Taken (miniseries)

Taken (also called *Steven Spielberg Presents Taken*) is a science fiction miniseries from the U.S., produced by DreamWorks Television. It aired on the Sci-Fi Channel between December 2 and December 13, 2002. Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Leslie Bohem wrote the series, and it was directed by a team including Breck Eisner, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, John Fawcett, Tobe Hooper, Jeremy Paul Kagan, Michael Katleman, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Bryan Spicer, Jeff Woolnough, and Thomas J. Wright. Bohem and Steven Spielberg served as executive producers.

The story runs from 1944 through 2002 and centers on three families: the Crawfords, who try to hide the Roswell crash and the truth about aliens; the Keyses, who are repeatedly experimented on by extraterrestrials; and the Clarkes, who gave shelter to one of the crash survivors. Because the plot covers so many years, no single actor or character appears in every episode, though Dakota Fanning—who both narrates and plays Allie Clarke—is heard in each one.

Critical response was favorable. The miniseries won an Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries and was nominated for a Golden Globe in the same category.

When the show launched, the Sci-Fi Channel promoted it alongside the newly formed Coalition for Freedom of Information, a group that pushes for the release of classified government UFO files and for scientific, congressional, and media acceptance of the subject. Both the channel and the coalition were clients of the Washington, D.C. public relations firm PodestaMattoon, and this overlap drew criticism.

The cast includes Joel Gretsch, Steve Burton, Eric Close, Heather Donahue, Matt Frewer, Catherine Dent, Ryan Hurst, Adam Kaufman, Karen Austin, Julie Benz, Tina Holmes, Willie Garson, John Hawkes, Jason Gray-Stanford, Andy Powers, Ryan Merriman, Michael Moriarty, Michael Jeter, James McDaniel, James Kirk, and sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning.

**Characters and Synopsis**

The series spans five decades and four generations, focusing on the Keys, Crawfords, and Clarkes. Russell Keys is haunted by nightmares of alien abduction during World War II. The Roswell incident transforms Air Force captain Owen Crawford from ambitious officer into a ruthless conspirator within a shadow government. An alien visitor impregnates the unhappily married Sally Clarke.