( CNN ) -- A twister filled with man-eating sharks is about to hit New York City -- at least on your television screen . `` Sharknado 2 : The Second One '' debuts Wednesday on the Syfy network , and many fans are anxious to see if it has teeth . It 's the sequel to 2013 's TV movie-turned-pop cultural phenomenon `` Sharknado , '' which set social media afire . There are high expectations for it , even if one of the stars thinks the name is less than inspired. `` 'Sharknado 2 , ' really guys ? '' asked Mark McGrath , who joins the franchise as the best friend of protagonist Ian Ziering . `` You guys have a lunch break when you were making up the title ? '' Last summer , `` Sharknado '' churned up a storm of laughs and 5.3 million viewers over the course of three airings on Syfy . Audiences got creative , with A-listers live-tweeting and shark memes circling the Web . Stars Ziering and Tara Reid return in the sequel to take on the freak weather system and save the Big Apple . Ziering entered into the halls of outrageous pop culture with a climactic scene in which his character , Fin Shepard , makes a grand escape from the inside of a shark 's belly by employing a chain saw . Fans hope `` The Second One '' will be just as outlandish . `` The whole thing is over the top . We have gone bigger and better in all regards , ' '' said Thunder Levin , the screenwriter for both films . `` Expect to see the shark mayhem move to New York City , and by definition anything that happens in New York tends to be bigger and better . '' Facing pressure from producers to replicate that iconic , gory scene with Ziering , Levin said he believes he has devised the perfect solution . `` I was 10 pages into script before that moment came to me , '' Levin said . `` I e-mailed the director , told him that 's what I wanted to do , and he loved it . And I said , 'OK , do n't tell anyone . ' I wanted everyone else to read it as it naturally developed in the script . So for a month or so I had producers and directors breathing down my neck wanting to know what this moment will be , but I fended them off until I sent off the script . And luckily they loved it . I think the audience will like it , too . '' Of course , you will have to watch to find out about the grisly scene . Bringing such outrageous episodes to life in the heart of New York had its own challenges , including filming for hours in the cold of a bitter winter ( disguised as summer for the movie ) , paparazzi lurking behind taxis , and , literally , rubber sharks flying through the air . While filming a busy scene , McGrath found himself standing on top of a taxicab , ready to swing himself into the shark-infested cyclone . `` They go , 'All right Mark , grab onto the rope and swing across Broadway 50 feet , and jump off on the other side , ' `` McGrath said . `` I 'm like 'It 's a string , how is anybody going to buy that ? ' And so we were doing it and jumping onto a mat like 2 feet off the ground . Oh boy , the sharknado looks great . ... These guys do amazing work in ( post-production ) . '' The `` Sharknado '' TV movies are not the first or last to take on the topic of vicious sharks attacking vulnerable humans ( although , they are perhaps the first to have sharks soaring overhead in a tornado ) . The movies pay tribute to some of their predecessors while also trying to bring something new to the screen . Of course , the concept of an out-of-control `` Sharknado '' descending on the country 's biggest cities is completely original , invented by director Anthony Ferrante . At least one star has said she thinks it 's not beyond reality . Reid recently told GQ magazine she believes a sharknado is possible . `` You know , it actually can happen , '' she said . `` I mean , the chances of it happening are very rare , but it can happen actually . Which is crazy . Not that it -- the chances of it are , like , you know , it 's like probably 'pigs could fly . ' Like , I do n't think pigs could fly , but actually sharks could be stuck in tornados . There could be a sharknado . '' Syfy has already signed on for a third `` Sharknado '' movie . Screenwriter Levin predicts that after New York goes down , there might be a `` global Sharkapocalypse . '' Levin has a few tips for the fans gearing up for `` Sharknado 2 's '' big touchdown . `` You definitely have to watch it with friends , '' he said . `` I think alcohol would probably be a good ingredient . You need popcorn , to eat it and also throw at TV . And those inflatable air sharks floating around your house would be a great addition . '' `` Sharknado 2 : The Second One '' premieres at 9 p.m . ET Wednesday on Syfy . Syfy announces 'Sharknado Week ' around 'Sharknado 2 ' premiere . CNN 's Doug Ganley contributed to this story .
`` Sharknado 2 : The Second One '' debuts Wednesday on Syfy . In the first film, a group of scientists and military personnel are sent to investigate an alien spaceship that has crashed in New Mexico. Screenwriter predicts there might be a `` global Sharkapocalypse '' in third outing .