Sci-Fi Continuum (SyFy)

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Title: Continuum

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Drama

First aired: 2012-05-27

Creator: Simon Barry

Cast: Rachel Nichols, Erik Knudsen, Victor Webster, Stephen Lobo, Roger Cross, Lexa Doig, Tony Amendola, Omari Newton, Luvia Petersen, Jennifer Spence, Brian Markinson

Overview: The series centers on the conflict between a group of rebels from the year 2077 who time-travel to Vancouver, BC, in 2012, and a police officer who accidentally accompanies them. In spite of being many years early, the rebel 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 anyone that she and the rebels are from the future.
Continuum (SyFy)

 
This a great show made in Vancouver about Time travel.



Continuum is a one-hour police drama centered on Kiera Cameron, a regular cop from 65 years in the future who finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver. She is alone, a stranger in a strange land, and has eight of the most ruthless criminals from the future, known as Liber8, loose in the city.

The show is available on legal streaming in Canada, Through the ShowCase web page.

http://continuumtheseries.com/episodes/page/3

This is the best sci-fi show I have been watching since Battlestar Galactica Reimagined. Hollywood North (Vancouver...) once again is giving us some great sci-fi stuff.
 
http://io9.com/5920868/the-origins-of-cont...ime-travel-show
The Origins of Continuum, Our New Favorite Time Travel Show
By Charlie Jane Anders
Jun 24, 2012 10:30 AM

With tonight's episode, Continuum reaches the half-way point of its first season. Lucky Canadian viewers have gotten a cool dose of time travel, action, cyberpunk and zaniness, and hopefully we'll get to see it in the States at some point.

But how did Continuum come to exist? Was there a strange paradox involved? We asked the show's creator, Simon Barry, who also gave us some non-spoilery hints about where things are going. Plus some exclusive visual effects stills!

Warning: there are spoilers for the show's first four episodes below.

Where did the idea for Continuum come from? Was there a particular inspiration from science fiction, or real-life events?

A desire to blend scifi mythology (hard to sell but cool and a genre I love) with police procedural (easier to sell but safe and hard to twist.) Time travel was a great way to attach a larger mythology to a real world setting. Although the police/criminal structure is familiar, the backstory of 2077 and time travel makes the stakes higher, and allows for a layer of mystery that infects everything and allows for some grey areas philosophically. The universe just feels bigger without being weighed down by additional costs that make production prohibitive.

Was it difficult to pitch this show? Was there a lot of resistance to something so overtly science fictional, in an era where everything is about vampires and fairies?

This opportunity really came out of left field for me. 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.

We meet Edouard Kagame, the leader of the Liber8 terrorists, right at the start of the pilot, and he's a fascinating character right off the bat. What's the reasoning behind waiting a few episodes to have him appear in 2012 and join the others?

Some of this impacts where Season one is heading, and I don't want to get into too many details. What I can say is we loved the idea of the gang arriving without their leader and dealing with the pressures of that. Also, knowing Kagame would approach the situation differently, allowed for Travis to take more drastic action that wouldn't compromise Kagame's philosophy. It also created the space for Kellog to find his way out of the gang. Any more details might be spoilers.

We loved the visuals of seeing through Kagame's eyes, with the city of the future fading into the Vancouver of 2012 as he orients himself. That's a really neat idea. Where did that come from?

The writing room is so dynamic and fast moving, I never remember where details like this come from, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was Sam Egan's idea as he was the writer of this episode and he's absolutely brilliant. Once Mike Rohl took over to direct the episode it became a real collaboration between the production team and Adam Stern at Artifex. Tony Amendola brought such a unique and honest emotion to the moment that really sold it. This was a great example of dedicated people all working towards a common creative vision. I'm very happy with the end result and the fan response.

What theory of time travel are you guys operating with? It seems like people can change the past, so the future Kiera comes from already no longer exists, the moment she goes back in time. Is that right? In that case, why does Old Alec seem to know that Kiera is going to travel back in time, in the pilot?

Answering this question would undermine some of the mystery we plan to unlock as we move deeper into the mythology and plot of the show and the larger universe of both time periods.

So far, we've heard a lot of talk about the evil corporate-dominated future and how oppressive it is, but we've only had one glimpse of actual oppression, when the soldiers break up the young Kagame's peaceful meeting. Are we going to see more of why the corporations are so bad? How far can you go with that theme without being too political for some people?

The intention was never to make the future so black and white. The future is as messed up as the present and the oppression is defined by those who are experiencing it first hand. Point of view and the variation of it, is essential to our characters backstory and process of discovery. 2012 could be seen by someone from 1947 as a dystopian corporate controlled future, yet we think of it as 'normal'.

How does a sweet kid like Alec grow up to become a corporate overlord anyway?

Sometimes being an innovator brings with it a destiny that has nothing to do with desire.

Are the Vancouver cops ever going to get wise to the fact that Kiera is obviously not who she claims to be? How long before Carlos, in particular, learns the real truth?

Let's save this question for after episode 10.

Is the show going to do more "case of the week" type stuff like the murder mystery this past week, or is the emphasis going to continue to be on the Liber8 group and their agenda?

Season one will be a good blend of everything the show can be.

And finally, if Liber8 does really start trying to change the future, how will they know if they've succeeded?

How indeed?

Continuum airs tonight at 9 PM on ShowCase in Canada — and hopefully at some point in the U.S.
 
Rachel Nichols' Canadian Cable TV series gets picked up by SyFi-UK Channel
Syfy UK Acquires Rights To Canadian Series 'Continuum' - TVWise
Syfy UK Acquires Rights To Canadian Series ‘Continuum’
By Patrick Munn - August 23rd, 2012 @ 08:24 am UTC

Breaking… Exclusive: Syfy UK has closed a deal with GK-TV to acquire the exclusive first run UK broadcast rights to Canadian science-fiction series Continuum. The show’s ten episode first season is set to premiere on Syfy UK in late September.

Created by Simon Barry, Continuum follows Kiera Cameron, a cop from the future who finds herself trapped in the present day. When a group of fanatical terrorists escapes their planned execution in the year 2077, they vault back in time to 2012 sweeping dedicated City Protective Services officer, Kiera, along with them. With unexpected assistance from teen tech genius Alec Sadler, Kiera concentrates on bringing down the terrorists before they can change the course of history forever. Desperate to get back to her husband and son, Kiera impersonates a local law enforcement officer to expedite her investigation, forming an uneasy alliance with her new partner, detective Carlos Fonnegra. The drama series is produced by Reunion Pictures in association with Shaw Media and stars Rachel Nichols (Criminal Minds), Erick Knudsen (Jericho), Victor Webster (Castle), Tony Amendola (Stargate SG-1), Stephen Lobo (Smallville), Lexa Doig (Andromeda), William B. Davis (The X-Files), Roger Cross (24), Luvia Peterson (The L Word), Terry Chen (Combat Hospital) and Omari Newton (Sophie).

Continuum, which has proved to be a hit for Canadian broadcaster Showcase, broke ratings records with its premiere episode on May 27th to become Showcase’s highest-rated single episode ever. The seres premiered to 1.7 million viewers throughout its two airings, garnering a viewership of 900,000 (2+) and 427,000 (A25-54) in its 9 pm timeslot. The series also has the distinction of becoming the second Canadian series to find its UK home on Syfy; the other being fellow Showcase sci-fi series Lost Girl.

Speaking of the acquisition of Continuum, Adam Collings, Channel Director of Syfy UK, said: “With gripping story-telling, high production values and a terrific cast, Continuum has the hallmark of a landmark science fiction series. It combines classic genre themes of dystopian futures and the space-time continuum, with universal themes questioning the nature of good and evil. At its core it’s also the story of a strong-minded heroine’s fight for her future and her family.”
 
Rachel Nichols' Canadian Cable TV series gets picked up by America's SyFi Channel
http://www.tv.com/news/news-briefs-syfy-is...ontinuum-29439/
Syfy Is Importing Canada's Sci-Fi Drama 'Continuum'
by Tim Surette
Aug 27, 2012

Syfy is continuing its relationship with the fine Canadians of Canada and will import 'Continuum', a buzzy drama starring Rachel Nichols. The 10-episode first season just wrapped up earlier this month on Canada's Showcase, and a second season has already been ordered. Nichols stars as a cop from the future that is wormholed back to present-day Vancouver and chases down future terrorists who have also time-traveled. I've seen a handful of episodes and can confirm that this does not suck. [Deadline Hollywood]

... HBO's The Newsroom finished its season Sunday on a high note, drawing 2.3 million viewers for a series best. So suck on that, haters! True Blood's fifth-season finale also hit a season high with 5 million viewers. Haters of True Blood may also suck on that, or whatever else they have around the house. We also have reviews of both of them! (True Blood review, The Newsroom) [Deadline Hollywood]

... TBS' long-delayed comedy Wedding Band finally has a premiere date, and like most weddings, it will take place on a Saturday. That's good for weddings, and really bad for television shows. The hourlong comedy, starring Harold Perrineau ("Waaaaaalt!") and Brian Austin Green as aimless men that play music at weddings, will debut November 10. Its Saturday time slot isn't encouraging and likely means TBS is just letting this thing die. [Deadline Hollywood]

... NBC has purchased a comedy project from Chelsea Handler and Ingrid Haas (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) about a young woman who accidentally breaks up her parents' marriage, forcing her father to move into her apartment. [Deadline Hollywood]

... Fox has purchased the drama Athena from writer Lisa Joy. Based on Joy's graphic novel Headache, the series would follow a young woman who discovers she's the Greek goddess Athena. Among her tasks as a new goddess: fighting monsters and other gods from Greek mythology that want to take over the planet. Sounds Buffy to me. [Deadline Hollywood]

CASTING ROUNDUP

... Abby Elliott, who recently left Saturday Night Live's cast, will guest star in multiple episodes of How I Met Your Mother. She'll play a crazy chick whose craziness only makes her more attractive to the guys. [EW]

... A&E;'s upcoming Bates Motel has found its Mama Bates. Vera Farmiga has been cast as Norma Bates in the Psycho prequel that's co-created by Lost's Carlton Cuse. [Deadline Hollywood]

... You've been waiting patiently to find out who the final contestant, voted in by the fans, on the next cycle of Dancing With the Stars would be, and now we know! It is... Sabrina Bryan! I'll save you the trouble of looking her up: she's a Disney star from the original movies The Cheetah Girls! [USA Today]

ALL HAIL YOUR NEW LEADER LORENZO NEWS

... The waters ran red with blood, the locusts feasted on the harvest, and the Four Horsemen saddled up their ponies over the weekend, as Jersey Shore star Snooki gave birth to your new overlord, Lorenzo Dominic LaValle. BOW BEFORE LORENZO AND YOU WILL BE SPARED! [MTV]
 
Thanks to my DVR I've been watching this one on SyFy. :smiley:

After watching all of the episodes that have aired to date, it is starting to lose my attention a bit. An episode about VR mind control? Homemade bomb terrorists? Enemies who might be friends and vice versa? Seems to be a bit of tried & tested script writing going on by keeping it safe. Even the premise of the show, that corporations have taken over civil government, was something dealt with years ago in the RoboCop franchise (and which is also getting its own reboot).

The actors are doing a fine job with the material though so I'll keep on watching.
 
In the US Syfy has picked up the second season of Canadian import Continuum. The 13-episode second cycle of the time-traveling police drama will premiere June 7 and air in the Friday 10 PM slot. Season 1 of Continuum averaged 1.35 million total viewers, 644K adults 25-54 and 537K adults 18-49 on Syfy. It stars Rachel Nichols and co-stars Victor Webster and Erik Knudsen.

Outside of the US the second season was announced back on August 25, 2012 for a premier date of April 21, 2013, on the Canadian network Showcase.
 
TV series: Continuum

I have watched the first few episodes of Continuum, a new Canadian TV series. This features Rachel Nicholas as Keira Cameron, a “protector” (police officer) living with her husband and child in Vancouver in 2077. She is on duty at the planned execution of the leaders of Liber8, a terrorist group responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people, when a strange force is released which sends them – and her – back in time to 2012.

The world of 2077 is a very different place, one in which huge international corporations have taken over the duties of governments and run police states which tolerate no dissent. Liber8, led by Edouard Kagame (Tony Amendola), is dedicated to breaking their hold on power and restoring democracy, and see their group’s displacement into the past as a golden opportunity to stop the corporations before they can gain power. Keira Cameron is equally determined to stop them and, after they begin a violent crime spree to obtain weapons and money, works with the Vancouver police to track them down. She is aided by Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen), a geeky young computer genius who has devised a communications technology able to link up with her advanced systems.

This series is proving to have a nicely-judged blend of elements with several inbuilt tensions: between Cameron and the terrorists, whom she despises but also needs as they hold the key to her return to her family in 2077; between Cameron and the present-day police - particularly Detective Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster) - who are unaware of her background and are curious to find out as much about her as possible; within the terrorists, between the dedicated fanatics and those who welcome the opportunity to start afresh and use their knowledge to become very rich; and indeed in the conflict between Liber8 and the world of 2077. Who would not support the idea of a democracy battling against a police state? Yet it is the democrats who are the ruthless terrorists and the representative of the police state who is the heroine. There is also a developing mystery about the role of Alec Sadler, who we also see in 2077 (played by William B Davis) as the elderly head of a powerful corporation who has become acquainted with Cameron and is present when she is thrown back into the past.

As an occasional break from the 2012 action we see the protagonists in the years leading up to 2077, revealing their past histories. There are some nice SF touches particularly concerned with Cameron’s bulletproof protector suit, which is packed with advanced technology and can also make her invisible, and with the systems built into her body. There are some impressive scenes when she looks at views of Vancouver in 2012 and then superimposes her knowledge of the same view in 2077. There is even some humour, as Cameron comes to grips with the limitations of 2012 technology, and a touch of incipient romance in the growing attraction Detective Fonnegra feels for her. Rachel Nicholas (an actress I haven’t seen before) is very good as Keira Cameron, revealing an appealing blend of tough competence and vulnerability as she struggles to cope with the loss of her family.

All in all this is shaping up to be one of the best TV series I’ve seen in a long time. The plot is complex and intriguing, the story lines adult and convincing, and I enjoy the effective blend of SF and detective elements, my two favourite genres. Highly recommended.


(This entry is cross-posted from my science-fiction & fantasy blog.)
 
I know it has been on TV for a little while now but I've only just got around to watching this series, I've got 2 episodes left of season one and I think we've reached episode 7 in the second season which I've got saved on my HD box.

I didn't think I was going to enjoy it when I watched the very first episode but it has turned out to be pretty good so far with some good stories and ideas.

Anyone else watched it? Enjoyed it?
 
I've been watching and so far it has been enjoyable. The pace of the action is pretty slow at times but there is still enough of the mystery factor that is drawing me in to watching it.
 
In the US Syfy has picked up the second season of Canadian import Continuum. ...
... and this week SyFy has announced that they'll also pick up the third season of Continuum. It had already been renewed for a third season by Showcase for the Canadian market.
 
I've watched all of this so far but I must admit I nearly gave up watching it on more than one occasion - at times the story was a mess and it seemed to lose its way but it all came good again towards the end of the third season.

I haven't been able to find out any information on whether it has been renewed for a fourth season or not, does anyone know?
 
I've watched all of this so far but I must admit I nearly gave up watching it on more than one occasion - at times the story was a mess and it seemed to lose its way but it all came good again towards the end of the third season.
I have to agree with where the story line went; by the middle of S3 it was all over the place but mostly came back together again by the end. Between the multiple alternate timelines, multiple alternate copies of characters, and changing alliances it was hard to keep up with at times. With the S3 ending they must have realized it and cleaned house for a slight reboot of the story.

I haven't been able to find out any information on whether it has been renewed for a fourth season or not, does anyone know?
As far as I know it hasn't been announced yet.
 
I agree that the story line got a bit unwieldy at times and with so many characters coming into play, the whole thing felt like it needed some streamlining, but I'm still invested in the two main characters, Alec and Kiera and would really like to see it continue for another season.
 
After months of waiting, Continuum has been renewed for a 6-episode fourth and final season.

Sci-fi drama Continuum will end its run with a six-episode fourth season, which will wrap the show’s story.

The series has been renewed both by its original channel, Canada’s Showtime, and Syfy, which has been carrying it in the U.S

Source: ‘Continuum’ Renewed For 6-Episode Fourth & Final Season

I thought it could have done a bit more than that. Glad to see it return to wrap up the story though, must have been a long fight for that. Would have been annoyed if it was just canned like so many other shows.
 
TV – Continuum Season 3

At long last the third season of the Canadian time-travel serial has become available on DVD in the UK. To refresh your memories, this follows the efforts of Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) a 2077 "Protector" (paramilitary law officer), thrown back to the present day in an incident which also sends back members of Liber8, a terrorist organisation. Liber8 is fighting to stop major corporations from taking over the country and turning it into a police state, and in fleeing to the past hope to change history by preventing this from happening. Cameron, who despite being the heroine is working for that police state, is desperately trying to stop them since, if they were to succeed, the future she had left behind would vanish, destroying any hope that she might some day return to her husband and child.

The first two seasons are full of plot complexities as the Liber8 members subdivide while Cameron (aided by some high-tech hardware) tries to establish a new identity in the present day as a detective, despite being regarded with suspicion by her new colleagues. Another key figure is Alex Sadler, who in 2077 is an elderly industrialist of immense power and who seems to have something to do with the time-travelling incident. Cameron comes across him as a young computer geek in the present day (Erik Knudsen) and they work together to hunt down Liber8.

In the third season, even more complexity is added by a further leap back in time of only a week by Sadler and Cameron, which results in two of each of them sharing the same timeline. Also featuring are the Freelancers, a covert group with knowledge of the future who act to police time travel in order to prevent the kind of changes Liber8 want to make, and someone who appears to come from a very different alternative future. The original Sadler has inherited control of a large corporation and is trying to establish himself by introducing far-reaching technical innovations inspired by what he has learned from Cameron, while his double from the near future has a different agenda. The complexities pile up and both concentration and a good memory are required to keep track of everything that is going on, particularly since the scenes keep jumping between the present and the future – the latter to fill in more of Cameron's backstory. Meanwhile Cameron seems to be no closer to getting back to her home in the future – and the moral ambiguity which underlies the story becomes more marked, with indications that she is beginning to feel some sympathy with the aims of Liber8, as even more ruthless criminals emerge to fight for the corporations. In the final episode there is twist after twist in the plot, setting up what should be a dramatic final half-season of six episodes, due to show on Canadian TV this autumn.

The standard of the previous seasons is maintained, my only complaint being the lack of any of the flashes of humour that the serial started with. Continuum is still the best TV SF drama since Fringe, and provides top-class entertainment.


(This entry is cross-posted from my science-fiction & fantasy blog.)
 
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