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It’s not on par with “Emergo,” but Syfy is still taking a cue from the William Castle playbook for its new series “12 Monkeys.” The cable channel has teamed with home lighting company

Philips to create an “immersive lighting experience” for all 13 episodes of the time-travel series based on the Terry Gilliam movie from 1995. A what? The channel is promising viewers can

sync their TVs to the Philips Hue Web-based lighting system, which will raise and dim the lights as cued by the events on-screen. Mood lighting as dictated by Hollywood. Will this enhance

the story or only serve as an unneeded distraction? According to Syfy, the system has been put to the test once already with the airing of “Sharknado 2” over the summer. In a statement,

Matthew Chiavelli, Syfy’s vice president of digital media and strategy, said, “With ‘Sharknado 2,’ our fan base whole-heartedly embraced the addition of Philips Hue to their viewing

experience. The gritty drama that ’12 Monkeys’ delivers offers a perfect opportunity for us to extend this exceptional capability throughout the entire first season.” Don’t bother to dim

your lights for the series -- Syfy will do it for you. Or crank your lamps up to maximum. The series follow Cole (Aaron Stanford), a time traveler from a post-apocalyptic future sent to the

past (our present) to stop a virus that is destined to wipe out 93.6% of people. “Heroes” writer Natalie Chaidez serves as the show runner, with Charles Roven, who produced Gilliam’s movie,

executive producing with Richard Suckle. The Hue starter pack retails for around $200. The “12 Monkeys” series premieres Jan. 16. Follow me on Twitter: @patrickkevinday MORE TO READ