# Terra Nova



## DMZ (Sep 1, 2011)

Terra Nova is a new series that comes out in like 24 days. It looks and sounds cool, I just hope they dont end it like BBC HAD to do Outcasts! BAD BBC!

It centers an ordinary family from 2149 when the planet is dying who are transported back 85 million years to prehistoric Earth where they join Terra Nova, a colony of humans with a second chance to build a civilization.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1641349/


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## Bugg (Sep 1, 2011)

I've no doubt I'll give it a go.  There's a trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6aNEIZwPFc


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## Snowdog (Sep 1, 2011)

I'll give it a try though I don't like the way the BBC (and British TV in general) is going with drama these days, very much a trend toward style over substance.


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## thaddeus6th (Sep 1, 2011)

Sounds interesting, but I don't have Sky. 

I agree with Snowdog's assessment. On Outcasts: the premise was fine but there were shocking storylines (a virus transmitted by the air and that dies automatically when the sound stops? Really?)


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## fate_catcher (Sep 18, 2011)

I'm getting sky soon and can't wait to watch it!


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## BookStop (Sep 27, 2011)

I watched the series premier last night, and although I was only mildly interested -I thought, how can this be good? - it wasn't bad. The acting, special effects, storyline...all good and I am definitely curious about some of the mystery they've introduced already.

Anyone else watch it yet?


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## J-Sun (Sep 27, 2011)

Yeah. I was thoroughly prepared to dislike this and it still feels like a Jurassic Park/Lost collision. I never actually watched Lost, so I'm not sure, but I could do without what feels like the Lost part, myself. And even the Jurassic Part stuff if that gets overused (which, given financial reality, it probably won't be).

But it moved well, has at least a passable cast (I wonder if O'Mara (right name?) feels type-typecast? I've only seen him in two things and he was a SF/F cop both times) and was definitely worth at least a second try.

BTW, I missed the first ten minutes. I assume it just shows how horrible the present was and introduced us to at least some of the main family? I came in when the family was on the conveyor belt, so to speak.


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## Moonbat (Sep 28, 2011)

Just watched the trailer, that looks cool. Reminds me of the Golden torc trilogy by Julian May. Unfortunately I don't have sky so I suppose I wont be able to watch it. It is going to come to terrestrial TV?


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## ctg (Sep 29, 2011)

Of the two series Mister Spilberg has produced this year, this one has more of feeling of his fingerprints in the play, and it's very interesting to see how he uses same people in both shows. The pilot felt as if it was a crossover between Jurassic Park and Avatar. And as a writer I could see couple obvious points on where they are going to start building the stories when as in the Falling Skies that isn't so obvious. 

I'll have to see more to really say what I think about this but I'm going to say now that I'm going to keep watching, and I'm not going to start separate threads on this one.


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## TylerKendal124 (Sep 29, 2011)

I enjoyed it and willing to keep watching. Read that it didn't get huge ratings but fox will give it go due to the shear scope of the show. It's one of those shows that will keep growing in popularity.


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## Perpetual Man (Oct 4, 2011)

I rather enjoyed it. 

I was pleased that they did not seem to overdo the dinosaurs, or throw in the obligatory T-Rex. I guess the biggest recommendation from my point of view was that we only intended to watch half the show in one go, but ended up sitting through the entire thing.

Obviously it kept us entertained.


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## Susan Boulton (Oct 4, 2011)

Felt a little like Avatar mark two to me. A lot of similar themes. Not sure if I will watch any more.


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## Snowdog (Oct 4, 2011)

Well I watched it. Very glossy as you'd expect from the reputed $60m thrown at it, presumably on all the CGI dinosaurs.

Clearly, they are trying for another Lost. I can't comment on the Avatar comparisons because I haven't seen Avatar.

I found some of the characterisations and plotting to be poor, not to say quite unbelievable in some instances. Apparently there were many re-writes and writers getting fired so I can only wonder how bad the original scripts were.

The opening was pretty bad. If they were intending to set up this heroic family for us to follow, they missed the mark, because what they actually gave us was a group of selfish people who break the law for their own convenience while expecting others to obey it. And the behaviour of the son on entering this fantastic - but clearly dangerous - new world simply beggars belief.

All that aside, I can foresee problems with the show going forward.The money spent on special effects means that what we'll undoubtedly get is a dinosaur-of-the week. While this kind of thing works in a film I think it will rapidly pall in a series. I do intend to watch the next episode but, since another Lost is the aim, and since I didn't like that show at all, my expectations are now pretty low.


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## J-Sun (Oct 4, 2011)

I did it myself (_Jurassic Park_/_Lost_) but one thing people could keep in mind is that _Jurassic Park_ and _Avatar_ (which I don't see as that was about sentient aliens) are films that have come and gone and _Lost_ (and apparently _Outcasts_) are TV shows that are over and done with. From the restricted perspective of American network television, there's nothing remotely like it on now. We have a truckload of crappy cop shows and a handful of ghost/witch/fairy tale stories. _A Person of Interest_ strikes me as a typical CBS cop show with a magical computer program and _Fringe_ is basically occult weirdness like the _X-Files_ was (comparing by type; not derivative-ness). What _Terra Nova_ basically is, is an SF story (yes, in the TV nonsense style, but in its own terms it is) of colonizing what is essentially an alien world with alien critters, despite it being "our" world with "our" dinosaurs. (And, depending on the timeline interpretation, maybe it isn't even our world.) IOW, it's one of the purer SF themes around. I find the "Dinos ate my baby!" (or are trying to) theme of both the first eps to be tiresome already and, as I said, I dread the bottomless conspiracy they may bring on, but I'm still fully tuned in for our colonizing story and I hope SF fans everywhere do so.

Is it great? No. Is it passable. Definitely, so far. Is it SF? For TV, certainly. Is there anything else like it on _now_? Nope. Do we want to see more SF? Yep. So let's watch it and encourage this sort of thing. If we were to ever get more options, then we could get pickier. As is, the networks keep bringing on one SF show at a time (after phases with nothing at all) and then everyone attacks it and it gets cancelled before the season's out.[1] It'll never get better that way. We need to have a hit SF show so the other networks can go into clone mode, saying, "We need our own SF show!" 

-- One thing that makes me vaguely optimistic is that final US Nielsen rating for both episodes look to be 3.1 (even with FOX's idiotic idea of scheduling it opposite _Monday Night Football_). That's fine in the abstract, but not enough for a show reputed to be this expensive. But it is 100% retention, which is remarkable. If it could actually trend upward (which it could do by just putting it on Tuesday or something!) that would be great. All (or almost all) other shows this season have lost something on the order of 4% to 33% of their audience each week.

 [1] _V_, ludicrous and miserable as it was, lasted two half seasons which equals one and doesn't really refute the point.


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## Bugg (Oct 5, 2011)

Well I didn't fall asleep during it. That's not meant to be disparaging - I was feeling very tired when I watched it and was fully expecting not to make it through to the end, but I stayed awake, so it must've held my attention on some level. It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. The Slashers sequence was fun, although I was hoping they might rip more of the annoying teen cast members to bits 

It was more fun than Ringer, at least - although that's a bit of a back-handed compliment


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## TheEndIsNigh (Oct 5, 2011)

DMZ said:


> Terra Nova is a new series that comes out in like 24 days. It looks and sounds cool, I just hope they dont end it like BBC HAD to do Outcasts! BAD BBC!
> 
> It centers an ordinary family from 2149 when the planet is dying who are transported back 85 million years to prehistoric Earth where they join Terra Nova, a colony of humans with a second chance to build a civilization.
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1641349/


 
Well I haven't got Sky, but looking at the basic premise that they go back 85 million years to join (implying they already haven't changed the whole of Earth history) is a bad start.

I assume that's so they can get the usual "Land Time Forgot" sequences in, with the dinosaurs and primitive human tribes all mixed in together. 

Sounds like a poor copy (poor because anything that desperate for a plot must be off to a poor start) of "Primeval".

I hold out little hope.

Something I would say is that the "eye candy" looks good.


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## JagLover (Oct 5, 2011)

Snowdog said:


> I found some of the characterisations and plotting to be poor, not to say quite unbelievable in some instances. Apparently there were many re-writes and writers getting fired so I can only wonder how bad the original scripts were.
> 
> The opening was pretty bad. If they were intending to set up this heroic family for us to follow, they missed the mark, because what they actually gave us was a group of selfish people who break the law for their own convenience while expecting others to obey it. And the behaviour of the son on entering this fantastic - but clearly dangerous - new world simply beggars belief.


 
Agreed

They are clearly aiming at the family market hence all the cliched 'teen drama' elements, and improbable survivals. 

It's not great, but it's not too bad either and at least it is better than recent sci-fi shows like Outcasts & Falling Skies.

I will keep watching but have little hope it will ever be better than average.


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## Snowdog (Oct 5, 2011)

TheEndIsNigh said:


> I assume that's so they can get the usual "Land Time Forgot" sequences in, with the dinosaurs and primitive human tribes all mixed in together.



I should hope they don't add primitive human tribes since they'd be about 85 million years out .

I really liked The Land That Time Forgot, or at least I liked Susan Penhaligon, Trampas not so much.


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## Rosemary (Oct 7, 2011)

I honestly cannot say that it was a 'great' TV show!  Even after the one episode I have to admit it looks better than Jurassic Park.  The acting wasn't particularly good and so far the storyline leaves much to be desired.  I do however, like the leaf eating dinosaurs

I will watch one more and if it hasn't improved will probably just turn the television off!


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## clovis-man (Oct 9, 2011)

Watched one episode. I won't be going back for more. I'm imagining someone saying "Ward, I'm worried about the Beaver" while fending off velociraptors. Who cares how the kids are doing if a meatosaurus is snapping at your posterior.


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## steve12553 (Oct 9, 2011)

Science Fiction TV has traditioanlly been scarce and terrible. This wasn't terrible. I'll give it time to develope (probably longer than the network). If I suddenly forget it on for two or three weeks that will be my indicator. As far as the network matching it against MOnday Night Football, the fact that ESPN dumped their program opening over something their singer said (political) will definitely hurt its ratings.


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## J-Sun (Oct 10, 2011)

steve12553 said:


> Science Fiction TV has traditioanlly been scarce and terrible. This wasn't terrible. I'll give it time to develope (probably longer than the network). If I suddenly forget it on for two or three weeks that will be my indicator. As far as the network matching it against MOnday Night Football, the fact that ESPN dumped their program opening over something their singer said (political) will definitely hurt its ratings.



That's exactly where I'm at - it ain't great, but it's better than most anything else on. However, I can't agree that a political/musical brouhaha will matter to the ratings. I think football fans mostly care about the football.

At least, for me, if I had cable, I'd definitely be watching football and recording TN. And, as I've read Brust (or a character) says, "everybody generalizes from one example.  At least, I do."


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## Connavar (Oct 10, 2011)

I third Steve and J-Sun.   As SF fan who have been mourning the cancellations of Stargate Universe and the lack of any great Science Fiction on tv i cant complain too much about Terra Nova.

It really isnt great but it has potential since it has been only 3 eps.   Its good enough to watch so far.  The visuals are great, the story of surviving in another time or world is typical SF novel and not stupid SF action ala Hollywood films.

Third ep 3 was a letdown but first two eps gave me hope.

I can hope for brilliant SF shows like BGS or Firefly but im thrilled to follow Terra Nova an wait for Falling Sky.  Thats more than the last few years draught of decent, good SF tv shows....


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## JagLover (Oct 11, 2011)

Connavar said:


> Third ep 3 was a letdown but first two eps gave me hope.
> .


 
Eps 3 wasn't great but it had some positives compared to the first two.

1. They abandoned the cliched rebellious teen storyline for that epsiode at any rate.

2. It was a storyline that at least had something to do with the basic premise, surviving in an unfamiliar time. Whereas the Sixer storyline of previous episodes wasn't great IMO.


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## Decker (Jan 6, 2012)

You can pretty much RIP this one. It never got good numbers and it costs a fortune (I'm not commenting on the quality... exactly... but let's just say it could've been a *lot* better). Understand they still have the actors on contract due to the long lead time needed to make each ep. But I'm not holding my breath.

Over here (in the US, that is) we loves us our amateur singers, dancers and housewives. SF significantly less so.


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## J-Sun (Jan 6, 2012)

I think this thread dying a quick death sums it up. I never checked back again because I never had anything good to say and quit after heroically enduring 8 episodes and I imagine everyone else has done similar. I sure gave it the benefit of the doubt, though, and watched it much longer than I should have.


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## Snowdog (Jan 6, 2012)

J-Sun said:


> I think this thread dying a quick death sums it up. I never checked back again because I never had anything good to say and quit after heroically enduring 8 episodes and I imagine everyone else has done similar. I sure gave it the benefit of the doubt, though, and watched it much longer than I should have.



I managed two episodes then forgot it existed. It came as a complete surprise a couple of weeks ago to hear a TV announcement that the final episode was about to start. Between the second episode and the last I saw no mention of it whatever.


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## willwallace (Jan 25, 2012)

Guess I'm in the minority who actually liked this show.  I thought the finale set up some interesting future plotlines, but who knows if it'll ever get done.


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## Vladd67 (Apr 25, 2012)

willwallace said:


> Guess I'm in the minority who actually liked this show.  I thought the finale set up some interesting future plotlines, but who knows if it'll ever get done.



Fox strike again unless another network takes it this is extinct.


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