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'''''Alcatraz''''' is <!-- Please do not change this to was-whether the series is cancelled or not we use the present tense per the MoS as the series still exists --> an American television series created by [[Elizabeth Sarnoff]], Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, and produced by [[J. J. Abrams]] and [[Bad Robot Productions]]. The series originally premiered on [[Fox Broadcasting Network|Fox]] on January 16, 2012, as a [[mid-season replacement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/fox-2011-2012-mid-season-schedule-21543/ |title=FOX mid-season 2011–12 schedule |publisher=TV Series Finale |accessdate=February 8, 2012}}</ref> Switching between eras, the series focuses on the [[Alcatraz Island|Alcatraz]] prison, which was allegedly shut down in 1963 due to unsafe conditions for its prisoners and guards. The show's premise is that both the prisoners and the guards disappeared in 1963 and have abruptly reappeared in modern-day San Francisco, where they are being tracked down by a government agency. The series stars [[Sarah Jones (screen actress)|Sarah Jones]], [[Jorge Garcia]], [[Sam Neill]] and [[Parminder Nagra]].<ref name="io9">{{cite web|url=http://io9.com/5739027/could-jj-abrams-new-show-be-more-bizarre-than-lost-heres-everything-we-know-so-far |title=Could J.J. Abrams' new show be more bizarre than Lost? Here's everything we know so far |publisher=[[io9]] |first=Meredith |last=Woerner |date=January 20, 2011 |accessdate=January 30, 2011| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20110128003346/http://io9.com/5739027/could-jj-abrams-new-show-be-more-bizarre-than-lost-heres-everything-we-know-so-far| archivedate= January 28, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> The show was cancelled on May 9, 2012.<ref name="Cancel">{{cite news|last=Rose|first=Lacey|title=Fox Renews 'Touch'; Cancels 'Alcatraz,' 'The Finder'|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fox-renewals-cancellations-322656|accessdate=9 May 2012|newspaper=Hollywood Reporter|date=9 May 2012}}</ref>
'''''Alcatraz''''' was an American television series created by [[Elizabeth Sarnoff]], Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, and produced by [[J. J. Abrams]] and [[Bad Robot Productions]]. The series premiered on [[Fox Broadcasting Network|Fox]] on January 16, 2012, as a [[mid-season replacement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/fox-2011-2012-mid-season-schedule-21543/ |title=FOX mid-season 2011–12 schedule |publisher=TV Series Finale |accessdate=February 8, 2012}}</ref> Switching between eras, the series focuses on the [[Alcatraz Island|Alcatraz]] prison, which was allegedly shut down in 1963 due to unsafe conditions for its prisoners and guards. The show's premise is that both the prisoners and the guards disappeared in 1963 and have abruptly reappeared in modern-day San Francisco, where they are being tracked down by a government agency. The series stars [[Sarah Jones (screen actress)|Sarah Jones]], [[Jorge Garcia]], [[Sam Neill]] and [[Parminder Nagra]].<ref name="io9">{{cite web|url=http://io9.com/5739027/could-jj-abrams-new-show-be-more-bizarre-than-lost-heres-everything-we-know-so-far |title=Could J.J. Abrams' new show be more bizarre than Lost? Here's everything we know so far |publisher=[[io9]] |first=Meredith |last=Woerner |date=January 20, 2011 |accessdate=January 30, 2011| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20110128003346/http://io9.com/5739027/could-jj-abrams-new-show-be-more-bizarre-than-lost-heres-everything-we-know-so-far| archivedate= January 28, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> The show was cancelled on May 9, 2012.<ref name="Cancel">{{cite news|last=Rose|first=Lacey|title=Fox Renews 'Touch'; Cancels 'Alcatraz,' 'The Finder'|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fox-renewals-cancellations-322656|accessdate=9 May 2012|newspaper=Hollywood Reporter|date=9 May 2012}}</ref>


==Plot summary==
==Plot summary==

Revision as of 22:16, 25 October 2012

Alcatraz
Genre
Created by
Starring
Theme music composerJ. J. Abrams
ComposersMichael Giacchino
Chris Tilton
Andrea Datzman
Country of originTemplate:TVUS
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Co-executive producers:
Toni Graphia
Steven Lilien
Bryan Wynbrandt
Kathy Lingg
ProducersAlison Balian
Robert Hull
Athena Wickham
Robert M. Williams, Jr.
Co-Producer:
Stephen Semel
Associate Producers:
Geoff Garrett
Noreen O'Toole
Production locationsRiverview Hospital, Coquitlam, British Columbia / Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada / San Francisco, United States (pilot)
CinematographyStephen McNutt
David Stockton
EditorsAndrew Seklir
Imelda Betiong
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseJanuary 16 –
March 26, 2012 (2012-03-26)

Alcatraz was an American television series created by Elizabeth Sarnoff, Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, and produced by J. J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions. The series premiered on Fox on January 16, 2012, as a mid-season replacement.[1] Switching between eras, the series focuses on the Alcatraz prison, which was allegedly shut down in 1963 due to unsafe conditions for its prisoners and guards. The show's premise is that both the prisoners and the guards disappeared in 1963 and have abruptly reappeared in modern-day San Francisco, where they are being tracked down by a government agency. The series stars Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia, Sam Neill and Parminder Nagra.[2] The show was cancelled on May 9, 2012.[3]

Plot summary

On March 21, 1963, 256 inmates and 46 guards disappeared from the Alcatraz Island prison without a trace. To cover up the disappearance, the government invented a cover story about the prison's being closed, due to unsafe conditions, and officially reported that the inmates had been transferred. However, federal agent Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill), a young San Francisco police officer tasked with transferring inmates to the island in 1963, is one of the first to discover that the inmates are actually missing and not transferred. In present-day San Francisco, the "63s" (as the missing inmates and guards are called) begin returning, one by one. Strangely, they haven't aged at all, and they have no clues about their missing time or their whereabouts during their missing years; however, they appear to be returning with compulsions to find certain objects and to continue their criminal habits. Even more strangely, the government has been expecting their return, and Hauser now runs a secret government unit dedicated to finding the returning prisoners; this unit was set up long ago in anticipation of the prisoners' returns. To help track down the returning prisoners and capture them, Hauser enlists police detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia), a published expert on the history of Alcatraz and its inmates.

Cast

Main

  • Sarah Jones as Rebecca Madsen, a San Francisco Police Department homicide detective with family ties to Alcatraz; she becomes involved after one of the inmates— her grandfather— is responsible for the death of her partner, directly meeting the task force when investigating the death of the former deputy warden at Alcatraz. She was raised by her great-uncle— a former Alcatraz guard and, later, cop— after the death of her parents, occasionally helping him look over his case files as she was growing up and offering useful insight into his cases, inspiring her own career.
  • Jorge Garcia as Dr. Diego "Doc" Soto, a PhD in both Criminal Justice and Civil War History, author of books on Alcatraz, comic book store owner, writer, and artist. He claims that he received the PhDs to satisfy his parents, subsequently deliberately disgracing himself in the industry by writing a crime evaluation report using Gotham City as his example so that he could open the store. He went through an unspecified traumatic experience at age eleven involving being abducted, which affected him deeply. Although he lacks field training, Doc's detailed knowledge of the missing Alcatraz prisoners has proven invaluable in helping the task force identify and track the returning inmates.
  • Sam Neill as Emerson Hauser, an FBI agent and former police officer who arrived on the dock at Alcatraz to find the prisoners gone in 1963. Currently heads the Alcatraz Task Force. Although his priority is generally to capture and contain the inmates to find out where they went and why they are coming back, he has shown that he is willing to put innocent lives over the lives of the inmates when the situation directly requires him to make a choice. He studied Philosophy at Yale University before he began working at Alcatraz.
  • Parminder Nagra as Dr. Lucille "Lucy" Banerjee, Agent Hauser's technician/colleague and friend. In 1963, she was known as Dr. Lucille Sengupta, who served as a psychiatrist at Alcatraz, and apparently had the potential of a romantic relationship with Hauser before she vanished. She spent some time in a coma after she was injured during one of the first cases, but recovered thanks to a blood transfusion from Webb Porter due to the accelerated healing of certain inmates due to tests they underwent at Alcatraz.
  • Jonny Coyne as Edwin James, the warden of Alcatraz. Although more tolerant of the prisoners, he has been shown to resort to psychological torture in order to learn crucial information about them, such as manipulating Ernest Cobb's attempts to be placed in solitary confinement or threatening to leave Kit Nelson in a small dark room until Nelson admits the truth about his first crime. He apparently vanished with the rest of the inmates, and his present whereabouts are unknown, although he appears to be the only person who knew what was really going on at Alcatraz.
  • Jason Butler Harner as Elijah Bailey "E.B." Tiller, the deputy warden of Alcatraz, whose cynical views of the inmates often put him at odds with James; he was killed in the present by Jack Sylvane in the pilot, although he still appears in flashbacks to the past where he brutally treated the various inmates.
  • Robert Forster as Raymond "Ray" Archer (previously Ray Madsen), Rebecca's great-uncle and former Alcatraz prison guard; he was approached by Hauser to join the task force sixteen years ago, but rejected the offer due to his responsibilities to Rebecca. He now owns a bar and is aware of at least Madsen's return, although he is generally unaware of the other 63s.

Recurring

  • David Hoflin as Thomas "Tommy" Madsen (#2002), Rebecca's grandfather and Ray's brother who reappeared in 2012 and killed Rebecca's partner; Rebecca was raised believing that he was a guard at the prison until she witnessed the list of '63s'. He is apparently more significant than the other inmates, as Hauser approached Ray specifically due to his connection to Madsen, with Madsen having been underground for several months since his return rather than the more public activities of other inmates.
  • Leon Rippy as Dr. Milton Beauregard, the head doctor of Alcatraz who reappeared in 2012 and operates under Hauser.
  • Jeananne Goossen as Nikki, a medical examiner in the coroner's office, and a possible love interest of Doc.
  • Jeffrey Pierce as Jack Sylvane (#2024), the first inmate tracked down and captured by the Alcatraz Task Force. While most of his targets fit in with his expected pattern—going after Tiller and his brother, who married his ex-wife, he also went to an unconnected house to acquire a distinctive key from a man's safe. His own ignorance of his reasons for requesting that key suggests that there is another agenda behind the inmates' sudden return.

Inmates (in order of appearance)

There were around 302 people on Alcatraz when they all mysteriously vanished, with fewer than 50 of these being prison staff; the other 250+, referred to by Hauser as the '63s, remain some of America's worst recorded criminals. Each one has demonstrated a ruthless skill in their chosen crime fields of expertise and no compunctions about picking up where they left off. Various inmates underwent mysterious experiments involving their blood being extracted, treated with an unidentified process, and then returned to them, those inmates who underwent this procedure possessing a degree of accelerated healing that allows them to recover from wounds in far less time than would normally be expected.

Guards

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code 		U.S. viewers
(million)
1"Pilot"Danny CannonSteven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt & Elizabeth SarnoffJanuary 16, 2012 (2012-01-16)29679010.05[4]
2"Ernest Cobb"Jack BenderAlison BalianJanuary 16, 2012 (2012-01-16)2J605210.05[4]
3"Kit Nelson"Jack BenderJennifer JohnsonJanuary 23, 2012 (2012-01-23)2J60539.03[5]
4"Cal Sweeney"Brad AndersonRobert HullJanuary 30, 2012 (2012-01-30)2J60558.44[6]
5"Guy Hastings"Charles BeesonSteven Lilien & Bryan WynbrandtFebruary 6, 2012 (2012-02-06)2J60566.91[7]
6"Paxton Petty"Paul EdwardsTeleplay by: Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt & Robert Hull
Story by: Jennifer Johnson		February 13, 2012 (2012-02-13)2J60586.24[8]
7"Johnny McKee"Brad TurnerToni GraphiaFebruary 20, 2012 (2012-02-20)2J60545.98[9]
8"The Ames Brothers"Nick CopusRobert HullMarch 5, 2012 (2012-03-05)2J60595.82[10]
9"Sonny Burnett"Paul EdwardsTeleplay by: Toni Graphia & Robert Hull
Story by: Toni Graphia		March 5, 2012 (2012-03-05)2J60605.47[10]
10"Clarence Montgomery"Jack BenderLeigh Dana JacksonMarch 12, 2012 (2012-03-12)2J60575.07[11]
11"Webb Porter"Jack BenderSteven Lilien & Bryan WynbrandtMarch 19, 2012 (2012-03-19)2J60615.04[12]
12"Garrett Stillman"Eagle EgilssonLeigh Dana Jackson & Coleman HerbertMarch 26, 2012 (2012-03-26)2J60624.78[13]
13"Tommy Madsen"Aaron LipstadtDaniel Pyne & Jennifer JohnsonMarch 26, 2012 (2012-03-26)2J60634.75[13]

Production

The climactic sniper scene in the second episode was filmed atop the Toronto-Dominion Bank Building in Vancouver.

In November 2011, Elizabeth Sarnoff, co-creator of the series, stepped down as executive producer. She remains as an "executive consultant".[14]

The show is filmed in Vancouver and San Francisco. Scenes from the second episode prominently feature Vancouver's Toronto-Dominion Bank and Vancouver Film School, as well as backdrops of the port facilities.

Reception

Jorge Garcia, Sarah Jones and Parminder Nagra at WonderCon 2012 in promotion of Alcatraz.

In June 2011, Alcatraz was one of eight honorees in the Most Exciting New Series category at the 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards, elected by journalists who had seen the pilots.[15] It has an aggregate score of 63/100 on Metacritic, denoting "generally favorable reviews".[16] Newsday's Verne Gay likes the series, but stated, " 'Traz' shares some of the DNA of The 4400 (of all shows) with a strand or two stripped from the genetic code of FlashForward. Love all these aforementioned worthies."[17] Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote: "Alcatraz is easy enough to follow, with twists and surprises that are enjoyable and not enervating. But you still may leave it wondering how long it will be before there are eight timelines and six universes."[18] New York's Matt Zoller Seitz panned the series, saying, "The characters are so TV cute (and in some cases TV pretty) and the storytelling so mechanical, that I couldn’t give myself over to it either way."[19]

The series opened with over 10 million U.S. viewers, but for the season finale, it had decreased to 4.75 million U.S viewers, the series' lowest viewership.[4][13] In the UK, the pilot episode debuted on March 15, 2012, with 496,000 viewers, marking UKTV's Watch channel's highest debut for the time-slot since 2011's Dynamo: Magician Impossible.[20]

US ratings

Season Episodes Timeslot (ET/PT) Premiered Ended TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
Date Premiere
viewers
(in millions) 		Date Finale
viewers
(in millions)
1 13 Monday 9:00 PM January 16, 2012 10.05[4] March 26, 2012 4.75[13] 2011–12 #46 9.56[21]

International distribution

Country or region Channel Premiere date Sources
Arab world MBC Action January 19, 2012 [citation needed]
 Argentina Warner Channel January 23, 2012 [citation needed]
 Australia Nine Network February 13, 2012 [22]
 Belgium VIER and RTBF March 26, 2012 [citation needed]
 Brazil Warner Channel January 23, 2012 [citation needed]
 Canada Citytv January 16, 2012 [23]
 Denmark Kanal 5 March 11, 2012 [24]
 Finland Sub September 2, 2012 [25]
 France TF1 [citation needed]
 Hong Kong TVB Pearl September 18, 2012
 Ireland Watch March 13, 2012 [26]
 Israel HOT March 2012 [27]
 Italy Premium Crime January 30, 2012 [citation needed]
Latin America, except Argentina, Brazil Warner Channel January 22, 2012 [citation needed]
 Norway TVNorge February 9, 2012 [citation needed]
 Poland Platforma n VOD February 6, 2012 [citation needed]
 Philippines CHASE on BEAM 31 February 18, 2012 [citation needed]
 Portugal RTP2 March 16, 2012 [28]
 South Africa M-Net and M-Net HD May 29, 2012 [29]
 Spain TNT (pay) January 17, 2012 [citation needed]
La Sexta (free) February 8, 2012 [30]
 Sweden TV4 April 9, 2012 [31]
 Thailand True Series June 17, 2012 [citation needed]
 Turkey DiziMax January 21, 2012 [citation needed]
 United Kingdom Watch March 13, 2012 [26]

Connection to the actual prison

The series has renewed the public's interest in the actual Alcatraz prison, so much so that the National Park Service has had to install warning signs for its public tours. Fans of the TV series have broken away from tours in an attempt to find the "nerve center" that is shown underneath the prison on the show. The signs state: "The TV show Alcatraz is fictional, many areas it depicts are not real. Closed areas protect you, historic structures and nesting birds."[32]

Home video release

File:Alcatraz Complete Series DVD.jpg
Region 1 DVD cover of the complete series showing Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia, Sam Neill (left to right)

Warner Home Video will release the entire series in DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats on October 16, 2012. Both the three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray sets will feature deleted scenes, a gag reel, the "Alcatraz: Island of Intrigue" featurette of the cast and crew, and a 6-page full-color collectible booklet. The United States Blu-ray version will also feature digital UltraViolet versions of each episode.[33]

References

  1. ^ "FOX mid-season 2011–12 schedule". TV Series Finale. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  2. ^ Woerner, Meredith (January 20, 2011). "Could J.J. Abrams' new show be more bizarre than Lost? Here's everything we know so far". io9. Archived from the original on January 28, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Rose, Lacey (May 9, 2012). "Fox Renews 'Touch'; Cancels 'Alcatraz,' 'The Finder'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Gorman, Bill (January 18, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: '2 Broke Girls' Adjusted Up; 'Castle' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  5. ^ Seidman, Robert (January 24, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Gossip Girl,' 'Hart of Dixie' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  6. ^ Gorman, Bill (January 31, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'House,' 'Alcatraz' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  7. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 7, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' 'Alcatraz,' 'House,' 'Two and a Half Men' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  8. ^ Gorman, Bill (February 14, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' '2 Broke Girls,' 'Two And A Half Men,' 'Mike & Molly,' 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  9. ^ Bibel, Sara (February 22, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' 'House,' 'Two and a Half Men,' 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Up".
  10. ^ a b Bibel, Sara (March 6, 2012.). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice' Adjusted Up". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 13, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice', Repeats of 'House', 'How I Met Your Mother', '2 Broke Girls' Adjust Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  12. ^ Seidman, Robert (March 20, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' 'Alcatraz,' 'House 'How I Met Your Mother,' '2 Broke Girls' Adjusted Up; 'Castle,' 'Smash,' 'Mike & Molly' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  13. ^ a b c d Kondolojy, Amanda (March 27, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Alcatraz', 'DWTS' & 'Voice' Adjust Up, 'Castle' & Smash' Adjust Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  14. ^ Ng, Philiana (November 15, 2011). "'Alcatraz' Co-Creator Liz Sarnoff Steps Down as Showrunner". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 9, 2011). "Critics' Choice Awards Honors 8 New Shows". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Alcatraz – Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  17. ^ Gay, Verne (January 13, 2012). "'Alcatraz': Between Rock and fun place". Newsday. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  18. ^ Bianco, Robert (January 15, 2012). "'Alcatraz' unlocks another Abrams mind bender". USA Today. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  19. ^ Zoller Seitz, Matt (January 16, 2012). "TV Review: Alcatraz Should Never Have Been Freed". New York. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  20. ^ Rosser, Michael (March 14, 2012). "Alcatraz debut tops multichannel". Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  21. ^ Gormam, Bill (May 25, 2012). "Complete List Of 2011-12 Season TV Show Viewership: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'American Idol,' 'NCIS' & 'Dancing With The Stars'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  22. ^ Knox, David (February 3, 2012). "Airdate: Alcatraz". TV Tonight. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  23. ^ http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/732043/this-fall-s-most-anticipated-shows-are-on-citytv
  24. ^ "KANAL 5 - presse [ pressemeddelelser ]". February 16, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  25. ^ "J.J. Abramsin uutuusdraama Subille". August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  26. ^ a b Munn, Patrick (February 1, 2012). "Watch Announces Premiere Date For Alcatraz". TVWise. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  27. ^ "Alcatraz on Hot Israel".
  28. ^ Vendeira, Pedro (March 9, 2012). "Alcatraz - Estreia dia 16 na RTP2 - A Televisão" (in Portuguese). A Televisão. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  29. ^ "Alcatraz:M-Net". Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  30. ^ "La Sexta estrena 'Alcatraz', lo último de J.J Abrams". La Vanguardia. February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  31. ^ "Alcatraz Serier". Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  32. ^ Stevens, Jenny (February 16, 2012). "On location in chilling Alcatraz". Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  33. ^ Lambert, David (June 13, 2012). "Alcatraz - 'The Complete Series' Announced for DVD, Blu-ray: Street Date, Extras, Packaging". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
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