Grade: B

Terra Nova, Fox’s most anticipated show for the fall, began this past Monday and it definitely doesn’t disappoint.

The year is 2149, the dawn of the twenty-second century, and Earth has become an uninhabitable planet where the population is controlled, the sun is barely visible and foods such as oranges have become delicacies. Mankind’s solution: Terra Nova. Terra Nova lies 85 million years in Earth’s past-a past full of breathable air, non-polluted water and dinosaurs. The goal of Terra Nova is a “fresh start,” to avoid the mistakes that led to man’s down fall.

The series is centralized around the Shannon family who has time traveled to the past in order to save themselves as well from the horrors created in the future. But the past is a dangerous place that is sure to challenge the family’s integrity and lives.

The best part about Terra Nova is not just the interesting story, but also the characters. The relationship of the Shannon family is very dynamic and rightfully should be. The security team, headed by Commander Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang), experiences its highs and lows as they try to control a world they don’t fully understand. From the beginning you truly care about all the characters and their interactions with each other.

Taylor is that character you hate to love. You inherently know just by watching him that there are secrets that he keeps, secrets that could put the whole colony of Terra Nova at risk. So naturally you watch his every movement, every interaction and every word he speaks-just wondering when he turns from good, trustworthy leader to a man out only for his own personal greed.

What’s great about Terra Nova is that it doesn’t feel like a basic cable TV show, but instead has an HBO or Showtime type production quality. The camera work is fantastic, the computer graphics are pretty well done and with a well known actor, Stephen Lang (Avatar), leading the way the show is bound to do well.

Overall I liked the premiere, it kept my interest and has me wanting more.

Terra Nova is a series that won’t be extinct anytime soon.

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