What is ‘Three Inches’? That is a very good question. Evidence leads me to conclude this is a pilot for a show Syfy did not pick up. The network might change its stance, but that is unlikely because ‘Three Inches’ has not been announced as a new show for Syfy, the show is not on the network’s list of current or upcoming shows on the network’s website, and the show is only on the network’s schedule once in the next two months.

According to a press release dated August 26, 2010, I found on TVByTheNumbers.com:

In Three Inches, professional daydreamer and underachiever, Walter Spackman (Noah Reid) is struck by lightning, and develops a unique “super” power — the ability to move any object using just his mind… but only a distance of three inches. He’s soon recruited by a covert team of superheroes each gifted with their own extraordinarily ordinary abilities. Together, the unlikely band of heroes proves that “super” is simply a state of mind.

Jace Alexander (Rescue Me, Prison Break) is directing the pilot, written by Harley Peyton (Twin Peaks), who also serves as executive producer.  Fox Television Studios is producing with Executive Producer Robert Cooper, through his company Landscape Entertainment.  J.J. Jamieson heads up television for Landscape Entertainment.

James Marsters will star as Troy Hamilton, a former government agent who takes Walter in to his own team of “super” heroes who fight evil wherever they find it. He is a father figure to Walter.

I honestly don’t know what to make of this show. There is a lack of promotion from Syfy, and the stars, Reid and Marsters, do not have ‘Three Inches’ listed on their IMDB profiles; in fact, both actors have moved on to other projects.

Why air the show? Well, it is the end of the year, and Syfy probably wants to get some use out of the pilot, so decided to fill two hours with ‘Three Inches.’ While Syfy has great shows, the network’s scheduling announcements can be baffling. The network is known for announcing shows before having filmed any episodes (prime example: ‘H.G.Wells’) and for filming pilots and keeping them on the shelf (prime example: ‘Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome’). I will likely watch ‘Three Inches’ to see what it is and what it could have been.

‘Three Inches’ airs tonight, December 29, at 9pm EST on Syfy.