September Shows: Revolution

I remember all the hype last year surrounding a new show by a well-known director about a Chicago-based family about ready to be tossed into a new world where they would be at the mercy of the elements and roving bands of armed gangs. That time it was Fox's Terra Nova involving Stephen Spielberg, whereas this time it is NBC's Revolution involving J.J. Abrams.  

Here is the set up to the new show:

What would you do without it all? In this epic adventure from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and "Supernatural's" Eric Kripke, a family struggles to reunite in an American landscape where every single piece of technology - computers, planes, cars, phones, even lights - has mysteriously blacked out forever. A drama with sweeping scope and intimate focus, "Revolution" is also about family - both the family you're born into and the family you choose. This is a swashbuckling journey of hope and rebirth seen through the eyes of one strong-willed young woman, Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos, "Being Human"), and her brother Danny (Graham Rogers, "Memphis Beat"). When Danny is kidnapped by militia leaders for a darker purpose, Charlie must reconnect with her estranged uncle Miles (Billy Burke, "The Twilight Saga"), a former U.S. Marine living a reclusive life. Together, with a rogue band of survivors, they set out to rescue Danny, overthrow the militia and ultimately re-establish the United States of America. All the while, they explore the enduring mystery of why the power failed, and if - or how - it will ever return.

I watched the first episode last night and my primary question I had throughout the show was "Where have I seen this before?"  In addition to Terra Nova without the dinosaurs, the idea of the instant end of electricity and planes falling out of skies reminded me of S.M. Stirling's novel Dies the Fire:

 It all started when an electrical storm over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash, causing all electronic devices to cease to function-computers, telephones, engines, radio, television, even firearms-and plunged the world into a darkness humanity was unprepared to face. But even as some people band together to help one another, others are building armies for conquest...

Of course, ABC's Flash Forward a few years back also did a great job with crashing planes, destroyed cities, and shattered families.  And I cannot believe NBC is already recycling The Hunger Games with the crossbow girl falling for the crossbow guy (okay, switching from a regular bow to a crossbow was very inventive) in a post-America wasteland. 

Need I continue?  No, but I will. (Spoiler Alert - but you have already seen this elsewhere anyway).  I also saw plenty of references to CBS' Jericho, including the idea that a destroyed America still has a secret group of laptop-connected elites who type cryptic messages to one another using antiquated green text on black screens (what happened to Facebook?).  And both Jericho and FX's Falling Skies include characters battling the new militias attempting to recreate the United States in a slightly twisted way. 

Okay, I will stop, though another half dozen shows are dancing around in my head.  The point is that the show did not meet the hype, as is all too often the case these days.  Had it premiered on Starz it may have slowly gained a following, but it only disappoints in the Big Network media frenzy.  And on top of it, with the exception of Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Captain Tom Neville, the acting is pretty thin (along with the storylines). 

I will give the show another try, but I am underwhelmed.  Luckily, we are at the start of the fall television season and I can only hope something truly original and interesting comes out of all the new season noise.