The pilot episode for Fox’s new television series “Alcatraz” was screened at this year’s San Diego Comic Con and I can say that this show has definite potential. Produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, the series follows the characters Officer Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia aka Lost’s Hurley) as they investigate the mysteries behind Alcatraz Island, the real life prison in San Francisco which housed some of America’s most wanted criminals. The premise behind the show tells of the disappearance of 302 wardens and inmates who had apparently been transferred off the prison island after its closing in the 1960s. In the pilot, former inmate Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce) wakes up in the present day to find himself still on Alcatraz Island, which has now become a tourist attraction. Mistaken for a tourist, Sylvane escapes the island and sets out on a killing spree, seeking revenge against the people who ruined his past. Officer Madsen and Dr. Soto catch onto his trail only to be constantly interfered by the covert agendas of Detective Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) and his assistant Parminder Nagra (Lucy Banerjee).
“Alcatraz” is a thrilling mystery drama that offers compelling storytelling, quality acting, and a fair amount of character development to jumpstart a strong series. While there were moments where I felt like the character of Rebecca Madsen was a little dry, this was the pilot episode so there is room for much further development. Jorge Garcia, who provides the comic relief as Soto, has also pulled back slightly from the Hurley character, taking on a more serious, professional role. Of all the cast though, Sam Neill delivers the most top notch acting job as Hauser, a grim, domineering, yet ambiguously moral Detective whose motives are questionable throughout the episode until what’s finally revealed at the end.
Overall, the pilot kept me on the edge of my seat and posing questions through its entire duration. I am crossing my fingers that this will eventually amount to something as great as “Lost”, as far-fetched as that may sound. The one issue that concerns me, however, is that the producers mentioned each episode would focus on a different criminal or warden, which makes me question how much story continuity there would be and whether this would be another “freak of the week” series consisting of standalone, self-contained episodes. I am also not sure how much more can be done with the premise they have, which is very plainly stated – prisoner/warden escapes the island, seeks compensation for his tragic past, and is taken down by the main protagonist. As I am hoping this is not the case, I am looking forward to the writers actually expanding much further on the mythology without being limited by the setting constraints of Alcatraz Island. I suppose we will find out the direction this series takes when it premieres next January 2012 on Fox.
AW TV Rating: 8.5 out of 10
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