Syfy's most-watched series ever (averaging 4.1 million viewers) returns for its second season Tuesday (9 ET/PT), drawing in an audience with a blend of genres.
The writers "have been able to find a great balance between comedy and drama and suspense, with a little bit of horror and science fiction," says Eddie McClintock, who plays Secret Service agent and warehouse protector Pete Lattimer.
Executive producer Jack Kenny calls the series a "thrilleramedy" and, ultimately, a family show.
In Warehouse 13, Lattimer partners with fellow agent Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) to seek out artifacts that have special powers and store them in the warehouse, a fantasy Smithsonian of sorts in a remote area of South Dakota.
They take their assignments from warehouse caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek), who is assisted by "sorcerer's apprentice" Claudia (Allison Scagliotti), as Rubinek describes the character. All report to the demanding Mrs. Irene Frederic (CCH Pounder).
"In the (beginning), you see these very isolated people who don't have a lot of human connections in their lives. You see them journey together and almost become a family," Kelly says.
That family dynamic — Pete and Myka as brother and sister, Artie as father figure, Claudia as the young daughter — and the genre mix help keep the show from going too deeply into science fiction, says Rubinek, who describes Warehouse 13 as a mix of Jules Verne and Indiana Jones. "It's not just action-based. People wouldn't turn up as much if it were just about space or aliens."
The fictional relics the agents pursue, items that could cause great damage in the wrong hands, are connected to real historical figures and events. They include Harriet Tubman's thimble, which changes the wearer's image, and Lucrezia Borgia's comb, which can drive the holder into an insane rage.
"I love the fact we've kind of mixed the fiction with the reality. It lends itself to letting the viewer suspend disbelief a little," McClintock says.
The warehouse technology, from computers to two-way communicators, subscribes to steampunk design, with modern inventions cloaked in 19th-century Victorian trappings. "It creates a sense of history in the show," Kelly says.
When viewers last saw the warehouse denizens, Artie apparently had been blown up by escaping villain MacPherson (Roger Rees). It's no secret that Artie lives; the surprise is how he survives. "He's back, but what are the consequences?" Rubinek says.
Season 2 — 12 episodes plus a holiday-themed 13th in December — will delve into the characters' histories and follow them in new and old relationships. Pete will reconnect with a former flame and agent (Tia Carrere) and start a relationship with a local woman (Paula Garcés). Claudia, who will do a crossover episode on Syfy's Eureka, will fall for a local guy, and Myka will have some trust issues with a former warehouse agent. Artie, whose history will be explored, will have a crush on the warehouse doctor (Lindsay Wagner).
Episodes will feature a comic-book superhero and a visit to the world of high fashion. The series also will venture to "Warehouse 2," one of 12 earlier versions, each storing the collection of artifacts during a different period of history.
Kenny says elements in Tuesday's premiere will have lasting effects: "MacPherson unleashed something in the warehouse that will affect our gang for the rest of the season."
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