In the year 2149, an overpopulated and dying Earth is desperate. The only way to save the planet is to travel back in time to the prehistoric age, where an operation called Terra Nova is set in place for starting again and fixing humanity's mistakes.
FOX's "Terra Nova" follows the Shannon family as they are selected to travel back in time. Jason O'Mara plays the family patriarch, a man with a mysterious past. With him are his wife and trauma doctor, played by Shelley Conn and their three children. In the pilot episode, after bidding farewell to family and friends, the Shannons travel to Terra Nova, where they meet the expedition's leader, Commander Taylor (Stephen Lang of "Avatar"), who may not be the hero he is billed to be.
Despite the typical questions that accompany the sci-fi genre (If the people of Terra Nova are changing the past, does that not also alter the future? Can they ever return to the future?), "Terra Nova" looks exciting. The Shannons will have to avoid dinosaurs, rebel groups and their own secrets to survive.
The premise is more than a bit of a stretch – according to the show's website, time travel is made possible when scientists "accidentally" discover a fracture in time, but its combination of action, family drama and mystery could fill the hole ABC's hit "Lost" left when it ended last year.
With Stephen Spielberg as executive producer, "Terra Nova" promises an action-packed feature film quality, all within one hour on Monday nights.
"Terra Nova" premieres Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. on FOX.
Erin Bell can be reached at erin.bell@student.shu.edu.
