Channel's highest-rated series.
Last night's Sci Fi Channel broadcast of a new fourth-season Ghost Hunters episode averaged 3.2 million viewers, which represented the network's highest total viewership figure for an original series since its Eureka drama debuted in July 2006. In addition, it also delivered the network's all-time best performance in the Females 18-49 and Females 25-54 ratings demographics and the network's third-highest all-time original series performance in the Adults 18-49 demographic.
The show's success has resulted in other cable networks launching similar reality series -- including Paranormal State, an A&E series that, similar to Ghost Hunters: College Edition's premise, follows Pennsylvania State University's Paranormal Research Society (PRS) as they investigate the truth behind real-life paranormal mysteries.
Like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Hunters: College Edition will be produced by Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Films and Television, with Piligian and Thomas Thayer, as well as Rob Katz and Alan David, serving as executive producers.
The producers have not decided whether any current members of either existing Ghost Hunters edition will participate in the franchise's new college edition, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
About The Author: John Bracchitta
