LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Sci Fi Channel has renewed its hidden-camera series "Scare Tactics" for a third season of 14 episodes. In addition, the new season will feature a new host, actor Stephen Baldwin ("Silent Warnings").

Baldwin takes over for original host Shannen Doherty, who has left the series to pursue other projects, most notably a talent holding/development deal with NBC-based Pariah Productions (read the story). "Tactics" wrapped its eight-episode second season back in May, averaging 332,000 viewers among adults 18-34, up 8% from its first season.

As for season three, the producers promise to have the host more involved in the show's many pranks instead of just introducing and commenting on them.

Meanwhile, Sci Fi is riding high off the eighth-season premiere of "Stargate SG-1." The show's two-hour opener drew 3.22 million viewers and a 2.4 household rating, its best numbers to date. Said scores helped give Sci Fi the top spot among all cable networks among adults 25-54 and second place among adults 18-49 on Friday.

Overall, the broadcast set six records for the channel: the first episode of an original series to deliver more than 3 million viewers, the first episode of an original series to deliver more than 2 million viewers aged 25-54, the highest-rated and most-watched episode of "Stargate SG-1" on Sci Fi, the highest-rated and most-watched program on Sci Fi in 2004, the most-watched Stargate SG-1 episode in its entire eight-year cable run and the most-watched episode of an original series in Sci Fi history.

"SG-1's" stellar debut will no doubt help fuel strong numbers for the premiere of its spin-off "Stargate Atlantis" this Friday at 9:00/8:00c.