Continuum (TV series)

Last updated
Continuum
Continuum Title Card.png
Genre
Created by Simon Barry
Starring
Music by Jeff Danna
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes42 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Simon Barry
  • Sara B. Cooper
Production locationsVancouver, British Columbia, Canada / Riverview Hospital, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
CinematographyJoel Ransom
Running time44 minutes [1]
Production companies
Original release
Network Showcase
ReleaseMay 27, 2012 (2012-05-27) 
October 9, 2015 (2015-10-09)

Continuum is a Canadian science fiction television series created by Simon Barry that premiered on Showcase on May 27, 2012, and ran for four seasons. It was produced by Reunion Pictures, [2] Boy Meets Girl Film Company, [2] and Shaw Media. [2] The plot centres around the conflict between a group of terrorists from the year 2077 who time travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2012 and a police officer who unintentionally accompanies them. In spite of being many years early, the terrorist group decides to continue its violent campaign to stop corporations of the future from replacing governments, while the police officer endeavours to stop them without revealing to everyone that she and the terrorists are from the future.

Contents

Premise

City Protective Services (CPS) law enforcement officer Kiera Cameron lives with her husband and son in 2077-era Vancouver under the corporatocratic and oligarchic dystopia of the North American Union and its Corporate Congress, a technologically advanced high-surveillance police state. When a group of self-proclaimed freedom fighters known as Liber8 escape execution by fleeing to the year 2012, Kiera is involuntarily transported with them. Joining with Detective Carlos Fonnegra of the Vancouver Police Department and enlisting the help of teen computer genius—and future corporate oligarch—Alec Sadler, Kiera works to track down and thwart Edouard Kagame and his followers in the present day while concealing her identity as a time-traveler from the future and tries to find a way to return home to her family.

Prelude

Episodes from the first and second seasons begin with the plot of the show narrated via a voice-over from the point of view of Kiera Cameron.

2077. My time, my city, my family. When terrorists killed thousands of innocents, they were condemned to die. They had other plans. A time travel device sent us all back sixty-five years. I want to get home, but I can't be sure what I will return to if history is changed. Their plan: to corrupt and control the present in order to win the future. What they didn't plan on was me.

Starting with the third season, the narration was replaced by a new sequence that contains a computer-animated version of the time travel device, scenes from previous seasons, and cast credits before ending with Kiera Cameron (portrayed by Rachel Nichols) holding the device, followed by the title card. [3]

Cast and characters

Main

The main cast of the show at Fan Expo Canada 2012. From left: Erik Knudsen, Victor Webster and Rachel Nichols Continuum cast at FanExpo 2012-1.jpg
The main cast of the show at Fan Expo Canada 2012. From left: Erik Knudsen, Victor Webster and Rachel Nichols

Recurring

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 10May 27, 2012 (2012-05-27)August 5, 2012 (2012-08-05)
2 13April 21, 2013 (2013-04-21)August 4, 2013 (2013-08-04)
3 13March 16, 2014 (2014-03-16)June 22, 2014 (2014-06-22)
4 6September 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)October 9, 2015 (2015-10-09)

The first season has 10 episodes. On August 25, 2012, Showcase renewed Continuum for a second season of 13 episodes, [4] which premiered on April 21, 2013, on Showcase in Canada, May 23, 2013, on Syfy in the UK, and June 7, 2013, on Syfy in the US. [5] On June 5, 2013, Continuum was officially renewed for a third season, [6] which premiered on March 16, 2014, on Showcase in Canada and April 4, 2014, on Syfy in the US. [7] [8]

During an interview in May 2014, Simon Barry revealed that he had 7 to 10 seasons in mind for Continuum. [9] Showcase announced on December 8, 2014, that Continuum had been renewed for a fourth and final season of six episodes, [10] which began airing on September 4, 2015, on Showcase in Canada, [11] and September 11, 2015, on Syfy in the US. The series concluded, with a complete and final outcome to the storyline, on October 9, 2015.

Production

Development

Series creator Simon Barry explains how the show was picked up by Showcase:

I had developed the idea for US networks (where I had been selling for several years, but not getting picked up) and before I got a chance to take Continuum out and pitch it, I was hired by CBS to write a different pilot. In the middle of that job, my director friend Pat Williams took a meeting at Showcase Network in Canada and called me in a panic because he didn't have anything to pitch. I gave him the idea for Continuum to pass on to the executives there. They immediately saw the potential and hired me to write a pilot script. Because it was first set up with Showcase, there was much more of an appetite for Sci-Fi and genre bending concepts. Showcase really understood what the show could be from day one. [12]

Broadcast

The series premiered in Canada on May 27, 2012, with Season 1 consisting of ten episodes; [13] and concluded on October 9, 2015, after forty-two episodes.

In French Canada, it debuted on addikTV on November 6, 2013. [14]

It premiered in the UK on September 27, 2012, on Syfy (UK), [15] [16] with season 2 returning on May 23, 2013, [17] and season 3 on January 28, 2015. [18]

The series premiered in the U.S. on January 14, 2013, on Syfy, [19] [20] with season 2 premiering on June 7, 2013, [21] season 3 on April 4, 2014 [22] and season 4 on September 11, 2015. [23]

The series premiered in Australia on SF on February 21, 2013, [24] and returned for season 2 on October 3, 2013. [25] Season 3 premiered on Syfy (Australia) (the replacement to the now defunct SF) on May 5, 2014. [26]

Cancellation

The show was cancelled mid-story, but was allowed to make a further six episodes in a fourth season to come to a conclusion. Because of the reduced number of episodes, the final season focused primarily on Kiera, Alec, Carlos and Kellog. Emily, Julian and the Traveler were originally all supposed to get larger stories, but their threads had to be dropped. The Traveler, who had a build-up in season three, was meant to be used as a way to branch out and expand the show's mythology by exploring his background in detail and how he was connected to everything. There were also talks about doing an entire season about the members of Liber8 and their individual backstories.[ citation needed ]

Simon Barry has also expressed interest in continuing the Continuum universe and mythology in other mediums if possible, as there were "some great ideas that never made it to the screen" due to the cancellation; for instance, he would love to follow Kellog's story after the final episode as a book or graphic novel. [27] He also says he would love to see fans exploring the universe and characters in the form of fan fiction. [28]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 86% approval rating for the first season, with an average rating of 7.2/10 based on 14 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Continuum blends time-tested genre ingredients to deliver a sci-fi crime drama that's solidly entertaining despite its overall familiarity." [29] Reviewer Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times described the series as "slick" and highlighted its attention to detail. [30] Reviewer David Hinckley of the New York Daily News compared Continuum positively to Life on Mars , another series with a time travelling police officer, and gave the show three stars out of five. [31] According to Hinckley, the series has potential to do well, and if it "doesn't aim to soar, it executes the basics well". [31]

Rotten Tomatoes gave an 80% approval rating for the second season, with an average rating of 6.1/10 based on 5 reviews, [32] a 100% approval rating for the third season, with an average rating of 8.4/10 based on 7 reviews, [33] and an 88% approval rating for the fourth season, with an average rating of 8.0/10 based on 8 reviews, [34]

Awards

On January 15, 2013, the day after the U.S. launch, the Canadian Screen Awards nominated Continuum for 5 Screenies: Best Drama Series, Writing, Direction, Music and Visual Effects. It won in the latter category. The show received a record 16 Leo Award nominations. [35]

YearAwardCategoryRecipientsOutcome
2013 Leo Awards Best Dramatic SeriesContinuumWon
Best DirectionWilliam Waring, "Family Time"Won
Best DirectionPatrick Williams, "Endtimes"Nominated
Best ScreenwritingSimon Barry, "Endtimes"Won
Best CinematographyDavid Pelletier, "Endtimes"Nominated
Best EditingAllison Grace, "Family Time"Won
Best EditingAllan Lee, "Endtimes"Nominated
Best Production DesignChris August, "Endtimes"Nominated
Best Costume DesignMaya Mani, "A Stitch in Time"Won
Best Stunt CoordinationKimani Ray Smith, "Wasting Time"Nominated
Best Male Guest PerformanceJesse Moss, "Matter of Time"Nominated
Best Male Guest PerformanceIan Tracey, "Endtimes"Won
Best Supporting ActorRichard Harmon, "Family Time"Won
Best Supporting ActorBrian Markinson, "Endtimes"Nominated
Best Supporting ActressJennifer Spence, "Playtime"Nominated
Best Supporting ActressLexa Doig, "Endtimes"Nominated
Constellation Awards Best Sci-Fi TV SeriesContinuumWon
Best Sci-Fi Film or TV ScriptContinuumWon
Best Female Performance in a Sci-Fi TV Episode Rachel Nichols Won
Outstanding Canadian Contribution to Sci-TV Film or TVContinuumNominated
Saturn Awards (39th) Best Television Presentation ContinuumNominated
Writers Guild of Canada Drama Series Simon Barry, "Second Time"Nominated
2014Leo AwardsBest Picture Editing in a Dramatic SeriesJamie AlainWon
Best Dramatic SeriesContinuumWon
Best ScreenwritingSimon BarryWon
Best CinematographyMichael WaleWon
Best Make-Up in a Dramatic SeriesJennifer KippsWon
Best Stunt Coordination in a Dramatic SeriesKimani Ray SmithWon
Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic SeriesLexa Doig, "Split Second"Won
Best Direction in a Dramatic SeriesWilliam WaringNominated
Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic SeriesRoger R. CrossNominated
Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic SeriesJennifer Spence, "Second Opinion".Nominated
Canadian Screen Awards Supporting Actress Luvia Petersen Nominated
Visual EffectsContinuumWon
Saturn Awards (40th) Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series ContinuumNominated
Best Television Actress Rachel NicholsNominated
Best Television Supporting Actor Erik KnudsenNominated
2015Saturn Awards (41st)Best Syndicated/Cable Television SeriesContinuumNominated
Best Television ActressRachel NicholsNominated
Best Television Supporting ActorErik KnudsenNominated
Best Television Supporting Actress Lexa DoigNominated
2016 Prix Aurora Awards Best Visual PresentationContinuumNominated
Saturn Awards (42nd) Best Science Fiction Television Series ContinuumWon
Best Television ActressRachel NicholsNominated
Best Television Supporting ActorErik KnudsenNominated

Other media

Zeros 2 Heroes Media Inc. has created an alternate reality game website, Continuum the Game. [36]

The game site also includes a "Comics" section, featuring Continuum: The War Files, which is an eight-part graphic novel that tells of the war going on in 2065 between the Corporations and Liber8. The comic was available only in Canada. [37]

Rittenhouse released a trading card set based on the show in June 2014. [38]

Notes

  1. Although, it was indicated at but never clarified whether Neelon had got orders to do this "job", or he had acted on his own.
  2. Possibly on orders of Catherine, the last leader of Freelancers.
  3. Presumed dead because he wasn't visibly there at the time of shoot-out. Later on, dead body was neither shown nor even mentioned in the episode. No development about his whereabouts till the conclusion of series finale.

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