Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: Terra Nova

TERRA NOVA











Starring: Jason O'Mara, Shelley Conn, Christine Adams, Allison Miller, Landon Liboiron, Naomi Scott, Mido Hamada, Alana Monsour, and Stephen Lang
Created by Kelly Marcel and Craig Silverstein
Written by Craig Silverstein, Kelly Marcel, Brannon Braga, and David Fury, Directed by Alex Graves

Terra Nova is a big budget extravaganza from FOX that has been years in the making and delayed many times. The CGI is pretty cool and unlike any other drama on network TV but the story is also quite intriguing making for a promising show. It centers on the world in 2149 that is on the verge of destruction and the quest to go fix the mistakes made by traveling 85 million years to the past. Terra Nova is led by Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang) and the main protagonists are the Shannon family - Dad Jim (Jason O'Mara) escaped from prison to join his family, Mom Elisabeth (Shelley Conn) is a brilliant surgeon recruited for Terra Nova. Their kids are rebellious son Josh (Landon Liboiron) and daughters Maddy and Zoe (Naomi Scott and Alana Monsour). Rounding out the main cast is adventurous teen Skye (Allison Miller) and Mira (Christine Adams), the leader of a rival group in Terra Nova - the Sixers.

THE GOOD: There's a lot to like about Terra Nova. The world they created is breathtaking and the CGI effects are great for a TV show. The show has the production value and feel of a movie but if that was it, it wouldn't be enough. The story is actually really intriguing and they planted enough mysteries in the pilot to make me want to come back for more. I'm particularly interested in the Sixers plot - who sent them? What do they want? Why did they break away? The mysteries set up at the end involving the area by the waterfall made me very interested in the story. Stephen Lang is a standout as the leader of Terra Nova and I can't wait to see where his story goes. Also, the dinosaurs are really cool!

THE BAD: The show took awhile to get going but I understand they needed to set up the trip to Terra Nova. The bigger problem is that the acting isn't always on par with the setting, the effects, and the story. I particularly thought that Landon Liboiron was weak as the son. I just didn't believe him in his scenes. The show also has so much going for it - effect, mystery, intrigue. It doesn't need to be a sappy family drama. I realize it's about a family but still, it doesn't need to be melodramatic. But these are nitpicky things. The show is off to a good start.

BOTTOM LINE: Terra Nova is not like anything else on network TV. I would love to see it work for that reason but the ratings weren't great for the first night. It will need to really kick it up or else the cost won't be worth the ratings. But they set up a good story to go with the flashiness. This show deserves some time to get going.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...
Post a Comment
Read more

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Post a Comment
Read more