Two series with fantasy elements debut this coming week and both get off to strong creative starts. Fox introduces its new J.J. Abrams-executive-produced show with back-to-back episodes, but only the first hour was available for review. It’s a strong, creative pilot filled with beautiful shots of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco and an intriguing story, too.
“Alcatraz” (8-10 p.m. EST Monday) proceeds from the notion that the night the island prison was shut down in March 1963, its prisoners all disappeared. Now they’re somehow coming back.
| On TV |
| ‘Alcatraz’ |
| When: 8 p.m. Monday |
| Channel: Fox |
San Francisco police detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), who has a personal connection to Alcatraz, lands a homicide case in which fingerprints from a supposedly dead inmate, Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce), turn up. A surveillance camera catches a glimpse of Sylvane, who looks the same in 2011 as he did in 1963.
Madsen, whose last partner died in the line of duty, teams with Alcatraz expert Dr. Diego “Doc” Soto (Jorge Garcia, “Lost”) to investigate this odd turn of events. The pair encounter federal agent Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill, “Jurassic Park”), who appears to know what’s going on but won’t spill many details.
This is where concern about the future of “Alcatraz” begins. The pilot looks great, offers an intriguing plot and effortlessly introduces the show’s characters and premise. But what will “Alcatraz” be on a weekly basis? Will it be Madsen tracking down an escaped inmate every week and Hauser refusing to divulge any secrets? That kind of teasing will grow old pretty fast.
“Alcatraz” comes from Abrams, who debuted mythology-driven “Lost,” which is both reassuring and worrisome. Reassuring because “Lost” was a great show; worrisome because, even though “Lost” dragged out its revelations, it had the benefit of a much larger story universe. So far “Alcatraz” boils down to just two questions: Where did the prisoners go, and why don’t they age?
Also worrisome: Fox credits the show’s brain trust as Abrams and former “Lost” writer Elizabeth Sarnoff; Sarnoff stepped down as “Alcatraz” showrunner in November. We’ll see if subsequent episodes live up to the promise of the “Alcatraz” pilot.
