Outcasts - Pilot and Episode one (
BBC One).
In 2040 on the distant planet Carpathia, a group of human pioneers led by President Richard Tate lives in Forthaven. They have lost contact with Earth some years ago but the unexpected arrival of a last transporter ship brings hope. One of the settlers, Head of Expeditionaries Mitchell Hoban, is frustrated and wants to leave the community.
Outcasts is an ambitious science fiction series produced by
Kudos Film and Television and
BBC America for
the BBC. Created and written by
Ben Richards (
Spooks,
The Fixer), it was filmed in
South Africa and it is co-produced as an official South African-German co-production by
Film Afrika and
ApolloMovie Beteiligungs. The cast has the attractivity necessary to a project of this scale:
Liam Cunningham,
Hermione Norris (
Spooks),
Daniel Mays (
Ashes to Ashes),
Amy Manson,
Ashley Walters (
Small Island),
Eric Mabius (
Ugly Betty) and
Jamie Bamber (
Law & Order: UK and, above all,
Battlestar Galactica).
The
pilot and
Episode one are directed by
Bharat Nalluri. When he's at his best, Nalluri is more than a director, he's a genius stylist. He directed the premiere episodes of
Spooks (2002),
Hustle (2004) and
Life on Mars (2006). He actually got the idea of
Hustle and he's the man behind the stylistic identity of these three hits which established the reputation of Kudos as an indie. As often he works here with talented cinematographer
Adam Suschitzky and the result is beyond what you can expect from artists of such caliber, undeniably inspired by South African locations.
And it takes some talent to raise interest on a drama which seems to have been done a thousand times.
Outcasts has shows like
Earth 2,
Lost,
Battlestar Galactica or
Survivors in its DNA and the characters played by Liam Cunningham and Hermione Norris,
Tate and
Stella, channel
Space: 1999's
Commander Koenig and
Dr Helena Russell. But on planet
Carpathia there is regrettably no form of life, the protagonists are wooden and the only one interesting is shot at the end of the pilot episode. This pilot is plagued by heavy exposition and the dialogues of
Outcasts sound endless, even for "intelligent" science fiction.
The words "high concept" should be banned for ever by the television industry as it usually ends (when it can end) in some purgatory - maybe all the citizens of Forthaven are dead. And has Eric Mabius's
Julius Berger met "a man of wealth and taste"? Ask Daniel Mays... Oh, there are clones too. No matter how they will be used here, clones have become in many respects the narrative device equivalent in sci-fi of "the dog ate my homework" and should be banned too.
Production designer
Edward Thomas (
Doctor Who) does a great job, as usual. And the score, by
Paul Englishby, is superb - like in most Brit TV dramas. Thank God theme tunes still exist on this side of the pond, and this one is very
Babylon 5. But unfortunately it's all
Outcasts shares with its illustrious predecessor. Looking forward to watch the new series of
Doctor Who and
Torchwood before total despair.
Jane Featherstone,
Simon Crawford Collins,
Faith Penhale and
Ben Richards exec produce for Kudos Film and Television and
Matthew Read is executive producer for the BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00x8fw4
http://press.bbcamerica.com/program.jsp?id=16157#program_overview
http://www.englishby.com/
http://www.edwardthomasproductiondesigner.com/edwardthomas/HOME.html
[6.20 - French Time] HBO has passed on the comedy pilot Tilda, starring Diane Keaton.
[15.54 - French Time] 
