Primeval

Mr. A

Super Moderator +
Maybe everybody else finds the show cheesy and I'm the only exception here, but I picked up seasons 1-3 and have been enjoying it very much! Of course, the first episodes are pretty much goofy and one watches more for the VFX, but they add a lot of complexity to it along the way (time travel, alternate realities, mind control, secret organizations, etc) and I'm finding season 3 very interesting adventure sci-fi :)
 

Mr. A

Super Moderator +
From Wikipedia:

Primeval is a British science fiction television programme produced for ITV by Impossible Pictures. Created by Adrian Hodges and Tim Haines, who previously created the Walking with... documentary series, Primeval follows a team of five scientists tasked with investigating the appearance of temporal anomalies across Great Britain through which prehistoric and futuristic creatures enter the present.
First broadcast in the UK on 10 February 2007, it has since expanded to an international audience. Overall reception of the programme was positive during the first and second series, maintaining a 25 percent audience share in the United Kingdom during both series to date. Prior to its 9 August 2008 broadcast on BBC America, the programme received generally positive reaction from American critics as well. The third series, which ITV announced on 30 January 2008, began on 28 March 2009 and has now finished. In the US, series 3 premiered on 16 May 2009 on BBC America and has finished airing.

The first series followed the efforts of Professor Nick Cutter and his associates as they investigate the appearance of space-time continuum anomalies (called "earthquakes in time") that allow the passage of life-forms through that invariably threaten the lives of citizens. The British government, in the form of the Home Office becomes involved after a Gorgonopsid travels through one such anomaly and wreaks havoc in the environs of the Forest of Dean. Professor Cutter's wife, presumed missing in the first episodes, is revealed to have been stuck inside one anomaly for years and is now using the anomalies to try to access the future. The final episode of the first series involves the first appearance of a future anomaly, allowing predators from the future access to the present, and ultimately, the past.
The second series builds upon the first, in establishing that the destroyed camp of time travelers discovered in the first episode was actually that of the team and that they had created their own past. Due to Professor Cutter and his estranged wife's visit to the camp, Professor Cutter believes they affected the timeline, although this was the second time at the camp (the first was finding the camp, the second time years or months earlier setting up the camp so it can be found by them later), removing key personnel from the first series. The only people aware of the changes to the timeline are Professor Cutter and his wife.
 

Gatefan1976

Well Known GateFan
Yet another show to track down out of interest. My only complaint is that British shows tend to be very expensive to buy. :(
 

stclare

Moderator & Mckay Super Fan
This is coming back in 2011 isn't it?

Yes as far as I know. It had been cancelled but a few months later was picked up again, hence the large break between seasons.

Its being run again from the premiere onwards on Uk tv in the next week or so i think. It was advertised last night but i missed the airing date :icon_redface:

I do enjoy the show, but its more fun to me than serious. Also I expect hannah to break out into song (she was a member of s club 7) but she is a good actress and the rest of the cast are good aswell.
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
This series is AWESOME! Its on Netflix, and I absolutely LOVE PRIMEVAL!

Maybe everybody else finds the show cheesy and I'm the only exception here, but I picked up seasons 1-3 and have been enjoying it very much! Of course, the first episodes are pretty much goofy and one watches more for the VFX, but they add a lot of complexity to it along the way (time travel, alternate realities, mind control, secret organizations, etc) and I'm finding season 3 very interesting adventure sci-fi :)

I just discovered this series on Netflix! Its AWESOME! I love it! Good humor, a team of four people going through a portal and dinosaurs rampaging in the forests and malls and suburbs of England? It even has a Good Rush in it! The main scientist has a thick Scottish accent like Robert Carlyle, and there is a young geek type, the bureaucratic female, the loyal soldier...it has it all! I will be setting myself up for a marathon of all 23 episodes!

[video=youtube;fvie0-VKVuc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvie0-VKVuc
 

Tropicana

Council Member
I still remember the blonde hair woman from the pop group - S Club 7, lol.

Hannah Spearritt

Primeval-Promo-hannah-spearritt-5839749-303-404.jpg

That guy that speaks at the intro of that clip... he looks familiar.
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
I still remember the blonde hair woman from the pop group - S Club 7, lol.

Hannah Spearritt

View attachment 4028

That guy that speaks at the intro of that clip... he looks familiar.

Is the whole series as great as the first episode I watched tonight?
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
Sadly, I haven't seen this series yet. :(

Its AWESOME! I am very impressed with the CGI in this show...how did they get the money to do all that AWESOME work? The dinosaurs are very very realistic. :) The portal, the humor, the characters....Im hooked.
 

YoshiKart64

Well Known GateFan
I thought the show took a major dip (i.e. I stopped watching) after the first series. I never really thought it was amazing but it started out fairly solid and then kind of fell apart for me. I checked out an episode of Series 4 and thought it was flat out bad.

What's others opinions though, anyone else think Series 1 was the best?
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
I thought the show took a major dip (i.e. I stopped watching) after the first series. I never really thought it was amazing but it started out fairly solid and then kind of fell apart for me. I checked out an episode of Series 4 and thought it was flat out bad.

What's others opinions though, anyone else think Series 1 was the best?

There is more than one series of this show? I have only seen a single episode (the first episode). Netflix has 23 episodes available...are there more than that? If so, you are saying they messed it up along the line? I have no idea what to expect, but the first episode hooked me. I have already added all the episodes to my Instant Queue. About what episode did it start falling apart? I already dont like the "find my wife in the world of the past" thing they are setting up with the Scottish doctor (Cutter is it?). I do like the style of humor in the show. :)
 

YoshiKart64

Well Known GateFan
There is more than one series of this show? I have only seen a single episode (the first episode). Netflix has 23 episodes available...are there more than that? If so, you are saying they messed it up along the line? I have no idea what to expect, but the first episode hooked me. I have already added all the episodes to my Instant Queue. About what episode did it start falling apart? I already dont like the "find my wife in the world of the past" thing they are setting up with the Scottish doctor (Cutter is it?). I do like the style of humor in the show. :)

Being a British show every series is 6-7 episodes.

And yeh in my opinion they started making creative decisions in the second series that made the show worse. But that's just my view of it, I know others that continued to enjoy it.
The first series is enjoyable though and has a cool arc.
 

shavedape

Well Known GateFan
Being a British show every series is 6-7 episodes.

And yeh in my opinion they started making creative decisions in the second series that made the show worse. But that's just my view of it, I know others that continued to enjoy it.
The first series is enjoyable though and has a cool arc.

Hmm, again I find myself agreeing with you Yoshi. Must be something in the water. ;)

I won't give away any spoilers but the later seasons changed too much for my taste. The show isn't horrible but the cast changes didn't thrill me. It seemed like the producers were surprised by the success of the first season and then had to scramble to come up with new stuff.
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
Primeval Season 1, 4th Episode...meh

Hmm, again I find myself agreeing with you Yoshi. Must be something in the water. ;)

I won't give away any spoilers but the later seasons changed too much for my taste. The show isn't horrible but the cast changes didn't thrill me. It seemed like the producers were surprised by the success of the first season and then had to scramble to come up with new stuff.

Im into my Primeval Marathon :) Im at the 5th episode, but I had to write this after seeing the 4th episode where there are some dodo birds that come through the anomaly carrying a parasite. I wont spoil it, but the episode disappointed me in several ways. I mean, were they trying to rip off the Goa'uld? The first three episodes had creatures that existed in earth's past. But this episode had some sort of otherworldly creature that makes eyes glow? :facepalm: That ruined the whole episode for me. I was eyerolling throughout. I hope the upcoming episodes dont go in this direction. :(
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
Primeval Season 1, episode 5 was AWESOME!

When I started episode 5, I found myself fidgeting around in the kitchen whilst it was playing in the beginning, typing on the computer, etc. But then I started watching the episode, and wound up rewinding it to the beginning to see the whole thing and it was AWESOME! They got back to REAL dinosaurs with real origins in earth's past instead of the lame Goa'uld in episode 4.

An aside:

Is this the "after effect" that people have for shows? If the episode you watch makes you salivate for the next, does a crap episode make you hesitant to watch the next? Interesting.

Im loving these characters and the little relationships that are forming...Cutter's first name is Nick, and he is Scottish and blonde and has a scruffy look...sound like anybody you know in SGU? The similarities are uncanny. The character set...4 people, chasing "anomalies" that randomly appear in our present time, and the hapless prehistoric creatures that wander through them is very similar in concept to the Stargate series. The humor is similar as well. But in this series, they manage to develop the characters in a subtle way that makes sense. The humor is natural and flowing in the context. Claudia and Nick, Abby and Connor...the military is appropriately military-like as well. :) So far, so good...

On to episode 6! :joy:
 
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