Syfy Orders Homemade Astronauts Series

Syfy has ordered five episodes of Outer Space Astronauts, a series that combines live-action and 3-D animation.

Created by and starring Russell Barrett as Captain Bruce Ripley, the series follows a crew traveling the galaxy seeking knowledge, adventure and ‘whatever else they can come up with,’ according to the trade publication Broadcasting & Cable.

The series was created, produced, shot and edited in Barrett’s basement. ‘To say that it was a grassroots endeavor is an understatement. Russell literally produced this in his basement for more than a year, and that allowed him to create a unique series with a sharp, sly sense of humor,” said Mark Stern, executive VP of original content at Syfy & co-head of Universal Cable Productions.

The series will debut Dec. 8 and air in the Tuesday at 9 p.m. time slot.