Harsh Realm

Last updated
Harsh Realm
Harsh Realm - DVD cover.jpg
DVD cover
Genre Science fiction
Developed by Chris Carter
Starring
Composer Mark Snow
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerGeorge A. Grieve
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Fox
ReleaseOctober 8 (1999-10-08) 
October 22, 1999 (1999-10-22)
Network FX
ReleaseApril 14 (2000-04-14) 
May 19, 2000 (2000-05-19)

Harsh Realm is an American science fiction television series about humans trapped inside a virtual reality simulation. It was developed by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files and Millennium , and began airing on the Fox Network on October 8, 1999. The series fared poorly in the ratings and was removed from the schedule after three of its nine episodes had aired. The remaining six episodes premiered on the FX Network. Repeats of the series began airing Fall 2007 on CBC Country Canada.

Contents

The term "harsh realm" originates from the "grunge speak" hoax of 1992, in which it meant 'bummer'.

The show was loosely based on a comic book by James D. Hudnall and Andrew Paquette. When the creators noticed the credits read "Created by Chris Carter", they sued Fox to get properly credited. The credits were changed to read "Inspired by the Harsh Realm comic book series, Created by James D. Hudnall and Andrew Paquette, Published by Harris Publications, Inc."

The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Setting

Harsh Realm is a virtual reality game created by the U. S. Army, programmed to minutely replicate the real world for training simulations. In the world of Harsh Realm, a small nuclear bomb is detonated in the program's version of New York City, killing four million people and thrusting its participants into a post-apocalyptic disaster scenario.

Lieutenant Tom Hobbes is unknowingly thrust into this world by his superiors with one mission: to kill "General" Omar Santiago. Along the way, he meets fellow soldiers sent into the game and alternate versions of people he knows in the real world. Tom Hobbes quickly finds companions such as Mike Pinocchio (a cynical long-time resident of Harsh Realm), Florence (a mute with mysterious powers) and Dexter (an alternate version of his real world dog).

Hobbes' target is Santiago, the highest scorer in Harsh Realm. Santiago, a US Army Sergeant Major in the "real world", is now a self-proclaimed "General" in the simulation who controls five U.S. states as a brutal dictator.

From his new companions, Hobbes learns that Santiago has commandeered Harsh Realm; Hobbes is merely the latest soldier in a long line of men sent on unsuccessful missions to kill the would-be dictator. Hobbes also learns from a mysterious "ally", Inga Fossa, that Santiago is planning the ultimate act of terrorism in the real world so that Harsh Realm is all that remains.

It is in this world that Hobbes must survive, defeat Santiago, save the real world, and somehow return to his real life and his fiancée, Sophie Green.

Cast

Episodes

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  2. Hodges, Ann (October 8, 1999). "Grim future awaits 'Harsh Realm'". Houston Chronicle . p. 1.
  3. "TV networks reveal cancellations, new shows for fall". Mobile Register . May 22, 1999. p. 05.
  4. Mendoza, Manuel (May 30, 1999). "Muting the Mayhem - Real-life drama sends TV scrambling to tone down the violence". The Dallas Morning News . pp. 1C.
  5. 1 2 3 McGuire, Mark (October 8, 1999). "'Harsh Realm' Tries to Keep Viewers Guessing". Times Union . pp. D1.
  6. "Script". gsc.chez-alice.fr.
  7. Rutenberg, Jim (March 22, 2000). "TV NOTES; 'Realm' Reincarnated". The New York Times . Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  8. "Harsh Realm". Rotten Tomatoes .
  9. Parish Perkins, Ken (July 31, 1999). "Is Duchovny Exiting 'The X-Files'?". Philadelphia Inquirer . pp. D11.
  10. Bark, Ed (June 28, 1999). "Fox gives edginess a bad name". The Dallas Morning News . pp. 1C.
  11. Kronke, David (October 8, 1999). "Like Nintendo For The Rest of Us – Virtual Reality Fleshed Out in 'Harsh Realm'". Daily News of Los Angeles . pp. L40.
  12. Owen, Rob (October 8, 1999). "'X-Files' Creator Digs Into Another Dark Tale of Dubious Reality in 'Harsh Realm'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . p. 40.
  13. Jason Coleman (28 August 2018). "Interview: 'Boarding School' Mom Samantha Mathis Talks Character, Chemistry and a Career of Proud Parts".
  14. "Credit to Authors". Newsstand. Association of Talent Agents. February 1, 2001. Archived from the original on June 17, 2003.
  15. "Harsh Realm : The Ultimate Mind Game - The Complete Series (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) (1999)". Amazon.com . 24 August 2004. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  16. "Harsh Realm: The Complete Series (DVD)". Amazon.co.uk . Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  17. "Harsh Realm - Complete Series TV Series DVD". dvdorchard.com.au. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"Pilot" Daniel Sackheim Chris Carter October 8, 1999 (1999-10-08)1ADC79

Decorated war hero Lieutenant Thomas Hobbes is about to retire from the military and start a new life with his beloved fiancée Sophie, when the government orders him for one last mission: play the virtual reality situational war game known as "Harsh Realm." But Hobbes finds himself stuck inside this computer game and all he wants is to get back to the real world and to get back to Sophie.

The episode included uncredited cameos by Gillian Anderson of The X-Files as the narrator of the Harsh Realm training video and Lance Henriksen of Millennium as the general who recruits Hobbes for the game.
2"Leviathan"Daniel SackheimChris CarterOctober 15, 1999 (1999-10-15)1ADC01
The underworld outside of Santiago City has its share of renegades, and one particular is a bounty hunter who traps Pinocchio and Hobbes for his own reward. The bounty hunter cuts a deal with Santiago to barter his prisoners in return for passage back to the real world, but hides the true nature of his trade from girlfriend May In the real world: The military notifies Sophie that her fiancé Hobbes was killed in action. A grief-stricken Sophie is confused when a mysterious stranger leads her to believe that she doesn't know the whole story.