First video of WGN America’s ‘Salem,’ narrated by Seth Gabel (video)

Very soon the witching hour will be upon WGN America, at least when it comes to launching their first-ever entry into the world of original scripted programming. “Salem” is an ambitious offering for them for many reasons: You have a new network, a genre that has been somewhat played-out now thanks to “American Horror Story: Coven,” and a period setting that is not always the most affordable idea to put on television.

So while we are concerned as to whether or not this series can be a hit this spring, you can see that some love and care has gone into making the show’s first trailer. The same can also be said to some of the actors that they have hired, including Shane West in his first post-“Nikita” role and Seth Gabel, who has starred as of late as The Count on “Arrow.”

But, regardless of whether or not “Salem” is a good show, there are a pair of very specific challenges that the network is going to have to confront sooner or later.

1. Finding an audience – This has long been a network for syndicated shows, and while some of them fare well, there is a shift in ideology that has to be made in order to convince people that there is something in this realm that is worth watching. This is harder when there are already dozens upon dozens of other great scripted shows on cable.

2. The subject matter – What more can really be said about the Salem Witch Trials? After a few weeks of watching this, we could see this becoming very repetitive to look at time and time again. You’re going to instead need to focus on the characters and get us hooked on them. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to really care if someone lives or dies.

What do you think about the “Salem” promo? Share some of your thoughts below!