| Warehouse 13 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by |
|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 65(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Production locations | Toronto,Ontario, Canada |
| Cinematography | Mike McMurray |
| Editor | Andrew Sekilr |
| Camera setup | Multiple-camera |
| Running time | 42–44 minutes 87 minutes ("Pilot") |
| Production company | Universal Cable Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syfy |
| Release | July 7, 2009 (2009-07-07) – May 19, 2014 (2014-05-19) |
| Related | |
| Eureka Alphas | |
Warehouse 13 is an Americanscience fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on theSyfy network,[1][2] and was executively produced byJack Kenny andDavid Simkins forUniversal Cable Productions.[3] Described as "partThe X-Files, partRaiders of the Lost Ark and partMoonlighting",[4] the show's blend ofscience fiction,comedy and drama is said to have borrowed much from the American-Canadianhorrortelevision seriesFriday the 13th: The Series (1987–1990).[5][6][7] The program follows a team of field agents who retrieve artifacts that have become charged with energy that can give them dangerous powers if misused. Once retrieved and neutralized, the objects are stored in Warehouse 13, the latest in a line of storehouses with infinite capacity that have served this purpose for millennia.
The series followsU.S. Secret ServiceAgents Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) and Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) when they are assigned to the secretive Warehouse 13 forsupernatural artifacts.[4][8][9][10] It is located in abarren landscape inSouth Dakota, and they initially regard the assignment as punishment. As they go about their assignments to retrieve missing artifacts and investigate reports of new ones, they come to understand the importance of what they are doing.[4][10] In episode 4 of the first season, they meetClaudia Donovan (Allison Scagliotti), who is searching for her missing brother; in season 2, she joins the team as their technology expert. In episode 1 of season 3, Steve Jinks (Aaron Ashmore), an agent from theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, comes aboard.
The series posits that there have been a dozen incarnations of the warehouse before the present-day 13th in South Dakota. Warehouse 1 was built between 336 and 323 BC on the orders ofAlexander the Great as a place to keep artifacts obtained by war.[11] After Alexander died, the warehouse was moved toEgypt, establishing the practice of locating the warehouse in the most powerful empire of the day, under the reasoning that it will be best defended there. Egypt'sPtolemaic rulers appointed a group of people, known as the Regents, to oversee the warehouse and act as its first "agents" and collectors of artifacts. Warehouse 2 lasted until theRoman conquest of Egypt.[12]
Other warehouses throughout history include: Warehouse 3 inWestern Roman Empire (Italy), Warehouse 4 inHunnic Empire until the death ofAttila the Hun, Warehouse 5 in theByzantine Empire, Warehouse 6 inCambodia under theKhmer Empire, Warehouse 7 in theMongol Empire underGenghis Khan, Warehouse 8 in Germany during theHoly Roman Empire (1260–1517), Warehouse 9 in theOttoman capital ofConstantinople until the death ofSuleiman the Magnificent, Warehouse 10 inMughal Empire (India), Warehouse 11 in theRussian Empire under theRomanov Dynasty (the 1812Napoleonic War with Russia was an attempt to seize control of Warehouse 11), and Warehouse 12 in the United Kingdom from 1830 until 1914. It was during the time of Warehouse 11 that the Regents began to employ agents to gather and protect artifacts.[13] This practice continued under Warehouse 12, with British agents traveling further and further searching for artifacts to add to the collection.[14][15]
The next move brought the warehouse toSouth Dakota in the United States. Unlike previous warehouses, which were placed in the centers of their empires, Warehouse 13 was located in a remote area of South Dakota to hide it.[16] The first Warehouse 13 was built in 1898, but the structure burned down because of an insufficient understanding of how to safely store artifacts.[17] The move to the rebuilt and current Warehouse 13 occurred in 1914 at the onset ofWorld War I. The warehouse was designed byThomas Edison,Nikola Tesla, andM. C. Escher, while the warehouse's expansion joints were created byAlbert Einstein.[18]
Originally, artifacts are items connected to some historical or mythological figure or event. Each artifact has been imbued withsomething from its creator, user, or a major event in history. Some are well known:Studio 54'sDisco ball;Lewis Carroll'slooking glass, which contains an evil entity called "Alice" that can possess other people's bodies (Myka in Season 1 episode "Duped"), leaving their minds trapped in the mirror; andEdgar Allan Poe's pen and a volume of his writing, which can make whatever the user writes a reality. Some are not:Lizzie Borden had a mirroredcompact that today compels users to kill their loved ones with an axe;Marilyn Monroe owned a brush that now turns its user's hair platinum blonde, which Myka once used on herself while under the influence ofW. C. Fields' juggling balls that induce drunkenness and blackouts. Others may have humorous effects, such asIvan Pavlov's bell, which will call any dog to you but causes excessive drooling for 24 hours, and a magic kettle that grants wishes but produces a ferret if the wish is impossible. The artifacts react with electricity and can be neutralized by immersion in a mysterious purple goo or placed inside a neutralizing reflective bag, both produced by Global Dynamics, a research laboratory fromWarehouse 13's sister show,Eureka. Artie has also mentioned that ingesting neutralizer will make you "see things".[19] During episode 403 (season 4), Mrs. Frederic shows Claudia an artifact being created—a silver bracelet worn by an ordinary person who exhibits extraordinary courage.
Warehouse agents are provided by the host country of the warehouse, in this case from various government agencies (such as theSecret Service,FBI,ATF,CDC, andDEA, etc.). Agents of Warehouse 13 in particular were chosen either for their above-average intelligence (Artie is an expert NSA codebreaker, Myka has aneidetic memory and a wealth of encyclopedic knowledge, Claudia andH.G. Wells are both expert inventors) or because they possess a kind of extranormal ability (Pete and Mrs. Frederic both receive "vibes" regarding situations; Leena can read people's auras; and Jinks has the ability to tell when a person is lying).
The network, then namedSciFi, originally ordered a two-hourpilot episode written byFarscape creatorRockne S. O'Bannon,Battlestar Galactica co-Executive ProducerJane Espenson, and D. Brent Mote.[4]Jace Alexander eventually directed a revised version written by Espenson, Mote, andBlade: The Series executive producer David Simkins.[10] SciFi ordered an additional nine episodes on September 19, 2008.[10][22] The series premiered in the U.S. on July 7, 2009[1][2] concurrent with the name-change to Syfy. Executive ProducerJack Kenny took over showrunning duties beginning with Episode 2, and continued to run the series until its conclusion. The series was filmed in and aroundToronto, Ontario.[23]
Warehouse 13 was part of Syfy's developingshared fictional universe, with several characterscrossing over between series:
Warehouse 13 imported characters from other TV series, but would often castpairs of actors who had worked together on other series as single-episode characters.
The series premiere was Syfy's third largest debut to date, garnering 3.5 million viewers.[24][25] The first six episodes were all among the top ten highest rated series episodes on Syfy. Episode 6, "Burnout", drew 4.4 million viewers, setting the record for Syfy's highest rated show.[26] Season 2 began July 6, 2010.[27] It was renewed October 5, 2010, for a third season of 13 episodes, which began July 11, 2011.[28] It was renewed for a fourth season August 11, 2011,[29] which began July 23, 2012. On May 16, 2013, Syfy renewed the series for a six-episode fifth and final season,[30] which aired its series finale on May 19, 2014.
Warehouse 13's series premiere was the most-watched cable show on American television that night.[25] With 3.5 million viewers, it was also Syfy's third best premiere ever, behindStargate Atlantis (2004) andEureka (2006).[1][25]
Joanne Ostrow ofThe Denver Post described it as "X-Files light, with the bickering Scully and Mulder stand-ins going off onIndiana Jones-style adventures."[31]IGN reviewer Ramsey Isler gave the pilot a positive review, but felt that it was not enough to give Syfy "a chance to once again boast the best sci-fi show on TV."[32]
Ken Tucker ofEntertainment Weekly gave it a negative review in July 2009, describing it as an "unholy cross betweenThe X-Files,Bones, andRaiders of the Lost Ark."[33] In July 2010, Tucker amended his opinion, stating that "Warehouse improved as it went along" and "grew more riveting"; he subsequently gave the show a rating of "B".[34]
In 2010, the series' composer,Edward Rogers, was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Original Main Title Theme Music.[35]
Warehouse 13 has received seven 2012 Portal Award nominations, including best television series, best actor (Eddie McClintock), best actress (Joanne Kelly), best supporting actor (Saul Rubinek), best supporting actress (Allison Scagliotti), best special guest (Jaime Murray asHelena G. Wells), and best episode ("Emily Lake"). It was Eddie McClintock's third straight nomination and the second nomination for Saul Rubinek and Allison Scagliotti.
As of September 2020,Warehouse 13 scored 82 percent among all critics (60 percent among top critics) and 87 percent with audience members onRotten Tomatoes.[36]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 13 | July 7, 2009 (2009-07-07) | September 22, 2009 (2009-09-22) | |
| 2 | 13 | July 6, 2010 (2010-07-06) | December 7, 2010 (2010-12-07) | |
| 3 | 13 | July 11, 2011 (2011-07-11) | December 6, 2011 (2011-12-06) | |
| 4 | 20 | 10 | July 23, 2012 (2012-07-23) | October 1, 2012 (2012-10-01) |
| 10 | April 29, 2013 (2013-04-29) | July 8, 2013 (2013-07-08) | ||
| 5 | 6 | April 14, 2014 (2014-04-14) | May 19, 2014 (2014-05-19) | |
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release dates | Additional features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| Warehouse 13: Season One | 13 | June 29, 2010[37] | June 22, 2010[38] | March 2, 2011[39] | Season 2 Sneak Peek, Deleted Scenes, Artie-Facts, Saul Searching, What's in the Shadows, Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe, "Claudia" Feature Commentary, "Implosion" Feature Commentary, "Macpherson" Feature Commentary, Pilot Commentary with Cast And Crew, Pilot Podcast with Series Star Saul Rubinek, Gag Reel, Syfy Featurettes. NOTE: For Season 1, some of the music from broadcast has been replaced by generic music.[40] |
| Warehouse 13: Season Two | 13 | June 28, 2011[41] | July 5, 2011[42] | July 4, 2012[43] | Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, "Crossing Over" Eureka cross over episode, A Thrilleromedy, A Stitch in Time, Designing the Warehouse,"Time Will Tell" Commentary, "Merge With Caution" Commentary, "Reset" Commentary, Video Blogs, Photo Gallery. Does not contain season 2 episode 13 "Secret Santa". |
| Warehouse 13: Season Three | 13 | July 10, 2012[44] | September 17, 2012[45] | November 7, 2013[46] | Of Monster and Men – 10 part animated series including exclusive chapter, season 2 episode 13Secret Santa, Gag Reel, Guest Starring..., Love Sick, Audio commentaries onThe New Guy,3...2...1... andThe 40th Floor. Does not contain season 3 episode 13The Greatest Gift. (The R2 DVD includesThe Greatest Gift.) |
| Warehouse 13: Season Four | 20 | July 9, 2013[47] | September 2, 2013[48] | November 27, 2014[49] | Extended, Deleted and Alternate Scenes, Gag Reel,Grand Designs Web Series, Podcasts:No Pain, No Gain,Fractures,Endless Wonder,Second Chance,The Ones You Love,We All Fall Down,A New Hope,An Evil Within,Personal Effects,There’s Always a Downside,The Truth Hurts,The Sky’s the Limit[50] |
| Warehouse 13: Season Five | 6 | May 20, 2014[51] | February 12, 2015 | November 26, 2015[52] | Extended, Deleted and Alternate Scenes,Endless Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Holiday Episode:The Greatest Gift, Warehouse 13: Behind the Shelves, Podcasts:Endless Terror,Secret Service,A Faire to Remember,Savage Seduction,Cangku Shisi,Endless[53] |
| Warehouse 13: The Complete Series | 64 | May 20, 2014[51] | September 15, 2014[54] | November 26, 2015[55] | |
As of 2021 five seasons ofWarehouse 13 are available onPeacock.[56] Individual episodes can be purchased at theGoogle Play Store,Apple TV+,Vudu,iTunes,[57]Amazon Prime Video,Fandango Now.
The first part of a five-partcomic series was released in August 2011 byDynamite Entertainment[58] with part five released in December 2011.[59] A trade paperback was released in May 2012 containing all five parts.[60]
In August 2016, Infinite Dreams Gaming and Conquest Gaming announcedWarehouse 13: The Board Game coming toKickstarter. It is a semi-cooperative game for three to five players taking the role of Warehouse Agents with one player working secretly against the Warehouse. Agents must work together trying to retrieve artifacts while uncovering the identity of the traitor.[61]
An expansion was funded onKickstarter in 2021, but still hasn't been fulfilled as of July 2024 with the last update in March 2022.[62]
In theJohn Ringo novel Queen of Wands, Artie and Claudia make an appearance at the end of the novella 'The Shadow of Death' to take possession of an Osemi artifact from Barbara Everett.
SCI FI Channel has given a green light to production on Warehouse 13, ordering 11 hours of the new drama, including the previously produced two-hour pilot. Warehouse 13 stars Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly and Saul Rubinek.
