Odyssey 5

Plot synopsis:
The story follows six people on a routine flight of the space shuttle Odyssey, on August 7, 2007: four astronauts, a scientist, and a television news reporter. During the flight, the Earth rapidly dissolves into a fiery ball and implodes. Control of the Odyssey is momentarily lost, and one astronaut is killed. The remaining five crew members resign themselves to death, but an inorganic being called the Seeker rescues them. The Seeker tells them that fifty other worlds have been destroyed in the same way as Earth, and the Seeker has always arrived too late to observe it; this is the first time he has found survivors. He offers to send them five years into the past (to 2002, the year the series aired), so that they can prevent the disaster. He sends only their consciousnesses back, because physical time travel is impossible. The mission commander learns a codeword associated with the disaster: Leviathan.
The villains are a race of disembodied artificial intelligences known as "Sentients". These AIs are trying to learn about humanity through artificial humanoid robots called "Synthetics", which are nearly indistinguishable from humans. Another group of Synthetics are discovered to be from Mars. In the original timeline, a previous race of Synthetics created by humanity was destroyed by a secret US government agency. Whether the destruction of the Earth was retaliation for this act by the Sentients is never revealed.
While they search for the truth, the team must also revisit their pasts while retaining past knowledge of what is to come. Reporter Sarah Forbes tries to save her five-year-old son, who died of cancer in the original timeline. Her efforts in this direction alienate her husband, who leaves her and takes their son with him. Astronaut Angela Perry must deal with the knowledge that her father is a corrupt U.S. Senator whose malfeasance destroyed her family in the original timeline. Commander Chuck Taggart must try to keep his family together. His son, Neil, a computer technician on the Odyssey, must adjust to being seventeen again, when he was a poor student who hadn't yet discovered his talents. Pessimistic scientist Kurt Mendel believes they cannot change history and spends his time indulging every desire.
The series characters are not friends and frequently disagree; the humanity of the team is shown through arguments, jokes, and their attempts to maintain social lives and help the world with their limited knowledge of the future.
Many of the show's plotlines involve technologies like AI, nanotechnology and neuroimaging.
A recurring theme is that the actions of the group may hasten the cataclysm they are trying to avoid, or alter history in undesirable ways. A character who was supposed to live until 2007 dies in the first episode after helping the group. In one episode, Sarah and Angela protect a girl they know will be kidnapped. Although this prevents that individual's kidnapping, the kidnapper takes a different child. Kurt makes a large bet on a football game whose outcome is already known to him, but the pressure of knowing has a negative effect on a player instrumental in winning the game, and the team loses.

Tags: murder

Review:
Whoever cancels these shows should be shot.Instead lets keep the mainstream brainless shows with childish dialog and story lines that can amaze 7 year old (or those who have stopped developing at that age) Better yet lets only do "reality shows"...Maybe at least now that the Reality Show craze is fading and people are craving something with substance to watch, maybe at least they will release a DVD.If you're one of the people who want more then just cheap entertainment give this show a try even though it's already dead, it has something to say..
It's smart, sexy and does insightful, thought provoking sci-fi that favorably compares with the first couple of X-Files season.
There are supposed to be 20 episodes but only 14 have seen air time (to 1/03) and is appears that a second season won't be done.
The acting is pretty good and the stories were generally pretty well thought out (though there are a few that aren't excellent).Showtime really needs to replace whoever keeps getting rid of their good sci-fi shows.
In its 10th season, it will be the second longest running sci-fi series in history (after Dr. Who, which ran for 26 straight seasons).I suspect that Odyssey 5 would have found it's groove by the second season, maybe the 3rd.
The first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation wasn't so good because the actors hadn't really found their groove yet.
The Odyssey 5 actors had a much better head start in that aspect.I'm really disappointed with Showtime for killing this and now that it's been 4 years, I suspect it won't come back at all, which is a shame.
They clearly know how to make good sci-fi and I think they could have done a lot with this one..
They cram so much suspense and conspiracy into each action packed episode that it makes X-files look like a slow moving soap opera.
If you like anything that has to do with sci-fi and you need an excuse to get showtime this is it!.
A few weeks ago in the wee hours, I caught my first episode of Odyssey 5 (on the SPACE channel,Canada), andWAS HOOKED!
This afternoon, I saw the pilot episode, andit's about the ONLY tv sci-fi that has given me goosebumps!Is it my imagination, or when I was a kid (I'm 40+ now)was there just MORE good science fiction available, recognized as a thinking man's (er, person's) media orliterature entertainment?
I justdon't get it.Great premise, interesting characters and outstanding actors....seems like a perfect recipe to me!Linda Vancouver, Canada.
Odyssey 5 Probably the best Sci-Fi I've seen.
I did like X-Files but I never thought I would really get into one that did not involve a lot of space scenes.
I know it is a bit late in the ball game but I just watched the pilot and a couple of episodes.Odyssey 5 I think is probably one of the best, if not the best Sci-Fi shows that exist.
I wish this would have been on another network other than Showtime, I have no doubt that we would still be watching season 5 now..Bring it back...
This is/was among my favorite sci fi shows, I got hooked after 20 minutes of watching.
The story is really interessting and I love the way it unfolds.Now how they can cancel a great show like this is beyond me, I really hope sci fi channel or some else make more episodes of this great show..
one of the best sci-fi shows that got canceled by the idiots at Showtime.
This season alone there are worse shows on the air..Odyssey 5 was so good!!
I like a lot of sci-fi shows but this one was different the story plot was fresh and original.
a great sci-fi series.
Some of the best acting I've seen in a series (not just sci-fi either) in a long time.
Anyway, it looks like Showtime is extending the run!!
But after that pilot, the show didn't spend much time on the story arc, going instead for self-contained stories with maybe a brief hint here and there that the story arc was happening.The problem was I wasn't really that interested in those individual stories, and I found some of the characters annoying, especially the reporter who was pretty much of an idiot.
I realized that while the main story arc was being ignored, I was instead being served a whole bunch of rather soap-operish character arcs, and I felt restless to get to the whole saving the earth thing.Around episode 8 I was feeling very bored with the whole thing and decided to give up on the show, but when I looked at the episode guide on TV.com it appeared that the story arc came into play with episode 9.
So I thought I'd go a little furtherSo I watched the next couple of episodes, and even kind of liked episode 9, but after feeling bored again with episode 10, I realized that it just wasn't going to happen.
I wasn't connecting with the characters, the stories were middling, and there was too much bland soap opera.I never hated Odyssey 5, or even disliked it, but ultimately it just didn't feel like it was worth my time..
Why they waste so much time focusing on her personal drama in the series is beyond me - I really don't care!On the plus side, I thought Peter Weller was amazing in this.
And there are some really neat sci-fi concepts brought up, many before their time.Definitely worth watching, even if the series ended on a cliffhanger that never got resolved..
I'm astounded at the number of people who describe this as the best scifi they've ever seen - if that's the case, then god help the whole genre.I just finished watching the "complete" series on DVD.
First the good points: the characters are well written, the dialogue is thankfully excellent (because it's a real let down in many shows), the cast are great, and a special mention to the incidental music.
The DVD release may comprise all the episodes that were filmed, but it is far from the whole story.
I watched it with an increasing sense of foreboding as it seemed there was an unhealthy emphasis on character development and "set piece" events that comprised entire episodes, at the expense of the main plot.
If you like stories to have an actual ending, don't bother with this.
Shows that have been cancelled for the most weird reasons.Odyssey 5 is simply the best mix of scifi you can get.
I had show-time, and I could not believe they canceled this show, this was the best Sci-fi show of it's time.
I was so PO'ed that from all my looking into, they canceled this show because show-time wanted to go in a different direction, the show had good ratings.
I was/am PO'ed till this day.....watch all the Episodes if you can, each and everyone is at worst very good.
I remember writing show-time some nasty letters, but they fell on deaf ears, they came up with shows like Weeds, which is a hit but I cannot stand...go figure.
This is absolutely one of the best series I have ever seen in my 40+ years of watching television!
It's obvious why the executives at Showtime panicked: The series was way too subversive for a politically conservative medium like cable t.v.!
The political and philosophical statements Odyssey 5 were literally making in each episode were just too much for the spineless creatures that rule the cable airwaves!My favorite genre is science fiction & fantasy.
I can think of few television series where I cared so much for each main character, or the extensive range of emotions felt.
Had those responsible at Showtime kept Corporate at bay, instead of canceling the series literally in mid-sentence, the eventual controversy Odyssey 5 might have generated would've been good for business!The only drawback the series had was the importance of watching each episode in sequence.
The loss to science fiction was incalculable by the obnoxious cancellation of this unique series.
Perhaps, someone soon will have the courage to pick up the pieces and write a book, or make a movie, and finish the series with the same amount of passion and subversiveness as the creators of Odyssey 5 did!
Why did it die, great characters , great stories, I recently watched the 5 disc series with a friend of mine and I agree with the other comments.
Like it was coming together and the characters we were seeing more of them, I know with a show that gets these great reviews they should Bring it Back !!!!
The fans are demanding it :) Even though I have seen the actors on several other shows looks like they were enjoying it as well..
I've only just watched this series after being told by my "elder" "less science fiction" fan friends not to, and I really think this series so deserves at least another season.
Why start with the fantastic episode of seeing the earth explode and the idea of going back to prevent it from devastation, and end without answering it?
OK I agree that there may have been moments during the season when you thought the story was off the point, and that the Odyssey 5's personal stories got in the way of what we wanted to see.
Come on Peter Weller and Manny Coto, you have a large following that wants more :) If I had the money I'd produce and direct it myself!!
The best Sci Fi series ever made.
Not just a stupid decision, but criminal in my opinion.The one and only season had more good Sci Fi concepts than many shows have over their entire run.
The characters were excellent and didn't just shrug off personally devastating events, there'd be consequences for episodes to come.
There were long running story arcs, like Heroes and the new Battlestar Galactica.
This was the first of the recent run of 'adult orientated' Sci Fi. There was intrigue, tertiary characters weren't always what they appeared to be.Some have been put off by the amount of swearing, but this just added to the realistic feel for me.
Since this is mostly set on contemporary Earth there's an X-Files feel, but Odyssey 5 is way better.
X-Files is fantasy, Odyssey 5 true Science Fiction.I doubt there'll ever be anything better within the genre in my lifetime.
Get the series on DVD, but be prepared for frustration and anger over the way it ends.Manny Coto, I salute and thank you.10/10.
Great show, fresh approach to the old sci-fi-drama series.
This has become one of my favorite shows since its broadcast in Mexico City through open TV a few months from now.I like this show because it has good science fiction stories, without being pretentious about it, like some other cult series that people took too seriously.
This was just plain fun to watch.It was so absorbing and entertaining, that I didn't know what the whole series was about until after 5 or 6 episodes (I always arrived home once the intro had passed), but I was hooked nonetheless by the interactions between the characters, the cool plots and the sense that I was missing something very interesting about the whole story.When I found out, my interest just increased.
It's a cool idea with interesting twists, intelligent content and a great cast.I enjoy every episode as it has become a habit to get home around 9 pm to see what new adventures are these guys up to.
When I saw this one on sale at my favorite DVD shop, I did some research and found it to be a) canceled and b) rated to be a top of the tops show, so I found out I'd take a chance and added it to my collection.The series hit me like a ton of bricks.
O5 is more like the later seasons of Stargate SG-1: You'd better pay attention or you will miss something.Some guy or committee at Showtime found out that "No, we don't want this", so it got canceled after season 1 finished.
Too bad and actually for GOOD sci-fi, a disaster.
Odyssey 5 was probably THE best series in this category, and they canceled it.
I am nearing the end of watching Odyssey 5 on DVD and I am getting angrier and angrier!!Why?
because as I approach the end of the DVD's I am aghast that this is yet another excellent sci-fi series that had been cancelled prematurely.
And the beings that look like humans are not new either but the stories are original and we are faced with the human dilemma of knowing that something is going to happen and whether you should go along with it or change it thus altering the time line.
Odyssey 5 is heavy while another excellent show cancelled before its time (Firefly) is light.
I can only assume that because Star Trek had finished the powers at be decided that the public had run out of love with the sci-fi genre.
Anyway back to Odyssey 5, this is a good thinking man sci-fi that does not rely on funky looking aliens that just happen to speak perfect English.
Odyssey 5 has good story lines a good acting cast and should have run and run and run.
This series had so many things going good for the show.
It does take a while to get into the show since it starts off fast and then slows down drastically due to character development and then starts moving faster and then there is no more and leaves you hanging hence don't bother start watching.
It would be like watching 2001 space odysey and then having to wait 20 years to figure out what it meant but here that wont happen.I think the character development put off too many people and the rating drop off.
But this show would be a lot more interesting than some others like voyager or earth final conflict etc..
I have seen now around half of the programmes made and broadcast and watch without any great attachment.The plot is by no means unique, but what does work well is the way in which the characters interact with themselves and those around them with the knowledge of what will happen unless things are changed.That being said - the creator and main writer Manny Coto, seems to have been frustrated by the lack of "adult" or "grown up" content of Babylon 5 and makes up for this by having four letter words littering the script - cut out these, and no doubt the length of each episode would be reduced by some margin too.
The cast is an interesting mix of talents and work well together.Other reviews put this series in the same bracket as the early X Files - personally, I do not think that this is the case.
Of the two, I would vote for the X Files (the first couple of series only it must be said) over this any time.
2013Now that I have seen all the episodes, I am able to give a broader review of this series.
That being said, I came away having no strong feelings of sympathy for or empathy towards any of the characters and had there been another series then I would not have been queueing up to see it..
Just how many shows do we need that has someone going back in time to correct or stop things from happening.
I hope Showtime is still trying to find a good replacement for Stargate because this is not it..
I started watching this show thinking it was new and then got to thinking about it a little more.
Every episode seems to further expand this premise since every threat that the 'Odyssey 5' conquer seems to cause two more to replace it, just like the Hydra of Greek Mythology.If you absolutely MUST waste time on this series, borrow it from your Library so at least it won't cost you any money..
The characters discover that they have 3 hours air left - they struggle to extend that to 9 hours, then do absolutely nothing with those 9 hours.This is a perfect example of the kind of shockingly lazy writing that is only interested in getting from a to b without any care about the gaping plot holes that the journey creates.As the only 5 people on the planet who know that it will be destroyed in 5 years, do these intrepid and reputable heroes start by trying to alert anyone?
And conveniently, important key events all start to happen very visibly mere days after their arrival.This degree of laziness makes it challenging to endure, and knowing that things have not been resolved, or the earth saved by the end of the series, which was not picked up for a second season, makes watching it a pointless and uniquely frustrating experience.The actors do a great job with a lousy, cheesy, badly written script..
Odyssey Five is a sadly short lived series (just one season).
He knows nothing about what is causing it (and one of the five people still alive is dying so time is short) He sends their minds five years back in time, with little more then the bare knowledge of what will happen.While it was rough in spots, the show had interesting plot lines, and interesting characters.
Sent back 5 years in time...that HIGHLY implies they expect a 5 season run- Thats way too "ballsy" to attempt for something that has no real following....That and the acting of Weller is always way too overboard for a main character.
And from there it was just a fun short series to watch.It doesn't have the addictive pull as Heroes (Season 1 only), but the scenario has an endless amount of possibilities of plot development and, of course, the show ended on somewhat of the cliffhanger.