Prey (American TV series)
A new species hunts humanity for sport.
ABC ordered this sci-fi series from Warner Bros. Television in 1998 after pulling the plug on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, a move that satisfied their existing contract. The show, starring Debra Messing, Adam Storke, Larry Drake, Frankie Faison, James Morrison, Roger Howarth, and Vincent Ventresca, ran for a single season of 13 episodes.
Quick Facts
- Creator
- William Schmidt
- Starring
- Debra Messing
- Adam Storke
- Larry Drake
- Frankie Faison
- Vincent Ventresca
- James Morrison
- Roger Howarth
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 13
- Executive producers
- Charlie Craig; William Schmidt
- Producer
- Donald Marcus; Phil Parslow
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The series follows Dr. Sloan Parker, a bio-anthropologist studying genetic variation in humans. Her mentor, Dr. Ann Coulter, a geneticist, believed that violent criminal behavior might have a genetic basis and had collected genetic samples from convicted murderers and other violent criminals. After an accused serial killer escapes and murders Dr. Coulter, Sloan discovers her body along with data showing that many violent criminals—especially serial killers—share a large number of genetic markers that set them apart from normal humans, making them as genetically different from humans as humans are from chimpanzees. They are a new species of hominid capable of unspeakable evil, similar to a human sociopath. Sloan shares this discovery with fellow scientists, law-enforcement personnel, and others, and realizes the new species is on the verge of supplanting humankind, much as Homo sapiens supplanted Neanderthals, possibly linked to global warming. As the escaped killer commits murders across California, Sloan meets Tom Daniels, a federal agent pursuing him. Daniels is later revealed to be a member of the new species, who describes their kind as hunting humans the way humans hunt deer, hence the show's title. He leads Sloan and others to a hidden cave containing a large pile of personal effects—wallets, eyeglasses, shoes, belts—from many people, explaining that such trophy hoards serve as status displays among his kind. The new species can breed with humanity, but due to dominant genetic traits, the children are always the new species, which is named Homo dominant.
Traits of Homo dominant
Dominants, or Homo dominant, are 1.6% genetically different from normal humans. They are stronger, more intelligent, and more aggressive than Homo sapiens, believing themselves entitled to subjugate humans by any means. Their aggression toward humans is portrayed as an instinctive genetic characteristic present even in young children, though this conclusion may be skewed because early genetic information came from the criminal population. Dominants possess psychic traits, including the ability to cloud minds, sense other members telepathically, see ten seconds into the future, and sense emotions empathically. The show does not clarify whether these are extrasensory perception, but Sloan and others are told that Dominants are aware of others nearby and use this ability to coordinate group actions such as paramilitary operations or hunting humans for sport. They tolerate much warmer climates than humans, barely perspiring in desert conditions. Their crania are smaller than humans', with brains showing greater synaptic interconnectivity, neural density, and processing speed. The mummified remains of a nine-year-old Dominant girl, pregnant with four fetuses, reveal that females possess four uteri; those remains suggest some young females died from complications, but present-day young females can give birth to up to four children at a time without complications, sometimes identical quadruplets. Sloan speculates that as many as 200,000 Dominants may exist. Their point of origin is a deserted village in Oaxaca, Mexico, which they regard as sacred, containing a mysterious monolith with arcane writings. The area was once a swamp-like environment with huge old ruins, but climate change turned it into a desert.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Prey (American TV series)?
Prey was created by William Schmidt.
How many episodes of Prey (American TV series) are there?
Prey has 13 episodes across 1 season.
When did Prey (American TV series) first air?
Prey first aired on 15 January 1998.
When did Prey (American TV series) end?
Prey last aired on 9 July 1998.
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