Continuum is off to a great start

Last night the Canadian network Showcase premiered a new science fiction series “Continuum”. It scored great ratings and seems to have hit a cord with fans, but without an American distributor, can we expect it to last much longer than the 13 episode season which has already been completed? To get a taste of the show check out the 3 minute trailer embedded at the bottom of this post.

The show’s premise is pretty solid. In word … time travel! The series’s first episode, “A Stitch in Time”, begins in the futuristic world of 2077, but the main character of Kiera, played by Rachel Nichols, travels back in time to the year 2012 along with a bunch of death row inmates. In a plot that’s not unlike the 90s TV series Time Tracks, but without the British hologram lady, she burdens herself with tracking them down.

Along the way she runs into a young Alec, who it would turn out is the owner of a major corporation in the future. Oh yes and corporations now run the country because they bailed out the Government. In a bizarre twist of fate this sort of reverse bail out seems to be the crux of the political intrigue of the show, which will surely blur the lines between hero and villain as we progress.

Unlike many Canadian made shows, this one actually takes place in Canada! How strange to have Vancouver as the central hub of activity in this present and future world, but it sure is nice that we’re not just pretending the streets of Vancouver are New York, Detroit, Los Angeles or even Caprica. So Canada was bought out by corporations but… what about the United States? Hopefully we annexed them at some point.

It becomes immediately obvious that the world of the future is already fated to be, that the world Kiera comes from is the result of her impact on the past, so we come to ask ourselves just who the two people in the show who are old enough to have been alive in 2012 might be? We get the answer to one of their identities, and no doubt that of the other will follow at some point as well. I’m going to go ahead and guess that it’s the only other young male we’ve seen to date, but time will tell…

The pilot seems to spare no expense when it comes to action and effects, something we can only hope will keep up for the rest of the series. Naturally we shouldn’t expect to see as much of the future as we did in this first episode, but Kiera’s interesting cybernetic upgrades and fancy suit should make for some interesting CG. Can a show who’s revenue is derived from exclusively Canadian sources continue to sustain itself for long? The series’s continued success will likely depend on it finding a home on some American channel before the end of the year.

A press release tells us that the ratings for the premiere broke records, and if this large audience was as impressed with the show as I was I think it’s safe to say we can count on them continuing to support the show, and these numbers will surely garner the attention of someone south of the border. That’s the Canada/US border I’m speaking of!

The show’s cast seems quite competent. Rachel Nichols does a good job of carrying the show as someone who’s proven to be a capable action star and who’s looks will surely keep certain demographics tuned in. Victor Webster will likely keep the ladies tuned in as well. Supporting cast members like Eric Knudsen, Lexa Doig and William “Cancer Man” Davis all seem well suited for their roles.

Overall I was pretty blown away by the pilot. I’m a sucker for time travel and this show seems to be doing a great job of dealing with it, and beyond that they seem to have some good writing and action to keep audiences coming back. Show runner Simon Barry has put a great show together. Here’s hoping it has continued success throughout it’s first season and beyond.

Here’s a sample of the show so you can get a feel for whether or not it’s for you:

Canadians can download the first episode, “A Stitch in Time”, for free in the iTunes store.