The web series was the original format of Sanctuary that debuted on the world wide web in 2007. Each of the eight individual fifteen minute long installments released for this platform were termed a webisode; an internet episode.
These eight webisodes were rewritten for the TV series that debuted in 2008.
Will Zimmerman is drawn further into Helen Magnus's mysterious world and finds himself confronting his oldest fear. Elsewhere, forces converge on the target of their hunt - including someone from Magnus's distant past.
• Guinness World Record: Highest Budget for a Direct-to-Web Broadcast.
• 2007 Vancouver International Digital Festival award: Best Digital Visual Effects.
• SyfyPortal.com award: Best Web Production.
• 2007 TV Guide Online Awards: Best Original Web Drama Series.
Continuity Error: There is a lack of reasoning behind Part One's plot conflict. Webisode One through webisode Four depict John Druitt inserting himself into the Sanctuary's case of tracking down the abnormal boy named Alexei. Druitt also simultaneously tracks down and abducts Ashley Magnus. These two story lines culminate in webisode Four with Druitt forcing Helen Magnus to choose between her daughter or an abnormal. However, there's no goal the character of Druitt is trying to reach from doing this, aside from being conflict for the sake of conflict. Viewers can only speculate that at most it's Druitt's demented way to spite Magnus? Druitt abducting Ashley was explained as he had been searching throughout the decades for her to have been born, yet constantly frustrated that she hadn't. Druitt however involving himself with Alexei doesn't make sense. In webisode One Druitt finds Alexei because he was looking for Ashley, and Ashley was following Alexei into the subway tunnel. Why does Druitt's attention suddenly shift from his long sought after daughter to a random runaway child he knows nothing about? Only until after Druitt meets the boy does Druitt sense and try to connect in webisode Two to the 'evil' of the appendage, but it's found out that the kid is just scared and the appendage's murderous actions are actually a defense mechanism to protect him; that's not 'evil'. The only explanation for Druitt to be interested in Alexei is because Druitt uses Alexei as a pawn in webisode Four. However, there is nothing for Druitt to gain out of this. The most that occurs is that in webisode Three a captive Ashley learns the truth about Druitt being her father (an action which doesn't need her to be abducted in order for him to reveal that information to her), creating more unnecessary family drama in webisode Four by involving Helen Magnus into it to have the characters 'air their dirty laundry' in front of Ashley.
TV Series: This lacking of conflict reasoning was corrected in the TV series by keeping the two plot lines separated in Episode 1x01 - "Sanctuary for All, Part I" and Episode 1x02 - "Sanctuary for All, Part II". The Sanctuary team find and deal with Alexei without John Druitt's interference. Druitt is seen with the sole interest to get into the Old City Sanctuary. After being rejected by the EM shield, he resorts to following after Ashley Magnus when she leaves to meet with Sylvio Rudd, as her capturing him is a way to get into the Sanctuary. He wants to get into the building in order to get to her mother Helen Magnus because he needs her blood to treat his recurrent disease. He then abducts and threatens Ashley's life to force Magnus to give him what he wants. Druitt and Magnus have a more subdued discussion about Ashley not knowing who her father is.
