Terra Nova (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series was released on a 4-disc DVD set on September 11, 2012, including deleted scenes and a featurette on the dinosaurs.
• In Canada, the premiere on Citytv drew 1.4 million viewers, the largest audience for a drama in the network's history.
• The series won the Visual Effects Society award for Best Visual Effects in a Television Series in 2011.

Plot

The series begins in 2149, where overpopulation and poor air quality threaten life. Scientists discover a one-way temporal rift and organize pilgrimages to a parallel time stream resembling the Cretaceous Period. The story centers on police officer Jim Shannon, his wife Elisabeth, and their three children as they join the colony Terra Nova. Elisabeth is chosen for her medical skills; Jim, imprisoned for violating population control laws and assaulting an agent, stows away and later proves his value to colony leader Commander Taylor. Opposing the colony are the Sixers, separatists from the Sixth Pilgrimage who collaborate with corporate industrialists to strip Cretaceous resources for profit in 2149. Commander Taylor's estranged son Lucas works with the Sixers and perfects two-way travel, allowing the Phoenix Group to invade. Jim returns to 2149 to destroy the gateway, and the Phoenix Group retreats to the Badlands, leaving a wooden ship's figurehead from another temporal rift.

Cast

Shelley Conn portrays Dr. Elisabeth Shannon, a trauma surgeon who helps Jim escape prison. Landon Liboiron plays Josh Shannon, the 17-year-old son who initially resents his father. Naomi Scott plays Maddy Shannon, the 16-year-old daughter depicted as a student and love interest of soldier Mark Reynolds. Alana Mansour plays Zoe Shannon, the five-year-old daughter hidden due to population control laws. Christine Adams plays Mira, leader of the Sixers, whose daughter is held hostage in 2149. Allison Miller plays Skye Alexandria Tate, a Fifth Pilgrimage resident and Josh's friend, later revealed as a Sixer mole blackmailed by threats to her mother's health.

Production

Kelly Marcel developed the treatment for Terra Nova while working at a video rental shop in Battersea, initially as an exercise for her father. After pitching in Los Angeles, she declined an offer for a 13-episode season at $300,000 per show and sold the idea. Steven Spielberg proposed including dinosaurs. Alex Graves directed the pilot; Brannon Braga and René Echevarria served as showrunners. Australia was chosen after Spielberg vetoed Hawaii. The two-hour pilot was filmed over 26 days in late 2010 in southeast Queensland, including Brisbane and the Gold Coast Hinterland. Torrential rain caused additional shooting in 2011. The total pilot cost was US$14 million. Episodes took eight to nine days to shoot and six weeks in post-production, with an average budget of about $4 million. Fox ordered thirteen episodes without a pilot order due to the expense of the Australian sets. Palaeontologist Jack Horner created plausible fictional dinosaur species.

Reception

Early reviews were promising: Terra Nova was one of eight honorees for Most Exciting New Series at the 2011 Critics' Choice Television Awards. The Los Angeles Times called it the most exciting show of the fall season, and USA Today praised the dinosaurs as convincing and startling. The Wall Street Journal noted cinematic production values. Mid-season reviews turned critical: the Boston Herald compared it to Stargate Universe by Dr. Seuss, and The Guardian criticized the script as corny. New York magazine's reviewer vowed never to watch again. By the December finale, critics were mostly pleased, with Entertainment Weekly calling it exciting. On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 64%, indicating generally favorable reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 62% approval rating, with the consensus noting appealing visuals and potential. The first season averaged 7.52 million viewers and was ranked the #2 new drama among adults 18–49.