Tonight Syfy kicks off a new Thursday night lineup, beginning with the second season premiere of Van Helsing. In the first season, Vanessa Helsing awoke from a long coma to find herself in a world overrun by vampires, and learned that her young daughter was missing. She banded with a group of survivors while she looked for her daughter. In the process, she discovered that she had special powers—her blood could turn vampires back into humans. Dmitri, the leader of the vampires, managed to capture Vanessa and brought her to his citadel where he had his doctor perform experiments on her, trying to learn more about her unique blood. However, the experiments seem to have left Vanessa with super-human strength, and she managed to break free. As Vanessa roamed the building, she found her daughter, but Dylan had been turned into a vampire. Meanwhile, Taka, with the help of vampire Rebecca, led a small Resistance army into the citadel to take down the vampires. While the others spread out, he found Dmitri, and was about to kill him when Dmitri made him an offer.

Tonight’s second season premiere picks up right where the first season left off. How will Vanessa deal with her vampire daughter? Will she try to use her blood to save her, or is it already too late? The same goes for Julius, who was also turned at the end of last season. What did Dmitri offer Taka, and will he betray the Resistance? Will Vanessa rejoin the others? How will she react to reuniting with Mohamad after his betrayal last season? It should be another exciting season!

While she’s not in tonight’s episode, Missy Peregrym (Rookie Blue) will be joining the cast this season as Scarlett Harker. I’m sure that last name is no coincidence, and so I’m looking forward to seeing how she fits into the story. I had a chance to talk with some of the cast members and producers about the show at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. You can find my video interviews here.

In tonight’s premiere, “Began Again”, Vanessa and Mohamad search for Dylan as Dmitri’s citadel crumbles around them; Flesh acquires an unexpected ally in one of the Resistance Fighters; Taka clashes with the Vampire Elite.

Also premiering tonight on Syfy is the new horror series Ghost Wars, from creator Simon Barry (Continuum, Van Helsing) and producers Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev (Fargo, Van Helsing, Hell On Wheels). The small Alaskan town of Port Moore is suddenly struck by a mass haunting. Evil spirits are running amok, threatening to destroy the town and everyone in it. Roman Mercer (Avan Jogia, Tut, Victorious) has been able to communicate with spirits ever since he was young, which has left him a troubled loner. Now he must overcome his own personal demons and use his psychic powers to help stop the evil forces. However, town bully/handyman Doug Rennie (Meat Loaf) is not a fan of Mercer and tries to get the townspeople riled up against him. Meanwhile, Father Dan Carpenter (Vincent D’Onfrio, Emerald City, Daredevil) sees the ranks of his dwindling congregation grow dramatically once the hauntings begin, and this sudden popularity starts to get to his head. As the townsfolk flock to religion, Lambda research scientist Landis Barker (Kandyse McClure, Hemlock Grove, Battlestar Galactica) believes that science may hold the key to saving the town. The series also stars Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy) and Kristin Lehman (Motive).

While I haven’t had a chance to check out tonight’s premiere, based on the trailer, the series looks like it will be entertaining and have some impressive (and creepy) special effects. I got to talk with some of the cast members and producers about the series at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. You can find my video interviews here. From these conversations, it sounds like a promising series, with a talented cast and a writer who is a huge horror fan—at SDCC, he explained his love of the genre and how he tried to pay homage to some of his favorite horror films throughout the series. I look forward to checking out the tonight’s premiere!

In tonight’s premiere “Death’s Door”, just as troubled medium Roman Mercer prepares to leave the small town of Port Moore, an earthquake strikes the Alaskan island and awakens a supernatural force bent on destruction.

Tonight, I’ll also be watching/recording Grey’s Anatomy, Superstore, The Good Place, Will & Grace, Gotham, The Orville, Flipping Out, and Nathan for You.

For additional suggestions on what to check out tonight—such as The Orville and Will & Grace—check out the If We Controlled Your Remote… 10/5/17 post at TVisMyPacifier.com.