Plot Synopsis

PYROS is a reality series that follows an elite group of pyrotechnicians, led by Maude Furtado at Montreal's Groupe Fiatlux-Ampleman, travelling across the globe, as they battle variable weather conditions while designing, setting up and detonating heart-stopping fireworks shows. This series gets inside the painstaking design, dangerous set-ups and explosive execution of brilliant fireworks shows of all kinds -- on water, over crowds, on stages, in parades, everywhere. Each 60-minute episode features a different job, including: the world's largest winter festival, "Carnaval" in Quebec City, where it's so cold that the head pyrotech struggles to light the warning shell; New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro, where one of the pyrotechs worries about his own safety at the world's biggest fireworks show; Quebec's biggest national holiday, St-Jean-Baptiste Day, where the team endures public humiliation when human error puts a damper on the company's most important show; back-to-back shows on a lake in Ste-Agathe, where the team battles wind and water, causing mishaps that quickly multiply and suddenly putting everyone's safety is at risk; Canada Day at Parliament Hill, where circumstances beyond the team's control push the fireworks choreography out of synch; L'International des Feux Loto-Quebec in Montreal, the world's largest fireworks competition, where two of the pyrotechs help their British friends stage an ambitious show, power-packed with over 10,000 effects; an international competition in Blackpool England, where their shot at a trophy is going to depend on flawless help from the locals; and an historic 16th-century cathedral in Campeche, Mexico, where they learn that doing fireworks "Mexican style" means breaking all the rules. The team at Group Fiatlux-Ampleman (GFA) includes: Benoit Berthelet, designer, who is the most senior employee at GFA and it's his job to find the spirit behind each show while creating a story with music to match; Eric Cardinal, head designer and co-owner, who grew up around explosives because his father's business, Ampleman, was one of the first fireworks companies in Canada; Maude Furtado, general manager, who is the daughter of a Canadian pyrotechnic pioneer and grew up as a mortar monkey working behind the scenes at her father's biggest shows; Philippe Girard, heady pyrotech, who will do whatever is necessary to ensure the crowd and the client are satisfied with the show -- even in Africa where "it's safety third: first money, then firepower, and finally, safety."; Hugues Lalonde, project manager, who has been working in Pyro for over 24 years with his career highlight doing pyro for Paul McCartney while being at his side on stage; and Sebastien Roy, technical director and co-owner, who had one of his toughest shows in 2004 when the wind changed direction and flaming plastic debris started drifting onto the crowd. Weather Channel aired the U.S. premiere of this series on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 9pm ET.