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Cast: Ted Shackelford, Rob Youngblood, Simone Bendix, Nancy Paul
From sci-fi legend Gerry Anderson (Space 1999, Thunderbirds, UFO), this special-effects-filled series chronicles the adventures of two cops from Earth battling a rogue’s gallery of alien criminals in the year 2040. Transferred from the mean-streets of New York City to a teeming alien planet halfway across the galaxy, veteran police detective Patrick Brogan (Ted Shackelford, Dallas) and his rookie partner (Rob Youngblood, NYPD Blue, Sliders) struggle to adapt to their exotic new beat. Tangling with otherworldly outlaws in one deadly close encounter after another, the officers fight to bring intergalactic law and order to a mind-bending realm where the bad guy’s aren’t just bad… they aren’t even human!
I have to admit that I some how missed this series when it aired in October of 1994. I love Gerry Anderson and his other works so I was eager to see what this was like, from the outside it reminded me of "Alien Nation" in reverse, it's not as serious as "Alien Nation" but just the whole human,aliens living as one and the cop theme makes them similar. The series is played seriously with some intentional humor added to lighten the mood, after I watched the first episode, "Protect and Survive" I wasn't sure what to think of the show. I immediately loved the production though, the models, effects, makeup and the puppet work used I thought were fantastic for the time. After making my way past the first 6 episodes I was hooked, with each episode the stories just got better and better and each one had me glued to the screen. The cast is another reason to love the show, Ted Shackelford and Rob Youngblood are terrific together and the two lead cops and Youngblood also has nice chemistry with co-star Simone Bendix as the two have a on going flirting match the entire time. Also Shackelford's character has a wife and two children who play an important role in the series bringing out a more human side to the proceedings. I am not sure why the series never caught on and was canceled after just the one season, maybe it was ahead of it's time or have poor time slot. In any case fans are rejoicing now the the complete series is available on DVD for the first time. Plus the Syfy Channel will have a marathon starting November 30th and running through December 1st. I loved this series and everything about it, sure it is cheesy and campy but that is half the fun but the stories are intense as well. I highly recommend this to all fans of Sci-fi, a gem of a series that is finally available for everyone to own and enjoy over and over. You can find out more about the show HERE and you can order the 5-disc DVD set HERE.
Released by Image Entertainment
***** Out Of *****