Terra Nova (TV series)

Terra Nova was an American science fiction television series. It was broadcast from September 26 to December 19, 2011 on Fox. Fox has said they will not pick the series up for a second year. The series is shopped to other networks. The series tells the story of the Shannon family as they travel 85 million year into the past. The series starred Jason O'Mara and Stephen Lang.

Setting
In the future, Earth is overcrowded. Most plants and animals are extinct. The skies are dark grey and the air is barely breathable because of pollution. The only hope for humanity to survive is in the distant past. Scientists find a way to travel to the past. They decide to send people into prehistoric times. They want to try to rebuild civilization and not repeat the mistakes they have made in their own world. The group in the past calls their new home "Terra Nova". The name means "new land" in Latin. People are sent back in time in groups called "pilgrimages". The story told in the series begins in the year 2149. It continues 85 million years in the past.

Plot
The series is about the Shannon family as they join the Tenth Pilgrimage of settlers to Terra Nova.  Jim Shannon is the father of the family. He is a former police officer. Jim’s wife, Elisabeth, is a surgeon. She is the newest member of Terra Nova’s medical team and the new chief medical officer. Jim and Elizabeth have three children; Josh, Maddy and Zoe.  Josh () is their 17 year old son. Josh did not want to travel back in time because doing this meant he would have to leave his girlfriend.  Upon arriving at Terra Nova, he finds himself instantly drawn to the beautiful and rule-breaking Skye.  Maddy is Josh’s 15 years old sister. She hopes Terra Nova will give her a chance to reinvent herself. Zoe is the Shannon's 5 year old daughter.

When the Shannon family first gets to Terra Nova, they meet Commander Nathaniel Taylor. He is the first person to go to Terra Nova and leader of the settlement. Taylor warns the travelers that while Terra Nova is a place of new opportunities and fresh beginnings, all is not as idyllic as it looks. Along with blue skies, large waterfalls and vegetation, the land is full of danger. This danger is not just from the man-eating dinosaurs. There is also a second group of people lead by Mira, who is opposed to Taylor and his leadership. This group, the Sixers, came to Terra Nova on the Sixth Pilgrimage. Many of the people on that pilgrimage had secret reasons for being there.

Cast

Reactions
The series was given both good and bad reviews. Before it was being broadcast, most critics liked the series. Near the middle of the season, this opinion changed. Many critics did not like the way the characters acted with each other. By the end of the season, the opinion of the critics had changed again and had become more positive.

References 

2011 American television series debuts
2011 American television series endings
2010s American television series
American drama television series
American science fiction television series
Television series about dinosaurs
Television series set in the future
Time travel television series
English-language television programs