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This review contains MINOR SPOILERS for "Sanctuary For All," the premiere episode of "Sanctuary."

Green screen's the thing in "Sanctuary," the latest Web series to make the jump to cable TV.

Like "Sin City," "Sanctuary" mixes live action with mostly computer generated sets, a technique used to thin out the series' budget during its Web-only days. Most of the buzz surrounding "Sanctuary" has been about the virtual sets (they look good, especially the exterior shots, but the CGI interiors sometimes look too dark and dank), but I'm more interested in story and character than visual effects. So, does "Sanctuary," as star Amanda Tapping recently told Wired, credit its audience with "great intelligence and a rich mythology"?

It's hard to tell judging by this sluggish two-hour premiere. "Sanctuary For All" was all set-up and no knock down. The episode unfolded slowly, like a rote crime procedural, and it forgot to deliver any real fun, thrills, or surprises.

Still, I'm not ready to give up on "Sanctuary" just yet. "Stargate" vets Damian Kindler, Martin Wood and Tapping are steering this ship, and these people know how to craft exciting genre TV. Plus, the concept -- a secret team aids and studies the world's supernatural creatures -- is loaded with potential.

In the premiere we meet Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), a forensic psychiatrist working for an NYPD homicide unit. Zimmerman is a gifted outcast who's not well respected on the job. He's a bit like "Stargate's" Daniel Jackson, minus the enthusiasm and sense of wonder. A murder case leads him down a path that ends at the Sanctuary, a shelter for supernatural beings run by Dr. Helen Magnus (Tapping).

Magnus seeks Zimmerman's help in a case involving a mutated boy, and she offers him a position at the Sanctuary, which houses a number of spooky creatures, including a sasquatch butler and a two-faced goon. Zimmerman experiences the dangers of working at the Sanctuary first-hand during a visit from John Druitt, aka Jack the Ripper. Druitt's dark connection to Magnus' past puts her daughter, Ashely, in danger and prods Zimmerman to ask some serious questions about who she really is.

This introductory story felt like little more than a mash-up of "Medium," "CSi," and "The Matrix," but hopefully "Sanctuary" will start to deliver more original stories now that we've been introduced to its seemingly fantastic world.

What Worked

Tapping is warm and appealing as Magnus, even if her dialogue was all exposition here. Actress Emilie Ullerup delivered a needed dose of fun as Magnus' daughter Ashley, a blonde babe with a golden gun.

In a world where any spook, monster, or beastie can exist, there's no telling what will pop up next in this series, or what creatures are already living with our heroes in the Sanctuary.

What Didn't Work

The first half of this episode had me shifting in my seat. It was a chore to watch Zimmerman's stale journey from slighted crime solver to super-secret monster hunter unfold. How many more enlightened everyman stories do we have to sit through? It took too long for this guy to dive right in the middle of the action, and unfortunately we were riding on his hip the entire way.

It's too gloomy and unoriginal. I was expecting a lot more action and wit from the guys behind the "Stargate" series'. It almost seems like they spent more time and effort on that CGI chandelier than on the dialogue and story.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Sanctuary" stars Amanda Tapping, Robin Dune and Emilie Ullerup. "Sanctuary For All" was written by Damian Kindler and Sam Egan and directed by Martin Wood. "Sanctuary" airs Fridays at 10 p.m. on the SciFi Channel.

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