LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Syfy has pulled its freshman entry "Viral Video Showdown" while veteran import "Merlin" is set for a January return.

The latter will kick off its fifth season on Friday, January 4 at 10:00/9:00c - its third consecutive season opening the first Friday of the year on the cable channel.

The series averaged 1.709 million viewers and a 0.5 rating among adults 18-49 this past season, up a few ticks from its 2011 campaign (1.493 million viewers, 0.4 rating in 18-49).

Meanwhile, newcomer "Viral Video Showdown" has received the hook after three weeks in the network's Tuesday, 10:30/9:30c slot.

A paltry 238,000 viewers tuned into its November 13 episode (with a 0.1 in adults 18-49), a steep decline from its October 30 premiere (754,000 viewers, 0.4 in 18-49).

The show's five remaining installments are currently slated to air back-to-back on Tuesday, December 4 night/Wednesday, December 5 morning in the late-night slot of 2:30 AM through 5:00 AM.

Syfy has likewise pulled its lead-in "Total Blackout" - which posted an equally modest 694,000 viewers (0.3 in 18-49) on November 13 - until January.