Poltergeist: The Legacy was a supernatural-themed television series that aired from 1996 to 1999. It spanned four seasons, averaging twenty-two episodes per season for a total of eighty-seven episodes. The series was created by Richard Barton Lewis and originally aired on Showtime for the first three seasons. When Showtime discontinued the program, the series was picked up by the Sci-Fi Channel which aired the remaining fourth season.
The plot of the series revolved around a secret society known as the Legacy. The Legacy was a global organization of scholars and psychics who investigated cases of the paranormal and, whenever possible, attempted to defeat the supernatural forces that would otherwise threaten mankind. The setting of the series took place in San Francisco, California (though primarily shot in Canada) and focused on the West Coast branch of the Legacy group. The prefect of the Legacy was Dutch-born Oxford graduate Doctor Derek Rayne, a scholar of the occult who, with his team of like-minded individuals investigated cases of the supernatural in the Bay area. Attending him in his efforts were former marine Nick Boyle (played by Martin Cummins), psychiatrist Rachel Corrigan (played by Helen Shaver) and psychic Alexandra "Alex" Moreau (Robbi Chong). Other supporting characters included Philip Callaghan, an Irish-born Catholic priest and Kristin Adams, an anthropologist from Boston, Massachusetts.
