Eric Balfour has gotten a bad rap. Since appearing as the conflicted Gabriel on Six Feet Under, he’s starred in a series of flops. Like 2003’s Veritas: The Quest, which lasted only 13 episodes on ABC; the 2004 cop drama Hawaii, which was cancelled after only a handful of instalments on NBC; and Conviction, NBC’s ill-received Law & Order spinoff that was cut down after 13 eppys.

A recurring role on 24 followed, but Balfour was tossed into that pile of talent referred to as “show killers,” actors or actresses whose inclusion in a TV show cast seals its fate.

However, Balfour seems to have turned it around with his latest television project, Haven. The shot-in-Canada cable show based on Stephen King’s Colorado Kid novella has made a ratings splash both here on Showcase — bowing to an audience of 300,000, the highest ever on the channel — and snagging 2.3 million viewers in the U.S. on Syfy.

In it, Balfour plays odd-duck Duke Crocker, a guy known for rubbing people the wrong way, especially local cop Nathan Wournos (Canadian Lucas Bryant). Wournos and FBI agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) are investigating strange goings-on in the town, and Crocker proves to be a fly in the ointment. With witty writing and tongue-in-cheek performances, Haven looks like it will stick around for at least one 13-episode season.

Still, the lanky actor with the curly brown hair knows TV viewers are fickle. That’s why he’s devoted more time behind the scenes, owning his own production company so that he has total control over projects. He laid out his philosophy on TV and film during a break on the Chester, N.S., set of Haven this past May.

TVGuide.ca: What made you sign on to Haven? Was it to hang with your buddy (Haven creator) Shawn Piller?
Eric Balfour: I would never do something just to hang out. But at the same time, the confidence in knowing that this is coming from someone that you like and respect makes it a lot easier to do it. I shied away from being a regular on a series for the last few years because I felt like I’d been burned. 24 was amazing, and I had a great time and those guys are professionals. The Dick Wolf show (Conviction) was a great experience. But there were some other things that although I liked everyone that I worked with, it’s frustrating when you only have so much control as an actor, and then all of a sudden you’re blamed for stuff that doesn’t work. And you’re like, “Why am I … I didn’t write this show! I wish I had, I would have done it better, I think.”

So I knew that I wanted to be more selective. If I was gonna go for something I wanted it to be something that I really loved. Fortunately I’m in a position where my livelihood didn’t depend on it. I wanted to do something that I believed in, and just because you see what it could be and hope what it could be, it might not turn out to be that.

You only have so much control, and that’s what lead me to hone my skills as a producer and develop things that I could control. Because at least if it fails I can say, “Yeah, that was my fault, and I admit it.”

TVG: It seems like having a show like Haven on Showcase or Syfy is perfect, because it allows a show to grow without pressure.
EB: That seems to be the business model. My partner and I are wholeheartedly engaging in how we develop shows outside of the network system in a new media format. If you’re not open to what the Internet can do, you’re going to miss the boat.

TVG: Tell me about your production company. Is it film? TV?
EB: We’re doing a little bit of everything. The company is called Off the Grid Entertainment, and comes off the model of what we wanted to do. We wanted to be off the grid. We sold our first show to Fox Television Studios last year. It’s called My Slutty Girlfriend, and it’s a mockumentary about a modern-day Spinal Tap and it’s about a world that I was very much akin to because I am a musician. And we’ve got a film in development that Tim Busfield has come on to direct. We’ve got a film script that I wrote that has a lot to do with my story, growing up as a teenager. And we’re also working on a TV project with George Huang, who did Swimming with Sharks. It’s not easy, but as an actor our only control is to say no. What this does is that when there’s not a project that I’m passionate about, I can turn to this and develop and create and be proactive about my career. It’s been the greatest gift because I’m never not busy.

TVG: What do you look for in a pitch?
EB: To be honest, we’re developing our own stuff right now. Something was recently brought to us on the reality side with an idea that we were really passionate about because it dealt with issues that were really important — health, well-being and wellness — and that was great for us because we’re young producers. Nobody has to listen to us, we have to prove ourselves. It’s a fine line as a young producer because you may have the greatest idea, but for me to try to develop a $50 million action-adventure movie … there’s guys who can do it better who have been doing it longer.

Haven airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Showcase.

Thoughts? gdavid@tvguide.ca or comment below.

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Greg has been a fan of TV since he was five years old, eating dry cereal in front of the TV with his sisters watching Sesame Street, and scrambling downstairs after dinner to watch Polka Dot Door. His influential teen years were taken up by equal parts of The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, The Incredible Hulk, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Magnum P.I. and Friday Night Videos as well as daily doses of Toronto Rocks and the Power Hour on MuchMusic.

He is continually fascinated with the television process from idea to pilot episode and network pickup, development and casting right through to air, and likes all genres of TV.

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