In an valiant and temporarily successful effort to divert our attentions from some show’s anniversary, Syfy today released its January premiere schedule, including the series premieres of Helix and Bitten and the return of Being Human (which we told you about yesterday), Lost Girl, Face Off, and Ghost Hunters.

Check out the full info in the press release below, including synopses of each series:

SYFY KICKS OFF JANUARY 2014 WITH SEVEN NEW AND RETURNING ORIGINAL SERIES INCLUDING…

HELIX FROM RONALD D. MOORE (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA)

FIRST WEEKLY LIVE SERIES BROADCAST OPPOSITE WORLDS, A “PAST vs. FUTURE” COMPETITION REALITY PROGRAM

SUPERNATURAL DRAMA BITTEN JOINS ALL-NEW SEASONS OF BEING HUMAN AND LOST GIRL MONDAYS 8-11PM

SEASON SIX OF REALITY HIT FACE OFF PLUS NEW EPISODES OF GHOST HUNTERS

NEW YORK – November 22, 2013 – Syfy will kick off 2014 with seven new and returning original series in January including Helix from Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica) – a two episode premiere with limited commercial interruptions airing on Friday, January 10 at 10/9c – and Opposite Worlds, the competition reality event – the channel’s first weekly live series broadcast – debuting on Tuesday, January 21 at 10/9c.

The new supernatural drama Bitten will join Being Human and Lost Girl on Mondays beginning January 13 (Lost Girl at 8/7c, Being Human at 9/8c and Bitten at 10/9c).

Rounding out the new year’s blockbuster line-up are the Season 6 premiere of hit competition reality series Face Off (Tuesday, January 14 at 9/8c) plus gripping new episodes of Ghost Hunters (Wednesday, January 22 at 9/8c).

As always, Syfy will ring in 2014 with its annual New Year’s Twilight Zone marathon beginning December 31 and concluding on New Year’s Day.

SYFY’S JANUARY 2014 PREMIERE SCHEDULE (All Times ET/PT)

SERIES PREMIERES

HELIX (TWO EPISODE PREMIERE) FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 AT 10PM
Helix is an intense thriller about a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control who travel to the high-tech research facility, Arctic BioSystems, to investigate a possible disease outbreak, only to find themselves pulled into a terrifying life-and-death struggle that may hold the key to mankind’s salvation or total annihilation. However, the lethal threat is just the tip of the iceberg, and as the virus evolves, the chilling truth begins to unravel.

Billy Campbell (Killing Lincoln, The Killing) stars as Dr. Alan Farragut, leader of the Centers for Disease Control outbreak field team called upon to investigate and control a potential outbreak. Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine, 47 Ronin) also stars as Dr. Hiroshi Hatake, director of Arctic BioSystems and its mysterious viral research program.

Helix also stars Kyra Zagorsky (Supernatural) as Dr. Julia Walker; Mark Ghanimé (Emily Owens, M.D.) as Major Sergio Balleseros; Jordan Hayes (House at the End of the Street) as Dr. Sarah Jordan; Meegwun Fairbrother as Daniel Aerov; Catherine Lemieux (White House Down) as Dr. Doreen Boyle, and Neil Napier (Riddick) as Dr. Peter Farragut.

Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander), Steven Maeda (Lost, The X-Files) who is also showrunner, and Lynda Obst (Contact, Sleepless in Seattle) are Executive Producers. The 13-episode series is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Kaji Productions and Lynda Obst Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television. Prolific director and producer Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) directed the premiere episode, which was written by creator and co-executive producer, Cameron Porsandeh.

OPPOSITE WORLDS TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 AT 10PM
An all-new reality series pitting contestants in a past vs. future competition – featuring a live social experiment – Opposite Worlds will run for 12 episodes over six weeks (two episodes per week), with the second weekly episode featuring a live element (a first for a Syfy reality series).

In Opposite Worlds, 14 people from all walks of life face off in opposing teams that live in a house separated into two distinctly different worlds: one past and one future, each with its own unique advantages and disadvantages. Adding to the drama is a glass wall dividing the house into the two environments, allowing the teams to watch, envy and dread each other’s every move. Every week, as cast members compete in a series of fast-paced challenges, viewers will be asked to participate in real time on social media and affect the outcome of each player’s fate.

Opposite Worlds will be Executive Produced by JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson, Brant Pinvidic and Adam Kaloustian for Eyeworks USA. The series is based on the hit Chilean format, Mundos Opuestos, originally broadcast on Canal 13 and distributed by Banijay International.

BITTEN MONDAY, JANUARY 13 AT 10PM
Based on the New York Times best-selling Women of the Otherworld novels by Kelley Armstrong, the 13-episode Bitten is an emotionally charged supernatural thriller starring Laura Vandervoort (Smallville, Ted) as Elena Michaels, the lone female werewolf in existence.

Desperate to escape both a world she never wanted to be part of and the man who turned her into a werewolf, Elena (Vandervoort) has abandoned her Pack and taken refuge in a new city. There, she works as a photographer and hides her werewolf existence from her new boyfriend. When bodies start turning up in her Pack’s backyard, Elena finds herself back at Stonehaven, the werewolves’ ancestral domain. Torn between two worlds and two loves, she quickly realizes that – when push comes to shove – she’ll stop at nothing to defend her Pack.

Bitten also stars Greg Bryk (A History of Violence) as werewolf Pack “Alpha” Jeremy Danvers, Greyston Holt (Alcatraz) as Elena’s werewolf ex-boyfriend Clayton Danvers, and Paul Greene (The Client List) as Elena’s current beau, Philip McAdams.

Bitten is produced by No Equal Entertainment, Hoodwink Entertainment, and eOne in association with Space and Bell Media, with the participation of Rogers Cable Network Fund and Cogeco Program Development Fund and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Executive producers include J.B. Sugar for No Equal Entertainment, Patrick Banister and John Barbisan for Hoodwink Entertainment and Tecca Crosby, John Morayniss, and Margaret O’Brien for eOne. Daegan Fryklind and Grant Rosenberg are Executive Producers and co-showrunners.

SERIES RETURNS

LOST GIRL (SEASON 4 PREMIERE) MONDAY, JANUARY 13 AT 8PM
This season on Lost Girl, fate casts a wide shadow over the Fae world. With Bo’s (Anna Silk) return, the lines between Dark and Light Fae are blurred, causing her embark on a journey of discovery. Bo and company will ultimately realize that, regardless of the challenges and enemies they face, they’re stronger when they confront them together. George Takei (Star Trek) and Ali Liebert (Bomb Girls) are among the new season’s guest stars.

Lost Girl also stars Ksenia Solo as Kenzi, Bo’s human sidekick and street-smart confidante; Kris Holden-Ried as Dyson, the shape shifting homicide detective and noble warrior of the Light Fae; Zoie Palmer as Lauren, the brilliant human doctor who competes with Dyson for Bo’s affection; Rick Howland as Trick, Bo’s grandfather and the ancient and mysterious Blood King, and K.C. Collins as Hale, Dyson’s partner and a Light Fae siren born of noble blood. Paul Amos returns as the ever devious Dark Fae Mesmer, Vex, and Emmanuelle Vaugier reprises her role as the evil Dark Fae leader, The Morrigan.

Lost Girl was developed by Prodigy Pictures, in association with Shaw Media and Showcase. Executive Producers are Jay Firestone and Emily Andras. Vanessa Piazza and Wendy Grean are producers. Lost Girl is produced with the participation of the Canadian Media Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry, and with the assistance of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit Program.

BEING HUMAN (SEASON 4 PREMIERE) MONDAY, JANUARY 13 AT 9PM
Season 4 of Being Human picks up four months from last season’s shocking finale and, for Aidan, Sally, Josh and Nora, the past is about to come back to haunt them!

Aidan (Sam Witwer) and Nora (Kristen Hager) struggle to save Josh (Sam Huntington), who is trapped in his wolf form. At the same time, an unbelievable visitor collides with Aidan, forcing him to make impossible choices between the people he loves the most. Meanwhile, Sally (Meaghan Rath), having been dragged down into her death spot by Witch Donna (guest star Amy Aquino), finds herself trapped and at the mercy of her foe, but Sally’s newly imbued magical powers could change everything.

Executive Producers are Michael Prupas, Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood), who is also writer and showrunner, Stefan Pleszczynski, and Rob Pursey & Toby Whithouse. Irene Litinsky is series producer.

FACE OFF (SEASON 6 PREMIERE) TUESDAY, JANUARY 14 AT 9PM
The critically-acclaimed hit reality competition series Face Off returns for a sixth season by introducing 14 new makeup artists in what will be Face Off’s boldest season yet. In the new season, the contestants will face extreme challenges that will inspire them to create the most magnificent characters and creatures in Face Off history.

Face Off is a competition/elimination series exploring the world of special-effects make-up artists and the unlimited imagination that allows them to create amazing works of living art. As a member of the multi-generational family dynasty whose name is synonymous with the make-up effects field, actress McKenzie Westmore brings expertise to her role as host of the series. Some of SFX world’s most celebrated figures judge the competition – multiple Academy-Award winner Ve Neill (The Hunger Games, Pirates of the Caribbean), industry veteran Glenn Hetrick (CSI: New York, Heroes, Legion), and creature designer Neville Page (Avatar, Prometheus). World-renowned Hollywood makeup artist Michael Westmore (Star Trek) serves as the contestant mentor.

Face Off is a production of Mission Control Media with Dwight D. Smith, Michael Agbabian and Derek Atherton serving as Executive Producers.

GHOST HUNTERS (ALL-NEW EPISODES) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22 AT 9PM
Ghost Hunters, Syfy’s longest-running unscripted series, returns with brand new investigations this winter. For its first episode back, TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), led by Jason Hawes, heads to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania as the town commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s Battle of Gettysburg. There, the team collects impressive paranormal evidence at a variety of locations.

Other famed sites getting the Ghost Hunters treatment this season include Buffalo and Erie County’s Naval & Military Park, Historic Jordan Springs in Winchester, Virginia and Belle Grove Plantation in King George, Virginia. Ghost Hunters is produced for Syfy by Craig Piligian‘s Pilgrim Studios (The Ultimate Fighter, Fast N’ Loud, Wicked Tuna). Piligian and Mike Nichols are Executive Producers, along with Tom Thayer and Alan David.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast Corporation.(Syfy. Imagine greater.)

The SciFi Mafia calendar has been updated accordingly.