Prisoner Zero (TV series)

Last updated

Prisoner Zero
Genre Science fiction
Created by Jason Haigh-Ellery
Austen Atkinson
Voices of Daniel Brocklebank
Danny Carmel
Toby Longworth
Katharine Mangold
John Schwab
Sophie Wu
Gary Martin
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producer Gary Russell [1]
ProducerJosh Campbell [1]
Production companiesPlanet 55 Studios
Telegael Teoranta
Bramall Productions
Original release
Network ABC3
Release19 September (2016-09-19) 
14 October 2016 (2016-10-14)

Prisoner Zero is an Australian animated children's sci-fi, action-adventure series produced by Planet 55 Studios, part of the Big Finish group of companies. Prisoner Zero follows the adventures of Tag, Gem, and Del and their mysterious friend Prisoner Zero. These four friends have a mission to free those enslaved across the cosmos from the evil Imperium, led by General Vykar.

Contents

Premise

The series follows two teen heroes, Tag and Gem, with their friend, the title character Prisoner Zero. They must stop the Imperium, who have enslaved humanity through a digital system, the Bioweve, by freeing the population and stop the evil General Vykar. [2]

Characters

Prisoner Zero: a mysterious man who is the friend of Tag, Gem, and Del. His memory has been wiped by the Imperium, perhaps multiple times. Voiced by Alexander Vlahos.

Del Rev: a slightly reckless rebel who is married to Bowi. Voiced by John Schwab. In a previous incarnation, executive produced by Austen Atkinson, Robert Firth portrayed Del Rev in 4 episodes. He was unavailable for the reboot.

Gem Coll: a feisty 14-year-old girl who stole the ship Rogue from Cav Anaton. Her parents died when she was young, and she thinks of Del and Bowi as her dads.

Tag Anaton: a 14-year-old boy who is initially reluctant to join the crew of the Rogue. He is the son of a prominent Imperium family and often acts like a spoiled brat, but his hacking genius has helped the crew on multiple occasions.

Guardian: an android (not a robot) programmed to protect Tag Anaton. Later he was integrated with the Rogue's AI system.

Librarian: an 8-foot-tall blue alien wizard that lives in the bowels of the ship. Although he develops a close friendship with Zero, he has secrets and motives of his own. Voiced by Gary Martin.

General Rakshiff Vykar: the main series villain. He seeks ultimate power and is willing to destroy anyone who gets in his way.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Rogue: Part One"Sean Zwan Gary Russell 19 September 2016 (2016-09-19) [3]
The spaceship Rogue is under attack from the Imperium forces led by General Vykar. Zero, Gem, Del and Bowi must find a way to escape, but the only solution may lie with an Imperium cadet called Tag Anaton...
2"Rogue: Part Two"Sean ZwanGary Russell20 September 2016 (2016-09-20) [3]
Can Zero save the inhabitants of the planet Arkadia from Vykar's deadly scheme? Aboard Rogue, Gem and Del realise they have been boarded, first by Kai and then by Tag and his powerful android, Guardian.
3"Toybox"David BreenGary Russell21 September 2016 (2016-09-21) [3]
Zero, Gem, Tag and Guardian explore the depths of the Rogue, unaware that something alien is watching their every move and setting traps for them. What terrible secret does the creature bring from the Dark Times?
4"Changes: Part One"Sean ZwanGary Russell & Josh Campbell22 September 2016 (2016-09-22) [3]
Guardian's new body causes him to go alarmingly wild, Jumping himself and Zero down to the planet Kantria and setting Zero up to fight with Vykar, one on one, until one of them is defeated...
5"Changes: Part Two"Sean ZwanGary Russell & Josh Campbell23 September 2016 (2016-09-23) [3]
As Zero and Vykar face off against one another, Del must rescue Gem from the ancient cryotubes and Tag has to make a decision as to whose side he is really on - as does Guardian. But who will they choose?
6"Librarian"Christian Barkel Justin Richards 24 September 2016 (2016-09-24) [3]
Lured into the Demon Sector and attacked by the metal-eating Scavengers, the Rogue is on the edge of destruction when help arrives in the shape of an old blue alien wizard who calls himself Librarian...
7"Enigpath"Josh Campbell Scott Handcock 25 September 2016 (2016-09-25) [3]
On the planet Hallaval, Vykar steals an ancient relic he believes will give him ultimate power. But the relic is a living creature with plans of its own. Zero must team up with the Vagabonds to help stop Vykar!
8"Schism"Sean Zwan & David Breen Joseph Lidster 26 September 2016 (2016-09-26) [3]
Kai travels back in time to change the past. Zero follows her and finds himself on a very different Rogue in an alternative timeline created by Kai's meddling and meets a young cadet called Tag Anaton...
9"Trust"Josh CampbellRebecca Stevens27 September 2016 (2016-09-27) [3]
Gem has been kidnapped by Barqel and taken to the planet Destrii. While the Rogue crew attempt to rescue her, Gem is overjoyed to find herself back with her parents who tell her she's been asleep for ten years...
10"Ragnabook: Part One"Josh CampbellScott Handcock28 September 2016 (2016-09-28) [3]
Rogue has been invaded by the Ragnabook, a monster from the Dark Times capable of rewriting time. It decides the crew's histories need changing, so Gem and Tag must race through the ship to escape...
11"Ragnabook: Part Two"Josh Campbell & Derek MooreScott Handcock29 September 2016 (2016-09-29) [3]
Gem and Tag need access to the Forbidden Section of the Library to try and rescue Zero, trapped in Librarian's past. Librarian himself is no help as his memories have been erased by the Ragnabook...
12"Alchemy"Derek MooreRichard Hansom30 September 2016 (2016-09-30) [3]
The Vagabonds are having a huge party, and the Rogue crew are their special guests. But things take a bad turn when a starship is brought to Hallaval that turns everything into living, mindless gold!
13"Mother"David DevjakDavid Breen, Rachel Marriott & Colin Bennett1 October 2016 (2016-10-01) [3]
Deep within the darkest areas of the Rogue is an abandoned science complex, built thousands of years ago. As Zero, Gem and Tag go exploring, they awaken something alien, something that blames them for murder...
14"Corsairs"Sean ZwanDavid Breen & Mark B. Oliver2 October 2016 (2016-10-02) [3]
Del tells everyone that they're going to have a day off from being chased by Vykar, facing the Dark Times etc. What can go wrong? Well, how about some space pirates decide there's treasure aboard the Rogue...
15"Crios: Part One"Sean ZwanDavid Breen3 October 2016 (2016-10-03) [3]
When a man called Parker contacts the Rogue and says he has a method of stopping the Imperium, Zero agrees to meet him. Del is convinced it's a trap and when Vykar shows up, it seems he's right...
16"Crios: Part Two"Sean ZwanDavid Breen4 October 2016 (2016-10-04) [3]
Parker needs something from Zero's brain and will stop at nothing to get it. Meanwhile Gem, Tag and Librarian have discovered that crystal dragons live beneath Crios and must avoid waking them up...
17"History"Derek MooreRichard Hansom5 October 2016 (2016-10-05) [3]
Someone has kidnapped Vykar and is trying to get secrets from deep within his mind. Realising Vykar holds the key to his own lost past, Zero must undertake a dangerous mission to rescue his old enemy.
18"Tartarus"Lachlan PiniGary Russell6 October 2016 (2016-10-06) [3]
Zero has been kidnapped and taken back to the planet Tartarus, the prison Gem rescued him from. A prisoner once again, Zero must piece together his past before his cruel jailer delivers him to a worse fate...
19"Breakout"Lachlan PiniRebecca Stevens7 October 2016 (2016-10-07) [3]
Tag's mum sends him an urgent message that takes the Rogue to the prison world Calzarat. There the prisoners, including Tag's dad, are being used by the cruel Doctor Mendez in her dark experiments on their minds.
20"The Lost"Josh CampbellScott Handcock8 October 2016 (2016-10-08) [3]
Tag and Gem infiltrate the Imperium's Academy to find out why children are disappearing. Gem joins the Imperium, while Tag finds himself a slave on the Moon of Magog where he makes a new friend, Mike Tarrant.
21"Choices"Josh CampbellJosh Campbell9 October 2016 (2016-10-09) [3]
The Imperium unveil their new upgrade device, the space-station Oroborous and its android commander, Primis. Just touching any Imperium tech enslaves the mind, as one of the Rogue's crew discovers to their cost...
22"Traitor"David DevjakJoseph Lidster10 October 2016 (2016-10-10) [3]
The Rogue crew are visited by Cav Anaton, Tag's dad. Cav claims the Rogue is his ship and has to prove to Tag that everything the teen has experienced over the past few months has been a holographic Imperium test!
23"Weapon"David DevjakGary Russell & Mark B. Oliver11 October 2016 (2016-10-11) [3]
Gem accidentally activates a living weapon from the Dark Times hidden deep within Rogue. The Weapon takes her over and she begins destroying the ship. Mike meanwhile has started a rebellion on the Moon of Magog.
24"Dosk"Sean ZwanRichard Hansom12 October 2016 (2016-10-12) [3]
Vykar angers the Faculty in his quest for power, and they send the Imperium fleet to destroy the Spire. As Vykar heads for the mysterious planet Dosk, Barqel asks the Rogue for help - but Zero and Dosk have history.
25"The Codec: Part One"Sean Zwan & Derek MooreScott Handcock13 October 2016 (2016-10-13) [3]
The Zero Rebellion is underway, but Zero himself realises that needs to get to Dosk and confront his past, despite knowing that Vykar is already there, and has the control of the mysterious Codec flame!
26"The Codec: Part Two"Sean Zwan & Christian BarkelGary Russell14 October 2016 (2016-10-14) [3]
Zero knows the only way to stop Vykar is to merge with the Codec and fight, despite the devastating effect this has on the planet Dosk, as well as Gem, Del and everyone else connected to the Bioweve...

Production

The series was first pitched to the ABC in 2012 as a replacement for Star Wars: The Clone Wars . The show would be the first to have its animation entirely produced in Australia.[ citation needed ] The show's storytelling was influenced by a mix of traditional western storytelling like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Doctor Who , with the animation style influenced by Japanese anime. Gary Russell served as the executive producer and lead writer with Josh Campbell as series producer and director. [1]

Although no information regarding a second series has been released, the series finale as well as comments by Campbell imply that one was at least planned at some point. [4]

DVD release

The first DVD "Rogue" was released as a Region 4 single disc on 2 November 2016 by ABC in Australia. [5] The second release "History" was released as a Region 4 single disc on 1 February 2017 by ABC in Australia. [6] The third release "The Codec" was released as a Region 4 single disc on 7 June 2017 by ABC in Australia.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Campbell</span> American actor (born 1958)

Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American actor and moviemaker. He is known best for his role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead horror series, beginning with the short movie Within the Woods (1978). He has also featured in many low-budget cult movies such as Crimewave (1985), Maniac Cop (1988), Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989), and Bubba Ho-Tep (2002).

<i>Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog</i> Animated series

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is an animated series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, produced by Sega of America, DIC Animation City, Bohbot Entertainment and the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A. in association with Spanish network Telecinco. Airing during the autumn of 1993, 65 episodes were produced, which was syndicated by Bohbot Entertainment in the United States.

<i>My Life as a Teenage Robot</i> American animated science fantasy television series

My Life as a Teenage Robot is an American animated science fiction superhero comedy television series created by Rob Renzetti for Nickelodeon. It was produced by Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Set in the fictional town of Tremorton, the series follows the adventures of a robot super-heroine named XJ-9, or Jenny, as she prefers to be called, who attempts to juggle her duties of protecting Earth while trying to live a normal human life as a teenage girl.

<i>The Mysterious Cities of Gold</i> Television series

The Mysterious Cities of Gold, originally released in Japan as Esteban, Child of the Sun and released in France and Luxembourg as Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or, is an animated series which was co-produced by DiC Audiovisuel and Studio Pierrot.

<i>Aladdin</i> (animated TV series) Animated television series made by Walt Disney Television

Aladdin: The Series is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that aired from February 6, 1994, to November 25, 1995, concluding exactly three years to the day from the release of the original Disney's 1992 animated feature film of the same name on which it was based. Despite the animated television series premiering four months before the first sequel, the direct-to-video film The Return of Jafar, it takes place afterward. The second and final animated sequel was the 1996 direct-to-video film, Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

<i>Sabrina: The Animated Series</i> American animated television series

Sabrina: The Animated Series is a 1999 American animated television series designed particularly for children, based on the Archie Comics series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Produced by Savage Studios Ltd. and Hartbreak Films in association with DIC Productions, L.P., the series is an animated spin-off of the 1996–2003 live-action series Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

<i>Battle Chasers</i> American fantasy comic book series

Battle Chasers is an American fantasy comic book series by Joe Madureira, launched in April 1998. It was characterized by scheduling problems, with an average of about six months between issues, including a delay of 16 months for issue #7. Madureira produced a total of nine issues in four years, a pace for which he was criticized, before leaving the comic industry to pursue a career as a video game designer. The cliffhanger ending of issue #9 was not resolved for over 20 years; issue #10 was originally scheduled for November 2001, put on indefinite hiatus with Madureira's exit from the industry, and returned only as abstract plans and concept drawings from 2017 to early 2023. Issue 10 was published in June 2023 and continued the plot after a two-page recap.

<i>Crash Tag Team Racing</i> 2005 video game

Crash Tag Team Racing is a 2005 kart racing game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games under the Sierra Entertainment label for the GameCube (GC), PlayStation 2 (PS2), Xbox, and the PlayStation Portable (PSP). The game was released in North America on October 21, 2005 and in Europe on November 4, 2005. The PlayStation 2 version was re-released in the three-disc "Crash Bandicoot Action Pack" compilation in the United States on June 12, 2007 and in Europe on July 20, 2007. Crash Tag Team Racing is the third racing game in the Crash Bandicoot video game series, following Crash Nitro Kart.

<i>Sabrina the Teenage Witch</i> (1996 TV series) American television sitcom (1996–2003)

Sabrina the Teenage Witch is an American television sitcom created by Nell Scovell, based on the Archie Comics series of the same name. It premiered on September 27, 1996, on ABC to over 17 million viewers in its "T.G.I.F." lineup.

"Rogues in the House" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine in January 1934. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan inadvertently becoming involved in the struggle between two powerful men fighting for control of a city-state. It was the seventh Conan story Howard had published. It features a fight between Conan and an intelligent ape-like hominid.

<i>Deltora Quest</i> (TV series) Japanese anime series

Deltora Quest is a Japanese anime television series based on the series of children's books of the same name, written by Australian author Emily Rodda. It was announced by Rodda herself at Sydney's Book Council of Australia Conference and at an ABC Kids convention. The series was produced by Genco and SKY Perfect Well Think. It was broadcast for 65 episodes on TV Aichi from January 2007 to March 2008. It began airing on Cartoon Network Australia and New Zealand in May 2010. It premiered in the United States on The Hub on October 10, 2010.

<i>Storm Hawks</i> Canadian TV series or program

Storm Hawks is an animated television series created by Asaph A. Fipke and was produced by Nerd Corps Entertainment. It premiered on YTV in Canada on September 8, 2007, and on Cartoon Network in the United States on May 25, 2007. Reruns formerly aired on Family CHRGD and Nickelodeon Canada.

<i>Steven Universe</i> 2013–19 American animated TV series

Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe, who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral-based aliens named Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst, and Pearl —in the fictional town of Beach City. Steven, who is half-Gem, has adventures with his friends and helps the Gems protect the world from their own kind. The pilot was first shown in May 2013, and the series ran for five seasons, from November 2013 to January 2019. The TV film Steven Universe: The Movie was released in September 2019, and an epilogue limited series, Steven Universe Future, ran from December 2019 to March 2020.

<i>Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia</i> 2016 animated television series created by Guillermo del Toro

Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia is an American animated fantasy streaming television series created by Guillermo del Toro and produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and Double Dare You Productions for Netflix, based on the 2015 novel Trollhunters by del Toro and Daniel Kraus. It follows the story of James "Jim" Lake Jr., a teenage boy who finds a mysterious amulet and stumbles across a secret realm inhabited by trolls and other magical creatures. Soon afterward, he and his friends are charged with protecting the world from the dangerous monsters that lurk in the shadows of their small suburban town.

<i>Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works</i> (TV series) 2014–2015 anime series directed by Takahiro Miura

Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is an anime series produced by Ufotable. It is based on the visual novel Fate/stay night produced by Type-Moon. The narrative is primarily based on the Unlimited Blade Works storyline in the visual novel, and follows Shirou Emiya, a high school student and amateur magus living in Fuyuki City, Japan. Shirou is unexpectedly brought into the Fifth Holy Grail War, a secret magical tournament in which seven participants, known as "Masters", and their "Servants", reincarnated personifications of legendary historical heroes, fight in a battle royale for the Holy Grail, an omnipotent magical chalice that can fulfill any wish or desire for its victor. When Shirou and his Servant Saber are forced to team up with Rin Tohsaka, another Master in the Holy Grail War, Shirou finds himself earning the strong dislike of Rin's mysterious Servant Archer, whose motivations are unknown.

Josh Wakely is an Australian director, screenwriter, and producer and the founder of the television and film production company Grace: A Storytelling Company. Wakely is principally engaged in the development and production of feature films and series based on the music publishing catalogues of prominent music artists and genres, including The Beatles, Motown, and Bob Dylan and other artists in the Universal Music Group library of recorded master and publishing catalogues.

<i>Ben 10</i> (2016 TV series) American animated television series

Ben 10 is a reboot animated television series created by Man of Action for Cartoon Network. The series is served as a parallel world. The series premiered in Australia, New Zealand and Asia-Pacific on October 1, 2016, and premiered in the United States on April 10, 2017, before concluding on April 11, 2021, after four seasons, a film, and three specials, the latter featuring a crossover with Generator Rex and previous Ben 10 television series continuity, via the concept of the multiverse.

<i>YooHoo & Friends</i> (2012 TV series) American TV series or program

YooHoo & Friends is an animated series, produced by Toonzone Studios and is loosely based on the Korean children's toyline of the same name by Aurora World. Created by David Feiss, the series both serves as a gag dub and retelling of the original 2009 South Korean animated series based on the YooHoo and Friends franchise, with changes being made in order for western audiences to relate to the series more. The series follows a group of corrupt corporate executives who are turned into the eponymous animal gang by Father Time who tasks them to go around the world and fix all of the environmental disasters that they caused. The series debuted on January 8, 2012, airing in Latin America on Cartoon Network, in the UK on Pop and in Australia on ABC.

Tales of Arcadia is a trilogy of computer-animated science fantasy television series created for Netflix by Guillermo del Toro and produced by DreamWorks Animation and Double Dare You. The series comprising the trilogy follows the inhabitants of the small suburban town of Arcadia Oaks, which is secretly home to various supernatural creatures and the young heroes who fight against the forces of evil that lurk in the shadows.

<i>First Day</i> (TV series) Australian TV series or program

First Day is an Australian drama television series which premiered on ABC Me on 30 March 2020. The series originated as a short film of the same title which aired in 2017. The series retells elements of the short film. The series was filmed in Adelaide, South Australia including on location at Marryatville High School.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Johnson, Travis (2 December 2016). "Josh Campbell: Drawing the Universe in Prisoner Zero". Filmink . Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  2. "Prisoner Zero". ABC Content Sales. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "Prisoner Zero: episode guide". australian television information archive. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  4. "- Series Producer & Director of Prisoner Zero Josh Campbell Interview — The Movie Boards". The Movie Boards. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  5. "Prisoner Zero - Rogue". ABC Shop. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  6. "Prisoner Zero - History". ABC Shop. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.