The wait is almost over. After what seems like forever, George Noory's much hyped Sci Fi Channel romp, Into the Unknown, premiers tonight. I can only imagine the production hell this show has gone through from its announcement so many months ago to this finished pilot, but now it's time to see if it has been worth the wait.

Noory seems excited, at least. But I wonder how much of that is advertisement bravado. I've watched my fair share of these original Sci Fi investigative shows in the past, and I'm sorry to say that they usually don't end well for those involved. Maybe Into the Unknown will be different...I guess we'll find out tonight. But I fear Noory and the Sci Fi execs may have overestimated the Coast to Coast appeal.

I hope for the best for Noory, but if this venture flops, could it mark the end of the Nooring-out of Coast?

Side projects have always been a part of Coast to Coast AM. Although I hadn't yet been turned on to the show at the time, I've heard more than a few stories about Art Bell's book hawking. More recently, Art was by no means silent when it came to promoting his and Whitley Strieber's co-writing credits on The Day After Tomorrow. Heck, we've even had to endure the absurdity that is Art Bell's Pizza Punch--Which I still plan to purchase one of these days.

When it comes to George, however, his branching out has been pretty hit or miss.

I'm speaking mostly about Worker In the Light, of course. I can't much say anything personally about the quality of Noory's debut authorial attempt--as I have yet to pick it up, and have no real desire to do so--but from the looks of it so far, audience reception has been little more than mild. I'm sure it's good for what it is, but its overall theme is something I find little interest in. And it appears that I'm not alone. George loves to throw numbers around regarding high nightly listenership for the show, but his book sales aren't nearly as impressive. Current Amazon sales records rank Worker somewhere in the 16,000's. Not bad for a first try, but I wouldn't be surprised if I found it sitting on a For Sale rack at Borders.

So why aren't Coast listeners following the hosts into other mediums? I'd say the show is still as popular as ever--it seems every few weeks George announces a new affiliate or #1 slot in a key area--so why is it Noory's TV debut has been such an uphill battle? The easy answer could be that Noory has a face for radio. I don't want to be too hard on him, but his gift is in voice, and maybe he should stick to what he's good at. But I think the more accurate reason for host side projects having a difficult time at it is due to a profound lack of understanding of the Coast audience.

For me, I listen to and enjoy Coast to Coast AM because its so different from everything else out there. Not only are the guests, topics, hosts, and callers so out-there in comparison to what else can be found on AM radio, but the medium itself is abnormal. Although I listen to the show primarily via web stream, I make an effort to catch the most hyped shows on a good ol' terrestrial radio. There's just something about the late-night mood set when listening to a show about ghosts while cowering in your bed. That's your Coast audience right there...the weirdoes who stay up late to listen to a show about ghosts on AM radio. Somehow I think television wont be able to capture the magic that makes the Coast radio show popular.

There is definitely some cross-over between Coast fans and Sci Fi watchers, but I think ultimately they chose the wrong channel. Keep in mind, this is the network that canceled a show like Stargate Sg-1 and failed to boost ratings for the heavily acclaimed Battlestar Galactica, yet has seen great success in cheap, direct-to-DVD horror yarns and entertainment wrestling. If I'm looking to be simply entertained, I hit up Sci Fi. But I don't think I can have much respect for anything hard-hitting that shares a network with movies like Ice Spiders and SS Doomtrooper. But, from the looks of it, I think that's where they wanted to go with Into the Unknown. With a guest like Gary Busey for the pilot, it seems they're going for the kooky sideshow feel of, say, a day-time talk show.

But alright, that's enough speculation for now. I don't want to over-analyze this or hype it up to the point that it's doomed to failure. Be sure to check back next week for my full review of the pilot.