Warehouse 13 Renewed

Syfy, which opened up its rebranding this summer with the premiere of its latest original series, Warehouse 13, has approved a second season of the show about "America's attic" with 13 new episodes scheduled to air during the summer of 2010.

Cast members returning for another round of supernatural gadget-hunting include Eddie McClintock (Pete), Joanne Kelly (Myka), Saul Rubinek (Artie), and Allison Scagliotti (Claudia). No mention of Leena (Genelle Williams), the most extraneous character in the history of television, but they may have just forgotten about her again.

"We took a look at doing 20 episodes, but for logistic and financial reasons, it didn't make sense to do that right now, but I wouldn't rule that out," Syfy president Dave Howe told Variety.

Despite being pretty weak tea most of the time, Warehouse 13 has been getting pretty good numbers: its first season averaged more than 4 million total viewers per episode when DVR data are included; just as importantly, it has grown its audience since the premiere episode (shows that lose viewers over time are the first to go).

Best of all, half of Warehouse's viewers are female, which for a scripted show on Syfy is unusual and welcome. (Syfy "reality" shows like Ghost Hunters tend to get good female numbers, but the dramas are normally the demesne of young men.) In fact, the fourth episode on July 28 (not coincidentally, the first appearance of Claudia) delivered the most females (1.9 million) of any series telecast in Syfy's history.

What's the female appeal about Warehouse? The female lead is strong but not abrasive, and the male lead is strong, sexy, and sensitive (he gets "vibes" – not that they've done as much as they could with that). The only other guy is a genial uncle type (Saul Rubinek). Plus it has a smart-aleck junior female (Allison Scagliotti) and a don't-cross-her-you'll-regret-it Mysterious Boss (CCH Pounder).

The season one finale is slated to air September 22, right in the middle of premiere week.